by Gary Lee

Missed tackles and injured players contributed to Maranatha
Minutemen loss to the San Dimas Saints last week. Darien McGee took the opening kickoff into
the Saints territory. With great field
position to start the game, it seemed inevitable the Minutemen would soon
score. But fate had other plans and it
was 3 and out for Maranatha’s first drive.
The Saints wasted no time and answered quickly, scoring on their first
possession. In fact, the Saints scored 4
touchdowns in the first quarter. The
Saints’ defense was able to stifle the Minutemen, forcing them to punt after 3
plays and leaving them without a first down in the first quarter.

The second quarter was no different than the first, w/ the
Saints scoring at will. The Minutemen
had no answers offensively or defensively.
The Saints went into the locker room at halftime with a lead of 42 to
0.

The start of the third quarter saw the Saints punter for the
first time. The Minutemen stopped the
Saints on their first drive. Andrew
Elffers directed the Minutemen’s first score w/ a pass to RJ Straker. Could this be the drive to kick-start the
Minutemen? The ensuing onside kick was
successful; Maranatha marched down the field into scoring position. But fate intervened and the Saints
intercepted the ball at the 2-yard line.
The very next play, the Saints ran up the middle for a 98 yard
score. The door of opportunity was
slammed closed and the Saints’ players, coaches and fans could begin to
celebrate.

The Minutemen closed the game w/ a touchdown on the final
play from Elffers to Straker. The final
score, 56 to 20. The Minutemen should be
commended for their success in their first season in the Olympic League and The
Mid-Valley (XI) Division. Last season,
the Minutemen played in the East-Valley (XII) Division. They were the Alpha League Champions and made
it to the second round of the playoffs.
Congratulations Minutemen! The
Saints move on face Monrovia at home next Friday.

PASADENA (CNS) – Record temperatures could fall in Pasadena and other areas tonight. The record low for the date in Pasadena is 35 degrees, and forecasters predicted an overnight low of 34 degrees, Bonnie Bartling of the NWS said.

By Mitch Lehman
TRIBUNE SPORTS EDITOR

There is a good chance that San Marino High School girls’
varsity tennis Coach Ron Machuca’s best days on the court are behind him,
though it appears as if he could match backhands with the likes of Federer and
Nadal to this very day.

It was
surprising, then, that Machuca looked as nails-to-the nubs nervous as he did
Tuesday afternoon as his Lady Titans took on Murietta
Valley in the CIF Division II
quarterfinals at San Marino
High School.

For the complete story, read the San Marino Tribune print
edition.

With
twinkle lights glowing, Santa cozied up in his house, and holiday tunes filling
the air, Grace Center of Five Acres kicked off the holiday season at The
Americana at Brand on Sunday, November 14 with a festive fashion show. More
than 200 supporters gathered to cheer on their fellow board members and their
children as they walked the catwalk. Hosted by Lauren Sanchez of Extra TV,
Bella Winter netted more than $65,000 for the life-changing services Grace
Center provides to women and children affected by domestic violence.

Guests were
ushered into a winter wonderland complete with festive cocktails compliments of
PAMA and IZZE and mouthwatering treats. Martha Macker of Macker Entertainment
wowed the audience with Dancing through the Ages, bringing together dancers and
models telling a whimsical winter fashion story. The show began with a ballet
interpretation and concluded with a sizzling salsa, featuring more than 20 Five
Acres supporters and their children modeling the season’s hottest styles.
Children in the audience lit up when Santa made a surprise appearance in the
middle of the show singing Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer.

Host and
Key Sponsor of Bella Winter was The Americana at Brand, and Pasadena Magazine
was the media sponsor. Generous sponsors and donors of Bella Winter include
Marilyn and John Wells Family Foundation, Wendy and Barry Meyer, Creative
Artists Agency and Stephen and Susan Chandler. Bravo Spa and Salon transformed
all of the models’ hair while The Factory and Vow of Makeup worked their makeup
magic. Co-chairs of Bella Winter were Michele Hall of Altadena and Pamela Scott
of La Canada.

Local
families who walked the catwalk include Michael and Christine Antonovich’s
children (Glendale), Stephen and Chantal Bennett and their children (San
Marino), Vivian Chan and her children (San Marino), Ryan and Maggie Dietz’s
children (Pasadena), John and Jill Fosselman and their son Will (Pasadena), Tom
and Page Haralambos along with their children and family friends (San Marino),
and the son and his friend of John and Marilyn Wells (Los Angeles).

For more
information in how you can become involved with Grace Center,
contact Margaret Morici at mmorici@5acres.org or 626.798.6793 ext.2244.

Established
as an independent non-profit in 1996, Grace Center
has been a Five Acres program since 2004. Grace Center’s
mission is to empower women to break the cycle of domestic violence in their
lives and in their children’s lives so that they can live in a safe environment
and regain their dignity and self-esteem. Its Family Violence Program provides support
services throughout the San Gabriel
Valley at three different
locations. All of the services that Grace Center
provides are either low cost or no cost, how-ever no one is turned away for the
inability to pay. Last year Grace Center
volunteers collectively donated over 3,500 hours of service.