On Thursday, September 26, the Lady Flashes brought home some hardware “medals” from the Raider Invite at College Park in Oxnard. Pictured (l-r) are Jannet Vega, Valerie Rodriguez, Marbella Arroyo Tapia, Michelle Setty, Melanie Flores, Emily Soltero, and Megan Robles. Photos credit of Anthony Chavez. See more photos online at www.fillmoregazette.com.
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Pictured above is Fillmore Flashes Boys Varsity player Aaron Cordero during the Raider Invite. Photos credit of Anthony Chavez.
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Michelle Setty and Marbella Arroyo Tapia
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By Coach Epi Torres

On Thursday, September 26th the Fillmore Cross Country teams competed at the Raider Invitational at College Park in Oxnard. The 3-mile course started and finished on the Oxnard College Track. The course is relatively flat and is run over pavement, dirt, grass, and the synthetic track.

The first race for the Flashes was the boys Frosh/Soph division. Sophomore Alex Nunez led the charge in his first race of the season by finishing in 55th place in a time of 20:02.7. Alex was followed by Erick Traver 93rd in 21:13.6, Nikolai Cerda 100th in 21:26. and Jeffrey Enamorado 132nd in 23:29.2. Alex Nunez, Nikolai Cerda, and Jeffrey Enamorado ran season best times.

The Varsity girls followed with Jacqueline Olivares finishing 51st in 22:14.8. She was followed by Miley Tello 59th in 22:37.8, and Janessa Corona 66th in 23:32.4.

Fillmore’s third race of the day featured 4 runners in the boys’ Varsity race. Damian Castaneda was our first runner to cross the line, finishing 62nd in 18:18.7. He was followed by Aaron Cordero 72nd in 18:40.5, Andres Moreno 80th in 19:17.2, and Jordan Hernandez 83rd in 19:32. Jordan ran a season best time.

The Junior Varsity was the only Fillmore squad to field a full team. They were led by Melanie Flores 7th 23:04.5. She was supported by Marbella Arroyo Tapia 9th in 23:26.3, Michelle Setty 10th in 23:34.8, Jannet Vega 15th in 24:17.3, Emily Soltero 16th in 24:32.9, Natalie Perez 24th in 25:11.5, Valerie Rodriguez 37th in 26:54.3, and Megan Robles 52nd in 29:17.2. Melanie, Marbella, Michelle, Jannet, and Emily were medal winners. Jannet Vega, Marbella A. Tapia, Emily Soltero, Valerie Rodriguez, and Megan Robles ran season best times.

The Final race of the day was the Junior Varsity boys. They were led by Vincent Alonzo 36th in 20:00.2. He was followed by Alexander Diaz 61st in 21:37.6, and Gabriel Lagunas 66th in 22:05.8. All three Fillmore athletes ran season best times in this race.

The team will next return to College Park in Oxnard and compete in the second of 3 Citrus Coast League Meets. This meet is on October 1st. This meet will commence at 2:00 p.m.

Pictured above is a group of Flashes taking down a Buena player to keep him from advancing up field. Inset, Flashes JV’s #2, making his way into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the Flashes. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Thursday, September 26, the Flashes JV football held a make-up against Ventura’s Buena High School and defeated the Bulldogs 29 – 7. Flashes Varsity had a bye week this week. Fillmore’s JV will play Thursday, October 3 at 4pm; Varsity will play Friday, October 4, 2024, Varsity 7pm away against San Marcos High.

Pictured above are Raider Juniors #87 & #11 making a tackle against the Ventura Packers last Saturday, September 28. Final score, Raiders 0–Ventura 35. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola. More photos online at www.FillmoreGazette.com.
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Fillmore Raiders Seniors Black took on the Calabasas Rams on Saturday, September 28. Pictured are a group of Raiders putting a stop to the Rams player to keep him from advancing. Final score Raiders 12 – Rams 29. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Mighty Mite Black (6) vs. Camarillo (14) (loss); Bantam Black (8) vs. Santa Clarita (14) (loss); Bantam Silver (8) vs. Saugus (30) (loss); Seniors Silver (0) vs. Santa Barbara (35) (loss).

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the Flashes Boys & Girls Cross Country Teams traveled to Irvine to compete at the Woodbridge Invitational. Pictured (l-r) is the girls’ team - Janessa Corona, Michelle Setty, Melanie Flores, Jessica Orozco, Miley Tello, Jacqueline Olivares, and Diana Santa Rosa. Photo credit Assistant Coach Anthony Chavez.
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Pictured above is the Fillmore Flashes Boys team which also competed in the Woodbridge Invitational. Pictured (l-r) are Andres Moreno, Aaron Cordero, Omar Heredia, Damian Castaneda, and Erick Traver. Photo credit Assistant Coach Anthony Chavez.
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Written By Epi Torres

On Friday, 9/20, the Varsity Cross Country teams competed at the highly competitive Woodbridge Invitational. This meet is run at the Silver Lake Sports Complex in Irvine under artificial lighting.

The girls team raced at 8:52 pm. They were led by Diana Santa Rosa, she finished in 71st in 19:54.7. Diana was a medal winner in this race. She was followed by Jacqueline Olivares 116th in 21:30.8, Miley Tello 117th in 21:36.3, Janessa Corona 129th in 22:02.5, Melanie Flores 143rd in 22:39.3, and Michelle Setty 154th in 23:10.2. In the team competition, Fillmore was 14th.
The boys followed at 9:40 pm. Top finisher for the Flashes was Omar Heredia who finished in 36th place posting a personal best time of 15:43.9. Omar was a medal winner in this race. He was followed by Damian Castaneda 179th in 17:55.3, Andres Moreno 184th in 17:58.7, Aaron Cordero Murray 196th in 18:14.1, and Erick Traver 231st in 21:20. In the team competition Fillmore finished 31st.

The Fillmore Cross Country teams will next travel to Oxnard on October 1st and compete in the second of 3 Citrus Coast League meets. This meet will be run at College Park on relatively flat course and races will commence at 3:30 p.m.

Courtesy Epi Torres

On Saturday, September 21st., former Fillmore harrier Camilo Torres competed for the Northridge Matadors in Riverside at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course. Camilo ran a personal best time of 24:25.2 and finished in 68th place. Teammate Diego Rodriguez finished in 245th place in 27:34.8. The men competed in the Invitational Division over a distance of 8 kilometers or 4.97 miles.

Former Fillmore runner Angel Garcia also ran this race. Angel finished in 242nd in 28:12.2. Logan Torres, who lives in Fillmore, but ran for the Buena Bulldogs. Also ran this race. Currently, they are teammates competing for the Moorpark College Raiders. Both athletes ran 8 kilometers and competed in the Open Division. Logan finished in 120th in 26:23.3. Also running at this meet was former Fillmore athlete, Rey Laureano. Rey toed the line for Westmont College and ran in the Invitational Division. Rey finished in 224th place in 26:19.1.
Meanwhile, Nick Cabr-ales who ran on the Fillmore team last season, ran the Woodward Park Course in Fresno.

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Former Fillmore Runner Runs in Mammoth

On Sunday, September 22nd, former Fillmore distance runner Pablo Suarez, Class of 1998, challenged himself by competing in the Mammoth Trail Fest 17.1 miler. This run is part of the International Golden Trail series. It is a total climb taking runners over a lung-searing 11,000 plus feet. Pablo completed the run in 3 hours 50.45 minutes, and finished in 28th place in his age group.

Pictured above is the Condors’ top runner for the Boy Youth Division, Damian Santa Rosa, during the meet. Photo credit Fillmore Condors Organization.
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On September 14, 2024, Fillmore Condors Cross County Teams competed at the USAFT Invitational in Santa Clarita. Pictured above is Fillmore Condor McKayla Magana who took 2nd place in the 2K course. Photo credit Fillmore Condors Organization.
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By Fillmore Condors Organization

On September 14, 2024, the Fillmore Condors Cross County Teams traveled to Santa Clarita, Ca to compete in the USAFT Invitational; the second meet of the 2024 Cross County Season.

The Sub-Gremlin boys and girls kicked off the day with MaKayla Magana running her 2K course for the Condors and finishing in second place with a time of 9:33.10. She captured second place for the girls’ division and earned a medal.

The Gremlin boys worked together, came out strong and earned an overall third place finish. The top three runners for the Condors were Zachariah Magana with a time of 8:20 coming, in second for Fillmore was Carlos Marin Baez with a time of 8:32.01 and Ares Sanches coming in third for the Condors with a time of 9:09.18.

The next race belongs to the Bantams girls and boys. For the girls race the top three finishers for the Condors were Brooklyn Limon with a time of 13:41.09, Mila Castro 14:32.37 and in third place for Fillmore was Sofia Cortez Rodriguez with a time of 14:51.79. They finished in 7th place out of 16 teams. The boys followed right after and finished as a team in 10th place. Jacob Santa Rosa lead the Condors as the first runner to cross the line at 12:48.7 followed by Jacob Ramirez with a time of 14:40.74 and rounding third for the Condors was Nathaniel Magana at 14:40.88.

Quickly after the Bantam Division came the Boys and Girls Junior teams. Condor’s top three runners were Itzel Arana with a time of 12:55.34 followed by Christine Beltran at 13:43.20 and rounding up the top three finishers for the girls was Brigid Mohun at 13:58.15 which helped earn the team 9th overall. The Junior Boy’s hit the line next with one runner; Yanir Acevedo was the only Junior to Represent the Condors and he finished up his 3K race at 19:07.10.

Up next for another exciting race were the Youth Girls and Boys who raced a 4K course. Kirsten Theobald came in 9th place overall and crossed the line first for Fillmore with a time of 16:12.02. She was followed up by her sister Kristen Theobald with a time of 17:41.78 and rounding up the top three finisher for the Condors was Isabella Enriquez with a time of 21:53.23. The girls’ team finished 7th overall. The boys hit the line next for the Youth Division and came in 13th overall. Our top runner for the division was Damian Santa Rosa with a time of 16:30.62. Next up following close was Ethan Leighton with a time of 16:35.57 and Domenic Corona with a time of 19:32.12.

The last races of the day belonged to the Men Division (15-18 years). Fillmore had two runners finish in the top ten overall. They were Elijah Kuebler with a time of 15:18.11 and Nicholas Enriquez with a time of 17:08.81.

On behalf of the Fillmore Condors, we would like to say that we are extremely proud of all our runners and admire their grit and determination to finish their races. We look forward to another amazing season and lots of PR’s.

Pictured above is Flashes Junior Emily Soltero competing at the Jaguar Invitational this past Friday. Photo credit Anthony Chavez.
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Flashes Cross Country Team competed in the Jaguar Invitational in Oxnard. Above are teammates Aaron Cordero, Damian Castaneda and Omar Heredia during the meet on Friday, September 6th. Photo credit Anthony Chavez.
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By Epi Torres

On Friday, September 6, 2024, the Flashes Cross Country teams traveled to Oxnard to compete in the inaugural Jaguar Invitational hosted by Del Sol High School.

The frosh/soph boys were first to toe the line for the initial event of the day. They competed over a 2-mile circuit around the new campus. This race had 148 competitors. Three novice runners for the Flashes were entered in this race. For the second week in a row Erick Traver led the underclass men with a 38th place finish in 13:28.2. He was followed by Nikolias Cerda 81st in 15:14.1, and newcomer Jeffrey Enamorado 84th in 16:03.2.

The Fillmore Girls Varsity fielded a complete team of 6 athletes for the first time this season. Diana Santa Rosa led the Fillmore contingent across the finish line with her 18th place finish in 22:07.4. Diane was the lone medal winner for the Flashes on the day. She was followed by Miley Tello 28th in 23:20.0, Janessa Corona 31st in 23:38., Marbella Arroyo Tapia 38th in 24:58.1, Melanie Flores 39th in 25:17.9, and Jacqueline Olivares 41st in 25:32.4. in the team competition, Fillmore finished in 7th place.

The varsity boys followed, but did not field a full team--top finisher was senior Omar Heredia. Omar finished in 24th place in a time of 17:34.2. He was followed by Damian Castaneda 67th in 20:33.3, Aaron Cordero 73rd in 22:50.5, and Jordan Hernandez 74th in 23:30.9.

The Junior Varsity Girls ran a scoring team of 5 athletes. Emily Soltero led this squad with a 23rd place finish in 26:20.4. She was closely followed by Michelle Setty 24th in26:21.4, Jannet Vega 30th in 27:07.3, Valerie Rodriguez 46th in 32:35.8, and Megan Robles 49th in 33:21.5. In the team competition, this group of girls finished in 4th.

The final race of the day, Boys Junior Varsity featured three Fillmore competitors. Leading this group was first time competitor Vincent Alonzo. Vincent finished 61st in 22:41.1. He was followed by Alexander Diaz 72nd in 23:43.4, and Gabriel Lagunas 74th in 23:57.6.

The Fillmore Cross Country teams will next travel to Ventura and compete in the first of 3 Citrus Coast League meets. This meet will be run at Arroyo Verde Park on Thursday, September 12, and races will commence at 3:30 p.m.

By Epi Torres

On Friday, September 6, 2024, Angel Garcia and Angel Laureano competed at the Oxnard Invitational as members of the Moorpark College Cross Country team. The men’s race traversed a relatively flat course over varied terrain. In the team competition, after tempoing the first mile of the race, Moorpark finished in second place. On a hot, humid day, with 100 competitors in the race, Angel Garcia finished 39th in 22:50.06, and teammate Angel Laureano finished 87th in 25:34.87.

Rey Laureano and the Westmont team traveled to the Anteater Recreation Center in Irvine to compete in the Irvine Invitational. Rey finished in 84th place in a time of 28:16.7. In the team competition, Westmont finished in 6th place.

Photo/article credit Brandy Hollis and AYSO board members
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It was another great Saturday for soccer here in Fillmore. A special recognition to Arnold Munoz refereeing the Epic Minions vs Lions game. Arnold’s 19U team was in attendance as game buddies for all the amazing EPIC athletes. Way to go Minions and Lions!

Registration is still open for AYSO Everyone Plays In our Community (EPIC) program and spots are available. See a board member for details.

18U Girls went head-to-head with Camarillo giving Fillmore’s own Jozlyn Alvarez an opportunity to come in with a hat trick, earning her the Player of the Week spotlight! Can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve (or shin guard) this season. One thing is for sure, if that is the way we start off the season we can expect nothing but greatness this year! Fillmore dominated that game, ending with a 6-1 win over Camarillo. Way to go, girls—nothing is stopping the blue!
If you come hungry you can support the program by eating at the field. Money raised is put back into the program for the kids.
Lastly our community is beautiful! We are so lucky to live in this beautiful valley, let’s all do our part to keep it clean by picking up after ourselves; and remember AYSO has a policy of NO PETS at the field.

Each of the fans, athletes, coaches, refs and board members are appreciated. Good job, Fillmore!

On August 31, Flashes Cross Country travelled to Santa Barbara to Compete in the Gaucho Invitational. Above is Senior Diana Santa Rosa who placed 31st with a time of 21:17. Photo credit Coach Anthony Chavez.
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Above is FHS Senior Omar Heredia in the Boys Championship 5K race at the Gaucho Invitational on August 31, 2024, Omar finished 40th with a time of 17:20. Photo credit Coach Anthony Chavez.
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By Epi Torres

On August 31st, the Fillmore Cross Country teams traveled to Santa Barbara to compete in the Gaucho Invitational. This meet is contested on the University of California, Santa Barbara Campus. Athletes had the option of running the 2 loops, 5 kilometer course or the single loop course of 1.52 miles. Race selection was determined by the athletes in the past times and their coaches’ decision based on a variety of factors.

Two Fillmore athletes competed in the Girls Championship 5K. Jessica Orozco was the top Fillmore finisher placing 17th in 20:28. Teammate Diana Santa Rosa placed 31st in 21:17. Jessica was a medal winner in this race.
Omar Heredia was the lone runner for Fillmore in the Boys Championship 5K race. Omar was the 40th finisher in this race, posting a time of 17:20.

In the girls 5K race, Miley Tello ran a 22:56. She captured a medal for her 11th place finish. This was the best finish for a Fillmore athlete on the day. Melanie Flores placed 51st in her first distance race in a time of 24:40. Jannet Vega placed 64th in 26:20, and Xitlali Guerrero was 66th in 26:49.

In the boys Varsity 5K, Damian Castaneda placed 78th in 20:05. He was followed by Andres Moreno 88th in 20:44, Erick Traver in 119th in 21:42, and Alex Diaz 148th in 24:21.

In the girls 1.52K, Emily Soltero was 62nd in 12:18. She was followed by Valerie Rodriguez was102nd in 14:00.
In the boys 1.52K, Nico Cerda was the only Fillmore competitor. He placed 95th in 11:09.

The Cross-Country teams will next compete at the Citrus Coast League Meet on 9/12.

Pictured above are two Flashes Varsity players teaming up to take down a Chaffey player carrying the ball.
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Pictured above is Flashes JV Offense trying to clear a path for a fellow teammate to break through the line. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Friday, August 30, 2024, Fillmore traveled to Ontario to take on Chaffey High School. JV played at 4pm and won Flashes 34 – Chaffey 0, Varsity played at 7pm but fell short after a hard-fought game, Flashes 22 – Chaffey 20. The Flashes will take on Buena High School this Thursday, September 5, at 7:30pm, for Varsity. Flashes JV is TBD at time of press, but is being rescheduled due to expected high temperatures.

By Epi Torres

On Friday, Camilo Torres and Diego Rodriguez competed at the Waves Invitational. Camilo graduated from Fillmore High School in 2021, and Diego graduated from Santa Paula High School this past year. Both athletes competed over the 6-kilometer course or 3.728 miles.

This race is contested over a relatively flat course, run on four repeated loops on the Pepperdine Campus in Malibu, California. The Northridge athletes were asked to run the first mile together in a group.

In 2023 the Northridge men’s team won the team competition, and the women’s team finished 4th. This year, the men’s team placed 4th. Camilo Torres led the Matadors with a 17th place finish in 18:32.4. This was the 3rd fastest 6K time in Matador school history Teammate, Diego Rodriguez finished in 43rd in 20:37.2.

Meanwhile, Nataly Vigil, Angel Garcia, and Angel Laureano competed at the Mark Covert Classic at Carbon Canyon Park.
Nataly competed in the 5-kilometer race for the Cal Lutheran University team. She was the second finisher for the Kingsmen running a 20:55.7. In the team competition, Cal Lutheran was 13th.

Angel Garcia and Angel Laureano competed for Moorpark College team on the 8-kilometer course. Angel Garcia placed 131st in 28:03.4, and Angel Laureano was 172nd in 31.30.2. In the team competition, Moorpark placed 8th.

The Fillmore Raiders played Saturday, August 31. See all scores and more photos on page 9. Pictured above is the Fillmore Raiders Might Mite Black Cheer Squad during their halftime show.
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Pictured is Raiders Mighty Mites Black #59 tackling a Simi Valley Bulldog player stopping him cold. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Pictured is Raiders Bantam Silver defense taking down team Oxnard in this past Saturday’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola
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Pictured is Fillmore Raiders Junior #9 trying to get free from a Saints player and gain some yards for the team in last Saturday’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola
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Above is a group of Raiders Bantam Black players shutting down the Ventura Packers players to keep them from advancing. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Above is Fillmore Raiders Seniors Black #9 stopping a Camarillo Stingers player dead in his tracks during Saturday’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Fillmore Raiders Youth Football home game scores for Saturday, August 31, 2024:

Raiders Mighty Mite Black (36) vs. Simi Valley Bulldogs (6)

Raiders Bantam Silver (28) vs. Oxnard Knights (0)

Raiders Bantam Black (0) vs. Ventura Packers (22)

Raiders Sophomores Black (14) vs. Santa Clarita Bears (38)

Raiders Juniors (0) vs. Santa Barbara Saints (6)

Senior Black (27) vs. Camarillo Stingers (8).