Family and friends honor the young pitcher
About the proudest thing a parent can experience is watching their son excel. Watching a boy grow into a man, right before your eyes. James Wernke was that man. The promising college baseball career of the Santa Ana Dons left-handed pitcher came to a sudden end before it could flourish, when Wernke was reported missing on Dec.
The Dons are off to a rough start producing a 5-4-1 record in a season where there have been shutout
Opening day usually means sunshine, green grass and hope of a winning season. But this year it meant muddy fields, rain drops and storm clouds, symbolic of Santa Ana’s 13-25-1 record last year. But soon the skies cleared, and the Dons appeared ready to begin a new season.
Seven wrestlers take their weight classes in 23-9 win
Sophomores Jose Navarro and Bobby Scofield along with the rest of the Santa Ana College wrestling team continued their undefeated season when they overpowered Fresno City College 23-9 to win the State Duals Championship. “To go undefeated is a big accomplishment,” said Head Coach Vince Silva.
Dons defeat College of the Canyons 4-0 earning them a spot in the State Semi-Finals
A vibrant crowd of a few hundred, a home playoff game, and an opponent rolling with momentum was the formula the Santa Ana men’s soccer team used as motivation to get a 4-0 win over College of the Canyons Nov. 28, putting the Dons in the final four of the California Community College Soccer State Championships.
The No. 1 team in the playoffs was too much to handle as the best season in nine years ends
Like Cher, the Dons definitely believed. Despite losing to district rival Santiago Canyon College in the first round of the playoffs, the women’s soccer team had the biggest turnaround in history. After a 3-16-2 record in 2008, Head Coach Jodi Coffman inscribed “believe” on the back of the coach’s shirts as a motivator.
Sahr Hemmor survived war in his native Sierra Leone to dominate on the football field
A 12-year-old boy watches his country fall apart as villages burn to the ground while he and his family struggle to survive Sierra Leone’s Civil War. Thousands are missing an arm, leg, or both, their limbs amputated by a group of rebels.
Wife’s cancer diagnosis spurs soccer coach to raise awareness
The memory is still fresh. One day grandma is doing fine helping out with Thanksgiving dinner or getting the decorations ready for the Christmas tree. The next she is coughing up blood and being diagnosed with cancer. For Head Coach Jose Vasquez his grandmother was the first in his family to be stricken with the disease.
Players remain enthusiastic after their first round departure, losing to OCC 18-9
Daniel Nagy gathered around with his teammates at poolside after an 18-9 first round loss to Orange Coast College in the Orange Empire Conference Water Polo Championships on Nov. 6, but he wasn’t disappointed. On that Friday morning at the Fullerton College pool, spirits remained high despite knowing that the loss ousted the Dons from the OEC tournament.
Holley’s third trip to the end zone puts the Dons away in overtime 33-27
The pressure was on when a tired and struggling Dons offense took the field in overtime down six points Oct. 10. What resulted next was déjà vu from the L.A. Harbor game as quarterback Jordan Thomas threw an interception to linebacker Jimmy Keating, ending the game.
A disease that left George Curtis mute cannot stop him from speaking through his courageous actions
In the spotlight stood George Curtis, trembling, but not from fear. Speechless, not from emptiness of mind, but because he is in fact unable to speak. His son, Buddy Curtis, extends his hand out to help him up on stage. Side by side they stand, proud and emotional, as Buddy is about to deliver a speech on behalf of his disabled father.
Navarro, Bristol and Onofre take first while five others place at the SAC tournament
No. 1 seeded wrestler Jose Navarro outscored his four opponents 58-12 at the Santa Ana College Wrestling Tournament on Oct. 3, leading his Dons to their second first place finish in a tournament for the 2009 season. The Dons sent six wrestlers into semi-final matches, with sophomores Ted Bristol, Luis Onofre and Navarro each cruising into first place finishes.
Defense allows one shot on goal by Irvine in 3-1 victory
At the last women’s soccer game, the faces that were on the field weren’t players that you would expect to see against Irvine Valley College Oct. 9. That’s because they are usually sitting on the bench, but instead of cheering on the sidelines, they were on the grass, celebrating their win as the Dons breezed by Irvine Valley College 3-1.
Following in his father’s footsteps and raising comparisons to former Dons’ kicker David Buehler
Chase Lansford isn’t afraid of lofty goals. After all, he is a kicker. Right now, Lansford’s goal of becoming a kicker for the NFL is, “kind of a fantasy,” he said. “There are only 32 teams in the NFL, so that’s 32 kickers in the whole country.
The game against Taft City College Cougars was a physical back-and-forth resulting in two ejections
Tied 1-1 in the final minutes of the first half, Santa Ana defender Henry Escalante was ejected, receiving a red card for a hard sliding tackle from behind that injured a Taft player. The ejection forced the Dons to play with 10 men the rest of the game, losing 4-3 against visiting Taft College Cougars on Friday, Sept.
Dons, Seahawks combine for 1,004 yards of total offense, but it was a SAC special teams breakdown
Quarterback Jordan Thomas made history by throwing five touchdown passes, but it was his interception that ended the game for the Dons in a 47-45 loss to L.A. Harbor College Sept. 19. Thomas went 19-29, threw for 345 yards and tying a Santa Ana College record of five touchdown passes in a game.
Dons lose first game after their 5-0 start to the season
Goalkeeper Cortnee Kleidon allowed three goals to Riverside College in a 3-2 loss giving the Dons their first loss Sept. 18. Going into the game, Kleidon had only allowed three goals this year including three shutouts, a 5-0 record and playing all 90 minutes of every game.
The Dons begin their run for a 16th straight OEC title.
At the Dons home opener against Rio Hondo, about 20 men’s soccer alumni cheered their former team with hopes of witnessing another winning season, much like the ones of which they were a part of. The Dons have one goal, and that is to continue making history as they seek their 16th consecutive Orange Empire Conference championship.
Freshman Adrian Negrete scored the game winning goal with 32 seconds left in regulation in the Dons 2-1 victory over Rio Hondo College Sept. 2. I wanted to go all out and get the win," Negrete said about his goal. Santa Ana College started this game with eight returners and 17 freshmen on the team.
Sophomore Cortnee Kleidon has played every minute in goal this season and has yet to allow one into the net leading the Dons to a 3-0 start. Kleidon has saved 14 shots in the three games and has already surpassed the two shut-outs the team earned last season.
SAC running backs rush for 170 yards in 38-7 win
Freshman running back Eric Pesante introduced himself to Citrus College as he flipped over the defensive line and into the end zone scoring his second touchdown in the Dons 38-7 win over the Fighting Owls Sept. 5. "Nothing but fun," Pesante said.
Pitcher Brian Peacock was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Draft. After a year where he went 8-3, Peacock decided to skip his sophomore season beginning his goal of playing in the big leagues.
and 
