Lonzo Ball, Garrett Carter and Bryce Peters named 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game Nominees

Three boys basketball players from the local coverage area have made the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game Nominees list
A total of 326 nominees were announced on the boys list, with California having the most nominees with 51 names.
The locals athletes among the names are:

Bryce Peters of Damien High School

Peters is committed to the University of Colorado on a basketball scholarship. He scored 11 points in the Ron Massey Classic victory over Sunnyside on Jan. 2.

Garrett Carter of Etiwanda High School

Carter played with the Eagles on Dec. 30 in the third place game of the 2015 MaxPreps Holiday Classic Nike Division Tournament. Carter and the Eagles return to the court tonight in nonleague play against Colony High.

Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills High School

Ball proved to be the key for No. 1 state ranked Chino Hills, who brought home the MaxPreps Holiday Classic Open Division Championship, with a near triple-double performance. Ball scored 31 points with 12 assists, eight rebounds and four blocks against Redondo Union, 96-80. Lonzo also had a 23-point performance against Georgia Jonesboro in the tournament’s semifinal game.

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Kamari Pleasant verbally commits to Arizona State

Safety Kamari Pleasant of Etiwanda High made it a Christmas Day to remember after he announced on Twitter that he verbally committed to play football for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

While many recruits across the country simply announce their commitment with a simple tweet, Pleasant added some flare to his announcement by tweeting out a video with his decision.

“I have a lot of choices on my plate and not many choose this route to take but I want to be great,” Pleasant said in his video before the Arizona State logo flashed across the screen.

The decision to announce his commitment was rather easy to make on the holiday.

“I wanted it to be special for my grandma,” he explained. “She kept asking me where I was going to go. I decided to do it when the family would be all around.”

With offers on the table from programs such as Oregon, UNLV and UTEP, it was ASU that had become involved in Pleasant’s process early on.

“I have a great relationship with the coaches there,” he added. “They are like family (at ASU). They have been talking with me since I was a freshman.”

Here is his announcement:

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Our list of athletes signing this week

VOLLEYBALL
Loryn Carter, St. Lucy’s – UC Irvine
Kylie Miller, Rancho Cucamonga – UCLA
Kylie Szczepanski, Alta Loma -Northwest University

SWIMMING

Kenisha Liu, Ayala – UCLA

 

BASKETBALL
Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills – UCLA
Bryce Peters, Damien – Colorado
Janessa Thropay, Chino Hills – Oregon State

BASEBALL

Tommy Acuna, San Dimas – Arizona
Noah Bode, Los Osos – Washington
Jacob Castillo, San Dimas – San Diego State
Zack Cooper, Los Osos – Belmont Abbey
Isaiah Davis, Carter – Fresno State
James Free, Damien – University of the Pacific
Elijah Greene, Chino Hills – San Diego State
Austin Hurd, Chino Hills – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Tyler Lawson, Rancho Cucamonga – Long Beach State
Nick Lodolo, Damien – Texas Christian
Davis Moore, Los Osos – Fresno State
Nick Peifer, Bonita – Cal Poly Pomona
AJ Woodall, Bonita – UC Santa Barbara
Charlie Verone, Los Osos – Butler

SOFTBALL

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Hailey Arteaga, Webb – Seton Hall
Pamala Baber, Carter – Texas-El Paso
Michelle Banales, Etiwanda – South Dakota
Amanda Brashear, Chino – Maryland
Hailey Freeman, Etiwanda – Grand Canyon
Corina Gamboa, Chino – Colorado State
Alyssa Gonzalez, Chino – Mississippi
Haylie Kloosterman, Ontario Chr. – Concordia
Shea Noggle, Los Osos – Belmont Abbey
Felisha Noriega, Etiwanda – UC Santa Barbara
Madison Paige, Ontario Chr. – Minnesota State-Moorhead
Jacquelynne Poling, Ontario Chr. – University West Florida
Megan Stevens, Etiwanda – Grand Canyon
Vanessa Taukeiho, Etiwadna – Oklahoma
Sydney Trostle, Etiwanda – Cal Baptist
Brianna Wheeler, Etiwanda – Hawaii

WATER POLO

Raquel Anton, Rancho – CS Bakersfield
Devin Holcomb, St. Lucy’s – Cal
Shelby Kraft, Los Osos – San Diego St.
Denise Mammolito, Rancho Cucamonga – USC
Delaney Parks, Los Osos – San Diego St
Lexi Puhl, Etiwanda – Marist

GOLF
Angella Then, Los Oos – ArkansasEmbedded image permalink

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Etiwanda freshman Julia Jimenez commits to Michigan softball

Etiwanda freshman Julia Jimenez announced on Twitter that she has committed to play at the University of Michigan.

Jimenez received the offer from the Wolverines before even starting her first season as a member of the Eagles softball team. IMG_0766.JPG

“It’s definitely overwhelming. It’s an honor and very humbling,” she explained in an email. “I am glad to see all my hard work and dedication pay off. The road only gets harder from here and now I have to work twice as hard.”

Jimenez, who was being recruited as a shortstop, stated that she also had full ride scholarship offers from Louisville and Texas A&M.

“It has been very exciting and stressful at the same time but it is a good stress at least,” said Gloria Jimenez, the mother of Julia.

Despite only being a freshman, she believes Michigan is the right place for her.

“It is a well balanced school,” Julia said. “All of the athletics, the education and the coaching staff.”

She made her verbal commitment over the phone with Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines’ softball coach.

“She said she would be honored to be my coach,”  Jimenez said. “She referred to me as a Wolverine and told me it is not about the size, but it’s the fight.”

Gloria believes the game of softball has really helped her daughter grow into the person she has become.

“It has really made her focus on her education, it has taught her life lessons and how to overcome failure,” Gloria said. “It has made her a stronger minded young lady and she is extremely confident on and off the field.”

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CIF-SS Division II Boys Diving Championships

Results of the CIFSS Division II Diving Championships:
 

Prestin Li of Diamond Bar finished the highest among local area athletes for either boys or girls Division II diving during the first day of the CIF Southern Section Swim and Dive Finals. Li finished with a score of 435.75 to finished ninth.

Noah Luna of Damien was second among local area boys finishing 14th overall in the field of 32, with a score of 367.05, followed by Aaron Garcia of Upland.

Local Boys:
Prestin Li of Diamond Bar (9th place) 435.75
Noah Luna of Damien (14th place) 367.05
Aaron Garcia of Upland (15th place) 363.75
Brian Murarik of Etiwanda (20th place) 220.75
Jeff Harris of Bonita (24th place) 135.30
Nicolas Pinson of Bonita (25th place) 129.95
Christian Darino of Bonita (26th place) 129.15
Zachary Walker of Bonita (27th place) 123.45
Grant Andres of Los Osos (31st place) 109.85
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Etiwanda’s Treyjohn Butler invited to U.S. Army All American Bowl

Etiwanda junior defensive back Treyjohn Butler announced on Twitter that he has been invited to play in the 2016 U.S. Army All American Bowl.

(Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

(Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Photographer)

Butler has 85 total tackles with eight interceptions during his first two years with the Eagles’ varsity team, according to MaxPreps.

Butler has seven offers according to 247Sports, including Stanford, Washington and California.

The All-American Game has served as a showcase for the top high school football players in the nation. Previous participants include Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush and Andrew Luck.

The next game will take place on Jan. 9, 2016 at the Alamodome San Antonio, Tex.

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Chino Hills High School Girls Soccer takes home game on the road

A total of 5 teams from the Baseline League made the CIF Girls Division 1 playoffs: Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills, Los Osos, Etiwanda and Upland.RCHS

The Baseline’s No. 3 team Los Osos is traveling on the road against Flintridge Sacred Heart while Etiwanda and Upland received at-large bids and will travel as well.

The Rancho Cucamonga Cougars and the Chino Hills Huskies are listed on the bracket as the host team, but a jersey violation will send the Huskies on the road to Long Beach Millikan.chhs

The violation was because of a “two-inch strip on the shoulder of our jerseys on Jan. 3 against Ayala,” said Huskies’ coach Andy Plascencia.

Rules such as the one about the jerseys became effective by the CIF at the start of the New Year.

“The referee (from the game against Ayala) reported it,” Plascencia said. “We thought it would just be a warning at first…it did creep back up on us.”

The team has since ordered new jerseys that comply with the new CIF rules.

Since the Huskies did not have an actual home field until the final two weeks of league play, Plascencia is not worried about having to travel to Long Beach despite still being considered the home team.

“It’s not a factor for us. We have traveled and played on the road all season,” he explained. “We usually would have to travel about 45 minutes for each game so an extra 15 minutes (to Long Beach) should not be a problem.”

 

 

 

 

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Sommer Larrabee and Etiwanda holds off Chino Hills

Sommer Larrabee and the Etiwanda Eagles handed the Chino Hills Huskies’ girls soccer team its first Baseline League loss, 1-0.

Larrabee scored the lone goal for the Eagles in the shutout against the Huskies, which also served as their first loss in nine games.

“Everything happened so fast, I remember getting the ball and dribbling the ball a few times,” Larrabee said. “(I) looked at the top left corner, looked back at
the ball and shot it.”

Larrabee felt that the Eagles knew the task at hand prior to the game.

“We knew as a team we needed a positive result from this game,” she said. “We played with everything we had and it showed in the final score.”

Larrabee believes that the outcome of this game serves as a lesson for her team.

“The feeling is indescribable. We knew Chino Hills was going to be a top contender in our league,” she said. “By being their first loss of the season it showed our team what we can accomplish when we play with our hearts on our sleeves. It is a game I am never going to forget.”

The victory ties the Eagles at one game apiece in the head-to-head series with the Huskies, after Etiwanda suffered a 3-1 loss to Chino Hills on Jan. 21 during a three game losing streak.

Chino Hills will finish the season on the road against Los Osos on Feb. 11 while Etiwanda will play Upland.

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Etiwanda Soccer wins Oak Hills Tournament, improves to 11-0 overall

The Etiwanda Eagles hold up the Oak Hills Tournament Championship after defeating Pasadena La Salle, 1-0, on Dec. 20.

The Etiwanda Eagles hold up the Oak Hills Tournament Championship after defeating Pasadena La Salle, 1-0, on Dec. 20.

Haley Ruegsegger scored the game-winning goal during the second half for the Etiwanda Eagles in the victory over Pasadena La Salle, 1-0, to win the Oak Hills Tournament on Dec. 20.

It was not the only win for the Eagles on the day as they advanced to the title game against La Salle, following a second shutout victory in the morning against the Oak Hills Bulldogs, 2-0, in the semifinals.

The Eagles’ Katie Connor and Aleenah Perez were responsible for the goals scored against the Bulldogs.

Following the victories in tournament play, the Eagles stand at 11-0 overall with two games remaining before the start of Baseline League play.

“(The record) gives the team the confidence that we need to keep pushing ourselves,” said freshman Kelsey Huddleston. “Even though we are 11-0, we can still work harder to keep this going.”

Despite the record, the Eagles believe they could still improve at this point in the season.

“I think this year we just really work as a team and we play well together,” Ruegsegger said. “But we could always work on our composure and one-on-one (situations) offensively.”

As a defensive unit, the Eagles have only given up four goals during the first 11 games of this season.

Etiwanda is currently ranked No. 5 in the state and will play at 1 p.m. Dec. 23 against Anaheim Esperanza on the road for its last game prior to the new year.

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