September 17, 2010 (La Mesa) - Former Helix High School football standout Reggie Bush has decided to forfeit the Heisman Trophy that he won in 2005 while playing for the University of Southern California. Bush's decision comes before the Heisman Trophy Trust, the award's governing body, was expected to vote to strip Bush of his award. It marks the first time in the trophy's 75 year history that it has been forfeited.
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"I think our kids kept fighting, the offense--when the defense surrendered points, came back...our kids handled adversity well."
-- Steele Canyon Head Coach Ron Boehmke
by Christopher Mohr
September 14, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) - When a team wins by a score of 28-14, it's not indicative of a blowout or total domination, but usually the winning team had some degree of control over the game. Although Steele Canyon won by that score Friday night at home against Bonita Vista (from Chula Vista), the game was much closer than the final score would suggest. The Cougars overcame dropped passes, turnovers, penalties and injuries in a hard-fought win over the Barons and improved to 2-0 on the season.
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September 10, 2010 (San Diego) - If you think that you are too old to be active, you won't find much sympathy from this crowd. Over 100 players ages 50 and older from throughout the County played a series of soccer matches last weekend (9/4-5) at the Chargers' former practice field in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. The featured game was a championship in the age 60+ group between the U.S. and South Korean teams. Teams participated in 8-on-8 as well as fully-configured 11-on-11 matches.
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"It was the biggest play of my life. We had a whole line of blockers and I went the whole way untouched." -- Zach Breidt, after scoring a 95-yard touchdown.
By Christopher Mohr
September 8, 2010 (Santee) - For years, the battle for the Mayor's Cup has been a tradition between Santana and West Hills, rival high schools both based in Santee.
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September 7, 2010 (San Diego/Pacific Beach) - Friday afternoon's football season opener between the Valhalla High School Norsemen and the host Buccaneers of Mission Bay High School was a matchup between two playoff contenders from last season. East County's Valhalla proved victorious in a crushing 38-0 blow-out.
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August 26, 2010 (La Mesa) - The 2009 football season was one of unprecedented achievement for the Norsemen of Valhalla High School. For the first time in the school's 35 year history, the team won a league title. Unfortunately the season did not end on a high note as the Norsemen suffered a disappointing 24-20 loss to Helix High School in the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs.
One of the major contributors to the team's success in 2009, quarterback Pete Thomas, had previously committed to attend Arizona State University. After some changes in offensive philosophy at ASU, Thomas decided to go to Colorado State University instead.
Thomas earned enough credits to graduate mid-year from Valhalla and started attending classes last spring at CSU. After he participated in spring practice and performed well in training camp this summer, CSU coach Steve Fairchild announced that Thomas would be his starting quarterback for the Rams' 2010 season opener against the University of Colorado.
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August 17, 2010 (San Jose) – Three members of the East County's Heartland Swim Association earned medals at the prestigious U.S. Western Zone Age Group Championships held Aug. 10-14 at the Frank Fiscalini International Swim Center in San Jose.
14-year old Garrett Glaudini, 12-year old Michael Salazar, and 10-year old Ruby Carlon were the Heartland members chosen to represent San Diego-Imperial (SDI) Swimming Committee in competition against the fastest swimmers from 14 western states.
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August 13, 2010 (San Diego) - For every Peyton Manning or Chad Ochocinco in the National Football League, there exist hundreds of players whose opportunities to play professional football come with no guarantees. Not only do these players not get drafted in the early rounds, many do not get drafted at all and have only an outside chance of playing as undrafted free agents.
Chargers defensive tackle Ogemdi Nwagbuo (more commonly known as 'O.G.') is one such player. His path to the NFL is not typical of most players who play several years of youth and high school football before moving on to college and up to the pros.
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August 4, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Grossmont College Athletics Dept. and men’s basketball coach Doug Weber invite boys and girls entering the 3rd through 8th grades to Grossmont College’s annual youth summer basketball camp from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, Aug. 9-12.
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"The policy of the GUHSD in thunder/lightning storm conditions would be to immediately seek safe shelter at the first sound of thunder." -- Larry Pear, Grossmont Union High School District
ECM Special Report
Story by Miriam Raftery, photos by Dennis Richardson
July 16, 2010 (Lakeside)—While lightning strikes caused multiple fires in East County including Lakeside, El Capitan’s football team continued practicing on an open field during a thunderstorm in direct violation of district rules.
“There was thunder and lightning in the immediate area striking the ground...during the time the kids were practicing,” ECM photographer Dennis Richardson reports. “As I was shooting pictures of the players [from a hill nearby], a man who was watching the lightning storm from the safety of his home near me told me he had just seen a bolt of lightning hit a power pole near Wildcat Canyon and Willow Road.” That’s about half a mile from the football practice, he estimated.
Playing sports during a thunderstorm can be deadly. In 2008, all eleven players on a football team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed when lightning struck the field.
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July 11, 2010 (Lakeside) – Bull-riding has been called “the most dangerous sporting event in America” by Sports Writers of America. On July 16-17, the Lakeside Optimist Club will host the 12th annual Bulls Only Rodeo at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds. In addition to bull-riding, the event will also feature other rodeo events such as wild horse racing and mutton busting. All proceeds will benefit youth in the community.
Click the video for a "bullish" point of view:
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Beads of Courage Arts-in-Medicine Program Coming to San Diego
July 10, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Local area leaders have teamed up with Beads of Courage to host a 2nd Annual Journey to Fight Cancer Golf Tournament & Luau at the Cottonwood Golf Course in El Cajon on Friday, July 23 starting at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start and scramble.
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Public services July 12 at Viejas Arena on SDSU campus
By Chris Mohr
July 5, 2010 (La Mesa) - Don Coryell, football coaching legend at the collegiate and professional levels, died Thursday (July 1) at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa after an extended illness. He was 85.
Often credited as the father of the modern passing game, Coryell's offensive play schemes are used in one form or another throughout the NFL. These schemes also influenced defenses, which were forced to adapt to an increase in passing offense from their opponents.
Coryell's coaching career got off to a fast start as head coach of Whittier College from 1957 to 1959. All three teams he coached there won conference titles. He moved on to become an assistant at USC in 1960, before taking over the head coaching job at San Diego State in 1961.
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More than 4,000 gymnasts to compete June 22-25, 2010
June 17, 2010 (San Diego). – From June 22 - 25, 2010, the East County Family YMCA will host more than 4000 gymnasts and their families at the 2010 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships. The Cameron Family YMCA in East County has been home to the most highly regarded YMCA gymnastics program in the country for over 25 years.
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June 12, 2010 (Spring Valley) – Some might call it cheeky to hoist a British flag inside an American sports bar where other patrons are rooting for Team USA in game two of the World Cup soccer tournament. But for Santee resident Tom Middleton, watching the big match at Cali Comfort in Spring Valley today, sporting a Union Jack and cheering for the Brits seemed the patriotic thing to do.
“I’m from England,” said Middleton, a Cox Communications employee who has been living in Santee for the past 16 years.
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June 10 (Santee) - Tuesday evening (June 8) was the night that many baseball fans eagerly waited for: the Major League debut of Washington Nationals' pitching ace Stephen Strasburg, an alum of West Hills High School and San Diego State University.
Fans got what they hoped for and more as Strasburg's performance lived up to the hype that preceded it. Nationals Ballpark in Washington D.C. was sold out with 40,315 in attendance to see the Nationals play the Pittsburgh Pirates and witness what may prove to be one of the team's historic moments.
A look at Strasburg's statistics shows a game of dominance and efficiency. Over seven complete innings, he struck out 14 batters, gave up no walks and threw only 94 pitches, 65 of them for strikes. His velocity reached 100 MPH, but a healthy dose of off-speed pitches kept Pirates hitters off balance for much of the game.
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CALI COMFORT HOSTS VIEWING PARTY FOR OPENING SOCCER MATCH FRI. A.M.
June 10, 2010 (Spring Valley) – The World Cup Soccer tournament kick off Friday, June 11 at 7 a.m. with a match between Mexico and South Africa.. Next up, game two on Saturday, June 12 at 11:30 a.m. pits the U.S.A. vs. England. Cali Comfort Restaurant & Sports Bar in Spring Valley is hosting viewing parties bright and early for soccer fans both days.
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June 9, 2010 (Oceanside/Lake Henshaw) - Bicyclists lined up at the ampitheater next to the Oceanside pier Tuesday (June 8) to begin a 3,000 mile journey to Annapolis, MD in the annual Race Across America (RAAM). The participants included cyclists from as far away as South Africa. From the coast, racers headed the San Diego's eastern regions, then on towards the Arizona desert and beyond.
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Author Steve Tarde, who has taught sports visualization to top sports stars, will read from his book, Gift to My Dad, and sign copies of his book at a special Father’s Day event at Cali Comfort Restaurant, 8910 Troy Street, Spring Valley on July 20th at 3 p.m. Note: savor a free entree (with purchase of another) at Cali Comfort with coupon at bottom of the article.
Review by: Dennis Moore
"This is a beautifully written story about fathers and sons." - Dennis Moore
June 8, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Steve Tarde, a legendary teacher of visualization, has written a homage for all fathers: Gift to My Dad. Although this 84 page book is written in regard to his dad, it could just as well apply to my dad, and every other dad out there. It comes at a very poignant time, just before Father’s Day. Tarde’s book certainly resonates with me as it has a baseball theme, our national pastime that I played as a little boy. To many young boys, it was their fathers who gave them their first glove, and played catch with them. This is a beautifully written story about fathers and sons.
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May 27, 2010 (Lakeside)--The Lakeside Relay for Life wil be held on Saturday June12th 9am thru Sunday June 13, 9am 2010 at the Lakeside Middle School on Woodside Ave in Lakeside. This event that is open to the public to raise funds and awarness about cancer. Several teams will be camping out and walking around the track for 24 hours straight to demonstrate their support.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
May 24, 2010 (La Mesa) - Bryce Taylor, Sam Ferguson and Ellen Blackwell each won their respective divisions at the La Mesa Soap Box Derby Race on Saturday (May 22). The course was set up on a downhill section of Junior High Drive next to the La Mesa Middle School. Competitors faced each other in tournament bracket pairings to determine the division winners.
As a result of winning their respective divisions, Taylor, Ferguson and Blackwell earned the right to participate in the National Soap Box Derby, held in Akron, OH in July.
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May 16, 2010 (Alpine) – Football helmet construction hasn’t changed for decades. But now, new helmets contain air bag-type cushions, providing better protection from head injuries.
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May 14 (Poway) - The San Diego Senior Games Association (SDSGA) is holding a pool tournament this Saturday and Sunday (May 15-16) at the Poway Fun Bowl, located 12941 Poway Road. The events start at 9 A.M. each day and are part of the North County Games taking place through May.
On Saturday, the competitions include eight ball with a best of three format and nine ball in a best of five format. Sunday will feature Scotch Doubles in a best of seven format. There is also a Charity Challenge, where for just $5 per game, challengers test their skills against Hydred Makabali, the first female wheelchair player to earn semi-pro status from the Women's Professional Billiards Assocation.
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May 7, 2010 (Spring Valley) - Micherie Koria hit a grounder in the top of the eighth, driving home what proved to be the winning run in West Hills' 2-1 victory at Steele Canyon High School Friday afternoon. Pitching and defense dominated this game, making runs hard to come by and the slightest sign of offense a dramatic event.
Both starting pitchers, Noelle Johnson for West Hills, and Lorena Klopp for Steele Canyon, each threw complete games while dominating opposing hitters. Neither pitcher faced more than five batters in any inning.
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Proceeds benefit Komen San Diego fund for breast cancer cure
SAN DIEGO, May 5, 2010 – Sports and stilettos will unite at San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Second Annual Women’s Football Academy benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, San Diego on Saturday, June 5. SDSU’s head football coach, Brady Hoke, and his staff will teach women how to be football savvy.
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May 1, 2010 (La Mesa) -- Three East County youngsters are going to Akron, Ohio, this July to compete in the National All-American Soap Box Derby. They will be winners of their divisions in the 8th Annual Drew Ford-Kiwanis Club of La Mesa Soap Box Derby. Who will they be?
That won’t be known until race day, Saturday, May 22, on Junior High Drive adjacent to La Mesa Middle School.
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(Spring Valley) April 14 - In an exciting lacrosse match at Monte Vista High School, the host Monarchs prevailed with a 10-6 win over the Sultans of Santana High School. The game featured several momentum shifts and was on the verge of erupting into a fight before Monte Vista squelched a late comeback bid by Santana.
The Monarchs gained the early lead on two unassisted goals by Matt Parris, whose breakaway speed proved to be troublesome to Santana's defense. Although Matt Doyle's goal at 6:48 in the first quarter got Santana on the scoreboard, Jesse Torres scored a goal only a minute later and the Monarchs had a 3-1 lead at the end of one quarter.
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April 7, 2010 (San Diego) - The CitySolve Urban Race series comes to San Diego on Saturday, April 24 at noon. The event is a scavenger hunt where participants, who are competing on teams, navigate the course by foot or public transportation while searching for clues and completing challenges along the way. It is a mini version of television's The Amazing Race competition, offering participants a unique perspective of the city that they likely would not see otherwise.
The top 25 teams are eligible to compete in the national championship in New Orleans on October 30. Of these 25 teams, the top three teams get free entry to the national championship, while the top team wins $300.
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April 5, 2010 (San Diego/University City) -- Monday night's lacrosse match at La Jolla Country Day School between the host Torreys and the visiting Eagles of Granite Hills High School bore some resemblence to the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship game taking place at the same time.
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by Christopher Mohr
by Christopher Mohr
by Christopher Mohr
by Christopher Mohr
August 17, 2010 (San Jose) – Three members of the East County's Heartland Swim Association earned medals at the prestigious U.S. Western Zone Age Group Championships held Aug. 10-14 at the Frank Fiscalini International Swim Center in San Jose.
by Christopher Mohr
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July 10, 2010 (El Cajon) -- Local area leaders have teamed up with Beads of Courage to host a 2nd Annual Journey to Fight Cancer Golf Tournament & Luau at the Cottonwood Golf Course in El Cajon on Friday, July 23 starting at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start and scramble. 
By Miriam Raftery
June 10, 2010 (Spring Valley) – The World Cup Soccer tournament kick off Friday, June 11 at 7 a.m. with a match between Mexico and South Africa.. Next up, game two on Saturday, June 12 at 11:30 a.m. pits the U.S.A. vs. England. Cali Comfort Restaurant & Sports Bar in Spring Valley is hosting viewing parties bright and early for soccer fans both days.
Author Steve Tarde, who has taught sports visualization to top sports stars, will read from his book, Gift to My Dad, and sign copies of his book at a special Father’s Day event at Cali Comfort Restaurant, 8910 Troy Street, Spring Valley on July 20th at 3 p.m. Note: savor a free entree (with purchase of another) at Cali Comfort with coupon at bottom of the article. 
May 27, 2010 (Lakeside)--The Lakeside Relay for Life wil be held on Saturday June12th 9am thru Sunday June 13, 9am 2010 at the Lakeside Middle School on Woodside Ave in Lakeside. This event that is open to the public to raise funds and awarness about cancer. Several teams will be camping out and walking around the track for 24 hours straight to demonstrate their support.
By Miriam Raftery
by Christopher Mohr
May 16, 2010 (Alpine) – Football helmet construction hasn’t changed for decades. But now, new helmets contain air bag-type cushions, providing better protection from head injuries.
May 14 (Poway) - The San Diego Senior Games Association (SDSGA) is holding a pool tournament this Saturday and Sunday (May 15-16) at the Poway Fun Bowl, located 12941 Poway Road. The events start at 9 A.M. each day and are part of the North County Games taking place through May. 
by Christopher Mohr
Proceeds benefit Komen San Diego fund for breast cancer cure
May 1, 2010 (La Mesa) -- Three East County youngsters are going to Akron, Ohio, this July to compete in the National All-American Soap Box Derby. They will be winners of their divisions in the 8th Annual Drew Ford-Kiwanis Club of La Mesa Soap Box Derby. Who will they be?
April 7, 2010 (San Diego) - The CitySolve Urban Race series comes to San Diego on Saturday, April 24 at noon. The event is a scavenger hunt where participants, who are competing on teams, navigate the course by foot or public transportation while searching for clues and completing challenges along the way. It is a mini version of television's The Amazing Race competition, offering participants a unique perspective of the city that they likely would not see otherwise.
by Christopher Mohr
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