TORRANCE TRIBUNE January 26, 2017 Page 3 Up and Adam See Work Comp, page 7 Community Briefs Torrance Teachers Selected for Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy Spartans Tested, but Remain Atop Pioneer League By Adam Serrao The South High Spartans boys’ soccer team is having a year for the record books. Even successful teams lose matches early on in the season while players are still trying to figure each other out. Last season, the Pioneer League champion Spartans lost their first match of the year before storming their way into the CIF championship match. This season has been different for head coach Chad Lagerwey and company, though. Lagerway and South have seemingly channeled their momentum from one year ago- -and despite a tie at West High last Wednesday night, they have remained undefeated with a 14- 0-1 record through the team’s first 15 matches. The West High Warriors are clearly South’s biggest competition this season, but despite sticking in the match last Wednesday night were unable to overtake the powerhouse that has been the Spartans this year. West scored first in the match, which not only put South on its heels but also gave the Spartans their first deficit in any match this season. It was West’s Cameron Korshavn who was able to sneak the ball past South’s goal line after striking an impressive corner kick in the first half. Though being put in an awkward position that it had not yet experienced this year, Lagerwey’s team fought back. “The first time trailing in a game, the question became, ‘How do we respond?’” Lagerway said of his team’s conundrum. The response may not have gotten the Spartans the win, but it certainly kept them from taking a loss. Ryan Vedov came through for South in the second half, sinking a pass from Dara Fakhfouri into the net. After trailing for about 15 minutes in the match, the Spartans decided that they didn’t necessarily enjoy the feel of things. South’s defense clamped down and was able to hold West scoreless the remainder of the way. “We created an opportunity and scored a goal,” West coach Mike Shimizu explained of the fight within his team. “Unfortunately we allowed one, but it was a great game. Our defense challenged everything and didn’t let their offense get into a rhythm.” Both rivals showed up with intense defensive efforts on the night. West had a number of opportunities to put another goal on the board in the second half of play, but South goalkeeper Kohl Kutsch remained relentless in his protection of the net. West goalkeeper Adam Surls was just as good, holding the Spartans at bay in their attempt to snatch a last-minute victory in regulation. Both teams remained scoreless throughout two 10-minute overtime periods to force the tie. The first place Spartans (14-0-1, 3-0-1) will remain blazing hot as they enter the stretch run of the Pioneer League season. Anything short of a Pioneer League title would most likely feel like a failure to Lagerwey and his team that has CIF championship aspirations after losing in the CIF final last season. West (8-2-3, 3-0-1), on the other hand, will consider the season to be a success should it find a way to hand rival South High that team’s first loss of the year. Shimizu and his defensive-minded club will get another crack at South on February 3 at South High. Torrance High The Torrance Tartars are in competition with the North High Saxons this year in the boys’ soccer season, but unfortunately for both teams it’s not the same type of competition that exists between South and West. While the Spartans and Warriors are battling it out for first place in the division, Torrance and North are trying to one-up each other in order to stay out of the cellar of the Pioneer League. The Tartars took a major step forward in that competition when they earned their first league victory over Centennial Apaches two weeks ago with a 4-1 win on the road at Centennial. Senior Oscar Salcedo, junior Jeff Rivera and sophomore Aaron Garcia were all able to come away with scores for Torrance (3-9-2, 1-3) as the team exploded on offense for four goals against the fourth place Apaches. The only other time this season that the Tartars have scored four goals or more was in the opening game of the year when Torrance took down Santa Monica by a 5-0 final. Salcedo also had two goals in that game. Despite the victory, Torrance went on to lose its next match against the red-hot South High Spartans and then took a 4-1 loss at the hands of Leuzinger last Wednesday afternoon. With time running out in the Pioneer League season, Torrance will have to string together some wins for any outside chance at gaining an at-large bid into this year’s CIF playoffs. North High This year’s soccer season has seemingly come and caught off guard a North High Saxons team that is still looking for its first win of Pioneer League play. The team’s last victory was in mid-December against a Lawndale club that is 5-11-3 on the year. Last week the Saxons took a 2-1 loss at the hands of Centennial, but managed to score their first goal in three games. North has been shut out four times on the season and has managed to score over one goal in just five of its first 15 matches. The Saxons and head coach Robert Rivas have a lot to get right heading into next season and will hope that another year of maturity for a very young team can go a long way to help put some wins in the standings. – Asixlion@earthlink.net Like Us on Facebook Work Comp Crackdown Targets Business Fraud By Rob McCarthy Years of cost-cutting reforms have brought California business owners relief from high workers’ compensation bills, and now state officials are going after the cheaters for even more savings. Lately, anti-fraud efforts have been directed at companies that inflate bills for medical care, equipment and assistive services to injured workers. The state office that oversees the workers’ comp system on January 1 froze $1 billion in suspicious bills from companies that are under investigation or been charged with fraud. A new fraud-fighting law gave officials the authority to red flag almost 200,000 bills from being paid. There are 75 medical providers facing criminal fraud charges, according to the Department of Industrial Relations in Oakland, which requested and received greater enforcement powers from lawmakers. The department also intends to suspend doctors, clinics and healthcare providers who have been convicted of fraud using its new authority as the state combats the insurance fraud. The state will ramp up fraud detection this year and create a special unit to share and track data from the physicians, hospitals, medical billers and other businesses that serve injured workers. The unit specifically will watch for overbilling for services performed or billing for treatment that wasn’t given or pre-approved. This type of fraud in the California workers’ comp system drew the notice of federal investigators, who arrested and prosecuted in 2014 the operator of a Long Beach hospital for illegal kickbacks to doctors. The physicians allegedly referred patients to the former Pacific Hospital for spinal implants. The facility’s operator, Michael Drobot, also admitted that bribed former State Senator Ron Calderon for legislative support for the billing scheme. Calderon, who represented Montebello, was convicted of corruption and is serving a fouryear prison sentence. The fraud isn’t limited to doctors and hospitals that inflate their charges, according to the new report. Efforts to catch cheaters will turn this year on the employers who don’t pay their fair share to cover their employees in case of injury or illness as a result of their employment. “While some associate the word ‘fraud’ with false or exaggerated claims of injury, it also The Northrop Grumman Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) announced that two out of 25 educators chosen as Teacher Fellows in the 2016-2017 Northrop Grumman Foundation Teachers Academy are from Torrance. Selected from targeted areas across the country, the Teacher Fellows (listed below) will participate in a number of science, engineering, and technology-related activities and professional learning opportunities. 2016-2017 Teacher Fellows from Torrance: • Kristy Mar, J.H. Hull Middle School. • Nancy Ton, Madrona Middle School. The Teacher Fellows were selected on the basis of several criteria, including displaying a strong desire to advance STEM education and applying real-world applications in the classroom. During their fellowship, recipients will participate in a five-day workshop at a Northrop Grumman facility during the summer of 2017; attend the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Los Angeles, March 30-April 2; participate in an immersive, 80- hour externship at a local Northrop Grumman facility; develop lesson(s)/units that integrate an authentic and real-world application linked to their externship experiences; and develop tools/resources to share with colleagues to help build capacity for engineering and technology instruction within their schools and districts. The Teacher Fellows will also receive a comprehensive NSTA membership package and an opportunity to participate in a variety of Web-based professional learning activities, including a specially designated online learning community. Barnes & Noble Launches My Favorite Teacher Contest Bookseller Barnes & Noble has announced the start of the 2017 “Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest,” which for the past seven years has provided middle and high school students the opportunity to tell their communities how much they appreciate their teachers. Students can nominate their teacher by writing essays, poems or thank-you letters that share how their teacher has influenced their lives and why they appreciate and admire their instructors. Participating schools collect the essays and submit thos to their local Barnes & Noble store for consideration. Entries are judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s inspiring qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing. The local winning teacher will be recognized this spring at the Del Amo store and receive a special award acknowledging their achievement. The student with the winning essay or poem will receive a certificate of recognition and will also be honored at the ceremony. Teachers grades one through 12 are eligible for nomination. Awards include cash prizes, gift cards, NOOK® devices and more. The contest is broken down into local and regional winners, from which the “Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year” will be chosen. The national winner will be recognized at a special community celebration, with both teacher and school receiving $5,000. The national student winner will win a $500 gift card and NOOK. Students must submit their entry to Barnes & Noble Del Amo by March 1. More details at www.bn.com/myfavoriteteacher. 6th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration Benefits Pediatric Therapy Network The 6th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration to benefit the Pediatric Therapy Network is set for Thursday, March 2 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel (21381 S. Western Avenue, Torrance). Event tickets are $45 pre-sale and the event sells out every year. Attendees can celebrate Mardi Gras PTN-style with live jazz music and food and beverage tastings from local restaurants and breweries including the Depot, Red Car Brewery & Restaurant, Restoration Kitchen & Wine, HT Grill, Torrance Bakery, Strand Brewing Company, Ise-Shima and more! For more info, visit http://www.pediatrictherapynetwork. org/events/mardigras.cfm or call 310-328-0276 x 202. All proceeds from this event benefit Pediatric Therapy Network. For 20 years, PTN has been committed to providing quality services for children with special needs, medical concerns and those at risk for developmental issues. With locations in Torrance and Long Beach, PTN serves over 2,500 children of all abilities. •
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