Kudos to all organizations that held events for less fortunate

There were several organizations that participated and donated to the less fortunate on Thanksgiving Day. From private to non-profit institutions to school participation, so many organizations donated food, clothing, volunteered or held events and that’s the true spirit of Thanksgiving. There are too many organizations to only name a few. You know who you are and you are the epitome of caring for our community. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Shoppers support recovering downtown during Small Business Saturday

In spirit of Small Business Saturday, five businesses in downtown El Centro joined forces to offer shoppers a unique experience.

Strangers West, Odds & Ends, Tiendique, Bujwah and Discordia Records hosted Downtown Dollars, a multi-store shopping event that ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For every $50 spent, shoppers earned $5 in Downtown Dollars, which were redeemable at any of the five participating stores. Along with specific discounts each store had, the event also featured $5 off any $30 purchase from any of the five downtown businesses.

Customers that shopped at small businesses

With big retail stores slashing prices on several items, shoppers sometimes overlook the smaller businesses. There are, however, many that make it a point to shop small either on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday. It’s important to support our small, local businesses. They are our neighbors and community members and we need to show them the support they deserve.

Vincent Memorial wins CIF-SDS Div. V title

Since before the start of the 2017 football season, the team from Vincent Memorial Catholic High School had its sight set on winning a CIFSan Diego Section Div. V title.

While many teams aim to reach and win the title game, the Scots were always realistic about their abilities and even their shortcomings.

This led to the team playing a tough nonleague schedule that saw it finish 4-2, before the Scots went on to secure their first outright Manzanita League title in school history with a 3-0 record.

After crossing a league title off their checklist, the Scots entered the playoffs and cruised into Saturday night’s Div. V final at Southwestern Community College as they’d always planned.

The Scots went into the championship as the No. 1 seed and left no doubt they were deserving of the top mark as they toppled No. 2 Crawford 45-3 to win the first CIF football title in school history.

Southwest High football advances to CIF-SDS title game

The Southwest High football team came out early and often in its CIFSan Diego Section Div. III semifinal game, scoring three touchdowns in its first three possessions of the game en route to a 62-18 win over Hilltop at Eagle Field here Friday night.

The win pushes Southwest to a remarkable 12-0 record on the season and perhaps more importantly lands them in the CIF-SDS Div. III championship game Saturday.