Valley Roadrunner, December 31, 2015 www.valleycenter.com — B1
DECEMBER 31, 2015
Valley Center’s Hometown News Since 1974
www.ValleyCenter.com
The Hometown Newspaper of Jacob Andreas, Senior at Valley Center High School
We proile VC fall and winter sports teams that have excelled in 2015
Whatever the reasons, regardless of how many factors
are creating this tsunami of
winning, the results are undeniable. Since the school year began, VC has been a sports titan.
So let’s take a closer look at
the Jag teams that have done
the school proud and have left
behind some lasting memories.
Football
H-back/linebacker Brock Moitt was a two-way dynamo for
the football Jags.
By JIM TAL EVANS
Writer’s note: All records/
results reported in this article
were current as of press time.
Since the beginning of the
current semester in late August, Valley Center High has
been producing some rather
impressive results in a variety
of sports. And the venue has
scarcely made a difference.
Be it on a ield or pitch, a
running course, a court or
even in the water, the Jaguars
have not only gotten the job
done, they’ve kicked some
serious behind. It’s gotten
to the point where one starts
to wonder if there might be
something in the water up on
the hill. Though the sports are
quite diverse and seemingly
have no connection, somehow
it seems as if the VC teams are
feeding off of one another. As
if everything is intertwined
and the winning has become
almost contagious.
Or maybe it just comes
down to the simple fact that
VC has been blessed with a
number of talented athletes
who are reaching their potential under the tutelage of some
gifted and highly competent
coaches.
The Jag hoop team inished 2015 with a bang, winning eight
straight games.
Given the high-proile nature of the sport, football is
never a bad place to start. And
what a season it was for the
8-4 Jag gridders! After going
just 3-3 through six games,
Coach Rob Gilster’s squad really found its stride thereafter
and went on a ive-game winning streak. In the process, the
Jags tied for the Valley League
title and secured a number
three seed for the playoffs.
In a quarterinal Division 3
matchup against Morse, the
Jags whipped the Tigers 140, the score hardly indicative
of the manner in which Valley
Center dominated.
A week later, the Jags traveled to Mission Bay High,
hard off the Paciic Ocean. In
what was a stirring and thoroughly entertaining game,
the Jags suffered a 31-28 loss
made all the more heartbreaking by a highly controversial
late call. A deep pass down
the right sideline by Jag quarterback Rhett Reilly to his favorite target Nieko Hernandez
was ruled to have been picked
off by a Buccaneer defender.
The Jags immediately questioned the call but to no avail.
The decision stood and with it
went VC’s last realistic hope
at victory. At irst glance,
the ruling seemed questionable and later video evidence
seemed to conirm that the
ball had indeed touched the
ground. Had the Jags maintained possession, given their
legitimate offensive irepower
and with more than ample
time left on the clock, a different outcome was a distinct
possibility. Knowing that they
were that close to a berth in
the championship inals made
the dubious call all the more
dificult to take.
But nonetheless, it had been
a season to remember with a
cast of major contributors.
The high-octane offense led
the way. In addition to throwing for 2,226 yards, Reilly
was eficiency personiied,
pitching 16 touchdowns while
tossing just three interceptions. Despite missing the
equivalent of three games,
the shifty/speedy Jake Newman ate up yardage in huge
chunks, gaining 1,130 yards
and tallying 13 TDs. Wideout Hernandez never ceased
end, cornerback John Cabrera
came on like gangbusters,
covering lots of ground while
making plenty of stops (51).
And in the playoffs, Cabrera
was an absolute ball hawk,
pilfering passes in both playoff games.
But when it comes to allaround excellence, H-back/
linebacker Brock Mofitt was
clearly the man. Not only
did Mofitt haul in 40 catches (good for 6 scores and
516 yards) but he absolutely
shined when he switched over
to defense. A hard hitter who
Junior striker Christian Munoz has been a big ofensive
weapon for the resurgent VC soccer team.
to thrill, with plenty of his 47
catches (1,089 yards, 6 touchdowns), leaving onlookers
shaking their heads in utter
amazement. But all the aforementioned would never have
happened without a stout and
often assertive offensive line
that blocked and protected to
great effect.
The defense had its standouts as well. And a side note
before continuing: all defensive statistics alluded to here
were accumulated during the
regular season.
Always active down lineman Elijah McClure inished
with 52 tackles and led the
team in sacks (6) and pressures (9). Linebackers Daniel
Belcher and Trent Reilly were
constantly around the ball,
as their combined 93 tackles
would attest. And on the back
could range from sideline to
sideline, Mofitt’s massive
tackle total of 82 wasn’t even
approached by anyone else.
Brock was a constant and
commanding presence, no
matter on which side of the
ball he was competing.
Yes, it was a ine season for
the Jag football team. And if
not for some shaky oficiating, it might have even been
great.
Cross Country
Valley Center has long been
considered a cross-country
powerhouse. In this sporting
endeavor, the Jags are expected to compete at an extremely
high level, year in and year
out. Past exploits and the honored tradition that has been
established virtually demand
see PROFILE on B3
Ann’s School of Dance
throws ‘A Snow Ball’
A wonderland of snowlakes
and icicles greeted family
and friends as they arrived at
the Ann’s School of Dance’s
winter production, “A Snow
‘Ball ’” held December 17 at
the LDS auditorium in Valley
Center.
Over 80 dancers participated
in the school’s 36th local
winter production. Students
performed to excerpts from
“The Nutcracker,” “Polar
Express,”
“Anastasia,”
“Frozen” and other winter
favorites.
The
opening
number,
“Snowlake
Waltz,”
was
performed by the studio
veteran dancers, Amme Finton,
Kyra Garitta, Grace McHale,
Anngelica Oreb, Rebecca Rae
Villarreal and Elle Wojnicki.
An audience pleaser was a
Ann’s School students perform “Let it go.”
The recital included a performance from Polar Express.
jazz dance to “Frosty the
Snowman” featuring Michaela
Chambers, Stefan Fradet,
Carly Klem, Nicolas Smith
and Shay Salgado.
The oh-so-cute three and
four year olds, dressed like
little “Olafs,” stole all hearts
in their dance, “In Summer.”
And the ever popular, “Let
it Go,” was performed
by Caliah Chaloux, Tasha
Glazier, Vivian
Gragen,
Mikaela Morales, Charlotte
Buniel, Laney Wilcox, Lexxi
Williams, Emma Stehly,
Eva Trujillo, Rebecca Rae
Villarreal, Amme Finton,
dressed as Anna, and Elle
Wojnicki as Elsa.
This season’s production
was directed by Laila Debin.
Students assisting at the studio
are Mollie Chambers, Amme
Finton, Roxana Gonzalez,
Rebecca
Rae
Villarreal,
Tirzah Villarreal and Elle
Wojnicki. Karen Schechter
was the scenery artist.
Ann’s School of Dance
will hold its annual spring
concert June 4 at the Maxine
Theater. For information or
to enroll, contact the studio at
760-749-1617 or visit www.
annsdancevc.com.