Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2000 5:43 PM Subject: Encina Update (homecoming party/football/classes/siblings/search/dell/alumni hats/whats new) ENCINA ALUMNI, This update is sponsored by Terri Jurich Howard 74. The update is early this week to warn alumni about Encina's last football game which is tomorrow: Thursday Nov 9 @ Union Mine HS HOMECOMING PARTY No new pictures this week. Rollin Coxe 64 took three rolls of pictures which I'm waiting to see and Steve Palmer 74 also took 20MB of stills plus video. I managed to read in the KCRA newsclip about the homecoming party but I need to reduce the size of the file somehow, as it's currently 250mb for a 1 minute clip! This is the first time I've read in digital video... If you have any pictures of you and your friends you would like to share, scan and email them my way. If you missed the description of the homecoming party see: http://www.encinahighschool.com/archives/email/001027.txt There were quite a few folks attending the party who are not in the alumni database. If you know how to contact any of the following folks, let me know: Donna Kendall 70 Joyce Shaw Allen 73 Tim Erickson 73 Howard Schiffner 74 Pam Hanson Franke 75 Josh Martin 88 Ron Jeremy 90 FOOTBALL Dan Reid 87 sent me a Bee clipping containing a letter written by James Jones 87 in reference to an earlier article about Encina's football team: "Ex-Encina player gratified by article Thank you for the article regarding the emergence of the Encina High School football team. As a former Encina football player (class of '87) who grew up in the Sierra Oaks Vista area witnessing the changes mentioned in your article, I'm delighted to read a positive article about the type of student who plays football for the Bulldogs. This may be the first positive sports article about an Encina football team since Mike Martis, an Encina alumnus, wrote sports for The Bee. As a former all-Capital Valley Conference football, basketball and baseball performer, I know that good individual student-athletes come out of Encina every year. It's refreshing to know a great team also can come out of the neighborhood. Go Bulldogs! James Jones San Francisco" From the Oct 31st Bee: "Prep Notes: Brown is roast of the town By Joe Davidson Bee Staff Writer (Published Oct. 31, 2000) In terms of deciding league championships, it doesn't get much more intriguing than Encina's trip to Colfax on Friday. At stake is the Golden Empire League East championship. The contest will feature the hard running of Encina's B.J. Mitchell and the passing combination of Colfax's J.P. Greco and receiver Robby Lewis, the leading wideout in the Sac-Joaquin Section this fall. That Colfax is here is routine. The Falcons are regulars to the postseason. Encina, meanwhile, is one of the area's upstart teams, seeking its first playoff since the mid-1980s." Debbie Lopes 73 sent me this article from the Nov 2nd Bee: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/news/sports05_20001102.html "Rebirth at Encina: Bulldogs near first title ever after 20 years of misery By Joe Davidson Bee Staff Writer (Published Nov. 2, 2000) Russ Hibbard started to wonder just after the half Friday night. All of a sudden, his grinning mudders wanted to get chummy, overcome by a serious need to get up close and personal with the Encina High School football coach. Linemen came up for a bear hug. Tailbacks and receivers grazed their bodies across Hibbard's coaching garb and barked, "Wuz up, coach?" Then it hit him like a forearm to the chops. This was a plot to sully up the boss. As the Bulldogs were closing in on their win over Golden Sierra, their seventh victory without a defeat, in the slop that was El Camino's home field, players clung to Hibbard. "And like an idiot, I wore cream-colored pants. I was covered in mud," Hibbard said. "But you know, it was awesome." "We'd never seen the coaches so happy," Encina lineman Steve Bisby said. "That was so cool." Cool because for years, the only mud to be found was squarely in Encina's eye. The only chatter of postseason play and championships emanated from the opposite sideline. Even on dry fields, in years past, the Bulldogs seemed to be the ones stuck in mud. Now they're a model of perseverance, a batch of resilient warriors from a resilient community in pursuit of history. The conquest of Golden Sierra last week gave the Bulldogs a 7-0-1 mark, the best start in the school's 42-year history. A victory over perennial power Colfax on Friday will crown Encina as the Golden Empire League East titlist, a football champion for the first time -- ever. "You can't believe how satisfying this is," said Hibbard. "It's not just a dream for me, but it means everything for the kids, the respect they get on campus and from opponents. There isn't a more deserving bunch of kids." Encina is a collection of 30 players from all walks of life, a skilled and ferocious group that is taking two decades of gridiron misery out on someone every Friday night. It's a United Nations team if there ever was one, with Tongans and Samoans, African Americans, Latinos, and the "the resident white guy," Bisby, all contributing to Encina's football rebirth. Yevegniy Romanskiy is a Russian-born student chasing ballcarriers for the first time. Sami Mofleh is Arab, a determined youngster with a mustache and slicked black hair who wanted to prove to his father, Samir, that he was tough enough to block and tackle. "Now my high school days are complete," Mofleh said. "My parents moved here (from Syria) for a better opportunity. I love it. Everyone is from somewhere. We all have different backgrounds, and we all eat different things. Coach always orders pizza, though, and that's good enough." The star player is a thick-bodied tailback named B.J. Mitchell, a hard and speedy runner who patterns his game after his favorite player, Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos. Mitchell is admired on campus, a natural leader who may be the only one in the school who can correctly pronounce the name of "Big T," senior tackle Taniela Inukihaangana (Tan-ele Ee-neww-key-hawn-ga-na). Both endured the team's 0-10 season of 1998. "I've always believed in this school," said Mitchell, who ranks 20th in area rushing with 845 yards (an 8.7 average) and 16 touchdowns. "This is home for me. We have this perception of being a bad place, but it's not true. No one likes a loser, especially us. "When people come up to me after games and say hello, the first thing I say is, 'Thanks for coming out.' " Encina is alive and well after nearly flat-lining several times. A reflection of what has ailed rival San Juan Unified School District teams and urban schools across the state, Encina is an aging campus where tattered facilities, outdated equipment and long faces stood as a deteriorating symbol of former athletic pride. The 1960s and '70s were prosperous. Competitive teams and championship pursuits were the norm. The 1980s saw massive cutbacks in district funds, affecting athletics down to the middle-school level. Additionally, drastic changes in the socioeconomic makeup of the Bell Avenue campus shook the stability of everything athletic. Teenagers from upper-middle class Sierra Oaks started to shift to Rio Americano and Jesuit high schools. Now a third of the school's 800-person enrollment lives in apartments, which contributes to the transient nature of the student body. At Encina, 29 languages or dialects are spoken. On the football field, though, losing was universal. The 1980s included losing streaks of 29 and 28 games. The 1990s featured a mascot change -- from Apaches to Bulldogs -- and a 19-game skid. In 1991, the team became the first in California to disband at midseason because of mass ineligibility. Hibbard has endured it all for 11 years. A tall man with a gray thatch of hair and a warm face, the 46-year-old Hibbard has been loyal. He's had every reason to jump ship. But for him, touching students' lives has deeper meaning than wins and losses. When a student told him at graduation last spring that he was the reason she had made it that far, Hibbard cried. He has become a father figure to dozens of students he teaches (weight training) and coaches, kids from broken homes who walk miles to class. And he's a throwback when teachers coached something throughout the school year. Hibbard coaches wrestling and track and field in addition to football, and serves as athletic director. Each summer, he invites up to 150 athletes from the school for a barbecue and swim at his Rocklin home. And just when he feels the need to spend more time with his wife of 27 years, Darlene, she tells him to go back to his players. Though battling multiple sclerosis, Darlene Hibbard never misses a game. On Tuesday, in the midst of a weight-lifting class, 2000 graduate Olivia Sanchez came by to hand Hibbard a plastic pumpkin stuffed with Halloween candy. "That's exactly why I'm doing this," Hibbard said. "To see those kids laugh and smile the other night made it worth it. "We didn't want to make history when we dropped the (football) team several years ago," Hibbard continued. "Kids had the idea that I was going to get their grades changed. No way. We had to start somewhere. Every year, we still don't know exactly who will be on our team because so many kids are coming and going." Encina values every win because it helps generate needed interest and dollars. The booster club shut down two years ago when it was learned that a Sacramento County sheriff deputy pocketed some $15,000. And just last month, Hibbard exited the school cafeteria to track a nasty stench. It was his track and field office burning to the ground, the flames consuming some $30,000 worth of gear and equipment. The incident remains under investigation. Hibbard hopes to hear by Friday if district insurance will cover the loss. Otherwise, the track team may have to fold. Hibbard points to tennis courts that haven't fielded a team in 11 years. He hopes to bring back swimming and golf next year. "Russ truly has one of the best hearts of any man you'll find in education," said Paul Oropallo, an Encina vice principal. "He captures the spirit of what coaching kids is all about. I'm not sure how good he is as an X's and O's coach, but no one is better with kids. No one." Encina historically lost half its team to grades, but not this season. "The kids strive for discipline here," Hibbard said. "Before, we were held hostage. We'd lose so many kids, it came to the point where we had to decide if we'd keep the team going or not. I'll take this change any time." And from the Nov 4th Bee (sigh): "Football Roundup: Colfax stalls Encina's bid Bee Sports Staff (Published Nov. 4, 2000) Encina High School's quest for the first football title in the school's 42-year history seemed to get off to a promising start Friday night, when Chris Jones scored the game's first points against Colfax on a one-yard keeper. But the host Falcons (7-1, 3-0) answered mightily to claim the Golden Empire League title and secure a playoff berth, scoring 50 straight points en route to a 50-30 victory over the Bulldogs (6-1, 2-1). Encina fumbled three times in that stretch, with recoveries coming from Colfax's Dean Stalder, Marc Corro and Mike Brunkhorst. The Falcons' J.P. Greco completed 9 of 14 passes for 261 yards and touchdowns of one, 43, 40 and 65 yards. Bryan Hamm had touchdown catches of 43 and 65 yards and 116 yards total, and Robby Lewis caught three passes for 115 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown. Encina's B.J. Mitchell rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns in 29 carries." Although Encina did not win the Golden Empire League title, we should be proud of what Coach Hibbard and the team accomplished this season, coming from nowhere and surprising their opponents with their tough, gritty play. 6-1-1 is a record to be proud of! Encina's last game is Thursday night: Thursday Nov 9 @ Union Mine HS Get out and support Encina's team! CLASSES If any of the classes which had reunions would like to send me some pictures, I'll add them to the class homepage. I'm sure your classmates who couldn't attend would enjoy seeing pictures of what transpired... SIBLINGS Loretta Parsons 67 wrote: Loretta Parsons 67 Ken Parsons 70 Vanessa Williams 89 wrote: Tim Vincze 85 Vanessa Williams 89 Tywa Phillips 96 wrote: Tywa Phillips 96 Tina Phillips 99 Tina Phillips 99 is married to Michael Pritchitt 99 Cherish Cooley 87 is married to Brian Cyr 87 Connie Kraushar 70 wrote: Connie Kraushar 70 Ron Kraushar 72 Mollie Kraushar 74 (cousin) James Kraushar 76 (cousin) Katie Kraushar 81 (cousin) John Kraushar 82 (cousin) Crystal Graham 87 is in contact with Denise Sousa 87 Roxanne Watkins 83 wrote: Catherine Martin 80 Rebecca Watkins 82 Roxanne Watkins 83 ALUMNI SEARCH Anyone know how to locate these folks! Daniel Hummel 89 Trang Pham 89 Melissa Smith 90 DELL For those of you thinking about ordering a Dell PC for Christmas, please take the time to link your purchase to the Encina Store: http://www.encinahighschool.com/store.htm Just go to the Encina store when you are ready to order and click on the Dell banner. This will take you to the Dell website. After you place your order, the Encina website will receive a 1% commission on your purchase and it won't cost you anything. On a $2000 PC the website will receive $20... This also applies to any orders from amazon.com , barnesandnoble.com, buy.com, cdnow.com or any of the other stores for which Encina is an affiliate. Thanks for your support! ALUMNI HATS Coach Durkee's wife was selling the alumni hats in the lobby during the homecoming pregame party. Coach Durkee asked me to tell the alumni that they have plenty of alumni hats left. Tom ordered about 150 hats and I believe they've sold about 30-35 hats so far. So they would really appreciate any help from the alumni as they've already paid for the hats and it's tying up precious funds. I talked to several folks at the party who were disappointed that they didn't get a chance to buy a hat during the pregame party. I actually sold my two hats to two of the Dahlberg brothers as they were leaving the party that night. At that point we weren't sure how many hats were left. Dave Dahlberg 77 bought one of my hats and wrote: "For those of you who missed homecoming, it was a blast! For those who questioned the wisdom of buying the alumni hat sight-unseen for $20, please reconsider. These are pretty cool hats: white with a red bill, embroidered Apache and Bulldog logos on the sides, and embroidered in gold on the front it has "Encina Alumni." You might want to contact Harlan if you're interested, and he can put you in touch with the coach. They probably have some hats left. The extra $10 of the price goes to the team" Here are the particulars should you wish to order: "Dear Alumni- We would like to inform you of our 2000 football fundraiser. I have made arrangements with a sporting goods vendor to order the necessary hats. They will be white with a cardinal bill and eyelet's, with Encina Alumni in gold block letters, surrounding a football. The hats will be adjustable, so one size will fit all. The price of the hats will be $20, with $10 paying for the hat and $10 going to the football program. Any additional donations would be highly appreciated, and if you do not desire a hat, any donation would be welcome. We have many costs during the season which include safety checks of all equipment, doctors at games, bus rides to away games, new equipment, ect. Unfortunately in many cases, the parents of our players and students are not in a financial position to donate funds. As in many years past, Coach Hibbard has generously spent countless dollars of his own money on many of the things our program has needed. I would like to stress how much the coaching staff at Encina would appreciate any hat orders or donations to our program. Thank You! Now for the facts- please mail your checks to Encina High School, c/o Varsity Football, 1400 Bell St., Sacramento, CA 95825. You may get the hats in two ways; 1) pick it up from Encina yourself, 2) send a self-addressed envelope with postage and we will mail it to you when the hats arrive If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call 971-7557 and ask for Coach Durkee or Coach Hibbard. Once again, thank you for your support of the Encina Football Program. Coach Durkee" You can email Coach Durkee at TSDurkee@aol.com You can see pictures of the alumni hats here: http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2000/rally.htm WHAT'S NEW 11/7/00: Gail Miller 73 update, Dan Christianson 90, Crystal Graham 87/bio, Denise Sousa 87, Paula Pertile 76 update, Connie Kraushar 70, Ron Kraushar 72, Tanya Monier 90 update, Beth Smaage 76, Tessie Velasco 90 update, Lisa Poulsen 81, Cherish Cooley 87, Brian Cyr 87, Sherrie Pyle-Parker 86, Chuck Savoca 70, Michael Thompson 89, Nadine Cabrera 90, Cindy Barksdale 73, Lola Dumont 73, Tom Allen 74, Andy Dimitriadis 76, Edward Soong 78, Robert Heckes 83, Tim Smith 83, Wendel Wanker 83, Sean Anderson 85, Jeff Luc 85, Jessica Okendo 85, Mike Epps 87, Chris Montyoa 87, Randall Kingsmore 88, Fariborz Mehrshahi 88, Joel Lefohn 90, Christina Leiser 91, Hugo Frenandez 92, Tabitha Baker 96 11/5/00: Jason Kenosky 92, Jim Warner 65, Donna Hill 76, Denise Mills 88/bio, Leo Machado 96/bio, Tim Vincze 85, Teresa Monge 01, Loretta Parsons 67, Stephen Robichaud 71, Carrie Lupton 81 11/3/00: Sydney Smeedens 73, Jayne Van Horn 73, Chelle Bloom 71, Karen Dellinger 76 update, Daniel Bui 85 11/2/00: Laurie Johnson 88, Chris Krell 87 Don't forget to submit your contact information or bio: contact: www.encinahighschool.com/directory/submit_contact.htm bio: www.encinahighschool.com/submit_bio.htm I hope you all voted in the election. This is certainly a case where just a few votes made a big difference in the results... Harlan Lau '73 Encina webmaster www.encinahighschool.com harlan@rambus.com