- Stars win opener at NBC World Series
- ROUND UP: Wolf Pack Take Down Eastlake
- Woodland’s Gem Propels Helix
- Patriots out-slug Vaqs to claim opener
- Rain Doesn’t Stop Wolf Pack
- Gallery: Boys Hoops – Week 10
- Vaqs continue qinning ways In tight contest
- VALLEY: Sultans finish undefeated season
- It takes the Pack to sweep Scotties
- Mujica & Co. keep rolling, win convincingly
- Singer retires again from coaching
- DIII: Southwest Eagles soar to championship
- 2018 EAST COUNTY SOFTBALL Schedule / Scores / Standings
- DV: LIONS ROAR TO CHAMPIONSHIP
- Williams, Vaqueros sweep into D3 final
- D2: After walk-off thrill, Sultans slump
- DII: SULTANS HAVE MADDY, MADDY, MAD POWER IN PLAYOFF WIN
- DIII: Vaqueros end Scotties’ upset run
- CIF OPEN DIVISION: SCRIPPS RANCH ROLLS EAGLES
- OPEN DIVISION: EAGLES RALLY TO STUN COUGARS
Alumni: East County women in the pros
- Updated: January 26, 2025
Updated Jan. 26, 2025 – EAST COUNTY ALUMNI:
Women in the Pros
Compiled by Nick Pellegrino
ECS Senior writer
UPDATED Jan. 26, 2025
- Amber Huff, Grossmont HS, pro soccer
Amber Huff, Career profiles: UC Irvine and Grossmont HS
Huff, s product out of Grossmont High and UC Irvine, has been part of the local club soccer scene since the age of 7 or 8 — there have been too many concussions to cont!
She even played a little futsal as part of the National U.S. Youth Futsal team in 2014
However, the 5-foot-8 soccer midfielder is now playing professionally in Salzburg, Austria, in that county’s Bundesliga (“league”)..
While currently back in San Diego County with her family during Europe’s traditional holiday break to avoid much of inter, Huff is is aiding her former club coach, Sami Nedjar, by coaching the boys JV team at Granite Hills; Huff was a long-time club performer for Nedjar with San Diego United.
Long known for ability for mammoth throw-ins of as long as 40 yards, Huff is also a free kick specialist — she scored her first pro goal in Austria on a “set piece” direct kick — while patrolling the midfield as among the league’s top performers.
nber Huff playing for UC Irvine
Next season, Huff hopes to move up the ranks and play pro ball in Sweden, among other possibilities as word of er skills are quickly becoming known while being monitored by other clubs on the continent.
“When I first started coaching the Granite JV, at first I would practice with them to stay in shape,” said Huff, “Some of the guys thought they wouldn’t be imprssed, but others told to watch out. So when I took it to them that first practice, those doubters quickly changed their opinions.”
Amber in Austria
While at Grossmont, Huff was also a member of the swim tram, and even found a role on the boys football team — long before girls flag football was being conducted.
At UC Irvine, Huff was an Anteater for five seasons (the extra was a Covid season),
In Austria, Huff, 24, has since been moved from the midfield to center back because of her physical strength. This ability to easily switch to various positions — front-to-back or side-to-middle — also makes her even more valuabl for future seasons..
UPDATED Dec, 15, 2014
2 additions (How did we miss these two?):
- Deijah “Boom” Blanks, Mount Miguel, pro basketball
- Joan Pillsbury, equestrian events
BlANKS (Full story HERE), who attended Mount Miguel High and plated on three of head coach Robbie Sandoval’s state record 23 consecutive leafgue championship ballclubs, would ho on to play professional basketball in Germany. And what a splash.
UPDATE: Blanks is now in her fifth season playing pro ball in eastern Europe, playing the 2024-25 season for the Young Angels of Slovakia.
With the Matadors, she played guard, but at UC Irvine and St. Edward’d (Texas), she continued to grow became a forward.In Germany, she added another inch and is an undersized Center, but her leaping ability, BVlanks can take on most comers.
Blanks was tghe 2013-14 East County Player of the Year.
PILLSBURY, better known to most by her maiden/stage name of Joan Embrey and was the famed spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo (San Diego Zoological Society for decades, is an East County resident in Lakeside, where she and her late husband of almost 42 years, Duane, were conservationists and ranchers.
Pillsbury, along with her two step-daughters, were award-winning riders in an assortment of equestrian events, including dressage, cutting, jumping, and driving.
The native San Diegan graduated from Eastern Illinois University, tgen returned to her hometown and talked about the Zoo into a fourth decade on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and The Tongith Show with Jay Leno (among others), making her a popular television personality. READ ABOUT HER LIFE HERE,
Do you know of additional local performers which reached the pros. Please let us know.
Updated Aug. 5, 2024
| EAST COUNTY SPORTS WOMEN ALUMNI WHO PLAYED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS |
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| *Cowles Cup league champions Notes: Howard won Women’s College World Series in 1995. Gourley won Women’s College World Series in 201 & 2015; was winning pitcher in title game vs. Oklahoma as a freshman. Her career record at Florida was 44-7. A 2016 world champion with U.S. National Team (4-1 record). Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delanie_Gourley NE Louisiana now known as La.-Monroe or simply University of Louisiana. |
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| Note: Woznuk, who grew up in El ajon, won an NCAA national championship at University of Portland (4-0 over UCLA) in 2005. A season later, she led the Pilots inn assists (13). Wikipedia: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OTHER SPORTS
Weimann won the national championships with the Scorpions (WPFL) in 2007, then the Surge in 2012 (WFA); Cable (with others) on Surge in 2012, plus two national runner-upfinishes.
Webster is a multiple national champion in rock crawling. Her hsuband, Justy “The Dustpan” Webster, is amultiple champion in cliff diving. Wilkins captured two South Korea Pro League championships with Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders in 2006 and 2007, along with her time on the U.S. NatinNNational team.
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