Fast, physical play has Jags’ lacrosse team thrilling the home crowd

Damian Stehly (in white) puts pressure on a St. Augustine attacker.

Valley Center’s JV boys lacrosse team has played a pair of thrilling games in the past two weeks, as the Jaguars rolled to a big win over St. Augustine on March 16 then came back from a two-goal deficit late in the game to register a tie against Rancho Bernardo on Friday.
The Jags jumped out to a big lead early in the game against St. Augustine and never looked back, as they cruised to a 6–3 victory.
Conner Macfarlane scored just two minutes into the game to get things started for the Jaguars, then Jason Blasius added a goal three minutes later and Sullivan Shimer closed out the first period with a goal that came 12 seconds before the whistle.
Leading by three after the first quarter, the Jags scored less than 30 seconds into the second period when Nick Sharp curled in front for the score. St. Augustine forced its way back into the game with two goals in less than 30 seconds to make the score 4–2 at halftime.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter, as Shimer scored his second of the game with just over two minutes left in the period. The Saints answered with only 19 seconds left in the quarter after a turnover in the Valley Center zone led directly to a goal.
As time wound down, the Jaguars got the insurance goal they were looking for when Macfarlane finished off a series of scintillating passes on the fast break with the score that sealed the win.
Friday’s game against Rancho Bernardo was a much more physical contest, and as both teams absorbed big hit after big hit, the Jaguars steadily clawed their way back into the game to make it a 5–5 tie.
The game might have turned out much differently had the first shot of the game, an absolute laser from Garrett Fiehler, found its way into the net instead of clanking off the post and finally coming to rest about 30 yards out of bounds.
But Fiehler wasn’t to be denied, as he took the ball from behind his own net, outran the defense and bounced a shot past the goalie to score the first goal of the game less than three minutes in.
Rancho Bernardo answered in the second quarter, scoring a goal on a shot to the top shelf just 48 seconds into the period to tie the game. The Broncos took the lead just over a minute later on a spinning shot that found its way home. The first half wound down as the physicality of the game heightened, punctuated by a big hit from Fiehler that earned him a penalty for unnecessary roughness.
Fiehler atoned for the penalty early in the second half, as he once again took the ball coast-to-coast and slung a sidearm shot past the goalie to tie the game up once again.
But the Broncos scored two quick goals as the third quarter came to an end, the first a bouncing shot with just over a minute on the clock and the second a Valley Center turnover that wound up in the back of the net with 43 seconds left in the third period.
The Jags came back with a goal from Blasius just over a minute into the fourth, but Rancho Bernardo pulled ahead by two with five minutes left in the game, using consistent pressure in the offensive zone to wear down the Valley Center defense.
Blasius scored another big goal a minute later, as he faked out his defender in the corner and found a sliver of open net for the score. As he put the shot home, one of the Bronco defenders delivered a crushing hit that temporarily knocked Blasius out of the game. The Broncos took an unnecessary roughness penalty for the hit, which led to a one-man advantage for the Jags.
Fiehler took advantage of the open space, as he casually drifted toward the zone and unleashed another sidearm shot from about 20 yards away that may have left a vapor trail.
As the final three minutes of the game ticked away, Fiehler had another shot ring off the post, then the Jaguar crowd leapt to its feet when defender Damian Stehly took off on a long run and let fly with a huge shot that just went wide as time expired.
Valley Center’s next game is at Scripps Ranch at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, then the Jaguars return home to face Serra at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

Jags win first home wrestling dual meet in three years

Dustin Miller flips over in the 103-pound match:
Connor MacFarlane twists to get out of a hold in the 112-pound match:
Trevor Ryback fought back from certain doom to win the 119-pound match:
Zach Dewey fights for position in the 130-pound match:
Daquota Avila rolls over his opponent in the 140-pound match:
Kevin Murphy sizes up his opponent in the 145-pound match:
Damian Stehly gets his opponent off the ground in the 160-pound match:
Dylan Smith goes for a hold in the 171-pound match:
Jeremy Halligan grapples with his opponent in the 189-pound match:
Travis Weddington tries to get the upper hand in the 215-pound match:
photos by Dan Kidder

Despite missing one of its top wrestlers, the Valley Center varsity wrestling team pulled together and won its first home dual meet in three years with a 39–36 win over San Pasqual on Thursday.
With Juan Oros out with a rib injury, two Jaguars won by pin, while four more earned wins to propel the Jaguars past the Eagles.
“After the 2008 Valley League/CIF team of ten seniors graduated, we began a three-year building cycle,” head coach Clay Clifford said. “With a win like this, it looks like we have turned the corner.”
Trevor Ryback earned the first pin for the Jags, pinning Brian Pansegrau in 1:19 to win the 119-pound match. Damian Stehly also won by pin, taking down Mike Anastasia in 3:43 to win the 160-pound match.
Dustin Miller started off the match with a 7–1 decision in the 103-pound match, while Zach Dewey won an 8–4 decision in the 130-pound match, Daquota Avila won by technical fall, 16–0, in the 140-pound match, and Dylan Smith won a 12–1 decision in the 171-pound match. Two Jaguars also won by forfeit, while Valley Center forfeited one match in the meet.
Then on Saturday, the Jaguars competed in the 34th annual Jim Londos Tournament at Orange Glen High School in a field of 36 schools. Overall, the Jags finished in 12th place with 64.5 points, as four wrestlers finished in the top ten in their class.
Miller led the Jaguars with a third place finish in the 104-pound class, while Smith took fifth in the 172-pound class, Stehly finished seventh in the 161-pound class and Aydin Cooper finished seventh in the 216-pound class.
Over Christmas vacation, the Valley Center wrestlers competed in the Santiago High “Shark Tank” Tournament, in a field of 56 schools, as well as the Mira Mesa Team Tournament, in a field of 12 schools.
Oros was the lone survivor of the “Shark Tank” tournament, finishing sixth. He lost a heartbreaker match in the semi-finals, falling to Coachella Valley’s Sergio Hernandez, 4–3. Ahead 3–2 with seven seconds left in the match, Oros suffered a last second takedown to end the match. In his next match, Oros sustained a rib injury, so he was pulled out of the tournament and finished sixth.
Meanwhile, Smith went 3–2 before being eliminated, and both Stehly and Cooper finished with 2–2 match records. One of the most exciting early round matches of the tournament was Cooper’s 27–22 loss to Buena Park’s Jake Wiggens. The match had the entire crowd riveted on the outcome and left both wrestlers were exhausted.
The JV wrestlers competed at the Mira Mesa Team Tournament on Dec. 30 and brought home a pair of gold medals.
John Murphy and James Oakley both went 5–0 to receive gold medals. Dewey received a silver medal for 4–1 record, while Kaulana Miller and Lorenzo Gomez received bronze medals for their 3–2 finishes.
The Jaguars are now 1–2 overall, and Thursday night at 7 p.m. is a league showdown at Orange Glen.

Jags post three wins, three losses in an up-and-down water polo week

Valley Center’s varsity boys water polo team faced some tough competition in the San Diego Open tournament, but earned two wins in five matches. The Jaguars also earned a big win against Army/Navy to give them three wins on the week.
The Jags played at the Army/Navy Academy on Thursday, and after a good start, held on for a 20–11 win.
The Jags got the offense going early, scoring six goals but allowing four in the first quarter. The Jags got their defense in order in the second quarter, holding Army/Navy to two goals while putting away seven of their own to lead 13–6 at half.
Army/Navy picked up their defense in the third, holding the Jags to three goals, scoring three of their own, giving the Jags a 16–9 lead going into the fourth. Valley Center continued to control the game, scoring four more goals while allowing only two to seal the win.
“The boys played well and kept their composure,” head coach Kyle Kline said of the big win.
Ian Macfarlane had an incredible game with nine goals, two assists, seven steals, one block, and earned three penalty shots. Jake Walder had a great game with six goals, three assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Dylan Peters also had an outstanding game with four goals, two assists, two steals, and one block. Lucas Coch had one goal, and one steal. Kevin Murphy played well with two assists, five steals, and one block. Shea Swartz played three quarters and had 16 goal saves, two assists, and one steal. Tyler French played one quarter in goal and had two goal saves and one assist.
Last week, Valley Center started play in the San Diego Open tournament with a game against Grossmont last Monday, and the Jaguars couldn’t keep pace in a 17–4 loss.
Grossmont had a solid 5–1 start in the first and continued to control the game to the finish.
Macfarlane had two goals, one steal, one block, earned one exclusion, and one penalty shot. Walder had one goal, and three steals. Murphy had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Swartz had five goal saves.
The second game of the night was against Escondido, and after the game went to overtime, the Jaguars couldn’t get a goal and suffered a 14–13 loss.
The Cougars were able to put away three goals right away, but the Jags were able to put away three of their own to tie the score at the end of the first. The Jags gave up three more goals in the second and were only able to score two to give the Cougars a 6–5 lead at half.
The Cougars put together five goals in the third while allowing only three for the Jags to lead 11–8 going into the fourth quarter.
The Jags came out in the fourth quarter with some intensity and were able to pull within one goal with less than a minute left. The Jaguars had a huge stop defensively and took control of the ball with 17 seconds left to play. After a timeout the Jags were able to tie the game with a huge goal from Macfarlane, sending the game into sudden-death overtime.
Both teams went scoreless after the first overtime quarter, but halfway through the second overtime quarter the Cougars were able to put away the game winning shot for the one-goal win.
“It was disappointing for the guys to lose a close one like this,” Kline said. “They worked hard and had an excellent fourth quarter.”
Macfarlane had five goals, one assist, five steals, and earned one penalty shot. Walder had a big game with five goals, four assists, and four steals. Murphy had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Cody Wolf had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Lucas Coch had one goal, and one assist. Connor Macfarlane had three steals. Swartz had a huge game with 18 goal saves.
The Jaguars took on Clairemont in their third game of the tournament, and after a slow start, rebounded to force overtime for the second consecutive game. But once again, the Jags couldn’t get the game-winner in extra time and took a 16–15 loss.
Clairemont took an early 2–1 lead in the first quarter. The Jags had a slow second quarter, giving up three goals only scoring one to trail 5–2 at half.
Valley Center stepped it up, putting away five goals in the third allowing four to trail 9–7 going into the fourth. The Jags had another good quarter, scoring five and allowing three to tie the game at 12 at the end of regulation.
After two three-minute quarters, the score was again tied this time at 15. In sudden death overtime, Clairemont was able to score on a lob shot to win the game.
“This was a tough loss for the guys,” Kline said. “They played an excellent second half to earn an opportunity in overtime.”
Ian Macfarlane had seven goals, one assist, five steals, two blocks, and earned one exclusion. Walder had seven goals, one assist, and two steals. Dylan Peters had one goal, four assists, one steal, and one blocks. Swartz had a big game with 29 goal saves.
The fourth game of the tournament was Saturday at Santana High School against Chula Vista, and this time the Jaguars scored early and often to take a 22–10 victory.
The Jags took a 6–3 lead after a solid first quarter. Chula Vista was able to score two more in the second, but the Jags put away another six to lead 12–5 at half.
Valley Center was able to control the game from there, outscoring Chula Vista 10–5 for a 12-goal win.
“This was a good win for the guys,” said Kline. “We started to gain some momentum early and worked well as a team.”
Ian Macfarlane had seven goals, four assists, six steals, four blocks, and earned one exclusion. Walder had six goals, seven assists. Wolf had a big game with four goals, two assists, and six steals. Peters had three goals, four assists, two steals, and earned one exclusion. Coch had one goal, one assist, and one steal. Connor Macfarlane had one goal, three steals, and earned one penalty shot. Swartz had seven goal saves.
The fifth and final game of the tournament was against Mar Vista, and the Jaguars held off a late charge to win, 10–8.
After one quarter, the score was tied 2–2. The Jags came out in the second quarter and put away five goals, while allowing only two, to lead 7–4 at half.
Both teams were only able to score one goal in the third, giving Valley Center an 8–5 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Mar Vista came on late in the game to score three goals, but the Jags were able to hold them off for a two-goal win.
“This was another big win for the guys,” Kline said. “They had to battle hard for four quarters and played some excellent team water polo. Putting in a solid charge in the second quarter paid off in this game.”
Ian Macfarlane had four goals, and one assist. Walder had four goals, one assist, and two steals. Peters had one goal, one assist, and two steals. Murphy had one goal, two assists, and three steals. Swartz had six goal saves and two assists.
This week the Jags finish off league play with two big games. The first of the week is Tuesday against Canyon Crest at Adams Park. The last game of the regular season is Thursday against Del Norte at Adams Park. Both games are at 4 p.m.
In an unfortunate turn of events this week, the Valley Center varsity boys water polo team was forced to forfeit seven games when a clerical error led to the team playing with an ineligible player.
VCHS athletic director Mike Cummings admitted that the error was not the fault of the team or the player involved, and added that this is the first time in the school’s history that a varsity team has forfeited a contest.
Since the Jaguars lost four of the seven games anyway, the net result is three more losses on the record, giving the Jags a mark of 7–13 overall and 4–2 in league.
However, the forfeits mean that the Jaguars would be ineligible for the playoffs, since CIF rules state that any team with five or more forfeits is ineligible. Schools have the option to appeal, and Cummings said that the Jaguars have submitted an appeal to be able to participate in the playoffs this season.

Jaguars win twice in water polo

The Jaguars got two key wins this week, giving them momentum as the season winds down.
(photo by Cathy Schwickert)

The Valley Center varsity boys water polo team played two big games this week with the playoffs looming, and the Jaguars pulled out a pair of wins to gain momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
To start the week, the Jags took on Del Norte last Tuesday at Del Norte High School and held on for a 9–8 win.
The Jaguars had a good start defensively, holding Del Norte to only one goal but were able to score only one in the first. The Jags were able to score one goal in the second holding Del Norte scoreless to take a 2-1 lead at half. Del Norte gained some momentum in the third putting away four goals. The Jags adjusted defensively and slowed them down and were able to put away three goals of their own to tie the game at five going into the fourth. Both teams traded goals throughout the fourth quarter.
Cody Wolf scored with 1:45 left to play to take an 8-7 lead. Del Norte was able to capitalize on a mistake and tied the game at eight with 1:20 left on the clock. Wolf again stepped up and was able to put away a key goal with 17 seconds left on the clock to take a 9-8 lead. Del Norte took a timeout to set up a play giving the Jags an opportunity to set up their defensive plan. Ian Macfarlane came up with a huge steal allowing the Jags to take their final timeout and run out the clock for the win.
“This was a big win for the guys,” said head coach Kyle Kline. “They battled hard all four quarters and came up with some key goals at the right time.”
Dylan Peters was on fire with five goals, one assist, one steal, one exclusion, and one penalty shot. Ian Macfarlane played well with two goals, five steals, two blocks, and saved the game with a huge steal at the end. Cody Wolf had a big game with two goals, including the game winner, and three assists. Connor Macfarlane had one assist and four steals. Shea Swartz had a huge game with 16 goal saves.
The Jags then took on Orange Glen at Washington Park on Thursday, and came out firing on all cylinders to take a 14–3 win.
Valley Center scored two in the first and held Orange Glen to just one for a slim early lead. But the Jaguars broke the game open with four goals in each of the final three quarters, while holding the Patriots to just one goal in the third quarter and one more in the fourth.
Ian Mcfarlane led the way with four goals, while Walder had three goals, Wolf had two goals and three assists, Kevin Murphy and Lucas Coch each had two goals and an assist and Dylan Peters had an assist. In goal, Swartz made eight big saves to get the win.
Valley Center is now 7–10 overall and 4–1 in league play, with the San Diego Open Tournament continuing this week, as well as a game at Army/Navy on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

Water Polo: Jaguars split two games

The Valley Center varsity boys water polo team split its two games this week, scoring a bunch of goals late in the match to beat Army-Navy Academy but falling behind early and losing to Canyon Crest Academy on Thursday at Catholic High School.
The Jaguars hosted Army-Navy last Tuesday, and after trailing by one in the first, they came back to hold a two-goal lead at halftime before putting the game away with nine goals in the fourth quarter in a 16–9 win.
Ian Macfarlane scored eight goals and had three assists, while Jake Walder had six goals and two assists, Connor Macfarlane had a goal and an assist and Lucas Coch had a goal. Shea Swartz made nine saves in goal for the Jaguars to get the victory.
On Thursday, the Jags took on Canyon Crest Academy and and couldn’t keep pace in an 11–6 loss.
Canyon Crest took a 3–0 lead in the first quarter, as the Jags were unable to get any offense going. Both teams traded a goal each in the second giving Canyon Crest a 4–1 lead at half.
The Jags were able to put away two goals in the third but broke down defensively, giving up six, to trail 10–3 going into the fourth.
Valley Center was able to score three goals while allowing only one in the final period, but couldn’t come all the way back.
“We knew Canyon Crest would be tough and it took us a while to adapt to the larger pool,” said head coach Kyle Kline. “We were slow getting started on offense, and had a rough third quarter defensively.”
Ian Macfarlane had five goals, one steal, and earned two penalty shots, while Walder had one goal, Connor Macfarlane had three steals and Swartz had ten goal saves.
Next up for the Jags is a match against Orange Glen at Washington Park in Escondido on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

Jaguars fall to Steele Canyon in water polo

The Valley Center varsity boys water polo team hosted Steele Canyon on Friday at Adams Park, and despite a solid effort on both sides of the ball, suffered a 9–6 loss.
The Jags held Steele Canyon to two goals in the deep end, and were able to put away two of their own in the shallow end for a tie score after the first quarter.
Steele Canyon came out strong in the second scoring three goals in the shallow end, allowing none for the Jags giving Steele a 5–2 lead at half.
The Jags were able to score two more in the third, but allowed two more to trail 7–4 going into the fourth quarter.
The Jags again traded two goals each with Steele Canyon to lose by three.
“This was a tough game but the guys battled for most of the game,” head coach Kyle Kline said. “We had some mistakes early, and couldn’t get any offense going in the second quarter. We put together a push in the fourth quarter and created opportunities to score but couldn’t convert.”
Jake Walder had three goals, one assist, and one steal to lead the Jaguars on offense. Dylan Peters had two goals, and earned one exclusion. Ian Macfarlane had one goal, one assist, five steals, one block, earned two exclusions, and one penalty shot. Shea Swartz played very well with 14 goal saves.
The Jaguars are now 3–9 overall, and will have begun league play against Orange Glen at Adams Park on Tuesday. Next up is a home match at Adams Park against Army/Navy on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.