Thank you alumni for making our DVD fundraiser so successful. The compliments keep coming in about the history and stories we captured of this Fillmore/Santa Paula Football Rivalry on the "9 mile" DVD. This weeks Alumni Picture is the 1969 Football Squad. By popular demand, we have ordered more dvds for sale before Christmas and will be selling them at Vons this Saturday Morning, Nov 27th and Friday, and Saturday Dec 17th, and 18th. You can also get them by calling the Alumni Office at 805-524-0416. If no answer, CLEARLY, leave your name and phone number so we can call you back. We also have Individual Game Film between Fillmore and Santa Paula available. This would make an awesome Christmas gift for these past Football hereos from Fillmore High. Here are the following years: ('68 game, classes of '69, '70), the very famous '69 scrimmage game ('classes of '70, '71), ('71 game classes of '72, '73), ('73 game classes of '74, '75), ('74 game, classes of '75, '76), ('75 game, classes of '76, '77), ('76 game, classes of '77, '78), ('78 game, classes of '79, '80), ('80 game, classes of '81, '82), ('81 game, classes of '82, '83), ('82 game, classes of '83, '84), ('07 game, classes of '08, '09), ('08 game, classes of '09, '10), ('09 game, classes of '10, '11). $20.00 per dvd, and proceeds go to the Fillmore High Alumni Assoc for Scholarships in Higher Education. GO FLASHES!

Fillmore High Alumni Association

Over six hundred family members and friends were on hand Saturday to see the induction of the 82 former athletes, seven coaches and 18 championship teams into the first class of the Fillmore High Sports Hall of Fame. Those in attendance were treated to a tour of the newly designed Hall of Fame room in the Science Building, which now displays individual pictures of all the 82 recipients as well as of the coaches and the championship teams. Following the tour, the guests were treated to a buffet dinner put on by El Pescador restaurant and then on to the high school gym where the presentations were made.

Although it was a very long evening, everyone agreed it w4s well worth the wait to see everyone inducted. Each inductee was presented with a plaque and a Hall of Fame blazer as resumes of their athletic achievements were read by the five committee members. The championship teams that were inducted were the 1914 baseball team, which was the first championship team from Fillmore High, the 1926 basketball team, 1936 football team, 1940 basketball team, 1945 football, 1946 basketball, 1952 basketball, 1953 basketball, 1970 football, 1975 baseball, 1976 baseball, 1977 baseball, 1977 football, 1988 baseball, 1990 boy's cross country, 1991 girl's cross country and 2005 boy's soccer.

The coaches that were inducted were Mr. J. Wm. Gastrich, who started all the athletic programs at Fillmore High and also was the coach of all the teams. Mr. Eugene "Red" Kennedy who coached many championship teams from the 1920's to 1946, Richard "Toolie" Palmer, who was also inducted as a player, Jim Fauver, Bruce Dempsey, Tom Ecklund and Epi Torres, who also was inducted as an athlete. Many of the inductees commented on how much they appreciated what these coaches did for them while playing at Fillmore High.

Former athletes who were honored came from the class of 1915 with Mr. Harold Mayhew, who was on the championship baseball team down through the next eight decades. The names of all inductees at this year's Hall of Fame ceremony can be found on the NEWS page of the Fillmore High Alumni website at www.fillmorehighalumni.com.

Another Hall of Fame ceremony is planned for 2011 and an announcement of the availability of applications for consideration to the Hall of Fame will be sent out after January 1. Those who applied this year, but were not selected will be automatically considered for next year.

This week we've been told that the 100th game between Fillmore High and Santa Paula high has been sold out. Just to be sure, you may want to call the High School yourself to confirm. 805-524-6100. One thing that is not sold out yet is the DVD Documentary, "Nine Miles" produced by the Alumni Association. Although Pre-orders are going swiftly. Before they sell out at the game, you may want to call the the Alumni Assoc to guarantee your DVD. 805-524-0416. By calling now, you can confirm your DVD, and pay for it when you pick it up either at the big game, or starting on Monday Nov, 15th with extended hours at the Alumni office. The office will be open from 9:00AM to 6:00pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, November 15th, 17th, and 19th, so you can pick up your DVDs. Make a note, the office will be closed for lunch from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm on those days. Tuesdays and Thursdays the office is closed. There is much excitement surrounding the Football game on November 12th. Time Warner Cable will be taping highlights of the game, and producing a story about this historic rivalry. It will be aired on their "High School Sports Rewind" show on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00pm on their Time Warner Cable SoCal Channel 101. The show will also be available on their Local Video on Demand service. To find their sports programming just go to Ch. 1, Select LOCAL, SoCal Sports, then HS Sports Rewind. On November 13th, the first Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place at the High School. Coaches, Athletes, and Championship teams will be inducted. Here are a few of the inductees. Coaches, Mr. J.W. Gastrich who was the principal at Fillmore High and started the Sports program in 1914. Eugene Kennedy, Bruce Dempsey, and Epi Torres. Some of the Teams that will be inducted include the 1926 Boys Basketball Team, the 1935 Boys Football Team, The 1977 Boys Football Team, and the 1991 Girls Cross Country Team. There will be 82 Athletes inducted in this first Hall of Fame induction. Here are a few of them. 1933 Toolie Palmer, 1938 Vernon (Slim) Johnson, 1942 Bill Pearson, 1944 Gene Wren, 1949 Don Burroughs, 1955 Roger Palmer, 1961 Bruce Gibby, 1967 Jim Ruiz, 1972 Joel Mozley, 1977 Rosa Aparicio, 1985 Greg Baldwin, 1991 Tory Cabral, 1996 Julie Arundell. The Alumni Association wishes to thank all those involved in making this evening one to remember for all the inductees. "All Hail to our Alma Mater, May her fame live long"

Hello Alumni! This week’s Alumni Article features the 1991 football team. You couldn't tell by their record, but this team fought tough every game. They started out the season with a 29-21 win. They went into the final game of the season with a 3-6 record. All they had to do was beat their arch rival Santa Paula Cardinals and the season would end on a happy note. The Flashes did exactly that. They did win that last game against the Cardinals and it put them into the C.I.F. playoffs. Here's a quote from their coach, Curtis Garner "This year’s biggest game was against Santa Paula. The victory put us in the C.I.F. playoffs and removed the sour taste in our mouths. Whenever your team beats Santa Paula it restores their pride." The Alumni Association hopes to see alot of past football players and Alumni at the game this November 12th in Fillmore. We want to remind you Alumni Athletes to get those Letterman sweaters and Jackets out now, so you can sport them at the November 12th game. We're pretty sure the Santa Paula Alumni will be sporting their Cardinal red colors, and we want to match them with our Blue and White Spirit. So dust off those sweaters and jackets now! Remember to Pre-order your DVD Documentary "Nine Miles" stories of the Fillmore and Santa Paula Football series by calling the Alumni office today! 805-524-0416. The DVDs will be available on November 12th, and you can pick them up at the game. After November 12th, DVDs left will be available at the Alumni office, so call today to confirm your pre-order! There are two or three teaser clips of the DVD running on local access (Channel 10) in Fillmore. Remember to get those Letterman sweaters and jackets ready for November 12th. Go Flashes!!!

Hello Alumni! What an exciting Football season our Alma Mater is giving us this year. So far our Flashes are a perfect 6 - 0. This coming week the Football teams will be traveling to Carpenteria to take on the Warriors. We wish them Good luck. This weeks Alumni article picture features the J.V. Cheerleader squad of 1967. Look at the height and enthusiasm these J.V. Cheerleaders had. from left to right. Lucy Rangel, Nancy Vossler, Debbie Basolo, Denise Smith. Rah Team! Our Flashes will take on the Santa Paula Cardinals for the 100th time on November 12th, here in Fillmore. Tickets are already being sold for this game and they are going quickly, so be sure to head over to the High School to purchase your tickets. In celebrating the 100th meeting, the Alumni Association is producing a DVD Documentary of the Series. You will see interviews, and hear stories form many former players and coaches from both communities. you will also see game film clips from different era's. This is one DVD that both Cardinal, and Flashes fans will want to have in their home. Order today before they run out. Call the Alumni Office to reserve your copy. 805-524-0416. Or send an email request to staff@fillmorehighalumni.com Fight on for Fillmore!!!

This week’s Alumni Article features the 2008 Flashes Football Team. The 2008 Varsity football program accomplished many things. Nathan Ibarra, Noah Aguirre, Jose Estrada, and Christian Prado all broke previous individual school records. Nathan passed for 1419 yards, Noah had 30 receptions for 521 yards, and Jose Estrada made 62 out of 65 PAT attempts. By the end of the post-season, Christian racked up a total of 181 tackles, making him third in the nation in that category. The whole offense broke: the rushing record with 3343 yards, the overall offensive yards with 4762, and the points scored record with 443 points. After finishing up second in the Frontier League, the football team advanced to the Semi-Finals in CIF playoffs, the second time in FHS history the football team has been able to go that far. The first round, Fillmore beat Desert High 48-37.

Brentwood was the second challenge, where they again won 21-14. Their final playoff game was against Twentynine Palms, and the final score was 21-27. This outstanding team came from humble beginnings - their J.V. record in 2005 was 0-10. The excellent coaching staff and a year’s experience brought a drastic turnaround to a perfect record of 9-0. They had a great year and made themselves part of F.H.S. History. In Celebrating the 100th match up this year with the Santa Paula Cardinals on November 12th in Fillmore, the F.H.S. Alumni Association is making a DVD Documentary of the series. A limited number of DVDs are being prepared, so please reserve your order today. You can reserve your order by calling the Alumni Office at 805-524-0416, or you can place your order at staff@fillmorehighalumni.com. Clearly leave your name and phone number and address, and someone will call you back to confirm your order. $20.00 (Picked up at Alumni Office) or $25.00 (mailed directly to you). You will be billed in October. The DVD will include actual game clips from different era’s, interviews, and stories. Talk about the perfect Christmas gift, or stocking stuffer! DVD will be available on November 12th, but call today before they run out! FIGHT ON FOR FILLMORE!!

This weeks Alumni Article features the the 1953 Football Champs. Fillmore High is very proud of their mighty Flashes in 1953. The Varsity squad captured seven of nine games and won the league championship for the first time in nine years. Led by co-captains Cesar Mendoza and Dick Fredericksen Fillmore's eleven rolled over seven straight foes after they lost their season's opener to Cantwell 14-6. Included in this victory string were non-league triumphs over Burbank 13-0, Paramount 19-6, and league wins over Hart 26-0, Oxnard 25-7, Lancaster 13-12, and Ventura 33-13. One of their toughest contests that football season was against their arch-rival, Santa Paula. In a bruising, close game, the Fillmore Flashes pull it out with a 12-7 win. Closing out their highly successful season the Flashes dropped a tough 27-14 decision to St. Anthony, Catholic League Champs, in the C.I.F. playoffs. Fillmore's superiority in league play was shown by the placing of six men on the all-county team. They were - Roger Palmer tackle, Dave Goodenough end, Phil Blodgett guard, Dick Fredericksen fullback, Chuck Greer Quarterback, and Cesar Mendoza halfback. Coached by Ed Simmons - head coach, and Richard "Toolie" Palmer - asst coach, the Varsity squad of 1953 will long be remembered by Fillmore fans as one of the finest pigskin teams to represent Fillmore High. In celebrating the 100th meeting between the Flashes, and Santa Paula Cardinals this November 12th in Fillmore, the Alumni Associations is putting together a DVD highlighting this football Rivalry. The oldest High School Football series in Ventura County. To Pre-Order your DVD, please call the Alumni Association at 805-524-0416, or you can email your order now at cardsflashesdvd@att.net. $20.00 (Picked up at Alumni Office) or $25.00 (Mailed directly to you). Pre orders are going swiftly, so be sure to call or email yours in today. You will be billed in October and the DVDs will be available on November 12th and after. GO FLASHES!!!

This weeks Rivalry story features the 1989 Fillmore Varsity Football Team. That year the Flashes enjoyed a record-setting season that saw the Flashes make their first C.I.F. playoff appearance in six years. Behind the guidance of 2nd year head coach Curtis Garner, the team won it's first nine games before losing to Carpinteria in the regular season finale. That year the Flashes opened their football season with a win over their arch rival, Santa Paula Cardinals, 14-8. The Flashes made the playoffs, and went to the 2ND round of C.I.F. where they met Montclair Prep and lost. While the team ended the season with a 10-2 record, it did lay claim to over a dozen new school records at that time, such as most points scored on offense, and most shutouts on defense. This year marks the 100Th meeting between the Flashes and Santa Paula Cardinals on November 12Th in Fillmore. In celebrating this event, the Alumni Association is producing a DVD Documentary of the Series. Interviews, Stories, and game films are being compiled to make this DVD. If you ever played in this game or cheered from the stands you will want to have this special DVD in your household. To order your copy, please call the F.H.S. Alumni office at 805-524-0416, or you may order your copy at staff@fillmorehighalumni.com GO FLASHES!

Lori Wileman-Bennett, F.H.S. Class of 1985.

This weeks Football Rivalry story comes to us from Lori Wileman-Bennett. (F.H.S. Class of 1985). Lori cheered in the very famous "Mud Bowl" of 1983. That year the Flashes traveled to Santa Paula to take on the might Cardinals. It had rained all day, and when the team and cheerleaders arrived in Santa Paula they could tell it was going to be messy. Right off the bat, when the football team ran through the paper poster sign (Run Through), some of the cheerleaders holding up the sign fell in the muddy field, and of course they wore white uniforms that year. As the game progressed, the rain turned into a downpour, and the dirt track was now officially a mud pit. A quick thinking Fillmore bus driver ran to his bus and retrieved some plastic trash bags to give to the cheerleaders to cover up. So right there on the field, they cut holes in the bags for their arms, and head and wore those trash bags the remainder of the game. Fillmore won that Football game, 14-0. Lori kind of scoffs at the cheerleaders of today with their cute warm up suits, and mittens to keep their hands warm when it dips in the low 60s, and 50's. Back in her day, if it was cold and rainy, a plastic trash bag would do just fine. Rah Team! In celebrating the 100Th meeting between the two teams this November 12th in Fillmore, The Alumni Association is producing a DVD Documentary film of the Flashes/Cardinals Football series. Interviews, stories, and game films are being compiled to make this DVD. A limited number of DVDs will be produced, so please call today to reserve your copy before they run out. 805-524-0416. (You will be billed later). $25.00 (mailed directly to you) or $20.00 if you want to pick it up at the Alumni office in Fillmore. If no one answers, clearly leave your name and phone number, and someone will call you back to confirm your order. GO FLASHES!!!

Hello Alumni! The F.H.S. Alumni Association is producing a DVD documentary film of the Fillmore/Santa Paula Football Series. On November 12th, 2010, the Flashes will host the visiting Cardinals from Santa Paula, and the meeting will mark the 100th time the two teams will meet on the gridiron. This is the oldest High School Football series in Ventura County, and one of the oldest rivalry’s in the state of California. Interviews, and stories along with old game films are being compiled to make this DVD. The DVD will be available this November, 2010, but you may want to order now before they run out. A limited number of DVDs will be made. The cost of the DVD is $25.00. (packaged and mailed directly to you) or $20.00 if you wish to pick up at the Alumni office in Fillmore. (Note: Alumni office is opened Mon. Wed. & Fri. from 9:00am to 11:00am). To Guarantee your copies, please call the Alumni Association at 524-0416. (You will be billed later). If no one answers, clearly leave your name and phone number and number of DVDs you want and someone will be sure to call you back to confirm your order. Each week, the Alumni section will feature a short story from a participant of the rivalry. This week we feature the 1945 Flashes Football Team, Ventura County Champs. That year, the Flashes brought home the bacon by winning the Championship under the leadership of Coach Eugene Kennedy. Only one out of seven games was lost all season, and that was to the powerful Santa Barbara Dons. Fillmore played Santa Paula twice that year and beat them both times. The first time the Flashes won 27-6; The second time they met the Flashes won, 14-0.