Scoreboard

BY ZACH CAVANAGH, SAN CLEMENTE TIMES

Our City Scoreboard keeps you updated on all of the local San Clemente youth and community team accomplishments and special individual performances of the week. Email zcavanagh@ picketfencemedia.com for submission.

The San Clemente Girls Softball 12U Gold team’s dominant season will continue in the USA Softball Western Nationals.

The San Clemente Rage has posted a 33-3-1 record with a mind-boggling 253run margin of victory, 332-79. The San Clemente girls had also won 27 games in a row into the semifinals of the USA Softball B State Tournament this month.

San Clemente lost in the semifinals to North Shore, but the Rage battled in the loser’s bracket to get back to the championship round, where San Clemente bounced back against the same North Shore team, 20-6. In the double-elimination tournament, San Clemente played work collaboratively to plan and implement prevention-focused activities for youth and parents to build a healthier San Clemente.

This year, the coalition had some great successes. A Spanish-speaking committee, Padres en acción, jóvenes saludables, was developed to support Spanish-speaking parents and residents in San Clemente.

The first meeting, held in February 2023, had seven attendees, and the most recent meeting in June had 49. This growth can be attributed to the hard work of the project coordinators and coalition members who engage members in the community, find out what the needs are and seek to bring in support to meet those needs.

The coalition works in many ways to engage youth in developing prevention education and activities. The Noble Path Foundation includes youth in planning social activities such as guitar lessons and game nights.

It also runs the AIM High Program, which brings together all coalition sectors to educate and mentor youth to live healthy lifestyles. The seven-week program combines prevention education with mentorship and safe social activities. These free programs provide a safe space to be a teen without the pressures of drugs and alcohol.

Alliance, the festival was a huge success, with nearly 1,000 in attendance.

North Shore again but lost the title game, 17-4.

San Clemente and North Shore both qualified for the USA Softball Western Nationals, which will run July 26-30 in Roseville, California.

San Clemente’s 10U All-Stars, the San Clemente Flames, will also compete at Western Nationals after taking fourth place in the USA Softball State C Tournament.

The San Clemente American 12U team captured the District 68 Little League championship on July 10 in a 9-2 win over North Mission Viejo at the Marty Russo Youth Athletic Park in Mission Viejo. It was San Clemente’s first Little League 12U district title since 2010.

San Clemente outscored its four district opponents by a 30-run margin, 33-3,

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BY LAUREN GALLEGOS

Providence Mission Hospital leads The Strength in Numbers club at SCHS. This club gives students a space to discuss the challenges of being a teen and find support through peers and adults.

This year, the club hosted multiple on-campus campaigns including the Perfection campaign, in which students were reminded that no one is perfect and being your best self is enough. It also held lunch-time activities for students to engage in stress management and develop healthy coping skills.

Two of the club members, Emily Ceja and Ethan Furlong, were recognized during the coalition appreciation event this June for their contributions to the club’s efforts.

One of the most exciting events the coalition hosted was the San Clemente Music Festival on May 20 at the Outlets at San Clemente. Thanks to the leadership of Joanie Angeli and Jennifer Wooley-Aquino from Community Outreach

The festival featured youth musicians, a resource fair, and keynote speakers who spoke about the fentanyl crisis, mental health support and developing leadership opportunities for youth.

Thanks to the collaboration and contributions of the coalition members, we have had a very successful year. Since the coalition began, we have seen a decline in reports of youth substance use in San Clemente; however, there is always room to grow.

If you are interested in supporting the work of the coalition, join our virtual monthly meetings the second Tuesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. or our Spanish meeting the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at Las Palmas Elementary.

Contact Leslie Lopez for more information. leslie@wpc-oc.org

Lauren Gallegos, ACSW, is the Prevention Director at the Wellness & Prevention Center. SC

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San Clemente graduate Chase Brunson was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft on July 11 in Seattle.

Brunson, who just turned 18 this month, was taken with the 544th overall pick and is the first player drafted directly out of San Clemente High School since Kolby Allard and Lucas Herbert were taken in the first and second rounds, respectively, in 2015.

Brunson then announced a switch of his college commitment on Monday, July 17, from Loyola Marymount to Texas Christian University. Brunson can reenter the MLB Draft after his sophomore season in 2025.

with two shutouts.

In District 68, San Clemente had won the 9-year-old title in 2019, the 50/70 title in 2013 and juniors titles in 2012 and 2011, 13-year-old titles in 2011 and 2010 and the 10U title in 2008.

San Clemente Little League ran into tough luck in the Section 10 tournament, where it lost its opener to Aliso Viejo, 2-1, on Saturday, July 15, and its only loser’s bracket game to East Anaheim, 3-2, on Sunday, July 16.

If he had signed with the Blue Jays, Brunson would have become the fifth former Triton currently in professional baseball along with Allard (Atlanta Braves), Andre Pallante (St. Louis Cardinals), Michael McGreevy (Triple-A Memphis Redbirds) and Spencer Bramwell (Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads).

As a senior, Brunson led San Clemente in hits (42), runs (34), RBIs (22), walks (21), home runs (8) and triples (3) in 30 games played. SC