Pierce, Medrano, Geller for Council - Clayton Pioneer

Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com November 7, 2008
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Clayton Sports
Diablo FC Aftershock helps spread the joy of soccer
RANDY ROWLAND
Clayton Pioneer
The Diablo Futbol Club
’97 Aftershock joined hundreds
of soccer players from
as far away as Reno and
Southern California in
Soccerfest, a tournament for
special needs children.
The Oct. 12 tournament in
Concord allowed these children
the opportunity to play
against those who have physical,
mental or developmental
limitations. The program is a
unique division of the
Concord AYSO region 305
program and the only one of
its kind in the East Bay.
Soccerfest started off with
a parade of all the teams, followed
by the national anthem
and an opening speech from
the mayor of Concord. The
Aftershock girls began the day
by playing in a group with U6
children. They held hands and
encouraged them to kick the
ball into the net. Mostly, there
were a lot of hugs.
The kids clapped and
cheered and were awarded
medals and T-shirts following
the games.
The club team then moved
on to play with the older children.
They passed the ball
around and included their new
teammates. Encouragement
was the key.
“My favorite thing was getting
to play with my friend
Cassie, who is on one of the
teams,” says Jade Rafallo of
Clayton.
The VIP (Very Important
Each issue, a panel of Clayton
sports enthusiasts will air their views
on a current topic in the sporting
world. If you would like to suggest a
topic or question to our panels, email
sports@claytonpioneer.com.
Can the California Golden
Bears beat USC and can they
win the Pac 10 and go to
their first Rose Bowl since
1959?
RAFALLO: Certainly! Anything
can happen. That’s the beauty of
sports and why we play the game. The
game will come down to defense,
however, and right now, no one is
Players) program is for children
4½ and up, with no
upper age limit, and attempts
Can CAL
Bears make
it to the
Rose Bowl?
doing it better than USC. It will be a
tight race this year in the Pac 10, with
the top four teams having records of
4-1 and 3-1 in conference play. Going
to and winning the Rose Bowl is
another story. I would also watch out
for Oregon. They’re strong on both
offense and defense, and I have a
feeling they could take over and surprise
everyone.
STELZNER: At this point in the
season, even Beaver fans are still
hopeful for a Rose Bowl, but it’s not
going to happen. Not for Oregon
State, not for Cal. USC needs too
much help to play for the championship
and if they play more Pac 10
teams like they did against Arizona,
they’ll continue to drop in the polls
and could be at risk of dropping out
to organize teams by sex, as
well as size, mobility and physical
ability. The length of the
games, the style of play and
the rules are tailored to the
players involved. The program
Rob Helena Leigh Deanna
Kirmsse Merrigan
of the Bowl Championship Series
(BCS). They are, however, by far the
best Pac 10 team and do have the best
shot at the Rose Bowl. The always
disappointing Bears have too many
flaws. Their QB is inconsistent,
receivers are inexperienced and drop
too many balls, and the defense is
sporadic. They’ll likely lose to USC
and Oregon and a win at Stanford is
not a lock.
KIRMSSE: My 12-year-old son
Josh says: “The Bears can’t oust the
Trojans. My prediction: 27-28 USC if
Nate Longshore plays and 34-10 if
Kevin Riley plays. Don’t get me
wrong, I love Cal, but they won’t be
special this year. Tune into Cal games
in two years, when Jahvid Best and
Riley are seniors.” My response: I predict
Cal over USC but no Rose Bowl
this year for the Bears.
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is open to anyone whose physical
or developmental challenges
make it difficult to par-
Photo by Jon Rafallo.
Diablo FC Aftershock player Charlotte Burcher (right) and a Soccerfest player “battle” it out for the ball.
HELENA: No to beating USC.
Maybe on going to the Rose Bowl.
USC has a big-time QB in Mark
Sanchez. Cal has two decent QBs, but
a decent Cal QB will not beat the
nation’s best defense in LA. Even losing
to USC, Cal may still get into the
Rosa Bowl. After USC, and with
exception to the Oregon schools, Cal
has a winnable remaining schedule. If
USC runs the table, plays in the BCS
championship and Cal comes in second,
Cal would be the Pac 10 rep. for
the Rose Bowl.
MERRIGAN: Making it to the
Rose Bowl for the first time since
1959 would be exciting for the Bears.
Beating USC would be a step toward
making it a reality. Always the optimist,
of course, I think the Bears can
win the Pac 10. They’ve had a good
season so far, and I think it’s time that
Tina Rafallo Chris Snyder Ralph
Stelzner
Antioch
(925) 755-1739
Brentwood
(925) 634-6366
they end a winning season with a trip
to the Rose Bowl. The Nov. 8 game
against USC will be one to watch.
SNYDER: While it would be nice
to have Cal win the Pac 10 and
advance to the Rose Bowl, I consider
it a long shot. But I expect them to
find a bowl berth somewhere over the
holidays. In the Pac 10, you have to
beat USC to see if you are for real.
Unfortunately at Cal, there are too
many questions at the quarterback
position to have the confidence to
win big games against Oregon and
USC. This year, the best we will see in
the Bay Area is the Big Game.
Are you a sports junkie? If you are opinionated
and interested in becoming a panelist
for the Speaking of Sports feature, contact us
at sports@claytonpioneer.com.
Concord
(925) 686-1739
Pittsburg
(925) 432-9910
ticipate on a mainstream team.
VIP teams include players
who may have impaired vision,
hearing or mobility, and those
with autism, Down syndrome
or developmental delay, as well
as other physical handicaps
such as cerebral palsy and
muscular dystrophy.
John Beretta has been
involved in the VIP program
for several years. His goal is
for the children to feel a sense
of belonging and acceptance.
The players have fun playing
soccer, while learning teamwork
and fair play and getting
physically fit in the process.
“The VIP soccer league is
an awesome experience for the
kids,” Beretta says. “It gets
them outdoors to run around
and get exercise. It provides
them with great social skills by
interacting with others – not
only with their peers but with
coaches, referees and opponents.
“Above anything else, there
is nothing in this world better
than seeing the biggest smile
you have ever seen when one
of these children scores a
goal,” he adds.
“I felt it was really special
to play these games and get to
know how people really are,”
notes Kyra Trowbridge of
Clayton.
Other Diablo FC girls participating
were Niki Apana,
Chelsea Bailey, Janine
Bandayrel, Jamie Bullock,
Charlotte Burcher, Kaylie
Collins of Clayton, April
Frantz, Courtney Sheffield of
Clayton and Chanel Taliaferro.
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