The Purple Pizazz played at Murray Manor. The Adrenalines and the Demon Sour Lemonheads of Doom played at La Mesa Middle School. They were among a dozen La Mesa teams entered in the Tournament of Champions soccer event Saturday, with entries from all over East County.

Coach Paula Bott of the girls Under-12 Pizazz saw her team lose for the first time this season in an 8 a.m. game at Murray Manor Elementary but come back to defeat a Lakeside team 4-2 around noon.

"This is the best team I have ever coached," said Bott, a former Union-Tribune sportswriter who has coached soccer for nine years.

She says the team could still advance to the finals Dec. 12 if it wins its next two games Dec. 11 at Cuyamaca Elementary School in El Cajon.

At La Mesa Middle, the soccer fields were dedicated in the morning by officials including county Supervisor Dianne Jacob, La Mesa-Spring Valley schools Superintendent Brian Marshall and principal Beth Thomas.
 
The partnership with local AYSO, the youth soccer organizers, pumped tens of thousands of dollars into preparing the fields, said Region 89 Commissioner Mel Mann.

On Saturday, boys Under-14 team Adrenaline, coached by Albert Aguilar, played to a 1-1 tie with an El Cajon wildcard team on the lower field, while Don Vonk's Lemonheads beat another El Cajon team 2-0 on the upper field west of La Mesa Middle School.

Besides the La Mesa soccer teams—in three boys and three girls age groups—teams from Alpine, Lakeside, Santee, Jamul and elsewhere took part in the tournament, which also saw matches at several El Cajon elementary schools.