VIDEO: VCHS football scrimmage at Chula Vista

The 2012 VCHS football season got underway on Friday night with a scrimmage at Chula Vista.

The teams traded three offensive series each, and while the Jaguars scored two touchdowns, the Spartans scored four times.

Here are some video highlights from the scrimmage:

Ryan Kleiman throws deep to WR Michael McInerny for a big gain.


Austin Bernard takes the handoff and gains good yardage up the middle.


Kleiman scrambles out of the pocket and picks up a few yards near the Chula Vista goal line.


Bernard breaks through the line and scores the first touchdown of the scrimmage.


Bernard picks up some more good yards on an outside run.


Kleiman drops off a screen pass to Bernard.


Kleiman throws deep to Anthony Ricks for a big gain.


Kleiman hits WR Anthony Ricks on the receiver screen.


Dylan Fredenburg gets to the QB to deflect this pass.


Ricks hauls in this deep pass for a long touchdown.


Video by Dan Kidder

I Kid You Not: A new way to look at Fantasy Football

By DAN KIDDER

The world is changing.

I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.

Galadriel, the elfin queen who narrates the opening lines of the fantasy movie trilogy The Lord Of The Rings, probably didn’t know much about fantasy football.

But she did leave behind a convenient excuse for me to nerd out with a Tolkien reference to begin this year’s examination of what the fantasy football season holds.

It begins, as Frodo’s adventure with the One Ring does, with the simple realization that things are different than they used to be.

For so many years (I know, it’s weird to think that fantasy football has been around so long), conventional wisdom in drafting your fantasy football team looked like this: grab a stud running back first, pick up a couple good receivers along the way, find a decent quarterback when nobody else jumps out at you, and let the rest just kind of happen however.

So much of fantasy football strategy has been predicated on the core value of playing it safe.

Safe is minimizing risk. Safe is a running back that gets you 75 yards and maybe a touchdown. Safe is drafting a receiver whose name elicits a “Hmm, ok, not bad,” reaction from your fellow owners. Safe is the fantasy football equivalent of “slow and steady wins the race.”

And safe is also incredibly boring.

You know what playing it safe got me in my three fantasy football leagues last season? Exactly eight wins and five losses for each of the three teams, leading to a pair of fifth-place finishes and a lone second-place spot (each of which is a 12-team league, by the way).

I had some great players, too. I had Calvin Johnson on all three teams. I minimized risk by drafting players such as Roddy White, Ahmad Bradshaw and Felix Jones. I was conservative on the waiver wire, not willing to spring for Cam Newton, Victor Cruz, Antonio Brown or any of the other breakout stars.

Basically, I was playing by an outdated set of rules.

Now, if you’re a serious fantasy footballer, you’ve probably already read a few articles here and there about how important it is to get a good quarterback, and about how deep the pool is for solid wide receivers, and potentially even about how important the tight end position is becoming.

For those of you who aren’t serious fantasy footballers, and just in case any of you reading this are in any leagues with me…Um, you totally don’t need a good quarterback. I would say that that is the least important position in fantasy football right now. You should get your kicker squared away as soon as possible.

Back to the serious owners. Let’s assume that we’re all starting from the same point; that is, that we all know at least a little bit about the direction that fantasy football is heading.

And now let’s throw that all out the window.

Here’s why fantasy football in 2012 is going to be different than any other FFL experience you’ve ever had: because fantasy football in 2011 was so crazy that it should have come with a tin foil hat.

Last year was so unpredictable, in large part because of the residual effect leftover from last summer’s lockout, that fantasy football owners this year are going to make one of two assumptions.

On one side are those who will assume that last season is the new norm. That rookie quarterbacks are going to light up defenses with 400 passing yards all the time. That it’s so easy to be an elite NFL wide receiver that they dig up guys from the local salsa dancing club to take the gig. That 5-foot-5 running backs are destined for greatness.

On the other hand, you will see the old fuddy-duddies (easily recognized by their out-dated terminology, like “fuddy-duddy”) who think that 2011 was an anomaly. That the league is, at its heart, a running league. That defense wins championships. That it’s better to take a proven, if unspectacular, veteran quarterback over a young, talented, but raw, rookie. That the best way to compare the talent of NFL players is to look at the miniscule differences in their pre-draft combine performances (“What? This guy only ran a 4.45 in the 40? There’s no way he can be as good as the guy who ran the 4.37!).

The reality is that it’ll probably be somewhere in the middle.

But how you, as a fantasy football owner, respond to the craziness is what will make or break your team this year.

With that in mind, I have a few ideas that I’m going to implement into my draft (and waiver) strategy for 2012. Feel free to come along for the journey to find out if I know what I’m talking about, or if I should dig my tin foil hat out of the crawl space where I keep every page 13 from Variety magazine since 1974. Not that that’s weird or anything.

Take A Chance On Me
With many thanks to 70s Swedish pop group Abba, I feel that there are a lot of potential fantasy studs waiting for you to take a chance on them.

Last year, it was Cam Newton (he was drafted in the last round in my east coast league), Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Graham, and a whole cast of unexpected stars.

Who will it be this year? It’s pretty obvious that you’re not going to find out by looking through the various rankings that exist online—if it were that easy to spot, we would have seen Newton, Stafford and Graham all getting drafted in the first couple of rounds last year.

This year, because my old strategy of only grabbing proven guys landed me square in the middle of the pack, I’ve decided to take some more chances.

Now, don’t go crazy, like the folks in the first group we just talked about. I’m not at all suggesting that you grab Robert Griffin III when Aaron Rodgers is still on the board.

I am saying, however, that young, unknown guys are arriving in the NFL with so much more pro-level preparation behind them than we’ve ever seen, so it’s not as big of a stretch to think that a guy like Justin Blackmon or Brian Quick might become the next big thing.

And when all else fails, a good place to start is by checking out everybody else’s team in your league last season. Find the guys that drove you crazy and target them in your draft this year. Nothing is more frustrating in FFL than checking your upcoming opponent’s roster and seeing a guy who keeps dropping 25 points each week. Your goal this year should be to get as many of those “Oh crap, I have to face HIM?” guys to frustrate your opponents.

So, if we come back to our somewhere-in-between mindset from a few minutes ago, that means that it is still a good idea to play it safe—in the early rounds of your draft. Everybody you’ll be picking in the first two rounds will (barring some catastrophe, like blowing out a knee or having some dude named John Skelton throwing the ball to you) be a solid performer.

But once the “safe” guys are gone (and it happens sooner and sooner every year), don’t be afraid to stretch a little bit in hopes of landing a breakout star.

Which brings us to the next idea…

I Choose You!
Be decisive. Know what you’re looking for. When it comes down to two or three guys on your draft board, know who you like…And most importantly, know why you like him.

Seasoned FFL veterans know what the draft is like. You get into the fifth round, the combination of greasy pizza and strawberry Fanta is wreaking havoc on your internal organs, the guys (and girls!) in your draft room (either in person or in the chat box online) just won’t let you forget about that one time that you drafted Chad Pennington to be your starting quarterback (That was like seven years ago, guys!!!), the owner ahead of you just grabbed the guy you wanted and now you’re staring at a ticking clock with unfocused eyes (or maybe that’s just pizza grease on your glasses).

Things can get out of control really quickly, and before you know it, you hear your disembodied voice say things like, “How is Kurt Warner still available?!? I’ll take him!”

And if you’re new to fantasy football and possibly in one of my leagues this year…Um, I think you should totally draft Kurt Warner. Forget what I said about not needing an elite quarterback. He will totally be one of the top scorers this year. Either him or Brett Favre.

Back to the veteran fantasy football owners. We know all about things like “upside” and we know what it’s like to see the right guy in the right situation.

So when it comes down to crunch time (both in the draft and on the waiver wire), don’t be afraid to go with your gut. If your gut tells you that Torrey Smith is going to have a better second season than Denarius Moore, grab him. If you feel it in your bones that Jared Cook is going to be the break-out tight end of the year, pick him up. If you can just sense that this is finally the year that Beanie Wells stays healthy all season, well…It’s your team, after all.

Which is another seamless transition into our final talking point…

Whatever, I Do What I Want
It’s your team. Draft the guys you want.

Seriously, when it comes down to so many minute stats (“How many third down targets does he get when his team is trailing by more than 17 points in the third quarter?”), one pick is just as likely to pan out as another. And at the end of the season, ideally, you’ll want to have enjoyed the ride.

I loved having Calvin Johnson on all three of my teams last year, and not just because he evidently has hydrogen slush rocket fuel flowing through his veins. I drafted him because I loved how he’s not the typical look-at-me-no-seriously-I’ll-hold-my-breath-until-I-pass-out-if-you-don’t-look-now kind of wide receiver. He makes big play after big play, and then he acts all cool, like it’s no big deal, just another Sunday afternoon at the park. I love athletes like that. And because I paid extra attention to the Lions last year, he’s become one of my favorite players in the league.

Fantasy football is supposed to be fun. So make it fun. Don’t worry about it if it’s too soon to grab Michael Vick in the third round. If you want him, take him (although I suggest bookmarking some awful online skateboard crash videos so you can watch them and try to assure yourself that, “At least my quarterback isn’t hurt THAT bad…”)

Basically, have a plan for who you want on your team. Then go get them. Don’t sweat it if drafting Philip Rivers in the third round seems like a bit of a stretch. If you want Philip Rivers (and more importantly, if you don’t want Philip Rivers to get mad at you like you’re Jay Cutler on the opposing sideline because you didn’t draft him and he got picked by somebody else), then take him in the third round.

When the season is over, the hopeful goal of it all is first to have had a good time, and second, to have put together a team that gave you a chance to win the league championship.

And if you’re going to accomplish both, you’re going to need to approach the season just a little differently than everybody else.

Just don’t blame me if things go wrong. I’m still hoping that Priest Holmes is still there when I make my first pick.

* * *

Now that you know a little bit more about my strategy, here are some very brief lists of guys I’m hoping I get on my teams this year, and some guys that I’m going to avoid. There are many different factors for why I want some guys and don’t want others (including the fact that I loathe the New England Patriots), so don’t look at this purely as a “take this guy instead of that guy” kind of list. I’d say it’s more of a “do a little research on your own to find out why I like this guy so much and stop trying to mooch off of me” kind of list.

Guys I Want

QB: Drew Brees (he was on two of the three teams that won my leagues last year); Robert Griffin III and/or Andrew Luck (if I can’t get Brees in the first round, and they didn’t draft these guys to hand off all season).

RB: LeSean McCoy (if I’m lucky enough to get him), Matt Forte (he finally got paid), Steven Jackson (his new coach loves a good running game), Darren Sproles (his feet are just so fast!), Kevin Smith (can we just have Jahvid Best retire now so his brain still works in ten years?), Donald Brown (OK, so Luck will have to hand off sometimes).

WR: Calvin Johnson (duh), Brandon Marshall (back with his old pal Jay Cutler), Antonio Brown (so I’m one year late to the party, I can admit it), Eric Decker (this sounds bad, but Peyton Manning seems to like throwing a football to kind of slow white dudes), Pierre Garcon (RGIII seems to like throwing a football to a dude with a French name), Justin Blackmon (he’s kind of huge).

TE: Jimmy Graham (duh), Brandon Pettigrew (sooner or later, all 11 guys on defense will start covering Calvin Johnson), Coby Fleener (played with Luck in college, and he’s kind of huge), Kyle Rudolph (“You can’t teach six-foot-six,” as I’ve heard on ESPN approximately 4,387 times already this year).

Guys I Don’t Really Want

QB: Michael Vick (would have been on the other list, but he hurt his ribs on the very night I wrote this, so, no thank you), any QB ranked between Drew Brees and RGIII (because they’re all basically the same, whether it’s Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisjkegiflihtsvxzberger or Matt Schaub—not bad, but not awesome either).

RB: Maurice Jones-Drew (extended contract holdouts + pro athletes + elite competition = try again next year), Michael Turner (yawn), Darren McFadden (you spend the whole season waiting for the other shoe to drop—which it inevitably does, and McFadden sprains something stepping on it), Ryan Mathews (see McFadden, Darren—also, it’s hard to trust a guy when he doesn’t have enough “T’s” in his last name. What are you trying to hide, Ryan MaThews?!?), Trent Richardson (rookie + Cleveland Browns = no thank you), Frank Gore (too old, too many other guys in the backfield), anyone on the Patriots or Redskins (because you should go buy a lottery ticket if you think you can predict what will happen there week to week).

WR: Andre Johnson (he’d be great at flag football, until he sprained his flag-carrying muscle), Greg Jennings (the Packers spread it around too much, and when a dude named Jordy puts up better numbers, it might be time to reexamine your role on the team), Mike Wallace (see Jones-Drew, Maurice), Steve Johnson (Ryan Fitzpatrick is probably terrible, and you don’t want to find that out for 17 straight weeks), anyone on the Eagles (not only is their starting QB an injury risk, it seems like all the Philly receivers are running around on tendons and ligaments made of chewy licorice), Malcolm Floyd (he’s not Vincent Jackson, no matter how much you want him to be).

TE: Jermichael Finley (has had lots of opportunities, but hasn’t done much in terms of fantasy stats), Jacob Tamme (a former teammate of Peyton Manning does not an all-pro make), Kellen Winslow (unless they start allowing tight ends to ride motorcycles on the field, and then only if games are played exclusively in Cleveland-area parking lots).

* * *

There you have it, a good chunk of information to get you started with your fantasy football season.

If you have any further thoughts, comments, suggestions, additions, disagreements, or any other form of neurological activity associated with fantasy football that you would like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to write to us at sports@valleycenter.com anytime.

And if you want any Tolkien-inspired FFL team name suggestions, all you have to do is ask and hope that The Leaves Of Lorien hasn’t already been taken.

2012 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year: Sidney Reilly

By: Dan Kidder

Growing up in a family full of athletic talent isn’t always easy for someone who loves to compete.

In a world that reveres the greats of the game and easily forgets their not-quite-as-good siblings—just ask Dan McGwire, Ozzie Canseco or Chris Gwynn—the pressure to meet and exceed the standards set by those closest to you can be overwhelming.

But the Reilly family doesn’t work that way.

Sidney Reilly grew up with two older sisters, two younger brothers and five cousins who are all athletically gifted. Her sisters, Paige and Regan, both ran track for VCHS, and her little brothers, Rhett and Trent, are both multi-sport athletes that are getting ready for their freshman year of high school. And her cousins all excelled in sports at VCHS—most notably in football—and the ones who have graduated thus far have gone on to play sports in college as well.

The competitive nature of the family—“We’re always competing at something when we get everybody together,” Sidney says, “even if it’s just a contest to see who can throw a rock and hit something over there, we’re always competing.”—which could be detrimental to some athletes has actually helped Sidney in her growth as an athlete.

“I knew I had to keep up the family name,” she says with a laugh. “Everyone in the family is such a great all-around athlete, and we’re all pretty competitive, but we’re all super close. I always roughed around with them growing up, and I think it toughened me up.”

Wearing the Reilly name on your jersey at Valley Center High School carries a lot of history, and in her four years as a Jaguar, Sidney filled a chapter of the family sports almanac with a story all her own.

“I played everything growing up,” she says. “The first team I was on was probably in soccer. I always loved playing all the different sports, so it was hard when I got to high school and had to pick the three that I would play. I love volleyball, basketball and track, but I would have liked to play soccer, lacrosse, and maybe some others.”

She says she played volleyball and basketball for fun, and she loved the experience, but that her heart was always with the track team.

“I’m definitely a runner, I’ve always been quick,” she says. “I’ve always loved track, and I love how you can work hard and see the results really clearly. It’s a more individual sport, but you still score points toward a team goal.”

Sidney’s sister Regan ran the hurdles for the Lady Jaguars until she graduated in 2010. Sidney started running the hurdles in her junior season, one year after Regan graduated, and this year, she beat her big sister’s best times.

“I actually beat her times this year,” Sidney says with a mixture of pride and surprise. “When I talked to her and told her about that, I wasn’t sure what she would say, but of course she was super encouraging. She was really excited for me.”

Sidney’s senior season on the track will go down as one of the best in VCHS history, even amid a host of stellar performances this year alone.

She won four individual league championships this season, taking the title in the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the long jump and as part of the 400 relay team. She then went on to the CIF meet, where she finished second in both the hurdles races, third in the long jump and fifth in the 400 relay.

Along the way, Reilly set new school records in the two hurdles races and was named the Valley League Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.

She has an impressive collection of medals and awards from her high school career, but true to her character, had never bothered to count up the total until she brought them out for the photo shoot to accompany this interview. After a minute or so of counting, she found out she has 63 medals and awards.

“Yeah, I guess that’s pretty good,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders, as if every high school girl has 63 medals hanging on her bedroom walls.

Competing for a team that broke record after record throughout the season, Reilly stood out all the more for her versatility and hard work.

“Sidney has always been driven,” track and field coach Mike Cummings says. “She is a perfectionist. She was always willing to out-work anyone, and she was a natural team leader who led by example. Sidney was a team player. While she had her individual goals, she wanted to help VC win team titles. She was also a great sport. While I could tell that she may be disappointed by a certain performance, she didn't want the rest of the world to know. Conversely, when she did excel, a fist pump was what you got.  She was humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

“I believe that the best is yet to come for Sid,” he adds. “Her best track and field days are ahead of her. I know that we are going to miss her at VC.”

“I worked a lot on my technique [for the hurdles events] because I knew that, since it was only my second year running them, I had to work even harder to get where I needed to be,” Reilly says. “During the other sports seasons, I would go after school to work with Coach [Rob] Gilster on getting over the hurdles, then I would go to volleyball or basketball practice after that.”

Even with such a busy sports schedule, Reilly still finds time to pursue her other interests. After taking a video production class in her freshman year, she found a new outlet for her creativity. After volunteering to do the videography for a wedding, she started Sidney Shanelle Studios, which can be found online at www.sidneyshanellestudios.com/

“I started my own business filming weddings,” she says. “I took a video production class with Mr. Goodman and it sparked a passion for filming and editing.”

Sidney also plays the guitar and the drums, and rides just about every kind of board that she can get her feet on, from surfboards to wakeboards to snowboards to skateboards. She is also involved as a mentor at the high school and participates in a number of service activities through the LDS church here in Valley Center.

She says that pursuing so many different sports and activities has helped her become a more well rounded athlete in whichever competition she finds herself.

“Because I do so many different things, I think it helps with sports because I’m able to take what the coaches are saying and adjust,” she says.

Reilly is especially grateful to Coach Gilster for his help as her ASB teacher, an assistant coach with the varsity girls basketball team, and as her hurdles coach on the track. She says she is also thankful for Coach Cummings for his hard work with the track team, as well as Coach Alan Dale in volleyball and Coach Tony Casillas in basketball.

The work ethic she learned from her coaches at VCHS is something that Reilly says she would want to teach younger athletes as a coach herself. As a senior and a team captain, she worked with the underclassmen on the track team to instill the lessons she learned in her experiences.

“Work hard, always work hard,” she says. “If you do that, the results will come. And I try to build confidence too, not put them down or anything like that. I think that, when you’re confident, you’re going to do well at whatever you’re doing.”

Sidney knows the confidence of learning from some of the best, especially when it came to the annual Powderpuff football game this spring. Reilly was chosen to play quarterback for the class of 2012, and in the days leading up to the game, she says that the coaching input she got from her family—advice from a defensive end, a safety and a quarterback, no less—was in ample supply.

“The Sunday before the game, we were all at our grandma’s house, and the boys were working with me on all the little things about playing the quarterback position,” she says. “They were telling me where to step when I make the pitch [back to the running back], and when I fake a handoff to get my head around to look at the linebackers, we worked on everything.”

Growing up in a family full of athletic talent isn’t always easy.

But the way the Reilly family does it, when you see the results, it’s easy to see why they’re all so talented.

Sidney Reilly is 17 years old and is the daughter of Keith & Tori Reilly of Valley Center. She graduated from VCHS this year and will attend BYU this fall.

“I just decided this week,” she says. “I got offered a scholarship to run track at Utah, but both my sisters went to BYU, and two of my cousins are there. It’s my dream school, and I love that I have my family so close by.”

Click here to see more photos of our 2012 Athlete of the Year on Facebook.

2012 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year Candidates

By: Dan Kidder

Any competitive athlete will tell you that the reason they compete is not for the statistics, not for the accolades, and not to get their name in the record books.

They just want to help their team win.

Perhaps that’s what makes elite athletes so special—that the drive and determination to reach the pinnacle of one’s sport seems counter-suited to the selflessness and sacrifice it takes to truly be part of a team. And yet, these athletes embody the true team-first spirit that elevates the gifted athlete from the me-first mire of the spoiled diva to the postered pedestal of the hero adorning a child’s bedroom wall.

Valley Center’s athletes have gained renown across the county, the state, and even the nation. In competition, the Jaguars have earned the reputation for outstanding team play, for leadership, and for perseverance.

This year’s crop of Jaguar athletes was no exception, and in some ways, proved these accolades true with an even more emphatic fashion than in the past.

So it is with no further ado and in the order of sports season that we present to you the nominees for 2012 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year.

*    *    *

Michael McInerny

Football

McInerny made an immediate impact as a wide receiver in his junior year, but probably not the one he expected.

He missed the team’s season opener at San Pasqual, which the Jaguars lost, 28–7. The next week, in the desert at Imperial, he made five receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown, and the Jags never looked back. Valley Center went on to win all 12 of the remaining games on the schedule, including the CIF Division IV title game against Santana, in which he grabbed six passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.

McInerny was instrumental in each win as he hauled in 59 passes for 1,255 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, by far the leading receiver in the North County. And to top it all off, he was also the team’s kicker, which made all those extra points after a long touchdown just a little bit more exciting.

Mitchell Rush

Water Polo, Basketball, Volleyball

Rush performed well in each of the three sports he played, but especially so in water polo and volleyball. The six-foot-five, 185 pound junior stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Jaguars in both sports, as he led both teams in most, if not all, of the key statistical categories.

In water polo, Rush was named the team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and earned All Valley League first team honors. He scored 65 goals and had 28 assists, with 27 steals, 18 exclusions earned, two penalty shots earned and one block. His coach, Kyle Kline, noted the winning combination of Rush’s great attitude and fantastic work ethic that drove him throughout the season.

In volleyball, Rush racked up 289 kills, 53 aces, 37 blocks, 79 digs and one assist playing the role of intimidator on the court. It didn’t take long into the season for opposing teams to learn to fear his spike, and when the Jaguars were in a tight spot, Rush was usually the man to deliver with a big play.

Lauren Gilster

Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field

One of Valley Center’s “Twin Towers” on the basketball court, the six-foot-two Gilster was just as impressive crashing the net in volleyball or hurling the shot put or discus for the track and field team in the spring. I was even tempted to include her performance in the Powderpuff football game because of a couple of outstanding receptions she made from the tight end spot, a position rarely used in the Powderpuff game but seemed perfectly suited to her Antonio Gates-ian set of physical skills.

Gilster’s unique combination of size and skill made her a blocking dynamo in volleyball, the focal point of the inside game in basketball, and a record-setting hurler in track. Her cool, calm demeanor belied a fierce competitiveness that came out in the form of sheer domination when she “flipped the switch” that all great athletes have.

She totaled 194 kills, 27 aces, 71 blocks, 41 digs and seven assists for a Lady Jaguar volleyball team that made it to the CIF Division III semifinals.

In basketball, she averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on a team loaded with star-quality players. And for the track team, Gilster was the Valley League champion and the third place CIF finisher in both the shot put and discus. She set new school records in both events and this season was named the Valley League Field Athlete of the Year for the second time.

Remy Littrell

Tennis

Littrell comes from a tennis family—her father, Mark, is the tennis pro at Pala Mesa Tennis Club and her sister Mardi played at VCHS before she went on to play at Palomar College.

But the younger Littrell sister made a name for herself this season with a very impressive 37–8 match record, beating the number one varsity singles players from much larger high schools such as Vista, Ranch Buena Vista and San Pasqual High School.

She also reached the finals in the Valley League Tournament, where she was named to the All Valley League singles team, and advanced to play in the CIF Singles Tournament.

The VCHS varsity tennis coach, Chip Cullison, was so impressed with her outstanding season that he compiled her stats and sent me text message after text message to make sure I found a spot for her story in the paper (which I did in the February 1 edition). Persistence pays off, and in the end, Littrell’s stats speak for themselves.

Miriam Zabinsky

Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field

Sporting one of the best nicknames I’ve heard thrown around the VCHS campus (they call her “Mir-Cat”) and a fierce determination, Zabinsky was very good in volleyball and track, but was beyond exceptional on the basketball court.

In her fourth year on the varsity team, she scored her 1,000th point for the Lady Jaguars in January and finished the year with an average of 14.6 points, 2.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Zabinsky drew comparisons with Magic Johnson for her ability to play any position on the court and do so exceedingly well.

More often than not, she was leading the Lady Jags on the fast break, which they ran with pinpoint precision to the shock and dismay of many an opponent. And as the old saying goes that big players make big plays when the team needs them most, Zabinsky consistently displayed that sense of when the team needed her to step up. Watching from the stands, I got to the point where I could see the look on her face when she decided that enough was enough, and she was going to take the ball to the hoop no matter what was in front of her. And there weren’t very many opponents who could do anything about it when she made that decision.

Manny Boyle

Wrestling

Boyle’s domination this season can’t be summed up in a list of his accomplishments.

That list is pretty amazing, though, as he won match after match on his way to the league title, the CIF title and a spot in the state meet at 126 pounds.

The thing about the diminutive senior is that he never looked like the domination he was inflicting on his opponents was all that difficult.

I think the kids call it “swag” these days, which I imagine is a shortened version of “swagger,” which is impossible to get unless you straight up earn it. When you think of the great athletes who let their performance do the talking, you know what “swag” is, and Boyle has it by the bucketful.

I especially enjoyed the Jaguars’ dual meet against Temecula Valley, in which Boyle slung his opponent up on his shoulders and stood there in the middle of the mat, taking in the proceedings like a man on a stroll through the park—while holding another person on his shoulders.

James Siva

Basketball

While the fall season seemed to be dominated by the giants of VCHS sports, the winter season was the time for the little guys to shine.

They don’t come much more overlooked than Siva, a five-foot-five senior who I inadvertently left out of the team’s winter sports preview in our quarterly magazine—a fact that James kindly brought to my attention via Facebook, which allowed me to include his name in the preview that ran in the newspaper.

Maybe the accidental snub lit a fire under Siva (I like to think so; it makes it seem like I helped), or, more likely, the fire he already had from his junior season carried over into a phenomenal senior year.

Siva was named team captain and wore the title with pride, leading the Jaguars with 16 points per game, three assists per game and two drawn charges per game. The Jags won the league title with 22 wins, a new school record for the boys basketball program.

Siva’s leadership and toughness characterized the Jaguars this season. Despite the fact that he was usually the shortest guy on the court, he never backed down from a challenge and his defensive assignment was often the other team’s best player. Siva’s creativity with the ball on offense helped his teammates exploit the weaknesses of the opposing defense, a creativity that stood out all the more considering that the team lacked a true center.

I may have left him off of the pre-season list, but after watching him play this season, I won’t make the mistake of leaving him off of this one.

Maddy Daugherty

Water Polo

When I interviewed Daugherty earlier this year, it didn’t take long to figure out that she’s the type of person who puts one hundred percent of herself into anything she does.

It’s not at all surprising, then, to find out that she led the Lady Jaguars’ water polo team—a team that featured a deep pool of talent and earned the No. 5 seed in the CIF Division III playoffs, no less—in every statistical category but one.

In her team’s 25 games this season, Daugherty scored 116 goals (that’s an average of more than 4.6 goals per game, by the way) and added 47 assists, 90 steals, eight blocks, 44 penalty shots earned, 37 exclusions earned and four sprints won. She was the team’s MVP, the Valley League Player of the Year and she earned honorable mention for the All-CIF Division III team.

Hannah Sanders

Soccer

The more I watch soccer, the more I’ve begun to see how important it is to have a player that can control the tempo of the game

The great midfield players in the world—Landon Donovan, Xavi, Wesley Sneijder, and the like—have the ability to impose a pace of their choosing on the players around them. With a heart-stopping hesitation move or a whoops-where’d-he-go first step past a defender, they can change the game dramatically.

Sanders plays the game at her speed, not anyone else’s. She seldom loses the ball, and much more often takes it away from an unwitting attacker, having picked up 87 steals this season. She dictates the flow of the game like a maestro conducting a symphony.

And she’s not bad on the finish, either, scoring eight goals on the year and adding 16 assists for a total of 28 points this season.

Joseph Mozon

Soccer

If the smooth midfield play of Hannah Sanders were to be compared to a symphony orchestra, the electrifying play of Joe Monzon would probably sound a little bit like punk rock.

Monzon attacked defenses with a speed and quickness that often surprised and baffled the opposition. His first step was lightning fast, and his creativity opened space time after time in situations that looked to be headed nowhere.

His efforts helped the Jaguars to an unprecedented level of success this season, as they won nine games and earned their first ever home playoff game as the No. 4 seed in the CIF Division IV playoffs. Monzon scored eight goals and added two assists and 37 steals in an outstanding junior season.

Sidney Reilly

Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field

If you've lived in Valley Center for any amount of time, you probably know a Reilly when you see one. For one thing, if you see them around town, it’s a pretty good chance that they’re either coming from or headed to some kind of athletic event or practice. And if they’re coming from one, there’s a really good chance that their team just won.

Sidney is no different, and in some ways, she might even be the best of the bunch.

She showed her versatility throughout the year, working as both a blocker and an inside hitter for the volleyball team, then filling the indistinct role of a shooting guard/small forward for the basketball team with quickness and agility that often left her defender flat-footed.

But she saved the best performance for last, breaking record after record on the track and racking up the accolades along the way.

Reilly won four (four!) individual league championships this season, taking the title in the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the long jump and as part of the 400 relay team. It’s hard enough to win one event, but to win the title in such different events would be like trying to build a house, a helicopter and an air conditioner with the same tools and materials.

She then went on to the CIF meet, where she finished second in both the hurdles races, third in the long jump and fifth in the 400 relay.

Along the way, Reilly set new school records in the two hurdles races and was named the Valley League Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.

And to top it all off, she quarterbacked the class of 2012 to a convincing win in the annual Powderpuff football game, rushing for the game-winning touchdown and adding a quarterback sack on defense.

Even coming from a family full of athletes, it’s hard to imagine that any other Reilly has accomplished so much in so many different sports.

Ronnie Bourguignon

Track & Field

It probably takes more time to type his last name that it does for him to run 100 meters, but that might even be true if his last name was “Smith.”

Bourguignon (that took 17 seconds!) led a Valley Center track team that broke record after record throughout the season, and set a new standard for future Jaguar sprinters.

Like Reilly, Bourguignon won four league titles this season, as he took both the 100 and the 200 and was part of winning teams in the 400 relay and 1,600 relay.

He then went on to win the CIF Division II crown in the 100 and finished second in the 200, which qualified him for both events in the state meet, making him the first Valley Center athlete to qualify for two events at state.

He set new school records in the 100, 200 and 1,600 relay and was named the Valley League Track Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year.

It’s a good thing I took the time to learn how to spell his last name, because his performance this season ensured that it’s going to be a name we’ll remember for a long, long time.

MaKayla Markey

Swimming

Valley Center athletes enjoyed an unprecedented level of success this season, but none more so than Markey.

The junior swimmer didn’t just set a new record to cap off her phenomenal season—she broke six levels of records in a single swim.

At the CIF Division II finals in May, Markey won the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.3 seconds, just seven tenths of a second off of the national high school record for the event. With the blistering swim, Markey earned an All-American qualification and set a new CIF San Diego Section record for all divisions. The record also stands as the new mark for Division II, for the CIF championship meet, for Valley Center High School, and it beat Markey’s previous best time by more than a full second.

Her win in the 100 freestyle in 50.79 seconds was also good for an All-American qualifying time.

Markey consistently improved on her personal best times throughout the season leading up to the record-obliterating performance.

And considering that she’s only been swimming competitively for two years, I don’t think we can put the record books away just yet.

Paul Calac

Golf

Sometimes it can be a difficult task to get a high school kid to sit still and pay attention. I’m more than ten years removed from high school and I still have trouble hey look this pen is weird I should buy a boat!

OK, where was I? Oh right, focus. So much of what we can measure about the success of an athlete comes from their physical abilities that we can often overlook the mental aspects of competition.

It’s impossible to do so when talking about Calac, a gifted athlete who pushed his game to the absolute pinnacle with extraordinary work ethic and focus.

Ron Darland, the VCHS varsity golf coach, called Calac “The best golfer I’ve ever coached by far.” Darland spoke at length about Calac’s intensity, attention to detail, and ability to harness his skills in pressure-packed situations.

Calac won the Valley League Tournament for the second consecutive year and went on to finish in the top ten in the CIF tournament. He even made it into the field in the regional tournament in Pasadena, where he shot four-under par over the first four holes, then got into some trouble before bouncing back to finish three-under over the final three holes.

“He’s going to be the standard by which all other Valley Center golfers will be judged,” Darland said.

Alex Scoles

Softball

If you follow the NFL, you may have noticed that the so-called “Dream Team” of the Philadelphia Eagles turned out to be more like a nightmare. The Eagles signed a bunch of big name free agents and boasted a star-studded lineup, then went a mediocre 8–8 and missed the playoffs.

Ask any fan and they’ll tell you what the team was missing—character. Specifically, the kinds of players who exude selflessness, never give up, foster team chemistry and find ways to make everyone around them better.

That’s exactly what Scoles brought to the Lady Jaguars this season. She was the leadoff hitter and set the tone with her ability to do whatever she needed to do to get on base. On defense, she played all over the field—second base, centerfield, pitcher, third base—and kept making plays. In the dugout, she kept her teammates focused on the task at hand. She hustled on every ground ball, never gave up on a play, and looked like she was having a great time all the while.

And in the end, her stats were pretty good, too. She batted .445 with 49 hits, including five doubles, four triples and a home run, with 50 runs scored and 14 RBIs.

John Watkins

Football, Baseball

A thoughtful, quiet young man, Watkins projects a steady, calming vibe wherever he goes.

He was the backup quarterback and one of a talented group of wide receivers for the football team, where he played well when called upon.

But his most significant impact came on the baseball diamond, where he emerged as the Jaguars’ top pitcher. His focus and tenacity on the mound earned him a 6–2 record in his eight starts, and in his two relief appearances, he managed to pick up a save. He pitched three complete games, one of which was a shutout, and posted a solid 2.23 earned run average in 53.1 innings pitched. He allowed a total of 53 hits and only 15 walks, while striking out 25 batters.

He never put up flashy numbers, but his consistency kept the Jaguars in every game on their way through to the fourth round of the CIF Division IV playoffs. The steady calm he exuded helped him get out of tough jam after tough jam, and he earned the reputation for shutting down a rally before it could really take off.

Honorable Mention

JD Frankovich (football), Martin Cunningham (football), Laura Glennie (volleyball), Dan Henderson (cross-country/baseball), Kaylee Hudson (cross-country/track), Kaley Prudham (golf/soccer), Liz Loera (field hockey/soccer), Luke Marshall (water polo/swimming), Kevin Noguez (soccer), Jose “Nacho” Pais (soccer), Vinessa Perryman (basketball/track), Elsie Emanuel (water polo), Emma Sloman (softball), Savanna Fiehler (lacrosse), Garrett Fiehler (football/lacrosse), Marc Outwater (lacrosse), Ryan Stribley (tennis).

*    *    *

There are your nominees for the 2012 Roadrunner Athlete of the Year, and if I may say so, it’s going to be a difficult job coming up with a winner out of so many deserving candidates.

If you would like to support one of these athletes, or if you have an athlete that you felt was undeservingly left off of this list, please write to me at sports@valleycenter.com this week to share your thoughts.

Video: 2012 VCHS Powderpuff Football

Here are the video highlights from the 2012 Powderpuff football game at VCHS, a game that the class of 2012 won, 14-6.

The boys in the class of 2012 put together this cheer routine:


The junior boys in the class of 2013 put together this routine:


Senior QB Sidney Reilly runs the option and pitches to RB Miriam Zabinsky, who runs in for the 1st touchdown of the game.


Junior QB Anndrea Torres hits WR Vinessa Perryman for a big play on this pass.


Senior safety Alex Scoles grabs the ball on a tipped pass for her first (of 4) interceptions in the game.


Senior QB Sidney Reilly rolls out and hits TE Lauren Gilster for a good gain.


Alex Scoles jumps in front of this deep pass for her second interception of the game.


Junior LB Makayla Markey breaks up this pass to stall the seniors' drive.


Senior QB Sidney Reilly runs the option and appears to pitch back to RB Miriam Zabinsky, but the officials say that Reilly's flag was pulled before the pitch. Did she get the ball out in time? You decide...


Junior QB Vinessa Perryman throws deep for WR Melina Heredia, who comes up with a great catch in traffic.


Senior LB Sidney Reilly breaks through the juniors' line to bring down QB Vinessa Perryman for a big sack.


Alex Scoles grabs her third interception of the game.


Senior RB Miriam Zabinsky takes the pitch and breaks off a long run.


Senior RB Miriam Zabinsky gets a good gain on the ground, but right tackle Taylor Yates (#53) gets hurt on the play.


Junior LB Hana Gilbert breaks through the line and gets to QB Sidney Reilly for a big sack.


Junior safety Vinessa Perryman drifts under the deep pass and gets the interception.


Junior QB Anndrea Torres takes off up the middle and runs through a would-be tackler for a good gain.


Alex Scoles grabs her fourth interception of the game and nearly returns it for a touchdown.


Senior QB Sidney Reilly escapes the pressure in the backfield and eludes tacklers on her way to the endzone for what proved to be the game-winning score.


Junior returner Vanessa Heredia brings back the kickoff, but senior Elsie Emanuel goes in for the tackle instead of grabbing the flag.


Junior QB Vinessa Perryman escapes the pressure, weaves her way through the defense and outruns the defenders to the corner for a touchdown late in the game.


Sidney Reilly breaks off a long run to put the game away for the class of 2012.


video by Dan Kidder

Video: Valley Center vs. Brawley, CIF football playoffs

Here are the video highlights of the Jaguars' huge win over Brawley in the CIF Division IV quarterfinals on Friday night.

Due to some technical issues (ie, a video camera with a zoom lens that no longer zooms), we are fortunate to have the video feed from the Jags' official videographer, Brandon Usher, who provided us with all three views (sideline, press box, and end zone) of each VC scoring play. Thanks, Brandon!

Also, further technical issues prevented the upload of the video clips from the VC at Orange Glen game. My apologies.

Garrett Fiehler gets the Jaguars on the scoreboard with a two-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



Ryan Kleiman hits Michael McInerny on the slant for a 15-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



McInerny hits a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



Kleiman unleashes the deep ball down the middle, where Damian Stehly hauls it in for an 82-yard touchdown catch.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



Fiehler explodes through the line and runs away from the defense for a 64-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



Fiehler plows it in from one yard out to put the Jags way ahead in the third quarter.
Press Box:


End Zone:



Dylan Glass slashes through the defense to score from nine yards out in the fourth quarter.
Sideline:


Press Box:


End Zone:



Look out! The Jaguars are fired up for the second half, leaving our intrepid cameraman in the middle of the action. Way to brave the dangers of the stampede, Brandon!

Video: Valley Center vs. Del Norte football

Here are the video highlights from the Jaguars' 42-7 win over Del Norte on Friday night, including some nice runs by Garrett Fiehler and a beautiful touchdown pass from Ryan Kleiman to Michael McInerny.

Video by Kelly Kidder

Kleiman lowers his shoulders and drives in behind his linemen for a one-yard touchdown for the first points of the game.


Kleiman hits Cody Gearhart near the sideline, and the speedy receiver cuts back to the middle of the field to pick up a first down on a fourth-and-ten play.


Fiehler takes the handoff, cuts to the outside and outruns the defense to the corner for a four-yard touchdown run.


Fiehler runs through a gaping hole up the middle to score from 11 yards out.


Fiehler gets a huge gain on first down, running through another big hole to pick up 30 yards.


Kleiman uses the pump fake before delivering a perfect fade pass to WR Michael McInerny in the back corner of the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown pass.


Dylan Glass runs through a defender to score a three-yard touchdown late in the game.