SPORTS & FITNESS
Falcons beat Marauders
and remain undefeated
and remain undefeated
The victory raised the Falcons’ undefeated record to 4-0 and earned the team the pride-filled trophy and honor that goes with winning the annual game nicknamed “The Battle of the 15” – as in Interstate 15.
Game highlights included a stingy Falcons defense, a 35-yard touchdown pass from Luke Durkin to Mekhi Shaw, a 31-yard field goal by Matthew Killiam and a 26-yard touchdown run to seal the victory by Nicholas Gardinera – who gained 179 rushing yards.
The Falcons are scheduled to host La Jolla High on Friday, Sept. 20, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
All photos by Justin Fine: sdactionphotography.com
The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at 10510 Reagan Road.
Last Friday, Sept. 6, the varsity Falcons defeated Fallbrook High School 55-0 in what was most likely the team’s strongest game in years. Photos on this page are from the Fallbrook game.
Photos by Ralph LoVuolo. Visit ralphlovuolophotography.com.
The Chick-fil-A Mira Mesa will donate a percentage of the week’s sales to the two high schools’ football teams, but there’s one catch: Guests will determine how the proceeds are split. Guests who visit the restaurant during the week can choose which high school they would like to support with their purchase. When ordering, make sure you tell the cashier you want your order to count for Scripps Ranch High.
Also, a pep rally will be held at the Chick-fil-A in Mira Mesa from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. The pep rally, which is free and open to the public, will feature performances by both schools’ cheerleading teams and drumlines, as well as speeches from the schools’ football coaches and two former NFL players, Nate Chandler (Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, 2012-2016) and J.R. Tolver (Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, 2003-2006).
“We are proud to support our local high schools,” said Tyler Lunn, franchise operator, Chick-fil-A Mira Mesa. “We hope our community will join us in supporting these schools’ football teams during rivalry week.”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/CFAMiraMesa.
The phrase “like father, like son” was coming to fruition for Mike and David Charbonnet until a horrific accident redirected them in a way they never imagined.
The father, Mike, a Scripps Ranch resident, is a Navy SEAL veteran. His Class 98 recently had its 40th reunion. His son, David, born in San Diego, was in Class 278 and following in his father’s footsteps.
Then, about a year into his career at age 26, David was injured in a parachuting accident outside of San Diego which left him paralyzed from the waist down. That was in October of 2011.
Mike and his wife, Beth, were living in Texas at the time but quickly realized changes were coming.
“We got the news (about David’s injury) and found out we were going to need to move right away,” Mike said.
After a series of medical procedures, David began rehabilitating at the VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center in San Diego. A process that continues to this day.
Along the way, however, he was given the opportunity to become the president of VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center, which now includes the title of CEO as well.
“Before taking over that clinic, the biggest thing he ever organized was a paint ball game,” Mike joked. “He has come a long ways.”
Just as David, along with his wife, Janet, who also helps manage VIP, were making adjustments in their lives, Mike was not a spectator on the sidelines. He and some of his fellow SEAL classmates created Beyond the Teams, an organization to help those with physical challenges, cultural disadvantages and needs that were not being met.
As Mike was quoted in a recent article, “Our battlefield is no longer the theater of Special Warfare. It's the world of fundraising.”
One of those efforts is coming up in a few months when Mike and four of his SEAL friends are going to make a 1,000-mile bike ride to raise money for VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center, which is a stand-alone non-profit that services people from all walks of life, whether they have been in the military or not.
Specifically, there is one piece of equipment that is always in high demand at VIP.
Called the Lokomat, it basically helps people learn how to walk again.
“I would say 80 to 85 percent of the patients at the VIP need and use the Lokomat,” Mike said. “The results in some cases have been phenomenal. Some patients are actually walking again.”
The challenge right now is that VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center only has one of the units and the cost is $350,000 for a second unit.
“To date we have raised $25,000 but, obviously, we have a long way to go to reach our goal,” Mike said.
The bike ride will begin in late October in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It will take 11 days and finish at the Navy SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce, Florida on Nov. 9, coinciding with the 34th annual Muster and Music Festival Honoring The 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
The last segment of the ride will be 53-miles.
“I have had 29 surgeries. My fellow SEALS on the ride are old geezers like myself,” Mike said. “But if I have to crawl to Florida, I will be there.”
The plan now is for David to join the group for the last segment by using a hand cycle.
Those who would like to make a donation can do so by visiting the VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center website vipneurorehab.org or Beyond the Teams at beyondtheteams.org.
The Scripps Ranch High School varsity football team overwhelmed Fallbrook High School 55-0 on Friday, Sept. 6 in front of a home field crowd.
The Falcons got the offense going to join what has been an invincible defense so far this season. The team is undefeated in three games so far.
Justin Fine: sdactionphotography.com
The Scripps Ranch High School Falcons varsity football team will take the home field in an attempt to remain undefeated at tonight's game against Fallbrook High at 6:30 p.m.
On Aug. 30, the Scripps team advanced its record to 2-0 with a 30-10 win over Del Norte High. The Scripps Ranch defense dominated the game, only allowing Del Norte to gain 10 points. The offense, led by quarter back Luke Durkin, scored 30 points.
Running Back Nicholas Gardinera gained more than 100 yards.
Ralph LoVuolo: ralphlovuolophotography.com
Justin Fine: sdactionphotography.com
It kicks off on Sept. 6 with the first invitational meet at Rohr Park. Practice officially started the first week of August, but Warren said most of the students are so dedicated they train all summer long. They work out Mondays through Fridays, with many of them running on the weekends as well.
“This time of the year our top varsity kids are running 50 miles a week,” Warren said.
He said his cross-country teams average 120 kids a year, and are comprised of girls JV and varsity teams, and boys JV and varsity teams. Any and all students are welcome to join.
“We don't cut kids, that's not my philosophy,” Warren said. “If somebody is willing to run, why would you want to cut somebody? My philosophy is if they show up to practice on time, every day, they have a good attitude, and give 100 percent in the races and the meets, they're on the team.”
Along with both the boys and girls teams making it to the state championships in Fresno the last two years, the boys have been league champions the last five years and the girls have been league champions four out of the last five years, Warren said. That’s no small feat, especially considering that in 2016 the team moved from the Eastern League to the more competitive Western League, where they face powerhouse rivals including Cathedral Catholic, UC and Coronado High schools.
“Every year we want to put ourselves in a position to be contenders to win the league championship and the ultimate goal is to send our teams to the state meet,” he said.
Warren said they had a lot of seniors on the team who graduated last school year, so this year’s team is relatively young. He said some of the top runners who are favorites to win league this year include, on the boy’s side, juniors Giancarlo Da Silva and Caden Farrow; and on the girl’s side, senior Julia Kiersnowski and juniors Emily Brown and Delphine Maurer.
Maurer said this will be her third year running cross country and her goals are to beat her times from previous years and for the team to have a positive environment.
“I enjoy being on the cross-country team because of the fellowship between the runners,” Maurer said. “Everyone on the team is supportive of each other and I have made many friends by joining.”
She said coach Warren is a good, easy-going coach who is always available to listen to his runners.
“He is very knowledgeable about running and that shows in the workouts that he plans for us and the advice that he gives,” Maurer said.
Warren said the majority of the team’s key interval workouts are done away from the school, at nearby Jerabek Park or other community parks, where it’s more of a cross country environment instead of just going on the track. For their Saturday workouts, which he said are mandatory for varsity runners, they go to different locations like Mission Bay Park and Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, to help make it more interesting.
"Running can get boring and tedious and we want to keep them motivated, so we go to different locations," he said.
Warren said he also likes to let the runners cut loose by doing fun things like a planned beach bonfire and small dinner parties the night before most meets.
“We want to be competitive, but we also want to make it fun for the kids,” he said. “I want to show these kids that I care. If you show them that, a lot of these kids will run through walls for you.”
The opening night victory against Serra High was featured on KUSI Sports’ PPR as the Jersey Mike’s game of the week and Connor Battaglia was the Jersey Mike’s Player of the game.
Photos by Justin Fine: https://sdactionphotography.com/
The Scripps Ranch High School football program has been holding practices in the hot August sun in preparation for the 2019 season. Following a very improved 2018 season, the varsity will officially begin its new season by hosting a home game against Serra High on Friday, Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Then, the team will travel for a game against Del Norte High on Aug. 30 at 7:15 p.m.
Photos by Ralph LoVuolo. Visit ralphlovuolophotography.com.
Members of the Scripps Ranch High School varsity, JV and freshman cheerleading squads participated in a cheer camp on the first weekend of August at the Town & Country Resort Hotel on Hotel Circle. Photos here show the varsity squad beaming with school spirit as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
Photos by Ralph LoVuolo. Visit ralphlovuolophotography.com.
With so many surfing academies dotting the San Diego coast, it’s impossible to say which is the best.
So, maybe start with the one owned by the man who personally gifted Pope Francis his first surfboard.
His name is Sean Brody and he’s a lifelong Scripps Ranch resident and the founder of Surf Education Academy. He started surfing at the age of 10, got a surfing-focused master’s degree from San Diego State University and taught the sport to at-risk youth in Africa.
In other words, Brody knows a few things about surfing.
He opened the academy three years ago with one simple goal: “I ultimately wanted to create the program that we wish we had when we were kids growing up in Scripps Ranch.”
For starters, this means getting people from Scripps Ranch to the academy’s headquarters in La Jolla Shores, a 20-minute drive. He said they are happy to offer van transportation when enrollment is high enough.
The academy also puts a high emphasis on inclusivity. This not only means offering programs for those of all ages and skill levels, but also for those with disabilities.
“We also have kind of an inclusive model where we also work with people with special needs or disabilities,” Brody said. “We make sure that we can accommodate.”
This is an area Brody is particularly skilled in, as the head coach for Team USA’s Adaptive Surfing Team.
While he said the academy will happily work with anybody with a willingness to learn the sport, Brody said it’s these kinds of community connections that he values most.
“We can gladly accommodate any tourist or anybody that wants to have a surfing bucket list experience,” Brody said. “But we really take a lot of pride in working with communities.”
These community connections can be seen forming in some of the academy’s more regular classes and camps.
For those who like to frequent the waves, Surf Education Academy offers a unique membership system in which members can drop into whichever classes fit their schedules for a monthly rate, rather than paying on a singular basis.
For the kids, Brody said the academy uses a martial arts-inspired approach in which the youngsters have the opportunity to work up to different colored leashes, starting with a white one.
For those looking to perfect their techniques, he said, the academy uses photos and videos of sessions to show surfers exactly what they need to do to improve.
With this, Brody said, it’s hard to walk away feeling unaccomplished.
“We see that confidence translate on land, whether it's in the school yard or the classroom or the household or even the workplace for adults,” he said.
For more information about Surf Education Academy, visit SurfEducationAcademy.com.
Independence Day 2019 is underway as the Scripps Ranch Old Pros’ annual Fourth of July Run & Ride got the festivities started early in the morning.
The local sports club coordinated a morning of running and cycling events, including a 10k Run, a 2-Mile Fun Run, a 50-Mile Bike Ride, a 28-Mile Bike Ride and a 12-Mile Bike Ride.
Thousands of participants took part in this local tradition as friends, family members and neighbors cheered for them along the routes.
DJ Lavoie, a Scripps Ranch woman who served as a Navy nurse during the Vietnam War, and is part of a nationwide project to record and document the experiences of war-time Navy nurses as the co-chair of the Navy Nurse Corps Association’s Oral History Project, was honored as the official starter for the first running event at 7 a.m. in the morning. Lavoie was featured in the May issue of Scripps Ranch News. Read more about her at http://www.scrippsranchnews.com/news/fullstory.php?ID=1645.
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