60th Emmett Thompson Memorial Dad’s Club ChampionshipThirty-nine years ago was the last time San LorenzoValleyHigh School won the Emmett Thompson Memorial Dad’s Club championship and last Saturday it looked like they were going to win it again against Santa CruzHigh School. The SLVHS Cougars were up by 15 points in the final game vs. Santa Cruz High School Cardinals at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium this past Saturday, December 12. The Cardinals, shorter, less experienced, and with their star player out with an injury, somehow prevailed, 60-57.Preseason View of Scotts Valley Falcons and San Lorenzo Valley CougarsBoth Falcons and Cougars return to the 2015-16 season with similarly experienced teams. San Lorenzo Valley Cougars have seven returning players, three of them are in their third year on the varsity – they are Nick Salibi, Davon Northcutt and Sebastian Vroman-Nell.Scotts Valley Falcons have six seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, with four varsity players returning. Six team members just finished their outstanding football season where they went all the way to the CCS semifinals.The San Lorenzo Valley Cougars had a better record last year – just under .500 - they are 4-2 this year. Falcons were 9-16, and are 2-2 in this year's preseason. They could have been 3-1, but they lost a close game to Salinas in the Dad’s tournament opener playing without their best player, Tanner Spence, out with a foot injury for a couple of weeks.Asked about this year's expectations, Coach Northcutt said, “The seniors on this year's team were on the undefeated team when they were in San LorenzoValleyMiddle School; they were 20-4 on the F/S team and 21-3 on JV. They have their mind set on continuing that winning tradition and I have faith it'll be a great season for us.”ScottsValley coach, Charles Burks, has 25 years of coaching experience. “We have great kids; we'll be alright this year. We have 11 players on the roster, and, this being a team game, I make sure they all get some playing time in every game,” said Burks. “We'll try to match last year's achievement of making it all the way to the CCS playoffs.”The next games are on Saturday, December 19, against InternationalStudiesAcademy at San Francisco, then at Mountain ViewHigh School on Wednesday, December. 23.San LorenzoValleyHigh School played StevensonHigh School at home on December 15 and won 71-55. On December 19, they will travel to Watsonville High and to Gilroy on December 22 to take on ChristopherHigh School.“Our preseason is tough! All our opponents were last year's CCS qualifiers,” said Coach Northcutt.

At 5:04 p.m., on October 17, 1989, the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Santa CruzMountains causing landslides and heavy property damage. In Oakland, a freeway was partially collapsed. A portion of the San FranciscoBayBridge failed. The shock was responsible for 63 deaths and nearly 4,000 injuries in the San FranciscoBay area and in the Santa CruzMountains.

Santa CruzCounty is an amazing place! We have a memorial to the three Hawaiian princes who in 1885 taught Santa Cruzians how to surf; we have a Hawaiian radio station in Watsonville; and the Tiki Kings Ukelele Store in Felton. Now we also have a hula school called “Mehana Pa Olapa Kahiko” or, in English, “The Ladies of Mehana.”