May 2008 Archives

San Jacinto 4, San Jacinto 3 (8 Innings)

My thoughts: A nice effort by Maranatha to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit and eventually take the lead. Some mistakes on the basebaths proved to be costly, as well as a couple of walks by Covey. As well has he battled, the old saying "walks can kill" came to fruition as two of his five walks resulted in runs. The never-say-die group of Minutemen should be fighting for another chance at a title next season, although they're moving up in divisions.

Maranatha High School goes after its second CIF baseball title as it faces off against No. 1-seeded San Jacinto in the Division VI championship game at UC Riverside's Sports Complex. Your's truly will be there with live updates, so check back right here to keep up with what's happening.

Starting lineups
Maranatha (18-10-1)
1. Erik Johnson, SS
2. Jordan Calloway, RF
3. Cory Popham, 3B
4. Dylan Covey, P
5. Danny Beckwith, 1B
6. Anthony Li, DH/Mark Jebbia, RF
7. Myles Neimeyer, C
8. Shafer Chulay, 2B
9. Joshua Forrester, LF

San Jacinto (21-8)
1. Sal Estanislao, CF
2. Travis Navarro, LF
3. Andrew Darwin, RF
4. Matt Tanner, C
5. Ren Marmolejo, DH/Steven Brown, 2B
6. T.J. Lucio, 3B
7. Matt Oden, P
8. Richard Rodriguez, 1B
9. Miguel Navarro, C

Top of the First
Johnson K. Calloway HBP. Popham bloop single to CF, runners on first and second. Covey struck out looking. Beckwith caught looking.

Bottom of the First
Estanislao fly to RF. Travis Navarro K, 2-3., Darwin BB, steals second, then third. Tanner infield single to deep SS (1-0). Covey picks off Tanner to end inning.

Top of the Second
Li grounder to SS, Neimeyer K, Chulay grounder to SS.

Bottom of the Second
Marmolejo BB, Lucio Sac 2-3. Oden K. Rodriguez groundout 1-3.

Top of the Third
Forrester single RF. Johnson Sac 3U. Calloway aboard on E6, Forrester taking third. Forrester caught in 1-2 rundown, Calloway to third. Popham pops out to LF in shallow CF.

Bottom of the Third
Miguel Navarro fly to RF. Estanislao double to RC, goes to third on WP. Travis Navarro safe on E3, Estanislao scores (2-0). Darwin walks. Tanner grounds into 6-4 force at second. (runners at first-third). Marmolejo struck out.

Top of the Fourth
Covey single to LC. Beckwith aboard on E5 (runners at first and second). Li fly out to CF. On a double steal, throw by catcher sails into LF to score Covey and send Beckwith the third. (2-1). Neimeyer struck out and Chulay grounds out to short.

Bottom of the Fourth
Lucio bloop single to RF. Oden sacrifice 5-3. Rodriguez fly to left. Jebbia gets pinch runner Sam Katz on 7-4 double play.

Top of the Fifth
Reuben Felipe on in relief for Oden going after eighth save. Forrester ground out 2-3 on close play. Johnson strikes out. Calloway draws walk. Popham grounds out to second.

Bottom of the Fifth
Miguel Navarro fly to CF. Estanislao single to LF. Travis Navarro ground out to third on bang-bang play, Estanislao to third. He is picked off by Covey 1-5.

Top of the Sixth
Covey single to LF and is caught stealing 2-6. Beckwith aboard on two-base error on third baseman. Li towering double to LC to score Beckwith (2-2). Pinch runner Danny Sommers picked off at second. pinch-hitter Anthony Chavez walks. Chlay grounds into a 6-4 force.

Bottom of the Sixth
Darwin strikes out (fourth for Covey). Tanner walks (fourth for Covey). Marmolejo grounds out 3-1, Tanner to second. Lucio grounds out to second.

Top of the Seventh
Forrester caught looking. Johnson caught looking. Calloway grounds out to third.

Bottom of the Seventh
Felipe fly out to RF. Rodriguez fly out to CF. Pinch-hitter John Mahle caught looking (fith by Covey).

Top of the Eighth
Popham fly out to LF. Covey walks. Beckwith singles to right-center, runners at first and third. Covey scores on balk by Felipe, Beckwith to second (3-2 Maranatha). Neimeyer pops out to catcher.

Bottom of the Eighth
Estanislao ground out to 3B. Travis Navarro walk (fifth by Covey). Covey replaced by Popham. Infield single by Darwin, runners at first and second. Tanner fly out to LF. Marmolejo safe at first on E6, Navarro scores, first and second. Single to RF by Lucio scores Darwin and ends the game.

The Minutemen face off against No. 1-seeded San Jacinto in the CIF-SS Division VI baseball championship game Saturday at UC Riverside's Sports Complex.

A Note: We will have live blogging like we did from Bishop, so if you can't make it to the game, you can follow the action on the blog.

Question: Will the Minutemen bring home a title?

CIF-SS Division VI Baseball Championship
Maranatha (18-10-1) vs. San Jacinto (21-8)
UC Riverside Sports Complex
When: 3:30 p.m.
Price: Admission is $5 for children (13 and under) and students (with high school ID) and $9 for adult general admission for the entire day. Parking is $5.
Directions: 60 Freeway east to 3rd Street/Blaine Street exit, left (east) to Rustin Street, right to field.

Maranatha has luxury of boasting trio of quality pitchers

Above: Marantha High School pitchers Dylan Covey (left), Cory Popham, and Danny Beckwith provide a solid punch on the mound. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Walt Mancini/SXSports)

A long journey turns out to be a good one for Minutemen.

We are voting for a boys and girls Athlete of the Year.
This won't be an easy choice to say the least.

Question: Who would you vote for?

Here are the rosters for the third-annual Public vs. Private Senior All-Star softball game which will be held at Heasley Field, located in Sierra Vista Park, 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.in Sierra Madre

The game will be held on Tuesday, June 3. There will be a home run contest at 4:30 p.m. with the game beginning at 6 p.m.
Each team will conduct a practice on Monday, June 2. The Private team (4 p.m.-6 p.m.) and the Public team (6 p.m.-8 p.m.)

Minutemen march on
Late-inning rally gives Maranatha 11-6 win over Bishop Union.

The Minutemen advance to UC Riverside for Saturday's final at 3:30 p.m.

The third annual Public vs. Private All-Star game will take place on Tuesday, June 3. Due to Arcadia High School's field not being available due to construction, the game will be played at Heasley Field in Sierra Madre.

Sierra Vista Park is located at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd.in Sierra Madre

There will be a home run contest at 4:30 p.m. with the game beginning at 6 p.m.
The private team will be coached by Alverno's Frank Russo, while Temple City's Bob Ellingsworth will coach the public team.

Each team will conduct a practice on Monday. The Private team (4 p.m.-6 p.m.) and the Public team (6 p.m.-8 p.m.)

Here are the football pairings for 2008-2010

Question: If these pairings were in effect last season, would either Muir or Pasadena be sporting a championship trophy?

Minutemen travel long road to semis
Maranatha's marathon 3-2 victory over Lancaster Desert Christian earned the Minutemen to a trip to Bishop for Tuesday's CIF-SS Division VI semifinals.

Above: Maranatha sophomore pitcher Dylan Covey.

Tuesday's CIF-SS Division VI Semifinals
Maranatha at Bishop, 3:15 p.m.

My thoughts: Against the No. 2 seed, Maranatha proved it had the pitching to stay in games. Actually, stay in almost two games. If the pitching holds up and they can get some hits in this far away land called Bishop, the Minutemen will be playing for the title on Saturday at UC Riverside.
Question: Can Maranatha overcome the long drive and make it to the finals?

Question: After reading this, do you feel more enlighted or do you have more questions? And do you think the new system will work?

Popham lifts Maranatha

Minutemen earn a 3-2 victory over No. 2 seed and will travel to Bishop for Tuesday's semifinals.

Above: Maranatha gathers between innings during its game against Lancaster Desert Christian in the CIF-SS quarterfinals Saturday at Brookside Park Jackie Robinson Field. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/SPORTS)

Tuesday's Game
CIF-SS Division VI Semifinals
Maranatha at Bishop, 3:15 p.m.

Bishop Amat too tough in CIF Division V quarterfinals

San Marino's season comes to an end as Bishop Amat scores 13 runs in the first two innings, including 11 in the second, en route to a 15-1 victory over the Titans.

Above: San Marino had a tough day in a 15-1 loss to Bishop Amat. (Correspondent photo by Larry Goren)

My thoughts: Bishop Amat is, by far, the best team I've seen in person this season. They're like a machine with literally no apparent weaknesses.
I did get a kick out of watching Lancers head coach Andy Nieto at the edge of the dugout and as third-base coach.
He could be called the Billy Martin of high school coaching and he knows how to work the umpires, the crowd and the opposing team. He's always chirping at the umps and even got a couple of calls reversed.
If Amat doesn't win the championship, I'd have to call it a disappointing season. Having said that, I don't see anyone beating the Lancers.

Maranatha's game against Lancaster Desert Christian has been rescheduled for Saturday at Brookside Park. The game is officially scheduled for 4 p.m. The worst-case scenario would be if there's bad weather Saturday. Then the game would be played on Monday, yes Monday. What's bad about that is apparently the pitch counts would be applied to next week and not this week.
Stay tuned.

San Marino's game with Bishop Amat is still on after the coaches from both teams surveyed the field. I've been told, even though there's another front coming in, unless there's a major downpour, Game On.
I'd imagine Bishop Amat wants the game played today or tomorrow so Titans pitcher Nick Wilson only has three innings available to pitch.

San Marino's Nick Wilson is one of the reasons the titans are still alive in the CIF-SS Division V playoffs.

Above: San Marino High School's Nick Wilson. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham.

Alverno's season came to an end in a 2-0 loss to Paraclete in Lancaster.

Above: Alverno's Amanda Mowrey is picked off of second base against Paraclete High School during the Jaguars' 2-0 loss at Lancaster City Park in Lancaster.(Correspondent photo by Larry Goren/Sports)

San Marino ready for latest playoff challenge

Since Bishop Amat is kind of like a minor league team in terms of its talent level, here's what the Lancers have to look forward to at McNamee Field, which is as nice as some lower division minor league stadiums.

San Marino High School defeated Campbell Hall 5-1 Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinal round of the CIF-SS Division V playoffs. The Titans will face off against defending champion and No. 1-ranked Bishop Amat Friday at 3:15 p.m. at McNamee Field.

Question: Does San Marino have any chance of winning this game? Does playing in the tough Rio Hondo League help its chances any?

DIVISION VI
Maranatha earned a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Riverside Notre Dame and will host Lancaster Desert Christian Friday at Brookside Park at 3:15 p.m.

Question: As the rounds get tougher, does Maranatha have what it takes to reach the top?

Friday's games
Division V
Bishop Amat at San Marino, 3:15 p.m.
Division VI
Lancaster Desert Christian vs. Maranatha at Brookside Park, 3:15 p.m.

The Jaguars are the area's final remaining team and will travel to Paraclete on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

Thursday's game
Alverno at Paraclete, 3:15 p.m.

Question: Can they pull this game out and eventually win a Division VI title?

San Marino defeats the Vikings 5-1 to advance to a quarterfinal showdown against Bishop Amat.

Above: San Marino players celebrate after Nick Wilson drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning during the Titans 5-1 win over Campbell Hall. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

My thoughts: San Marino pitcher Nick Wilson did enough to keep the Viking bats at bay and drove in the winning run with a single.
The crowd was outstanding and there was a new touch thrown in with sound effects to give the feel of a minor league atmosphere. The big-bad Lancers of Amat will get a taste of the atmosphere on Friday. It's a tough matchup for San Marino, but stranger things have happened.

Tuesday's Semifinals
Division II
Palm Desert 10, San Marino 8
Division V
La Salle 11, Cate 7

My thoughts: There was a lot of focus on San Marino's No. 1 singles player Daniel Weingarten, who didn't play because of an amateur tournament.
Question: Did he do the right thing by playing in a higher-caliber tournament?

For the second time in less than a week, North Torrance storms into Pasadena to collect a 5-0 shutout victory, this time at the expense of the Tigers.

With spring conditioning going on, it's time to start laying odds on who will be the teams to watch, and who might be a sleeper.

My opinion: I think San Gabriel and La Salle are definitely teams to keep an eye on. Both have solid quarterbacks returning. Both have receiver issues to deal with.
Muir has a good quarterback with speed galore at receiver. Could this team be more pass-happy than last year with Youngblood? Arcadia has Golper, but who's going to fill the void left by the departure of Walker and Amhaz? Monrovia has Marquise Williams returning and that's a major plus. Will Pasadena find a way to fill massive voids? Same with Blair and Alhambra. Will Flintridge Prep, Maranatha and Rio Hondo Prep be factors in the small-school circuit?

Baseball brackets

San Marino and Maranatha are the lone survivors after Tuesday's second round.

Tuesday's games
Division III
Paloma Valley 3, Alhambra 1
Division V
Paraclete 3, Monrovia 2
Carpinteria 2, Temple City 1 (8 innings)
San Marino 5, Campbell Hall 1
Division VI
Maranatha 6, Riverside Notre Dame 5
Bishop Union 5, Rio Hondo Prep 0
Big Bear 11, Pasadena Poly 3

Above: Whittier Christian defeated Tample City 2-1 in a CIF-SS softball playoff game at Whittier Christian High School in La Habra. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Keith Durflinger/Sports)

Playoff Brackets

Tuesday's Second Round
Division V
Whittier Christian 2, Temple City 1
North Torrance 5, South Pasadena 0
Division VI
Alverno 10, Rosamond 2
Calvary Murrieta at San Gabriel Mission, 3:15 p.m.

Maranatha coach headed to Colorado citing family reasons.

The Mustangs will appear in one of the top summer passing tournaments when they participate in the seventh annual Saugus Under the Lights passing tournament June 20 and 21 at Central Park in Saugus.
Muir is in Pool A with Saugus, Eastside and Taft. The Mustangs will face Saugus at 7 p.m., Taft at 8 p.m. and Eastside at 9 p.m.
Among the 24-team field, Hart, Valencia, Canyon, Long Beach Poly, Westlake, Oaks Christian and Alemany.
Saturday's action will go from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
My suggestion: If the snack bar is the same as in the past, get the tri-tip.

Muir will also be in the Claremont and San Bernardino tournaments.

Question: What are some of the top tournaments the area teams will be playing in?

Defending CIF-SS Division II champion and No. 1 seed San Marino and La Salle will be in action during Tuesday's semifinal round.

Question: Can both teams advance to next Wednesday's finals at Claremont Club?

Tuesday's Semifinals
Division II
Palm Desert at San Marino, 3 p.m.
Division V
Cate at La Salle, 3 p.m.

Alhambra's Phillip Benavides and Arcadia's Johanna Boulat and Chloe Yuan all advance to Masters.

Mustang junior Lindsay Cooper leads area athletes into Masters

Above: Muir's Lindsay Cooper won the 100 meter race during the CIF Track and Field Finals at Mt. SAC in Walnut. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SVSports)

Baseball brackets

Many area teams will be far out of the 626 area code Tuesday with Alhambra, Monrovia, Temple City, Maranatha and Pasadena Poly all making long road trips for the second round of the CIF playoffs.
Question: Who will make it to the next round?

Tuesday's games
Division III
Alhambra at Paloma Valley, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
Monrovia at Paraclete, 3:15 p.m.
Temple City at Carpinteria, 3:15 p.m.
Campbell Hall at San Marino, 3:15 p.m.
Division VI
Maranatha at Riverside Notre Dame, 3:15 p.m.
Bishop Union at Rio Hondo Prep, 3:15 p.m.
Pasadena Poly at Big Bear, 3:15 p.m.

Playoff Brackets

Tuesday's Second Round
Division V
Temple City at Whittier Christian, 3:15 p.m.
North Torrance at South Pasadena, 3:15 p.m.
Division VI
Rosamond vs. Alverno at site TBA, 3:!5 p.m.
Calvary Murrieta at San Gabriel Mission, 3:15 p.m.

Flintridge Prep's season came to an end with a three-game loss to Salesian, 25-17, 25-18, 25-14 in the CIF-SS Division V quarterfinals.

Senior pitches Panthers to blowout win.

Above: Pasadena Poly pitcher A.J. Talt deals against Boron in the first round of the CIF-SS Division VI playoffs. (Staff photo by Keith Birmingham)

Friday's First Round
Division II
Temecula Valley 5, Arcadia 0
Division VI
Pasadena Poly 12, Boron 1
Rio Hondo Prep 14, Baptist Christian 3
Thursday's scores
Division III
Alhambra 3, Beckman 1
Division V
Monrovia 9, Sierra Vista 5
San Marino 5, Gabrielino 1
Temple City 4, Calvary Murrieta 2
Division VI
Maranatha 3, Rosamond 1

Playoff Brackets

Friday's First Round
Division III
Los Altos 11, Arcadia 1
Division V
Temple City 5, Fillmore 0
Schurr 15, Flintridge Prep 4
North Torrance 5, Pasadena Poly 0
South Pasadena 5, Big Bear 2
Whittier Christian 6, Keppel 1
Division VI
Alverno 2, St. Monica 0
San Gabriel Mission 16, Lancaster Desert Christian 8

Maranatha sophomore Dylan Covey struck out 18 to lead Maranatha to a 3-1 victory over Rosamond Thursday night.

San Marino defeated Gabrielino 5-1 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division V playoffs behind the solid pitching of Nick Wilson.

Above: San Marino's Nick Wilson celebrates the last out of the game as San Marino beat Gabrielino 5-1 in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division V playoffs at Gabrielino High School. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

COVEY UNLEASHES THE HEAT
Maranatha edged visiting Rosamond behind an outstanding performance by sophomore Dylan Covey, who fanned 18, including 11 in the final four innings.

Thursday's scores
Division III
Alhambra 3, Beckman 1
Division V
Monrovia 9, Sierra Vista 5
San Marino 5, Gabrielino 1
Temple City 4, Calvary Murrieta 2
Division VI
Maranatha 3, Rosamond 1

Temple City junior leads team with aggressive style.

Above: Temple City High School shortstop Veronica Grant. (SGVN/Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda/SXSports)

Apaches pound out 13 hits to earn road wildcard victory. Los Altos Next.

Above: Keppel High School's Tiffany Rubin is greeted by her teammates after scoring against Duarte. (Correspondent photo by Larry Goren/Sports)

Playoff Brackets and results

Thursday's first round
Divsision V
San Jacinto 6, Mayfield 0
Division VI
Oxford Academy 10, Gabrielino 6
Wednesday's wild card
Division III
Arcadia 10, Hawthorne 6
Division V
Serrano 15, Rio Hondo Prep 2
Keppel 5, Duarte 4
Mayfield 7, Malibu 2
Ridgecrest Burroughs 3, La Cañada 2
Division VI
St. Monica 3, Ramona Convent 1

Bishop Diego eliminates South Pasadena in five games.

Flintridge Prep is the last team standing in boys volleyball as five of the six area teams got eliminated Tuesday.

Senior shines as Gabrielino's pitching ace

Above: Gabrielino pitcher Angel Cabral (SGVN/Staff Photo by Walt Mancini/SXSports)

Baseball brackets

Playoff Brackets

The time has finally arrived. Area school football teams are conducting spring conditioning. Things will really heat up early in June when passing leagues and passing tournaments begin. That's when you really get a sense of how teams are shaping up. Like last year, we'll be there with extensive reports and we plan on adding video pieces as well.

Here is a very rough draft Top 10. It's still quite early to know who will be contenders and who will be pretenders, so this poll is far from scientific and could change quite a bit as we get closer to the season.

La Canada puts together near-perfect day to get past Loyola and win its third straight Division II title.

Above: La Canada wins the CIF title during the CIF Southern Section-Toyota Swimming and Diving Championships at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

CIF Swimming Results

Tuesday's matches (7 p.m. unless noted)
Division II
West Valley at Arcadia

Division IV
Bishop Montgomery at San Marino
South Pasadena vs. Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College
Oaks Christian at Temple City

Division V
Windward at Flintridge Prep
Laguna Blanca at Pasadena Poly

Bases-loaded pass spoils Arcadia's league title hopes

Above: Arcadia pitcher A.J. Smouse #25 walks off the field after giving up a bases loaded walk as CV beat Arcadia 2-1 in eight innings for the Pacific League Title at Stengel Field in Glendale. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

Quarterfinals
Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Division II
San Marino vs. Claremont
Pasadena Poly at Diamond Bar

Division V
La Salle vs. La Serna

Arcadia receives a hand
Cvjetkovic's arm is enough as Arcadia sweeps West Ranch in three games on the road to advance to second round.

Division II
Arcadia 3, West Ranch 0

Division III
Loara 3, Keppel 0
Los Altos 3, San Gabriel 0

Division IV
North Torrance 3, La Salle 0
San Marino 3, Bolsa Grande 0
South Pasadena 3, Loma Linda Academy 0
Temple City 3, Crossroads 0

Division V
Flintridge Prep 3, Joel John Academy 0
St. Margaret's 3, Southwestern Academy 0
Thursday's Match
Pasadena Poly 3, San Gabriel Academy 1

Gabrielino turns hit into title
Down 1-0, Eagles rally with one in the seventh and one in the eighth to defeat Arroyo 2-1 to grab Mission Valley League title.

Friday's Games
Mission Valley League
Gabrielino 2, Arroyo 1 (8 innings)

Pacific League
Crescenta Valley 2, Arcadia 1 (8 innings)

Almont League
Alhambra 15, Bell Gardens 0
Montebello 12, San Gabriel 2

Aztecs sweep for the second year in a row to win the Division IV championship.
Ryan Chiu breaks the Division IV record in the boys 500-yard freestyle for the second year in a row to outlast Charter Oak's Ethan Bradley.

Above: Keppel's Ryan Chiu looks at the score board as he would win in the 500 freestyle as a dejected Charter Oak's Ethan Bradley finished second in the 500 yard freestyle during the CIF Southern Section-Toyota Swimming and Diving Championships at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

Above: Keppel celebrates as they won both girls and boys CIF titles during the CIF Southern Section-Toyota Swimming and Diving Championships at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

Results and pairings

Former Verbum Dei assistant hired to replace Tip Sanders. Vikings also hire new volleyball coach.

Eagles must wait until Friday's game against Arroyo to attempt to win Mission Valley League championship.

Mustangs sprinter ruled academically ineligible.

Questions: What does this do to Muir's chances at CIF and, more importantly, how does this affect the school's athletic programs in general?

Arcadia High School senior has become vocal leader.

Above: Arcadia High School setter James Alexander. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Walt Mancini/SXCity)

The Wildcats grab 5-0 lead and hang on for 5-4 victory over San Marino.

Above: Monrovia's Curtis Cowell #3 base hit in the fourth inning against San Marino at Monrovia High School. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

John Geyer earned another CIF diving title, while Cosima Lenz overtakes her sister to win championship.

STAR-NEWS RANKINGS

1. Monrovia (16-7)
No. 2 in Division V
2. Alhambra (20-4)
Dropped three of last five
3. Temple City (16-7)
Winners of four of five
4. Gabrielino (17-6)
Can clinch league title today
5. Pasadena Poly (18-3)
Win streak up to 16
6. San Marino (14-5-1)
Trying to hold off La Cañada
7. St. Francis (12-13)
Banged up and slumping
8. La Salle (13-11)
Eight losses in Del Rey
9. La Cañada (12-8)
Fighting for CIF berth
10. Maranatha (13-9-1)
Minutemen have won six straight

STAR-NEWS RANKINGS

1. Alverno (20-3)
Nothing left but the playoffs
2. Temple City (17-6-1)
Had pair of setbacks last week
3. La Cañada (12-10)
Lost three nonleague games
4. South Pasadena (13-11)
Won six of past seven games
5. Flintridge Sacred Heart (11-9)
Needs help to finish in third
6. Keppel (14-5)
Lost hold on Almont League title
7. Alhambra 13-7
Big boost in beating Keppel
8. Flintridge Prep (12-5)
Showdown vs. Poly this week
9. Arcadia (10-10)
Three consecutive defeats
10. Gabrielino (11-6)
Needs pair of wins to finish 2nd

STAR-NEWS RANKINGS

1. Arcadia
Limping into CIF playoffs
2. South Pasadena
Peaking at the right time
3. Flintridge Prep
Tough draw in Division V
4. La Salle
Earned a first-round home match
5. San Marino
Finished second in Rio Hondo League

It's almost time for spring workouts.

Blair is close to hiring a replacement for Tip Sanders. Monrovia and La Salle have new head coaches.

Will change bring change in the rankings and which teams are the cream of the crop next season?

Who will make up the top 10?

La Canada High School's boys swim team attempts to win its third straight Division II title Saturday at Belmont Pool in Long Beach.
Keppel High will try to repeat as Division IV boys and girls champions Thursday.

2008 CIF-SS boys and girls swimming championships pairings and results

It's time to start thinking about All-Area. Here is last year's team.

Above: Alhambra's Noe Ramirez.

Question: Who are your picks for this year? Is Noe Ramirez a lock for Player of the Year?

Here is a look at last year's All-Area team. Who should make the squad this year?

Question: Is Alverno's Michelle Escamilla a lock to be Player of the Year? Who else should be in contention.

I saw something quite interesting on Freddy's blog. Since I'm not a big shot like he is and don't have HBO, I figured I'd post it over here.

Question: Should there be restrictions on comments or should this just be a free for all where people can say anything about anyone like on the college and professional blogs? How much ripping and attacking is too much.

Alhambra has had the distinction for a while. Should the Moors stay there this week after losing two-of their last three?
If not, who should take their place? Monrovia has lost two of four.
Your thoughts.

Who should the Coach of the Year in baseball be? And why?

Alhambra fails to clinch Almont League title.

Above: Alhambra's Noe Ramirez tags out Montebello's Chris Franco at the plate on a wild pitch during Friday's baseball game. Montebello scored three times in the 10th inning for a 4-1 victory. (Keith Birmingham / Staff photographer)

My comments: From a 17-game winning streak to struggling, Alhambra needs to gain some momentum in the final week of the regular season. Consisten offense has been a problem for the Moors all season.
Question: Will the Moors be able to make it out of the the first or second round of the playoffs this season? How far can they go?

Stephen, Pasadena shut out Glendale

I've been able to post topics without a hitch so far. I did a couple of test comments and, besides the fact that there could be a delay, they seemed to work as well.
If any of you have trouble posting a comment, please let me know (E-mail is probably the best way).

While we're playing catchup, what topics would you like me to consider?

While you mule on that, Happy blogging.

While the Blogs were down, there was a comment that made it in putting two cents in about who the Coach of the Year should be.

What should the criteria be?

Michelle Escamilla outduels Spartans starter Lauren O'Leary to earn nonleague victory.

More to follow.

Your thoughts?

Rams rebound from loss to South Pasadena with win over Titans.

Above: Temple City pitcher Brian Dearth.

Monrovia rallies for 5-4 baseball win over South Pasadena

Above: Pasadena High School's high jumper Alexis Walker. (SGVN/Staff Photo Keith Birmingham/SXSports)

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