Sonora

1995 RECORD: 5-5 overall, 2-3 in league. COACH: Mark Takkinen (17-21 at school) RETURNING STARTERS: 6 on offense, 8 on defense TOP RETURNERS Mario Caldera, QB/DE, 6-1, 180, Sr.; David Cunningham, WR/DB, 6-2, 180, Sr.; Mike Hamabe, RB/DB, 5-9, 180, Sr.; John Lopez, OL/LB, 5-11, 210, Sr.; Chris Perry, DB, 5-10, 180, Sr.; Chris Rico, K, 5-8, 160, Sr.; Leland Solomona, TE/DT, 5-10, 210, Sr.; Nik Wybaczynsky, OL/DL, 6-5, 245, Sr. TOP NEWCOMERS DeJuan Bell, TE/DB, 6-6, 200, Sr.

Sonora, Calif., the county seat of Tuolumne County, has a charming downtown full of antiques shops, clothing boutiques and restaurants. Start the weekend by heading to the Sonora Farmers Market on Saturday morning. The market, at Theall and Stewart streets, sells not only fresh fruits and veggies, but also pastries, crepes and locally roasted coffee. The bed Gunn House Hotel (286 S. Washington St.; [209] 532-3421, http://www.gunnhousehotel.com , rooms from $84 to $125 a night)

Carrie Routledge, who transferred from Valencia High two years ago, picked up her first victory of the season as Sonora swept Valencia, 3-1 and 3-0, in a nonleague softball doubleheader Wednesday at Sonora. Routledge, who missed last season because of a fractured back, pitched only four innings in the second game of the day. It was only Routledge's second appearance since her transfer.

As the new Mexican consul in Los Angeles, David Figueroa has a keen appreciation of what's required to be a public official in his country. When Figueroa was mayor of the border town of Agua Prieta, Sonora, his father was shot four times on Mother's Day 2006. Several months later, after Figueroa became a congressman, he remembers driving from an airport near Mexico City and seeing bright flashes as two dozen gunshots ripped through his car. He was hit in the leg; another bullet grazed his forehead.

After the third quarter, Savanna's players raised their hands indicating four fingers. They probably thought the fourth quarter belonged to them. They were almost right, when Robin Dano found Jason Boggs, with one second left, on a 43-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Rebels to within one with the conversion pending. Sonora had different plans.

Despite four turnovers, Sonora posted a 14-3 nonleague victory over University Friday night at Irvine High. The Raiders (2-2) fumbled the ball away twice and quarterback Kevin Rodriguez was intercepted twice. University (1-3) outgained Sonora in total yards, 180-156, but was plagued by five turnovers--three fumbles and two interceptions. The teams traded turnovers late in the first half. University's Bryant Geary intercepted a pass at the University one-yard line.

Aiyana Nash scored 31 points, including five three-pointers, to lead Sonora to a 62-49 victory over Fullerton in the Freeway League opener for both teams Thursday. Nash, who is averaging 28.6 points, also hit 10 of 12 free throws. Sarah Fister added 16 points and grabbed 19 rebounds for Sonora (10-4, 1-0). Cara Dykes led Fullerton with 23 points. In other Freeway League games: Troy 50, Buena Park 32--Heidi Hardeman scored 22 points and Janea Butler scored 12 points to lead Troy.

John Fewell rushed for 120 yards in 13 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead Valencia High School to a 58-12 victory over Sonora Friday at La Habra High School. Fewell was one of four Tigers to score touchdowns. Ryan Roskelly had 188 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns for Valencia (2-0). Willie Barnes carried the ball just twice, but had two touchdowns and 63 yards rushing. He scored on runs of 51 and 12 yards, both in the second half. Valencia led 23-0 at the half.

It took Sonora's offense most of the first half to get in sync, but the offensive line finally took control, wearing down a smaller Santiago team and leading the Raiders to a 24-7 nonleague victory Thursday night at Garden Grove High School. Sonora (2-0), ranked seventh in the county, had a hard time moving the ball in the first half; the Cavalier defense held the Raiders to 78 yards in total offense.

With talents such as David Lalazarian and Robert Griffin, Tustin often can get by on offense alone. But when the Tillers think defense, they can be quite a handful. Sonora found that out Friday. The Tillers' aggressive man-to-man defense rattled the Raiders into 11 first-half turnovers (19 for the game) as Tustin won, 74-58, in a matchup of county top-10 teams at Sonora. Tustin played a sticky defense, cutting off passing lanes, trapping at the halfcourt and outhustling Sonora (8-3).

SAN FRANCISCO Pacific Orchid Exposition When, where: March 3-6, Fort Mason Center Highlights: America's biggest orchid show, in its 59th year, presents more than 150,000 varieties. Also lectures, exhibits, docent-led tours and a wine-tasting gala benefit. Cost: $12 online or $14 at the door; $8 online or $10 at the door for ages 65 and older; ages 12 and younger are free; tickets for the gala benefit are $35 in advance and $40 at the door, including a wine glass and tastings.

With an escort of 60 officers with assault rifles, a convoy heads off to deliver pensions to people caught behind the siege line as one drug cartel tries to wait out another in a sinister battle for scores of human and drug trafficking routes into Arizona. The police chiefs met in the dusty plaza with a federal official clutching a black bag filled with pesos: $40,000 in government pensions for the senior citizens living in the pueblos of the nearby foothills. A convoy of seven vehicles rumbled into the plaza, the trucks squeezing between taco and T-shirt vendors who gawked at the 60 or so federal and state police officers toting assault rifles.

The genetic signature of canine slobber on a bait bag of chicken scraps and a fuzzy photograph from a motion-sensitive camera north of Yosemite National Park have confirmed the existence of a red fox, thought to have been all but wiped out, the U.S. Forest Service announced last week. "The last known sighting of a Sierra Nevada red fox in the Sonora Pass area was some time in the 1920s," said Mike Crawley, Bridgeport District ranger. "Needless to say, we are quite surprised and excited by this find.

A flamboyant farm-workers organizer who called himself a modern-day Emiliano Zapata has been slain in a brazen ambush that also killed 14 members of his family and staff, officials said Saturday. Prosecutors in the border state of Sonora, where the slayings occurred, said they were investigating a number of possible motives. Sonora, like much of Mexico, has been hit by a wave of killings tied to drug-trafficking gangs. The union leader, Margarito Montes Parra, was killed in the southern part of the state that borders Sinaloa, a major center for the production and transport of marijuana and heroin.

A shootout between authorities and gunmen in central Mexico left at least 12 people dead Friday, hours after a congressional candidate survived an apparent assassination attempt in the northern part of the country. The incidents underscored the broad reach of violence plaguing Mexico amid a government crackdown on drug traffickers and signs that gangs have sought to infiltrate local politics.

Mexican authorities arrested a woman guarding an arsenal that included an antiaircraft-capable machine gun, police said Tuesday, as the army announced the capture of an alleged top drug cartel lieutenant. The arsenal belonged to a group linked to the powerful Beltran Leyva drug cartel, federal police coordinator Gen. Rodolfo Cruz said. It also included ammunition, five rifles, a grenade and part of a grenade launcher. Mexican drug cartels, battling a fierce crackdown by soldiers and federal police, have increasingly gotten hold of higher-powered weapons, even military-grade arms such as grenades and machine guns.

Host Western beat Sonora, 63-18, Friday night as running backs Jamiah Williamson and Will Ruffin led a methodical Wing-T offense. Ruffin led the way with 163 yards in seven carries, scored three touchdowns and added an interception. Wiliamson chipped in 108 yards in three carries and also added three touchdowns. Sonora didn't help its already tough task of stopping Western's offense by committing 11 penalties for nearly 150 yards.

Sonora forced five second-half turnovers en route to a 28-14 victory over Santiago at La Habra High School Friday night. Sonora (1-1) led, 15-6, at halftime, but thanks to three fumble recoveries and two interceptions, the Raiders dominated the second half. Sonora drove 75 yards on 13 plays in the game's first possession. Robert Knowles capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. Sonora's defense then held Santiago to three plays and Adam Chez scored on a 65-yard punt return.

WEDNESDAY'S RESULT La Habra 58, No. 12 La Habra Sonora 44 Leading contributors: Senior guard Randall Nygren scored 19 points and senior guard Jordan Sachs had 16 for host La Habra. Senior guard Christopher Bearden scored 16 points and senior forward Nathan Kuester had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Sonora. The scoop: Sonora made only five of 26 three-point shots and eight of 26 shots from inside the arc. "We just couldn't make a shot," Coach Mike Murphy said.

GAME OF THE DAY No. 12 La Habra Sonora (21-1, 6-0) at La Habra (16-7, 4-2) Tonight at 7:30 Why it matters: Sonora is riding an 18-game winning streak and wants to remain unbeaten in Freeway League play. La Habra hopes to maintain its tenuous hold on second place in the league standings and close within a game of the Raiders. Sonora won the first meeting, 53-39, on Jan. 14 in part by holding La Habra senior guard Jordan Sachs to 19 points, nine below his season average.