San Diego Community Newspaper Group
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 26, Number 25
COMMUNITY TREE ARRIVES TO SET STAGE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Girl Scouts dressed as presents parade down Newport Avenue during a previous Ocean Beach Christmas Parade. This year’s 32nd installment of the parade takes place Saturday, Photo by Paul Hansen I The Beacon Dec. 3.
OB’s Christmas Parade set for 32nd installment BY BART MENDOZA | THE BEACON
PINING FOR SANTA AND THE CHRISTMAS SEASON The Ocean Beach tradition of cutting and erecting a Christmas tree on the waterfront returned Tuesday as volunteers with the OB Town Council’s Tree Committee toiled to make the holiday season a little brighter for all. The 54-foot-tall aleppo pine (48 feet installed) was cut down at San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) and trucked down to the seawall area near the pier. Santa is expected to arrive at the tree this week as local students decorate it. The tree will then be lit at 5:04 p.m. on SatPhoto by Jim Grant I The Beacon urday, just before the start of the 32nd annual Ocean Beach Christmas Parade down Newport Avenue.
Of all the Christmas events in San Diego, none capture the feel of the neighborhood quite like the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade. Now in its 32nd year, the event takes place on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 5:05 p.m. The theme for 2011 is “Surfer’s Paradise,” with participants once again heading out from Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and stretching west down Newport Avenue to Abbot Street, ending surfside at Veteran’s Plaza. The parade kicks off with the lighting of the Ocean Beach community Christmas tree at 5:04 p.m., the culmination of several days of activities celebrating the holidays in Ocean Beach. All of the Ocean Beach Town Council’s Tree Committee events benefit Ocean Beach families and seniors in need by way of the annual OB Food and Toy Drive. This year’s tree was donated by San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) and was cut Nov. 28, making its way the following morning to Vet-
eran’s Plaza to be decorated by local schoolchildren and remain on display for the remainder of the holiday season. Today, Dec. 1, Santa arrives at the tree, where local students will decorate it from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. At 6:30 p.m., the Sunshine Co. Saloon will host an auction fundraiser for the OB Food and Toy Drive, with prizes provided by local businesses and sports teams. The community spirit extends to local merchants like the South Coast Surf Shop, which has incorporated the food and toy drive into its holiday window display. The season highlight, of course, will be the Dec. 3 holiday parade, which is expected to draw about 10,000 people. Kids of all ages will witness nearly 100 entries, including floats, the now-familiar geriatric surf team, marching bands and antique cars, as well as the traditional parade wrap-up with Santa Claus riding on a fire truck. SEE PARADE, Page 10
Pointers look to avenge 2010 CIF loss to Cathedral BY SCOTT HOPKINS | THE BEACON The Point Loma High School (PLHS) Pointers will be out to earn their fifth trip to Qualcomm Stadium tonight, Dec. 1, when they square off at 7 p.m. with Cathedral Catholic High School at the Dons’ Carmel Valley campus. The two schools have a lengthy history. After defeating El Capitan High on Nov. 25 in CIF quarterfinal play, the Dogs (8-2-1) would like nothing better than to end Cathedral’s 10-1, top-seeded run of four consecutive Division III championships. The titles have come, all too often, at the expense of the Pointers. “It’s just a matter of us going back and doing what we do right,” said Point Loma head coach Mike Hastings. “We know them and they know us, and it’s just a matter of us rolling our sleeves
up and doing our work.” The Pointers have faced Cathedral many times in CIF matches, with the Dons coming out on top each time. “We’ll get it right,” Hastings said. The current Pointer squad should need nothing more than their memory of last year’s postseason matchup as motivation. In an identical semifinal pairing, the Pointers had just about everything possible go wrong as the Dons raced to a 31-0 lead after just one quarter. The final score was 51-14. The Dons also have stopped the Pointers twice at “The Q” in 2007 and 2009, besides ending PLHS’ season in the semifinals in 2008. In the Pointers’ other two recent CIF championship appearances in 2005 and 2006 it was St. Augustine, another private school, that stopped Point Loma High. But in one of the most memorable
Pointer playoff games in history, Point Loma knocked the Saints monkey off their backs during a classic CIF semifinal battle played in a downpour at Mt. Carmel High in 2007. In a game where the lead changed hands several times, the Pointers prevailed 25-21 to earn their third straight trip to Qualcomm — and their first finals loss to the Dons. In a case of unsavory scheduling brought about by Qualcomm Stadium use policies, the winner of tonight’s game will have only the weekend to prepare for the championship match, set for Monday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. “Our scrimmage with them (Cathedral, during preseason in August) was a very physical one and we’re looking forward to another great game with those guys,” said Hastings. “Our kids are always fired up when we get to play Shown here last season in CIF playoffs, Pointer Jaivon Griffin (No. 21) makes a run in what would become a 51-14 Cathedral Catholic victory. That defeat may help motivate Griffin and Cathedral.” Photo by Scott Hopkins I The Beacon Tonight is one of those opportunities. his teammates in tonight’s CIF semifinal rematch at Cathedral.