Photos by Corey Evan/The Valley ChronicleThe Mustangs run drills during Thursday’s practice. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter Coach Matt Willard has one goal for his Mustangs: NOT going 0-10 again in 2018. It’s often said that when you start at the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up. This holds especially true for West Valley High School’s football team. The Mustangs have experienced two 0-10 records in the past three seasons. Bearing that in mind, the Mustangs did have a relatively winning season in 2016, bringing home the Ramona Cup in its inaugural season. With a fresh assistant coaching team, and nowhere to go but up, Coach Matt Willard has (more…)

Jason Thornburg’s Bulldogs include plenty of fresh starters playing on a fresh field Photo by Corey Evan/The Valley ChronicleThe Bulldogs practice Aug. 2 on their new turf on Von Driska Field. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter More than 60 new players have joined the Bulldogs’ varsity football team this season, complementing the 26 returning players. But perhaps the biggest change on the Bulldogs’ turf this season… is the turf! As a matter of fact, the new turf was only in service for two days at the time of this report Aug. 2. The Hemet Unified School District approved the turf just in time for the 2019 season. The new turf (more…)

Over 40 teams participated at the DVL sports complex Photo by Corey Evan/The Valley ChronicleThe PONY West Zone Softball World Series played out at the Diamond Valley Lake Sports Complex from July 25-29. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter The temperature outside may be hot, but the action on the softball fields is even hotter! That’s thanks to the PONY West Zone Softball World Series, which played out at the Diamond Valley Lake Sports Complex from Wednesday, July 25 – Sunday, July 29. Standing for “Protecting Our Nation’s Youth,” PONY Baseball and Softball organizes this event as one of four national events based on zone (North, South, East and West). It’s (more…)

Tips to ensure child safety and health while being highly active Photo by Metro Service/ContributedYoung athletes must take proper care of themselves when participating in vigorous sports activities. ■ Metro Service / Contributed Sports are a great tool to teach young people various lessons. Sports can instill a sense of teamwork and responsibility in youngsters while promoting a physically active lifestyle that can benefit kids into adulthood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly 30 million children participate in youth sports in the United States each year. Unfortunately, many of those young athletes suffer injuries while participating in sports. Injuries might be seen as an almost inevitable byproduct (more…)

SJHS Coach Walt Guzman takes The Valley Chronicle on a tour of the school’s annual soccer camp Photos by Corey Evan/The Valley ChronicleBoys from SJHS practice making goals. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter True athletes don’t take the summer off. That’s one of many reasons why San Jacinto High School hosts its annual soccer camp during summer vacation. Spanning two weeks, their 2018 camp wrapped up on Friday, July 21. It’s a coed camp, giving San Jacinto’s aspiring soccer stars a chance to kick the ball around. Over 40 students signed up for this year’s camp, with an average of 30 hitting the field. The majority of participants were freshman (more…)

SoCal Global Sports League gave adults the chance to play baseball with teams from around SoCal Corey Evan / The Valley ChronicleIt’s time to bat ‘er up! at the Diamond Valley Lake sports complex. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter GSL drew 38 teams to the Diamond Valley Lake Sports complex during the weekend of July 14-15 for its 2018 Adult Slowpitch Double Elimination Competition. In charge of the event was Vic Rivera of SoCal GSL: “GSL has been in existence since 2011, I’ve been running tournaments since 2008. I had my own organization called (Ultimate Sports Alliance).” Ultimate Sports Alliance was absorbed into GSL when it was founded in 2011. (more…)

SJVA track team hits the road in July, warming up for the 2018-19 season Courtesy San Jacinto Valley AcademyThe 2018 varsity track team. Missing from the photo, however, is Kalianna Lesa, a captain and team medalist. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter Now that summer is here, the high school sports teams get a break… Right? WRONG. At least at San Jacinto Valley Academy, the track team is staying right on its toes. Literally. Head Coach Shok Siaki Lesa says the 2017-18 season has been a season of new highs for the track team, including more personal records and more players going to CIF meets and beyond. “We went further this (more…)

The Premier Girls Fastpitch SoCal National Qualifier takes over the diamonds at Diamond Valley Lake Corey Evan, The Valley ChronicleDiamond Valley Lake was the scene recently of the Premier Girls Fastpitch SoCal National Qualifier. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter The Premier Girls Fastpitch SoCal National Qualifier took over the diamonds at Diamond Valley Lake the weekend of June 15-17 Even though the San Jacinto Valley isn’t exactly a tourist hot spot in the summer, we do occasionally get a few VIPs rolling in. During the weekend of Friday, June 15 – Sunday June 17, those VIPs were here for the Premier Girls Fastpitch 2018 SoCal National Qualifier. Over 50 teams (more…)

Meanwhile, Ajay Parcero to play in county senior all-star game Photos by Soboba Band of Luiseño IndiansFrom left, Albert Parcero, Ajay Parcero and Julie Arrietta-Parcero of San Jacinto. ■ By Mike Hiles / Contributed San Jacinto High School senior Ajay Parcero graduates today but his time on the baseball field will not end. Parcero will play at Concordia University in the fall and he has been selected to play in the 2018 San Bernardino County vs. Riverside County Senior All-Star Game on Friday at San Manuel Stadium, home of the Inland Empire 66ers minor league baseball team. Ajay Parcero, No. 31, shows his batting prowess at a recent San Jacinto High (more…)

San Jacinto Valley Academy track teams finished postseason with high marks in the Warrior league and a CIF Masters appearance Photo by Corey Evan/The Valley ChronicleThe boys brought in second place overall in the Warrior League for the Wolfpack, while the ladies went undefeated for the second consecutive season. ■ By Corey Evan / Reporter Who says you need a track in order to stay on-track yourself? San Jacinto Valley Academy, a CIF Division 4 school, doesn’t! Their campus is small and lacks an actual track and field facility, but their track and field team is big on progress even without it. This was evident at the Warrior League finals, the (more…)