The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team captured the school’s second CIF Central Section championship in two weeks, beating Clovis West 5-2 in the Division II championship match Tuesday, Nov. 12, on the SYHS courts.

Kate Mazza got the final point, wrapping up her 6-2, 6-2 match at No. 3 singles to clinch the Pirates’ match and championship, which brought celebration and the abrupt end to the two matches still going on.

The title win came 13 days after the Santa Ynez High girls golf team successfuly defended its CIF title won last year.

Santa Ynez got wins in the Nos. 2 to 4 singles to get the five points needed to clinch the match. In addition to Mazza at No. 3, Haley Townes won her match 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2, and Natalie O’Shaughnessy went 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4.

The Pirates began the match by taking two of three in doubles. Townes and Keegan Withrow won their No. 1 doubles match 8-2, and Mazza and O’Shaughnessy took an 8-3 win at No. 2.

“The team showed incredible grit and teamwork throughout the match,” said girls tennis head coach Jennifer Rasmussen.”Haley and Keegan faced a tough start, dropping the first two games. But they didn’t back down — winning eight straight games to seal their victory.

“Our senior duo, Natalie and Kate, showed their experience and leadership, dominating their match 6-3 to set the tone.”

The championship win was a glorious end to a season that saw the Pirates struggle at times as they scheduled competitive preseason opponents and then played in a tough Mountain League. However, the came into the Division 2 tournament as the top seed, and showed it in the first two rounds, beating Righetti High and Justin Garza High by identical 9-0 scores.

“We had a difficult schedule, but we just kept playing the best that we could, and I knew it would prepare for the postseason,” Rasmussen said.

After the first two rounds, Santa Ynez ran into a competitive opponent in Garces Memorial, whom it beat 5-3 in the semifinals.

“We breezed through those first two rounds, but we had a tough match against Garces,” the coach said. “We pulled that out, but they had some solid players and a couple of those matches could have gone either way.”

But things went the Pirates way in that match and continued on to the championship match.

“Every single player gave it their all, and their determination, drive, and teamwork were truly inspiring,” Rasmussen said.”This victory is a testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the season.

We couldn’t be prouder of these incredible athletes.”

O’Shaughnessy and Withrow advance in CIF doubles

O’Shaughnessy and Withrow competed in the indiviual doubles tournament in San Luis Obispo and will play Sectional CIF Individual Doubles Tournament next weekend in Clovis. 

The duo defeated Misamore/Camacho (Nipomo) 8-3 and White/Arias (Lompoc) 6-1, 6-3 on Nov. 8 in SLO.

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After a 3-7 regular season, the Santa Ynez Valley football squad was put in the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs as the ninth seed and had to take a 155-mile trip to the Central Valley and a game against eighth-seeded Arvin on Oct. 8.

And the Pirates were able to make that trip a happy one, rallying to defeat the host Bears 35-21 in the first-round matchup.The victory was the first in the postseason for head coach Josh McClurg, and the first for SYHS since a 28-14 first-round win over Torrance’s North High in 2010, back when the school was still in the CIF Southern Section.

The win also necessitated an even longer road trip as the team traveled to Bishop, 354 miles away, for a game against top-seeded Bishop Union last Friday, Nov. 15.

Against Arvin, who came in at 7-3 and the South Yosemite Horizon League champions, Santa Ynez quarterback Jude Pritchard excelled as a passer and runner: He completed 15 of 18 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns, and led a very balanced Pirates’ rushing game with 49 yards and a score.

The game was nip-and-tuck most of the way, with the Pirates and Bears trading touchdowns on their way to a 21-21 tie into the third quarter, but the SYHS defense stiffened in the last part of the game, and the offense scored twice to put it away.

“That was a great showing; the guys were really locked in as the game went on,” said Pirates head coach Josh McClurg. “I’m always trying to avoid the ‘negative momentum’ from piling up, but we stayed away from that.”

The coach admitted it was potentially tough to take the field after a long bus trip like they did for the game, but he made sure that the players didn’t dwell on that.

“It’s just a matter of putting them in the right mindset,” McClurg said. “I just tell them ‘hey, we know it’s going to be a long ride, but we just have to control what’s controllable.”

The Pirates got off to a great start for the playoff contest as Austin Willis returned the opening kickoff to the Santa Ynez 45-yard line and then six plays later finished the drive with a 12-yard run to put SYHS up 7-0.

The host Bears went on a long 75-yard TD drive to tie it up at 7 at the end of the first quarter, but in the second, the Pirates benefited from a short punt, healthy return and a 15-yard penalty by Arvin to start at the Bears’ 11, and two plays later, Max Andrade caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Pritchard put SYHS ahead. 

Arvin came back to score a touchdown on the next drive and the teams would go into halftime knotted up 14-14. Then, on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, the Bears scored on a 71-yard pass play to give them they’re only lead of the night. However, those would be the last points Arvin would score on the night.

On the next Pirates drive, Brendan Foy would finish it with a 15-yard run to tie it up at 21. Then, Andrade made a play on defense, intercepting an Arvin pass and taking it to the Bears’ 21. From there, Pritchard ran it in from 20 yards out to put SYHS back in front for good 28-21.

Arvin threatened to score in the fourth quarter, taking it down to Santa Ynez’s 21-yard line, but the Pirates’ defense stopped the Bears on a 4th-and-1 and a few plays later Pritchard hit Jaxon Glover on a 10-yard pass for last score of the game.

For its second-round matchup in Division 5 last Friday (Nov. 15) the Pirates (4-7, 1-3 in the Sunset League) faced top seed Bishop Union. The Broncos were 10-2 after a 41-6 first-round win over Sanger West and were undefeated at 5-0.

“I’ve seen film of them in about five games this, and they are a really solid team; they have a lot of big guys and are well-coached” McClurg said last week before the matchup. “I won’t be easy, but I like our game plan and I’ll keep telling the players that they’re only three wins away. Three wins!”

The result of the Santa Ynez-Bishop Union came after press time, but can find the results at santaynezvalleystar.com

Feature Image: Santa Ynez High quarterback Jude Pritchard gets ready to take a snap during the Pirates’ Oct. 25 game against Pioneer Valley. Pritchard passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the Pirates’ 35-21 win at Arvin in the first-round of the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs. Star File Photo

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The Solvang City Council took a first step toward a more streamlined sign ordinance after a recommendation from Planning and Building Director Rafael Castillo in the Tuesday, Nov. 12, meeting.

The council held a rare Tuesday meeting on Nov. 12, which was done because the second Monday in the month, when council usually meets, was Veterans Day. Councilmember Elizabeth Orona was absent from the meeting.

During the meeting, the present councilmembers acknowledged Mayor Pro Tem David Brown’s victory in the previous week’s mayoral election. Although the election has not yet been certified, the second post-election update released last Thursday saw Brown getting 58.99% of the vote, with runner-up Jamie Baker getting 26.43%, and Denise El Amin 13.97% to finish third.

Meanwhile, Mark Infanti, who did not seek reelection as mayor, ran unopposed for the District 1 seat and got 96.78% of the vote, while fellow councilmember Claudia Orono ran unopposed for the District 2 seat, getting 96.43% of the vote.

In his presentation for the item Discussion and Possible Action to Provide Staff Direction regarding Updates to Solvang Sign Ordinances, Castillo explained how the sign ordinance was passed in 1990 to keep the town’s architectural character, with the thought to revise it every few years. However, recent revision attempts in 2018 (city officials didn’t bother to put the changes before the council) and 2019 (COVID) weren’t put in.

City staff actually temporarily relaxed signage regulations, particularly A-frame signs and other types of signage during2020 through 2022.

Under current policy, sign placement, whether a new sign, replacement sign, etc. requires approval from the Design Review Committee (DRC). While the sign ordinance is comprehensive, there are times where the ordinance is left up to interpretation, and the ordinance is sometimes in conflict with itself. 

Castillo pointed that one streamlining attempt has submitted signs just going on the Consent Agenda, which tends to pass without much analysis. Another problem Castillo pointed out is the time the process takes and the cost.

“I’m looking for direction on an action to begin revising this,” Castillo said. “I also think this is where the DRC is essential. They know about the ‘brand’ of Solvang, and what we’re trying to maintain.”

One person spoke out on public comment on the issue: Local business owner Aaron Petersen.

“I’m the only person speaking here, but there’s a lot more people I could be speaking for tonight,” Petersen said. “We’re concerned about the sign ordinance. When you’re trying to get a sign permitted, you need to understand the DRC only meets once a month, you submit a sign and they suddenly say ‘oh, something’s wrong with the color,’ sometimes that can push you to 90 days, and you’re still waiting.”

Peterson liked the idea of having a workshop.

“We need people to get together; we need people involved,” he said.

The councilmembers were all in agreement that a workshop under the DRC would be a good idea, although Councilmember Robert Clarke admitted he was just joking when he suggested. However, Infanti and Orona thought it was a good idea, and Brown suggested they try and develop visual examples of correct styles so it would be easier for people to understand what the city wants.

At the end, the council directed Castillo and staff to hold a workshop at the DRC level, but that it would in spring at the earliest.

In other business:

The council voted to approve a request by its transit system manager, RATPDev, for changes in their transit contract. While the changes would cost more money, Public Works Director Rodger Olds pointed out that the transit system is paid for by state and federal funds, so it would not cost the city any money.

With Brown imminent move to the mayor’s seat, Randy Murphy began the discussion on how to fill his vacant District 3 seat. It was quickly decided a replacement would be appointed since a special election would be costly, and, as City Counsel Chelsea O’Sullivan pointed out, the election could not be held until the next general election, which in 2025 would be November.

Murphy said they would start ‘putting out a net’ for candidates right away, while Infanti said the new mayor and councilmembers would probably be sworn in during the next council meeting on Dec. 9.

Feature Image: Solvang business owner Aaron Petersen makes his comments about the city’s sign ordinance during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Screenshot from Yahoo.

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As is custom, people from the Santa Ynez Valley and beyond paid compliments and respects to those who have served our country, but this year — and maybe in future years — local residents and tourists in Solvang had two chances to celebrate Veterans Day on the second weekend of October.

While the VFW Post 1139 held its annual Veterans Day Ceremony on Oct. 11, two days earlier another Veterans Day event was held in Solvang for the first time.

The 4th annual Salute to the Vets, put on by the Santa Barbara County Veterans Foundation, was held at Solvang Park for the first time on Saturday, Oct. 9. The previous two years, the SBCVF had held the event in Santa Ynez, with a parade down Sagunto Street and a gathering at Mavericks Saloon.

This year, the organizers didn’t have the parade, but offered a fun event with a cookout atmosphere: Hamburgers and hot dogs were served to those buying a meal ticket, the local band Out of the Blue played music from the park gazebo, military vehicles were on display thanks to the Flat Fender Friends, and a silent auction was also on display with a plethora of locally donated items.

Jerry Farmer and Henry Schulte, who joined up to form the foundation about 10 years ago, were at the event and said there were a couple of reasons they tried it in Solvang.

“The main thing is that we moved it up in the schedule: last year we had the weekend before the Veterans Day Weekend, and a lot of people weren’t aware,” Schulte said. “In fact, we’d have people come up to us the actual Veterans Day and I had to tell them ‘Oh, we had it last week.'”

Schulte said because of the schedule change, they had trouble securing the Santa Ynez site, and the Solvang Parks and Rec Department were receptive to having it in their city.

“They said it wouldn’t be a problem, and we were able to reserve the park for this,” he said. “And it’s working out well; I like this because it’s more of a family-oriented site, and we’d like to see if we can get a permanent location for this.”

Farmer said the group used to have their events in Santa Barbara, but he said they moved it up to North County because they found there’s more support for veterans here.

“It just really seems like the people of North County seem more in tune with our servicemen and women,” he said. “Moving it up here, it’s been phenomenal.”

In addition to the food, drink, and entertainment, and local radio personality Drew Wakefield MCing the proceedings, the park had numerous booths set up offering services for veterans.

Among them was Kelly Diaz, who was volunteering at the booth advocating for the She Raised Her Hand initiative to recognize female vets like herself.

“We’re just working to increase awareness that there are female veterans out there who need help, and sometimes they’re reluctant to get it,” Diaz said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to gatherings and people ask me if I’m a veteran’s wife, and I say ‘no, I’m a veteran.’ And there are a lot of women in my position who deal with that, and it makes them not want to come to VA facilities to seek help.”

There were also booths and the event covering such services and causes as suicide prevention and financial and housing services.

During conversation, Farmer let it be know that the event will be returning to Solvang next year.

“We’ll be doing it at Solvang Theaterfest; we’ve already set it up for the Saturday before Veteran Day,” he said. “And we’re talking to Hancock College and the PCPA about putting on a USO show.”  

The tentative date for next year’s Salute to the Vets event is Nov. 8, 2025.

Meanwhile, on the actual Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the AFW Post 7139 held it’s annual Veterans Day Ceremony at Solvang Veterans Hall. This more formal affair, a staple of Solvang for years.

The ceremony included a flag raising by the local Boy Scout Troop 41, who also presented the flags of all the service branches inside the hall later; laying of the wreath for POWs/MIAs, and the playing of taps.

Inside, Jeffrey Willis led his first Veterans Day Ceremony since taking over as VFW Post Commander, Pastor Jeff Brown of Bethania Lutheran Church gave the invocation, and Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti delivered a proclamation by the city honoring all veterans.

The Santa Ynez Valley Chorale and Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band performed musical interludes throughout the ceremony.

The keynote speaker was Brigadier Gen. Frank Kincaid, the deputy commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Kincaid reminded the audience that the real meaning of Veterans Day is to honor the bravery of those who fought for our country, and brought up the example of one James Anderson Jr., a 20-year-old U.S. Marine from Los Angeles who, while in Vietnam grabbed a live grenade and put it to his chest, sacrificing himself to save others in his platoon.

“Freedom, as we know, is not free,” Kincaid said. “It demands so much from us and the stakes are high. A veteran’s service is rendered with great sacrifices, like long separations from loved ones, missing signficant life events like the birth of a child, and countless relocation around the world.”

Kincaid also pointed out the physical and mental scars many veterans bring back home with them.

“We must remain steadfast to advocate for veterans benefits,” he said, ” to ensure they have the access to resources and opportunities, to begin to provide, listen to their stories and never forget.”

The final speaker was retired Army Col. Art Kaslow, who a well-know dentist in the area. In his address, Kaslow stressed the importance of young people to understand the sacrifices veterans have made for the country and how many of them need to follow the same path.

“This country is facing a gradual scarcity of youth who will supply future military service,” Kaslow said. “But we can show our approaching generations the history and glory of this generation.”

As an example, Kaslow pointed to a moment with his 4-year-old grandson, who saw an old photo of his grandpa with his Army platoon.

“He asks me ‘do you still have the military clothes?'” he recalled. “And I said, ‘yes, in the closet.’ And he asked ‘couldyou put them on for me?’ And I said ‘uh, no, not right now.'”

However, Kaslow then explained that he remembered the time he would go through his dad’s military mementos, anddecided to put on his old Army clothes for his grandson, who was thrilled to see his grandpa in the military garb.

At that point, someone in the audience asked Kaslow what costume his grandson wore this past Halloween.

“He was an Army soldier,” Kaslow answered to wide applause. 

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The Buellton and Solvang city elections on Nov. 5 looked strangely similar.

New mayors who were halfway through their first terms as City Councilmembers and serving as the current mayor’s second-in-command? Check! Congratulations, David Silva and David Brown.

Two City Council seats each that were transitioning to district seats, and then won by already-established City Councilmembers running unopposed? Check! Congrats, Elysia Lewis, John Sanchez, Mark Infanti, and Claudia Orona.

A city measure to increase the Transit Occupancy Tax from 12% to 14%? Check!

A rundown of our local elections decided on Nov. 5.

Buellton

David Silva, who announced his run for mayor back in June, was victorious with 52.25% of the vote (1,405 votes) as of Thursday, Nov. 21, unseating incumbent Dave King (47.34%, 1,273 votes)

It was just two years ago that Silva hit the campaign trail to win his council seat, and doing that and then running for mayor he feels he learned a lot.

“I feel like I’ve learned our community, when given the opportunity to tell us their opinion to share their thoughts and perspective, really want to be engaged,” he said on Election Night, while with supporters at California Tacos in Buellton.”They want to feel connected to the community. We have a very dynamic group of people who live here, and so that reallyhelped me shed the idea that we live in a bedroom community that just doesn’t care.”

Elysia Lewis and John Sanchez, who held the last at-large seats on the Buellton City Council, saw their seats converted into the districts that happen to live in, and ended up running unopposed for those districts, so they will be returning. For the record, Lewis received 95.73% (516) of the votes in District 2, and Sanchez got 97.37% (222) in District 3.

Buellton voters also had two ballot measures to decide and both of them passed. Measure C, Urban Growth Boundary Expansion Measure, passed with 59.20% of the vote (1,532) votes, and Measure D, City Transient Occupancy Tax Increase, that increased the TOT from 12% to 14% passed with a percentage of 54.40% (1,347 votes).

Solvang

District 3 City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem David Brown’s earned Solvang’s mayoral seat, getting 58.99% of the vote, with runner-up Jamie Baker getting 26.43%, and Denise El Amin 13.97% to finish third.

Brown will take over the mayoral seat just two years after winning a seat on council.

“It’s all very humbling,” Brown said on Election Night at Fitzgerald’s Pub in Solvang, when the first returns showed him with a sizable lead. “I wasn’t anticipating the outpouring of support, but it’s just great.”

Meanwhile, Mark Infanti, who did not seek reelection as mayor, ran unopposed for the District 1 seat that was formerly an at-large seat and got 96.78% of the vote, while fellow councilmember Claudia Orono ran unopposed for the District 2 seat (also being converted from an at-large seat), getting 96.43% of the vote. 

Like Buellton, Solvang had it’s own measure, Measure E, to increase that TOT from 12% to 14%, and it passed by a wide margin, 67% to 33%, or 2,038 votes to 1,004.

Other races

In the Santa Barbara County Board of Education Trustee Area 4 vote, Guy Walker defeated Patrina Jones, 67.70% to 30.85%

In the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Trustee Area 5, Chris Johnson won reelection with 70.76% (1,469 votes) over Joshua A. Jones (29.19%, 552)

In the race for Los Alamos Community Services District Board of Directors, four candidates vied for three seats, and the updated results showed Kristy Gnesa-Williams  (30.79%, 399 votes), Michael Nicola (23.61%, 306), and Bradley Vidro (22.92%, 297) in the lead over Peggy Golden (21.45%, 278)

The Santa Ynez Community Services Board of Directors race also had four hopefuls running for three spots, and J. Brett Marymee (30.05%, 1,029 votes), Donald Kelleher (25.99%, 890), and Frank Redfern (23.83%, 816) held the lead over Karen Jones (19.36%, 663).

The Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District had two seats contested: For Division 1 director, Robert Dunlap (70.41%, 2,641) defeated Justin M. Ruhge  (28.71%, 1,077), and in Division 3, Philip Carpenter (55.34%, 3,271) defeated Carol Redhead (43.99%, 2,600).

National Presidential Election

Media outlets across the nation called the election early Wednesday morning, Nov. 6, naming Donald Trump the 47th president of the United States. He has now cleared the election with 312 electoral votes, with Vice President Kamala D. Harris earning 226. 

In Santa Barbara County, 61.37% (109,546 votes) went to Harris and 35.06% (62,576 votes) went to Trump. 

As ballots continue to be counted, further updates will clarify final outcomes across races. Stay tuned for the latest election news as it unfolds.

Other notable results for Santa Barbara County:

U.S. Senate Race  

In a closely watched Senate race, Adam B. Schiff won over Steve Garvey with 61% of the vote (106,173 votes) to Garvey’s 39% (67,884 votes) for the full term, and then 61.15% (103,899) to 38.85% (66,002). 

U.S. House of Representatives

District 24: Incumbent Salud Carbajal retained his seat with 63.34% of the vote (109,826 votes), defeating Thomas Cole (36.66%, 63,552 votes). 

State Senate and Assembly

State Senate District 21: Incumbent Monique Limon (D) won with 65.32% (112,269 votes) against Elijah Mack (R) (34.68%, 59,617 votes). 

State Assembly District 37: Incumbent Gregg Hart (D) kept his seat with 61.82% (104,402 votes), defeating challenger Sara Domingues (38.18%, 64,471 votes). 

Key Proposition Results (Statewide) 

Prop 36 (Increases Sentences for Certain Drug and Theft Crimes): Passed with 60.79% (102,093 votes) in favor. 

Prop 35 (Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Services): Passed with 65.93% (110,018 votes) approval.

Prop 34 (Restricts Spending of Prescription Drug Revenues): Passed with 50.01% (80,493 votes). 

Prop 33 (Expands Local Rent Control Authority): Defeated with 62.24% (104,338 votes) against. 

Prop 32 (Raises Minimum Wage): Yes votes were ahead in Santa Barbara County with 50.05% (85,235 votes), but the proposition to increase the minimum wage failed statewide with 48.9% (6,746,167) yes vs. 51.1% (7,044,192) no. 

Prop 6 (Eliminates Involuntary Servitude for Incarcerated Persons): Rejected by 51.24% (85,161 votes).

Prop 5 (Local Bonds for Affordable Housing and Infrastructure): This amendment failed with 52.95% (89,225 votes) opposed. 

Prop 4 (Bonds for Climate Risk Mitigation): Passed with 60.16% (102,695 votes). 

Prop 3 (Constitutional Right to Marriage): Passed with a strong 65.71% (112,448 votes). 

Prop 2 (Funding for School and College Facilities): Passed with 58.96% (100,006 votes). 

Feature Image: Solvang Mayoral Candidate David Brown (left) relaxes with supporters at Fitzpatrick’s Tavern in Solvang on Election night. Brown won the election and will be Solvang’s next mayor.

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On Oct. 29, the Santa Ynez High girls golf team successfully defended its CIF Central Section Division 2 title in Visalia at the par-73 Valley Oaks Golf Course. 

The Pirates beat runner up Atascadero by five shots, shooting a team score of 483. Cabrillo (522) and Lompoc (523) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Senior Mackenzie Phelan led the Pirates with an 87. Phelan, Katherine Becerra and Sierra Freedman (who both shot 95) all had top 10 finishes in the Division 2 tournament. Other Pirates in the tournament included Addison West (96), Savannah Hudley (110), and Kacy Caplan (112).

“We expect Mackenzie Phelan to advance to the Section Championship; this will be finalized after today’s D3 tournament,” said SYHS golf coach Sara Ovadia. “Players that shoot 91 or lower and finish in the top 25 of players from the D2/area/D3 tournaments advance as Individuals to the Section Championship Monday in Fresno at San Joaquin Country Club where the D1 teams will compete for a D1 title and the other players will compete for a chance to advance to the SoCal Regional tournament.”

The win gives Santa Ynez back-to-back girls golf titles. Combined with the boys golf team, also coached by Ovadia and having won two straight CIF Central Section titles, give the SYHS golf program four straight CIF titles.

SYHS girls tennis wins playoff opener

The Santa Ynez High girls tennis team, the top seed in the CIF Central Section Division II, swept Righetti 9-0 in their first-round matchup.

All the Pirates’ single players won in straight sets, with Danielle Hyland putting a double goose egg on her opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5, while Natalie O’Shaughnessy (6-0, 6-1 at No. 4) and Haley Townes (6-1, 6-1 at No. 2) also had impressive wins.

The doubles team were also impressive as Keegan Withrow/Haley Townes won 8-1 at No. 1, Kate Mazza/Natalie O’Shaughnessy won 8-2 at No. 2, and Claire Tipich/Ainsley Haws won 8-2 at No. 3.

With the win, the Pirates earned a second-round matchup with Justin Garza High of Fresno, which happened last Thursday after press time. If they got past that match, they’ll play today against the winner of Garces Memorial and Bakersfield.

Cross Country competes at Mt. SAC Invitational

Some Santa Ynez cross country runners took part in the Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut on Oct. 25 and 26.

Brooke Phelan was the standout for SYHS at the event, according to cross country coach Gary Semerdjian.

“Brooke was leading the first part of the race and held on to second place at the end, out of 123 runners in her Varsity group,” Semerdjian said. “We have a strong team for a small school.”

“Dimitri Nicolaou, a first-year freshman runner, scored big with a fourth-place finish,” the coach continued. “Alex Sutherland finished eight. Gavin Babcock scored 27th, and Mateo Sotelo scored 34th out of 126 runners.  Varsity boys Josue Salinas placed 12th out of 193 runners.

“Ilan Torres came in at 129th, and Gael Torres finished 137th. Sophomore Adam Lett came in at 19th place, and Gabriel Silva came in at 41st place out of 195 runners.”

The cross country team will next compete in the Ocean League finals this Saturday at 2 p.m.

Pirates athletes get CIF championship rings

Three Santa Ynez High athletes were awarded rings to represent their invidual CIF championships during a lunchtime ceremony on campus Oct. 11.

One of those athletes, Malia Ortiz, was awarded twice, winning last year in wrestling (110 pounds) and the pole vault in track and field.

Also, being honored was Santino Alvaro, who won his CIF title in wrestling (128 pounds).

Not present at the ceremony was Vince Casey, who won his titles in the long jump, and as a member of the Pirates’ 4×100 relay team. Casey graduated last June and is now a student and track and field athlete at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) in Walnut.

SYHS Athletic Director Josh McClurg said that the rings were made possible by SYHS alumnus Ernie Ortiz, who got together with other alumni to raise money for the rings. McClurg said the group will continue to raise funds, so future individual CIF champs can get their rings also.

Feature image: Santa Ynez High athletes Malia Ortiz (wrestling and track and field) and Santino Alvaro (wrestling) show off the rings they received in commemoration of their respective CIF championships they won last academic year. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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Coming off a high-scoring loss to Atascadero in its Sunset League opener, the Santa Ynez High football continued to pile up yards and points on Oct. 18, beating visiting Pioneer Valley 54-20.

In a night that culminated the school’s Go Pink week (the SYHS players wore pink socks), the Pirates put up a season-high in points, getting their first league win. It was also their third win of the year, which made them eligible for the CIF Central Section playoffs.

Santa Ynez took it to Pioneer Valley mainly with its ground attack, as the Pirates rushed for 262 yards. Griffin Brunner eclipsed the century mark in rushing for the second straight week, gaining 130 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Quarterback Jade Pritchard contributed with 66 yards rushing and scored four touchdowns.

On defense, the Pirates stiffened up in the second half, allowing just seven points after halftime. Ben Flores (15 tackles) and Ryder McClurg (11 tackles) led the way for the Pirates, while Max Andrade (interception), Jack Swain (interception), and Jaxon Glover (fumble recovery) had key turnovers.

Pirates head coach Josh McClurg said his team intended to establish the run immediately.

“They gave us some looks on defense we hadn’t seen, so we started off with some plays we knew would work,” Pirates head coach Josh McClurg said. “We got a couple of one-off plays, and then we started taking what they gave us and just waited to get into a groove offensively.”

The Panthers gave the Pirates a short field right at the start when they tried to surprise SYHS with an onside kick to start the game. However, the Pirates recovered at their own 49, and after a long pass play, Rider McClurg took it in from 8 yards out for the first score. Then, after a shanked Pioneer Valley punt gave the Pirates another short field, Pritchard took it from 11 yards out for a 12-0 lead.

The Panthers made a game of it in the second quarter, scoring a TD and two field goals, while Brunner scored on a 6-yard run and Pritchard took it in on the 2-point attempt for a 20-13 Pirates lead at the half.

Santa Ynez then broke it open with 21 points in the third quarter, as Pritchard scored three TDs in the period, while Brunner added a touchdown, and backup QB Glover threw a touchdown to Roman Soto to close out the scoring.

“The important thing is we got that third win to get into the postseason,” Coach McClurg said after the game. “We got that monkey off our backs.”

The game on Oct. 18 was the annual Go Pink game in recognition of Cancer Awareness Month and to help fundraise for a local Pirate parent Trish Robinson, whose son is a former Pirates player and daughter is currently a cheerleader. Robinson is fighting a rare connective tissue disease attacking her lungs called anti synthetase syndrome with overlapping inflammatory myositis.

The game included fundraisers like a bake sale, and a raffle for items provided by the Santa Ynez High School Football Boosters, with all proceeds going to Robinson in her fight against the disease.

A week after their win over Pioneer Valley, played their second straight home game, and last of the season, and suffered a 42-9 defeat at the hands of San Luis Obispo High.

The Tigers amassed 342 yards on the ground for the night, with running back Colbin Garrison gaining 203 of those yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.

The Pirates actually struck first as Diego Pulido, now limited to kicking duties after and early-season injury, kicked a 29-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. However, the Tigers struck back early and often, scoring three first-quarter touchdowns, and never looked back.

Austin Boucher scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter for the Pirates, but SYHS would be shut out the rest of the way.

The loss dropped Santa Ynez to 3-6 (1-2 in the Sunset League), pending the Pirates regular-season finale at Righetti last Friday, Nov. 1. CIF playoff pairings were released on Sunday, and the Pirates will have a first-round road game this Friday, Nov. 8. To find out where and against who, see santaynezvalleystar.com.

Feature image: Santa Ynez High quarterback Jade Pritchard is congratulated by teammates after scoring one of his four touchdowns Oct. 18 in the Pirates’ 54-20 win over Pioneer Valley. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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Now entering its 24th year, and first with new director Amy Curti, The Santa Ynez High School Theatre Group is preparing for six weekend performances of a literary classic, “Little Women.”

The production, featuring SYHS students in the cast, is scheduled for three shows on successive weekends starting Friday, Nov. 15, and again on Friday, Nov. 22. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7 p.m., with the Sunday shows beginning at 2 p.m.

The shows will be the first under the direction of Curti, a 1991 graduate of SYHS who has taken over for Jeff McKinnon, the founder of the group who retired earlier this year.

“I was at St. Joseph for the last five years, in Santa Maria, and this is my alma mater, so I’d been kind of patiently waiting for Jeff to retire,” Curti said. “At one point, I knew he was close to retiring, so I contacted him to ask his timeline, and once he did make plans to retire, I applied for the job and got it.

“I did about 11 production during my time at St. Joe’s, all of them musicals. So, I’m kind of easing into this position by just doing a play.”

“Little Women” originated as a classic, coming-of-age novel by Louisa May Alcott, first published in the 19th century. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. The story is loosely based on Alcott’s life with her three sisters.

“Jeff [McKinnon] had an advanced theater class last year, and he warned them I was coming, and asked to submit a ‘wish list’ of their three top shows,” Curti said. “So I got the list, and ‘Little Women’ was on there, and that was an easy choice for me. I teach American literature and ‘Little Women’ is one of my favorite childhood stories.”

Curti started with SYHS in August, and had auditions for the show at the end of the month.

“Jeff had told me he had some strong female leads in his class that I would get,” she said. “So I started two weeks, teaching my two theater classes, and I saw a few of them in ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ that the Arts Outreach had put on, so I knew what kind of talent I had.”

One interesting aspect about the play is that the young actors will actually be wearing wireless mics while doing the show.

“This is the first time we’ve had a sound system, and we’ll be putting mics on the students, in addition to the hanging mics [above the stage],” Curti said. “Before that, we’ve just been using natural projection, which I wish the kids could do, but they can’t, so we’ll mic them. Plus, we’ll need to mic them for next semester’s musical.”

Ah, yes, as Curti disclosed, the group will be doing a musical, “School of Rock,” based on the movie starring Jack Black.

“I’ll be collaborating with Rob Cantrell, who’s the music teacher here and also in the [local band] Molly Ringwald Project,” she said. “He’s a guitarist, so we’re playing with the idea of having live music with that show. It’ll definitely be a bigger production.”

Of course, with theater, there is more than just what’s on the stage. Productions depend on people who know how lighting and sound works, and those that can build stage sets. That’s a fact not lost on Curti.

“We have a lot of outside help: For instance, we have a family here, the Kelseys, who are Civil War re-enactors, and they’ve let us borrow some of their costumes because that’s the time period for ‘Little Women,'” she said. “And we have Chris Mullin, one of our teachers, who helps us with the sets.”

“However, I’d say that’s something we need to build here; I’m working right now to really learn all aspects of the theater. And I would say a goal would be that we would build a technical theater program here, for students to learn this.”

But, for the moment, the focus is on “Little Women” and the upcoming premiere on Nov. 15 at the school’s Little Theater.

The shows will run on Nov. 15, 16, and 17, and again on Nov. 22, 23, and 24. Showtimes are 7 p.m. for the Friday and Saturday shows, and 2 p.m. for the Sunday shows. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $50 for VIP and can be purchased at syvuhsd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1086199&type=d&pREC_ID=1468892.

Feature image: Amy Curti, a member of Santa Ynez High’s Class of 1991, is in her first year as the director of the SYHS Theater Group after five years at St. Joseph’s High in Santa Maria. Photo by Mike Chaldu.

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Less than two weeks before the Nov. 5 election, two of the three Solvang mayoral candidates answered questions and stated their cases as to why they should be elected in a voters forum presented by the League of Women Voters.

Current Solvang Mayor Pro Tem David Brown, also the District 3 City Councilmember, and Jamie Baker, owner of the Space VR virtual reality lounge, attended the Oct. 23 meeting at Solvang’s City Council Chambers to answer questions voters had on local issues. Denise El Amin, the third mayoral candidate, declined to attend according to Alison Wales, vice president of the League of Women Voters of North Santa Barbara County, and one of the moderators of the forum.

The meeting, moderated by Wales and Santa Ynez Valley resident and former leadership consultant Ian Jacobsen, began with the candidates’ opening remarks and initial questions from the moderators. Then, after an intermission, Baker and Brown answered questions submitted by the audience and made their closing statements. The candidates were allowed one minute each for their opening and closing statements, and two minutes each to answer questions.

Baker began his opening statement by saying “I love this town” and explained he had that love for Solvang ever since he came to town in 1979. He pointed out that while not many people know of him, he does have ample experience in local government, nonprofits, and the arts, which he hopes to bring back to Solvang and “start a new renaissance.”

Brown began his statement by giving a “shoutout to my No. 1 fan,” his wife Karen Brown, and focused on his current status as 3rd District City Councilmember, resident for 30 years, and someone who’s been involved in charities and the community. “I’ve been here a long time, and hope to be here much, much longer,” he concluded.

The first two questions had to do with how the candidates’ experiences have prepared them for a possible mayoral term.

In his answers Baker pointed to his five years as an executive vice president for Los Angeles County’s largest child welfare mental health agency, as well as experience fundraising for various causes, managing staffs ranging in size from 3 to 20. He also pointed out his time working with arts organizations to help his goal to make Solvang more artistic. “This town is in need of more creativity, and I can help supply that,” he said.

Brown focused on his status as Solvang’s current mayor pro tem, where he had a hand in hiring a new city manager, and also pointed to his time as a volunteer umpire in youth baseball. “Whatever decision you make in that job, half the people love it and half of them hate it,” Brown said. “If that doesn’t prepare you for being mayor, I don’t know what does.”

Next, the two candidates were asked what the city’s most significant issues were.

Speaking first, Brown prefaced by saying the number of city issues is a long list, but first mentioned the city’s “growth pains” in dealing with the Housing Element, mentioning the controversial Wildwood development on Site C, on the corner of Alamo Pintado Road and Old Mission Road. He also mentioned the remodeling of the city’s wastewater plant, but reiterated the list of issues “goes on and on.”

Baker seemed to agree with Brown on the top two issues, but he believed the most important one was “water, water, water,” and the wastewater plant, and said the Housing Element was something that “we have to get right.” Another concern Baker had was with the budget. “I see our expenses going up and revenues staying flat. We need to find more sources of revenue.”

Another question posed to the candidates was how they would balance the city budget if there was a revenue shortfall.

To start, Brown jokingly said he’d probably be yelling at City Manager Randy Murphy about but then, in all seriousness, admitted the responsibility would lie with the council. In that situation, Brown said their would probably be some peril involved, i.e. layoffs, and possible sales of unneeded assets, but said raising residents’ taxes would not be a “proper procedure.”

Baker agreed that tax hikes would not be an option for him, and praised Brown, saying that if he became mayor, he would still have Brown on the council and would appreciated his financil acumen. Baker also pointed out that he sits on the Measure U committee, and that fund ended up being much more than originally thought, so potentially that could help in any shortfall, and that he would use new revenue streams to help out on that also.

After a short intermission, the candidates came back to answer questions submitted by audience members at the forum.

First, the candidates were asked if they supported Measure E, which would raise the Transit Occupany Tax from 12 percent to 14 percent. Baker was in favor said the city would have to “give tourists something back” for the higher fees, while Brown is generally against it, he felt it was important to put it on the ballot, especially with neighboring Buellton has the same increase on its ballot. “What I would suggest is building more hotels to bring more revenue, and that would make up for lack of an increase.”

The two were also asked about the proposed Site C apartment complex, Wildwood. Baker said that situation has gotten to the point where it’s in “the lawyer’s laps,” and the council is bound by what they can do. Brown pointed out that the project is still a long way from approval and that it could “crater onto itself like a souffle,” before it even had a chance to get started.

Other questions had to do with encouraging more affordable housing, traffic concerns in the Alamo Pintado corridor, and efforts to maintain the Danish style of downtown Solvang. Answers to those can be found on the YouTube broadcast of the forum at youtube.com/watch?v=_ulkljas8CY&t=1081s.

The candidates wrapped up the forum with their closing statements.

Baker again professed his love, and talked about how he ran for office in Solvang four years ago, but had to drop out for personal reasons. Now he said he’s ready.

“I’m a business owner in this town, my kids have gone to school in this town, I know what they love, and what they wish they had here,” he said. “I would like to improve the revenue streams here, and I feel it would be a lot easier to pick up the phone and say ‘Hi, this is the mayor’ to accomplish that.”

Brown said he wants to be mayor because Solvang is a wonderful town, and he thinks he has the experience to be a good mayor.

“I think it would be a simple transition,” he said. “Also, I think that as your mayor, I would be your No. 1 cheerleader. I have the enthusiasm, knowledge, and wherewithal to be your cheerleader and advocate.”

Feature image: Solvang mayoral candidate Dave Brown (right) playfully holds up the mayor’s gavel, saying “this fits my hand just right” as fellow mayoral candidate Jamie Baker looks on at the end of the Solvang voters forum on Oct. 23. Screenshot from YouTube.

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Coming to the Viking Charities Classic Car Show, one is expected to see a wide variety of cars and other vehicles, mostly of the ‘classic’ variety, but sometimes you come across something a little different.

So it was as this reporter was going down Copenhagen Drive in Solvang shortly after arriving, and someone stopped to ask me where the “rat-rods” were. Not only didn’t I know where they were, I didn’t know what they were and I politely told the person I hadn’t seen them.

However, after walking just half a block, I found three of the so-called “rat-rods” parked right next to each other, and the owner of one of them, Ray Venegas from Chino Hills, was more than happy to enlighten me.

“In the 1940s and ’50s, people were putting together and racing jalopies,” Venegas explained. “But then that died out, and so the ‘rat-rod’ guys came along, the cars with big engines and they put their own stuff on it.” 

Venegas used as an example the cars they brought to the show: “If you want to put a cat on [the front bumper] you can. Ifyou want to show off a gold-plated engine [pointing to another rat-rod] you can do it. You can do whatever you want with it.”

Mark Goodacre of Temecula, who along with Venegas belongs to a Southern California car club called the 5150s, elaborated on the rat-rod concept.

“It’s just everyone doing something a little different with their car; with rat-rods there are no two completely alike,” Goodacre said. “And there are no big rules to follow; in fact, I call my car ‘Defiance,’ because I’m defying the rules.”

And so it was on this October day as everyone seemed to have a story about their car, and enjoyed hearing others.

This was the second year, the annual car show in Solvang was put on by the Vikings of Solvang, a noted community group, who took it over after the organizers of the Wheels ‘n’ Windmills decided to retire that particular event.

All money raised from the show and the gala dinner the night before goes to the Vikings of Solvang Endowment Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization which provides funding for the medically related needs of qualified individuals and health care organizations in the Santa Ynez Valley and throughout Santa Barbara County. Some of the money also goes toward the Vikings’ annual Christmas party for underpriviledged kids, coming in December.

Anyone walked through the streets of downtown Solvang got to see a eclectic mix of vehicles.

Dave Lazarro of Buellton had on display his white 1999 Pontiac Trans Am, with a Daytona 500 logo on the door.

“I found this one in Pennsylvania,” said Lazarro, who said he usually likes to buy Trans Ams. “It was built as a pace car, but it’s not the pace car for NASCAR races — there’s only two of those.”

“I like to show this off all over the area, from Paso to Carpinteria,” he said.

A little farther down the street was a pink 1957 Ford Thunderbird owned by Holly Foley of Fremont, who had the backseat and rear decked out in all sorts of artifacts of the time, like Barbie dolls, lunch pails, and Coca-Cola souvenirs.

“Some people use props on their cars for these things, and I just wanted to put some stuff up there that represents the car’s year,” Foley said. “The only problem is people see that there and they think the stuff’s on sale, and I have to tell them ‘no, it’s just for show.'”

Foley estimated she goes to about 80 car shows a year, but this was her first time at the Solvang one.

“I found out about it on a car website somewhere,” she said. “I’m really liking it here. Hey, you got the best pastries.”

The entries were rated by a panel of judges in several categories and awards were handed out in an afternoon ceremony at Solvang Park. The winners included:

Class AA – Modified – T-Bucket/Hot Rod (Open) to 1948: Winner – Victor Velasco – Yellow 1923 Ford T Bucket; Runner Up – Mary Jones – Red 1927 Ford T Bucket

B – Stock – 1955-1957 Chevy: Winner – Hank Baier – 1955 Chevrolet 210

BB – Modified – Hot Rod (Coupe/Sedan) to 1932: Winner – Tildon Courson – Red 1930 Studebaker Dictator Club Sedan

C – Stock – 1960-1999 GM (Excl. Class F): Winner – Mel Tomlinson – Blue 1969 Chevy Impala SS

CC1 – Modified – Hot Rod Coupe 1933-1948: Winner – Mike Zapata – Sunset Orange Pearl 1948 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible

CC2 – Modified – Hot Rod Sedan 1933-1948: Winner – Byron Beaver – Green 1937 Ford Tudor Humpback Sedan

CG – Modified – Mercury Cougar ( to 1999): Winner – Georgina May – Blue 1967 Mercury Cougar

D – Stock – 1960-1999 Ford/Mopar/Other (Excl. Class F): Winner – James Mintie – Blue 1969 Mercedes 280SE

DD – Modified – 1949-1959 All Makes (Excl. Class FF): Winner – Tina Almazan – Blue 1951 Ford Shoebox

EE – Modified – 1960-1999 All Makes: Winner – Merle Heggen – Blue 1969 Chevy Nova

F – Stock – 1964-1999 Camaro/Challenger/Cuda/Firebird/Mustang: Winner – Neal McCarter – Turquoise 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

FF – Modified – 1955-1957 Chevy: Winner – Jerry Fults – Blue 1957 Chevy 210

G – Stock – Corvettes to 1999: Tom Jordan – Nassau Blue 1966 Chevy Corvette Stingray

GG – Modified – Camaro/Challenger/Cuda/Firebird/Mustang to 1999: Winner – Dan Lazzaro – White 1999 Pontiac Trans Am

H – Stock – Trucks, El Camino, Ranchero to 1999: Winner – Steve Donovan – Turquoise 1962 Ford F-100

HH1 – Modified – Trucks to 1949: Winner – Mike Murphy – Tan 1934 Ford Pickup

HH2 – Modified – Trucks, El Camino, Ranchero to 1950-1999: Mike Buckels – Winner – Aqua 1965 Chevy El Camino

I – Stock – Sports Car (Foreign or Domestic) to 1999: Winner – Daniel Redmon – Gray/Blue 1957 Mercedes 190SL

II – Modified – Sports Car (Foreign or Domestic) to 1999: Winner – A.C. D’Augustine – Red 1965 Ford Cobra

MS – Modified – Military Vehicles to 1999: Winner -Dennis Beebe – Tan 1942 Ford GPW (Jeep)

RS – Modified – Rat Rods (any year): Winner – Robert Wong – Copper 1936 Ford Pickup Rat Rod

Feature image: A row of rat-rods is shown on Copenhagen Drive in Solvang during the Viking Charities Car Show in Solvang on Oct. 19.

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