Another school year has come and gone and teams from the Inland Valley once again did themselves proud.
Here are the championship highlights of the year past. These are tream accomplishments. We’ll get to individuals soon:
1. Etiwanda baseball (27-3) – Have to put the Eagles at the top of the list for winning their first title and it comes in Division 2 which may have been even better than Division 1 this season top to bottom. The Eagles cruised in the Baseline League and that isn’t easy to do. They won 26 of their last 27 games after a 1-2 start. Our player of the year Tyler Freeman led the onslaught.
2. Rancho Cucamonga football (12-1) – The Cougars put together the best season an Inland Valley team has had in a long time, cruising through the regular season undefeated despite playing a difficult schedule. Playing in Division 1 meant facing off against top teams in the nation, not just from Southern California. The Cougars marched to the semifinal before losing to perennial national Power Mater Dei 48-21. Oregon-bound Jaylon Redd led the spirited effort.
3. Alta Loma girls water polo (22-10) – A minor sport wouldn’t normally rank this high on the scale but the Braves get the lofty spot given how dramatic their first championship match was. They defeated Redlands East Valley 6-5 in the Division 6 final, the difference being a shot by sophomore Payton Cooke at the buzzer. She had just been inserted into the match at time out seconds earlier.
4. Colony boys basketball (30-6) – The Titans won their second title under coach Jerry DeFabiis, the only coach the program has ever had. They did it without what you would call a “superstar” but did have a lot of very good solid, all-around players that bought into the system and worked well together. The Titans downed a quality Villa Park team in the 2AA Southern Section final 74-70, but lost to that same team in the Southern California Regional final of the state portion of the playoffs.
5. Los Osos girls basketball (27-4) – It’s hard to think of a better Cinderella story than the Grizzlies, who had been the doormat of the Baseline League in recent years. They were just 6-19 overall and 0-10 in league play a year ago. Under new coach Dawnesha Buckner this season they won the Division 3A championship in easy fashion defeating Lancaster 55-33. They got to the Division IV state championship before running out of steam and losing to Sacramento West Campus.
6. Claremont boys/girls cross country – Few programs in the Inland Valley can compare with the Wolfpack who won both boys and girls CIF state titles this season in Division 2. That came after the Wolfpack were third at the Southern Section final. Senior Owen Bishop led the boys with a first place individual finish.
7. Chaffey baseball (20-6-1) – The Tigers had not appeared in a title game in baseball since 1971 and they hadn’t won since 1958 so they had to make the list. Coach Max Pinedo’s squad advanced to the Division 6 title game before losing to Katella 3-0 in 11 innings. It doesn’t get more hard fought than that as the teams went 10 scoreless innings. Senior pitcher Lawrence Castaneda led the charge.
8. Claremont girls soccer (25-4-2) – A fantastic season could have been just a bit better had the Wolfpack been able to get past one foe – South Torrance. Claremont made it to the Southern Section Division 3 championship before losing to that team 1-0 in double overtime. They got a shot at redemption in the state portion of the playoffs and got to the So Cal Regional final, only to lose a rematch 2-1 in overtime. Sophomore Sophie Jones led the stellar effort.
9. Los Osos boys tennis – The Grizzlies only finished third in the Baseline League but ended up winning a title in Division 4. It’s a young team most thought might be a year or two away from challenging. It’s coach had to depart for medical reasons and a top player became ineligible but those obstacles were overcome and Los Osos beat Maranatha 11-7 for the title.
10. Diamond Bar girls water polo (26-8) – The Brahmas make the list by virtue of their quick improvement in the sport, having fielded a team for just three years. They made it to the Division 7 title match before losing to Santa Ynes 8-6 in overtime. To put that in perspective, the same team was 7-22 the previous year.
