Four Heritage High Football Standouts Sign College Letters

From left: Evan Rodriguez, Matthew Palmer and Limihai Hifo are joined by family members in signing football letters of intent. Not pictured: Sione Takitaki.

Four star players from Heritage High School's 2013 CIF championship football team signed national letters of intent today to continue their careers in college.

CIF Offensive Player of the Year Limihai Hifo signed a commitment to attend San Jose State, while the CIF Defensive Player of the Year, Sione Takitaki, signed to attend BYU. Defensive back Matthew Palmer and tight end Evan Rodriguez signed to attend Azusa Pacific University.

Before a gym full of boisterous students during the announcement assembly, athletic director David Drake spoke of the legacy these players are helping to build at Heritage.

"They have brought a glory to this school that is unheard of," Drake said. "They are leaving a legacy for those of you who are back next year ... they have set a precedent for all of you to live up to. Every athlete in this school from here on out will hear the stories of the 2013 football team."

Under the guidance of CIF Coach of the Year Kraig Broach, the Patriots compiled a 13-1 record last fall, beating Rancho Verde for the CIF title. Hifo rushed for 2,103 yards and 21 touchdowns in earning a scholarship to San Jose State, where he has been told he might start at running back right away.

"They had two running backs that got hurt last year and they played two slot receivers who had never played running back ever," Hifo said. "Hopefully this year, I'll get to take the spot.

"San Jose gave me the chance while I had a broken foot (last off-season). It's just another blessing. They've been doing really good. The program is on the way up and I'm glad to be a part of that."

Takitaki wasn't present for the assembly but showed up later to sign his letter of intent with BYU. He led the team with 81 total tackles from his linebacker position. Takitaki also played an important role on offense, carrying the ball for the Patriots.

Palmer ranked in the top five in the nation in interceptions on the way to All-CIF honors. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensive back picked off 10 passes -- most of those during the playoffs to help seal postseason victories. He will join Rodriguez at Azusa Pacific.

"It's been hectic and exciting at the same time," Palmer said. "I wouldn't be here without my teammates and my coaches."

Rodriguez, also an All-CIF honoree, made a strong impact at tight end after switching positions from quarterback a year ago.

"It's gonna be a cool experience, being in college together," Rodriguez said about joining Palmer at APU. "We'll always be CIF champs."

"It's quite a day," Broach said. "It makes me proud to think about where these guys came from and what they did."

Rodriguez, Arredondo Named Heritage High Athletes of Week

Evan Rodriguez and Bailey Arredondo have some fun with the camera while accepting their Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Week awards.

Two of the top performers in Heritage High Athletics were honored this week as the Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week.

Evan Rodriguez of the Patriots football team won the award for the second time this fall. The senior tight end had another big game against Elsinore last week, catching four passes, including a touchdown pass, to help Heritage wrap the Sunbelt League title with a 37-14 victory.

"They were stopping the run pretty well and doing some things with their linebackers," he said about the game. "Going into the game, we didn't take them lightly at all. But we have a lot of weapons this year, so we started passing the ball more and opening things up.

"They were keying on Limihai (Hifo) a lot. It kind of freed me up a little bit. I always run my routes like I'm going to get the ball every time, and it worked out. It was a fun game."

Rodriguez has caught 19 passes for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns this season for the Patriots, who are in action tonight against Arlington in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs.

Sophomore Bailey Arredondo had never played tennis before this year, but she quickly worked her way up to the No. 1 singles spot on the JV team. By the middle of the season, she had joined the varsity team and has a bright future ahead of her the next two years.

"I wasn't very interested in it until my friends suggested it," said Arredondo, who previously played soccer. "I ended up really loving the sport so I stopped playing all other sports to be committed to tennis."

Although her season is over, Arredondo continues to practice with the team and is working on improving her game for next year.

"I want to work on my forehand and my serve," she said. "I'm just having fun."

Heritage High Athletes of Week: Stafford, Rodriguez

Lauren Stafford of the tennis team and Evan Rodriguez of the football team are the Heritage High Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week.

A standout tennis player and star football player are this week's representatives of the Heritage High School athletic department in the Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Week award program.

Lauren Stafford has excelled as the No. 2 singles player for the Patriots in just her first year of playing organized tennis. After spending the preseason on the JV team, she won a challenge match against a varsity player and earned a spot on the varsity team.

To what does Stafford credit her quick success in a new sport?

"I think it's more my athletic abilities than anything specific in tennis," she said. "Plus, I'm a fast learner."

Stafford has competed in the jump events for the Patriots track team the last two seasons and plans to do so again. She hopes to attend UC Santa Barbara next year and study engineering.

"I was kind of nervous in the challenge match, but I was also excited for the chance," she said. "It seemed like they didn't notice anybody on JV, and that gave us a chance to show what we can do."

Evan Rodriguez plays tight end and defensive lineman for the Heritage football team, which is 5-1 this season. He is part of the strong side of the offensive line that includes nose guard Caleb Marquez and tackle Niko Gomez.

With Gomez sidelined last week because of a leg injury, Rodriguez stepped up to protect the offensive backfield in the Patriots' 56-3 rout of visiting Perris.

"When Niko first got hurt, I was like, 'Who's going to play next to me?' But Paydin (Derrick) was getting the job done and we all worked together well," said Rodriguez, who played the first three quarters of the one-sided game.

Rodriguez also had a big game in the Patriots' last nonleague game Sept. 27 at Rialto, making two catches and performing well on both sides of the ball. He said he has no concerns about the fact a sophomore quarterback, Brett Virgil, is playing behind him.

"I'm really close with him, just like I was close with his brother Chad," Rodriguez said, referring to former Patriots QB Chad Virgil. "I know he's always looking for me and I look out for him."