Panther Football Triumph

Renee Lee collaborated with her son and football player Garrett Mezzanatto to Send me this update,” We had a great game on Saturday. We did the stomping for a change. Congratulations to the coaches and the AVHS Panther football team who punished the Point Arena Pirates last Saturday, October 3 at Pirate Field. The Panthers' offense pounced on an early lead in the first quarter with a Mike Blackburn 55 yard rushing touchdown and with a Salvador "Chava" Gutierrez extra point kick. It seemed like the Panthers never looked back. The first quarter ended with the Score at 7-0 Panthers. It was a similar story in the 2nd quarter, with the execution of some key blocks by the offensive line, Blackburn rushed for a 60-yard touchdown but Gutierrez's kick was no good. Later in the 2nd quarter, Point Arena's quarterback threw an interception to Xavier Francis who ran it back for a 70-yard touchdown. Once again the
kick by Gutierrez was no good with the first half ending with a score
of 19-0 in favor of the Panthers. The second half began with the Panthers receiving the kick off and the Panthers once again outscoring the Pirates 20-6 in the 3rd quarter.  Point Arena's single touchdown of the game was a 4-yard DJ Egger touchdown run with their 2-point conversion attempt no good. Following Point Arena's touchdown, a kicked ball deep to Blackburn, who with great blocking by the return team: Ameen Gazali, Devin Hammond,
Kell Stone, Xavier Francis, Kyle Gillespie, Noe Benavides, Raul Malfavon, Jessy Johnson, Alvin Tautolo, and Omar Benavides, ran the kick back for a 75 yard touchdown. Later on in the 3rd quarter, the Panthers marched down the field to the Point Arena 25 yard line where Blackburn threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to Francis. Gutierrez kicked the extra point to seal the victory. The running clock was put into play after the Panther's last touchdown due to the 30 plus point differential. Final score: 39-6 for the Panthers!  Point Arena's usual standouts, DJ Egger and Harlan Bailey were not threats to Anderson Valley.  Egger was held to just 181 all-purpose yards, a touchdown, a fumble and 3 interceptions. Egger just couldn't keep up with the Panther's speed. A lot of credit should go to the Panther defense which paralyzed the Pirates and nearly rendered them scoreless. The whole Panther defense contributed to this win. There were some awesome tackles by Jessy Johnson, Raul Malfavon, Dakota Gonzalez, Alvin Tautolo and Kell Stone who were unstoppable on the defensive line pressuring Point Arena's offense the entire game. Linebackers Noe Benavides, Garrett Mezzanatto,
and  Devin Hammond chipped in with some great tackles and
a Noe Benavides interception which was ran back carrying Point Arena tacklers for nearly 40 yards. Mezzanatto also had a handful of  sacks throughout the game and a beautiful pass deflection late in the 4th quarter. Also, the Panther secondary: Nick Rhoades, Salvador Gutierrez, Omar Benavides, Mike Blackburn, Xavier Francis and Kyle Gillespie pitched in with some sticks and three interceptions. Rhoades had multiple tackles and nearly 2 interceptions. Benavides, Blackburn and Francis each had interceptions. Catch the next home Panther football game this Saturday, October 10th at 2 p.m. at the fairgrounds.”

Lady Panthers Earn Tournament Trophy

Sid Fraser invited me to 6th, 7th and 8th grade girl’s volleyball games, which I did not get to so I asked him to fill me in on what I missed. “The 6-7th grade teams had very exciting match. AV lost 27-29 in the first, 24-26 in the second, and won 15-10 in the third. This was the first competition match for many players. Great support from the fans/parents too; the gym was rockin'. Both teams play at Pomolita next Thursday and will play at home against Point Arena the following Tuesday.” I will check in with Beth Swehla this week for news on 8th Grade outcomes. Flick also sent me some fresh volleyball news, “The Anderson Valley junior varsity team captured the runner-up trophy at the Middletown Invitational Tournament last Saturday, chalking up four victories in the process. The Panthers defeated Fortuna, Point Arena, Calistoga, and Middletown, losing only to the Lower Lake Trojans in a hard fought
contest. The junior varsity’s record to date is 13-1. Earlier in the week, both Anderson Valley teams (and a few hardy fans) made to long trip to Covelo to take on the Round  Valley Mustangs. The matches were short, as each AV squad won their match by playing exceptional team defense, for which the home teams had no answer. The varsity team ended the week with a record of 11-2. This week the Panthers will have their hands full on their home
court when they play Rio Lindo Academy on Tuesday, and the Mendocino Cardinals on Friday. The last time the Panthers and the Cardinals met was last November, in the North Coast Section Championship match. That match was one for the ages. This one should be equally exciting. Don’t miss the action on Friday night at the AVHS Gym. The jv match begins at 5:00, and the varsity contest starts at 6:00.”

Our Schools Need Repair, Restoration and Modernization

“We need to provide our 50 year old schools with the major repairs to address health, and safety, accessibility, and necessary code
requirements. We need to make renewable energy improvements to reduce energy costs and put more money in the classroom. We need to improve classroom access to modern technology. We need to replace/upgrade roofs, electrical, heating, and plumbing systems to modernize our major building systems.” Registered voters will soon receive a mailer expanding on this information and outlining why the Anderson Valley School District is considering putting a general obligation bond measure on the ballot to fund improvements. If you don’t get a mailer you can call 895-2146 and we will send you a copy which includes answers to frequently asked questions.

Red Scissors, Yellow Ribbon

Nancy Macleod, Bill Allen, Anatasio Gutierrez, Colleen Schenck,  Nat
Corey-Moran, Ken Montgomery, J.R. Collins and countless student volunteers were honored at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Junior High Quad last Thursday at 11:15 AM. When Olivia Allen found a way to get the jaunty bright red cardboard scissors to snip the yellow ribbon we all cheered. Nancy and Bill’s vision and perseverance kept this massive project on track and the many plants alive over the hot summer. Nancy said, “I love hard work”-
lucky thing! Colin van Ree gave the official thank you speech with
just the right amount of solemnity. The rugged stone planters with their drought tolerant and perennial plantings looked stunning and seem to be thriving. Thanks to Ken for providing plants at wholesale prices and to Anastasio for his stone mason expertise. These planters and walkways will be providing the inspiration that beauty brings for generations of students to come.

 Give Kids Good Schools Week

Help celebrate and improve public schools during  the fourth annual “Give Kids Good Schools Week” Oct. 11 - 17, 2009. Sign a pledge to Give Kids Good Schools,  download web buttons or screensavers, review suggested questions for candidates in Public Education Network's voter guide, or send a letter to your local newspaper about how important public education is to you. This week, all around the country, communities are holding events. Check out what’s happening in your area at http://www.givekidsgoodschools.org

Got School News? Call Terry 894-8429 or e-mail tryder@mcn.org News about what former students are doing now is especially welcome.