LBHS junior Jessie Rose has collected more than 1,000 shoes for Soles4Soul

Since she started her annual shoe drive two years ago, Jessie Rose, a junior at Laguna Beach High School, has collected more than 1,000 pairs of shoes for Soles4Soul, a nonprofit social enterprise that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. The first year, she doubled her goal of 250 pairs of shoes, and with the help of the community, she did it again this year. 

Founded in 2006, Soles4Soul has distributed more than 30 million pairs of new and used shoes in 127 countries, demonstrating that one person’s unwanted shoes can help provide meaningful opportunities for someone else in need in a developing country. 

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Jessie Rose surpasses her 2020 goal of 250 shoes

Jessie says, “I’ve always wanted to make an impact on people’s live. I am so thankful for the community donating their old shoes. Now we can say that we all have had a positive impact on other people’s lives!”

Every day, children are prevented from attending school and adults are unable to work due to lack of shoes. Walking becomes unbearable. A new pair of shoes provides relief in many developing nations around the globe, in times of disaster, and helps bridge the economic gap in the U.S. and Canada.

At Soles4Souls, unwanted shoes and clothing are turned into opportunities, by keeping them from going to waste and putting them to good use – providing relief, creating jobs, and empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.

For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.soles4souls.org.

LB Little League 2020 season is officially underway

Last Friday, Feb 28, Laguna Beach Little League president Ed Paz led the opening ceremonies for the 2020 season. Arnold Silverman, Frank Daniel, Ed Merrilees, and Pete Sandro represented the VFW. Lydia Kimball sang a beautiful rendition of the national anthem.

The first pitch was thrown out by Commander Garrick Stride, who recently retired from the United States Navy after more than two decades of sacrifice and service to our country.

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Courtesy of Stu Jones

Little Leaguers are primed and ready to play

The evening marked the beginning of LBLL’s 69th season. LBLL is California’s third oldest chartered little league and Orange County’s oldest.

Rotary gets the winning run in the bottom of the sixth

Rotary opened up scoring in the first inning, when Kai Patchell singled on a 1-2 count, scoring one run.

In the top of the fifth inning, VFW tied things up at three as Rex Bradshaw stole home, scoring his second run of the night.

The game was knotted at three each at the top of the sixth. With two outs in the bottom of the last inning, Rotary’s Gabe Paz drove a solo shot over the right field fence at historic Riddle Field, defeating VFW 4-3.

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Arnold Silverman, Frank Daniel, Ed Merrilees, and Pete Sandro represented the VFW

Gabe got the start for Rotary. He surrendered three runs (two earned) on two hits over five innings, striking out 14 and walking two.

Presley Jones got the nod for VFW also giving up three runs (two earned) over five innings. She struck out nine while issuing one walk and six hits to close her line.

Jackson Arrasin came in for relief in the top of the seventh inning with the go-ahead run in scoring position and one out. He retired both batters he faced to lock down the save.

Becker Sybirski, Cam Cureton, Jackson Arrasin, Cam Clark, Jake Martin, Gabe, and Kai each managed one hit to lead Rotary. Rotary was sure-handed in the field and didn’t commit a single error.

Rex Bradshaw led VFW with two hits in two at-bats, scoring twice and driving in one run. Sawyer Thomson led VFW with two stolen bases, as the team ran wild on the base paths with nine stolen bases.

An exciting, close game to launch the season!

For more information on LBLL including a schedule of upcoming games, visit www.beachbaseball.com.

LBHS girls water polo captures CIF State Southern Regional Championship

By Steve Riches

This past weekend, the LBHS girls water polo team finished its 33-1 season as Surf League, CIF-SS, and CIF State Southern Regional Champions. The first game of the Regional Championship on Friday was a 19-3 win against La Jolla HS from San Diego. Then, Saturday morning saw the girls battle Surf League rival Newport Harbor HS. In their sixth meeting this season, the game went to double overtime with the Breakers winning 10-9. In the final on Saturday evening, the Breakers secured a decisive 17-8 victory over The Bishop’s School from San Diego.

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LBHS girls water polo team finishes season as Surf League, CIF-SS, and CIF State Southern Regional Champions

“I cannot say enough about this group of girls and how special they are,” said Head Coach Ethan Damato. “To go through a season as tough as ours and only lose one game in the process is a testament to how consistent this team has been day in and day out. Whether it was a tournament game or a league game we knew that we were going to get everyone’s best every time we touched the water. We embraced that challenge, put in the work everyday at practice, and came ready to play for every game. I have no problem saying that I think they are the hardest working high school team in the country. Their commitment to each other and to this team is unparalleled. Honestly, I think that is what has carried us through in the toughest moments.”

Congrats to our Breakers girls!

LBHS girls water polo team defends CIF-SS Division 1 Championship

By Steve Riches

This past Saturday at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine, the Laguna Beach Breakers girls water polo team staged an epic fourth quarter comeback to beat the Foothill Knights 7-6, winning their second consecutive CIF-SS D1 title. The girls have now won five of the last seven CIF-SS D1 water polo titles.

The game began with a defensive battle, with the Breakers down 0-1 at the end of the first quarter with three saves by freshman goalie Lauren Schneider. In the second quarter, the Breakers fought back with goals from UCLA-bound senior Morgan Van Alphen and junior left-hander Emma Lineback. 

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2020 CIF-SS D1 Champions

Going into the third quarter the Knights were still up by two goals. Despite goals by Van Alphen and junior Jessie Rose, the Breakers struggled to bridge the two-goal gap. 

The fourth quarter started with the breakers down 4-6. Then a drawn exclusion and a drawn penalty by junior Nicole Struss enabled two more goals for Lineback and the Breakers finally tied the score 6-6. A steal from goalie Schneider sparked the game-winning goal by Lineback, on an assist from Struss, for the 7-6 final score.

Today the Breakers play the La Jolla Vikings at Segerstrom HS in the first round of the CIF Regional Championships, at 4:20 p.m.

Game stats: Emma Lineback - 4 goals, 1 steal, 1 field block; Morgan Van Alphen - 2 goals, 1 assist; Jessie Rose 1 goal; Nicole Struss - 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 drawn exclusions, 1 drawn penalty; Molly Renner 2 assists, 1 steal; Rachael Carver - 1 assist, 2 steals; Imani Clemons - 1 drawn exclusion; Lauren Schneider - 8 saves, 1 steal.

Laguna Beach Girls Water Polo: CIF Division One Champions

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Photo by @lagunabernadoodle Instagram

Congrats to the Laguna Beach HS Girls Water Polo team for winning the CIF Division One Championship on Saturday! The girls rallied to defeat Foothill in a 7-6 victory. The team will now take on La Jolla at Segerstrom High School in the State CIF SoCal Regionals on Friday at 4:20 p.m. Go Beach!