Daily Breeze

Frustrated by what they called low academic performance and unresponsive teachers and politicians, dozens of parents from around the Los Angeles Unified School District gathered downtown Thursday for the first meeting of the Los Angeles Parents Union.

They were led by Steve Barr, founder of the charter school system known as Green Dot Public Schools, who said the union will not attempt to build more charter schools, but will use the lessons learned in charter schools to work for change within the LAUSD.

Coach Sergio Medrano has gradually built Animo into the South Bay's top small school boys soccer program.

An informal poll of participating area coaches revealed that Animo's stature has grown from simply being a good small-school team to a good team.

Medrano has a six-year varsity record of 77-11-6 that includes two trips to the CIF Division IV semifinals, including last season, when the Aztecs lost to eventual co-champion Palos Verdes.

With the way Animo cruised through the Harbor League and the CIF Southern Section Division VI boys soccer playoffs, the Aztec Eagles couldn't be blamed if they thought Saturday's division final against Viewpoint was going to be another one-sided affair.

So when Rafael Baca scored on a nifty give-and-go play with Fernando Barba in the second minute, that only added to the conviction that it was going to be a cakewalk.

It was anything but.