The Alta Loma girls soccer team is good, really good. It is ranked No. 1 in Division 5 so others outside of the Inland Empire know the talent on that team.
The Braves dropped down from Division 1 to Division 5 since they moved from the competitive Baseline to the not-competitive-at-all Mt. Baldy League. (Why they move entire leagues instead of teams is a worthy debate for another day.)
The Alta Loma volleyball had its best season in school history the past fall, cruising to a league title then winning a Southern Section Division 4AA title just as convincingly.
Then came a run in the state portion of the playoffs. They finished as runner-up, winning the Southern Region and losing to North Region champ Sonora in the state title tilt.
The volleyball team was third in the Baseline last year before making the move but the girls soccer team WAS the Baseline champion a year ago. So its chances to win a Southern Section title are pretty good. And they dropped all the way to Division 5, rather than 4.
So the biggest task for coach Ben Davies, much like it was for volleyball coach Tishanna Pope, is to keep his team focused and steadily improving when it is playing inferior competition.
Playing some good non-league foes is a good start. And the Braves played Rancho Cucamonga and Los Osos, among others. That’s good from a competition aspect and good that they have kept the rivalry going.
We’ll see if the Braves can get the ultimate prize just as the volleyball team did. One thing is for sure, its shaping up to be a good year for the school in many sports.
