Five Standouts Honored as Paloma Valley Athletes of the Week

From left: Andy Galvan, Jeremiah Von Moos, Christopher Owens, Vanessa Banuelos, Crystal Chhan.

Five oustanding student-athletes have been selected as Paloma Valley High School's representatives as the Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week for the week ending Jan. 25.

Senior wrestler Jeremiah Von Moos moved up in weight from 126 pounds to 145 for a dual match against Heritage last week. He came back from a 10-2 deficit to win by a pin and help seal the Wildcats' 39-33 victory.

"I was going for big moves, going for the pin," Von Moos said. "It just wasn't working out, but in the third period I ended up going big again and I pinned him. It was a pretty big win."

Von Moos has been wrestling since the sixth grade. Last year he was Sunbelt League champion at 113 pounds. He leads the team into league finals this Saturday.

Senior midfielder Andy Galvan has played several different positions for the boys soccer team. He has scored six goals for the Wildcats, who are one of the top teams in the Sunbelt League.

"Andy plays the game with skill, hustle and teamwork," said his coach, Ramon Benz. "He has come through for our team by scoring big goals when needed. Andy is a leader on and off the field, speaking up to players and coaches in an appropriate, produce manner. He is truly an impact player for our program."

Sophomore Crystal Chhan is in her second year with the JV girls basketball team and is developing the potential to one day join the varsity squad. She maintains above a 4.0 GPA and is learning the game quickly, said her coach, Romeo Galbreath.

"I just got into it last year," Chhan said. "I was always interested in basketball and I wanted to play a sport. I'm still learning the rules, though. I used to just play on the playground."

Senior center and power forward Chris Owens is the leading scorer for the boys basketball team and a steadying influence for a team that is still in search of its first league win. He hopes to continue his career at the college level.

"Personally, I've been asserting myself as a leader," he said. "We have been going through a rough patch. We have a lot of young guys, so sometimes it's hard for us to bounce back after a loss. I'm trying to play a leader's role and help the other guys."

Junior defender Vanessa Banuelos is a standout for the girls soccer team. Coach Marie Dillon considers Banuelos her "secret weapon," because she is sometimes inserted as goalkeeper when the starting goalie is added to the offensive lineup.

Banuelos helped out in that position last week in a scoreless tie with Temescal Canyon -- which followed three straight wins in league.

"She is the ultimate team player who works hard and never complains," Dillon said.

"I've played soccer since I was 4," Banuelos said. I've played all the positions, but I'm most comfortable being a defender."

White, Gray Named Heritage High Athletes of the Week

Heritage High Athletes of the Week for the week ending Jan. 18 are Sydney White and Myasia Gray (not pictured).

Girls soccer standout Sydney White and girls basketball star Myasia Gray have been named Heritage High School Athletes of the Week for the week ending Jan. 18.

White scored two goals in a recent 3-1 win over Perris for the Patriots soccer team. Only a sophomore, she is one of the brightest signs of potential for a team that continues to compete in the tough Sunbelt League.

Gray is a junior guard who averages 12.4 points per game for the Patriots, who are 7-11 overall and 1-3 in league play.

Both players also are eligible for the school's Athlete of the Month award through the Menifee 24/7 recognition program, sponsored by Remax/Diamond Realty. That award will be announced in early February.

Paloma Valley Athletes of Week: Sheffield, Atkins, Patterson

From left: Regina Sheffield, Chloe Atkins, Alex Patterson are the Paloma Valley High Athletes of the Week.

Three winter sports athletes who combine athletic and academic success were recently named the Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week from Paloma Valley High School for the week ending Jan. 18.

Junior shooting guard Regina Sheffield is a team captain for the Wildcats girls basketball team, which has a 12-9 overall record, 3-2 in the Sunbelt League. She averages 12.4 points per game and excels on defense for her team. The Wildcats play host to Elsinore on Wednesday.

Sheffield also plans to compete for the Wildcats track and field team this spring.

Junior forward Chloe Atkins leads the girls soccer team in both goals and assists this winter. She is a driving force for the Wildcats, who are 3-0-2 in Sunbelt League play after a scoreless tie with Temescal Canyon. Paloma is an impressive 11-2-4 overall.

"C-Lo deserves all the success and recognition because she has worked so hard to be the player she is now," said Paloma Valley coach Marie Dillon, referring to Atkins by her nickname. "She is the kind of player that makes her teammates around her better. C-Lo is very determined and passionate about playing the game. It's a privilege to coach her."

Third-year varsity player Alex Patterson is one of the stars of the boys basketball team. As a junior last year, he received the basketball program's Wildcat of the Year award, which goes to the player who best represents academic, basketball and character achievements. This year, he is leading the team in rebounding.

"We’re young this year. We only have three seniors," said Patterson, who plans to study kinesiology in college.

Each of the honorees received a certificate from Menifee 24/7 and a T-shirt from the Paloma Valley athletic department.

Paloma Valley Girls Soccer Team Defeats Heritage, 3-0

Jackie Armijo, Lindy Baca and Bailey Calhoun scored goals to lead the Paloma Valley High School girls soccer team to a 3-0 victory over Heritage on Wednesday.

Chloe Atkins, Jada Brown and Vanessa Banuelos had assists for the Wildcats. Banuelos and Christina Rodriguez each had two goalie saves.

Partida, Briseno Score Goals in Heritage's Girls Soccer Loss

Francis Partida and Alyssa Briseno scored goals and Amber Roberts had five goal saves for the Heritage High School girls soccer team Friday, but Temescal Canyon held on a 4-2 victory in a Sunbelt League game.

Heritage is 1-1 in league play.

Paloma Valley Girls Soccer Team Keeps on Winning, 6-0

Chloe Atkins scored two goals and four other players scored to lead the Paloma Valley High girls soccer team to a 6-0 victory over Perris Friday in a Sunbelt League game.

Melody Gonzalez, Jackie Armijo, Lauren Perez and Miriam Mota also scored for the Wildcats, who are 2-0 in league play and 11-2-3 overall. Goalkeeper Christina Rodriguez had to make only two saves.

Atkins also picked up three assists. Vanessa Banuelos, Bailey Calhoun and Lauren Perez also had assists.

Paloma Valley Girls Soccer Team Beats Elsinore, 2-0

Bailey Calhoun (7) moves the ball up the field against an Elsinore defender in Wednesday's game.

Melody Gonzalez and Chloe Atkins scored goals and Christina Rodriguez made four saves in goal Wednesday to lead the Paloma Valley High girls soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Elsinore in the team's Sunbelt League opener.

Bailey Calhoun and Rodriguez had assists on the goals for the Wildcats, who are 10-2-3 overall. Their next game is Jan. 22 at Heritage High.

Kaitlyn Johnson (right) battles an Elsinore player for the ball at midfield.

Future Stars Softball Camp This Saturday at Paloma Valley High

The Menifee Future Stars Softball Camp will take place this Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon at Paloma Valley High School. The cost is $10 and will feature coaches and players from Paloma Valley High, Heritage High and Mt. San Jacinto College. The Menifee Girls softball Association will also be on hand to take registrations for their upcoming spring season.

 If you have a daughter between the ages of 6 and 13 who is interested in playing softball, this camp is a great way to get them started. Registration for the camp will take place that morning starting at 8:15 a.m.

Heritage's Hifo, Takitaki Named All-CIF Players of the Year

Heritage High running Limihai Hifo rushed for 2,103 yards en route to CIF Player of the Year honors.

Heritage High School swept the top awards among its six players honored and three Paloma Valley High players also were recognized on the All-CIF Southern Section Central Division football team.

Running back Limihai Hifo of Heritage was named Offensive Player of the Year. The 5-foot-11, 230-pound senior rushed for 2,103 yards and 21 touchdowns in leading the Patriots to the Central Division championship. He is headed for San Jose State on a football scholarship.

Hifo's cousin and teammate, Sione Takitaki (left), was named All-CIF Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior, headed for BYU on a football scholarship, led the team with 81 total tackles from his linebacker position.

Kraig Broach, who led the Patriots to a 13-1 record and the CIF title, was named Coach of the Year.

Senior Matthew Palmer represents Heritage on the defensive team. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back had 10 interceptions -- one of the top totals in the state. He is one of the most heavily recruited football players in the Southland.

Heritage defensive back Matthew Palmer had 10 interceptions this season.

Junior linebacker Christian Decker-Wieble also was named to the defensive team for the Patriots. Lineman Caleb Marquez and wide receiver Evan Rodriguez were named to the offensive team.

Paloma Valley was represented by wide receiver Michael Valencia (right) on the offensive team. The senior caught 33 passes for 586 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Wildcats, who posted a 10-2 record this season.

Lineman Kre Webb and utility player Felix Bogroff of the Wildcats were named to the defensive team.

Heritage's Hifo and Palmer also excelled in the recent Inland Empire All-Star Classic, in which Hifo was named MVP for the Riverside team.

Heritage High Athletes of Week: Alonzo, Guerrero, Rosenbery

From left: Kaelea Alonzo, Isaac Guerrero, Jason Rosenbery.

Three standout athletes in three separate winter sports are the first Heritage High School athletes to be honored in 2014 in Menifee 24/7's Athlete of the Week program.

Kaelea Alonzo is a third-year varsity player for the Patriots girls basketball team. The senior plays both guard and forward and is a leader for the team, which played Temescal Canyon today and is preparing for a game against crosstown rival Paloma Valley Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Heritage

"We have a new defense which will help for the game on Friday," said Alonzo, who is averaging 13.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

She hopes to earn a scholarship in basketball to college.

Junior Isaac Guerrero is a captain of the wrestling team and placed third in the Riverside County Championships last week. Wrestling at 120 pounds, he will be a team leader again Thursday when the Patriots wrestle against Paloma Valley.

Guerrero is in his second year as a high school wrestler. He focuses on the sport year-round.

Junior Jason Rosenbery is in his third year on the varsity soccer team, which opened league play with a home game against Perris today. In their last two nonleague games, the Patriots beat Hillcrest 7-0 and played Murrieta Valley to a scoreless tie.

Rosenbery, a sweeper, made a big defensive play in the second half to help preserve the scoreless tie, said his coach, Thomas La Rochelle.

"We had kind of a rocky start, but we're starting to pick it up," said Rosenbery.

The athletes received a certificate from Menifee 24/7 and are eligible for the school's Athlete of the Month award.

Paloma Valley Athletes of the Week: Armijo, Prewitt, Hancock

From left: Jackie Armijo, DeMarco Prewitt, Alize Hancock.

Three student-athletes who have excelled for their teams in early January have been selected by their coaches as Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week for Paloma High School.

Senior Jackie Armijo is a four-year varsity player and captain of the Wildcats girls soccer team. Her solid play from the center back position on defense was a key to Paloma Valley's 1-0 victory over Hemet in the team's final nonleague game Jan. 9. Behind her leadership, the team is 9-2-2 heading into Wednesday's Sunbelt League opener at Elsinore, last year's league champion.

"The Hemet game was tough," Armijo said. "They had a couple really good forwards, so our defense really had to work together and communicate with each other.

"We didn't lose any seniors from last year, so we have a lot of chemistry on the team."

She hopes to earn a scholarship to continue her soccer career in college.

Sophomore guard DeMarco Prewitt is one of the leading scorers on the boys basketball team, which lost its league opener to Elsinore on Saturday in the Sunbelt League Showcase, hosted by the Wildcats. Although the team has struggled, Prewitt has displayed the type of leadership he showed as a running back on the football team last fall.

"We've just got to get through it," Prewitt said. "We have to come together as a team and get things done. We get along real well. I think our chances in league are very good. It just comes down to how much we want it, because we can beat any team in the league. We just have to work at it."

Junior guard and team captain Alize Hancock scored 19 points last Saturday to lead the girls basketball team to a 56-35 victory over Elsinore in the Wildcats' Sunbelt League opener. She is averaging 14.8 points per game for Paloma, which is 10-7 overall.

Hancock missed five games with a concussion after taking an elbow to the face early in the season, but she has rebounded to once again be a strong leader for her teammates.

"Our goal is to make it to at least third round of CIF," Hancock said. "Last year we only made it to the first round. We're working together better as a team this year."

Lakeside-Temescal Game Highlights Sunbelt League Showcase

River Recatto (23) of Paloma Valley battles Elsinore's Preston Beverly (2) for a rebound during Saturday's final game of the day.

Host Paloma Valley and Heritage High both suffered lop-sided losses, but the first game of a tripleheader was a close one Saturday when Paloma Valley hosted the first Sunbelt League Showcase for boys basketball.

For the first time, all three league openers were held at the same location. The most competitive game was the opener, in which Lakeside defeated Temescal Canyon, 58-56.

Perris improved its overall record to 10-4 with a 70-32 victory over Heritage in the second game. In the final game of the day, Elsinore scored a 76-42 win over Paloma Valley.

In the opener, freshman Jailen Moore of Lakeside led all scorers with 21 points, including six 3-point baskets.

Lakeside jumped out to a 13-2 lead and was in control for the most of the first half, but Temescal Canyon cut the deficit to 29-27 by halftime. The Titans finally tied the score at 45 in the fourth quarter and took the lead for the first time at 47-45. Lakeside rallied, however, and took a five-point lead at 58-53 with 22.3 seconds left when Moore made three free throws after being fouled on a shot from the left corner.

Temescal Canyon's Luke Timm sank a layup with a few seconds remaining to cut the lead to 58-56, but Lakeside held on for the victory. Micah Diaz added 14 points for the winners, while Jay Merriweather led Temescal Canyon scorers with 20 points.

In the Perris-Heritage game, senior forward Tyler Cooper led all scorers with 30 points for the Panthers, who led 16-3 after one quarter and 34-13 at halftime.

Heritage has only four players over 6 feet, and two of them were unavailable for today's game. Matt Palmer, a 6-4 senior, was playing in the Inland Empire Classic All-Star football game.

In their absence, the Patriots had no one in double figures. Junior guard Walter Meinzer led the way with 8 points, followed by Xavier Johnson with 7.

Elsinore got 25 points from junior guard Trevon Lampkin and 17 from senior forward Reynaldo Solorzano in the win over Paloma Valley. Junior forward London Hoxie was Paloma's leading scorer with nine points.

The event was sponsored by Menifee 24/7.

Paloma Valley Girls Soccer Team Beats Hemet Behind Gomez

Amanda Gomez (center, above) scored the game's only goal off an assist by Chloe Atkins as the Paloma Valley High School girls soccer team beat Hemet 1-0 on Friday.

Wildcats goalkeeper Christina Rodriquez had 10 saves. The defense was led by Jackie Armijo (17, below), one of the team's most consistent players this season. Paloma Valley now has an 8-2-2 record this season.