Article by Brandy Hollis/Pic collaboration with FLL & FLL IG.
Enlarge Photo

Gio “G-Money” Avila is this week’s player of the week at Fillmore Little League (FLL).
Coach Rudy Murrillo praised Gio with, “It has been a pleasure having Gio on our team. He always has the best attitude, gives it his all, and never gives up.” Last Saturday, going into the last inning, down by one, Gio told the coach if he got to the plate, he was going to get a hit and bring Santi and Kash in. He did just that to win the game! Gio went 4/4 Saturday, his best at bat this season!

Dinger hats are still being awarded from Lemon Tree Embroidery as the kids grow as players with the season moving forward. Thank you, Rob Lemons, you are appreciated.

Extra special shout out to the Minor B Yankees team; they sent a care package to their opposing team player on the Angels who got a bad hit by a pitch that broke his nose. What a class act, and great sportsmanship shown by the Yankees team.
Another special shout out to San Cayetano teacher Rory Maus, the community’s safety is his number one priority at the ballfield. He has been instrumental in getting lighted slow-down sign and other signage in the ballpark area to promote pedestrian safety for all the FLL kids, including his own. Please remember that when you drive on 2nd Street foul balls are being hit and kids may go into the street to retrieve them. Slowing down when driving by is just the right thing to do!
Remember FLL merchandise along with those yummy french fries will continue to be sold near the snack bar. FLL spirit is always in style!

Article by Brandy Hollis. Photos Brandy Hollis/FLL IG.
Enlarge Photo

It was another great week for Fillmore Little League (FLL) despite the rain. New home runs got added to the Dingers Club and they received a Dingers hat from Lemon Tree Embroidery to celebrate their accomplishments.
Jaxson Meyers is this week’s Player of the Week for the league.

Coach Gabe had this to say, “Jaxson is our little leader, he consistently works hard and leads by example. Jaxson shows up to practice with a great attitude towards coaches and teammates and won’t hesitate to remind others to pay attention. This last week I had a player that wanted to play 1st base, Jaxson without hesitation gave up his position, caught a pop fly at shortstop and made a triple play! He also went 3-3 at bat including a triple.”

Way to go Jaxson, way to be a positive leader! Thanks for some great baseball and outstanding leadership.
Also, Little League board members, players, coaches, family and friends headed to Dodger Stadium on Sunday for some Major League fun! Dodger rep Jamie worked diligently with FLL’s Erika Vargas to coordinate this very special event. Thank you, Jamie, for always coming through for our little town and an especially big thank you to Erika for being the heart of this process and making it as smooth as possible!

Well folks, that’s this week’s baseball highlights. Remember your coaches and umpires are volunteering their time, and doing their best! I encourage everyone to be of some sort of service to our community. It takes the community to keep these programs running. Let’s keep being the best little small town out there!

Make sure to tag Fillmore Little League Baseball so your picture can make it into next week’s article.

By Epi Torres
“On Thursday, the Fillmore track teams hosted their second home meet of the season, competing against the Carpinteria Warriors.

The girls JV 4 X 100-meter relay team started off the day with a victory in a time of 57.17. Team members were Andrea Gamez, Jaiden Peacock, Maribel Ruiz, and D’andra Amezcua. The Varsity Girls 4 X 100-meter relay team finished in 2nd in a time of 52.60. Team runners were Sarah Cedillos, Mia Munoz, Karinna Magana, and Emelie Magana. Both Fillmore girl teams ran personal best times.

The Varsity boys finished 1st in a time of 46.51. This was a season personal best time. Team members were Josiah Cruz, Saul Fraga-Sandoval, Christopher Perez, and Angel Martinez.

In the JV girls 1600 meters, Jacqueline Olivares finished in 4th in a time of 6:44.06. She was followed by Jannet Vega 6th in 6:44.35, Miley Tello 7th in 6:49.44, Jaelyn Castro 8th in 7:11.93, Natalie Perez 9th in 7:18.30, Cassandra Mendoza 10th in 7:28.15, Isabel Arredondo 11th in 7:28.80, Jessica Aparicio 14th in 7:40.98, Elena Magana 15th in 7:58.89, Nancy Anguiano 16th in 8:28.8, and Andrea Rojas 17th in 10:12.09. Cassandra, Isabel, and Jessica all ran personal bests. In the Varsity girls, Jessica Orozco finished 3rd. in 6:08.11. Niza Laureano was 4th in 6:14.78, and Alexandrea Martinez was 5th. in 6:32.14. In the F/S boys 1600-meter race, Alexander Nunez was 3rd in 5:45.72. He was followed by Jordan Hernandez 4th in 7:04.40, and Vincent Alonso 5th in 7:11.89. Jordan Hernandez established a personal best time. The In the Varsity boys, Joshua Estrada was 1st in 4:53.38, Martin Manzo 3rd in 4:58.19, Kobi Lizarraga 4th in 5:00.07, Vicente Lopez 6th in 5:20,64, Juan Cumatz 7th in 5:21.08, Nick Cabrales 8th in 5:34.21, Damian Castaneda 9th in 5:38.46, Andres Moreno 10th in 6:03.38, Juan Castro 11th in 6:13.98, and Alexander Diaz 12th in 6:23.72. Josh, Martin, Vicente, Andres, and Juan Castro ran personal bests.

In the Varsity girls 100-meter hurdles, Emelie Magana claimed 3rd place in 21.07. She was followed by Yaneli Landin 4th 21.19, and Michelle Setty 5th in 21.37. In the 300-meter hurdles, Yaneli Landin was 3rd in 60.70, Michele Setty finished 4th in 61.96. Emelie and Yaneli ran personal best times. In the Varsity boys 300 hurdles, Mauricio Ocegueda captured 3rd in a personal best time of 50.19.

In the JV girls 400 meters, leading the group was Xitlaly G. Mejia 1st in 1:10.09. In the Varsity girls 400, Fillmore’s top finisher was Leah Barragan 2nd in 1:05.40, Emily Soltero placed 5th in 1:11.96. In the Varsity boys, Angel Laureano placed 1st. in 55.44. He was followed by Sebastian Torres 2nd. in 55.49,

In the JV girls 100 meters, Fillmore captured the first 3 places. Andrea Gamez led the way in 14.76. Following were Jaiden Peacock 2nd in 14.79, Cristal Martinez 3rd in 15.33, and Maribel Ruiz 5th in 15:40. In the Varsity girl’s competition, Karinna Magana ran first in 13:40. She was followed by Janessa Corona 3rd in 13.68, Mia Munoz 4th in 13.87, and Sarah Cedillos 6th in 14:10. Janessa and Sarah ran personal best times. In F/S boys Joshua Felix was 1st in 12.91. Isaac Rivera place 2nd in 12.94, and Anthony Magana 4th in 13.57. Both Isaac and Joshua ran personal bests. In the Varsity boys race, Angel Martinez was 1st in 12:02, Chris Perez 4th in 12:34, Josiah Cruz 5th in 12:36, Angel Gonzalez 6th in 12.47, and Jasiah Patterson 8th in 12.69,

In the JV girls 800 meters, Jaelyn Castro finished 1st in 3:02.40. She was followed by Jannet Vega 4th in 3:07.72, Natalie Perez 5th in 3:17.03, Elena Magana 7th in 3:28.56, Isabel Arredondo 8th in 3:28.80, Cassandra Mendoza 9th in 3:31.13, Jessica Aparicio 11th in 3:34.09, Nancy Anguiano 6th in 3:39.26, and Andrea Rojas 14th in 4:13.60. Andrea ran a personal best time. In the Varsity girls, Diana Santa Rosa was the top finisher running a time of 2:37.07, and Joseline Orozco was 3rd in 2:44.72. This was a personal best time for Diana. In the boys F/S 800, Alexander Nunez was 3rd in 2:42.49, Vincent Alonso was 4th in 3:08.96. Omar Heredia was 1st. in the Varsity boys 800 in 2:05.52, Angel Garcia was 2nd in 2:09.88, Kobe Lizarraga 3rd in 2:09.97, Diego Ramirez 4th in 2:12.00, Nicholas Cabrales 5th in 2:38.05, Vicente Lopez 6th in 2:34.05, Damien Castaneda 7th in 2:38.05, Andres Moreno 8th in 2:41.70, Alexander Diaz 9th in 2:53.27, and Juan Castro in 2:53.66. Omar, Angel, Diego, Damian, Andres, and Juan ran personal best times.

In the JV girls 200 meters, Fillmore athletes captured the first 4 places. Jaiden Peacock was first in 30.35. She was followed by Xitlaly G. Mejia 2nd in 30.91, Andrea Gamez 3rd in 31.06, Cristal Martinez 4th in 32.36, and Madelynn Gonzalez 6th in 32.60. In the Varsity girls 200, Mia Munoz claimed 4th place in a time of 29.18. Sarah Cedillos was 6th in 29.69, and Emelie Magana 7th in 30.37. Mia and Sarah posted personal best times. In the F/S boys 200 meters, Joshua Felix placed 2nd. in 26.87. In the Varsity boys, Angel Martinez was 2nd in 24.87. Josiah Cruz placed 3rd in 25.15, Angel Gonzalez 4th in 25.37, Sebastian Torres 5th in 25.51, Christopher Perez 6th in 25.68, and Angel Laureano 7th in 26.04. Angel Martinez, Josiah, and Sebastian ran personal best times.

In the Varsity 3200 meters, Fillmore’s Niza Laureano was 2nd in 13:08.99, and Jessica Orozco 3rd in 13:25.70, and Alexandrea Martinez 4th in 14:19.88. In the boys F/S, Alexander Nunez was 2nd in 14:11.51. Jordan Hernandez was 3rd in 15:42.17. Alexander and Jordan established personal best times. In the boys Varsity, Joshua Estrada was 1st. in 11:08.24, Martin Manzo 2nd in 10:55.79, Juan Cumatz 4th in 11:49.31, Vicente Lopez 5th in 11:49.48, Kobe Lizarraga 6th in 12:13.33, and Juan Castro 9th in 14:38.35. Vicente ran a personal best time.

In the JV girls 4 X 400-meter relay, Fillmore athletes finished 1st in 4:51.09. The winning team consisted of Patzy Orozco, Xitlaly G. Mejia, Jaiden Peacock, and Andrea Gamez. The Varsity girls team placed 2nd in a time of 4:37.27. Team runners were Leah Barragan, Nataly Vigil, Emily Soltero, and Joseline Orozco. The Varsity boys also placed 1st in 3:39.90. Team members were Sebastian Torres, Angel Laureano, Eduardo Vigil, and Omar Heredia. All three teams ran a personal best time.

In the JV girls long jump, Delilah Cervantez finished in 2nd, leaping 11’07”, and Maribel Ruiz was 5th in 10’10”. In the Varsity girls long jump, Julissa Mendoza placed 4th with a jump of 13’03”, Abigail Magana 5th in 12’02.5”, Julissa and Abigail jumped personal best. Janessa Corona 8th in 11’09.5”. In the Varsity boy’s competition, Josiah Cruz was 1st. in 18’11”, Jasiah Patterson was 2nd recording a jump of 17’08.5”, and Christopher Perez 5th in 12’08”. Josiah and Chis jumped personal bests.

In the JV girls triple jump, Delilah Cervantez finished in 2nd in a personal best of 24’03”. In the Varsity girls triple jump competition, Sarah Cedillos was 4th in 29’01”, Julissa Mendoza 5th in 28’10”, Michelle Setty was 7th in a jump of 27’01”. and Abigail Magana was 8th in 27’00”. Julissa’s jump was a personal best. In the Varsity boys, Mauricio Ocegueda was 1st in 35’06”, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 2nd in 34’01.5”.

In the Varsity boys high jump, John Jimenez was 1st, clearing 5’02”, and Mauricio Ocegueda was 3rd in a jump of 4’10”.

In the JV girls discus, Valerie Rodriguez was 4th, tossing the discus 60’09”, Yesenia Robles was 5th in 45’05”, Andrea Cordero 7th in 43’08”, and Megan Robles 8th in 34’01”. In the Varsity girls competition, Aerin Garciia was 4th with a throw of 80’01”. She was followed by Emily Soltero 7th in 74’03”, Angeline Hernandez 8th in 63’06”, Emma Torres 9th in 61’04”, Destiny Tellez 10th in 55’03”, Jazmin Magana 11th in 54’11”. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral finished 1st in 105’06”, Isaac Rivera was 2nd in 105’03”, Valentin Garcia finished 4th in the event with a launch of 79’11”, Emanuel Velazquez 6th in 71’02”, Genaro Villela 8th in 56’10”. Anthony Tafoya won the Varsity boys discus in a personal best toss of 154’06”. Anthony Tafoya also surpassed the previous school record mark set by Justin Coert in 2015 of 149’09”. Daniel Viveros was 2nd in 115’02”, John Jimenez 5th in 77’11”, and Aiden Bankowski 7th in 47’11”.

In the JV girls shot put, Valerie Rodriguez was 4th with a heave of 20’05”, Yesenia Robles was 5th in 18’09”, Andrea Cordero 6th in 18’02”, and Megan Robles 8th in 14’10”. Valerie and Yesenia had personal best. Emily Soltero was 3rd in the Varsity girls shot put with a throw of 28’00.5”, Emma Torres 7th in 22’10”, Jazmin Magana 8th in 22’06.5”, Aerin Garcia 9th in 22’04”, Angeline Hernandez 10th in 22’03.5”, and Destiny Tellez 11th in 21’09”. Emma Torres and Destiny had personal best. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral was 2nd in 39’08”, Isaac Rivera was 3rd with a put of 37’10”, Genaro Villela 4th in 37’07”, Emanuel Velazquez 6th in 29’10”, and Valentin Garcia 7th in 28’03”. Carlos, lsaac, Genaro, Emanuel, and Valentin had personal bests. Daniel Viveros was 1st in the Varsity boys shot put, with a personal best of 45’06”, Tony Tafoya claimed 2nd in toss of 40’05”, John Jimenez was 4th in 32’04”, and Aiden Bankowski 6th in 16’02.5”. John and Aiden also had personal bests.

On Friday, April 5th, several athletes traveled to South Pasadena and competed in the Tiger Invitational.

First to race was Nataly Vigil. In the second heat of the varsity 1600-meter race. Nataly set a personal best time of 5:26.23. Nataly doubled up, coming back to race the 800 meters, where she also posted a personal best time of 2:31.51. Teammate Leah Barragan also competed in the Rising Star 800 meters. In this race Leah posted a personal best time of 2:32.34. Diana Santa Rosa also ran in the 1600 meters and ran her best time ever of 5:43.60. First year runner Joseline Orozco ran one of her better times this season, posting a 5:58.38 in the 1600 meters.

Omar Heredia was the top finisher for the boys in the 1600 meters. Omar posted a time of 4:37.26. He was closely followed by teammate Eduardo Vigil who finished in 4:37.37. In another heat, Angel Garcia finished in 4:42.53. All three athletes ran personal best times.

Two members of the sprint corps competed in the Rising Stars 100 meters. Karina Magana posted a time of 13.08. Teammate Mia Munoz ran a time of 13.61. Both athletes posted personal best times.

In the discus, 3 athletes competed. In the Rising Stars competition Isaac Rivera threw 99’11”, and Carlos Cabral threw 93’05”. In the Varsity boys, Anthony Tafoya captured first place with a toss of 146’08”. Anthony was the lone medal winner on the day for the Flashes. Several of these athletes also competed in the shot put, Isaac Rivera put the shot 39’03”, teammate Carlos Cabral followed closely with a put of 39’01.5”. In the Varsity shot put competition, Daniel Viveros was the top finisher for Fillmore with a put of 43’04”.

Newcomer Mauricio Ocegueda competed in the Rising Star division and lept 35’06” in the triple jump.

The Flashes will next compete on Tuesday, April 9th. They will host the Malibu Sharks for the last home meet of the season. Meet start time is 3:30 PM.

FILLMORE TRACK TEAMS HOST CARPINTERIA WARRIORS

“On Thursday, the Fillmore track teams hosted their second home meet of the season, competing against the Carpinteria Warriors

The girls JV 4 X 100 meter relay team started off the day with a victory in a time of 57.17. Team members were Andrea Gamez, Jaiden Peacock, Maribel Ruiz, and D’andra Amezcua. The Varsity Girls 4 X 100 meter relay team finished in 2nd in a time of 52.60. Team runners were Sarah Cedillos, Mia Munoz, Karinna Magana, and Emelie Magana. Both Fillmore girl teams ran personal best times.
The Varsity boys finished 1st in a time of 46.51. This was a season personal best time. Team members were Josiah Cruz, Saul Fraga-Sandoval, Christopher Perez, and Angel Martinez.

In the JV girls 1600 meters, Jacqueline Olivares finished in 4th in a time of 6:44.06. She was followed by Jannet Vega 6th in 6:44.35, Miley Tello 7th in 6:49.44, Jaelyn Castro 8th in 7:11.93, Natalie Perez 9th in 7:18.30, Cassandra Mendoza 10th in 7:28.15, Isabel Arredondo 11th in 7:28.80, Jessica Aparicio 14th in 7:40.98, Elena Magana 15th in 7:58.89, Nancy Anguiano 16th in 8:28.8, and Andrea Rojas 17th in 10:12.09. Cassandra, Isabel, and Jessica all ran personal bests. In the Varsity girls, Jessica Orozco finished 3rd. in 6:08.11. Niza Laureano was 4th in 6:14.78, and Alexandrea Martinez was 5th. in 6:32.14. In the F/S boys 1600 meter race, Alexander Nunez was 3rd in 5:45.72. He was followed by Jordan Hernandez 4th in 7:04.40, and Vincent Alonso 5th in 7:11.89. Jordan Hernandez established a personal best time. The In the Varsity boys, Joshua Estrada was 1st in 4:53.38, Martin Manzo 3rd in 4:58.19, Kobi Lizarraga 4th in 5:00.07, Vicente Lopez 6th in 5:20,64, Juan Cumatz 7th in 5:21.08, Nick Cabrales 8th in 5:34.21, Damian Castaneda 9th in 5:38.46, Andres Moreno 10th in 6:03.38, Juan Castro 11th in 6:13.98, and Alexander Diaz 12th in 6:23.72. Josh, Martin, Vicente, Andres, and Juan Castro ran personal bests.

In the Varsity girls 100 meter hurdles, Emelie Magana claimed 3rd place in 21.07. She was followed by Yaneli Landin 4th 21.19, and Michelle Setty 5th in 21.37. In the 300 meter hurdles, Yaneli Landin was 3rd in 60.70, Michele Setty finished 4th in 61.96. Emelie and Yaneli ran personal best times. In the Varsity boys 300 hurdles, Mauricio Ocegueda captured 3rd in a personal best time of 50.19.

In the JV girls 400 meters, leading the group was Xitlaly G. Mejia 1st in 1:10.09. In the Varsity girls 400, Fillmore’s top finisher was Leah Barragan 2nd in 1:05.40, Emily Soltero placed 5th in 1:11.96. In the Varsity boys, Angel Laureano placed 1st. in 55.44. He was followed by Sebastian Torres 2nd. in 55.49,

In the JV girls 100 meters, Fillmore captured the first 3 places. Andrea Gamez led the way in 14.76. Following were Jaiden Peacock 2nd in 14.79, Cristal Martinez 3rd in 15.33, and Maribel Ruiz 5th in 15:40. In the Varsity girl’s competition, Karinna Magana ran first in 13:40. She was followed by Janessa Corona 3rd in 13.68, Mia Munoz 4th in 13.87, and Sarah Cedillos 6th in 14:10. Janessa and Sarah ran personal best times. In F/S boys Joshua Felix was 1st in 12.91. Isaac Rivera place 2nd in 12.94, and Anthony Magana 4th in 13.57. Both Isaac and Joshua ran personal bests. In the Varsity boys race, Angel Martinez was 1st in 12:02, Chris Perez 4th in 12:34, Josiah Cruz 5th in 12:36, Angel Gonzalez 6th in 12.47, and Jasiah Patterson 8th in 12.69,

In the JV girls 800 meters, Jaelyn Castro finished 1st in 3:02.40. She was followed by Jannet Vega 4th in 3:07.72, Natalie Perez 5th in 3:17.03, Elena Magana 7th in 3:28.56, Isabel Arredondo 8th in 3:28.80, Cassandra Mendoza 9th in 3:31.13, Jessica Aparicio 11th in 3:34.09, Nancy Anguiano 6th in 3:39.26, and Andrea Rojas 14th in 4:13.60. Andrea ran a personal best time. In the Varsity girls, Diana Santa Rosa was the top finisher running a time of 2:37.07, and Joseline Orozco was 3rd in 2:44.72. This was a personal best time for Diana . In the boys F/S 800, Alexander Nunez was 3rd in 2:42.49, Vincent Alonso was 4th in 3:08.96. Omar Heredia was 1st. in the Varsity boys 800 in 2:05.52, Angel Garcia was 2nd in 2:09.88, Kobe Lizarraga 3rd in 2:09.97, Diego Ramirez 4th in 2:12.00, Nicholas Cabrales 5th in 2:38.05, Vicente Lopez 6th in 2:34.05, Damien Castaneda 7th in 2:38.05, Andres Moreno 8th in 2:41.70, Alexander Diaz 9th in 2:53.27, and Juan Castro in 2:53.66. Omar, Angel, Diego, Damian, Andres, and Juan ran personal best times.

In the JV girls 200 meters, Fillmore athletes captured the first 4 places. Jaiden Peacock was first in 30.35. She was followed by Xitlaly G. Mejia 2nd in 30.91, Andrea Gamez 3rd in 31.06, Cristal Martinez 4th in 32.36, and Madelynn Gonzalez 6th in 32.60. In the Varsity girls 200, Mia Munoz claimed 4th place in a time of 29.18. Sarah Cedillos was 6th in 29.69, and Emelie Magana 7th in 30.37. Mia and Sarah posted personal best times. In the F/S boys 200 meters, Joshua Felix placed 2nd. in 26.87. In the Varsity boys, Angel Martinez was 2nd in 24.87. Josiah Cruz placed 3rd in 25.15, Angel Gonzalez 4th in 25.37, Sebastian Torres 5th in 25.51, Christopher Perez 6th in 25.68, and Angel Laureano 7th in 26.04. Angel Martinez, Josiah, and Sebastian ran personal best times.

In the Varsity 3200 meters, Fillmore’s Niza Laureano was 2nd in 13:08.99, and Jessica Orozco 3rd in 13:25.70, and Alexandrea Martinez 4th in 14:19.88. In the boys F/S, Alexander Nunez was 2nd in 14:11.51. Jordan Hernandez was 3rd in 15:42.17. Alexander and Jordan established personal best times. In the boys Varsity, Joshua Estrada was 1st. in 11:08.24, Martin Manzo 2nd in 10:55.79, Juan Cumatz 4th in 11:49.31, Vicente Lopez 5th in 11:49.48, Kobe Lizarraga 6th in 12:13.33, and Juan Castro 9th in 14:38.35. Vicente ran a personal best time.

In the JV girls 4 X 400 meter relay, Fillmore athletes finished 1st in 4:51.09. The winning team consisted of Patzy Orozco, Xitlaly G. Mejia, Jaiden Peacock, and Andrea Gamez. The Varsity girls team placed 2nd in a time of 4:37.27. Team runners were Leah Barragan, Nataly Vigil, Emily Soltero, and Joseline Orozco. The Varsity boys also placed 1st in 3:39.90. Team members were Sebastian Torres, Angel Laureano, Eduardo Vigil, and Omar Heredia. All three teams ran a personal best time.

In the JV girls long jump, Delilah Cervantez finished in 2nd, leaping 11’07”, and Maribel Ruiz was 5th in 10’10”. In the Varsity girls long jump, Julissa Mendoza placed 4th with a jump of 13’03”, Abigail Magana 5th in 12’02.5”, Julissa and Abigail jumped personal best. Janessa Corona 8th in 11’09.5”. In the Varsity boy’s competition, Josiah Cruz was 1st. in 18’11”, Jasiah Patterson was 2nd recording a jump of 17’08.5”, and Christopher Perez 5th in 12’08”. Josiah and Chis jumped personal bests.

In the JV girls triple jump, Delilah Cervantez finished in 2nd in a personal best of 24’03”. In the Varsity girls triple jump competition, Sarah Cedillos was 4th in 29’01”, Julissa Mendoza 5th in 28’10”, Michelle Setty was 7th in a jump of 27’01”. and Abigail Magana was 8th in 27’00”. Julissa’s jump was a personal best . In the Varsity boys, Mauricio Ocegueda was 1st in 35’06”, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 2nd in 34’01.5”.

In the Varsity boys high jump, John Jimenez was 1st, clearing 5’02””, and Mauricio Ocegueda was 3rd in a jump of 4’10”.

In the JV girls discus, Valerie Rodriguez was 4th, tossing the discus 60’09”, Yesenia Robles was 5th in 45’05”, Andrea Cordero 7th in 43’08”, and Megan Robles 8th in 34’01”. In the Varsity girls competition, Aerin Garciia was 4th with a throw of 80’01”. She was followed by Emily Soltero 7th in 74’03”, Angeline Hernandez 8th in 63’06”, Emma Torres 9th in 61’04”, Destiny Tellez 10th in 55’03”, Jazmin Magana 11th in 54’11”. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral finished 1st in 105’06”, Isaac Rivera was 2nd in 105’03”, Valentin Garcia finished 4th in the event with a launch of 79’11”, Emanuel Velazquez 6th in 71’02”, Genaro Villela 8th in 56’10”. Anthony Tafoya won the Varsity boys discus in a personal best toss of 154’06”. Anthony Tafoya also surpassed the previous school record mark set by Justin Coert in 2015 of 149’09”. Daniel Viveros was 2nd in 115’02”, John Jimenez 5th in 77’11”, and Aiden Bankowski 7th in 47’11”.

In the JV girls shot put, Valerie Rodriguez was 4th with a heave of 20’05”, Yesenia Robles was 5th in 18’09”, Andrea Cordero 6th in 18’02”, and Megan Robles 8th in 14’10”. Valerie and Yesenia had personal best. Emily Soltero was 3rd in the Varsity girls shot put with a throw of 28’00.5”, Emma Torres 7th in 22’10”, Jazmin Magana 8th in 22’06.5”, Aerin Garcia 9th in 22’04”, Angeline Hernandez 10th in 22’03.5”, and Destiny Tellez 11th in 21’09”. Emma Torres and Destiny had personal best. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral was 2nd in 39’08”, Isaac Rivera was 3rd with a put of 37’10”, Genaro Villela 4th in 37’07”, Emanuel Velazquez 6th in 29’10”, and Valentin Garcia 7th in 28’03”. Carlos, lsaac, Genaro, Emanuel, and Valentin had personal bests. Daniel Viveros was 1st in the Varsity boys shot put, with a personal best of 45’06”, Tony Tafoya claimed 2nd in toss of 40’05”, John Jimenez was 4th in 32’04”, and Aiden Bankowski 6th in 16’02.5”. John and Aiden also had personal bests.

On Friday, April 5th,, several athletes traveled to South Pasadena and competed in the Tiger Invitational.

First to race was Nataly Vigil. In the second heat of the varsity 1600 meter race. Nataly set a personal best time of 5:26.23. Nataly doubled up, coming back to race the 800 meters, where she also posted a personal best time of 2:31.51. Teammate Leah Barragan also competed in the Rising Star 800 meters. In this race Leah posted a personal best time of 2:32.34. Diana Santa Rosa also ran in the 1600 meters and ran her best time ever of 5:43.60. First year runner Joseline Orozco ran one of her better times this season, posting a 5:58.38 in the 1600 meters.

Omar Heredia was the top finisher for the boys in the 1600 meters. Omar posted a time of 4:37.26. He was closely followed by teammate Eduardo Vigil who finished in 4:37.37. In another heat, Angel Garcia finished in 4:42.53. All three athletes ran personal best times.

Two members of the sprint corps competed in the Rising Stars 100 meters. Karina Magana posted a time of 13.08. Teammate Mia Munoz ran a time of 13.61. Both athletes posted personal best times.

In the discus, 3 athletes competed. In the Rising Stars competition Isaac Rivera threw 99’11”, and Carlos Cabral threw 93’05”. In the Varsity boys, Anthony Tafoya captured first place with a toss of 146’08”. Anthony was the lone medal winner on the day for the Flashes. Several of these athletes also competed in the shot put, Isaac Rivera put the shot 39’03”, teammate Carlos Cabral followed closely with a put of 39’01.5”. In the Varsity shot put competition, Daniel Viveros was the top finisher for Fillmore with a put of 43’04”.

Newcomer Mauricio Ocegueda competed in the Rising Star division and lept 35’06” in the triple jump.

The Flashes will next compete on Tuesday, April 9th. They will host the Malibu Sharks for the last home meet of the season. Meet start time is 3:30 PM.

Baseball is in full swing and you can watch Fillmore Little League’s social media for all the great tags and amazing plays caught by family and friends!

This week there was a recommendation for Gabriel Torres of the Minor B Angels team to be the Player of the Week. Gabriel made his pitching debut on April 6th. This was his first time ever pitching, and had several strikeouts.
“This ball player always has a positive attitude, positive sportsmanship,” said Jax of Fillmore Little League, “and is an all-around great player.”

Umpire Ivan Becerra has been lending a hand umpiring. He grew up with the league and still offers his assistance.
Santa Paula and Fillmore got the chance to duke it out with lots of great sportsmanship and competitive play. Great hits, great pitching and Roman Cervantez for Majors Angels got THE game ball on Tuesday and Saturday’s game. Way to go Little Leaguers!!

If you’re feeling really hungry, I can attest to the fact the french fries are on fire this year! Come on down to the snack bar when League President Anthony Albanez is working and ask for the Anthony Special--chili fries--I hear it’s worth the drive even if you don’t have anyone playing.

As a momma and former coach, I love watching my son and all the kids play, learn, and grow. Remember recreational sports is more than learning an athletic skill; it lets kids be comfortable being coached, learn to be a team player, and builds a sense of accomplishment and good sportsmanship that can last a lifetime.

Of course, all the leagues in town are made up of bodies of volunteers. Consider giving a little of your time to help organizations keep running. Umpires are always needed! See Fillmore Little League’s board members or social media for more information.

By Epi Torres

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the Fillmore track teams hosted their first home meet of the season, competing against the Nordhoff Rangers.

The girls JV 4 X 100-meter relay team started off the day with a victory in a time of 57.79. Team members were Andrea Gamez, Jaiden Peacock, Maribel Ruiz, and D’andra Amezcua. The Varsity Girls 4 X 100-meter relay team also finished in 1st but were disqualified due to an exchange violation. Team runners were Sarah Cedillos, Mia Munoz, Kimberly Magana, Janessa Corona, and Karinna Magana. The Varsity boys finished 2nd in a time of 46.70. Team members were Josiah Cruz, Saul Fraga-Sandoval, Christopher Perez, and Angel Martinez.

In the JV girls 1600 meters, Miley Tello captured the top spot in a time of 6:39.22, she was followed by Jannet Vega 2nd in 6:40.94, Jaelyn Castro 3rd in 6:58.21, Elena Magana 4th in 7:49.15, Jessica Aparicio 5th in 7:51.65, Nancy Anguiano 9th in 7:55.43, and Andrea Rojas 8th in 10:17.73. Jannet, Jaelyn, Elena, and Jessica all ran personal bests. In the Varsity girls, Nataly Vigil returned to the top spot finishing in 5:33.08. Joseline Orozco finished 3rd in 5:49.37, Diana Santa Rosa was 4th in 6:01.91, Niza Laureano 5th in 6:06.88, and Alexandrea Martinez 6th in 6:17.43. In the F/S boys 1600-meter race, Philip Jimenez was 3rd in 6:25.14. He was followed by Vincent Alonso 4th in 6:57.54, In the Varsity boys, Omar Heredia was 1st in 4:43.14, Angel Garcia 2nd in 4:48.40, Diego Ramirez 3rd in 4:54.28, Kobi Lizarraga 4th in 4:58.07, Joshua Estrada 5th in 4:58.95, Nick Cabrales 6th in 5:18.74, Juan Cumatz 7th in 5:20.53, Vicente Lopez 8th in 5:25.11, Damian Castaneda 10th. in 5:31.74, Juan Castro 11th in 6:14.05, Alexander Diaz 12th in 6:14.07, and Nathan Velasco 24th in 6:41.58. Omar, Damien, Juan Castro, and Alexander ran personal bests.

In the Varsity girls 100-meter hurdles, Michele Setty claimed 1st place in 21.20.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Michele Setty finished 2nd in 1:01.54. In the Varsity boys, Mauricio Ocegueda captured 1st in a personal best time of 50.22.

In the JV girls 400 meters, leading the group was Xitlaly G. Mejia 1st in 1:09.88, a personal best. She was followed by Patsy Orozco 2nd in 1:12.12, Melanie Flores 3rd in 1:14.41, Madelynn Gonzalez 4th in 1:15.37, and Alexandrea Gonzalez 5th in 1:18.57. In the Varsity girls 400, Fillmore’s top finisher was Leah Barragan 1st in 1:04.70, Emily Soltero placed 2nd in 1:09.54, Sarah Cedillos 3rd in 1:10.36. In the boys F/S, Valente Garcia placed 3rd in 1:04.86. In the Varsity boys, Sebastian Torres placed 2nd in 54.88. He was followed by Angel Laureano 3rd in 57.11, This was a personal best record for Sebastian.

In the JV girls 100 meters, Fillmore captured the first 3 places. Andrea Gamez led the way in 14.46. Following were Jaiden Peacock 2nd in 14.50, Cristal Martinez 3rd in 15.01, D’andra Amezcua 5th in 15.22, and Maribel Ruiz 6th in 15:40. In the Varsity girl’s competition, Karinna Magana ran first in 13:50, Mia Munoz 2nd in 13.85. She was followed by Janessa Corona 3rd in 13.87, Emelie Magana 6th in 14:26, and Abigail Magana 10th in 15.95. In F/S boys Joshua Felix was 1st in 12.95. In the Varsity boys race, Angel Martinez was 1st in 11.96, a personal record. Abel Villela was 3rd in 12.23, Chris Perez 4th in 12:32, Josiah Cruz 5th in 12:43, Jasiah Patterson 7th in 12.68, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 10th in 12.93.

In the JV girls 800 meters, Jaelyn Castro finished 1st in 3:00.26. Miley Tello was second in 3:00.41. She was followed by Jannet Vega 3rd in 3:04.58, Jessica Aparicio 4th in 3:22.22, Elena Magana 7th in 3:27.68, Nancy Anguiano 6th in 3:27.20, and Andrea Rojas 8th in 4:17.29. In the Varsity girls, Nataly Vigil was the top finisher running a time of 2:35.69, and Joseline Orozco was 2nd in 2:42.44. In the boys F/S 800, Vincent Alonso was 2nd in 3:07.03. Omar Heredia was 1st. in the Varsity boys 800 in 2:10.70, Angel Garcia was 2nd in 2:11.30, Nicholas Cabrales 4th in 2:21.69, Damien Castaneda 5th in 2:38.59, and Alexander Diaz 6th in 2:51.60.

In the JV girls 200 meters, Fillmore athletes captured the first 7 places. Jaiden Peacock was first in 30.35. She was followed by Andrea Gamez 2nd in 30.47, Xitlaly G. Mejia 3rd in 31.01, Patzy Orozco 4th in 32.46, Cristal Martinez 5th in 32.78, Madelynn Gonzalez 6th in 33.51, and Alexandrea Gonzalez 7th in 33.78. In the Varsity girls 200, Leah Barragan was first in 28.62, Mia Munoz claimed 4th place in a time of 29.39, Emelie Magana 5th in 30.26, and Karinna Magana 9th in 34.41. In the F/S boys 200 meters, Joshua Felix placed 1st. in 26.70, and Valente Garcia placed 6th in 29.05. In the Varsity boys, Josiah Cruz placed 3rd in 25.27, Christopher Perez was 4th in 25.68.

In the Varsity 3200 meters, Fillmore’s Nataly Vigil was 1st. at 12:53.18, Niza Laureano was 2nd in 13:00.07, and Diana Santa Rosa 3rd in 13:08.62. In the boys Varsity, Angel Garcia was 1st in 10:31.58, Diego Ramirez 2nd in 10:38.78, Joshua Estrada 4th in 10:52.64, Martin Manzo 5th in 10:55.79, Juan Cumatz 6th in 11:48.00, Vicente Lopez 7th in 12:00.76, Juan Castro 8th in 13:48.41, and Philip Jimenez 9th in 14:20.26.

In the JV girls 4 X 400-meter relay, Fillmore athletes finished 1st in 4:46.54. The winning team consisted of Patzy Orozco, Xitlaly G. Mejia, Jaiden Peacock, and Andrea Gamez. The Varsity girls team placed 2nd in a time of 4:37.27. Team runners were Leah Barragan, Nataly Vigil, Emily Soltero, and Joseline Orozco. The Varsity boys also placed 2nd in 3:44.33. Team members were Sebastian Torres, Kobe Lizarraga, Mauricio Ocegueda, and Omar Heredia.

In the JV girls long jump, D’andra Amezcua finished in first, leaping 12’01”, and Maribel Ruiz was 2nd in 11’10”. In the Varsity girls long jump, Janessa Corona was 1st. in 14’02.5”, and Abigail Magana 4th in 12’02.5”. In the Varsity boy’s competition, Josiah Cruz was 1st. in 17’09”, and Jasiah Patterson was 2nd recording a jump of 16’06.5”.

In the JV girls triple jump, D’andra Amezcua finished in 1st in 26”10”. In the Varsity girls triple jump competition, Sarah Cedillos was 1st in 29’10”, Abigail Magana was 2nd in 28’01”, and Michelle Setty was 3rd in a jump of 24’05”. In the Varsity boys, Mauricio Ocegueda was 1st in 36 ‘09”, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 2nd in 36’ 04.5”.

In the Varsity girls high jump. Michelle Setty was 4th, clearing 3’10”. In the Varsity boys high jump, John Jimenez was 1st, clearing 5’02””, and Mauricio Ocegueda was 4th in 4’10”.

In the JV girls discus, Valerie Rodriguez was 1st, tossing the discus 59’06”, Andrea Ramirez 2nd in 54’04”, Yesenia Robles was 3rd in 52’04”, Melanie Flores 9th in 44’08”, Andrea Cordero 8th in 43’01”, and Megan Robles 9th in 31’08”. In the Varsity girls competition, Aerin Garcia was 2nd with a throw of 78’02”. She was followed by Emily Soltero 3rd in 72’07”, Daniela Curiel 4th in 63’01”, Sofia Peredo 4th in 63”01”, Angeline Hernandez 7th in 62’03”, Emma Torres 7th in 58’02”, Jocelyn Jimenez 8th in 54’02”, Jazmin Magana 6th in 51’03”, Jazmin Magana 9th in 51’03”, and Daniela Vidal 10th in 49’10”. In the F/S boys, Valentin Garcia finished 2nd in the event with a launch of 73’10”, Emanuel Velazquez 5th in 62’00”, Genaro Villela 6th in 60’00”, and Eddie Padilla 6th in 34’00.5”. Anthony Tafoya won the Varsity boys discus in a personal best toss of 141’03”, Daniel Viveros was 3rd in 112’01”, Carlos Cabral 4th in 106’00”, Isaac Rivera 7th in 99’07”, John Jimenez 13th in 68’02”, and Aiden Bankowski 15th in 15’09”.

In the JV girls shot put, Andrea Ramirez was 1st with a heave of 21’02”, Andrea Cordero 2nd in 18’07”, Yesenia Robles 3rd in 18’01”, Melanie Flores 5th in 17’09”, Valerie Rodriguez 6th in 17’07”, and Megan Robles 8th in 16’03”. Emily Soltero won the Varsity girls shot put with a throw of 27’06”, Daniela Curiel 3rd in 25’00”, Aerin Garcia 4th in 22’08”, Emma Torres 5th in 22’01”, Jazmin Magana 6th in 21’08”, Angeline Hernandez 7th in 21’06”, Sofia Peredo 8th in 21’01”, Destiny Tellez 9th in 22’06.85”, and Daniela Vidal 11th in 18’02.5”. In the F/S boys, Genaro Villela won the event with a put of 30’10”, Emanuel Velazquez 4th in 27’03”, Eddie Padilla 5th in 26’11”, and Valentin Garcia 6th in 25’10”. Daniel Viveros was 1st in the Varsity boys shot put, with a personal best of 43’06”, Tony Tafoya claimed 2nd in toss of 40’05”, Carlos Cabral 3rd in 34’00”, Isaac Rivera 8th in 32’05”, John Jimenez was 9th in 31’04”, and Aiden Bankowski 8th in 15’09”.

On Friday, March 22nd, several athletes traveled to Simi, and participated in the Simi Valley Invitational.

In the Rated triple jump, Mauricio Ocegueda finished in 2nd, jumping 35 ‘11.5”. In the Rated long jump, Josiah Cruz lept 17 ‘8.5 “ and placed 8th. In the Rated discus, Isaac Rivera was 10th with a throw of 100 ‘00”, and Carlos Cabral placed 12 in 98’ 08”. In the Seeded discus event, Daniel Viveros placed 7th with a throw of 114 ‘06”. In the Invitational division, Anthony Tafoya was 5th in 132 ‘05”. Daniel Viveros also competed in the shot put. He captured 3rd place with a put of 42’ 09”.

In the Seeded triple jump, Sarah Cedillos jumped 30’ 02.5”. In Seeded girls discus, Aerin Garcia was 14th sending the discus 72’ 02”. Teammate Emily Soltero was 21st with a toss of 57’ 07”.

Two Fillmore sprinters completed in the Rated 100 meters. Karinna Magana ran the 100 meters in 13.36, and Mia Munoz ran 13.67.

On Thursday, March 21, 2204, Fillmore Flashes traveled to the Santa Paula Cardinals for a Citrus Coast League matchup.

Fillmore-6 vs. Santa Paula-0
Highlights: Emma Estrella- 11 strikeouts, 0 walks and only 1 hit over 7 innings.
Great defensive game by the Lady Flashes.
Flashes Hitting:
Erika Sanchez- Double and Single
Alexa Escamilla- Double
Sofia Aviles- Single
Makayla Balboa- Single
Viviana Posadas- Single
Record: Citrus Coast League: 4-0; Overall: 8-4-2

On March 9, Fillmore’s California United FC kicked-off the 2024 Spring Season. Above is Tixoc Diaz with the 2010 California United Boys Team, running away with goal number 2. Photo credit Erika Arana.
Enlarge Photo

Above is Jacob Santa Rosa from the 2014 California United Boys Team, defending strong. Photo credit Erika Arana.
Enlarge Photo

Courtesy Erika Arana
March 9, 2024 Games:
Oxnard League Scrimmage - 2014 California United Girls
California United 7-O Gravity.
Goals: Alejandra Avila 3, Lexi Goodenough 2, Mika Toyooka 1, Sarah Sasson 1
VC Fusion Spring Cup - California United 2014 Boys
Game 1: California United 1-6 NP Elite Venom
Goals: David Gonzalez
Game 2: California United 6-0 Zero Gravity Black
Goals: Michael Ortiz 2, Noah Jimenez 1, Kris Alvarez 2, David Prado 1
Assist: Romeo Ochoa 1, Bane Brawders 1
Shutout Goalkeeper: Eli Vargas
VC Fusion Spring Cup - California United 2007/2008 Girls
Game 1: California United 1-0 AYSO United
Goal: Neveah Nappi
Shutout Goalkeeper: Alina Juarez
Game 2: California United 0-2 AYSO Santa Clarita
Game 3: California United 2-2 VC Fusion
Goals: Leanna Lomeli, Valerie Rubio
Overall Record: 1-1-1
Newbury Park Spring League- California United 2010 Boys
California United 2-4 Santa Barbara
Goals: Abel Arana 1, Tixac Diaz 1.
Assists: Tixoc Diaz, Josue Razo
March 16, 2024 Games:
Newbury Park Spring League - California United 2014 Boys
California United 2-1 Oxnard United
Goals: Andre Mendez 1, Kris Alvarez 1
Assist: Andre Mendez 1
Overall Record: 1-0-0
Newbury Park Spring League - California United 2016 Boys
California United 4-3 SVSC

On March 18, Fillmore hosted Oxnard Yellow Jackets for a non-league match-up. Final score, Fillmore-4, Oxnard-3. Highlights: Emma Estrella- 7 strikeouts over 7 innings; Sofie Aviles- 1 triple, 1 single, 2 RBI’s; Viviana Posadas- 1 double; Aryanne Munoz- 1 single, 1 RBI’s; Alexa Escamilla- 1 Single. Record: Citrus Coast League: 3-0; Overall: 7-4-2

On March 12, Fillmore Flashes hosted the Nordhoff Rangers for a Citrus Coast League match-up. The game went 5 innings. Final score, Fillmore-10, Nordhoff-0. Highlights: Emma Estrella- 13 strikeouts; Aryanne Munoz- 1 triple, 1 single, 2 RBI’s; Sofie Aviles- 1 double, 1 single, 2 RBI’s; Viviana Posadas- 1 double.

1 single, 1 RBI; Makayla Balboa- 1 double, 1 RBI; Erika Sanchez- 1 single, 1 RBI; Jacqueline Ordonez- 1 single; Alexa Escamilla- 1 Single. Record: Citrus Coast League: 3-0, Overall: 7-4.

On March 8, Fillmore traveled to Dos Pueblos High School. Final score, Fillmore-0, Dos Pueblos-3. Highlights: Emma Estrella- 12 strikeouts, 1 single; Sofia Aviles- 1 Single; Makayla Balboa- 1 Single. Record: Citrus Coast League: 2-0; Overall: 6-4.

By Epi Torres

On Saturday, March 16 several Fillmore track athletes competed in the annual Maurice Greene Invitational hosted by Oaks Christian High School.

Two F/S girls started off the day for the Flashes by running the Malachi Mile. Miley Tello was the top runner for Fillmore running a personal best time of 6:26.54. Meanwhile, her teammate Jannet Vega also ran a personal best time of 6:47.21 in the same race. The Varsity girls race followed. Nataly Vigil continued what has been a very good season for her by finishing second in a field of 21 athletes. Her mile time of 5:30.81 was her best time this season. Nataly was followed by Joseline Orozco who posted a time of 5:57.37. The boys followed in the mile, Eduardo Vigil was Fillmore’s top finisher, Eddie placed 7th in a time of 4:41.55. Angel Garcia posted a time of 4:45.83, followed by Omar Heredia in 4:52.8, and Joshua Estrada in 4:57.13.

In the girls F/S 100 meter hurdles, Yaneli Landin placed 9th in 21.18. This was Yaneli's first time competing in this event. Teammate Michelle Setty was a close 10th in 21.47. This was a personal best time for both girls.

In the F/S girls 400 meter run, Emelie Magana ran a time of 1:22.16. In the F/S boys 400, Mauricio Ocegueda ran a personal best time of 57.95. In the Varsity boys 400, Angel Laureano ran a 55.16.

In the girls F/S 100 meters, Karinna Magana ran a 13.13. Mia Munoz followed in a time of 13.76, Janessa Corona 13.81, and Sarah Cedillo 14.13. In the F/S boys race Abel Villela sped to a time of 12.12, he was followed by Saul Fraga-Sandoval in 12.22. All the Fillmore athletes listed above ran a personal best time. In the boys Varsity race, Angel Martinez posted a personal best time of 12.04. Chris Perez ran a 12.21.

In the Varsity 800, Angel Laureano ran a 2:24.65.

In the F/S girls 200, Karina Magana ran a 28.99, Emelie Magana posted a 29.16, and Mia Munoz ran a 30.10. Emelie’s time was a personal best for this event. In the Varsity boys Josiah Cruz ran a 25.59. This was a personal best time for Josiah in the 200 meters.

In the girls F/S high jump Michele Setty jumped 4’ even.

In the girls F/S long jump, Janessa Corona lept 12’11.5”. This was a personal best jump for Janessa. In the Varsity girls division, Abigail Magana jumped 11’11.5”. In the boys F/S Saul Fraga-Sandoval jumped 16’11.75”. In the Varsity boys, Josiah Cruz lept 18’00”.

In the F/S girls triple jump, Sarah Cedillos jumped 28’11”. This was a personal best jump for Sarah. Teammate, Michelle Setty reached out to 25’11”. In the Varsity girls, Abigail Magana jumped 26’00.25”. In the F/S boys triple jump, Abel Villela jumped 34’10.5”.

In the F/S girls discus, Emily Soltero reached a mark of 70’09”. In the boys Varsity discus, Anthony Tafoya propelled the sphere a new personal best of 140’02”, and Daniel Viveros threw it 123’06”.

In the Varsity boys shot put, Daniel Viveros heaved the steel ball to a personal best distance of 43’03”.

Medal winners for this meet were Nataly Vigil in the Varsity girls 1600 meter, Emily Soltero in the F/S girls discus, and Anthony Tafoya in the boys Varsity discus.

Fillmore will next compete on their home track against the Nordhoff Ranger on Thursday, March 21st at 3:30 p.m.

By Nancy Rodriguez

On Saturday, February 24, 2024, Fillmore Legendz Basketball, the newest sports program in town, wrapped up after a successful 6-week pilot run. Fillmore Legendz, a program designed to help athletes who need a little extra support to participate in sports, allows the participants to go at their own pace and grow as an individual player based on their own personal needs.

Thanks to support from Fillmore City Manager, David Rowlands, Cultural, Arts, and Recreation Commissioner, Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez, coaches and parents, 20 athletes participated in the program’s first season. And with the help from local business sponsors, like Lemon Tree Embroidery and Estrella Market, all players received a jersey and trophy at no cost!

Fillmore Legendz is expected to come back in January 2025 with a traditional 8-week program. For more information on how to sign-up to play or volunteer, please contact program coordinator Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez at (323) 385-1106.

Enlarge Photo

Fillmore Little League has officially opened as of Saturday, March 9, 2024. There was a full house in attendance for not only the opening pitch but for the league in general. This year they had a record breaking 30 teams and 340 children playing. The stands were filled with excited spectators as Fillmore’s Little Leaguers took to the field with high hopes for the season. Raffle tickets were pulled with great prizes for the participants. Volunteers for the program worked hard getting the season going, the day organized, the fields prepped, the managers and coaches working with the kids and umpires and making sure we can all visit the concession stand. Everyone was working together for the love of the game and our children. Please consider finding a passion and lend a hand, our community works together. If you want to watch a good show, come on down, these kids will put one on for you! Their little hearts play so hard, you can’t help but smile. For Fillmore Little League announcements follow their social media pages. Courtesy Brandi Hollis; Inset photo credit Jax Avila.

Enlarge Photo

Article & photo courtesy Brandy Hollis

As a mom of six kids, I love getting to watch all my kids play sports. My oldest boys wrestled for FHS, which was always so exciting, plus all the other sports and activities they did. My daughter did competitive cheer and all that entails. I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach my children in soccer and manage a little league team in the past years. Now as my son grows older it’s time for him to move onto other coaches.

Cooper Hollis will be 11 years old and in the fall a 6th grader at FMS. He tends to be a lot smaller than the other kids his age but his heart makes up for it. A few weeks ago, he was brave enough to get up at a schoolboard meeting to advocate for sports in the elementary school, so that way families that can’t afford to play get the opportunity at school. He is the kid that is leading the warm up, usually finishing the runs fast, leading his teams by making sure they are ready. Even when he catches, he makes sure the pitcher is having a tough time to taunt him and get them to shake it off.
In basketball other teams have to have two larger kids come sandwich him so he doesn’t stop their play, even though he may only reach their chests.

This guy is fast and loves to steal bases. People always tell his dad and me that they love to watch him play, his heart for each sport is so big it reads across his face. I would like to say that I work with him, but I don’t get the opportunity too. What he has is raw talent. He was swimming and jumping off the deep end at 2, can’t keep him out of the ocean, dives and surfs too. He has lots of incredible talents (too many to mention) that have made us always wonder if he is a super hero disguised as my child. Most importantly he is a kind and respectful young man.

At opening day, Saturday, March 9, he made the first run of the season for Fillmore Little League. He got on base with a walk and stole the whole diamond. Eventually doing it again for the Majors Angels. He played 2nd base, pitched and played catcher. I normally write about other adults in the community, but since it’s the start of baseball season, I thought the first run of the season deserved some special recognition. His heart for the game is huge and he never says no. He’s coachable and talented and I can’t wait to watch him grow this year under some great coaching by the Angels’ team. Go big, Coop!

By Epi Torres

On Thursday, March 7th, Fillmore track athletes traveled to Channel Islands to compete against their league opponents, the Raiders.

The JV 4 X 100 meter relay team started off the day with a victory in a time of 57.48. Team members were Andrea Gamez, Jaiden Peacock, Maribel Ruiz, and Emelie Magana. The Varsity Girls 4 X 100 meter relay team finished in 2nd. Team runners were Sarah Cedillos, Jasmine Gonzalez, Janessa Corona, and Karinna Magana. Their time was a 54.17. The F/S boys finished 2nd in 52.74. Runners were Gabriel Lagunas, Valente Garcia, Caysen Michel, and Isaac Rivera. The Varsity boys also finished 2nd in a time of 47.52. Team members were Josiah Cruz, Saul Fraga-Sandoval, Christopher Perez, and Josiah Patterson.

In the JV girls 1600 meters, Miley Tello captured the top spot in a time of 6:41.35, she was followed by Jannet Vega 2nd in 6:57.19, Jaelyn Castro 4th in 7:22.88, Isabel Arredondo 6th in 7:37.57, Elena Magana 7th in 7:51.80, Jessica Aparicio 8th in 7:53.29, Nancy Anguiano 9th in 7:57.76, Mia Urbano 10th in 8:05.07, and Andrea Rojas 11th in 10:07.28. In the Varsity girls, Joseline Orozco finished first in 5:54.96, and Diana Santa Rosa 2nd in 6:10.73. In the F/S boys 1600 meter race, Alexander Nunez was 5th in 5:45.34. He was followed by Alejandro Rangel 6th in 5:46.52, in the Varsity boys, Eddie Vigil finished 2nd in 4:43.12, Omar Heredia was 4th in 4:46.22, Angel Garcia 6th in 4:46.68, Diego Ramirez 8th in 4:51.23, Joshua Estrada 9th in 4:55.07, Vicente Lopez 17th in 5:24.73, Juan Cumatz 19th in 5:28.20,:Damian Castaneda 21st. in 5:40.27, Alexander Diaz 22nd in 6:14.38, Juan Castro 23rd in 6:15.42, and Nathan Velasco 24th in 6:41.58.

In the Varsity girls 100 meter hurdles, Michele Setty claimed 3rd place in 22.37.

In the 300 meter hurdles, Yaneli Landin finished 2nd in 58.40, and Michele Setty took 4th in 1:04.62.

In the JV girls 400 meters, leading he group was Xitlaly G. Mejia 1st. She was followed by Madelynn Gonzalez 2nd in 1:15.12, Alexandrea Gonzalez 7th in 1:18.86. In the Varsity girls 400, Fillmore’s top finisher in 2nd was Sarah Cedillo in 1:10.81, Emily Soltero placed 3rd in 1:10.86. In the boys F/S Gabriel Lagunas was first in 1:04.41, followed by Valente Garcia 2nd in 1:07.34. In the Varsity boys, Angel Laureano placed 1st in 55.97. He was followed by Angel Gonzalez 4th in 57.40, and Mauricio Ocegueda 8th in 1:00.79.

In the JV girls 100 meters, Fillmore captured the first 3 places. Emelie Magana led the way in 14.70. Following were Andrea Gamez 2nd in 15:27, Cristal Martinez 3rd in 15.33, Maribel Ruiz 7th in 15:91, D’andra Amezcua 8th in 16.11, Delilah Cervantez 9th in 16:37, and Julie Luna 10th in 16:47. In the Varsity girl’s competition, Karinna Magana ran first in 14.07. Mia Munoz 3rd in 14:39. She was followed by Janessa Corona 4th in 14:50, and Jasmine Magana 7th in 14:66. In F/S boys lsaac Rivera was 2nd in 13.28, and Caysen Michel 6th in 14:90. In the Varsity boys race, Angel Martinez was 2nd in 12:24. Christopher Perez was 3rd in 12.83, Josiah Cruz 5th in 12:88, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 6th in 12.90.

In the JV girls 800 meters, Miley Tello finished 1st in 3:08.59. Jaelyn Castro was second in 3:15.37. She was followed by Jannet Vega was 3rd in 3:16.04, Isabel Arredondo 5th in 3:26.80, Elena Magana 7th in 3:27.68, Nancy Anguiano 8th in 3:29.09, Andrea Ramirez 9th in 3:38.79, Jessica Aparicio 10th in 3:39.42, Mia Urbano 11th in 3:42.25, and Andrea Rojas 12th in 4:15.11. In the Varsity girls, Leah Barragan led the top 3 Fillmore finishers by running a time of 2:35.87, Joseline Orozco 2nd in 2:40.96, and Diana Santa Rosa 3rd in 2:47.98. In the boy’s F/S 800, Alejandro Rangel was 3rd in 2:34.29, Alexander Nunez was 5th in 2:47.23, and Vincent Alonso 6th in 3:12.30. Omar Heredia was second in the Varsity boys 800 in 2:09.91, Angel Garcia was 3rd in 2:10.64, Vicente Lopez, 11th in 2:35.29, Damien Castaneda 12th in 2:38.57, Alexander Diaz 13th in 2:50.50, and Nathan Velasco 15th in 3:00.58.

In the JV girls 200 meters Fillmore athletes captured the first 3 places. Emelie Magana was first in 30.31. She was followed by Andrea Gamez 2nd in 30.85, Xitlaly G. Mejia 3rd in 32.15, Cristal Martinez 6th in 33.23, Madelynn Gonzalez 7th in 33.42, Julie Luna 8th in 33.55, and Alexandrea Gonzalez 14th in 35.45. In the Varsity girls 200, Mia Munoz claimed second place in a time of 29.92. In the F/S boys 200 meters, Gabriel Lagunas placed 3rd in 27.86. In the Varsity boys Angel Gonzalez placed 2nd in 25.80, Christopher Perez was 3rd in 25.82.

In the Varsity 3200 meters, Fillmore’s Alexandra Martinez was 1st. at 13:27.75. In the boys Varsity, Eduardo Vigil was 1st in a season’s best of 10:07.9, Diego Ramirez 5th in 10:41.29, Joshua Estrada 8th in 11:15.81, Juan Cumatz 10th in 11:52.73, Martin Manzo 11th in 13:55.83, and Kobi Lizarraga 12th in 13:55.85.

In the JV girls 4 X 400 meter relay, Fillmore teams finished 1st and 2nd. The winning team in 5:01.55 consisted of Melanie Flores, Xitlaly G. Mejia, Emelie Magana, and Andrea Gamez. The 2nd team was composed of Miley Tello, Jannet Vega, Luz Castaneda, and Jaelyn Castro. They recorded a time of 5:30.53. The Varsity girls team ran to victory in a time of 4:35.50. Team runners were Leah Barragan, Diana Santa Rosa, Emily Soltero, and Joseline Orozco. The Varsity boys also won their race in 3:46.15. Team members were Angel Laureano, Eddie Vigil, Angel Garcia, and Omar Heredia.

In the JV girls long jump, D’andra Amezcua finished in first, leaping 11’03.5”. Delilah Cervantes was 2nd in 10’07”, Alexandrea Gonzalez 3rd in 10’.5”, Julie Luna 4th in 10’25.50”. In the Varsity girls long jump, Janessa Corona was 3rd in 12’08.5”, Jasmine Gonzalez 8th in 12’04.5” and Abigail Magana 7th in 11’05”. In the Varsity boy’s competition, Josiah Cruz was 2nd in 17’08”, Saul Fraga-Sandoval finished in 4th, leaping 16’03.5”, and Jasiah Patterson recorded a jump of 15’07”.

Michelle Setty was 2nd in the Varsity girls triple jump competition in a jump of 26’04”, and Abigail Magana was 3rd in 24’09”. In the Varsity boys, Mauricio Ocegueda was 2nd in 35’09.75”, and Saul Fraga-Sandoval 3rd in 35’04.5”.

In the Varsity girls high jump, Yaneli Landin was 1st in a jump of 4’02.00”. Michelle Setty was 4th, clearing 4 feet even. In the Varsity boys high jump, John Jimemen was 3rd, clearing 4’10”, and Mauricio Ocegueda was 4th in 4’08”.

In the JV girl’s discus, Valerie Rodriguez was 2nd tossing the discus 52’01”. Yesenia Robles was 2nd in 47’09”, Andrea Ramirez 7th in 45’01”, Andrea Cordero 8th in 42’08”, Melanie Flores 9th in 39’01.5”, and Megan Robles 26’00”. In the Varsity girl’s competition, Aerin Garcia was 1st with a throw of 77’00.5”. She was followed by Emily Soltero 2nd in 72’10.5”, Adamary Hernandez 3rd in 67’04”, Daniela Curiel 5th in 61”03”, Angeline Hernandez 7th in 55’04”, Emma Torres 8th in 53’08”, Sofia Peredo 10th in 50’07”, Jazmin Magana 6th in 55’06”, Yesenia Robles 4th in 39 01, and Daniela Vidal 11th in 44’00”. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral won the event with a launch of 105’08”, Isaac Rivera was 2nd in 105’05”, Valentin Garcia 3rd in 74’04.5”, Emanuel Velazquez 5th in 62’02”, and Eddie Padilla 6th in 34’00.5”. Anthony Tafoya won the Varsity boys discus in a toss of 134’09”, Daniel Viveros was 2nd in 125’04”, John Jimenez 7th in 71”08”, and Aiden Bankowski 8th in 28’09.5”.

In the JV girls shot put, Andrea Ramirez placed 3rd in a heave of 17’05.5”, Valerie Rodriguez 4th in 17’05”, Andrea Cordero 6th in 17’02.5”, Yesenia Robles 8th in 15’10.5”, Melanie Flores 9th in 15’.00”, and Megan Robles 10th in 14’01”. Emily Soltero won the Varsity girls shot put with a throw of 25’04”, Daniela Curiel 2nd in 23’09”, Aerin Garcia 3rd in 23’04”, Adamary Hernandez 4th in 23’02”, Angeline Hernandez 6th in 22’07.00”, Jazmin Magana 6th in 22’04.5”, Emma Torres 7th in 21’02”, Sofia Peredo 8th in 20’10”,Destiny Tellez 20’02.5”, and Daniela Vidal 10th in 16’03.00”. In the F/S boys, Carlos Cabral won the event with a put of 38’10”, Isaac Rivera 2nd in 35’06.5”, Valentin Garcia 4th in 27’01”, Emanuel Velazquez 5th in 26’06”, and Eddie Padilla 8th in 25’09”. Tony Tafoya claimed 2nd in the Varsity boys shot put in heave of 41’05”, Daniel Viveros 3rd with a personal best of 41’11”, John Jimenez was 7th in 28’00””, and Aiden Bankowski 8th in 15’04”.

Fillmore track and field athletes will next host the Nordhoff Rangers on March 24. That meet is set to start at 3:30 p.m. Hope to see you there.