Perce’s Kenpo Karate recently had two students compete in the San Diego AKA American Open Martial Arts Championship.

Gabby Perce who is 4 years old and holds the rank of orange belt took 1st place in Kenpo Forms, 4th place in traditional forms, and 5th place in creative forms. She worked very hard to prepare for this tournament and her hard work paid off. Great Job Gabby!

Anthony Murray is a 1st degree black belt and took 1st place in Adult Kenpo Forms, and 2nd place in musical weapons. Anthony has become very proficient in his nunchux training and has worked very to prepare for this tournament. Anthony did an outstanding job representing our studio and we are very proud of him and his accomplishments.

Congratulations to both competitors they did an awesome job participating in the Hyper Camp in San Diego for two days and then went on to compete in the tournament their dedication is admirable. Congratulations Gabby and Anthony.

In October you can expect to see both Gabby and Anthony compete, and see an awesome karate demonstration by the students and a special celebrity Hyper Athlete at Perce’s Kenpo Karate’s Annual Tournament October 5th at the Fillmore Middle School.

Jose "Chepe" Lira

Fillmores Jose "Chepe" Lira wins 2nd MMA fight on August 18th 2013 at Mansions fights in North Hollywood ca. Jose stepped into the fight at 5'9 185 lbs. In the middle weight division v.s his opponent Pat Mcginty at 5'11 185lbs from Lancaster CA. The fight started out with Jose striking his opponent with a couple jabs which dazed Mcginty. Jose then struck him with a right straight to the face which landed Mcginty to the fence. Mcginty was hopelessly offending himself. As the two exchanged punches Jose ends up taking his opponent down to the ground. The fight becomes a sudden standoff once again. Jose dazed Mcginty luckily the end of the 1st round approached. The second round starts after a short 1 minute break. As the fight started jose hurts Mcginty. He was then showing obvious rage wanting to get jose back with bad intentions but was no match. Jose kept up with his leg kicks an head movements to avoid getting hit. Now the final 3rd round both opponents full of anticipation of wanting the win. Jose throws jabs as Mcginty shows extreme obvious signs of being dazed. Mcginty still wouldn't go down. Jose plays the last round smart knowing he has won the 1st and 2nd rounds. Jose throws faints to keep Mcginty at a distance while waiting on the bell to ring to get his win. Jose "Chepe" Lira won all three rounds in a superior fashion. He would proudly like to thank his family, friends girlfriend Brittany Gonzalez and coach Eric "Killa" Escoto for all their support. Jose looks forward to his next fight on November 3rd 2013.

In Peoria AZ at the Western National Championship Tournament in temperatures of over 100 degrees The Team in Pool Play started by beating Desert Thunder 14-0 and West Valley 6-3 sending Fillmore to the winner’s bracket. In bracket play they defeated Electric City Heat 8-0, Santee Gold 5-4 and suffered their first loss against Rancho Trabuco 2-0 sending them to the loser’s bracket.

On the loser’s bracket they battled their way and defeated Bonita Valley 6-1, Escondido Extreme 3-0, PQ Lightning 13-0 and Charter Oak 7-5. Leaving them to face Rancho Trabuco in the semi-final, The Team battled through 7 innings with a score of 0-0 sending them to international tie breaker. On the 8th inning with a runner on third, Jordyn Walla hit a textbook sacrifice bunt scoring Olivia Robledo for the winning run sending them to the championship game to face West Valley.

In game one of two; Pitcher Lexi Garza and her defense Held West Valley to a single run defeating them with a final score of 15-1. In game two Pitcher Jessie Fontes and her defense shut out west Valley for four innings, on the top of 5th inning West Valley scored a run and pitcher Jessie Fontes tagged out the second run at home for the third out. On Bottom of 5th inning with a runner on third Pitcher Jessie Fontes scored Audrey Clay for the tying run, the very next batter Olivia Robledo Hit a triple down right field scoring Jessie Fontes for the go ahead run. On the last inning with the tying run on third, Pitcher Jessie Fontes struck out the batter for out number three and earned Fillmore 10U B Gold the Western National Champion Title.

The Western National Champions are Isabella Ayala, Sabrina Bracamontes, Janeah Castro, Audrey Clay, Jamie Fontes, Jessie Fontes, Ciana Garcia, Lexi Garza, Zoie Isom, April Lizarraga, Olivia Robledo and Jordyn Walla. The team is managed by Jeff Fontes. Coaches are Louie Garza, Mario Robledo and Karen Fontes. Team mom is Maribel Garza.

Fillmore Girls softball is very proud of this group of Individuals and commend them on their accomplishments.

Fillmore Girls 10U All-Stars have qualified for Western B Nationals and will be traveling to Peoria AZ. to represent Fillmore July 31- Aug 4, 2013. Please come out and support their local fundraisers. Thursday July 25, 2013 we will be having a chicken drive thru dinner at the Fillmore Fire Station from 5-7:30pm. Your $10 donation will include chicken, rice, beans, salad, roll and drink.

Saturday July 27, 2013 we will also be having a $10 donation carwash from 9-1:00pm 847 Ventura St. across from 7-Eleven.

On June 9, 2013 at Mansion Fights VII in North Hollywood, CA , Jose stepped into the cage for his debut in the middleweight division (185lb) . Taking the fight on 2 days notice, a fight turned down by several other fighters, his opponent was Decatur Thornton of Rancho Cucamonga , an MMA and Iraq War Veteran. The fight was fast and intense as it didn't make it to the 2nd round. The fight started with strikes being landed by both fighters for the first minute , Jose then dazed his opponent with a right strait and went in for the finish with a flurry or punches. The referee stopped the fight as Decatur could not protect himself any further , and Jose gets a impressive K.O. victory. Jose would like to thank his family, friends, coaches for everything. Jose fought out of Fillmore Boxing & MMA for this fight and looks forward to his next fight soon.

Fillmore’s 10U Gold won the fourth Championship in a row on Saturday and Sunday. The team went 6-0 with pitchers Lexi Garza and Jessie Fontes allowing only one run with the help of their strong defense. In pool play, the team beat El Segundo 6-0 and North Torrance 8-0. In elimination play, it beat Hacienda Heights 5-0, Whittier 2-1 and El Rio 7-0. In championship play, Fillmore Gold beat La Habra 3-0. Fontes was the winning pitcher, striking out 15 batters. Olivia Robledo hit a two-run homer and Isabella Ayala had an RBI. Previous Championships where won at Moorpark tournament, Thousand Oaks Tournament and the Third in Corona Tournament. Team members are Isabella Ayala, Sabrina Bracamontes, Janeah Castro, Audrey Clay, Jamie Fontes, Jessie Fontes, Ciana Garcia, Lexi Garza, Zoie Isom, April Lizarraga, Olivia Robledo and Jordyn Walla. The team is managed by Jeff Fontes. Coaches are Louie Garza, Mario Robledo and Karen Fontes. Team mom is Maribel Garza. The team will be competing this weekend in the Simi Valley Tournament.

Michael and Cindy Blatt of Fillmore were part of the ten member contingent of the Ventura County Masters (VCM) swim club competing against 1,633 of the best swimmers in the nation at the 2013 US Masters National Short Course Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, IN. Competing over 4 days in the IUPUI Natatorium, VCM won 8 individual national titles, 2 relay titles, and amassed 50 total medals (top 10 finishes). VCM tallied 427 points to capture 5th place in the combined team standings against over 200 other clubs, and was only 20 points out of 3rd place (12 points out of 4th). VCM did this with only 8 men and 2 women, while other teams placing in the top 5 had between 17 and 116 swimmers. The 8-member men’s team finished 4th overall in the men’s division (345 points).

VCM’s eight individual titles were secured by 4-time World Master Swimmer of the Year honoree Jim Mc Conica in the men’s 60-64 age division [200, 500 and 1000-yard freestyle (1:59.52, 5:16.44 and 10:48.25, respectively), and 200-yard backstroke (2:13.89)], Stacey Warmuth in the women’s 55-59 age division [1000-yard freestyle (11:57.45)], Hubie Kerns in the men’s 60-64 division [200-yard butterfly (2:27.18)], and Mike Shaffer in men’s 45-49 age group [100 and 200-yard butterfly (:52.89 and 1:58.54)]. Michael Blatt anchored VCM’s two winning 200 freestyle relays with blistering 50 freestyle splits (:22.70). Blatt teamed with McConica, Kerns, and Glenn Gruber in the men’s 55+ category, and Gruber, Warmuth, and Cindy Blatt in the mixed 55+ category.

Every member of VCM’s CONTINUED »

Congratulations to the 11-12 year old Major division Fillmore Angels who won their TOC Championship game this past Sat June 15th by beating Santa Paula 13-5. The Angels completed their season undefeated with a 18-0 record. That is two titles now for Fillmore Little League this year as the Minor A Cubs brought home the flag on June 8th by beating Montalvo 5-4. Thanks to everyone who came out to support theses teams and coaches.

Next up is All-Star Tournament hosted by Santa Paula Little League. Fillmore's 1st game will be Sunday 6-23 at 6:00 pm vs Goleta Valley. come out and show your support.

A big congratulations to the team, they placed 7th in the Minor B Allstar Tournament in Oak View, CA. This is the second year that there has been an Allstar tournament for this age group which consists of 7 and 8 year olds. They played one game on Saturday 6-8-13, one game on Sunday 6-9-13 and the final game was this last Sunday 6-16-13.

Fillmore’s first boys basketball travel team “Fillmore Lightning” competed this past weekend at UCSB Thunder dome in the Swoosh Summer Kick-Off Tournament. Although they did not take the tournament, they did extremely well for their first time competing against veteran teams. Cal Hoops Elite vs. Fillmore Lightning (30-31), SB Vipers Black vs. Fillmore Lightning (47-53), Ventura Celtics vs. Fillmore Lightning (31-27). Next tournament will be held June 22nd and 23rd in Oxnard at Santa Clara High School.

Perce's Kenpo Karate Studio recently competed in a local Karate tournament in Oxnard at St. Johns Lutheran Church. The tournament was held May 4th by the Flores Bros. Kenpo Karate Studio of Oxnard, and had over 130 Students competing from all over Southern California. The results are for Sparring Division 8-9 yrs. old Green-Brown belt 4th place Dave Bustos. 8-11 yrs. old Orange-Blue belt 1st place Celeste Aguilera. 9-10 yrs. old Brown belt 1st place Justice Rodriguez, 3rd place Emiliano Pinedo. 10-13 yrs. old green-Brown belt 1st place Crystal Pinedo, 4th place Erasmo Salazar. 14-18yrs. old Yellow-Blue belt 2nd place Angel Rodriguez. Teen-Adults Blue-Green 2nd place Javier Rodriguez.

Forms Divisions results are CONTINUED »

Andrea Laureano

Victor Ortiz, long distance head coach for the Heritage Valley Blazers, recently announced that Andrea Laureano, recently broke her own Ventura County record in the 1600m track event against the home team of the Ojai Roadrunners. Her time, at the April 27th event, of 6:29.52 smashed her previous record by 8.3 seconds. Miss Laureano, age 7, nipped the previous county record against the Thousand Oaks Flyers by .08 of one second. That record was originally established in 1996 by J. Mayers and then tied in 2003 by Taylor McGuirre of the Ventura Tigres.

When asked how she felt about breaking the long time record Andrea said, “I was excited. It was my goal to break the record since the beginning of the season.” She said that she has been running track for the Blazers for two years and also for the Fillmore Condors Cross Country team last year. She loves running because it is fun and that she can do it all the time.

Her father and coach Rafael said that Andrea is one of six Laureanos running for the Fillmore/Santa Paula teams. “Andrea has been on the go since she’s been in diapers. I haven’t been able to slow her down since, so I might as well coach her”, said Mr. Laureano. “My wife, Viviana, and I have been involved in the running world for quite some time. We enjoy helping young kids reach their goals and better their self esteem and we can do that best by teaching them how to run”. He went on to say that he is grateful for all of the support that their programs get including that of all the other dedicated coaches involved.

“We are proud of Andrea’s commitment to the sport and herself”, said Julian Morral, president of the Heritage Valley Blazers. “It is our aspiration that others may see themselves in her success and want to come out and give running a try. It is a fun sport for the whole family.” He went on to say that with Miss Laureano’s success in this event she automatically qualifies for the varsity finals to be held on May 18th and the Championship meet on the first of June. In addition Andrea has qualified to run in the 800m post season events and so far has been just 1.79 seconds away from qualifying in the 400m. “I know that when she returns next year she’ll master all of those events.” said Morral.

The Heritage Valley Blazers was founded in 1992 when the Santa Paula and Fillmore track clubs merged. They represent track athletes from ages five to 16 years old. They race with other children throughout the county including Newbury Park, Ventura, Ojai, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Oxnard and Camarillo. It is part of the Ventura County Youth Track Conference. To learn more please go to: http://www.vcytc.org/track/about.html and http://www.vcytc.org/track/index.html. Information regarding the upcoming cross country season with the Condors which too represents kids from Santa Paula and Fillmore please go to: http://fillmorecondors.org/.

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233 swimmers from nine high schools from Ventura county, Santa Barbara county and LA county. The aquatic center was filled to capacity with swimmers, families and friends. FHS swimming coach: Lindsay Bricker

Below are results for Fillmore H.S. Swim Team from the Frontier League Finals that took place on Thursday, May 2. Prelims were held on Tues. April 30. Also included are the overall team results for Varsity Boys and Girls and JV Boys and Girls.

To help you read these results:
If you looked at Event #9 Girls 100 yd. IM JV, in 1st place was Elisabeth Manzano of Fillmore. The number to the far right of the swimmer's name is the points they scored.

FHS Swim Team Final Results by TheFillmoreGazette