EL SEGUNDO HERALD October 28, 2021 Page 5
Aaron Corkins oversees the effort to track and control the coyote
population in El Segundo.
Your Neighborhood Therapist
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
Some of the people around me whom I
love seem to live their lives as if everything
is perfect. They don’t want to hear bad news.
They don’t want to know about anything
negative. They dismiss me when I try to
bring up events that are happening in the
world and in our community, and tell me
I’m silly and I’m lucky and that I shouldn’t
“complain.” My life is pretty good now, but
I have experienced a lot of adversity and
I know I am stronger for it. I sometimes
wonder if my loved ones have any clue
about the”real” world, and I am starting to
feel like I am the crazy one. How can I tell
them that their “perfect” lives have yet to
run into reality? Is there anything I can do
to prepare them for that moment?
– Shaking My Head, El Segundo •
Dear Shaking My Head,
With the airport to the north, the beach to
the west, PCH in the east, and Chevron to
the south, El Segundo can feel like a closed
community. This can be very comforting. especially
when considering the vast and seemingly
endless concrete sprawl that characterizes so
much of Southern California. Unlike many
communities, those living and working in El
Segundo have a strong sense of the borders
of their own community.
At times it may feel like news of the rest
of the world is an intruder to our walled
garden. But of course, the rest of the world
is out there, and it intrudes if it wants to.
This applies not only to our community but
to our individual and family lives as well.
Tempting as it might be, we cannot simply
keep the “real world” out of our lives.
Wait, let me stop there for a second. That’s
not totally true. Some people can and do manage
to keep the “real world” at bay for their
whole lives. They manage to surf on a wave
of illusion, denial and selective vision until
the very end. This requires both tremendous
luck and tremendous privilege, an ability to
bend the world around you to your whims
and to hold it there your whole life. Have
you ever met anyone with that ability? I’m
sure they exist, but I haven’t met them yet.
As you know, when the world comes
crashing in, it can strike a person completely
unprepared and leave them worse off than
Eagles Come up Short
Against West Torrance
By Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo Eagles have had an interesting
season. Starting out 5-0 to begin the
season, they’ve suffered four consecutive
losses, including a painfully frustrating 29-27
loss to West Torrance. In each of their four
Pioneer League losses, the Eagles were in
a position to win the game. In each of their
defeats, the Eagles committed too many errors
that the opposition took to their benefit.
They also started slowly, and that had them
playing with a little more urgency as the
game went on.
Prior to the game, the football program
saluted their twenty-four seniors and the two
senior trainers, Jillian Ernest and Makenna
Kinzie. The players included Duce Spivey,
Sam Pachuta, Jack Stoker, David McPherson,
Conrad Bernstein, Dylan Bucher, Ryan
Campbell, Cooper Dolan, Zach Ekstrom,
Mason Kahn, Matt Higginbotham, Damien
Garcia, Elijah Fennel, Jacob Enestein, Shane
Leach, Billy McKinzey, Tommy O’Keefe,
Nate Pascarelli, Paul Tecle, Ariel Santiago,
Jouzif Alhalak, Duke Sanders, Julian Sanchez,
and Aidan Pagel.
The Eagles’ game starting woes continued
against the Warriors. After Leo Menendez
connected with Nate Pascarelli for a 17-yard
gain, the offense fizzled out. West Torrance
took over at their 42-yard line and took a
6-0 lead ten plays later on a Reave Comer
4-yard touchdown run. On the Warriors’ next
possession, the El Segundo defense stepped
up, including David McPherson, who sacked
Ronan Taylor for a 12-yard loss that helped
lead to West punting.
The Eagles were pinned back deep on
their side of the field. Menendez guided his
offense 88 yards in 11 plays to get into the
end zone. Dylan Bucher picked up three
first downs on the drive, and Mason Kahn
picked up 17 yards on reception for another
first down. Pascarelli got open on a sevenyard
touchdown catch, and the Eagles found
themselves leading 7-6 with 10:34 remaining
in the second quarter. West Torrance wasted
no time responding on their ensuing possession
with an 80-yard catch and ran for a
touchdown for a 13-7 lead.
West Torrance took full advantage of
another El Segundo blunder when a poor
snap on a punt attempt was downed at the El
Segundo 23-yard line. Two rushing attempts
later, including Kamren Juarez’s 12-yard
touchdown run and the Warriors held a 20-7
lead. After the teams traded possessions, Brett
Abitante’s interception gave the Eagles one
last opportunity before halftime. On third
and long, Michael Wilson caught a pass for
a first down setting up a 31-yard touchdown
pass to Nate Pascarell that cut the Eagle’s
deficit to 20-13.
With the Eagles ramping up their urgency
in the second half, they put together a six-play
scoring drive. Wilson caught a pass for 37
yards, and Mason Kahn’s 15-yard reception
got the ball down to the Warriors’ 16-yard
line. Two plays later, Dylan Bucher found an
opening and got into the end zone on a 16-
yard touchdown run to tie the game at 20-20.
The El Segundo defense turned back the
Warriors once again after a nine-play drive.
See Coyote Safety, page 13
#46 Vaughn Huey and #5 David McPherson sack Warrior QB
Ronan Taylor.
Jack Stoker makes a touchdown-saving tackle on West Torrance’s
Noah Meyer.
See Eagles, page 6
Coyote Safety with
Aaron Corkins
By Kiersten Vannest
Every now and then, nestled among the
abundant nature sprinkled in and surrounding
El Segundo, residents get a glimpse into
the natural wildlife of California making its
way in suburbia. Squirrels, rabbits, even the
occasional fox can be found in Mayberry
by the Sea. Lately, however, reports have
increased, citing coyotes lurking about the
neighborhoods. Aaron Corkins, Lieutenant for
ESPD and Division Commander of Special
Operations (whose purview includes animal
control), gives neighbors a few pointers for how
to cohabitate with these dog-like predators.
“Coyotes have always been around,” he
says, “There are a lot of habitats for them
around El Segundo.” Among these habitats,
he lists places like the field areas of LAX,
the Chevron refinery, and the dunes. But
coyotes are prolific procreators. The two
main attractors for coyotes are shelter and
food. If these two needs are met, coyotes
will take advantage.
Because of this, Corkins recommends
keeping your landscaping tidy. Coyotes like
to den in the underbrush and thick bushes,
anywhere they can be hidden and sleep during
the day. Clearing out your yard is one way
to prevent coyotes from inviting themselves
to your home. For the city’s part, they’re
clearing out public spaces and city-owned
properties.
Another way to prevent coyotes from making
themselves home is to take dinner off the
table as much as possible. “It could be cats,
it could be small dogs… even though they’re
carnivores, they will adapt,” he explains. He
explains that coyotes can be opportunistic
eaters and will eat fruit that falls off trees,
compost, and garbage. Keeping your animals
indoors, picking up fallen produce, and locking
your bins are all ways to discourage coyote
presence. This includes both front and back
yards. As Corkins says, coyotes can jump
and scale about thirteen feet high on average,
though they are adept diggers and would
prefer to dig their way into things, making
a fenced backyard no obstacle.
If you worry for your pet, the best recom-
See Therapist, page 13
Got Headaches?
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