Prewitt, King Named Paloma Valley Athletes of the Month

Basketball standout Demarco Prewitt and soccer standout Jordyn King of Paloma Valley High School have been named the January Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Month, sponsored by the Photos DLite photo studio.

Prewitt, a senior guard, is one of three captains on the boys basketball team. He has played a key leadership role in the improvement of the Wildcats, who are 17-9 overall. In compiling a 7-3 league record, Paloma Valley qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs, which begin next week.

Last year, the Wildcats finished the season 10-17 and 4-6 in league. According to Prewitt, the team's experienced players are a big reason for the success of this year's squad.

"This year the team bonded a lot more; we're all seniors," he said. "It took a while for us all to grow together and communicate better with each other.

"We knew at the start of the season we were going to be good. It took a little while for us to work together more, and then we started having success."

Prewitt is perhaps known more for his success on the football field, where he starred for the Wildcats the last few seasons. He took basketball season off last year to focus on football, but he's glad he returned to the basketball court for his senior season.

"They asked me to come back, and I wanted to anyway," he said. "I'm glad I did. It just took me a while to get back into the flow of things."

Prewitt also plans to compete for the track team this spring in the 100, 200 and 4x100. He hopes to play football at University of the Pacific.

King, a sophomore defender, is one of the top players on the girls soccer team, which is headed for the CIF playoffs after a 7-1-2 league season. The Wildcats' overall record is 9-10-4, but King said experienced gain against tough competition in the nonleague season helped the team tremendously later on.

"We've worked real hard, and we've improved so much from preleague to the end of league," King said. "We played a lot of Division 1 and 2 teams early in the year."

King, who has played soccer since the age of 6, said she was attracted to the sport early in life.

"I like the aggressiveness and the pace of the game," she said.

The Wildcats lost a 1-0 decision to Temescal Canyon Wednesday in a game that determined the league champion. King said it was a tough loss for the players, many of whom endured a 2-1 overtime loss to Temescal in last year's CIF championship game. Even so, they have maintained a positive attitude heading into this year's playoffs, she said.

"Having to play Temescal again brought back memories of what happened last year," she said. "But we've put that behind us. We're ready for the playoffs. We are staying humble and working hard."

King plans to compete in the high jump, 200 and 400 for the track team this spring.

"What I love about Jordyn is how competitive she is and how she does whatever it takes to win," said her coach, Marie Dillon. "I love coaching her and watching her deny and destroy other teams' offense. She currently has a 3.8 GPA and has had high goals and ambitions since she was a freshman last year.

"Jordyn is just one of those people who you have the utmost respect for and believe that success will follow her wherever she goes."

King and Prewitt will receive a free portrait from Photos DLite. The school will also receive one for public display.