4+ hour, 7+ min ago (920+ words) DEL MAR " Salamis won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby Saturday afternoon, giving visiting trainer Chad Brown two more Del Mar stakes wins, while 68-to-1 longshot Call Sign Seven produced one of the biggest surprises of the year in California by charging along the rail down the stretch to win the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Stakes. The Derby and Seabiscuit are part of Del Mar's annual Turf Festival that concludes Sunday with four stakes " led by the $300,000 Grade 1 Matriarch " to end the seaside oval's 12th fall meeting. An added bonus Sunday: due to Call Sign Seven's win in the fifth, the early Pick 5 Saturday produced no winning ticket for a $329,733 carryover to Sunday " mandating a guaranteed payout. An almost annual winner during the Turf Festival, Brown shipped in Salamis and Jimmy Durante Stakes champion Just Aloof from the east. He will have morning-line second-favorite Segesta…...

6+ hour, 37+ min ago (612+ words) CHULA VISTA " Going into the last week of October, Christian High School's football team was not in a good place. The Patriots were sitting at 0-4 in the Eastern League and had lost seven of their last eight games. But Christian managed to win its final league game against San Diego High and qualified for the CIF San Diego Section Division 3 playoffs. Since then, the Patriots have been unbeatable. Christian capped a four-game run through the playoffs by defeating Central Union, 28-14, in the Division 3 championship game Saturday at Southwestern College's DeVore Stadium. Junior quarterback Kaleb Runkle passed for 280 yards and four touchdown passes as the Patriots elevated their season record to 7-7." They'll take a five-game win streak into the Southern California Regional playoffs. "It's playoff football, and we're peaking at the right time," said Christian coach Patrick Bugg, whose team was…...

8+ hour, 54+ min ago (881+ words) CHULA VISTA " Valley Center High School football coach Bill Dunckel was easy to spot along the Jaguars" sideline Saturday afternoon at Southwestern College. He was the guy limping about in a walking boot. "Stress fracture," said Dunckel. "From the stress of football. Nah, just getting old." Despite Dunckel wearing a hat and headset, from behind you could see that "VC" had been etched into his hair. As a reward for reaching the CIF-San Diego Section Division 4 championship game against Eastlake, Dunckel let the Jaguars carve what they wanted. Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel"s head. "Worst job ever," joked Dunckel. "Had to correct it, make it bigger and wider. He did a terrible job." After beating Eastlake 21-14 for Valley Center"s first section championship since 2011, Dunckel was posing left and right with players and coaches, taking…...

9+ hour, 31+ min ago (509+ words) House Calls Reimagined: Staying Healthy at Home Thursday, Dec. 4, from 2 p.m. " 3 p.m. Discover how modern in-home medical care helps seniors stay healthy, independent, and confident. Dr. Huy Ho, founder of H Squared Health, will share practical tips for aging gracefully at home and getting the most out "of your medical visits'whether in person or virtually. Thank you to our sponsor Heart and Soul Care "Placement Services. Movement Is Medicine Dance Workshop Hosted by Westmont of Encinitas at the RSF Senior Center " Friday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. " 11 a.m. Come enjoy an hour of fun, laughter, and friendly competition! Bingo is a wonderful way to" connect with others, enjoy friendly company, and share a few smiles. There will be prizes, plenty of excitement, and a chance to make new friends. It's the perfect way to brighten your week! Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 2 p.m. " 3 p.m. In this fun, 60-minute class, you…...

9+ hour, 38+ min ago (395+ words) FRESNO " When Josiah Bowman competed in Division 3, he had a pretty good idea who would be his major rivals. But when he and the rest of the Sage Creek team bounced down to Division 4 this season, he wasn't sure who he needed to beat. It turns out he didn't have to look very far. Right up the road, actually. Bowman, who is headed to UCLA, assumed control of the Division 4 state championships midway through Saturday's 3.1-mile race at Woodward Park and slowly pulled away to win in 15 minutes, 3.4 seconds. Less than seven seconds back was Classical Academy's Gunner Silva in 15:10.0. "We raced at CIF (the section championships) and went 1-2, so it was no surprise that he was second here," said Bowman. "He hasn't gotten a lot of attention, and I know he thought he was the underdog. "Those are the…...

9+ hour, 45+ min ago (568+ words) FRESNO " It was business as usual for La Jolla's Chiara Dailey, who captured her third consecutive state Division 4 cross country title, the first San Diegan to accomplish that feat. Not so much so for Eastlake's Jaelyn Williams, who stunned a high-quality Division 1 field to win her first state crown over Woodward Park's 3.1-mile course. Dailey wasted no time, jumping right into the lead and clocking a 5-minute, 9-second mile before cruising to a 28-second victory in 16:52.7 on a mostly overcast day. She won by 28 seconds. "I wanted to win because this is the last time I'll compete on this course," said Dailey, who, like Williams, will attend Stanford in the fall. "Oh, I'll be here for the state meet to cheer on my brothers. It's a Thanksgiving tradition. I tried to run faster, but it's difficult without someone pushing you,…...

10+ hour, 5+ min ago (781+ words) CHULA VISTA " When it gets late and the game is on the line, dance with who brung ya. That's exactly what the Valley Center High School football team did Saturday afternoon against Eastlake in the CIF San Diego Section Division 4 championship game. Clinging to a two-score lead in the fourth quarter, Jaguars head coach Bill Dunckel called for a fake punt. Up-back Joeisha Ryan Tirado delivered, rumbling for seven yards and a time-killing first down. Seven minutes later and with his team's lead down to seven, Valley Center faced a fourth-and-1 at the Eastlake 41. Tirado's number was called again, and he bullied his way for two yards and a game-killing first down as the Jaguars hung on for a 21-14 win. "No question who was getting the ball with the game on the line," Dunckel said. "Joeisha got us here. We…...

11+ hour, 35+ min ago (192+ words) A man suspected in the hit-and-run death of an 11-year-old boy in Escondido was arrested Saturday, police said. Hector Balderas Amador, 44, was booked into Vista jail on a charge of felony hit-and-run in the death of Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz, police said. The alleged vehicle involved in the crash was also recovered, police said. Aiden was struck in front of his house on East Washington Avenue near North Hickory Street about 5 p.m. Nov. 26. Witnesses told police that the boy ran into the street to retrieve a soccer ball, police said. The driver fled the scene, police said. Aiden died at a hospital. Investigators asked for the public's help in identifying the suspected driver. "We are grateful and appreciative for the trust and partnership our police department shares with the community, which aided in the identification and arrest of the driver…...

11+ hour, 47+ min ago (777+ words) Three thoughts after San Diego State's 23-17 double-overtime loss to New Mexico on Friday at University Stadium. SDSU's loss created 40 hours of uncertainty as everyone waited for Saturday's games to play out and the computers to process the updated data and spit out the results. The Mountain West will reveal the championship matchup and site on Sunday morning. Early findings did not look promising for the Aztecs. SDSU came into the weekend ahead of Boise State, New Mexico and UNLV in the average of four computer rankings " Connelly SP+, ESPN SOR, KPI Rankings and SportSource " used by the Mountain West. In updated metrics for the ESPN SOR and KPI Rankings, SDSU fell to fourth. Connelly SP+ isn't usually updated until Sunday morning. The fourth metric, SportSource, is proprietary and not revealed publicly. So there is some guessing involved here. Connelly SP…...

15+ hour, 2+ min ago (820+ words) Kickoff was at 6:15 p.m. Midnight struck 10 minutes later. Major League Soccer's Cinderella had rolled through the season with statistically its youngest roster, and if you figured it was only a matter of time before a backline that starts three rookies turned into a pumpkin, well, it was. San Diego FC won't be headed to South Florida to face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in MLS Cup next weekend. The Vancouver Whitecaps will after a clinical 3-1 victory Saturday night at sold-out and stunned Snapdragon Stadium in the Western Conference final. For really the first time all season, the expansion club looked like one " surrendering three first half goals, then finishing the game with 10 men and a 19-year-old, third-string goalkeeper making his MLS debut. The game was essentially over after barely 10 minutes, which is all it took for the league's most potent front…...