Tues.-Sun., April 13-18, 2021
A restful week morphed into an American football intense weekend, but first . . .
Laurie and I took the time to visit
the Ventura Harbor
We were still sporting our face masks but felt the confidence that only two fully vaccinated senior citizens can during these troubled times.
We even ate lunch at Brophy Brothers
with a good view of the harbor
This Public Service Reminder is
meant especially for fully
vaccinated senior citizens!
Friday night heralded the end of our 2021 Spring season of Ventura Orthopedics/ Ventura County Star Game of the Week broadcasts.
I would be joined by Danny Page who got me into the broadcast booth initially about five years ago after an evening at a bar in Barcelona while watching a Euro Cup soccer match between Croatia and Portugal.
Danny now lives in Barcelona full time while I'm still residing in glorious Camarillo. He was visiting SoCal for the last three weeks and would be his usual flawless self as our play-by-play commentator this evening.
As for the game itself, it promised to be a real corker.
And it was.
The Oxnard Yellowjackets (3-1)
at
The Pacifica Tritons (4-0)
These two intense rivals are both located on the city of Oxnard's Gonzales Road about three miles apart.
As a backstory, during the 2019 season, the last one in California before the pandemic hit, the Tritons were 15-1 in winning a California State 2-A Championship.
Their only loss that year was to the Yellowjackets, 36-27, that cost the Tritons both the Pacific View League Championship and the bragging rights that accompany the winner of annual "Battle for Gonzales Road."
Over the 18 year history between Oxnard's oldest high school, OHS, and its newest, PHS, the Yellowjackets hold a decisive 14-4 series lead.
Oxnard victories in 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2019 poured more salt into the series wound as each loss cost Pacifica the Pacific View League title.
During the warm-ups at Pacifica H.S.
it became abundantly clear . . .
It was a BEAUTIFUL night
for American football!
With Diego Renteria
before the OHS-PHS game
Diego played for us at Rio Mesa H.S. and became a referee soon after graduating. A full time nurse on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic he has also become one of Ventura County's best officials.
We somehow meet once a season for our traditional pre-game picture. Great fun seeing him again Friday night.
Our son Michael took this picture
of his computer screen as Joe Curly
and I did our pre-game show
Granddaughter Mary was watching the
broadcast from home too
It was a physical, ground oriented
contest as both schools were starting
14 YEAR OLD FRESHMAN QBs!
For most of the first three quarters it was all Pacifica as they built up a 17-0 lead, then Oxnard finally woke up.
The Yellowjackets exploded for two TDs and a two point conversion to narrow the Pacifica lead to just 17-14 a plenty of time to tie or win the game in regulation.
It was not meant to be as the Pacifica offense got a few much needed, time consuming first downs to end the game as the Spring 2021 Pacific View League Champions.
There will be no sectional or state playoffs this year in California, so this was the end of the road for these two clubs this Spring.
They will meet again near the end of the Fall 2021 campaign in what should be another great game.
The following OHS-PHS game photos are courtesy of the Ventura County Star.
The Tritons Poi Aina ran the ball . . .
. . . as did Oxnard's "Boogie" Franco
It was not a game for the
faint of heart!
Pacifica's Freshman QB
Dayday Aupiu holding the coveted
Gonzales Road street sign that goes to
the winner of the annual OHS-PHS game
Oxnard H.S. is located at 3400 W. Gonzales Road.
Pacifica H.S. can be found at 600 E. Gonzales Road.
Saturday night would offer us another good night of high school football competition as . . .
The Bishop Diego Cardinals (4-0)
traveled to play
The Newbury Park Panthers (1-3)
On paper, this game should have been no contest.
Fortunately, the game was played on a beautiful green field, not on paper.
Our son Michael is the clock operator
this season for NPHS games
I was in the booth to help the NPHS Varsity coaches as a spotter.
Grandson Jacob was with us for both comic relief and to give us his insights into the great game of American football.
I think that he is checking out the
cheerleaders during the JV game
In typical Spring 2021 fashion, Bishop Diego did not have enough players to field a JV team. Over at Moorpark H.S., the Musketeers JV opponent this weekend also had Covid-19 issues.
Thus, it was Newbury Park vs. Moorpark for the second week in a row in the day's pre-lim game. Any game is better than no game.
The Panthers beat the Musketeers handily for the second time this Spring.
More bonding time
with Jacob
The NPHS locker room
looked sharp and smelled good
This fragrant aroma was both odd and explainable.
Because of Covid-19, players are not allowed in the lockerroom.
We meet up with
Diego Renteria yet again!
He gave Jacob a referee's
hat, jersey, penalty flag and
even a whistle, as he tries to turn
him to the Dark Side of the game
What an AWESOME gesture!
Thanks Diego!
Also at this game, I ran into a great young man, Mike Dakroob, who was a big part of our football program at Westlake H.S. back in the 1980s. He was at the game with his Seventh-grade, Water Polo playing son who is already taller than Mike.
One of the good guys, it was an unexpected pleasure to see him again.
LET THE GAME BEGIN!
Jacob's help was invaluable!
Adjusting my microphone
The Panthers had a great game plan in dealing with the bigger, faster and more physical Cardinals while playing their best game of the season.
Unfortunately, it would not be enough as Bishop Diego would pull away in the end to win 33-14.
As the sun set on the 2021 Spring
HS season in California . . .
. . . it rose on the 2021 DII
season in Italy!
The Varese Skorpions (0-0) opened their
2021 season at 5:00 a.m. California
time on Sunday on the road against
the Bergamo Lions (0-0)
The Lions had been the Italian DI bad boys during the period from 1983 to 2008 winning 12 Italian Super Bowls including 11 straight from 1998-2008.
The Lions had gone through a long dry spell in DI and opted to reorganize at the non-import player DII level starting in 2020 before that season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
How would Coach Nick Holt's Skorpions handle the fabled Lions?
Quite easily actually
After building up a dominating 35-0 lead at the intermission, the Second Half was played with a running clock as the Lions dropped to 0-1.
Things should get a lot more interesting next Saturday for the Skorpions (1-0) when the Cernusco Daemons (1-0) invade Varese.
The Daemons beat the Legnano Frogs (0-1) 35-0 on Sunday in the other game in DII's four team Group B circuit.
Meanwhile, in Alicante, Spain on Sunday . . .
The Pioners were closing out
their Spanish Serie B campaign
This is the team that I work with doing video breakdowns and analytics statistics.
The Pioners (6-0) beat the Alicante Sharks (1-4) 55-22 and now head on to the playoffs.
With this victory, the club from the Barcelona suburb of L'Hospitalet finished as the Conferencia Este Champions.
Next up for the Pioners will a Serie B Semi-Final Playoffs game on a date to be determined.
As Conferencia Este Champion the Pioners will open their Semi-Final Playoff game at home vs. the Conferencia Centro/Sur #2 team, the Granada Lions (3-2).
The other Serie B Semi-Final Playoff game will see the Conferencia Este's #2 team, the Barberá Rookies (3-2) traveling to Madrid to play the Conferencia Centro/Sur's Champion Alcobendas Caviliers (6-0).
Should be fun!
Reading Is FUNdamental!
Author Andrea Camilleri and
Sicily's Inspector Montalbano
NEVER disappoint!
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