SUMMER SEASON PLAYER SCHEDULE
Practice Gear (shorts and shirt) are new for 2009. Cost is $30.00
All players must purchase from Equipment Manager - Bob Morgan
First Passing League Day - June 18 @ 5:00 PM - Opponent TBA

Booster Positions Open - Need your support
Snack Bar Coordinator
Snack Bar Varsity Supervisor
50/50 Coordinator

Frosh Parent Meeting - July 15, 2009
7:00 PM School Library
500 Bradford Ave. Placentia

OFF SEASON BOOSTER SCHEDULE
Booster Meeting will be held on July 15 following Frosh Parent Meeting

Booster Meetings first Tuesday of each month.
7:00 PM School Library
500 Bradford Ave. Placentia

For all Valencia Tigers Sports news and events,
visit us at www.valenciaathletics.com

2009-10 FOOTBALL SEASON
JUNE	June 16 - Summer Passing League
JULY	July 15 - Frosh Parent Meeting
AUG	Aug 21 - Fall Practice Begins Aug 24 - All Team Photo Day 11 AM

Placentia school, along with Trabuco Hills High and Westminster High, will advance to state finals.

By SCOTT MARTINDALE and FERMIN LEAL
The Orange County Register

COSTA MESA – Placentia's Valencia High School captured the coveted first-place trophy in the 2009 Orange County Academic Decathlon on Thursday night, beating out two-year champion Westminster High School.

Amid thunderous applause and cheering, the nine-student team was announced as the Division I team champion, the electrifying culmination of a lively, 2-1/2-hour awards ceremony Thursday night at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. It was Valencia High's first-ever championship in the county high school competition; last year, the Placentia school placed fifth. The audience gave the team a standing ovation.

"I thought we had a good shot at placing, but first place, I was really surprised about," said Valencia junior Jonathan Schreder, 16, of Yorba Linda. "We felt better about this year than last year, when we placed fifth, so we thought we would do better this year." Mission Viejo's Trabuco Hills High School took second place and Westminster High School – which has taken home the championship trophy for the past two years – finished third. "You just don't sleep that much," said Trabuco senior Ophelia Yin, 18, co-captain of her school's team. "We don't go out on weekdays. Sometimes on weekends, we study, too."

All three schools will advance to the state finals next month in Sacramento. Aliso Viejo's Aliso Niguel High School won the team Division II title, and Fountain Valley High School captured the Division III crown. Divisions are determined by school size; only Division I winners are eligible to advance to the state finals. The two-day competition took place Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at various high schools across Orange County. In all, 39 Orange County private and public high schools took part. The winners were announced Thursday night.

Although the Orange County decathlon is just one stepping stone in a competition that culminates with the U.S. Academic Decathlon in April, the entire competition originated in Orange County nearly 41 years ago, as a local event. The brainchild of former Orange County schools Superintendent Robert Peterson, the academic competition consists of high-stakes exams, speeches, interviews and a "Jeopardy"-style quiz show.

Peterson is credited with single-handedly transforming his Orange County scholastic event into a respected, high-profile competition attracting hundreds of students from across the nation. He founded the California decathlon in 1979 and the U.S. decathlon in 1981, all while working as Orange County's schools superintendent. Peterson passed away in 2003.

The secret to the decathlon's enduring popularity, program officials say, is its appeal to students of varying academic strengths. The after-school program requires that each nine-person team include three "A" students, three "B" students, and three "C" students. This arrangement provides motivation to the "B" and "C" students and forces everyone to work together, officials say.

Teams compete in 10 high-pressure, timed events – math, economics, language and literature, science, music, art, speech, interview, social science, and essay – in a competition that resembles a sporting event. Faculty advisers are referred to as coaches, medals are handed out to the winners, and rivalries can become as intense as at a high school football game. "It's based on different subjects, so it gives us all the possibility to win," said Fountain Valley High School junior Kevin Chen, 16, who was already sporting three medals around his neck halfway through Thursday's ceremony.

The first decathlon was held Nov. 29, 1968, at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove. The structure of the test has been essentially unchanged since then. Some of the 10 categories in the original, one-day 1968 competition – such as "practical arts" that emphasized home economics and agriculture – have been modified, and separating boys from girls is no longer standard practice as it was in 1968.

Contact the writer: 714-445-6687 or fleal@ocregister.com

By MARTIN HENDERSON
Special to OCVarsity

PLACENTIA — Trabuco Hills, runner-up a year ago in the CIF-SS Southwest Division, knew that the first playoff game is sometimes a big hurdle. The Mustangs were breathing a lot easier having gotten over that hurdle Saturday night by posting a 35-21 victory over Valencia.

Trabuco Hills (7-4) will play host to third-seeded Western next weekend. Valencia finished 8-3. “We don’t have a whole lot of returners back from last season,” Trabuco Hills coach Jason Negro said. “I was nervous about how our kids would respond, how J.J. Mayer would respond.”

Mayer, the first-year starting quarterback, responded fine. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 156 yards, with two second-half interceptions. Most impressive, he was 5 of 6 for 130 yards in the first half, including a 46-yard touchdown pass to Chris Simonton for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Simonton had given Trabuco Hills the early lead with a 2-yard run. Shane DeCillo made his mark as well. He rushed 28 times for 120 yards and touchdowns of 1 and 3 yards. The first was perhaps the most important. Just 2 minutes, 14 seconds after Valencia QB David Pina scored from 11 yards, DeCillo capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive.

Less than two minutes later, with 1 minute left on the first-half clock, Donnie Simonsen’s 38-yard interception return made it an insurmountable 28-7.

By TOM CONNOLLY
Special to OCVarsity.com

ANAHEIM - Issac Dominguez rushed for 170 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Valencia to a 42-17 Empire League victory over Loara on Friday at Glover Stadium. The Tigers (8-2, 4-1) amassed nearly 300 yards rushing and 22 first downs, and the victory earns them a second-place finish in league and a playoff berth. The Saxons, after winning five of their first six games, dropped their last four and finished 5-5 and 1-4.

"I couldn't ask for a better offensive line than I have," said Dominguez, who also caught a pass and recorded two sacks. "Josh Gamboa, Nick Martinez, Keifer Neal, Junior Gauta, Travis Gipson and Shane Reekstin make us successful because they never take a play off."

Leading 14-10 at halftime, the Tigers notched two TDs in the third quarter to build a 28-10 lead. Valencia recovered an onside kick to start the second half and quickly drove 49 yards in eight plays. Dominguez capped the scoring drive with a 1-yard TD run. In the final minute of the quarter, the Tigers struck again. Karsen Garcia got behind the Saxons secondary and caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Dave Pina. Dominguez and Matt Gonzalez added fourth- quarter touchdown runs to seal the victory.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers drove 80 yards in 14 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Pina scored on a 1-yard run to give Valencia the lead. After a 43-yard field goal by Loara kicker Jonathan Negrete, Dominguez capped another 880-yard scoring drive with a short TD run giving the Tigers a 14-3 lead. The Saxons battled back and drove the length of the field in the final two minutes of the quarter and scored to trim the Valencia lead to 14-10 at halftime. Jesse Ben-Ron hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Meraz with nine seconds left in the half.

Anthony Bautista rushed for 93 yards and a TD, and Howard Gauta caught five passes for the Saxons. "Some folks didn't pick us to make the playoffs this season but here we are," Valencia coach Mike Marrujo said.

DINE WITH THE TIGERS!!  
RUBIO'S FRESH MEXICAN GRILL
 (YORBA LINDA BLVD. AND KRAMER)
127 E. Yorba Linda Blvd. Placentia, CA
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Only atfer 4 PM
*Present this flyer and a percentage of your bill will be donated to the Valencia High School Football Boosters
Have a great meal and support your team!!!

By CHRIS TOBOLSKI
OCVarsity staff

PLACENTIA — Valencia clinched a playoff spot with its 31-12 victory over Kennedy in Empire League play Thursday night at Valencia High. “This was a team victory,” Tigers quarterback Dave Pina said. Pina rushed for 71 yards, but he made his biggest impact at cornerback. He had two interceptions. The second prevented a touchdown in the end zone. ”

It kept Valencia (7-2, 3-1) ahead, 14-0, late in the second quarter. The Tigers took that lead on a 5-yard keeper by Pina and a 6-yard run by Isaac Dominguez. Kennedy (4-5, 1-3) responded with a drive to the Tigers 16 after Dominguez’s score, but Pina’s pick ended the Fighting Irish’s chance.

Valencia took over at its 20 and scored on Jesse Sandoval’s 37-yard field goal to lead, 17-0, at halftime. Dominguez scored on runs of 19 and 1 yard in the second half to push the Tigers advantage to 31-0. He finished with 14 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Teammate Ruben Escarsega was just as punishing without scoring, ending with a game-high 19 carries for 133 yards.

Kennedy avoided the shutout late on Kyle White’s 1-yard run. The Irish recovered the kickoff and quarterback Andy Peterson scored on a 7-yard scramble to make it 31-12 with 3:48 to play.

By LOU PONSI
OCVarsity staff

ANAHEIM — The Valencia football team didn’t need to do anything fancy in a 45-0 Empire League victory over Katella on Thursday at Glover Stadium.

Valencia’s Isaac Dominguez led all backs with 140 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries as the Tigers were most productive when keeping the ball on the ground. The Tigers (6-2, 2-1), ranked No 7 in the Southwest Division and No. 24 in the OCVarsity.com poll, have games remaining against Kennedy and Loara, both quality opponents.

“We were just going into this game like we have a three-game season,” Valencia coach Mike Marrujo said. “Our league is real balanced … it’s a battle every week.” Valencia intercepted Katella quarterback Matt Judd four times, and aside from a 45-yard run by Nikio Bush in the fourth quarter, held the Knights (1-7, 0-2) to 7 yards of total offense in the second half.

The Tigers Karsen Garcia turned in a solid all-purpose performance, catching a 47-yard touchdown pass, grabbing two interceptions and setting up the first score with a 48-yard return on the game’s opening kickoff. Bush led the Knights with 98 yards on 20 carries.

By STEVE FRYER
OCVarsity.com

ANAHEIM - Cypress might not be as large or as offensively explosive as it was last year when the Centurions won a CIF championship. But they still are finding ways to win. The Centurions used a quick defense and made enough big plays on offense to beat Valencia, 15-10, Thursday in an Empire League game at Western High.

The victory gave Cypress sole possession of first place in the Empire. Cypress is 2-0 in league. Grouped together at 1-1 are Loara, Kennedy and Valencia. Katella and Pacifica, both 0-1 in league, play tonight at Bolsa Grande High. Cypress is 4-3 overall. Valencia is 5-2.

A fumble recovery led to Cypress’ first touchdown and the Centurions got two of their five sacks in the final minute of the game. On Valencia’s last-chance play on fourth-and-10 at the Cypress 45-yard line, Valencia receiver Karsen Garcia took a short pass but was tackled quickly by Cypress cornerback Ryan Milosek 5 yards shy of a first down. “Our defense came through,” Cypress coach Ray Fenton said. “They’ve been doing a very good job the last three weeks.”

The offense did enough to support that defense. After Cypress linebacker Marcus Maldonado recovered a Valencia fumble at the Tigers’ 14-yard line, Centurions quarterback Max Reza passed to Archie Bernard on a tackle-eligible play for 13 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter. The kick for the extra point missed, leaving Cypress with a 6-0 lead. In the final minute of the half, a A 34-yard completion from Reza to Tyler Donahue set up a 37-yard field goal by Shawn Hansen on the half’s final play to make it 9-0.

Valencia’s Jesse Sandoval kicked a 35-yard field goal to trim Cypress’ lead to 9-3. A muffed punt return was recovered by the Tigers’ Garrison Kean at the Centurions’ 20 to set up the field goal. The Tigers took the lead with 9:32 to go in the fourth quarter when quarterback David Pina connected with Aaron Brewer on a 25-yard touchdown pass play. Sandoval’s kick for the extra point put Valencia ahead, 10-9.

Cypress’ winning drive started with 6:05 to go. Reza completions of 28, 4 and 19 yards led the Centurions downfield until Reza scored on a 9-yard run with 2:02 left. Cypress went for two, but Reza’s pass was knocked down, leaving the score 15-10. Valencia’s final drive started at its 20 with 1:56 to go. A fourth-down screen pass from Pina to Isaac Dominguez was good for 15 yards and a first down, and a facemask penalty on a sack, a fourth-down play, kept the Tigers alive until Milosek’s tackle ended it. “We’re not a big team, by any means,” Fenton said. “But we’re doing a good job with what we have.” Cypress has beaten Valencia three times in a row.

They did not play during the regular season last year, because of widespread fires and the resulting poor air quality that canceled or postponed many games. But they met in the CIF-Southern Section Southern Division semifinals, in which Cypress took a 28-21 victory, before going on to defeat another league rival, Pacifica, in the division final. Cypress beat Valencia in a league game in 2006, 10-6. Cypress plays Loara in a league game next Friday at Glover Stadium. Valencia, which also lost to Western, plays Katella on Thursday at Glover Stadium

By NICK TAYLOR
Special to OCVarsity.com

PLACENTIA – In a bout that resembled two heavyweights slugging it out, Valencia delivered the final blow.
The host Tigers stopped Pacifica on fourth down from the 5 with 3:17 remaining, lifting Valencia to a 36-22 victory Saturday in an Empire League opener.

“It went back and forth,” Valencia coach Mike Marrujo said. “I’m proud of the way we hung in there in the second half.”

Valencia (5-1, 1-0), No. 2 in the CIF-SS Southwest Division, needed Ruben Escarsega’s three touchdown runs and Karsen Garcia’s 53-yard TD catch and 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to hold off Pacifica (2-4, 0-1). The Mariners rallied behind Josh Brannon’s 242 yards rushing.

DINE WITH THE TIGERS!!  
AT
PEPZ PIZZA
 (ROSE AND ALTA VISTA SHOPPING CENTER)
Wednesday, October 15
ALL DAY
*Present this flyer and a percentage of your bill will be donated to the Valencia High School Football Boosters
Have a great meal and support your team!!!