The Scripps Ranch High School girls varsity water polo team defeated Ramona High 13-11 on Friday, Dec. 14.

The SRHS girls JV water polo team lost to Ramona 5-1 the same day.

The Lady Falcons varsity water polo team is scheduled to play Mt. Carmel High at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 17 at 9550 Carmel Mountain Road.

The Scripps Ranch High School girls varsity basketball team dropped a game to Poway High School 22-63 in a home contest on Friday, Dec. 7.

The combination of Poway’s offense being very strong and the Scripps Ranch offense struggling with passes and making turnovers made the game a runaway. Scripps Ranch’s defensive play couldn’t contain Poway.

Ouying Zhang, affectionately known as “Coach O,” died on Dec. 1, 2018 at the age of 43. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in April of this year while on an annual trip to China. She is survived by her husband Edde and two children, ages 6 and 4.

In addition to being a two-time Olympian and a star player for the Chinese National Team in three successive Women’s World Cups, Coach O had her biggest impact on the local community as a girls soccer coach with the San Diego Soccer Club (SDSC) since 2010.

Raffi Ruotolo is SDSC director of coaching for older girls.

Two of Coach O’s former players, Mia Arredondo, a 14-year-old Scripps Ranch resident, and Valeria Suarez, reflected on the impact their coach had on their lives. Arredondo described a moment at the annual SDSC soccer banquet last year when she received the most valuable player award.

“When I got to the stage, I thanked Coach O and she said, ‘don’t thank me; you did this by yourself. I told you I would get you here and look where you are now. This isn’t me, this is you,’” Arredondo recalled. “That was a turning point for me. She made me truly believe in myself.”

Suarez explained that, over time, her bond with Coach O evolved beyond soccer to feeling more like family.

“If I felt insecure about myself on the field, Coach O would always say, ‘you got this. I support you in every choice you make. I believe in you,’” Suarez said. “Since then, I thought of her like a second mom or my best friend.”

Arredondo’s and Suarez’s parents spoke of the legacy that Coach O leaves behind.

“Her legacy is her children and her team,” said Ernesto Arredondo, Mia’s father. “She met these girls as children and now they’re women. It takes a village to raise your children and she had a part in that.”

Guillermo Suarez, Valeria’s father, said that Coach O, “had a gift and she wanted to share it with others. That’s what I’d like to see going forward – for those who she impacted to carry on that legacy.”

Viewing will be held Wednesday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to noon at El Camino Memorial in Sorrento Valley, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Dec. 8, 10:30 a.m. to noon at San Diego New Life Chinese Church, 3450 Clairemont Drive.

The Scripps Ranch High School boys varsity team won a game against Oceanside High 62-49 on Nov. 21 to break a Falcons three-game losing streak for this young season.

In the first quarter it looked like Oceanside was going to dominate the contest, but Scripps Ranch came back in the second quarter and maintained a lead for most of the game until the end.  

Scripps Ranch is scheduled to play Olympian High School in Chula Vista on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.; then take on University City High School away at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The Scripps Ranch High School field hockey team captured a hard-fought championship game 1-0 against San Pasqual High to win the CIF San Diego Section 2018 Open Division Field Hockey Championships.

San Pasqual dominated the first half of the game. But Scripps Ranch’s energy jumped at the end of the first half. The Lady Falcons carried that energy into the second half and Scripps Ranch scored 9 minutes into the half. That would end up being the only goal scored during the game.

With a focus all season on conditioning, Scripps Ranch not only out-played San Pasqual in the second half, but also maintained high energy until the very end. Defense was the key throughout the season for the Lady Falcons, tallying three shut-outs during the championship tournament to add to at least 13 shut-outs during the regular season.

While the season to achieve a “summer body” has ended, there is never an off-season for maintaining health and wellness. Personal trainer Debbie Serban, a local resident, has an extensive background in health education and nutritional management. Most of her clients range between ages 40 and 80, but her oldest is 96.

Debbie's Tips: Checking your balance Balance is key in keeping yourself safe from falling, especially as you age. Do each position while looking straight ahead, and hold for at least 20 seconds.
1. Stand with fee parallel, side by side touching.
2. Stand with one foot in front of the other, toes of back foot touching heels of front foot.
3. Stand holding one foot off the ground.
Repeat above positions with eyes closed. Hold for at least 20 seconds. Don't worry if you didn’t quite make it. To fix, simply practice!

Serban is originally from Bakersfield but moved to San Diego to attend college. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation and a Master of Science degree in rehabilitation, she spent several years working in the area of rehabilitation and community integration. Serban has trained a variety of clients for marathons. She has also helped clients with rehabilitating from cancer, injuries, illnesses and surgeries.

The challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle after a certain age become more prominent, but according to Serban, there’s never a good enough excuse to push away goals.

“We are all accountable to someone in our lives, a personal trainer is just one example,” Serban said. “After 40, we lose muscle mass, so maintaining progress is key.”

Serban’s sessions offer something different for every client, but she maintains her element of education in everything she does.

“I pride myself in creating options for every single client and cater to their needs and lifestyle, such as traveling,” Serban said. “I can give you a prix fixe menu of workouts or you can take them a la carte.”

As a personal trainer, Serban frequently encounters misconceptions and myths about health and fitness. She considers herself to be data-driven, and thus strives to clarify trends, diets and the requirements for sufficient exercise.

“Both older men and women tend to believe that walking is enough, but with age, our bodies change and so our workouts must change as well,” Serban said. “I also get a lot of people who believe the scale is the ultimate guide to what their body is.”

For Serban, the scale is a misnomer. She prefers to use a portable scanning device called the InBody Analyzer which separates muscle, fat, water and bone. She uses the results, which are 98 percent accurate in comparison to the medical procedure DEXA Scan, to design workouts around what the client’s goal is.

“Seeing the results for a client from the InBody Analyzer is one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” Serban said.

For now, Serban wants to focus on expanding her Serra Mesa gym to be a fully-functional personal training gym, and eventually integrate the use of video chat to reach those who may not be able to physically attend her sessions. Serban is also expecting an influx of older clients with the expansion of The Glen in Scripps Ranch.

The Scripps Ranch High School varsity field hockey team is enjoying an incredible undefeated season this year with possibly its strongest team ever.

On Friday, Nov. 2, Scripps Ranch brought its 2018 record to a perfect 20-0 with a 3-1 victory over La Jolla High School. The team's record includes an incredible 13 shut-outs.

The greatest victory by far occurred Oct. 26 in an away game against Serra High School. The Lady Falcons defeated Serra 1-0 in a nail-biting over-time victory. This was the first time a Scripps Ranch High varsity team has defeated Serra since 2012. This was only the second time since 2012 that a Serra varsity field hockey team has been shut-out. Serra was ranked in the top 25 in the entire nation and was number 1 in the state before Scripps Ranch beat them.

Regulation play ended in a scoreless tie. Victoria Mellow was able to score the winning goal for the Lady Falcons within the first few minutes of over-time play.

Scripps Ranch will end its regular season at home with a big re-match against Serra High on Tuesday, Nov. 6, starting at 3:15 p.m.

The Scripps Ranch Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Falcons defeated Fallbrook 8-0 in a hard-fought championship game at Scripps Ranch High School on Oct. 27.

As expected in a championship game, the teams were evenly matched. No goals were scored until the fourth quarter when Scripps Ranch scored a touchdown on a screen pass. The Falcons’ kick attempt following the TD was blocked. 

Later, Fallbrook had the ball on its own 1-yard line with 1:58 left on the clock. The Scripps Ranch defense came in strong with a quarterback sack in the end zone for a safety, making the score 8-0. That was the final straw as the clock wound down. Scripps Ranch ended the game in victory formation with the quarterback taking a knee.

The crowed enjoyed a halftime performance by the Falcons cheerleaders. The next day, Oct. 28, the cheerleaders attended a regional competition in Escondido and came in second place.

Oct. 26 was the final game of the regular season for the Scripps Ranch High School varsity football team as the Falcons closed out the year with a 48-7 loss to Kearny High School.

The varsity team was out-matched by Kearny’s size and speed on this night, only scoring one touchdown. The highlight of the game was when running back Nicholas Gardinera broke 1,000 yards for the season. Gardinera is a sophomore, and this accomplishment is rare for a high school football player.  

In spite of the score, the Scripps Ranch defense played a strong game. Most of Kearny’s scoring was done by its defense.

The Scripps Ranch varsity team ended the season with a much-improved 6-4 overall record and a 2-3 record in conference play.

Earlier, the Scripps Ranch JVs defeated Kearny’s JV team 49-12, closing the season at 8-2, with a perfect 5-0 record in conference play. With the Falcons football program being rejuvenated this season, this impressive JV record points to positive expectations for the varsity next season as some of the younger players move up.

All those involved in the varsity football program and supporting the program, including band members and cheerleaders, enjoyed this last evening of 2018 pigskin play with a salute to the seniors and their families.

Scripps Ranch Lacrosse Association has some exciting news as it gears up for its upcoming spring season:

Boys grades 1-8
The boys program has a new director, Russ Olsen, a member of the San Diego State University (SDSU) and U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Coach Russ lead the Scripps Boys Grade 5/6 to the championship game in May 2018, which ended in a tie. Russ has more than 35 years of experience playing and coaching lacrosse, including two state championships with two different teams and multiple playoff appearances. Russ set the all-time scorer record as a SDSU player, which still stands today. The Scripps Ranch Lacrosse Association is very excited to have Coach Russ lead its program. 

The Scripps Ranch High School girl’s golf team finished runner-up this week in the CIF San Diego Section Division 1 team golf championships.

Last year, the golf team went undefeated through its regular season, 22-0, making Lady Falcons history. This year the team was 18-1 in the season, and the girls had their sights set on CIF.

Coach Todd Wilson said since last year, the team has improved and gotten stronger.

“We have a close-knit team. They’re all friends, they all hang out, they all push each other,” Wilson said. “They all want to be number one on the team, so they all push each other to be better than they realize they are.”

Wilson said the difference is noticeable in the team during tournaments between this year and last year. 

“We couldn’t all score well on the same day (last year),” Wilson said. “We’d have a couple girls score really well and then we’d have a couple girls score ok, then a couple girls would have kind of a bad rep.”

But the overall improvement had Wilson looking forward to competing at CIF, which was held at Admiral Baker Golf Course. From there, two teams in the San Diego CIF section will move on to regionals.

“It’s exciting now because it seems like they’re all coming around and playing well when it’s playoff time,” Wilson said.

The Lady Falcons were seeded number three in the county, trailing Mater Dei Catholic High School, which was the number one seed in the county, and Rancho Bernardo High School, seeded number two.

According to Wilson, the team was right behind Rancho Bernardo with a 14.42 differential.

“As a team, we’re averaging just three shots behind Rancho Bernardo, so that’s going to be the battle right there,” Wilson said. “I’m setting my girls up. I’m trying to get them pumped up and saying, ‘we need to beat Rancho Bernardo.’”

While Wilson remained hopeful that the whole team will move from CIF to regionals, he expected a couple of the players to move on, at least individually, to regionals.

The players who competed together at CIF were Kathleen Keomahavong, number two in scoring average; Napua Glossner, number three in scoring average; Franchesca Garcia; Zoee Lynch; and Isabella Ranches.

Unfortunately, senior Jolina Bui did not make it to the playoffs, but Wilson said that Bui was instrumental in helping the team out and motivating the players throughout the season.

Tennis is a sport of emotional intelligence and physical strength, and the lessons learned by the Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) women’s tennis team will carry them further than just knowing how to hit a perfect backhand.

Raj Ganti has coached both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Scripps Ranch High School for the past 5 ½ years. Tennis is one of Ganti’s great passions. He volunteered to coach the teams when his son, now graduated, started Scripps Ranch High School as a freshman. As a former UCLA tennis player, Ganti’s experience and coaching prowess helped to break player’s bad habits.

“The program never had a good coach where there was ever consistent practice. The teams were left without the ability to improve their game. If you don’t have a coach, you learn to do the wrong thing. At some point you have to begin to undo a lot of the learned techniques,” Ganti said.

Under Ganti’s wing, the women’s tennis team at SRHS has done well this season. It was ranked number two going into the final tournament in Division 1. Ganti had a plan for defeating their biggest rivals, Cathedral Catholic.

“We changed our line up a little bit by mixing up the singles and doubles, and we’re going to stack up on doubles. I know we can win a couple singles matches and the doubles will be where we can win consistently,” Ganti said.

The players to watch this season were senior Polina Privorotskiy, junior Richa Singh and sophomore Sanjana Ganti.

Coach Ganti said they are extremely consistent and work hard to hone their skills.

He has seen significant improvement in a number of the players and in the team as a whole since the beginning of the season.

“The team’s greatest strength is perhaps the lifelong friendships, bonding, camaraderie and a love for the game and a passion that perhaps will continue for the rest of their lives,” Ganti said.

The women’s tennis season will come to a close in October. Heading into next season, Ganti is hopeful the talent pool increases as he has seen a notable drop in the number of girls trying out for the team. He is also hoping to work on the team’s winning mentality in which winning as a team is the focus over an individual win.

For parents interested in getting their children involved in tennis, Ganti does not think they will regret the decision.

“Tennis is a wonderful sport that builds a lot of character. It is both physically and mentally demanding. Even when they are losing, their moral compass and mental strength can bring them through it. There are many clubs in Scripps Ranch and many good coaches. I encourage all parents to give tennis a shot,” he said.