February 2012 Archives

El Rancho and La Serna high schools will play respective soccer titles Friday and Saturday, respectively, the CIF-Southern Section announced Wednesday.
The Dons, seeking their second consecutive boys division title as well as an undefeated season, will face Crescenta Valley for the Division 4 championship Friday at 5 p.m. at Warren High School in Downey.
El Rancho, ranked nationally by ESPN and the division's top seed, is 25-0 after rallying for a 3-1 victory at Cathedral in Tuesday's semifinals. Crescenta Valley, which beat Oak Hills on penalty kicks (5-3) Tuesday, is 19-0-7.
La Serna, seeking its first girls title since 2007, faces Downey for the Division 5 girls title at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Mission Viejo.
The Lancers, the No. 4 seed, are 20-5-4 after beat top seed Cabrillo, of Lompoc, 4-1 on Tuesday. La Serna, which won a title in 2007, has outscored the opposition, 18-3, during the playoffs. Downey is 17-7-4 after beating No. 2 seed Cajon, 1-0, on Tuesday.
Warren High School is located at 8141 Depalma Street in Downey.
Mission Viejo is located at 25025 Chrisanta Drive in Mission Viejo.

Marching On: La Serna players celebrating after knocking off No. 1 see Cabrillo, 4-1, on Tuesday. (Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb)

BOYS
DIVISION 4
El Rancho 3, Cathedral 1
LOS ANGELES -- El Rancho High School's soccer team, ranked among the national leaders most of the season, hasn't played its best during stretches of the playoffs.
But the Dons step up when they need to, which they showed Tueday afternoon at Cathedral High School.
Miguel Vilchis and Federico Bobadilla scored back-to-back goals during the middle of the first half and the Dons will play of its second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Division 4 title after rallying for a 3-1 victory over the Phantoms in the semifinals at Balzano Family Field.
El Rancho, ranked No. 5 nationally by ESPN and the division's top seed, improved to 26-0 and will face either Crescenta Valley or Oak Hills, of Hesperia, in the championship game, either Friday or Saturday. The day, site and time will be announced by the CIF-SS on Wednesday.
The Phantoms, getting a goal from Axel Mendez, finished 19-4-2.
El Rancho senior forward Francisco Lara: "It feels good to get back to the finals.. But it feels a lot better this time, being undefeated. You want to give it all you can. You can't expect to win, but just go hard and giveit all you can, and that's what we did."

GIRLS
DIVISION 5
La Serna 4, Cabrillo/Lompoc 1
WHITTIER - Soccer is a game of the lower extremities, feet, shins, knees and legs. But La Serna High School's girls squad also made great use of their upper extremity, the head, in demolishing visiting Lompoc Cabrillo, 4-1, Tuesday in the semifinal round of the CIF-Southern Section, Division 5.
With the victory, the Lancers (18-5-5) qualify for the finals Friday or Saturday against the Downey-Cajon winner.
La Serna used their aggressive play and quickness to knock off the Division's top-seeded Conquistadores (22-2-6) before a large crowd with partly sunny skies and a chilly breeze. The field showed the remnants of Monday's rainstorm.
The Lancers had a pair of headers for goals, one each by Michelle Reed and Moriah Earley, which proved to be enough to topple Cabrillo. Reed's goal came with 28 minutes gone in the first half off a well-placed corner kick by Danielle Telles, who was given an assist.
La Serna coach Tessa Troglia: "I thought we played with a lot of heart. Up to now we've been getting away with talent and athleticism, but today we put it all together."

Above: From left, La Habra's Maleena Esparza, Vanessa Ciocatto and Shanin Thomas will play major roles for the Highlanders this season. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)

AREA SOFTBALL RANKINGS
1. La Habra
2. La Mirada
3. Whittier Christian
4. La Serna
5. St. Paul

When it comes to high school softball, the Whittier area ranks right up there with any area in the CIF-Southern Section.
This season promises to be no different, with several of the area's top players already signed to play at four-year schools, leading with Whittier Christian's Mandie Perez, who signed with national power Arizona; St. Paul's Brianna West (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo); La Mirada's Amber Hickman (Towson State) and Rochelle Sablay (Delaware State) and La Habra's Shanin Thomas (Michigan State) and Maleena Esparza (Northern Illinois).
The latter two have the Highlanders, who begin the season ranked
No. 1 in the area, thinking of possible postseason glory.
La Habra, which also returns four-year lettermen Cami Jacob and pitcher Vanessa Ciocatto, who was solid down the stretch in 2011, is looking at a little redemption in 2012 after following last season's Freeway League title with a loss in the CIF-SS Division 4 quarterfinals.
"I'm not sure if they are playing with a chip on their shoulder," said La Habra coach Frank McCarroll, whose Highlanders were 23-7 last season. "But they know what it takes to win games and have success.
"I felt last year we had a good shot to get to the finals, and it didn't happen. We'll see if we can continue what we started last year."
Ciocatto is expected to be solid in the circle after going 10-2 with a 1.41 ERA in a limited role last season.
The offense is formidable with shortstop Esparza, who hit .554 and Thomas, who hit .351 with 26 RBIs and scored 23 runs.
Jacob anchors a solid outfield after hitting .355 and scoring 19 runs.
"It's a veteran team," McCarroll said. "We have four four-year lettermen and five kids who have played a lot of softball.
"They are hoping to get after it on the field and defend the league title."
Here's a brief look at the rest of the area top five:

Staff Photo by Watchara Phomicinda

The CIF-Southern Section office has spoken -- the Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary boys basketball team's big day will come Thursday.
The section announced Sunday that the Division 4A boys championship title game between the No. 3 seed Cardinals, who are in the title game for the first time in school history, and No 1 Pacific Hills will be Thursday at 3 p.m at Anaheim Arena.
Cantwell has made an incredible run to its first divisional title game in the school's 71 history, transforming from a 2-25 season a year ago to 28-4 this season. The Cardinal's, led by super junior Jose Estrada's 50 points, including a 25-point third quarter, advanced with a 82-62 victory over Ontario Christian on Friday.
Tickets are priced at $13 and $7, with parking $12.

Above: St. Paul's Pricilla Hidalgo drives to the basket past Brentwood's
Kennedy Martin in the first half of Saturday's CIF-SS playoff basketball
game. Brentwood won, 49-41.
(Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

BRENTWOOD - For the third consecutive season the St.Paul girls basketball team couldn't get over the final hump and get into the championship game.
The host Brentwood Eagles proved to be too much down the stretch and defeated the Swordsmen 49-41 in a CIF Southern Section Division 4A semifinal Saturday afternoon.
Brentwood (21-8) will play either Campbell Hall or L.A. Baptist in the division finals next weekend.
St. Paul, a No. 2 seed in the division, dropped to 17-12.
The Eagles were led by sophomore point guard Drew Cabral with a game-high 18 points and sophomore center Kennedy Martin with 16.
St. Paul suffered a huge loss near the end of the second quarter when team leader Priscilla Hidalgo went down with an injury and didn't return.
Holly Shafer finished with 12 points to lead the Swordsmen and junior forward Cassidy Carrillo had 10.
St. Paul coach Robert Miller: "I thought we battled back when Priscilla went down. It was a five- or six-point game at halftime and arguably our best offensive player goes down. Our younger players did a nice job to stay in the game."

Brentwood 49, St. Paul 41

TEMECULA - Santa Fe High School wrestler Joey Davis didn't get angry. He just got even in the only way he knows how - pure domination.
Davis, a little upset after an official's decsion cost him a chance to become a four-time CIF-Southern Section divisional champion, followed up last week's disappointment by cruising to the 160-pound title during Saturday's CIF-SS Masters Meet at Temecula Valley High School.
Davis, the Chiefs' first three-time Masters champion, also was named Upper Weight MVP after scoring two victories by pin and three by technical fall, including beating Martin Luther King's Harland Kistler, 23-6, in the final.
La Habra's Elder Cruz, who won a Southern Division title last week, was second at 195, with Santa Fe's Kioni Villalobos placing fifth at 113. All earn spots to next weekend's CIF State championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Davis is making the trip north for the fourth consecutive season.
Joey Davis: "There was a little anger there (this weekend). I felt what happened to be (at the Eastern Division championships) was (bull). I didn't knock (Agustin Marquez of Shadow Hills) out. It just made me more hungry for this weekend, to dominate. I had two pins and three techs, so I was able to dominate."

THE REST OF THE STORY

Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda
ONTARIO -- Hoosiers Lives!
Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School has never known what it feels like to play for a CIF-Southern Section boys basketball title -- until now..
The Cardinals, in an environment that looked more like a real-life version of the movie 'Hoosiers,' got 50 points from super junior Jose Estrada, including 25 in a key third-quarter run, and Cantwell advanced to its first divisional championship game with an 82-62 victory over host Ontario Christian in a Division 4A semifinal before an overlfow crowd.
Estrada, who is averaging more than 30 points and who has scored 156 points in the playoffs, saved his best for the most-important part, scoring all the Cardinals points during a 15-0 run that helped them outscore the Knights, 35-16 in the third for a 71-51 advantage going into the fourth.
The Cardinals (28-4) advance to next week's championship game at Anaheim Arena against top seed Pacific Hills. CIF-SS will announce the time on Monday.
Cantwell coach George Zedan: "I haven't been coaching very long. But I've never seen anything like that. He got hot at the right time. He's our best guy, our leader. But he's also a humble kid. His teammates love him, our fans love him. There's no arrogance on his part. He just does his job. His job is to score, and that's what he did."

RIVERSIDE - La Serna High School has had it relatively easy during the first two rounds of the CIF-Southern Section girls soccer playoffs.
Friday was no different for the Lancers.
Moriah Earley scored two goals and Michelle Reed had a goal and two assists as No. 4-seeded La Serna cruised to a 5-0 victory over host Woodcrest Christian in a Division 5 quarterfinal.
The Lancers, also getting two assists from Elisabeth Hernandez and one goal each from Savannah Francis and Jen Reed, improved to 19-5-4 and will host either top-seeded Cabrillo, of Lompoc, or Lakeside in Tuesday's semifinals.
The Royals, who were held to four shots, two of which were soft directs toward the La Serna goal, finished 14-4-4.
The Lancers, who have outscored the opposition 14-2 in their three playoff victories, showed that trait early, scoring in the 15th and 22nd minutes for a 2-0 lead by halftime. La Serna also dominated play for much of the half, outshooting Woodcrest 10-2 during the first 40 minutes.
Reed broke through early, taking a deep pass from Danielle Telles down the right side before putting a hard shot in the left corner for a 1-0 lead.
La Serna then went up 2-0 seven minutes later on a corner kick. Michelle Reed made a perfect cross pass to Jen Reed, who slipped it across the goal line for the two-goal advantage.
La Serna coach Tessa Troglia: "We've been working real hard in practice and that effort is translating (to the games). It's a reason why we had this success (during the first three rounds). I honestly didn't even know (what our seed was). That doesn't matter to us at all. We don't care about rankings, we don't care about seedings. End of the day, you have to play your best to beat the best. And we believe we are one of the best teams out here."

La Serna 5, Woodcrest Chrisitan 0

Above: El Rancho's Francisco Lara (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during Thursday's 2-1 victory over South Torrance in the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs. (Staff photo by Keith Durflinger)

PICO RIVERA - Finally, a playoff victory with a little breathing room.
The score wouldn't indicate it, but after two nail-biters for the defending CIF-Southern Section Division 4 boys' soccer team El Rancho is one step away from a title game.
The Dons defeated visiting South Torrance, 2-1, in the division quarterfinals Thursday to advance to the semifinals.
Top-seeded and undefeated El Rancho (25-0) will travel to fourth-seeded Cathedral of Los Angeles on Tuesday. Cathedral was a 1-0 overtime winner over Santa Monica on Thursday.
For the second consecutive game, senior forward Francisco Lara scored twice for the Dons.
El Rancho coach Dominic Picon: "This one I don't think should have been as close as it was. I feel the same way as the last one (a second-round win) and overall we played a lot better in this game than we did in the previous game. The second half was pretty close to domination. I was real happy, offensively, the way we played, especially in that half."
- John Sherrard
Here's the rest of the story:
El Rancho 2, South Torrance 1

Above: St. Paul's Holly Shafer (No. 44) came up big Wednesday in helping the Swordsmen advance to the Division 4A semifinals with a 40-38 win over visiting St. Bonaventure. (Photo by Chris Burt)

St. Paul, after losing in the semifinals last season, will get another shot at dancing for the title after holding on for a 40-38 victory over St. Bonaventure in Division 4A Wednesday.
Whittier wasn't so fortunate, losing a 55-52 decision to host Redondo in 2AA. The Cardinals finish 25-5.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Division 4A
Quarterfinals
St. Paul 40, St. Bonaventure 38
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Evidently someone knew what they were talking about when the St. Paul girls basketball team was seeded second in the Division 4A CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
The Swordsmen defeated St. Bonaventure, 40-38, in the quarterfinals Wednesday night at St. Paul to advance to their third consecutive semifinal appearance.
St. Paul (17-13), playing in the newly formed CIF divisions, will play at a neutral site to be determined against third-seeded Brentwood on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Brentwood, an at-large team from the Alpha League, was a 52-46 winner over St. Monica Catholic.
No. 2 St. Paul will be trying to advance to their first title game since the 2005 season.
With the Swordsmen holding a two-point lead, 40-38, with just 08.8 remaining, junior Holly Shafer missed both free throws allowing St. Bonaventure one last chance to tie the game. But, after a missed layup by St. Bonaventure junior guard McKenna Hill, St. Paul ran out the clock.
St. Paul coach Robert Miller: "Holly Shafer really stepped up huge for us and that three she hit just before the half was huge."

The area batted .333 today in girls soccer, with La Serna scoring a 3-0 victory at Palm Springs to advance to Friday's Division 5 quarterfinals against Woodcrest Christian at a site to be determined by coin flip.
La Mirada, in Division 3, and California in Division 5 were not so fortunate.
The Matadores dropped a 4-1 setback at Chino Hills and the Condors lost to No. 2 seed Cajon, 6-0.

Above: Gabby Pierandozzi scored four goals, but La Serna's dream of advancing to its first CIF-SS finals ended with a 15-7 loss to Murrieta Valley on Wednesday. (Staff file photo by Leo Jarzomb)

GIRLS WATER POLO
SEMIFINALS
At Woollett Aquatic Center, Irvine
Division 3
No. 1 Murrieta Valley 15, La Serna 7
IRVINE -- La Serna High School was hoping to make history Wednesday.
Murrieta Valley instead, showed its dominance.
Paige Virgil scored seven goals and Kayla Fedler had four to lead the Nighthawks to a 15-7 victory over La Serna in a CIF-Southern Section Division 3 semifinal at William Woollett Aquatic Center.
Murrieta Valley, also getting two goals from Megan Geurts adn eight saves from goalie Abby Goviea, improved to 23-6 and will face Arroyo Grande, a 7-6 winner over St. Lucy's, in Saturday's championship game, scheduled for Woollett Aquatic Center at 6 p.m.
Gabby Pierandozzi had four goals for La Serna, which finished 22-10. The Lancers were attempting to earn a spot in the finals since girls water polo was sanctioned by the CIF-SS in 1998.
La Serna coach Erin Brown: "I'm just so proud of the girls. They deserved to be here. It's the first time in maybe, ever, that La Serna has made it to the semifinals. I think it's an accomplishment in itself to be here today."
Division 2
Mater Dei 13, Montebello 5
IRVINE -- It would easy today for Montebello High School girls water polo coach David Keys to be disappointed after the Oilers lost in the CIF-Southern Section divisional final four for the second consecutive season.
But he prefers to look at that as more as a positive after top seed Mater Dei scored a 13-5 victory over No. 4 Montebello in a Division 2 semifinal Wednesday at the William Woollett Aquatic Center.
The Monarchs, getting four goals from Brianna Daboub and three from Makenzie Barr, improved to 26-4 and will face Corona Santiago, which beat Agoura, in Saturday's championship game here at 3:20 p.m.
Montebello, which received two goals each from Unica Garcia and Syania Morales, finished 22-12.
Montebello coach David Keys: "It''s disappointing when you lose, regardless of which ever way you look at it. But these girls fought all year. I'm proud of them. We lost two good players (off last year's team) and made it back to the semifinals.
"Nobody thought we could make it back, especially in Division 2, where it's so competitive. But to reload and make it back, it's an accomplishment."

It's the girls turn today in the CIF-SS playoffs.
In basketball St. Paul, led by Priscilla Hidalgo have a tough task with a Division 4A quarterfinal home game against St. Bonaventure. Whittier, meanwhile, takes to the road when it travels to Redondo in a 2AA second-round game. Both games are at 7 pm.
In girls soccer, La Serna and La Mirada are at home, with the Lancers in the desert at Palm Springs, while the Mats travel to Chino Hills. California is at home, but against No. 2 Cajon.
I will be in Irvine as the La Serna and Montebello girls water polo teams play semifinal games against Murrieta Valley and Mater Dei, respectively. The Lancers play at 3, with the Oilers at 6. Both games are at the William Woollett Aquatic Center.

File Photo

CALABASAS -- Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary might just be a team of destiny.
The Cardinals sure looked the part Tuesday night.
Jose Estrada scored 27 points and had a key steal and layup and Cantwell advanced to CIF-Southern Section semifinals for the first time in recent memory after rallying for a 70-65 victory over host Viewpoint in a Division 4A quarterfinal boys basketball game at the Paul Family Athletic Center.
The No. 3 seed Cardinals, also getting 20 points from Jacob Alaniz, including two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, improved to 25-5 and will travel to either No. 2 Ontario Christian or Brentwood on Friday.
Tim Howell had 22 points and Jake Borenstein scored 18 for the Patriots, who finished 18-9. Borenstein, who had 14 points at halftime, missed an open 3-pointer with about three seconds to play for the tie. Alaniz made two free throws with one second left to account for the final 70-65 score.
Cantwell coach George Zedan: "I would say Jose had an average game at best today. But what you have to appreciate about him -- and our other kids -- is to continuing to battle, continuing to play hard. He missed a lot of free throws, a lot of easy shots. But made the big play when we needed it. That's what good players do."

Cantwell 70, Viewpoint 65

Above: Montebello High's William Martinez, right, leaps for a header during Tuesday's CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoff against Millikan. (Staff Photo by Leo Jarzomb)

El Rancho continues to play tight, thrilling games, but the Dons also continue to win, scoring a 2-1 victory over Diamond Ranch in a Division 4 second round game on Tuesday. The Dons, ranked No. 5 nationally by ESPN and seeking its second consecutive CIF-SS title, improved to 24-0 and advanced to Thursday's quarterfinals. El Rancho will host South Torrance at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Francisco Lara scored both goals for the Dons, who had to withstood a final rally by the Panthers in the waning moments.
Back in the 562, Montebello's road came to an end, losing to No. 2 Millikan, 2-0, in a Division 1 second-round game.

El Rancho 2, Diamond Ranch 1
Millikan 2, Montebello 0

Above: La Habra's Zack Ferreira, left, and Aaron Porter are expected to be two of the better players
in the area this season and should keep the Highlanders in the hunt for the Freeway League title.
(Staff photo Leo Jarzomb)

As a baseball hotbed, the Whittier area has more than held its own over the years.
It's the area that spawned the Major League careers of Mark Kotsay, Rod Barajas and Todd Burns of Santa Fe; El Rancho alums Ron and Randy Flores; Anthony Reyes of California; David Stevens of La Habra; Willie Adams of La Serna and Nomar Garciaparra, who grew up in Whittier before playing at nearby St. John Bosco.
This season's future star might be La Habra's Aaron Porter.
Yes, that Aaron Porter of football fame. The UCLA football recruit also happens to be a very good baseball player.
The senior, who is expected to play baseball for UCLA as well, is a big reason why the 2012 season could be a big one for La Habra, which figures to challenge in the Freeway League and make some noise in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs come May.
"I'm definitely excited about the season," said La Habra coach Paul Caffrey, whose Highlanders are expected to improve off last season's 17-10 record and second-place finish in the Freeway League. "This is one of our most experienced groups. We return four pitchers and our entire outfield.
"We have some holes to fill in the infield, but I'm pretty excited about the season."

BASEBALL TOP FIVE RANKINGS
1. La Habra (17-10 in 2011)
2. La Mirada (15-15)
3. Whittier Christian (23-6)
4. Montebello (18-9)
5. El Rancho 14-11)

Above: St. Paul's Priscilla Hidalgo came up big for the Swordsmen, who advanced to the quarterfinals with a 43-35 win over Archer Monday. (File photo by Chris Burt)

Both the St. Paul and Whittier Christian girls basketball teams were forced to the court for Division 4A second-round games. Monday.
For the Swordsmen, who beat Archer 43-35, it was a good thing. For the Heralds, who lost to Brentwood, 57-52, not so much.

St. Paul 43, Archer 35

SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Priscilla Hidalgo has been the go-to player for the St. Paul High School girls basketball team this season.
The senior lived up to that billing Monday.
Hidalgo scored a game-high 18 points and hit a key 3-pointer during a third-quarter run and the Swordsmen advanced to the CIF-Southern Section quarterfinals for the second consecutive season with a 43-35 victory over visiting Archer, of Los Angeles, in a Division 4A second-round game.
St. Paul, also getting 18 rebounds and 8 points from Holly Shafer, improved to 16-13 and will host St. Bonaventure Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Archer, getting 15 points from Mariah Barnett and 12 points and 18 rebounds from Coco Maurice, finished 18-9.
"We needed those shots (from Hidalgo)," said St. Paul coach Robert Miller, whose Swordsmen forced 10 turnovers and yielded just five field goals during the second half to overcome a 19-15 deficit at halftime. "If she doesn't hit those shots (in the third quarter), who knows?
"But sometimes when you're up against a 2-3 (zone) and you're not getting the inside shots to fall, you need someone to step up and hit something from the outside to loosen things up."

LAST TEAM STANDING: Cantwell, ranked No. 1 in the area since January, is the lone area boys basketball team left in the CIF-SS playoffs. The Cardinals hope to continue their run when they travel to Viewpoint for the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
(Staff file photo by Leo Jarzomb)

We enter week two for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, and among the five sports, the area has 11 teams remaining, led by the Cantwell boys basketball team, which is in the Division 4A quarterfinals at Viewpoint High in Calabasas on Tuesday, and the El Rancho boys soccer team, which continues its quest for a second Division 4 title with a roadie at Diamond Ranch in the second round, also on Tuesday.
The week begins Monday with two girls basketball Division 4A second round games. St. Paul and Whittier Christian are at home, with the Swordsmen host Archer and the Heralds hosting Brentwood. Both games are at 7 p.m.
Tuesday's action includes Cantwell's visit to Viewpoint at 7 p.m. as well as El Rancho traveling to Diamond Ranch at 3 p.m. The Montebello boys soccer team has likely the toughest task, taking on No. 2 seed Millikan in Division 1, also at 3 p.m.
On Wednesday, the scene shifts to Girls basketball, girls soccer and girls water polo.
St. Paul and Whittier Christian could be in action and join Whittier, which after an easy win on Saturday, gets a tougher task when it travels to Redondo at 7 p.m.
We have three in girls soccer, with La Serna, in Division 5, and La Mirada in Division 3, on the road in second round games.. the Lancers are at Palm Springs, with the Matadores at Chino Hills. California, which finished second to La Serna in the Del Rio League, is at home to No. 2 Cajon.
Girls water polo is the semifinals, and Montebello and La Serna both have tickets to the final four, scheduled for the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine.
The Oilers face Mater Dei in a Division 2 tilt at 6 p.m., while the Lancers take to the water a bit earlier, at 3 p.m. for a Division 3 encounter against Murrieta Valley.
Saturday will be wrestling's time to shine, with 12 area competitors competing at the CIF-SS Masters Meet at Temecula High School. The area's contingent, which produced one champion - La Habra's Elder Cruz - during Saturday's divisional championships, will be led by Cruz at 195, Santa Fe's Joey Davis,a 2011 state champion who was third after a controversial default loss, at 160 and the Chiefs Kioni Villalobos and Daniel Contreras, who were runners-up at 113 and 136 on Saturday.
Here is the schedule:

BOYS BASKETBALL
TUESDAY
Quarterfinals
DIVISION 4A
Cantwell at Viewpoint, 7 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
MONDAY
Second Round
DIVISION 4A
Brentwood at Whittier Christian, 7 p.m.
Archer at St. Paul, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Second Round
DIVISION 2AA
Whittier at Redondo, 7 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
TUESDAY
Second Round
DIVISION 1
Millikan at Montebello, 3 p.m.
DIVISION 4
El Rancho at Diamond Ranch, 3 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
WEDNESDAY
Second Round
DIVISION 3
La Mirada at Chino Hills, 3 p.m.
DIVISION 5
La Serna at Palm Springs, 3 p.m.
Cajon at California, 3 p.m.

GIRLS WATER POLO
WEDNESDAY
Semifinals
At William Woollett Aquatic Center, Irvine
DIVISION 2
Mater Dei vs. Montebello, 6 p.m.
DIVISION 3
La Serna vs. Murrieta Valley, 3 p.m.

WRESTLING
CIF-SS MASTERS MEET
At Temecula High School
Friday and Saturday, all day

Above: La Habra's Elder Cruz scored big at the CIF-SS Southern Divisional. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

HESPERIA -- Santa Fe High School felt it left something on the table after finishing second during last week's CIF-Southern Section Division 3 dual championships.
The Chiefs made up for it Saturday at the CIF-SS Individual Eastern Division championships, finishing second in the team standings and qualifying an area-best six competitors to next weekend's CIF-SS Masters Meet. Santa Fe's performance led the area, which also
produced 14 qualifiers, three who will go to Temecula High School next Friday and Saturday after divisional runners-up at Oak Hills High School.
The trio were Santa Fe's Kioni Villalobos at 113 pounds and Daniel Contreras at 136 and Montebello's Nelson Lucha at 160. A surprise third-place finisher was 2011 state champion Joey Davis, who lost by default in the second round on Friday and worked his way back to
third on Saturday.
Other Masters qualifiers were Santa Fe's Nico Sanchez (106, third), Loucian Ponce (132, fourth), Dillon Crouch (152, third); Bishop Amat's Andrew Olague (132, fifth), Idilio Sanchez (182, 5th) and Randall Varela (225, third); Schurr's Nicholas Lucero (182, 4th) and
David Avina (195, fourth); Montebello's Mark Green (heavyweight, fifth) and Alhambra's Alfred Ginez (113, fourth).
Santa Fe, which was second with 166.5 points to champion Sultana's 244, missed a seventh qualifier when Sergio Carona lost in the 120 fifth-place bout, 6-5.
"Overall, it was a good weekend," Santa Fe coach Sal Garcia said. "We got six guys through and had a good weekend. But today, we had a great second day. We won 20 matches today. That was the difference.
"We had six guys who started today in (the consolation bracket), and out of those six, five placed. It was good."
Elsewhere, La Habra's Elder Cruz won at 195 pounds at the Southern Division at Brea Olinda High School. The Highlanders' Jacob Rosales also qualified at 120.

SANTA FE FINISHES SECOND

LA HABRA'S CRUZ REPEATS

Saturday was not good for the area girls basketball teams as Schurr, La Serna and El Rancho all saw their seasons end. Still no word on Whittier, which hosted Arroyo Valley in Division 2AA and Santa Fe, which hoste Temecula Valley in Division 1A.
Here's the scores:

GIRLS BASKETBALL
DIVISION 1AA
Orange Lutheran 59, Schurr 29
DIVISION 1A
Highland 57, El Rancho 44
Temecual Valley 60, Santa Fe 54
DIVISION 2AA
Whittier 58, Arroyo Valley 17
DIVISION 2A
Foothill 61, La Serna 27

GIRLS WATER POLO
DIVISION 2
Quarterfinals
Montebello 14, San Clemente 12 (OT)
DIVISION 3
Quarterfinals
La Serna 10, Charter Oak 6

Wednesday's Schedule
Semifinals
At William Woolett Aquatic Center
Division 2
Mater Dei vs. Montebello, 6 p.m.
Division 3
La Serna vs. Murrieta Valley, 3 p.m.

The CIF-Southern Section playoffs, as far as the area is concerned, sans today's girls basketball and girls water polo action, is as simple as 1, 2, 3.
That's one boys basketball team left -- Cantwell, which faces either Milken Community over Viewpoint at a site to be determined in Tuesday's 4A quarterfinals; two boys soccer teams - top-seeded El Rancho, which travels to Diamond Rancho for a Division 4 game on Tuesday, and Montebello, which gets No. 2 seed Millikan at home in Division 1 on Tuesday, and three girls soccer teams - La Serna, which will be at Palm Springs in Division 5 on Wednesday; California, which will host Cajon in Division 5, also on Wedneday, and La Mirada, which is at Chino Hills in Division 3, also on Wednesday.
Five of the area girls basketball teams and two girls water polo teams get to add to those numbers when the play today. The St. Paul and Whittier Christian girls basketball teams will decide their fate Monday with second-round games.home games against Archer and Brentwood, respectively.
Here's today's schedule

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Division 1AA
First Round
No. 12 Orange Lutheran at Schurr
Division 1A
First Round
Temecula Valley at No. 12 Santa Fe
El Rancho at No. 10 Highland
Division 2AA
First Round
Arroyo Valley at No. 7 Whittier
Division 2A
First Round
La Serna at No. 1 Foothill
All games begin at 7 p.m.

GIRLS WATER POLO
Division 2
At Whittier College
San Clemente vs. Montebello, 2:30 p.m.
Division 3
At Whittier College
Charter Oak vs. La Serna, 1 p.m.

WHITTIER -- Glendora High School's first-round woes are a thing of the past.
Senior guard Kyle Gordon scored 26 points and the Tartans held host Whittier to 25-percent shooting and Glendora won it's first CIF-Southern Section playoff game in three seasons with a 57-37 victory over the Cardinals in a Division 2A game at Perry Gym. The Tartans, also getting 12 rebounds and six points from senior center Alex Pink, improved to 20-9 and advanced to face either Baldwin Park or Leuzinger in Tuesday's second round. Whittier, getting 14 points fromer senior Juan Quintero and 12 from Willie Pittman, finished 16-11.Glendora, which led 10-3 after the first quarter, 29-11 at halftime and 45-19 after three, held Whittier to 11 of 42 from the field and out-rebounded the Cardinals, 34-19.
Glendora coach Mike LeDuc: "We weren't going to overly exaggerate (our height advantage). But yeah, we did want to take advantage of it. We wanted balance. We wanted to be able to score off the break, to score off the offense. I thought we played outstanding defense for the first 20 minutes. We got a little sloppy the last 12 minutes when it became a horse race rather than a regular basketball game, but the first 20 minutes I thought we played outstanding defense and every shot they took was a challenged shot."
Whittier coach Joey Mata: "I don't really think it was their defense. It was just a poor shooting night for us. We usually shoot the ball very well, and we didn't make a basket all night. Their height was a difference, but their defense wasn't anything we hadn't seen before."
DIVISION 1AA
Long Beach Jordan 69, California 64
The Del Rio League champions nearly pulled off the upset, rally from a 32-19 deficit to take the lead at 53-49 early in the fourth. But the Panthers responded with a 10-2 blitz to advance. Jordan made its run after Chris Ortiz left the game with a knee injury and Robert Campos fouled out.
Eisenhower 66, Montebello 29
The host Eagles, behind 34 points from Marvelle Harris, led 64-22 after three quarters.
DIVISION 4A
Cantwell 72, St. Anthony 65
Jose Estrada scored 49 points and the Cardinals dream season continues.
St. Joseph's 55, St. Paul 45
Marcus Garcia had nine points and four steals while teammate Josiah Corona scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds to lead St. Paul in a losing effort in the second round. St. Joseph's Case Bruton led all scorers with 17 points.
Other Score
Division 1A: Alison Niguel 89, El Rancho 55
Division 2A: North Torrance 73, La Habra 67
Division 2A: Righetti 68, La Serna 40
GIRLS SOCCER
DIVISION 5
La Serna 6, Pacifica/Oxnard 2
WHITTIER -- La Serna High School, which won a CIF-Southern Section girls soccer title in 2007 and advanced the semifinals last season, looks capable of making similar run this season.
The Lancers stated their case Friday in dominating fashion.
Elizabeth Hernandez scored two goals and had two assists and La Serna scored four times during the first 15 minutes to push a side visiting Pacifica of Oxnard in a first-round game.
The No. 4 seed Lancers, also getting goals from Alex Kidd, Dawne Constantino and Jordann Sanders, improved to 17-5-4 and advanced to face either Grace Brethren or Palm Springs in the second round on Wednesday.
The Tritons, who added to La Serna's tally with an own goal in the 15th minute, finished 11-8-6. Pacifica beat Templeton, 4-0, in the wild-card round.
La Serna coach Tessa Troglia: "It definitely made a statement. But it's a game-by-game basis. We're going to chase down our dream and try to be perfect. If we come close, there's no reason why we can't end up CIF champions. But again, it's game-by-game. Today, we maybe only played about 30 solid minutes of soccer of a 90-minute game, so we need to put more solid minutes together."
DIVISION 5
Cabrillo/Lompoc 5, Santa Fe 1
The visiting Chiefs never recovered from a long bus ride that saw them get caught in traffic. The host Conquerors, the top division's top seed, scored twice in the first 10 minutes and rolled into round two.
DIVISION 7
Citrus Valley 6, St. Paul 0
The host Blackhawks scored two minutes in and never looked back.
Other Score
Division 2: Westlake 4, La Habra 1
Division 3: La Mirada 3, Cypress 2
Division 5: California 1, Vasquez 0
Division 7: Santa Paula 3, Whittier Christian 1
Division 7: Rosemead 6, Montebello 5

Thursday's first round of the CIF-SS playoffs was good for some, not so goo for others.
The good in boys soccer included El Rancho, the favorite in Division 4, surviving a 1-0 victory over Duarte. The not so good was La Habra being ousted in girls basketball, losing a 3AAA first round game to No. 13 Westlake, 57-44.
Here are some highlights:

BOYS SOCCER
El Rancho 1, Duarte 0
Junior midfielder Miguel Vilchis scored on a direct kick in the 75th minute and El Rancho survived a scare from visiting Duarte with a 1-0 victory in a first-round Division 4 game.
The unbeaten Dons, ranked No. 5 nationally by ESPN.com and the division's No. 1 seed, improved to 23-0. El Rancho, which outshot Duarte, 18-7, including 10-3 during the second half, advanced to face Diamond Ranch in the second round on Tuesday.
El Rancho coach Dominic Picon: "I was a little disappointed with our effort. Maybe more than a couple of kids have gotten a little big-headed about it. But at the same point, every team is going to say, 'This can make our season if we can knock them off. If we can beat these guys, we can say we took out (a nationally ranked team).' It's two-fold. Everyone is going to give us their best game. But like I told the kids, everyone has given us their best game the past few years. It's not anything different from the way it's been. I understand the pressure that our kids are under. They've been almost perfect this year, perfect in their record but not how they've played. But to play soccer at this program, that's the kind of pressure you have to deal with."
Diamond Bar 2, Whittier 1
David Rojas had six saves in a losing effort for the Cardinals, who dropped out of the Division 4 playoffs.
Pacifica 4, La Habra 1
Felipe Figueroa scored for the Highlanders in a Division 2 game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Westlake 57, La Habra 44
Allyson O'Brien scored 19 points, but the Highlanders could slow down the Warriors, who advanced in a Division 3AAA game.
La Habra coach Jim Bohn: "I think overall, I'm pleased with this season. Looking back two years ago when we were 3-23 before I got here and 13-13 last year and 18-8 this year, we're on the right track. We didn't have one of our main players, Amy Wilbourn, tonight, and that's a huge hit for our team. But overall, I couldn't have asked for more this year. This is the first time we've hosted a playoff game at La Habra in about 10 years. It just was unfortunate that our game wasn't there tonight."
St. Paul 56, Notre Dame/Riverside 29
Kelscy Davis scored 14 points and Clarissa Herandez had 13 to lead the Swordsmen on the road in their Division 4A opener.
HH Wilson 49, La Mirada 40
Alexandria Vanzuilan got in early foul trouble and the visiting Matadores couldn't recover, losing a Division 3AA game.

Above: Pioneer's Miguel Mena (24) drives to the basket against Covina's Matt Hicks (23) in the first half of a CIF playoff basketball game at Covina High School on Wednesday. (Staff Photo by Keith Birmingham)

MONTEBELLO -- It wasn't pretty, but CIF-Southern Section
playoff games aren't scored on beauty points.
For that, Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School boys basketball coach George Zedan feels fortunate today. The first -year mentor wasn't exactly pleased after the Cardinals survived a scare from visiting Loma Linda Academy before escaping with a 61-57 victory Wednesday in a
Division 4A first-round game.
Cantwell, getting 30 points from junior Jose Estrada and 10 from sophomore Joe Covarrubias, improved to 23-5 and will host St. Anthony, which beat Crossroads, in Friday's second round.
Loma Linda, which received 17 points each from junior Joe Rees and senior Dante Thompson, finished 12-12.
Cantwell coach George Zedan: "Loma Linda did a great job and played like it was a playoff game. I don't think we had the right frame of mind and the right focus, so it was a little disappointing. I think there was also some nerves involved with our guys, this being their first time in the playoffs. But we're fortunate to advance tonight. We didn't play very well. (Loma Linda) played very well, and we left a lot of things on the table."
Covina 63, Pioneer 58
Mike Peters scored eight of his 19 points in the third quarter to lead the Colts, who held off the Titans in a Division 3A first-round game. Josh Fitten scored 14 points and Jonathan Mayorga and Kyle Latimer had 11 each for the Titans.
Pioneer coach Gregory Gilmore: "I'm speechless. I don't know what to say. We clawed back but there was no way we should have been down by that much (14). We've been playing real well the last three or four games, but we didn't play our best game tonight. It's a little disappointing."
St. Paul 51, Riverside Prep 44
Josiah Corona scored 23 points and Martin Urbina had 11 points and the Swordsmen advanced with a first-round victory in the 4A playoffs. St. Paul will host St. Joseph, which beat Orcutt Academy. in the second round on Friday.
Other Score
Division 3AAA: Arroyo Grande 63, La Mirada 41

Above: La Mirada opens the boys basketball playoffs with a long road trip to No. 8 Arroyo Grande in Division 3AAA.

The CIF-Southern Section divisional playoffs continue today, with wild-card rounds slated in girls soccer and first-round encounters in boys basketball and girls water polo.
Here's today's local schedule:

Boys Basketball
First Round
Division 3AAA
La Mirada at No. 8 Arroyo Grande, 7 p.m.
Division 3A
Pioneer at No. 8 Covina, 7 p.m.
Division 4A
St. Paul at Riverside Prep, 7 p.m.
Loma Linda Academy at Cantwell, 7 p.m.
Girls Soccer
Wild-Card round
Division 5
Bishop Diego at Santa Fe, 3 p.m.
Pioneer at Temescal Canyon, 3 p.m.
Division 7
South El Monte at Cantwell, 3 p.m.
Hamilton at St. Paul , 3 p.m.
Schurr at Tarbu V Torah, 3 p.m.
Girls Water Polo
First Round
Division 2
Santa Margarita vs. Montebello at Commerce Pool, 3:15 p.m.
Division 3
California at Murrieta Valley, 5 p.m.
Chaparral vs. La Serna at Whittier College, 7 p.m.
El Rancho at Rio Mesa, 5 p.m.

Above: California High's Marissa Lopez vs an Atascadero defender during their Division 3 playoff game on Tuesday. (Staff photo Leo Jarzomb)

Girls Water Polo
California 11, Atascadero 8: Kaylen Imset scored six goals, including three in the fourth quarter to lead the Condors over the Greyhounds in a CIF-Southern Section Division 3 wild-card game at Whittier High School. California led just 7-6 after three quarters before Imset and Teresa Zuniga combined on four goals in the final eight minutes to advance. The Condors will travel to No. 1 seed Murrieta Valley on Wednesday.
Cal coach Jeff Boline: "I think our girls had greater desire. They stepped up and wanted to win the game."

Boys Soccer
San Gorgonio 6, Whittier Christian 0: The visiting Spartans scored three goals during an 11-minute span in the second half to end the Heralds' season in a CIF-SS Division 5 wild-card game.
Whittier Christian coach Matt Morse: "I was surprised at how well they did, because they were a fifth-place finishing team. Their league must be very strong."
Godinez 2, Pioneer 1: Alex Gonzalez scored two goals to lead the host Grizzlies in a Division 4 wild-card game. Jaime Ayala had the lone goal for the Titans.

There were no surprises when the the CIF-Southern Section released pairings for the boys soccer division playoffs Monday.
El Rancho High School, as expected, received the top seed in Division 4 and leads a list of eight area teams that will vie for division championships beginning today with wild-card games. The first round is scheduled for Thursday, with the finals slated for March 2-3 at either Mission Viejo or Warren high schools. All games tentatively are scheduled for 3 p.m.
The Dons (22-0), after being ranked nationally most of the season, expect to be there again and their road to the final begins Thursday when they host either Duarte (10-6) or Bishop Montgomery in the first round.
El Rancho, which won Division 4 last season, hardly has been challenged this season while winning the North Orange County Classic in December before cruising to a 10-0 mark in the Del Rio League. The Dons have outscored their past five opponents 19-1.
The area's next best hope to win divisional hardware comes in Division 2, where traditional power La Habra (12-5-6) is expected to make a run after winning the Freeway League.
The Highlanders, who advanced to the semifinals last season, open Thursday against either Chino Hills (10-9-6) or Pacifica (12-6-4) of Garden Grove. La Habra could meet No. 3 seed Riverside Poly (17-4-3) in the quarterfinals.

CIF-SS BOYS SOCCER PAIRINGS
DIVISION I
First Round
Thursday
Schurr at Loyola
JSerra at Montebello
DIVISION 2
First Round
Thursday
Chino Hills-Pacifica at La Habra
DIVISION 4
Wild-Card Round
Tuesday
Pioneer at Godinez
First Round
Thursday
Duarte-Bishop Montgomery at El Rancho (1)
Whittier at Diamond Bar
Estancia at La Serna
DIVISION 5
Wild-Card Round
Tuesday
San Gorgonio at Whittier Christian (winner at Silverado on Thursday)

La Serna High School has been the dominant girls soccer program in the area for much of the past decade.
The Lancers lived up to that reputation this season and were rewarded Monday when the CIF-Southern Section released pairings for the girls soccer playoffs.
La Serna (16-5-4) was the only area team to earn a top four seed, receiving the No. 4 slot in Division 5.
The Lancers lead a list of 11 area teams who will compete for division titles, beginning Wednesday with wild-card games.
The first round is scheduled for Friday, with the finals slated for March 2-3 at either Mission Viejo or Warren high schools. All games are tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m.
La Serna opens the playoffs on Friday against either Pacifica (10-7-2), of Oxnard or Templeton (6-7-2), who meet in a wild-card game on Wednesday. The Lancers, who went 9-0-1 in winning the Del Rio League, were ranked in the division top 10 all season.

CIF-SS GIRLS SOCCER PAIRINGS
DIVISION 2
First Round
Friday
La Habra at Westlake
DIVISION 3
First Round
Friday
Cypress at La Mirada
DIVISION 4
First Round
Friday
Whittier Christian at Santa Paula
DIVISION 5
Wild-Card Round
Wednesday
Bishop Diego at Santa Fe (winner at No. 1 Cabrillo/Lompoc on Friday
Pioneer at Temescal Canyon
First Round
Friday
Templeton-Pacifica/Oxnrd at La Serna (4)
California at Vasquez
DIVISON 7
Wild-Card Round
Wednesday
South El Monte at Cantwell (winner at Viewpoint on Friday)
Hamilton at St. Paul (winner at Rim of the World on Friday)
Schurr at Tarbu V Toral (winner at Mary Star on Friday)
First Round
Friday
Rolling Hills-Big Bear at Montebello

The Cantwell boys and St. Paul girls were the big winners when the CIF-Southern Section office released its divisional basketball pairings today.
The Cardinals, who rebounded from 2-25 to go 22-5 and finish second in the Camino Real League under first-year coach George Zedan, received the No. 3 seed for the Division 4A bracket. Cantwell, which went 8-2 in league play, will host Loma Linda Academy (12-11) in the first round on Wednesday.
Cantwell, the only area team to be seeded, leads a list a list of 10 area teams who received bids. Some of the more interesting first-round match-ups include Del Rio League champion California hosting No. 14 Long Beach Jordan in the 1AA first round on Friday, and Del Rio League runner-up Whittier hosting No. 13 Glendora in the 2A bracket, also on Friday.
The St. Paul girls team (12-13), despite going 0-8 in the highly-competitive Del Rey League, received the No. 2 seed in 4A bracket. The Swordsmen, who advanced to the semifinals last season, will travel to Notre Dame of Riverside for a first-round game on Thursday.
St. Paul is one of five area teams to receive a seed. The others are Del Rio League champion Whittier (23-3), which is No. 7 in 2AA; Santa Fe (17-10), which is No. 12 in 1A; Cantwell (13-13), which is No. 12 in 4A and Whittier Christian (14-11), which No. 14 in 4A.
Whittier, which went 10-0 in the Del Rio League, hosts Arroyo Valley on Saturday, with Santa Fe getting Temecula Valley at home, also on Saturday. Cantwell, which was fourth in the Camino Real, is at Crossroads in its 4A opener on Thursday. Whittier Christian, which was third in the Olympic League, is a t La Reina.
All games are tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m.

BOYS
Division 1AA
First Round
Friday
No. 14 Long Beach Jordan at California
Montebello at Eisenhower
1A
First Round
Friday
El Rancho at Aliso Niguel
2A
First Round
Friday
La Habra at No. 9 North. Torrance
No. 13 Glendora at Whittier
La Serna at No. 6 Righetti
3AAA
First Round
Wednesday
La Mirada at No. 8 Arroyo Grande
3A
First Round
Wednesday
Pioneer at No. 8 Covina
4A
First Round
Wednesday
St. Paul at Riverside Prep
Loma Linda Academy at No. 3 Cantwell
GIRLS
Division 1AA
First Round
Saturday
No. 12 Orange Lutheran at Schurr
1A
First Round
Saturday
Temecula Valley at No. 12 Santa Fe
El Rancho at No. 10 Highland
2AA
First Round
Saturday
Arroyo Valley at No. 7 Whittier
2A
First Round
Saturday
La Serna at No. 1 Foothill
3AAA
First Round
Thursday
No. 13 Westlake at La Habra
3AA
First Round
Thursday
La Mirada at No. 10 HH Wilson
4A
First Round
Thursday
No. 12 Cantwell at Crossroads
No. 14 Whittier Christian at La Reina
No. 2 St. .Paul at Notre Dame/Riverside
All games are tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m.

Above: La Serna's Gabby Pierandozzi. (Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb)

The CIF-Southern Section girls water polo playoff pairings are out, and league champions La Serna and Montebello top a list of six area teams who are in the brackets.
Montebello, which won the Almont League, received a No. 4 seed in the Division 2 bracket. The Oilers will host either M.L. King or Santa Margarita, who meet in Tuesday's wild-card round, in the first round on Wednesday.
La Serna, which won the Del Rio League, also received a No. 4 seed and will open up the Division 3 playoffs at home against either Monrovia or Chaparral, also on Wednesday.
Also in the draws are Schurr in Division 2, California and El Rancho in Division 3 and La Habra in Division 4.
Schurr, the No. 2 team from the Almont League, will host Roosevelt, of Temecula, in a wild-card game on Tuesday. California is in the wild-card round in Division 3, hosting Atascadero, also on Tuesday.
El Rancho is at Rio Mesa on Wednesday, with La Habra opening the Division 4 bracket at Dana Hills on Thursday.
All games are scheduled for 5 p.m. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and Feb. 22, respectively. The finals are slated for Saturday, Feb. 25 at the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine.
CIF-SS Area Playoff Schedule
GIRLS WATER POLO
Division 2
Tuesday
Wild-card Round
Roosevelt at Schurr
Wednesday
First Round
King-Santa Margarita at Montebello (4)
Roosevelt-Schurr at El Toro
Division 3
Wild-card Round
Tuesday
Atascadero at California
First Round
Wednesday
Cal-Atascadero at Murrieta Valley (1)
Monrovia-Chaparral at La Serna (4)
El Rancho at Rio Mesa
Division 4
First Round
Thursday
La Habra at Dana Hills
All games are tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m.

Above: Santa Fe football coach Jack Mahlstede admires an artist's rendering of the new Jack Mahlstede Athletic Field during his retirement party Saturday. The Whittier Union High School District named the new football field and track at the school after him. (Keith Durflinger / Staff Photographer)

Santa Fe High School honored retiring football coach Jack Mahlstede Saturday night. Here's the story from the Whittier Daily News Editor Tim Traeger:

By Tim Traeger

SANTA FE SPRINGS - Jack Mahlstede earned the title of coach and mentor.
And on Saturday, the Santa Fe Springs High School community gave back to its iconic coach by naming its new football and track facilities after a man who has shepherded thousands of young athletes to prominence.
Major League Baseball's Mark Kotsay (Class of 1993) joined former NFL tight end Steve Folsom (Class of 1976) and about 250 others gathered at Santa Fe High to fete Mahlstede, who amassed 16 football championships, 12 in the Del Rio League; 10 boys' track titles and nine girls trophies in the Whitmont and Del Rio leagues.
"He was one of the best coaches in the history of Santa Fe High, the Whittier Union High School District, and the Whitmont and Del Rio Leagues," said its board of trustees President, Tim Schneider.
Mahlstede, 73, has coached Chiefs athletic teams since 1970.
"The most important thing to him was guiding his students, giving them structure and leadership and teaching them the moral and ethical qualities they would need in life," son Jeff Mahlstede said.

Above: Santa Fe's Daniel Contreras pins Carter's Casper Sherow in the 142-pound semifinals at Saturday's CIF-SS Division 3 dual meet wrestling championships. (Keith Birmingham / Staff Photographer)

SANTA FE SPRINGS - Santa Fe High School had waited a year for redemption.
But instead, Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Dual wrestling championships was just more heartache.
Jameson Campbell led a charge of eight North Torrance competitors to score wins, including three by fall, and the Saxons spoiled the Chiefs' run to the finals for the second consecutive season with a 35-27 victory in the Division 3 meet at Santa Fe High.
Campbell, who finished off a stretch where North Torrance won five consecutive bouts to turn the match around for the Saxons, won the 224-pound bout by pinning Santa Fe's Christian Mendoza in one minute, four seconds. The other wins by fall for North Torrance were Heshawa Bamunuarachi (186), who pinned Alex Colon in 5:20, and Brandon Yee (110), who pinned Nico Sanchez in 1:58.
The Saxons' run, which also included decisions by Jong Yoo (174) and Java Magiagang (199), allowed North Torrance to rally from a 15-3 deficit to take a 22-15 advantage.
The Chiefs took a 15-3 lead at the start following a 7-2 decision by Daniel Contreras (142); a win by fall by Dillon Corona (149), who pinned Gehyuk Gwoun in 1:55, and a win by forfeit by Joey Davis.
Santa Fe coach Sal Garcia: "It's not really disappointing (because of last year), but for our kids it's a little heartbreaking. The kids work so hard, and they trained for this, to try and win a CIF title. I'm a little more heartbroken for them more than myself. But that's just the way it goes."

The La Mirada boys and Santa Fe girls teams knew they couldn't claim a league title Friday. But that didn't stop the two from closing the regular season with wins, which could give them some momentum going into the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, which begin Wednesday. Pairings are announced Sunday.
La Mirada (17-11) secured fourth place with a 73-57 victory at Cerritos in a Suburban League game. The Matadores were led by the sophomore guard duo of Taelin Webb and Deion Golffin, with 21 and 13 points, respectively.
On the girls side, Santa Fe (17-10) got a key 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds from senior Jackie Saiza and 14 points from Alisa Bueno to score a 36-33 victory over La Serna (13-14) to wrap up second place in the Del Rio League.
La Serna, which received 16 points from Rachel Nichols and 14 from Nanette Beightol, had sliced a Santa Fe' 33-22 lead to three points with less than a minute to play. But Saiza, with the shot clock at two seconds saved the day, draining a 3-pointer to clinch the victory. Beightol hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left to account for the final 36-33 score.

Here is the La Mirada game story
La Mirada 73, Cerritos 57

Above: Santa Fe's Joey Davis leads the Chiefs quest for a CIF-SS dual championship on Saturday. Santa Fe will host the Division 3 meet, beginning at 11 a.m. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

The CIF-Southern Section office released pairings for Saturday's dual wrestling championships and traditional power Santa Fe leads a group of three area teams selected.
The Chiefs, who won another Del Rio League title, received the No. 2 seed in Division 3 and will face Torrance, an at-large entry from the Pioneer league in the first round of the Division 3 meet, which is scheduled for Santa Fe High.
California, runner-up to Santa Fe in the Del Rio League, received an at-large entry and will meet Pioneer League champion North Torrance in the first round.
Schurr, which won the Almont League, will face Woodbridge, and at-large entry from the Pacific Coast League, in the Division 5 meet at Irvine High School.
All first round matches are slated to begin at 11 a.m., with the quarterfinals at 3 p.m., the semifinals at 5 and finals at 7:15 p.m.

Above: California's Roberto Campos, right, keeps the ball away from Santa Fe's Andrew Jimenez during Wednesday's Del Rio League game. The Condors routed the Chiefs, 62-41. (Photo by Chris Burt / Correspondent)

It was championship night for the area's top two teams in the area, with one happy story, the other not so much.
California, getting 26 points from Matt Lambrecht and 13 points and eight rebounds from Roberto Campos, clinched a share of the Del Rio League title with a 62-41 victory over Santa Fe. The Condors can win the title outright with a win at El Rancho on Friday. Second-place Whittier, which beat El Rancho on Wednesday, can gain a piece of the title if it defeats Pioneer and the host Dons can beat the Condors.
Over in the Camino Real League, Cantwell had a shot to get a piece of the league crown. But Brandon Randolph scored 24 points and Lance Booker had 14 and host St. Bernard won the league championship with a 66-57 victory over the Cardinals in Playa Del Rey. Cantwell, which slipped to 22-5, received 17 and 15 points, respectively from Jose Estrada and Jacob Contreras.

Cal High coach Jason Van Duyne: "We wanted to dictate the pace. playing an up-tempo game, to take Santa Fe out of their game plan. And it seemed to work."
Cantwell coach George Zedan: They were ready to play us. But with all that said, I still feel like if we could make a layup here or there, if we could make some free throws here and there, I still think (we could win). It's going to bother us for a while. We worked so hard, and I feel we were prepared. But sometimes it happens. It's very frustrating."

Here are the two game stories
Cal 62, Santa Fe 41
St. Bernard 66, Cantwell 57

WEDNESDAY UPDATE:
I got an interesting e-mail from our SGVN scouting guru and confirmed this morning by La Serna football coach Margarito Beltran that Lancers, who advanced to a CIF-Southern Section divisional championship game for the first time since the 1960s, is bulking up its schedule for 2012. La Serna, which was 10-4 last fall, will feature a slate that includes CIF-SS power Westlake and Norco. Rancho Christian, of Temecula, Downey and Bonita are also on the nonleague schedule, according to Beltran.
Corona Centential, which are SGVN guru stated, is not on the schedule. Coach Beltran said the mistake is often made between confusing La Serna with La Sierra, of Riverside. But the addition of Norco, which has had solid teams in the past, and Westlake, which is coming off a 14-1 season, with the Northern Division title and a loss to state stalwart Condcord De La Salle in a CIF State bowl game, is definitely a major step up.
Coach Beltran: "It's a step up. Our kids will definitely be challenged. But that's the way we look at it. It is what it is. We'll see what happens."
Steve's take: La Serna's schedule, along with the one St. Paul has put together should make for a much-anticipated 2012. The Swordsmen slate will include matchups against old rival Bishop Amat, La Habra, Mater Dei and Servite. Then there's La Mirada, which will face Bishop Amat and St. Francis.

California High School has the inside track to win its first Del Rio League boys basketball title since 2008 this week.
But the Condors, who moved into first place with a 61-58 victory over Whittier last week, are not home safe yet.
Standing in the way is Santa Fe, which handed California it's only league loss (72-62) on Jan. 20, and would like nothing better to spoil the party again.
The Condors are very aware what's at stake when the teams meet Wednesday at California at 6:30 p.m.
"We need this game," said California coach Jason Van Duyne, whose Condors are 17-7 overall and 7-1 in league play. "In our league, in the Whittier area, when you are not the (league champion), it's so difficult to win a first round (CIF-Southern Section playoff game). We know we need to win out to win the Del Rio League, which is a big thing for Cal High."
But the Chiefs (11-14, 3-6), who scored a 72-62 victory over the Condors in the first meeting, offer quite a challenge, and Van Duyne said it comes from Santa Fe's inside game, mainly forwards Andrew Jimenez, Cristian Perez and Jonathan Parral.
"It's all about matchups and they give us a mis-match," he said. "They have three really strong forwards and we don't matchup well with them. The last time, we got really good looks and couldn't finish them. They dictated tempo.
"Coach (Leonard Romero) does a great job. They are a lot better than their record indicates. We want to make them take long shots, and hopefully we can finish our shots."
The Condors conclude the regular season at El Rancho on Friday.

El Rancho, which is seeking a football coach since Rick Zepeda resigned after the season, has closed the application process and officials are expected to review applications with the interview phase set to begin in two weeks.
El Rancho athletic director Lynn Lawson said Monday that the school hopes to name a new coach by the end of the month. He also said they received 40 applications for the position.
El Rancho went 5-5 and missed the playoffs this past season.

WHITTIER - California High School took a major step toward the Del Rio League boys basketball championship Friday.
But Whittier, which has shared the title with La Serna the past two seasons, died hard.
Matt Lambrecht scored 17 points, Chris Ortiz added 12 and the Condors withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Cardinals to hold on for a 61-58 victory in a battle that featured the league's top teams.
Whittier, which rallied from 15 points down, had a chance to tie it but Willie Pittman missed a 3-pointer from about 35 feet at the buzzer.
California, which also got eight points each from Roberto Campos and Andrew Garber, improved to 17-7 overall and 7-1 in league. The Condors can clinch the title with two victories next week.
The Cardinals, who got 18 points from Pittman and 14 from Damien Salcedo, slipped to 14-10 and 6-2.
"We had trouble finishing the game," said California coach Jason Van Duyne, whose Condors scored an 81-71 victory over Whittier in January. "But good teams find ways to win games. We're a good team.
"(Whittier coach Joey Mata) does a great job with his team. They are very well coached. We knew it was going to come down to the team who had the ball last. We made our run, they made their run. But after 32 minutes, we were able to pull it out."

Above: Schurr's Jaimee Rivera (Howard College); La Mirada's
Courtney Skogen (Eastern Arizona), La Mirada's Liza Perez (Chapman),
Whittier Christian's Brooke Contreras (South Carolina State); La
Serna's Savannah Francis (UC Santa Barbara). Front: Schurr's Jessica
Rivera (Howard College); Santa Fe's Briana Geffre (Cal State
Northridge); La Mirada's Amber Hickman (Towson State), La Mirada's
Rochelle Sablay (Delaware State), Whittier Christian's Kellian Hunt
(Biola).

The goal of any high school athlete is to succeed on the field and in the classroom to advance to the next level.
For 11 area athletes, that was not a pipe dream. They recently made it a reality, each signing national letters to four-year institutions.
The list, which includes four girls soccer players, six softball players and one girls cross country runner, features four who signed to play on the NCAA Division I level - Santa Fe's Briana Geffre (Cal State Northridge), La Serna's Savannah Francis (UC Santa Barbara), La Mirada's Sarah Carrick (Boston University) and Amber Hickman (Towson, in Maryland).
Also advancing to play at the next level is Whittier Christian soccer player Brooke Contreras (South Carolina State); Schurr softball players Jaimee and Jessica Rivera (Howard College in Big Spring, Texas); La Mirada softball players Rochelle Sablay (Delaware State), Courtney Skogen (Eastern Arizona) and Lisa Perez (Chapman); and Whittier Christian cross country runner Kellian Hunt, who will go to nearby Biola.
Geffre and Francis, friendly rivals in the Del Rio League, said the lure of Northridge and Santa Barbara was the opportunity to play at the Division I level.
Geffre, a senior forward, has nine goals and six assists for the Chiefs this season.
"I chose Cal State Northridge because it's close to home, so I can come back and forth to see my family," Geffre said. "I know the coach well, and I've played with his team before, and I like the coach a lot."
Francis is a key part of the La Serna team that is ranked in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 top 10 and leads the Del Rio League.
"I chose to go to Santa Barbara because it's D-I soccer," Francis said. "I liked the campus and the location. It's also close to home. It's kind of far, but not that far, so I can still come home."