15 candidates for 2011 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year

Great athletes make sports fun to watch.
They turn average contests into you-totally-should-have-been-there events. They make your head spin with a combination of speed, strength and grace that can’t be fully appreciated in a Sportscenter highlight. Basically, they turn a UFL game into an NFL game.
And while we may not get to see the likes of Adrian Peterson, Albert Pujols, David Villa, Dirk Nowitzki or Steven Stamkos here in Valley Center, we have a bevy of athletic talent that makes a Jaguar game anything but average.
This year, I had the privilege of covering Valley Center High School sports from fall to spring, from football to baseball, and everything in between. I must admit right up front that I know I didn’t get to see that much of some of our local teams and athletes, but hopefully we’ll get to hear those stories from you (more on that in a little bit).
Accordingly, I made a list through the various seasons that I titled, simply, “Favorite players to watch 2011.”
I whittled the list down to 15 athletes (not an easy task) that I thought were deserving of another mention because of the way they played on the field. In the coming week, I’ll be choosing one of these 15 athletes as the first-ever Roadrunner Athlete of the Year. The winner will get a full interview in an upcoming issue, and the criteria for winning are mainly athletic, although some other factors, such as attitude and leadership. Basically, I’m going to choose the athlete who I think best represented the Jaguars on the field. I am, however, always open to suggestion, so if you have a strong opinion about one or more of the athletes below, write to me this week at sports@valleycenter.com and tell me why I should choose your athlete.
Just to be clear, this list is based entirely on my experience as a sports fan, primarily, and is in no way intended to rank the included athletes or exclude any other athletes deserving of recognition. This is just the list of a sports fan who wanted to share some thoughts about the outstanding sports he saw this year, and recognize the athletes who helped make it such a fantastic year.
So, in no particular order, here are the candidates for Athlete of the Year:

Travis Bernard—football
Plays like: Barry Sanders
Also a little bit like: Lionel Messi
It had to be hard to follow a great player like Stanton Upson, but Bernard stepped up to the challenge in a big way. The always-shifty Bernard left VC fans gasping at the lightning-quick change of direction, the where-did-he-go cutbacks and the thrill of knowing that the Jaguars were never more than a play away from scoring a touchdown, no matter where they were on the field.
The speed and agility were what made him a great athlete, but to me, the drive and determination are what set him apart as one of the truly phenomenal athletes I’ve ever gotten to see in person. He’s got a chance to see significant playing time at Northern Colorado this fall, and I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more from him before the season’s over.

David Last—football
Plays like: Ronnie Lott
And a little like: George Blanda
In football, the kicker is usually the spry little fellow prancing about on the sideline of the stadium, fiddling with some stick-and-net contraption and trying not to look bored until he’s suddenly called upon to do something productive.
David Last is not your usual kicker.
Not only did he boot a school-record 51-yard field goal against Escondido this year and send nearly every kickoff out the back of the endzone, he was a dominant defensive player at cornerback and a handy weapon as a receiver on offense.
I had the most fun watching him play defense. Of the dozens of big hits I saw from the sidelines this year, at least ten to 15 of them belonged to Last. Teams didn’t like throwing the ball his way because they knew that, at best, they’d get a completion and an immediate stop. He was rarely out of position, he was fearless in pursuing (and often flattening) the ball-carrier, and he only seemed to get better as the game wore on.

Kevin Murphy—football, water polo, wrestling, swimming, golf
Plays like: Jim Thorpe
And a little like: Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Some athletes are gifted in such specific ways that they're fun to watch--but only when they're doing that one thing they're good at.
Murphy doesn't have to worry too much about that--he's got 11 varsity letters from his four years at VCHS, and he capped off his senior year by playing five sports in three seasons. Five. He started with football and water polo, then (in what must have seemed like a break, going to just one sport after playing two) he joined the wrestling team for the winter season before going out with a bang in golf and swimming in the spring season.
Now, anybody can show up to practice and be on a sports team--just look at half of the Padres' roster this year (seriously--who are these guys?).
But it's another thing altogether to actually be good.
Murphy was the long snapper on the football team, a position that is not for the faint of heart (just for fun, go out in your back yard with a football, then bend over and try to heave the ball between your legs to another person 20 yards away while simultaneously whipping your head back up so you don't get railroaded by a humongous person trying to knock you flat on your back). In the same season, he was also one of the key offensive weapons on the boys water polo team. On the wrestling team, he was a mainstay in the 140-150 range, and helped the Jaguars win the Valley League title. He was also one of the top contributors on the golf team while balancing his time with the swim team.
Each of those things requires a specific skill that would take a long time for anyone to master. And here Murphy was, mixing it up on the varsity level in five completely different sports. Even if he had just played water polo and golf, those two alone astonish me. Then add wrestling...it boggles the mind.

Kelly Hagadorn—field hockey, soccer, lacrosse
Plays like: Alexander Ovechkin, only on turf
And a little like: Ed Reed
There are athletes who impress with skill, and there are athletes who impress with determination. There are also athletes who impress with skill and determination.
Then there are athletes who scare the bejeezus out of you.
If you follow the NFL, you probably know who Ed Reed is. He plays safety for the Baltimore Ravens, and underneath that black helmet, his bushy black beard and his silent scowl could make a running back’s blood go cold (for video evidence, search YouTube for “Ed Reed decleated Knowshon Moreno big hit forced fumble” and get ready to send the kids out of the room).
Hagadorn plays with the same quiet intensity that has made me think, more than once, that I’m glad I don’t play field hockey. Or soccer. Or lacrosse. Or Powder Puff football.
What separates her from the thugs that sports can sometimes breed is the fact that she can back up her swagger with incredible skill. She was the focal point of the offense for the VCHS field hockey team that went deep into the CIF playoffs, and she was a rock on defense for the girls soccer team and the girls lacrosse team.
She was a leader. When she walked onto the field, the rest of the team knew they had a really good chance to win, because they knew she was going to be the one of the best players on the field, no matter what it took.

Melina & Vanessa Heredia—volleyball, soccer, lacrosse
Play like: Charlie Davies, only there’s two of him
And a little like: Deion Sanders, minus the showing off
I hate to put them together—I’m sure that, as twin sisters, it’s happened pretty much all their lives thus far—but it really is impossible to talk about the athletic prowess of one without mentioning the other.
As freshmen, they both played significant time on three varsity teams this season. My first glimpse of these dynamos was in volleyball, where they both showed incredible athleticism around the net and a willingness to learn from the upperclassmen around them.
In soccer, they flashed some of the eye-popping speed that quickly caught the attention of the other team (and the fans).
But it wasn’t until lacrosse season that I fully understood what I was seeing. Both of them have the capability of changing the momentum of a game in the blink of an eye, and they dropped plenty of jaws both in the crowd and on the opposing sideline.
By the end of the season, I learned to sit up a little straighter and watch just a little more closely whenever one of the Heredia sisters got the ball, no matter where they were on the field. A handful of times, I watched as one of the two of them would collect the ball behind their own net, jog with the defender for about 30 yards, then turn on the jets and absolutely blow past one, two, even three defenders before slamming the ball into the net.
Can’t wait to see what they do for an encore in their sophomore seasons.

A.J. Broomell—basketball
Plays like: A young Jason Kidd
And a little like: A young John Stockton, minus the short shorts
Of all the sports I used to follow closely as a kid, basketball is one in which I’ve slowly lost interest, mainly due to the look-at-me preening of the typical NBA star.
But even I couldn’t help but look forward to VCHS basketball games, because players like Broomell only come around so often.
Watching Broomell in each Jaguars game was a study in how to morph your game to match the weakness of your opponent. On a team that ran its offense through center Stehly Reden—with good reason—Broomell was so much more than just a John Stockton to Reden’s Karl Malone.
Broomell proved time and time again that he could carry the team when they needed him, just as adroitly as he found ways to make his teammates better. They say that you can tell how good a basketball player is by the job he does when he doesn’t have the ball, and Broomell passed this test with flying colors.
Whether he scored 20 points or only five, Broomell built a reputation as a smart, clutch player who got the best out of those around him.

James Siva—basketball
Plays like: Spud Webb
And a little like: Kevin Bacon in The Air Up There
He wasn’t the biggest player on the court—not by a long shot. But the players you love to have on your team are the ones who practice hard, play hard and refuse to accept losing as an option.
Siva led the Jaguars in scoring a few times, but mostly he provided the energy and determination that was infectious.
I think the perfect stamp of Siva’s impact on the team this season came in the first round of the CIF playoffs at Santana (click here to watch the video). The Sultans held a one-point lead and had the ball with under a minute left in the game. The Jaguars double-teamed the opposing center, who forced up an off-balance shot that ricocheted off the rim and bounced off Reden’s hands before Siva swooped in to grab the ball at the baseline. After faking a pass, Siva darted up the floor, past four surprised Sultans jogging back on defense, and slipped a perfect bounce pass to Beau Reilly, who banked in the easy layup that gave the Jags a one-point lead.
And Siva wasn’t done. On defense with under 20 seconds left, the Jaguars forced Santana to try a contested three-pointer that missed the mark. As the big men slammed into each other going after the rebound, Siva once again weaved through the traffic, stuck his hand out and tipped the ball away from one of the Sultans. He stayed with the ball, scooped it up and was fouled with under a second remaining, all but sealing the win for VC.

Miriam Zabinsky—girls basketball
Plays like: Magic Johnson
And a little like: Julie Connor from the Saturday morning classic Hang Time.
It’s great when a player plays his or her position well, but when they play multiple positions at a high level, you know you’re watching something special.
Zabinsky showed her versatility in nearly every basketball game this season, from running the offense as a point guard to taking outside shots as a shooting guard to crashing the boards and posting up her defender like a power forward. She’s obviously talented; a casual observer can see that almost immediately. But her focus and intensity put her on another level, and her toughness only serves to shine a brighter spotlight on her skills.

Eddie Alba—soccer
Plays like: Wayne Rooney
And a little like: The Italian kids in the Will Ferrell movie Kicking and Screaming.
Alba is another one of those athletes who isn’t very big and probably isn’t the fastest guy on the field. But his quickness, especially with the ball at his feet, is explosive, and he impressed me more than once with his field vision. I’m not a soccer expert, but I can distinctly recall a handful of times during the boys soccer games when Alba would get the ball and it looked like there was nothing there, but he would find a seam with a pass, or make one extra move and get off a shot when it looked completely closed down.
He was never one to jaw with opponents, or flop to the ground at the slightest whisper of contact (as is the unfortunate case for some soccer players in the world). I remember Alba getting a hard red card at the end of the game against Orange Glen, a penalty that results in ejection. The crowd was understandably upset; the game had been increasingly rough-and-tumble throughout the second half, and Orange Glen had come close to causing some serious injuries with reckless challenges. Alba made an aggressive challenge and caught some of the opposing player’s foot as he slid for the ball, but compared to what had been going on without so much as a whistle, the play seemed harmless.
Alba didn’t complain, didn’t mouth off to the ref or whine about it. He definitely looked surprised, and stood on the field for a while as if in disbelief, but ultimately, he accepted the unjust punishment in a close game that the Jaguars eventually lost without taking his frustration out on the ref, his coaches or his teammates.

Hannah Sanders—girls soccer
Plays like: Shannon Boxx
And a little like: Keira Knightley in Bend It Like Beckham.
The VCHS girls soccer team was fun to watch this season. They had a lot of talented players, especially on offense, and they had a lot of confidence heading into the season.
Sanders was the key cog in the middle, handling the ball often and with more than once with jaw-dropping skill. She always seemed to have another gear to shift into when she got the ball, and she made a lot of defenders look foolish. And for being a willowy blonde, she wasn’t afraid of contact, either.
It was a lot of fun watching how in sync she was with forward Sam Koch, and how often they seemed to know exactly where to go when the other one had the ball.

Dylan Smith—football, wrestling
Plays like: The Ultimate Warrior
And a little like: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
Defensive tackles are usually the fattest guys a football team can dig up without resorting to pillaging sumo arenas (although that always seems to happen in every football comedy movie).
Smith is built a little more like a wide receiver—a big receiver, but still, not exactly earth-mover-esque.
But his motor doesn’t seem to have a brake pedal, because he just never quits.
As impressed as I was with him in football, I was doubly so when wrestling season rolled around. He had a way of pacing around the ring, staring down his opponent before the handshake, then launching himself across the mat when the whistle blew to start the match. He showed how tough he is, but I marveled at his quickness, especially when getting at his opponent’s feet.

Dan Henderson—basketball, baseball
Plays like: Tom Glavine
And a little like: Eddie Harris from Major League
Nice guys finish last, as the old saying goes.
They don’t get much nicer than Dan Henderson, and you don’t have to go far to find somebody who will adamantly agree.
What makes him a great athlete to watch is his approach to the game, no matter what that game might be. He does the little things right—he hustles, he pays attention, he’s not afraid to ask questions, and he is never at a loss when it comes to an encouraging thing to say to his teammates (and, on occasion, his opponents).
On a personal level, I had a great time watching him play because he is exactly what I tried to be when I was a high school athlete. I also played baseball, and I also tried my best to be the guy who was first to practice, last to leave, first to hop up for the stray foul balls, first to high five the guy who just struck out, and always ready when the coach needed me.
But I can’t in any way claim to have done it as well or as thoroughly as Dan Henderson, who not only accomplished all these things, but showed time and time again that he’s also a really good ballplayer. He started the baseball season as an afterthought when it came to the pitching rotation, but by the end, the coaches were counting on him in some tight spots as the team tried to stay alive in the battle for the league title.
When he wasn’t pitching, he was still in the lineup and played third base, which wasn’t the spot they had him in at the beginning of the year. He still picked it up as the season went along, and became a solid defender at a tough position.

Anna Luna—softball
Plays like: Cat Osterman
And a little like: If Randy Johnson pitched underhand
When it comes to softball in Valley Center, you only need to talk to two people: Bob & Pat Tousley, who have been a part of the youth softball program and the high school softball program in various forms for the past… Let’s just say there aren’t many people who can remember that far back anymore.
So when Pat Tousley told me that she saw a photo of Anna Luna pitching and added, “That’s exactly how we teach the kids to pitch,” I knew the Lady Jaguars were going to have a good season.
The above comparisons aside, Luna reminds me quite a bit of Orel Hershiser, the former Dodgers pitcher who earned the nickname “Bulldog” for his gutsy pitching performances in the late 80s and early 90s.
Luna has the same lanky build that Hershiser always had, and the same tenacity in the pitcher’s circle. A change in high school softball regulations moved the pitcher back three feet this year, and early in the season, the difference was clear. Offenses had just a little more time to pick up the pitch, and hitters were finding ways to exploit the mistakes that pitchers used to be able to cover up.
The Lady Jaguars were no different—they had a tremendous offensive year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs. Luna’s pitching was a huge part of that run, especially late in the regular season. She found herself in some tight spots more than once, but she quickly gained a reputation for cranking up the intensity and pitching her best when it counted.

Garrett Fiehler—boys lacrosse
Plays like: Sidney Crosby
And a little like: Peyton Hillis
It’s easy to see why so many VCHS football players ended up on the boys lacrosse team this season. It’s a very different game than what the girls play, right down to the different lines on the field.
Fiehler was the third running back on the varsity football team that went undefeated until they lost a heartbreaker in the CIF championship game at Qualcomm Stadium. Travis Bernard was the starter and Michael Rodriguez was the primary backup, but Fiehler showed more than enough evidence in his limited action to indicate that he’s going to be the starting running back next season.
The same mentality he played with in football translated easily to lacrosse, and it was easy to see that he’s been playing lacrosse for a long time. Where some players were still struggling to get used to the mechanics of running and keeping the ball in the cage at the end of the stick, Fiehler fairly glided around the field with that same powerful stride he showed in football.
As a midfielder, the offense ran through him, and his quick first step led to more goals this season than I can count. He never shied away from contact; more often than not, he was the one initiating a hit, even when he had the ball. I can still see in my mind’s eye the opening night game against Temecula, when Fiehler barreled into an oncoming offensive player in one of the fiercest collisions I’ve ever seen.
(Quick aside: the hardest sports hit I’ve ever seen in person came courtesy of James Johnson, Valley Center’s phenom wide receiver who graduated in 2009. In a home game against Orange Glen in ’09, the Jaguars were on offense, and Tyler Bernard dropped off a pass in the flat to the tight end, I think it was Jeremy Dozier. Johnson had gone on a deep corner route, but turned around to come back and block once the ball was caught. One of the Orange Glen corners was trying to chase Dozier down when Johnson completely blindsided him with a totally legal, but absolutely bone-rattling hit, shoulder to chest. It happened about seven yards directly in front of me, and I can distinctly remember hearing all the air get forcibly pancaked out of the kid.)

John Turori—rugby
Plays like: Adrian Peterson
And a little like: If Troy Polamalu played both offense and defense
Honestly, the Adrian Peterson comparison is the closest thing I can come up with to accurately explaining how Turori plays. NFL commentators gush about how Peterson runs “with violence” and how he is a nightmare to try to tackle in the open field.
Turori runs with the same ferocity, and all the more so because he’s doing it in a game without pads. His legs never stop churning, no matter how many defenders he has draped on his back, ankles, or wherever they can try to get a hold of him. And he knows how to use his strength, squeezing his broad frame into the tiniest crack of an opening between defenders to keep them off balance and allow him to gain those precious extra yards.
And he’s smart, too. He’s not just plowing through the nearest defender because he can, he is active away from the ball, feeling out the weak spots in the defense and carefully positioning himself to maximize his efforts once the ball does come his way. And he usually doesn’t have to wait long—the ball finds him in a hurry, another mark of a truly gifted athlete playing at an elite level.
— — —
There you go, 15 athletes who made this year in sports so much fun for me to watch. I had more, but there’s only so much room, and only so many amusing comparisons to movie and/or TV athletes I can think of.
But if there’s anyone I left out, or anyone you think deserves a mention, write to me at sports@valleycenter.com and I’ll add them to consideration.
You can also visit the Roadrunner's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/valleycenter to share your thoughts about your choice for 2011 Athlete of the Year.

VC Avengers win big in first-ever home rugby match

Brandon Candito scored three tries for the Avengers on Saturday. (photos by Teresa Everett)

By BEN EVERETT

It was a busy Saturday for the Valley Center Avengers last weekend; in fact, you may have noticed them if you drove down the right stretch of Valley Center Road in the morning. They were the ones prancing about in capes and spandex.
It was not without reason, however—the U19 team was promoting a rummage sale to raise money for their upcoming trip to Nevada to play in the Las Vegas Invitational Rugby Tournament, and based on the results of Saturday’s match, our boys have reason to look forward to the tourney.
The sale was over by noon, but the Avengers were just getting started on the day, which would see the team play its first-ever home game against the Temecula Wildcats. At first glance, it promised to be the closest contest of the season for the hosts, who for the first time were facing another first-year club, one struggling with an unlucky rash of injuries no less. Once the crowd had settled in alongside the middle school football field, the game was underway, and it soon became apparent that while it may have been an even match on paper, it was quite the different story on grass.
Valley Center received the opening kickoff and wasted no time in laying waste to the Wildcat’s defense with a bruising breakaway from captain Chris Turori. The romp set up an easy try (rugby’s method of scoring and precursor to football’s touchdown) for Ben Everett and a lead that the Avengers would only see widen. Because in rugby a team is not considered to lose possession when scoring a try, the squad scoring the points receives the ensuing kickoff, an opportunity which allowed Valley Center to dominate possession for the remainder of the half, adding tries from Brandon Candito, who had three on the day; Turori, who finished the game with five; and JJ Evans.
The Avengers continued in much the same fashion after halftime, with consistent scoring– including two tries from co-captain John Turori, the elder of the two brothers–, sustained possession, and some spectacular kicking from Alessandro da Silva proving more than enough to make up for two Temecula tries. When the dust finally settled, Valley Center emerged with a 85-12 victory and a renewed optimism for the season to come.
Saturday’s game ended the high school campaign for the Avengers, but as regular Roadrunner readers may remember, the year is not yet over for them. The club will scrimmage at La Quinta this Saturday in preparation for the next weekend’s Las Vegas tournament, where our home team will be matched against squads from across the continent. Then comes the beginning of rugby’s club season, a longer and more competitive stretch of games than the two-month long high school season. While Valley Center has the will and the talent to compete in the new league, the departure of several athletes from the current team will leave them lacking in numbers. Any local athlete born after Sept. 1, 1992 who is looking for a fast-paced, hard-hitting sport is encouraged to give rugby a try; the Avengers’ practices, held Monday-Thursday from 3:30-5:00 at the Lower Elementary football field, are open to all comers. For more information, contact Coach George Turori at gtx5@aol.com or 760-522-6194, or get in touch with the team at their Facebook page, “Valley Center Rugby Club.”

Alessandro da Silva had a great game at fullback for VC:
John Turori passes the ball to Nicasio Westlund as he gets taken down:
Nicasio Westlund (center) uses his speed to take the ball upfield. He is supported by Scott Bergquist and Juan Macias:
Forward JJ Evans picks the ball out of a ruck and takes the ball in for a try:
John Turori wraps up a Temecula runner as Nicasio Westlund moves in:

VC Avengers rugby team set for season finale against Temecula

John Turori leaves Cathedral Catholic players in his wake on this run (photos by Teresa Everett)

By: BEN EVERETT
As the Valley Center Avengers look to close out their inaugural season this Saturday with a home game against Temecula, the town’s newly emerging U19 rugby club can look back upon several months defined by exciting potential and a devastating lack of numbers. Competing in the traditionally short high school season which immediately precedes the longer, more meaningful springtime club season, our team has faced only three opponents thus far (having had two other games canceled due to forfeit). Before finally fielding a full squad of fifteen against Fallbrook– the fifth-ranked team in America– in a losing effort on the 15th, the Avengers had struggled to cope with borrowed players and inexperience in losses to San Pasqual and Cathedral Catholic.
Valley Center hopes to avenge those frustrating defeats this Saturday at 2:00 on the middle school soccer field during their final game of the high school season. Anyone wanting an introduction to the fast-growing sport, or simply a pleasant afternoon of wholesome family fun, is welcome to come watch as the club battles for its first ever official win.
Fortunately for the Avengers, and for any local boys interested in rugby, their playing days won’t be over after Saturday’s game. The club season, which involves more teams, more matches, and better competition, begins in February, and needless to say, our local team is still searching for new players to become a part of this exciting sport.
A game whose true nature lies somewhere in between soccer and football, rugby retains the fluid gameplay and evenly distributed ball-handling of its European predecessor, intermixed with many of the positions and principles (the physical ones, especially) of modern football, the pastime that grew out of it. In short, rugby is an intense, dynamic sport that is as almost as fun to watch as it is to play. The upcoming club season is open to any Valley Center athletes born after August 31st, 1991 – no prior experience required. The Avengers practice Monday-Thursday from 3:30-5:00 on the Lower Elementary football field, and would love to see you drop by. For more information, contact Coach George Turori at (760) 522-6194 or get in touch with the team on their Facebook page, “Valley Center Rugby Club.”

Garrett Fiehler outruns the Cathedral Catholic defense on his way to scoring a try.

John Turori looks to pass the ball after making contact with a Cathedral Catholic player.

VC Avengers looking for more rugby players

The recent frosts may be cooling down our groves, but Valley Center’s rugby pitch is just warming up.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, our local boys once again proved to the Southern California rugby community that the Valley Center Avengers Rugby Club is a force to be reckoned with.
On Saturday, Serra High School was the site of the Serra Rugby Feast, a pre-season scrimmage offered to prepare local high schools for the upcoming high school rugby season.
The Avengers, who are still actively recruiting new players, will be playing in the SoCal High School Central Division with games scheduled from the beginning of December until the end of January. Valley Center will be competing with Cathedral Catholic, Chaparral, Fallbrook, La Quinta, San Pasqual and Torrey Pines high schools.
At the Serra Feast, the Avengers had to combine with the San Pasqual team due to a lack of numbers on both squads. The newly formed Avenging Eagles showed off their strong fundamentals, speed, and grit to best three out of their four opponents.
Between bites at the all-you-can-eat sideline buffet, Avenger coach George Turori commented that, “The mini-scrimmages were very beneficial for our new players and our boys were able to express their passion for the sport. This is a great day for fifteens rugby, camaraderie, and lots of good food.”
Although the Valley Center team has the skills for a strong showing in their inaugural season, they do lack the numbers to field a consistent squad of 15.
“Recruiting is our number one priority,” according to Teresa Everett, the team’s manager.
The Avengers would like to welcome any high school aged boy (either a VCHS or home-schooled student) to come on out and play. Athletes who graduated in 2010 and who turned 19 after Sept. 1 are also welcome to come give rugby a try.
“Rugby should be of particular interest to our high school football players. All positions in rugby get to carry the ball, from forwards to backs. Open field running and tackling, gutting it out in the scrum or ruck– the rugby player gets to do it all,” says Everett. “We would love to see our Jaguar football players who are not wrestling or playing basketball come onto the pitch after their run for the CIF Championship.”
The rugby team practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3–5 p.m. on the Valley Center Elementary School football field. Any interested students can contact Coach George Turori at 760-522-6194 or visit their Facebook page “Valley Center Rugby Club.”

VC Avengers Take Second In Escondido Rugby Tournament

(story by Ben Everett, photos by Teresa Everett)

The Valley Center Avengers
Back row (left to right): Coach Dale Turori, Caleb Segina, Chris Turori, Erik Brinkman, John Turori, Alex Carr, Lance Armstrong. Front row: Ben Everett, Jason Throop, Jake Jennings, Garret Fiehler, coach George Turori


Saturday was a triumphant send-off for the Valley Center Avengers, as our town’s recently assembled Under 19 rugby team compiled a 3–1 record en route to a second place finish at their final tournament of the season.
The Escondido competition, which was the third such event in team history, provided an opportunity for the Avengers to showcase their marked improvement since finishing two previous summer tourneys with a combined record of 2–4.
Valley Center’s performance proved especially encouraging, considering that nearly the entire team had first picked up a rugby ball not six weeks ago, and all are young enough to return next year for what promises to be a rousing season of rugby sevens.
Because the traditional and more easily recognizable form of rugby, which is a bruising game involving 15 players per team and plenty of physicality to complement the sport’s finesse, takes place during the winter or spring, summer is an off-season of sorts among the rugby community.
To fill the void, rugby sevens was created, an offshoot which retains all of rugby’s basic principles, but features only seven players playing seven-minute halves on a pitch larger than a football field, which naturally makes for a fast-paced, fluid game.
On Saturday, the Avengers opened the action against the Del Mar Heights Mustangs, a team whom they had seen excel at various tournaments but had never themselves played. The game began well enough for Valley Center, who received the opening kickoff and, one pass and several broken tackles later, saw captain John Turori score the day’s first try (rugby’s method of scoring, nearly equivalent to a touchdown in both point value and basic concept). The Avengers added to their advantage later in the half when Turori once again collected a pass near the sideline and, with a hop, skip, and a stiff arm, was across the try line for another score. Not surprisingly, the Mustangs showed themselves unwilling to go down quietly by beginning a penetrating drive through the heart of Valley Center’s defense just before the break and bringing the deficit down to seven. Their momentum continued to build just after the opening whistle of the second period, when a Del Mar player turned the corner on an Avenger and sprinted 50 yards for the equalizing try. Although Valley Center looked to be the better team, a disappointing loss loomed on the horizon until a stellar display of selfless ball movement and a patient, persistent attack led to Alex Carr sprinting past three desperate Mustang defenders on his way to the go ahead try. The seven point lead proved to be plenty for Valley Center, whose re-energized defense stifled any opposing scoring efforts for the remaining minutes and allowed the Avengers to walk away with a 21-14 victory.
Having begun the day on a high note, Valley Center turned their attention to their next opponent, the San Pasqual Barbarians, the tournament hosts and a squad with many ties to the Avengers. What with the many friendships and shared jerseys, the game was almost nothing more than a high-stakes scrimmage, epitomizing the sportsmanship and camaraderie which is perhaps rugby’s most essential element. After volunteering to wear their uniforms inside-out, Valley Center took the field and immediately made their presence felt, taking an early lead on Ben Everett’s breakaway down the sideline. While the Avengers’ defense remained strong, an injury towards the middle of the half left them undermanned on the outside, where a Barbarian ballcarrier found a path to the try zone and seven valuable points. The game would not stay tied for long, though, because the ensuing kickoff fell straight into the waiting hands of John Turori, who booted the ball back upfield, sprinted past San Pasqual’s defenders, and grabbed it again for a try (while you cannot pass the ball forwards in rugby, kicking in any direction is allowed, and often taken advantage of by the soccer-happy Avengers). Once again, the Barbarians would answer back, as a rare defensive mistake on the part of Valley Center and a bit of luck allowed them to tie the game up before halftime.
That try would prove to be San Pasqual’s last, but the Avengers needed only a minute to leave their mark on the second half, taking the lead for the final time when Scott Bergquist stole possession from an opponent’s lineout (akin to soccer’s throw-in) and singlehandedly powered his way across the try line. The rest of the game gave way alternatively to sloppy offense and exemplary defense from both sides, but in the end, Valley Center’s scrappy intensity was enough to secure the win for them, 17-10. The Avengers knew, however, that they would need to be nearly perfect to beat their next opponent, the Santa Clarita Tigers.
The Tigers were a team equally blessed with physicality and experience, and who had thoroughly dominated an Ocean Beach tournament last Saturday in which Valley Center finished squarely in the middle. While it was heartening to see just how much the Avengers had improved since then, their prospects looked bleak against a team who had at least quadrupled their opponents’ score in each of their other four games while resting their starters in the second half. Nevertheless, Valley Center entered the game with high hopes and, perhaps to everyone’s surprise but their own, dominated possession for most of the first half. Their momentum came to an abrupt halt, however, when an apparent try was called back on account of the referee neglecting to award the Avengers advantage– leeway to continue play even after the opponent has committed a foul if it benefits your team. The call gave the Tigers the respite needed to return to top form, and the remainder of the first half played out as a thoroughly entertaining display of rugby between two evenly matched teams, which, regardless of the final result, was success enough for the young and inexperienced Valley Center side. The period turned out to be less successful on paper, unfortunately, as Santa Clarita managed to sneak in a try in the half’s waning seconds, leaving the Avengers with a 7-0 deficit to overcome in the final seven minutes.
That deficit had Valley Center hoping for a sudden spark of offense, but the second half picked up where its predecessor left off- plenty of flashy running, efficient passing, and hard-nosed defense, but little progress down the field for either team. The familiarity continued to haunt Valley Center when the period’s turning point again came in the form of a referee’s error- one of two such mistakes in an otherwise very well-officiated game. The fateful play began when John Turori sent a kick downfield, but was beat to the ball by a Santa Clarita defender. Sensing Turori’s impending approach, the Tiger booted the ball out of play behind his own try zone (the namesake and contemporary of football’s end zone). Because he was clearly outside his try zone at the time, the correct restart would have involved a Valley Center scrum five meters from Santa Clarita’s try line (best resembling a face-off in hockey, scrums are how the game is restarted after certain penalties, and consist of three players from either team attempting to push the opposing side off the ball, which is rolled into the middle of the scrum by a player whose team did not commit the infraction). Whether by faulty vision or a misunderstanding of the rules, the referee instead awarded the Tigers complete possession 22 meters from their try line, an action which should have been taken only if the player had been inside his try zone when he cleared the ball. While the Avengers assembled for a scrum, Santa Clarita quickly began play on the opposite side of the field, where they enjoyed a four on one breakaway and scored the try which would ice the game away. Valley Center used the play as fuel for a renewed and relentless attack, but the Tigers’ 14 point lead permitted them to focus entirely on defense, and despite their opponents’ best efforts, they allowed only a late score from Alex Carr. Following on the heels of several near-breakaways and enough hustle to satisfy a legion of coaches, the try was certainly well-earned, but it was not enough to prevent a 5-14 loss. It was a game whose entire story cannot be told by its final score, however, and the Avengers left the field with their heads held high, satisfied with their level of play and with the tantalizing possibility of what may have been were it not for several costly mishaps.
If Valley Center’s last opponent had been the Yankees, their fourth and final game came against what might be called the Bad News Bears. The La Quinta Outlaws out of Palm Springs had fielded a team much younger and less battle-tested than even the Avengers, and, while truly not lacking in talent or tenacity, entered their match against Valley Center having lost their previous four games by hefty margins. The Avengers opened the scoring less than a minute into the game, when Jason Throop dashed around the end of La Quinta’s defense for his first try of the day. Valley Center, intent to put the game away early, quickly followed with another try from John Turori, whose vicious stiff arms had left him with only one good shoulder, but still remained nearly unstoppable. The Outlaws took the kickoff and began to assert themselves, holding possession for much of the remainder of the half and advancing within yards of Valley Center’s try zone. The attacks provided no tangible results for La Quinta, however, and the Avengers soon took back control of the game and ended the half with a try from Scott Bergquist straight through the middle of the field.
Valley Center’s dominance continued through the second half, as a series of punishing runs off of the opening kick advanced the ball within spitting distance of La Quinta’s try zone, where Bergquist soon scored his second try of the game. Their 28 point lead began to take the spring out of the Avengers’ step, as those things tend to do, and the opportunistic Outlaws responded with two quick tries to cut the lead in half and add a touch of suspense to the game. The drama, as might be suspected, was done away with in short notice by Valley Center, who regained their focus and once again saw Jason Throop outstrip every La Quinta defender behind him to score the tournament’s final try. The Avengers’ 35-14 lead was held until the final whistle, which, as the competition featured no bracket-style finals, made Valley Center’s second place finish official.
It was a fitting end to a season for the Avengers, whose improvement from week to week and even from game to game was visible throughout the day. While they did not win the tournament, their lofty finish put the team emphatically on the radar of every youth rugby club in San Diego who must contend with an older, adepter Valley Center squad during next year’s season. The team will first look to this winter, however, when the traditional rugby season begins and players, parents, and coaches hope to have begun our very own high school aged club. If you are interested in becoming a part of this exciting venture, or simply want to give the sport a try, coach George Turori and the rest of the Avengers will be holding free clinics throughout the fall to garner interest for the team and introduce young Valley Center athletes to the wonders of rugby. Look to future editions of The Roadrunner for more information.

John Turori fends off a tackler:
Scott Bergquist leaves his defenders winded after a long run for a try:
Jason Throop uses his speed to outrun a defender:
John Turori uses the stiff-arm to break another tackle:
John Turori prepares to pass before the defense closes in:
John Turori closes in on the Tigers' winger:
Jason Throop zeroes in on a tackle:
Jason Throop uses his speed to score a breakaway try:
John Turori breaks a tackle on his way to a try:
Garrett Fiehler swoops in for a tackle, as teammate Alex Carr looks on:
John Turori advances the ball by kicking it downfield:
Garrett Fiehler turns the corner on a defender:
Chris Turori wins the ball after a tough tackle:
Erik Brinkman powers through a tackle:
Alex Carr stretches to win a line in:
VC captain John Turori breaks away on his way to his first try of the tournament: