This is a recording: Poway is the team to beat, Will someone else step up?

Poway wrestler Brian Diffenbach, grappling with a competitor from Brawley last week, is one of many Titan standouts. Staff photo/Craig Racicot

All discussion of San Diego County high school wrestling must start with Poway High. Wrestling at Poway is an institution like none other in local sports. The program’s string of dominance is staggering, including 23 San Diego Section Division I titles. To say the Titans are the team to beat would just be repeating the same mantra spoken for more than two decades. Everyone else in the San Diego Section is fighting for second place.

Sundevils hope to make a splash

Team captain Kylie Rogers will be key to Mt. Carmel’s success this season. Staff photo/Tim Hall

In the world of high school sports, the winter season ushers in the likes of wrestling, basketball and soccer. With such consistently strong local success in the above-mentioned activities, a fourth winter sport can often be overlooked. However, no one should underestimate the quality of Palomar League girls water polo.

At the end of last season, three area schools — Poway, Mt. Carmel and Rancho Bernardo — had all gone far in the San Diego Section postseason, with the Titans coming up just short in the title game. With the young program at Westview growing in strides and La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines to deal with, the San Diego Section champion could very well spring forth from a local institution.

Serious crash boosts efforts to construct Shoal Creek crossing

A grass roots effort to build a pedestrian bridge for Shoal Creek Elementary students is proceeding with renewed vigor this week following a near-fatal crash.

The crash, which involved a small Honda and an 18-wheeler, occurred at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, just a half-hour before youngsters were preparing to cross the busy Ted Williams Parkway for “Walk to School Fridays,” a program that encourages students to exercise.

Realtor of the Week: Laryssa Benner

LARYSSA BENNER

“Purchasing a home is the most important and biggest investment a person can make,” says Laryssa Benner of ERA Eagle Estates Realty in Rancho Penasquitos. “Helping guide a buyer or seller through the process is just as valuable as the purchase itself.”

A knowledgeable and experienced agent, Benner will guide you through the process step-by-step to ensure the transaction goes as smoothly as possible.

Rancho Penasquitos girl is one cool customer

Rancho Penasuitos resident Amy Sims and partner Brett Ryan of La Mesa perform a death spiral at the San Diego Ice Arena last week. The pair placed 18th at Junior Nationals earlier this month. Staff photo/Tim Hall

Rancho Penasquitos resident Amy Sims glides across the ice at the San Diego Ice Arena with the ease of a dancer. As well she should, because Sims, 12, is both accomplished on the ice and at ballet.

Earlier this month, Sims and her partner, Brett Ryan of La Mesa, showed their skating mettle, finishing 18th overall in the juvenile division at Junior Nationals in Jamestown, New York.

PUSD special education program will be revised

Poway Unified officials hope to significantly revamp the district’s special education program in the coming year with a four-point strategic plan they are calling a “bold new initiative.”

Pipe work ahead of schedule

Crews prepare to install a section of pipe lining in Scripps Ranch

Work on the Pomerado Pipeline Relining Project may be completed in Scripps Ranch sooner than originally planned, officials said, because of extended work hours permitted earlier this month.

“We’re trying to move out of the community quicker,” said Shannon Reed, a public affairs representative for the San Diego County Water Authority. “Officially, it’s still April, but the contractor is trying to exceed that schedule.”

Man has crush on Big Apple

Bill Coffey with a portion of his New York City collection. Staff photo/Erin Allin

When Bill Coffey got a ceramic figurine from his wife two years ago, it sparked a passion for what has become a fascinating miniature version of the Big Apple.

All the famous landmarks of New York City are part of a diorama that keeps on expanding — right in the couple’s Rancho Bernardo garage.

“Every time I drive into the garage, I look over to see it,” Coffey said. “It’s a great reminder of where I grew up.”

Holiday spirit glows in Poway

Thousands of Christmas lights await visitors to Candy Cane Lane. Staff photo/Steve Spangler

A mesmerizing display of lights and other holiday flair awaits local residents on “Candy Cane Lane,” a decade-old Poway tradition that’s left many an onlooker awestruck.

Located near Starridge Park, off Saddlewood Drive, “Candy Cane Lane” is an annual tradition started by residents on Butterwood Court, and it has grown through the years to include homes on surrounding streets.

Hero’s welcome given injured RBHS graduate

CAPT. DAWN HALFAKER

Capt. Dawn Halfaker got a hero’s welcome Monday night amid tears of joy, people waving American flags and the fight song that she knows so well from her basketball days at Rancho Bernardo High School.

A limousine driver brought the wounded Iraqi War veteran, along with her immediate family, from the Halfaker’s home in Ramona to the Radisson Suites front door in Rancho Bernardo. Once the 25-year-old stepped from the car, an enthusiastic applause spoke volumes about the kind of warm, friendly reception that followed.