All over the valley there are young men and women lacing up their cleats, practicing their kicks, swimming their laps and spending time on the driving range.

Drive around town today and you're likely to see these aspiring athletes building their skills on the many local soccer fields and ball diamonds. Most young athletes look up to the heroes of their sport -- the Buster Poseys, Mia Hamms, Missy Franklins and David Beckhams of the world.

Now we have another hero for young people to emulate -- Colin Kaepernick, who hails from nearby Turlock, and started at quarterback for rival Pitman High School. We're absolutely thrilled with the success of this valley product, and we've come down with a pretty good case of "Kap Fever," which is sure to increase should the 49ers win the Super Bowl Sunday.

It is a lot of fun to celebrate the successes of a polite, focused and hard-working young man, as opposed to those who bring negative attention to our region. We wish Colin well Sunday and regardless of the final score are proud of all he has done to represent our valley well in his short time in the national spotlight.

Kaepernick isn't the only person deserving a high five this week.

Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, deserves kudos for the thoughtful statement he offered this week on immigration reform. It read, in part, "It is our role as elected leaders to change the status quo when things are not working. We need to act immediately if we want to keep the problems with illegal immigration from growing. I am encouraged by the work that we are finally seeing on the federal level. I support the actions that are being taken and want California to be at the forefront of immigration reform."

Cannella also has broken from many in his party and is supporting driver's licenses for illegal immigrants who qualify as a way to promote safe and responsible drivers. The proposal has been introduced this session as AG 60. "It is not only a safety issue, but the right thing to do. We must recognize the hard work and contributions of our immigrant population and remember that we are all immigrants to this great country," Cannella said in his statement.

We couldn't agree more, and we hope he can persuade more member of his party to agree with his thinking.