Miller High School pitcher Cesar Aguilar signed with the St. Louis Cardinals a week ago – he received a $60,000 signing bonus – after the team selected him in the 14th round of the MLB draft on June 8. Aguilar is set to begin play in the Gulf Coast League Monday but he is acclimating himself to Jupiter, Florida as we speak.

“It’s hot, himid,” Aguilar said, “They’ve got us running and lifting right now before we start playing on Monday. I’m excited, ready to go.”

Aguilar compiled a 1.02 ERA and a 6-2 record his senior season. The two-time first team all-Citrus Belt League pitcher struck out 89 batters in 69 innings in addition to batting .333 with 13 RBIs.

MVP: Jessica Garcia, Redlands, C, Sr.

first team
Marshean August, Eisenhower, C, Sr.
Sara Pineda, Eisenhower, P, So.
Christina Castro, Fontana, SS, Sr.
Nicole Soltis, Fontana, P, Sr.
Diauna Nelson, Miller, P, Fr.
Narissa Garcia, Redlands, P, So.
Marlee Rettig, Redlands, OF, Jr.
Michelle Solomon, Redlands, SS, Jr.
Amanda Weis, Redlands, 3B, So.
Jenna Jaquish, REV, OF, Jr.
Savannah Jaquish, REV, C, Fr.
Leann Lopez, REV, SS, Sr.
Amy Nece, REV, 2B, Sr.
Cassidy Bingham, Yucaipa, SS, So.
Courtney Brown, Yucaipa, 3B, Jr.
Ashley Huff, Yucaipa, C, Jr.
Mackenzie Maxwell, Yucaipa, P, Fr.

These quotes and details didn’t make it into my MLB draft day 2 story. Thanks to colleague T.J. Berka for the info and quotes.

Miller High pitcher Cesar Aguilar was drafted in the 14th round by St. Louis on Tuesday.

“It feels good to be drafted. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” he said.
“I didn’t really know when I’d be drafted, so I wasn’t that worried about it. I figured I would be drafted, but I wasn’t sure when.”

“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little kid. Every time I went to a major league game or a minor league game, I imagined playing on the field.”

He plans on signing Thursday and will leave Friday. He received a $60,000 signing bonus.

“It’s not bad for an 18-year old kid in high school. I’ll just save it, There’s really nothing I need to buy right now,” he said.

Denver Broncos All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady, an Eisenhower High School graduate, injured his knee in a basketball game over the weekend, according to this Denver Post story, will miss three months but is hoping to be ready for the start of the NFL season.

The 12th overall pick out of Boise State in the 2008 NFL draft partially tore his patellar tendon but because it was only 50 percent torn the surgery performed Tuesday in Denver will likely cause him to miss nothing more than the preseason.

Clady allowed the fewest sacks among tackles as a rookie and last year became the 11th tackle to earn Pro Bowl honors in his second season.

MVP
Alex Varner, Eisenhower, G, Sr.

first team
Bryan Bock, Eisenhower, Sr.
Kirby Gardner, Eisenhower, Sr.
Bernard Ireland, Eisenhower, Jr.
Darius Batts, Miller, Sr.
Marcus Davis, Redlands, Sr.
Matt Green, Redlands, Sr.
Paulin Mpawe, Redlands East Valley, Jr.
Terrell Todd, Redlands East Valley, Jr.
Jonathan Redman, Rialto, Sr.
Cole Hauso, Yucaipa, Sr.
Taijuan Walker, Yucaipa, Sr.
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The general sentiment is that Eisenhower is a Phoenix Suns-type of run-and-gun team who simply outscores people. On their biggest stage this season, the Eagles thwarted that theory with some gritty, nasty defense the Suns would have envied.

Imagine shooting 29 percent from the field – 29% for crying out loud! – and winning by nine points. Eisenhower scrapped for every loose ball, corralled most of the tipped rebounds and, indicative of the effort level, Keyon Sayles jumped over the media tables to save a loose ball… twice. Ike never quite picked up its shooting percentage from the field but after beginning the game 7-for-20 from the free throw line the Eagles made 8 of their last 10 in clutch fashion.

Here are some final numbers:
Shooting perecentage – Eisenhower 28.6% (16 for 56); Pasadena 27.4% (17 for 62)
3-point shooting percentage – Eisenhower 13.6% (3 for 22); Pasadena 20% (3 for 15)
Free throw percentage – Eisenhower 53.1% (17 for 32); Pasadena 60% (6 for 10)

Leading scorers: Eisenhower – Alex Varner 17, Kirby Gardner 15; Pasadena – Todd Lewis 21, George Toyama 9.
Rebounds: Eisenhower – Devin Garner 8, Bernard Ireland 8; Pasadena – Brandon Jolley 12.
Assists: Eisenhower – Kirby Gardner 2; Pasadena – Toyama 2, Jolley 2, Chris Bridges 2.

The Eagles made 8 of their last 10 free throws during Pasadena’s desperate attempt to comeback from a 7-point deficit, claiming their second consecutive CIF-SS Division 2A championship by the score of 52-43.

Ike thoughtfully placed its dog-pile each just left of center court, where the CIF officials set up the table from which they would hand out the championship t-shirts and pins.

After shooting 6-of-16 from the free throw line in the first three quarters, then 1-for-4 to begin the fourth – including missing the front end of two 1-and-1′s – Eisenhower’s Alex Varner has made four straight from the charity stripe to give the Eagles a seven-point lead with 45 seconds to play.

The defending CIF champion Eagles answered Pasadena’s 7-0 run with their own 6-0 run punctuated by a pull-up jumper by Kirby Gardner, his 10th and 11th points, to give Ike a 44-39 lead with 2:45 to play.

The Bulldogs came out firing in the fourth quarter, a 7-0 run giving Pasadena a 39-38 lead on a three-point play by Todd Lewis Jr with 5:30 remaining in the game. The good news for Eisenhower is that sharp shooter Bryan Bock got on the board with a free throw prior to the Pasadena run. Bock is 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range.