Vaqueros in the News

THRILLER! Vaqs rally for 29-28 victory over Timberwolves

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2011-10-31T14:51:49-07:00

"Alex has struggled a couple times in the last month or so, he got beat over the top against Corona del Mar and Torrance and he was determined to make up for those mistakes and he picked a good time to do it," Terry said.

Irvine has to settle for a tie against Torrance

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-10-10T18:13:05-07:00

This week, I thought we had three pretty darn good quarters and then the fourth, we made some mistakes that will cost you ballgames or at least give a team a chance to get back into it."

A happy homecoming for Henigan

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-30T12:38:42-07:00

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HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-30T12:37:33-07:00

Caceres intercepted a pass by Danny Hernandez in the end zone and then raced 101 yards for a score to put Irvine comfortably ahead in what was a 28-7 win.

Grandma proud to be a Vaquero

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-30T12:35:50-07:00

We remember seeing Grandma at a UCI baseball game just last spring cheering D.J. on and she seemed to be enjoying life right until the end.

Defense sparks Vaqueros in victory

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-30T12:34:07-07:00

With legendary Coach Terry Henigan, who retired after last season, watching on the sideline, the Vaqueros controlled the ball on offense and played hard-nosed defense in a 28-7 win over Los Amigos at Irvine Stadium.

Defense sparks Vaqueros 28-7 win over Los Amigos

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-27T17:11:41-07:00

Irvine’s stingy defense shuts down Los Amigos

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-26T08:44:15-07:00

The defense also scored a touchdown with Richie Caceras returning an interception 101 yards for a score to put the Vaqueros up, 21-0, with 26.7 seconds left in the first half.

Vaqueros’ offense held down in 2 1 -7 loss to Kennedy

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-18T08:58:36-07:00

The Fighting Irish — who scored 118 points in its first two games — trailed for the first time all season before tallying the final 21 points to pull away from the Vaqueros (0-2), who desperately wanted to put their 42-0 loss the week before behind them.

KICK-OFF 2010: Erik Terry takes over for a legend

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-09-09T18:23:18-07:00

"If people were to come out and watch a practice or when they come out to watch a game, I'm hoping that they're looking and saying, 'not much has changed,' from the standpoint of we're still going to hustle and we're going to pursue on defense," Terry said.

Kickoff 2010: Pacific Coast League preview

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2010-08-30T16:17:29-07:00

He will try and pick up the slack for the graduated Keith Lawson, who rushed for 1,926 yards on 231 carries and scored 25 touchdowns in his senior year.

Erik Terry replacing retired Henigan as Irvine’s coach

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-12-20T13:57:02-08:00

“It’s kind of like some of the computer programs, we’ve been going with an 81 version (1981 when Henigan started) and now we’re going to have an updated version.

Tough ending for Henigan and Vaqueros

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-11-24T08:40:36-08:00

Irvine High football coach Terry Henigan had one final talk with his football players before they left the field Friday night following a stunning 20-16 loss to Westminster in the opening round of the CIF Southern Division playoffs at Irvine Stadium.

It could be a special ending

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-11-01T15:16:15-08:00

Instead he immediately arranged for my students to have sideline passes, gave each of them team shirts and hats and invited us to the team meal for the game we were attending.

Irvine denies San Juan Hills

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-31T08:31:30-07:00

San Juan Hills (3-5, 1-2) made Irvine squirm a bit in the fourth quarter when it closed the lead to 42-34 on a 24-yard touchdown run by Michael Perryman with 8:01 left.

Irvine-San Juan Hills recap

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-31T08:30:32-07:00

“It was a pretty good game, I wouldn’t say it was my best game, I still got a lot of things to work on.”

A big win for the Vaqueros

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-24T10:17:59-07:00

“But there are going to be close games every week, you just try and go one week at a time and get up Saturday morning after the last game and see where we’re at.

Callian kicks four field goals to lead Vaqs past Sea Kings

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-24T10:17:22-07:00

Irvine High’s talented freshman running back DaVonte Young shared the spotlight Thursday night in a Pacific Coast League game against Corona del Mar at Irvine Stadium.

Callian and Young lead Vaqs win

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-23T19:22:06-07:00

But junior place-kicker Tim Callian also came through, kicking four field goals to help Irvine (5-2, 2-0) retain a share of the league lead.

Young, Callian lead Irvine past CdM

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-23T13:29:32-07:00

Junior kicker Tim Callian also came through, kicking four field goals to help Irvine (5-2, 2-0) retain a share of the league lead.

Sea Kings Shut out again

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-23T13:21:18-07:00

In his first season last year at CdM, Hitchens guided the Sea Kings to a runner-up finish in league, the semifinals of the playoffs and a 10-3 overall record.

Irvine clicks offensively in win over Beckman

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-16T08:18:36-07:00

Robert Seaney tipped the ball at the goal line over Beckman defenders to a wide open Jake Day in the back of the end zone for a 35-yard score with no time left in the first half.

Juggernaut Training Athlete of the Week- DaVonte Young

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-09T11:33:09-07:00

He had 202 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-14 win over rival Woodbridge to open the year and then last week piled up 245 yards and three touchdowns of fun in a 31-7 victory over Northwood.

Irvine coach had right call

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-09T11:32:18-07:00

A HOMECOMING Henigan will be coaching against the team he began his career with, Cypress, Friday night in the final nonleague game of the year at Handel Stadium.

Vaqs’ Young gets loose

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-09T11:31:48-07:00

“The first quarter was a little slow, but in the second quarter, we picked it up and the offensive linemen knew their assignments and started blocking well, and I think we all played good as a team,” Young said.

Longtime coach's legacy seen around O.C.

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-10-09T11:27:24-07:00

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it's still about the team

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-09-04T07:13:11-07:00

Share your thoughts If you would like to share your thoughts on Coach Henigan, please email them to me at tburt@ocregister.com and we'll publish them over the coming weeks.

Retirement surprises players

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-09-03T07:25:55-07:00

I always say that I thought I knew a lot about football until I met Terry Henigan and then I realized how much I really didn’t know.

Coach: It’s still about the team

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-09-03T07:23:19-07:00

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS If you would like to share your thoughts on Coach Henigan, please e-mail them to me at tburt@ocregister.com and we’ll publish them over the coming weeks.

Kickoff '09: Irvine Vaqueros

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-09-03T07:18:31-07:00

Quarterback Allen Merritt, who was used as a starter most of last season, wide receiver Jake Day and senior linebacker Ryan Payne should help the Vaqueros challenge for the league title.

Vaqs can shake up the league

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-08-29T11:31:11-07:00

ALUMNI NEWS If you have news about former high school football players we can publish in the Irvine World News, please drop me an e-mail at tburt@ocregister.com.

Irivne's Henigan plans to retire

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-08-29T07:38:52-07:00

Irvine football coach Terry Henigan said Friday he plans to retire at the end of the season, culminating a memorable 29-year run as the Vaqueros coach.

Kickoff Pacific Coast League

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-08-29T07:40:46-07:00

San Juan Hills is fielding its first varsity football team and has no seniors, yet the Stallions are optimistic about their chances under former Orange coach Greg Gibson, who led the team to a 10-0 record last year playing a mixed schedule of varsity and junior varsity opponents.

Coach Henigan

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-08-29T07:36:28-07:00

Terry Henigan, Irvine, 1991-93 (John Barnes coached Los Alamitos to CIF championships 1991-93, too, but the '92 title was shared with Esperanza the 14-14 tie in the Division II final).

David Andrade/Sarah Callian honored for Sportsmanship!

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-07-04T08:33:14-07:00

And University’s honorees were volleyball player and track and field athlete Tess Nelson and football player and track and field athlete Sam Kuo.

Nik Abele is back in action!

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-07-02T13:20:35-07:00

Abele joins an already sizable offensive line, which includes Aliso Niguel’s Matt Peleti (6-3, 275), Laguna Hills’ Jeff Quigley (6-4, 280) and San Clemente’s Steve Watts (6-4, 260).

Irvine's Abele not just a football star

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-07-01T16:08:30-07:00

Abele was a tenacious defender with 35 lead tackles, 48 assisted tackles, five sacks and eight tackles for a loss on an Irvine team that wound up 8-4 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

2009 Irvine High football schedule

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-06-17T07:09:55-07:00

Irvine High's football team will open its 2009 schedule, facing Woodbridge in a nonleague game on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at Irvine Stadium.

SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: IRVINE HIGH

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-06-16T10:16:10-07:00

Irvine High’s female and male scholar athletes of the year were water polo player and swimmer Anna Natalizio and football, soccer and lacrosse player Michael Ernst.

Irvine's senior scholar athletes set the bar high

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-06-10T07:26:10-07:00

This year's group of scholar athletes from Irvine, Northwood, Woodbridge and University was honored Monday night at the 36th annual Exchange Club's Irvine Senior Scholar Sports Awards Banquet at the Caspian Restaurant at Irvine.

Irvine's Abele narrows choice to three schools

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2009-01-05T11:41:58-08:00

"I'd be surprised if that happened with Matt Barkley," Luginbill said of the Mater Dei quarterback during a teleconference for Sunday's Under Armour All-America High School Football Game in Florida.

All County Offesive Lineman- First Team

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-12-26T16:11:49-08:00

Tesoro quarterback Robbie Picazo enjoyed all the time he needed to make pass plays and running back Zach Mitchell was the beneficiary of gaping holes because of the blocking by the Titans line.

RECRUITING UPDATE:

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-12-09T15:14:58-08:00

The 6-7, 255-pound Abele, an offensive and defensive lineman, is being highly recruited and has been offered a full ride scholarship from UCLA, Cal Berkely, Utah, Colorado, Boise State, Oregon State and Arizona State, Henigan said.

CIF FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS:

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-12-01T13:19:36-08:00

"They were good, we knew that going in, but we had to play a good game and we had a couple of third and short situations that we needed to keep the ball and we didn't do it," Henigan said.

Irvine can't stop run game, falls to Norwalk

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-29T08:40:45-08:00

"They were good, we knew that going in, but we had to play a good game and we had a couple of third and short situations that we needed to keep the ball and we didn't do it," Henigan said.

Irvine battles...

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-29T08:38:38-08:00

We knew they were going to move the ball, but the whole thing was not to let them in the end zone, and they only had one [touchdown] in the first half."

Video previews for CIF quarterfinals

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-28T11:58:47-08:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1886192515/bctid3353887001

Irvine faces another tough test

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-28T08:43:29-08:00

The Vaqueros will try and accomplish the same goal when they face a high-scoring Norwalk team in the second round of the playoffs at the Excelsior Adult School Stadium in Norwalk Friday night at 7.

Vaqs win a thriller over Westminster in CIF playoffs

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-22T08:36:27-08:00

Irvine High's football team survived a late scare from Westminster Saturday night to capture a 14-7 victory in the opening round of the CIF-SS Southern Division playoffs at Estancia High.

Next stop for Vaqs: Norwalk in CIF round 2 Friday

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-28T08:34:54-08:00

The Vaqueros will try and accomplish the same goal when they face a high-scoring Norwalk team in the second round of the playoffs at the Excelsior Adult School Stadium in Norwalk Friday night at 7 (corner of Pionner and Alondra).

Vaqueros hang on for win

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-24T08:43:15-08:00

Irvine nearly had a goal-line stand thanks to some big tackles by senior Ian Thomason, but on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Chapple ran it in with 6:56 left in the first quarter.

Irvine makes big stop to beat Westminster

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-23T07:02:33-08:00

COSTA MESA — Irvine's football team survived a late scare from Westminster on Saturday night to capture a 14-7 victory in the opening round of the CIF-SS Southern Division playoffs at Estancia High.

Vaqueros look ready for Lions

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-22T09:20:52-08:00

Irvine High’s football players won’t be taking Westminster lightly when the Vaqueros meet the Lions Saturday night at 7 at Estancia High in Costa Mesa in round one of the CIF playoffs.

Vaq Reclaim Fence Post

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-21T10:34:57-08:00

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Southern Division Team Analysis

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-18T13:20:30-08:00

Laguna Beach: The Breakers had their three-game winning streak snapped by Costa Mesa, 38-30, in the regular-season finale, but they are back in the playoffs as the No. 2 team from the Orange Coast League.

Vaqueros take Fence Post, make playoffs

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-15T10:33:57-08:00

"We’re really happy about that," said Vaqueros senior running back Shane Whippo, who had 10 carries for 55 yards and added a touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Irvine lands in playoffs

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-15T10:30:43-08:00

As they were raising the Fence Post on the field, the players also learned that Corona del Mar had defeated Beckman, 20-10, enabling Irvine to finish in third place in the league.

Irvine football team out to bring home the Dennis Toohey Fence Post Trophy

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-12T08:19:35-08:00

"He was a great guy who did a lot to get football going with the youth of Irvine, so it means a lot and it signifies (if you win it) that you've had a good year and it would be nice for our senior guys," Henigan said.

Laguna Hills holds off Irvine to go 9-0

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-07T12:05:52-08:00

The Hawks have a bye next week, the final week of the regular season, and likely will be the top-seeded team in the Southern Division when the CIF-Southern Section playoffs begin in two weeks.

Race for the Fence Post Trophy

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-11-01T08:51:54-07:00

However, if Beckman defeats University next week and University defeats Irvine, Irvine, Uni and Beckman would all finish with 3-1 marks and a tiebreaker (fewest first half points allowed in intra-city games) would have to be used to determine the winner.

Vaqueros’ six-game streak ends

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-25T14:24:32-07:00

“Knowing Coach Henigan, it doesn’t surprise me, he’s the kind of guy who comes to win a football game, that’s the kind of competitor he is,” Corona del Mar coach Jason Hitchens said.

Irvine rolls dice, comes up short against CdM

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-25T08:25:19-07:00

The Vaqueros went for two points and the win after a touchdown in the fourth quarter but couldn't convert on a pass play and fell to the Sea Kings, 14-13, at Newport Harbor High.

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-23T09:05:29-07:00

OUTLOOK: The Vaqueros have won six in a row but figure to be tested against Corona del Mar, which was rolling before losing to Laguna Hills last week, 34-7, in its league opener.

Vaquero football team handles Beckman, 28-7

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-21T18:38:36-07:00

Irvine quarterbacks Brennan Leitao (4 for 9, 60 yards) and Allen Merritt (2 for 2, 36 yards) directed the offense and the defense recorded three interceptions against Beckman (5-2, 0-1).

Irvine wins sixth in a row

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-19T08:43:53-07:00

Irvine (6-1, 1-0) was led by Justin Reihanifam, who scored on 1-yard TD runs in the first and fourth quarters.

This Weeks Game

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-16T13:38:19-07:00

“We won both games, we’ve only played twice, but they’ve out-physicalled us both of those times so we will have a hard time moving the ball on them.

Athlete of the Week- Nik Abele

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-16T13:35:10-07:00

Abele had two tackles for losses, one sack and recovered a fumble in the win over Cypress, which is the defending CIF Southern Division champion.

Defense digs in against Cypress

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-13T08:04:18-07:00

Irvine’s Tra’shon Young is stopped by Shawn Hansen, No. 34, and Toscaleno Morris of Cypress during the first half the Vaqueros’ 7-6 victory on Friday night.

Irvine trips up Cypress, 7-6

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-12T14:48:32-07:00

“They have great special teams and we were scared to death and we didn’t want them to win the game on that and we didn’t, so we were happy about that.”

Irvine holds off Cypress

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-12T14:41:37-07:00

“They have great special teams and we were scared to death and we didn’t want them to win the game on that and we didn’t, so we were happy about that.”

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-10T09:24:34-07:00

Cypress is led by quarterback Max Reza, who has completed 22 of 49 passes for 2 1 2 yards and running back Akeelie Muhammad, who has rushed for 268 yards on 35 carries.

Vaqueros balanced effort the difference in win over T'Wolves

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-10T09:11:10-07:00

T'WOLVES WERE FIRED UP: Northwood Coach Rick Curtis said his team may have been a little too fired up to beat Irvine Friday night and as a result, the Timberwolves made too many mistakes.

Vaqs win behind balanced attack

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-07T14:39:16-07:00

The Timberwolves were led by quarterback Andrew Stephenson, who completed 10 of 20 passes for 99 yards and rushed for 70 yards on 13 carries.

Irvine wins battle with crosstown rival Northwood

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-04T08:45:35-07:00

The Timberwolves lined up ready to go for the first down on a fourth-and-5 play, but they were called for a delay of game.

Irvine powers past Northwood, 24-7

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-10-04T08:41:49-07:00

Justin Reihanifam then scored from 3 yards out with 5:15 left in the second quarter to give Irvine a 17-0 lead.

Vaqs take Calvary Chapel’s best shot

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-27T09:17:27-07:00

The Vaqueros went into halftime up, 21-0, after quarterback Brennan Leitao used a nice play fake and found Chris Del Carlo open in the left corner of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.

Irvine breaks loose in second quarter

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-26T07:49:04-07:00

IRVINE - Three touchdowns in the second quarter and a big night by Michael Ernst led Irvine to a 28-7 nonleague victory over Calvary Chapel of Santa Ana on Thursday at Irvine High.

Mesa Can't Keep Up

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-21T08:42:28-07:00

Gemayel should help the offense, which is averaging 1.5 points per game this season … Costa Mesa’s two losses have come against Corona del Mar and Beckman, which are currently ranked No. 5 and No. 8, respectively, in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division poll … This is the Mustangs’ third straight road game against a team from the Pacific Coast League … Irvine lost senior quarterback Brandon Allen to a knee injury in the season opener.

Costa Mesa (0-2) vs. Irvine (1-1)

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-21T08:41:38-07:00

“We just got to win,” said Blucker, uttering words that would make for a good banner at next week’s home opener.

42-7 win over Costa Mesa 42-7 win over Costa Mesa

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-19T07:33:54-07:00

Young scored on a 13-yard TD and Jake Day went over from 10 yards out later in the quarter to put Irvine ahead, 21-0.

Brandon Allen out for the season

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-18T07:25:22-07:00

One of the quarterbacks, senior Brandon Allen, who has played just four football games in his life, went down with a knee injury in the opening week against University.

Week 1 Rushing leaders

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-13T12:04:03-07:00

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Turnovers help Irvine triumph

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-13T08:04:07-07:00

Irvine also had a solid running game, led by Shane Whippo, who rushed for 151 yards on 10 carries, and Tra¡¦shon Young, who had 87 yards on 17 carries.

Vaqs cash in

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-13T08:00:17-07:00

Woodbridge (0-1) made it 14-6 when Anthony Wimbley hit Ajmal Puyehgar on a 20-yard halfback option play with 6:02 left in the second quarter.

Vaqueros’ size on line concerns Warrors’

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-11T10:30:25-07:00

“It’s always a big rivalry, it’s kind of like last week, we didn’t know what Mark (Uni Coach Cunningham) was going to do because we didn’t have any game films,” Henigan said.

University holds on

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-06T07:39:08-07:00

The Trojans held off a second-half comeback by the Vaqueros to win, 14-13, in a nonleague game in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Irvine High in front of a capacity crowd of 3,500.

Thrilling end to season opener

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-06T07:31:49-07:00

The Trojans held off a second half comeback by the Vaqueros to win, 14-13, in a nonleague game in the season opener for both teams Friday night at Irvine Stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 3,500.

Vaqueros have sights set...

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:38:34-07:00

“We’ve got some great kids who have worked real hard, we don’t have a lot, like every high school, we’re thin, but we’ve had a great offseason, spring and summer and we’re excited about the effort,” Coach Terry Henigan said.

Kickoff 2008 High School Notebook

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:30:53-07:00

“I think it’s eventually going to happen and it will be great for the city of Irvine and for the kids, there would be fewer Thursday night games and Saturday night games,” said Cunningham.

Irvine's high school football

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:22:13-07:00

Both teams were in need of a 10th game, so Irvine's Terry Henigan and University's Mark Cunningham agreed to the season opener.

It's almost kickoff time

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:18:48-07:00

"We don't play until week 10 and we're assured of the kids being fired up and a pretty good crowd, so it will be exciting for the school, and we'll make a little money, too, which we can all use in this day and age."

Terry Henigan has earned a reputation

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:17:48-07:00

"The 200 wins is a tribute to a lot of great players and there have been a lot of great coaches at Irvine and also the coaches I learned from," he said.

Kickoff is fast approaching

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-09-04T16:16:30-07:00

In last year's game, University ended a five-game losing streak against Irvine to win, 31-14, in front of a standing-room-only crowd of about 3,700 at Irvine Stadium.

Irvine takes city weightlifting championship

Irvine Vaquero Football — 2008-05-24T10:14:53-07:00

The competition, held this year at University High School, pits the top lifters from the football programs at each Irvine district school in three events – clean, squat, and bench press – across nine weight classes, and is open to all athletes with at least a year of football eligibility remaining.