Download your copy of the October 2008 high school newspaper called, The Talon
Download your copy of the September 2008 high school newspaper called, The Talon
Download your copy of the July 2008 middle school newspaper called, The Beakon
Download your copy of the June 2008 high school newspaper called, The Talon
Clear skies and crisp breezes greeted a throng as at least several hundred gathered Thursday on the Vacaville Christian High School football field to honor the graduating class of 2008.
A compact class of 88, the graduating seniors seemed as close as siblings as they hugged, clasped hands, laughed and cavorted while waiting for the commencement ceremonies to begin.
Garbed in robes of navy and white and wreathed in flower leis as well as stoles and cords signifying various achievements and memberships, the young men and women also happily waved to families and friends who offered well wishes from the sidelines. Cameras flashed, endearments were screamed and implements such as cowbells were rung.
As the ceremony got under way, prayers were said and praises were sung, music lifted the collective spirit and many had their say about both students and teachers who mingled and connected during the past four years at Vaca Christian.
Salutatorian Justine Folk shared recollections of a singing principal, literally entertaining teachers and students who gave their all to make each day just a little brighter. Such memories, she said, could be why so many of her peers are loath to move forward. There’s no fear of the future, she said, just a reluctance to leave behind good people and good times.
She described the school’s teachers and staff as “encouragers, mentors and friends. These people and what they taught us will not be soon forgotten.”
Valedictorian Aaron Valenzuela joked about learning Calculus “from someone who looks and acts like he could be my brother,” experiencing tremors thought to be earthquake-related but “that’s just Coach Smith telling us to do 25 more push-ups,” and having a teacher who has “a full-grown anaconda on his wall and knows how to kill a monkey with a blow dart.”
On a more serious note, he thanked friends for making school fun, parents for their support, and teachers, staff and faculty for everything else.
“Thank you for knowing us, for knowing who each of us are, for teaching us and loving us,” he said. “You’ve been good to us ... and reminded us that God will be good to us as well.”
Speaker and math teacher Tanner Auch encouraged students to move forward in faith, commit to God’s will, nurture good relationships, touch other’s lives and lead value-filled ones, as well.
“All of your teachers love you and praise you and will continue to when you take off from here,” he added.
Moments later shouts filled the air as the Class of 2008 celebrated its status as high school graduates.
Vacaville Christian High School Graduating Class of 2008
Julianna Aldredge, Taylor Boe, Jennifer Brasseal, Lauren Braun, Ashleigh Brett, Keely Brown, Miranda Conway, Matthew Cooley, Jordan Coupe, Haley Cunningham, Amy Dallenbach, Raymond DeGracia, Melissa DiFrancesco, Bailey Ekin, Kimberly Embry, Samara Erb, Keriana Ewing, Alec Falkner, Justin Fitzgerald, Justine Folk and Shalynn Fuentes, Jonathan Gee, Courtney Goodenough, Bryan Goodson and Tomas Gustafson.
Daniel Guttridge, David Harris, Holden Hartley, Kathryn Hedger, Andrew Hibbs, Daniel Holz, Brandon Hood, Kalani Hubbard, Sara Hudson, Eliese Johansen, Erik Johansen, Daniel John, Christopher Johnson, Hugh Kidd, Matthew Knauf, Bryce Koizumi, Megan Kura, Kelly Lamb, Morgan Latham, Caleb Lister, Jamie Lytle and Joelle MacLean, Michael Mapili, Rachel Martin, Amy Martinez, James Masingale, Hilary Mitchell, Shane Moore, Christopher Mui and Laura Mulholland.
Jennifer Naku, Spencer Norling, Kenneth Norman, Serina Nunez, Laura Odneal, Benjamin Ojeda, Tiffany Owen, Angelica Parker, Michael Picazo, Alyssa Pielstick, Jennelle Planas, Alexis Read, Darin Reyes, Rebecca Richardson, Robert Rodriguez, Courtney Salamone, Brittany Sommese, Zachary Stine, Melvin Strong, Spencer Struwe, Aziza Sullivan, Alexandra Taylor, Nathaniel Thorn, Renee Thrasher, Beau Troxclair, Aaron Valenzuela, Jonathan Van’t Hul, Charles Vollstedt, Morgan Vucurevich, Kyle Welsh, John Wemple, Taylor Whitt, Joshua Williams.
Watch in the days to come for publication of a list of scholarship winners.
This was definitely a building year for VCS Radio Jazz. Half of the members are new to the band this school year and our talented drummer, Matt Adams, started with us in January. So, what do you do with so much inexperience? Well, you go to one of the toughest Jazz festivals in the country and take home take home a 3rd place trophy for our high school division.
Congratulations also go to our two eldest members – senior, Aaron Valenzuela and Junior, Logan McKern – both wining Outstanding Musicianship Awards at the Reno Festival.
VCS is very proud of the extra effort each member carried out to make the band perform so well. Not only the young members, but the older ones who served as wonderful roll models and mentors.
The band will now turn its focus to their new recording project, Principles of Guided Musical Design – Volume 4.
Nicole Rico
Cady Eckle
Colleen Mitchell
Stephanie Nelson
Chelsea Posthuma
Chelsea Boe
Alexis Quilles
Kelly Batcheldor
Lauren Knaack
Dani Russo
Chelsea Morphis
Natalie Reeder-Perez
Callie Mulvihill
Christiana Ripley
Autumn LaBourdette
Mariah Harris
Mariah Ballard
Whitney Knaack
Kadi Greiss
Ashlynn Speers
RickiLee Rodarte
Haley Weaver
Heather Johnson
Zoe Martin
Gabriella Negrillo
Payten Silva
Maria DeTomasi
Kendra Rowland
Daria Cook
Haley Gibson
Tiffany Conama
Antoinette Owens
Alexandria Owens
Alicia Frison
Aleah Frison
Ricki Quilles
Jessica Johnson
Middle School Cheerleading Team
Junior Team:
Emily Coolidge
Kayla Santos
Meghan Swearingen
Samantha Stanley
Lauren Summers
Christianne Negrillo
Savannah Harris
Olivia Paul
Morganne Murphy
Kaylynn Quintero
Lily Egan
Jessica White
Naima Hester
Candice LaRock
Jaquelin Aquilar
Kiera Connelly
Alexandra Pazdel
Breah Trigg
Elementary Team:
Christina Fisher
Heavenly Smith
Camille Dolcee
Ashlynn Owens
Sydney Phan
Celena Clark
Kaitlynn Segrest
Allie Deckard
Angie Olson
Jasmine Moldovan
Morgan Houston
Naomi Hopper
Courtney Chandler
Sierra Richardson
Amanda Barbour
Bailey Ekin, Vacaville Christian’s lone senior, is a team player but also knows how to take over a game. (Ryan Chalk/The Reporter) “Big Sister” knows when to let the other siblings shine. She also knows when to take over.
Bailey Ekin commands plenty of respect with the Vacaville Christian High School girls basketball team. After all, she is one of the few Falcons who can drive a car.
More importantly this week, Ekin is one of the leaders on the court for VCS, which opens Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs tonight at Bret Harte.
In other games involving local teams, Vanden hosts Livingston, Will C. Wood is at Ponderosa and Dixon is at Placer.
All games tip off at 7 p.m. Boys playoffs begin on Wednesday.
Ekin is the lone senior on the VCS roster, and is one of the big reasons the Falcons are the No. 10 seeds, despite moving up to Division IV for the first time this season.
“She’s as good a captain as I can ever remember having ... along with maybe Cassie Palmer,” said VCS head coach Bob Fernandez, who coached Palmer at Vacaville before coming to VCS. “She plays her heart out every night. She’s truly a hard-nosed, tough, good player.”
Ekin has done a lot of the dirty work for a team that has plenty of good shooters in sophomores Lyndsey Elm and Kelsey Knitter and junior Alex Erb. But Ekin also can take over a game, as evidenced by her career-high, 30-point outburst last week against Foresthill.
Barring major upsets tonight, the performance came in Ekin’s last home game as a Falcon.
“I just remember walking out on the court, not wanting it to end,” Ekin said. “I remember wanting to play well, but (scoring 30 points) just happened. For the playoffs, we have to have the same attitude, only it’s going to be a lot harder.”
Ekin is averaging 9.7 points per game, second on the squad to Elm (14.5). Knitter is third (8.9).
But Ekin’s contribution is much greater than what shows up in a box score.
“She’s done countless hours of volunteer time for this program,” Fernandez said. “She’s basically down here whenever the gym’s open, helping out. She will be sorely missed.”
Ekin will miss her teammates as well, even though all of them are younger.
“It’s like I have a bunch of little sisters, but at the same time, we’re all equals,” she said. “We’re all a bunch of friends, and we’ve all improved so much. I just don’t want it to end.”
The Falcons enter the contest with a 20-7 record, while the No. 7 Bullfrogs are 20-6. The winner will play either No. 15 Argonaut or No. 2 Loretto on Thursday.
Wood brings a 16-10 record and the No. 9 seed in Division II into tonight’s opener. No. 8 Ponderosa is 16-11. The winner will play either No. 1 St. Francis of Sacramento or No. 16 Del Campo on Thursday.
Dixon (15-11) is seeded 13th in its first year at Division III. No. 4 Placer is (22-4).
Vanden is the only local girls team that will open at home. The Vikings (23-4) are seeded fifth in Division III, while Livingston (20-4) is No. 12. The winner will face either Placer or Dixon on Thursday.
Directions to Bret Harte - Take Highway 12 east through Lodi. Continue on Highway 12 east through Valley Springs. Merge south onto Highway 49 to Angel’s Camp. Turn left on Murphys Grade Road. The school is on the right.
Directions to Ponderosa - Take Interstate 80 east to West Sacramento. Take Highway 50 east through Folsom. Take the Ponderosa Road exit north and travel about one mile. The school is on the right.
Directions to Placer - Take I-80 east to Auburn. Take Highway 49 south. Turn left on Lincoln Way, right on High Street, left on Finley Street and right on Orange Street. The school is on the left.
Vacaville Christian High School’s varsity basketball teams tuned up for the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs with tournament title games Friday night in the Central Valley Christian League.
Both teams played Forest Lake Christian. The girls came away with a 60-47 win in the championship game at Sacramento Waldorf. The boys fell 65-58 at Victory Christian.
Kelsey Knitter was the scoring star for the Vacaville Christian girls. She had a game-high 21 points, nine coming in a key third quarter surge that broke the game open.
The Falcons led 34-25 at halftime before putting on a 15-9 run in the third period.
Bailey Ekin scored 13 points for Vacaville Christian and Amber Hutchison had 10. Lyndsey Elm also had eight points.
“We had a little more giddy-up in our step,” Vacaville Christian head coach Bob Fernandez said. “We were able to take their top two scorers and hold them to single digits. We were able to take advantage of them in different situations and Knitter really stepped up.”
The girls had already clinched the league title and finished the regular season 10-3 in CVCL play and 22-5 overall.
The boys didn’t fare as well Friday. The Falcons trailed 46-44 after three quarters before Forest Lake edged out Vacaville Christian 19-14 in the final period for the victory.
Anthony Negrete led the Falcons with 16 points. Shane Moore scored 15 points, Bryce Koizumi had 12 and Naim Powell added 10.
“They just played better than us,” Vacaville Christian head coach Chris Minner said. “We didn’t shoot well and had some key turnovers. They had a little more experience than us.”
The boys finish the regular season 10-3 in the CVCL, earning a co-championship, and 22-5 overall.
Both teams will learn where they are headed for the playoffs on Sunday.
Tomas Gustafson no longer is Vacaville Christian High School’s secret weapon.
Oh, he’s a weapon all right, but a secret? Not anymore.
Teams have caught on to the senior guard, one of the sharpest outside shooters in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
“I’m only about 5-11 and not really quick so I’ve always relied on shooting,” Gustafson said. “I guess it ended up being my specialty.”
Gustafson was a major player this season as the Falcons earned a share of the Central Valley Christian League title with Forest Lake Christian. He averages 4.4 3-pointers a game and almost always leads his team in scoring.
His production from beyond the arc has slowed some recently with opposing teams refusing to leave him open.
But as long as the Falcons are winning, Gustafson doesn’t care how many points he gets. Plus, he knows that just being on the court will help open up the Falcons’ inside game.
“The biggest thing is he spreads out the ‘D’ for us because he can hit those threes,” VCS coach Chris Minner said. “He’s not afraid of hitting big shots… If you leave him open, he’ll knock it down.”
That wasn’t always the case. Actually, the fact that Gustafson is still playing is a testament to his character.
The senior made his varsity debut last season, but spent most of his time on the bench.
According to Minner, Gustafson’s transformation began over the summer.
“He didn’t play a whole lot for us last year, but he took it and didn’t complain,” Minner said. “He put in the time (over the summer) and got a lot of practice and playing time and that boosted his confidence.
“A lot of kids these days woud have quit (after last season). He said ‘I’m not better than the guy starting so I’m going to get better.’”
Gustafson is part of a group of seniors who stepped up to help make the Falcons a playoff-bound team this year. VCS lost four starters to graduation after the 2007 season.
VCS sits comfortably in ninth place in the latest Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV power ratings, with the top 16 teams qualifying for the playoffs.
They’ll have a final chance to improve their postseason position and possibly earn a home playoff game by faring well at the CVCL tournament, which begins today.
The Falcons will host Foresthill in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in the opening round.
Despite moving up from Division V to D-IV this season, Gustafson is confident the Falcons can fare just as well, if not better, than in years past.
“The last couple years we get past first round and lose in second round,” he said. “I want to advance past the second round if not win the section championship. If we were still in Division V, I know we’d win it.”
One halftime chat worked. The other wasn’t really needed.
With a possible Central Valley Christian League title on the line, Bob Fernandez watched his Vacaville Christian High School girls basketball team stumble through the first half of its game Friday against visiting Woodland Christian.
Ferandez wasn’t about to see a repeat in the third and fourth quarters.
He didn’t. After a pointed talk in the locker room, the Falcons responded with a huge second half in a 73-37 win.
The VCS boys, on the other hand jumped out to a huge lead early and cruised to an 86-48 win over Woodland Christian.
“We had a little discussion,” Fernandez said simply. “I challenged them. There was too much on the line. We played way too lackadaisical in the first half. But the second was one of the better halves we’ve played all year.”
VCS finished the regular season with a 9-1 record in the CVCL, good for a first-place tie with Forest Lake Christian of Auburn. The Falcons will host a CVCL playoff game on Tuesday.
Amber Hutchsion led the rally with 14 of her season-high 17 points after halftime, and Alex Erb chipped in 12 of her 14 in the second half.
Lyndsey Elm and Kristy Abel scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
In the boys game, Tomas Gustafson led four players in double figures with 17 points, including five 3-pointers. Shane Moore added 14, Naim Powell chipped in 13 and Anthony Negrete scored 12.
The Falcons improved to 8-2 in the CVCL, also tied for first place in the league. They too will host a CVCL playoff game on Tuesday, at 7:30.
“This was quite an accomplishment,” VCS head coach Chris Minner said. “We lost four starters from last year, and I don’t think anybody gave us a chance to win the league. I’m proud of our guys.”
Free throws were huge at the start, for a change.
Instead of securing a game at the line in the late-going, the Vacaville Christian High School girls basketball team pulled away at the line in the beginning of Tuesday night’s 66-42 win over visiting Woodland.
The Falcons hit eight of 10 free throws in the first quarter to build a 19-9 lead after the first eight minutes.
“If we don’t shoot 80 percent in the first quarter, we don’t have nearly that big a lead,” VCS head coach Bob Fernandez said. “That made a big difference early.”
Bailey Ekin hit four free throws in the period, and Lyndsey Elm and Brittany Allen both went 2-for-2.
The Falcons built the lead to 37-24 at the half, and then put the game away by outscoring the Wolves 16-4 in the third quarter.
“Our defense really picked it up, and they struggled against our press,” Fernandez said.
Elm finished with a team-high 20 points, and Kelsey Knitter added 14 for the Falcons. Kristy Abel chipped in seven, and Amber Hutchison and Ekin finished with six each.
Nine different players scored for VCS.
“That’s really important for us,” Fernandez said. “That bodes well for us in the future.”
Alyssa Nakken led the Wolves with 20 points, including 12-for-15 shooting from the line.
VCS plays Saturday at Bradshaw Christian of Sacramento.
Kwuan Strong ran for 185 yards on 21 carries, ran for two touchdowns and caught another as the Falcons won the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. VII championship with a 50-28 win over visiting Calvary Temple on Friday night.
VCS Running back Brandon Hood also got in the act, rushing for 96 yards on 16 carries and scored a on 31-yard run to put the Falcons (11-1) up 24-14 at the half.
Quarterback Ben Ojeda ran for 80 yards and passed for another 137 to help his team’s cause. He connected with Strong on an 11-yard pass for one score and also connected on a 2-point conversion to Shane Moore.
VCS’ Trevor Moheit gained 56 yards on the ground on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns, one for 15 yards and another from 5 yards out.
Overall, the Falcons rushed for 417 yards on 53 carries.
Ojeda finished the game completing 9-of-13 passes for 137 yards with no interceptions. Anthony Negrete caught two passes for 58 yards, Hood grabbed two for 21, as did Strong. Moheit had one catch for 14 yards and Michael Mapili caught two passes for 23 yards.
Marcus Cooley led Calvary Temple with 91 yards rushing on 10 carries and scored twice, once from 2 yards out and the other from 69 yards away.
Calvary’s quarterback Amit Sharma completed 7-of-11 passes for 175 yards, five of which went to Jamal Williams for 154 yards, including one TD. Sammy Farias, who finished with 30 yards rushing, scored Calvary Temple’s last TD on a 1-yard run.
Vacaville Christian’s Anthony Negrete (2) runs a kickoff back for a touchdown against North Hills in the first quarter of Friday night’s football game. (Ryan Chalk/The Reporter)
Vacaville Christian High School’s football team continued to put up big offensive numbers, but found three new ways to score during a 69-0 homecoming rout against North Hills of Vallejo Friday night.
Taylor Boe opened the scoring for the Falcons by returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown, the first defensive score this year for Vacaville Christian. Anthony Negrete returned a Golden Eagles’ punt 75 yards for a touchdown. And kicker Kyle Welsh nailed the school’s first-ever field goal, hitting one from 18 yards out just before halftime.
Vacaville Christian scored many points the more traditional way by piling up 416 yards of total offense. The Falcons shared the rushing load and racked up 291 yards. Quarterback Ben Ojeda was 5-for-5 passing for 125 yards.
Kwuan Strong had touchdown runs of 4 and 17 yards. Trevor Moheit scored three times with runs of 9, 8 and 3 yards. Scott Goodrich got into the scoring column with a 10-yard touchdown run. Ojeda hooked up with receiver Michael Mapili on a 70-yard touchdown pass.
Strong was the leading rusher with seven carries for 81 yards.
Vacaville Christian improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the Sacramento Metro Athletic League. The Falcons will host Foresthill next Friday.
“It was definitely exciting getting our first defensive touchdown, our first special teams touchdown and our first field goal,” assistant coach Bruce Pielstick said. “In the second half we played all our backups and they really stepped up.”
The Falcons led 22-0 after the first quarter and 49-0 at halftime. Vacaville Christian substituted heavily in the second half and still managed to score an additional 20 points.
Kyle Allen also had an interception. The Falcons now have 17 for the season. Vacaville Christian also recovered two fumbles.
For a gallery of homecoming photos, log on to http://www.thereporter.com
Brandon Hood leads the Falcons on the ground this season with 723 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. (Reporter file)
Brandon Hood is doing his best impression of a go-to guy ... even if go-to is a has-been.
Hood is the star running back at Vacaville Christian High School, a program that could claim its first-ever Sac-Joaquin Section title while shaking free of its one-back tradition.
The Falcons can take another step toward the postseason with a win in their homecoming game tonight against North Hills Christian of Vallejo.
Chances are, Hood will play a big role. But then again ...
“I think this year we wanted to spread the ball around more,” Vacaville Christian head coach Chris Smith said. “I think last year we saw, particularly in the finals, teams trying to take away our running back.
“We have really been focusing on the fact that anyone can lead us in rushing. Brandon certainly has been the main running back. But if they take him away, we feel confident this year that others can step up.”
Smith and the Falcons would gladly trade some big individual rushing numbers for a section crown. They thought they had the formula a few years ago when Tejon Sorrell easily topped 2,000 yards, but the Falcons lost in the first round of the playoffs.
VCS picked up its first-ever playoff win last season, but Calvary Temple keyed on standout back Noah Word in the Division VII title game and shocked the Falcons 27-14. Word finished the season with 1,836 yards and 29 touchdowns, but was held to a mere 58 yards in the finale.
“It still kind of hurts,” said Hood, who scored both of the Falcons’ touchdowns in that loss. “I mean, when you’re playing a team that you had beaten before ... pretty bad ... and you lose at home ... that’s not cool.”
Hood was second to Word in rushing last year, and has moved into the top spot in 2007. But the Falcons are doing their best to develop other weapons, and that’s just fine for the senior.
Hood is still on his way to a banner year, with 723 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns through six games, already more than his season totals from last year.
But he is getting plenty of help. Trevor Moheit has added 465 yards and seven scores, and his average of 10.6 yards per carry leads the Falcon starters. Kwuan Strong has chipped in 360 yards and six scores.
Moheit may be the biggest surprise. Daniel Pilcher was slated to carry a big share of the load, but Pilcher suffered a broken leg during the Falcons’ season-opening win in Hawaii.
“When we run the reverse, it’s great ... Trevor can get 20 yards or a touchdown every time,” Hood said. “Everyone thinks I still have the ball.”
Strong still gets some tough yards up the middle as well.
But Hood has taken over as the diversified version of this year’s Word ... or Sorrell. And in some ways, he may even be tougher to stop.
“He’s a really good receiver,” Smith said. “He gives us that second element that maybe we haven’t had before. Plus, this year he knows how to read the field better. He knows when to cut the play back.”
Consequently, he’s a much bigger threat. But opponents had better not focus on him too much.
Payback, however un-Biblical, sure felt nice.
Vacaville Christian High School’s football team got a huge measure of revenge Friday night, riding a big fourth quarter to a 42-20 victory over visiting Calvary Temple of Modesto.
The Falcons broke a 20-20 tie with three straight touchdowns in their home opener. It was the first game at VCS since last fall, when Calvary Temple pulled off a shocker in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII title game.
“I’ve been dreaming about this game ... since we lost the championship,” said Falcon running back Kwuan Strong, who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. “I just thank God for this win. It’s so big.”
Revenge might be even sweeter if the two teams meet again in the title game.
It easily could have been a big disappointment. The Falcons (3-1) jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter, then suffered two blocked punts, a fumble and an interception on their next six drives.
The Warriors capitalized, in large part due to the play of running back Marcus Cooley. Cooley rushed for 140 yards on a whopping 34 carries, including all three Calvary touchdowns.
The last TD tied the score at 20-20, but Anthony Negrete blocked the extra-point try to keep VCS from falling behind.
VCS took the ensuing kickoff and drove 78 yards straight into a howling wind to take the lead for good. Ben Ojeda went the final four yards on a quarterback keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Brandon Hood added the conversion run for a 28-20 lead.
Calvary began another drive behind Cooley, but Amit Sharma’s next pass was picked off by Ojeda.
Cooley ran the ball on 18 of the Warriors’ 22 offensive plays in the second half, gaining 109 yards. Calvary lost 10 yards on its other two runs, and Sharma was picked off on his only two pass attempts after the intermission.
The Falcons drove 45 yards in seven plays after Ojeda’s pick, with Hood going the final 11.
Sharma’s next pass was intercepted by Negrete, and Strong coverted three plays later from one yard out.
Hood added 89 yards rushing, and caught a 34-yard scoring pass from Ojeda. Trevor Moheit added 82 yards rushing and a score.
VCS hosts Brookside Christian of Stockton next Friday.
Paul Harrell laughs along with parents who were dropping off their kids before a school day at Vacaville Christian Schools. Harrell is the school’s Chief Education Officer. Harrell moved from Michigan to take the job. (Photo by Chris Jordan)
FAIRFIELD - Paul Harrell never planned on becoming the chief educational officer of Vacaville Christian Schools or moving to California, but the Michigan native is and has.
Harrell realized last year as he worked in Michigan that his plans weren’t as important as what God had in store for him.
“If I would have ever guessed that I would have ended up in California as a CEO of a Christian school, I would have thought you were insane last year, but this is directed by the Lord,” he said.
The born-again Christian said the decision to take the position at Vacaville Christian Schools was led by his faith. He yearned for more after being the director of advancement and in charge of all finances at Grosse Point Academy in Michigan.
“We were successfully achieving goals in Michigan, but we felt that something higher was calling us to contribute more in ways that the schools didn’t provide in Michigan - and that was the faith aspect of education, which is, to any Christian who lives their faith, tremendously important,” Harrell said.
Harrell decided to come to Vacaville after listening to an inspirational speech at a conference that made him familiar with “the most frightening prayer you could ever pray: Lord, your will, not mine. Your purposes, not mine. Do with me as you will.”
The night of that conference, Harrell and his wife, Krista, recited that prayer. It became the “pivotal moment,” he said, in the decision to move to Vacaville.
“What I know is (God) wants me to administer to this school and lead this school and love these children and care for these wonderful people who work here and try to make this community as loving and caring as it ever could be,” said Harrell, whose two sons attend Vacaville Christian. “And for how long? I have no idea - for as long as the Lord wants me here.”
As chief educational officer, Harrell wears more hats than he can probably count.
“I’m a caregiver. I’m a fund-raiser. You’re a cheerleader. You’re a coach,” Harrell said. “You’re someone who monitors the financial status of the school. You mentor people. You guide people. Flat out, in one word, you teach.”
What intrigued him about the Vacaville job was that it is at a Christian school that is “fed by more than 100 churches, from non-denominational schools to Roman Catholics.”
“They all meld together in a very positive, yet intriguing way,” he said.
Harrell is not concerned with measuring Vacaville Christian against other denominational or public schools.
“We just provide something different - a faith aspect that they can’t provide,” Harrell said. “They strive for excellence in education, so do we. We strive for it with faith.”
“I respect what they do immeasurably; we (just) do something different.”
Reach Nika Megino at 427-6953 or .
What could make a Hawaiian vacation even better? How about a record-setting upset victory.
Vacaville Christian’s football team did just that late Friday night, amassing a school-record 743 yards of total offense and stunning Hilo-Hawaii in a 66-49 shootout.
The Falcons, who entered the game as an underdog against the 1,400-student population school, collected 492 yards on the ground and 251 in the air with just 19 players in uniform.
“We knew we were playing up. (Hilo) had already played three games and were 2-1 when played them,” VCS coach Chris Smith said. “We knew we had our hands full, but the kids really perservered. We played the game for four quarters, which, in this game, we had to to win.”
After going down 8-0 early in the first quarter, the Falcons rallied for three straight touchdowns for a 22-8 lead.
VCS led comfortably until the start of the third when Hilo quarterback Devon Kell’s 15-yard rushing touchdown brought the Vikings within a TD.
QB Ben Ojeda extended the Falcons’ lead to 48-35, but the Vikings came right back when Kell hit Dillin Spikes for a 14-yard touchdown.
The Falcons then outscored the Vikings 18-7 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
VCS never punted.
Brandon Hood led the Falcons with 233 yards on 22 carries and five rushing touchdowns. He also caught a 27-yard touchdown.
Ojeda, VCS’ four-year starting quarterback, completed 8 of 11 passes for 180 yards. His backup, Kyle Allen, was also sharp in his short stint, completing two of three passes for 71 yards.
“It was one of the most incredible games,” Smith said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever come close to this again.”
The junior varsity teams tied 8-8.
VCS travels to to play at Point Arena on Saturday.
Vacaville Christian’s volleyball team notched a 25-18, 25-15, 25-23 win over Capital Christian.
Courtney Salamone led the Falcons in the front row with three solo blocks and one assisted block. She also had three kills.
Alyssa Pielstick was 21-for-23 from the service line with four aces and six digs. Miranda Gearing had eight digs and Jennifer Brasseal had six digs. Cady Eckle was also 9-for-10 serving with two aces.
The Falcons’ junior varsity team downed Capital Christian 25-13, 25-14.
Kaitlyn Rowland went 13-for-13 at the service line, including four aces, and teammate Kelsey Knitter chipped-in 12 digs. Micaela Sylvester added six assists.
Both VCS teams are 2-0 overall and will host Bethel tonight.
The difficult end to Vacaville Christian High School’s terrific football season still gnaws at head coach Chris Smith.
Vacaville Christian won 11 straight games in 2006 to reach the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII championship game. The Falcons were then stunned by Calvary Temple of Modesto 27-14.
Vacaville Christian Falcons
Head coach: Chris Smith (Seventh year) 2006 Record: 11-1
Sept. 7 at Hilo (Hawaii) 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 at Point Arena TBA
Sept. 21 at Rio Vista 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 Calvary Temple 7 p.m.
Oct. 5 Brookside Christian 7 p.m.
Oct. 12 Valley Christian* 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 North HIlls Chr.* 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 26 Foresthill* 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2 at Bradshaw Chr.* 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Sierra Christian* TBA
* - Sacramento Metro Athletic League
“That was a bitter pill to swallow,” Smith said. “We had a mental letdown that cost us the game. We felt we should have won that game. But during the season we never faced adversity and we never had to play from behind.”
So the solution for 2007? Smith has beefed up the Falcons’ nonleague schedule considerably.
The Falcons open Friday night on the big island of Hawaii at Hilo High, a school Smith says has a student population similar to Vanden. Also on the docket are Point Arena (Sept. 15), Rio Vista (Sept. 21), Calvary Temple (Sept. 28) and Brookside Christian (Oct. 5). The five-game Sacramento Metro Athletic League season follows.
“We’ve upgraded our preseason so we can get ready for the playoffs,” Smith said. “This will be a great challenge for us. We’ll find out a lot about our football team.”
If the Falcons can survive, they could be good - very good. Though they have only five starters back on offense and five on defense, many of the newcomers to the starting lineup have experience.
The most experienced of the bunch is quarterback Ben Ojeda, a rare four-year varsity starter. Ojeda rarely ran the ball in the Falcons’ Double-Wing offense, but he did complete 55 of 91 passes for 1,075 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“Ben really sets the tone,” longtime assistant coach Bruce Pielstick said. “We can do so many more things with him. We ought to be able to throw the ball more under his leadership.”
Vacaville Christian’s top rusher, Noah Word, graduated, and the Falcons will be without his 1,779 yards and 29 touchdowns. Wingbacks Brandon Hood and Daniel Pilcher will carry the load, along with fullback Kwuan Strong. Hood had 657 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, and Pilcher added 360 yards and eight touchdowns. Strong had 624 yards and nine touchdowns.
Junior returner Trevor Moheit had 34 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns last year, so he also should help in the backfield.
“Any time you lose a player like Noah it is hard,” Smith said. “But it’s been hard to lose all the running backs we’ve had. I think we have a scheme that allows running backs to be successful.”
The Double-Wing offense puts two wingbacks at a 45-degree angle near the line with a fullback behind the quarterback.
That means there usually is one wide receiver and one tight end. The Falcons have returning starters there in wide receiver Michael Mapili and tight end Shane Moore.
Mapili had 17 catches last year for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Moore hauled in five passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Anthony Negrete is a transfer from Freedom High in Oakley, and should see work at receiver as a junior. Taylor Boe is 6-foot-6 and returns as a receiver.
Vacaville Christian has beefed up its offensive lineman. Last year the Falcons had three players at 180 pounds or less up front.
Left tackle is still a sticking point, with junior Aaron Waller (6-4, 237 pounds) and junior Andrew Strah (5-10, 255) fighting for the position. Left guard Matthew Barthelmess (6-1, 234) saw action as a sophomore, center Jeff Valdez (5-10, 305) saw some playing time, right guard Eric Bonn (6-1, 208) started last year and senior Hugh Kidd (6-1, 277) is a newcomer at right tackle.
“Our offensive line is bigger and I think they have the basic concepts down,” Smith said. “We just don’t know what we have until we get in front of someone else.”
The Falcons’ flex defense features some new faces up front. Barthelmess returns at left defensive end. Right defensive end Brian Goodson (6-1, 173) is a senior newcomer. Kidd returns but did not start last year at nose guard. Junior Kelly Russo (6-2, 215) plays defensive tackle.
The Falcons are strong in the middle of the defense. Flex linebacker Moore is back, along with left outside linebacker Pilcher and middle linebacker Strong. Negrete joins the group at right outside linebacker.
Boe returns at free safety. Ojeda will also anchor the left cornerback position on the opposite side of the field from junior right cornerback Kyle Allen.
The defensive line has depth with Waller, Moheit, Eric Bonn and Jeff Valdez vying to push the starters.
Kyle Welch punted last year and he’ll add place-kicking duties to his resume.
Vacaville Christian High School senior Rachel Martin, 17, was chosen from hundreds of students across the nation to participate in Santa Clara University’s annual Summer Engineering Session. The experience encouraged students to consider fields of math, science and engineering.
Rachel learned about sustainable energy, biomechanics and how to test water samples; she also helped witha computer bridge design and competed in a robotics contest.
All fees were paid for by Santa Clara University grants and sponsoring organizations.
Vacaville Christian High School’s volleyball team opened the season with a 25-5, 25-17, 25-15 win at Faith Christian.
Alyssa Pielstick was 21-for-21 from the service line with an ace. Miranda Gearing was 15-for-15 with an ace.
Bailey Ekin had 15 digs at the libero position. Courtney Salamone added two solo blocks. Samaira Erb helped control the match at setter.
Vacaville Christian will be back in action Thursday at home against Capital Christian.
Vacaville Christian’s junior varsity team soundly defeated Faith Christian 25-6, 25-18.
Kelsey Knitter had 10 digs and Callie Mulvihill was 14-for-14 with three aces serving.
Vacaville Christian Schools is expecting a new addition for its high school.
Construction of the 39,000-square-foot building will begin in September, and the Vacaville Christian community will hold a site blessing and groundbreaking ceremony for the new infrastructure Aug. 30.
The building estimated to cost about $8.5 million will include a music room, an art room, a computer lab, four science labs and 24 classrooms. The project is slated to be completed in fall 2008.
The building will benefit teachers and students, said Paul Harrell, the schools chief education officer.
‘(With this building), were providing for every discipline within the school science, art, history, math, English, language,’ Harrell said.
All Vacaville Christian students and their parents are expected to attend the Aug. 30 event, Harrell said.
Thomas Moore, Vacaville Christians first principal, is also scheduled to attend. Hes now a sociology professor at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky.
Harrell is glad the community is supporting the event and the schools development.
‘I think the community coming together and more than just our community, the overall community coming together to bless this site is very important to us,’ Harrell said.
‘We think of ourselves as a part of the fabric of this community.’
The event will begin at 11 a.m. at 1117 Davis St. in Vacaville.
Our community is richly blessed with the musical talent of so many young people. The Vacaville Christian School’s Radio Symphony Group and their guest performers did an outstanding job performing the musical score to the silent movie “Metropolis.”
While sitting in the audience waiting for the performance to start, you could fell the excitement and the anticipation from the young performers as well as the audience: A classic silent movie was about to be shown with a live student symphony playing the original musical score.
I could not help but think what an immense undertaking this project involved. Many elements had to come together. Movie theater manager Tim Kruse and all of those involved with providing the venue, modifying the equipment, and advertising are to be applauded; without their contribution, this exciting event would not have materialized.
Ralph Martin, the conductor, challenged his students to reach for this experience and guided them to a unique musical and personal achievement. I commend these performers’ parents and the Vacaville community in general for their support.
My husband and I felt as if we witnessed a bit of theatrical history and we loved every minute. To all of those involved, our thanks for an unforgettable evening.
Vacaville Christian Schools announced that Paul Harrell of Grosse Pointe, Mich., has accepted the position of CEO. Harrell brings with him more than 30 years of experience in private school education in roles including classroom teacher, athletic coach, academic department head, admissions director and director of advancement.
Harrell was hired in February as director of development prior to his consideration as CEO.