January 2009 Archives

A lot of flip-flopping took place in several area leagues Friday in local girls' soccer, highlighted by Newbury Park handing Westlake its first Marmonte League loss, Simi Valley playing Thousand Oaks to a draw and Canyon moving into a three-way tie for first place in the Foothill League after Saugus and Valencia played to a scoreless draw. Oaks Christian of Westlake Village outlasted Nordhoff of Ojai in overtime in the Tri-Valley League, as did Oak Park against St. Bonaventure. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 30:

Match of the night: Newbury Park 3, Westlake 2: There wasn't much room for error for Newbury Park following a 3-1 Marmonte League loss Wednesday to Agoura and with the memories of a 5-1 setback Jan. 7 still lingering. But the host Panthers played their most inspired match of the season and received the most improbable goal of the year two minutes into stoppage time by Monique Pendleberry to snap the Warriors' nine-match unbeaten streak and hand Westlake (9-3-2, 6-1-2) just its second Marmonte loss in its past 16 league matches since last season. "We spent a lot of time before the game in my classroom and we talked about how they're not respecting me or each other and we worked a lot of things out," Newbury Park coach Kelly Zieger said. "We came out super fired up. Every girl played their game of their lives." Newbury Park (9-6-2, 4-5-1) was opportunistic throughout the match, as Taylor Lam scored on a rebound shot in the first half after Westlake goalkeeper Allie Altman deflected the initial attempt. After Westlake tied the score before halftime, Newbury Park regained the lead in the 72nd minute, with Lyndsey Preston -- who played her freshman season at Westlake -- taking advantage of Altman's inability to secure a 40-yard shot from Pendleberry to drive home the loose ball. Westlake, who received a goal from Nicole Gilbert and a goal and an assist from Andrea Todak, tied the score again in the 75th minute and appeared on its way to salvaging a tie, before Pendleberry managed to score the winning goal in the extra two minutes added after Westlake's Bridget Berman was shaken up earlier in the second half. All was not lost for Westlake, which received help with Simi Valley's 1-1 tie with Thousand Oaks, placing the Warriors in a tie with the Lancers (8-6-3, 6-1-2) with five regular-season matches to play, including a Feb. 7 "Super Soccer Saturday" showdown with Thousand Oaks at Westlake High.

Goal of the night: Although there have been a number of exceptional goals scored this season, the effort produced by Monique Pendleberry might have emerged as the leading candidate for "Goal of the Year." The Daily News is trying to obtain video of Pendleberry's goal, as she kicked the winning shot past Westlake goalkeeper Allie Altman while ON THE GROUND. In what Newbury Park coach Kelly Zieger described as a modified bicycle kick, after losing her balance, Pendleberry somehow got a foot on a loose ball following a mad scramble in the penalty area to finally put away the Warriors, who tied the score in the 75th minute. Pendleberry, who also assisted on Lyndsey Preston's goal in the 72nd minute, kept Newbury Park alive for a Southern Section Div. II playoff berth.

Unsung hero of the day: San Fernando suffered a 5-0 loss in its first meeting against defending Valley Mission League champion Sylmar. But thanks to Stefany Soto, the Tigers (2-3-1 in league) managed to play the Spartans to a 1-1 tie in the rematch. Cindy Garcia assisted on the goal for San Fernando and helped the Tigers slow down a Sylmar offense that scored 31 goals in the first round of league play.

Top performance by a freshman: La Reina of Thousand Oaks has received valuable senior leadership from captain Megan Scanlon and Kelsea Brajkovich, but the Regents' 4-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Carpinteria was just another example of bright the future is for coach Creighton Van Horn. Freshman midfielder Rebecca Koval scored twice, giving her seven goals on the season, and fellow ninth-grader Rachel Brajkovich added her team-leading 12th assist as La Reina (12-6-2, 4-3-1) continued to rebound following Monday's 3-1 loss to Nordhoff of Ojai. Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Parisi, who recorded 11 shutouts as a freshman, helped the Regents to their 11th shutout.

Top goalkeeping performance: Thousand Oaks Geoff Raives might be the toughest critic when it comes to applauding goalkeepers because it's the position he values the most, having played at Newbury Park High. But Raives was adamant about acknowledging the efforts of Simi Valley's Claire Reiss, who recorded 16 saves in the Pioneers' 1-1 Marmonte League tie with Thousand Oaks. "She was phenomenal," Raives said. "She impressed me and for that position, I don't impress easily. She had some incredible saves." Also deserving of recognition is Valencia sophomore Kaci McCain, who was filling in for starter Christianne Cordero and recorded 12 saves in the Vikings' 0-0 draw with Saugus.

Top defensive performance: Led by Jennifer Randall, Kat Prati, Ariana Martinez and Stacey Fujikuni, Moorpark (7-6-2, 3-5-2) didn't allow Calabasas (2-13-1, 0-10) a single shot on goal in its 1-0 Marmonte League victory. Canyon, led by Oregon State-bound sweeper Milan Cabrera, her sister Malaya Cabrera, Kathryn Hanson, Shannon Seidenglanz and strong support from the midfield, recorded its fourth shutout in six Foothill League matches with a 4-0 victory over West Ranch. Canyon coach Eric White is quick to point out the first-place Cowboys (13-5-2, 4-1-1) have surrendered a league-low two goals, including none in the second half. If Canyon can continue that trend in its final four regular-season matches, the Cowboys -- who received three goals from Jessica Luevano and one from Kaylee Kirk -- could validate the claim that "defense wins championships."

Corner kicks: Oaks Christian of Westlake Village survived a scare against Nordhoff of Ojai, but prevailed with a 2-1 overtime Tri-Valley League victory to win its 12th consecutive match. Jaci Mello scored a minute into overtime for the Lions (16-1, 8-0), who received a goal from Kaycee Buckley. ......... Oak Park continued its second-half, relying on an overtime goal from Kathryn Klamecki to record a 1-0 Tri-Valley League victory over St. Bonaventure of Ventura. Amanda Cox recorded the assist for the Eagles (8-6-3, 6-1-1). ......... Royal of Simi Valley received goals from Marie MacKenzie and Amy Cole and assists from Kelly Habroun and Kiku Koyano to atone for a Jan. 7 loss to Agoura with a 2-1 victory, moving ahead of the Chargers (12-4-1, 6-4) for third place in the Marmonte League. Jen Stone recorded eight saves for Royal (11-6-3, 6-3-1) and Taylor C'debaca scored off an assist from Michelle Manning for Agoura. .......... Chaminade of West Hills rebounded from Wednesday's heartbreaking loss to Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge with a 2-0 Mission League victory over Alemany of Mission Hills (8-5-5, 0-5-2). Alyssa Engstrom had a goal and an assist, Ryann Appell contributed a goal and Kacey McCormack recorded two saves for the team's 14th shutout for the Eagles (19-2-2, 4-2-2). ......... Jordan Royer scored twice, Dani Cardenas added a goal and Frances Boukidis contributed an assist for Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta (14-1-4, 10-0), which took advantage of Pasadena (5-8-2, 3-5-1) playing the majority of the match with 10 players -- and sometimes with nine -- in a 3-1 Pacific League victory. .......... Hart of Newhall led Golden Valley by only two goals at halftime, but the Indians (12-5-2, 3-2-1) remained one match out of first place in the Foothill League with an 8-0 victory over the Grizzlies. ......... Ally Gatti scored twice and Madeline Fuhrman and Nancy Landaverde added goals for Buckley of Sherman Oaks in a 5-0 nonleague victory over Bell-Jeff of Burbank. ......... Joandra Ramirez had two goals, Tiare Fuentes scored twice and Soraya Ziarati added a goal for Kennedy of Granada Hills (6-7-1, 4-1-1) in a 5-0 Valley Mission League victory over Panorama. .......... Violet Perez scored off an assist from Jessica Vega for Poly of Sun Valley, but it wasn't enough in a 5-1 East Valley League loss to Grant of Van Nuys. Kim Avelos had 10 saves for the Parrots (2-6, 2-5).

We ran out of space in the actual paper, but here is a late score

Whittier Christian 49, LA Baptist 34: Ryan Dennis scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for LA Baptist as they fell to Whittier Christian 49-34.
Nick Palmer and Nick Sarian added six points apiece for the Knights (4-18, 0-6)

For the fifth time in the last six games, the Regents scored over 90 points in a game with tonight's result a 105-73 win over Monroe of North Hills.

Reseda had five players score in double figures including Ryan Watkins with 36, Rasheem Harris with 14, Randall Harris had 11 and 11 assists and Andre Fowler added 10.

In their last six games, Reseda -- who is now on top of the Valley Mission League at 6-0 -- scored 105 tonight, beat Sylmar 90-85, Panorama 96-54, Kennedy 83-65, San Fernando 100-80 and Monroe 95-55 two weeks ago.

The Quartz Hill Rebels: Golden League Champions

Here are the late boxes from the three matches last night.

San Fernando 64 Monroe 15 103 Gorman by fall 112 Flores by fall 119 Perez by fall 125 Garcia by fall 130 Gallegos by tfall 135 Monroe by dec 140 Monroe by fall 145 monroe by fall 152 Uribe fy ff 160 Galeana by ff 171 gutierrez by fall 189 Medina by fall 215 Muhammad by fall 285 Avila by fall

Granada Hills gets a 58-24 victory over Cleveland
103 Bard by Fall
112 Rivera (JV) loses by Fall
119 Figueroa by Fall
125 Dahl by Fall
130 Mena by Forfeit
135 Joe Liu (GH) By Fall
140 Bacon by Fall
145 Solares by Tech Fall 24-9
152 Sotomayor (GH) by Fall
160 Forfeit due to match Count
171 Dulaney (GH) by Tech Fall 18-3
189 Wong by Fall
215 Forfeit
Hvy Contreras loses by fall

From TheCaliforniaWrestler.com

MARMONTE LEAGUE
Thousand Oaks 51, Agoura 27
103: Fayad by forfeit;
112: Tran (TO) d. Yim by pin, 3:58;
119 Behdod Katedian (TO) d. Rifkin by pin, :58;
125: Crane (A) d. Hansen by pin, 2:43;
130: Comfort (TO) d. Bown by dec., 8-6;
135: Ben Wolhaupter (A) d. Wattel by pin, :46;
140: Skinner (A) d. Hatland by dec., 9-2;
145: Kanney (TO) d. Kairouz by pin, 2:22;
152: John Combs (A) d. Clifford by pin, 5:36;
160: Lawson (TO) d. Coons by pin, 1:22;
171: Herrera (TO) d. Josepf by pin, 3:37;
189: Jon Jansen (TO) d. Rieder by pin, 2:35;
215: Hanley (TO) d. Rogers by pin, 2:37;
HVWT:Gideon (TO) by forfeit.
Records: TO 5-1 in league; A 10-6, 3-3.

It was a thrilling Thursday in local girls' soccer, especially in the West Valley League, where anything can, and usually does, happen. Chatsworth, El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, Granada Hills and Taft of Woodland Hills are locked in a first-place tie with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Things almost got tighter in the Golden League, before Quartz Hill escaped with a victory against Lancaster. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 29:

Match of the day: Chatsworth 1, El Camino Real 1: Gone are the days of El Camino Real's wire-to-wire runs as West Valley League champion. The past two years, there has been parity in the City Section's most competitive league and plenty of it. With ECR (6-7-2, 3-1-2) and Chatsworth (7-6-3, 3-1-2) playing to their second 1-1 draw of the season, they allowed Taft (16-1-5, 3-1-2) and Granada Hills (12-8-2, 3-1-2) to create a four-way tie for first place with four regular-season matches remaining. Things started well for Chatsworth, who needed only 90 seconds and one shot on frame to score its goal. ECR, which started sophomore goalkeeper Emily Ortiz since Cody Kornack was serving a mandatory one-match suspension after being issued a red card Tuesday against Taft, gave Chatsworth a corner kick opportunity and the Chancellors took full advantage. Corinne Haynes battled a swirling wind to drive the ball to the far post, where an unchallenged Brianna Edwards elevated to head a shot into the upper-left corner of the net. With the wind at its back, Chatsworth continued to challenge throughout the first half, with Olivia Patterson and Kishi Smith just missing on quality chances in the attacking third. With the wind at its back in the second half, ECR mounted increasing pressure, with freshman Alex Garces challenging goalkeeper Dana Moreno on a play that set an ominous tone for the rest of the match. The next time Garces was loose in the penalty area, she collided with Moreno, resulting in a yellow card for the Nevada-bound goalkeeper and an injured left knee for the ECR freshman. Lauren Weaver was forced to replace Moreno in net and Cal State Fullerton commit Sasha Scott scored on a penalty kick in the 54th minute to force the deadlock. Moreno returned to the field in an attempt to jumpstart Chatsworth's offense, as Weaver turned away three Conquistadores shots, including two in the final six minutes. Don't be surprised if the teams cross paths again in the City playoffs, where ECR seeks a state record ninth consecutive title and Chatsworth a City record 11th overall championship.

Goal of the night: Highland of Palmdale was putting the finishing touches on a 10-0 Golden League victory at Littlerock when Bulldogs coach Juan Paolo was getting minute-by-minute updates of the Quartz Hill vs. Lancaster match from across town. And up until the last minute, the updates were to his liking, as neither team had scored. But Paolo's mood quickly changed, as Quartz Hill senior Stephanie Galarze scored her team-leading 23rd goal, including her second game winner in less than a week, as the Rebels prevailed 1-0 to remain in sole possession of first place. Galarze, who scored the winning goal Jan. 23 in a 2-1 victory over Highland, took advantage of a loose ball in the penalty area in the waning moments to score her 20th goal in league play for Quartz Hill (11-2, 9-0), which recorded its ninth shutout of the season with reigning league MVP Charity Blanton in net.

Unsung hero of the night: Although this individual received recognition in the same category not too long ago, her performance was heroic for a different reason this time around. Birmingham of Lake Balboa junior Jennifer Venegas played the entire match in a 3-1 West Valley League loss at Taft of Woodland Hills with an injured left quadriceps muscle, the extent of which was unknown following the contest. Venegas, who began in the central midfield, was moved back to sweeper because of her limited mobility, especially after Taft (16-1-5, 3-1-2) built a 3-0 halftime lead on two goals by Karina Flores and one from Ani Eishoei. But Venegas managed to run down attackers and take free kicks throughout the second half, despite noticeably limping. After the match, she collapsed to the ground and was worked on extensively by teammates, coaches and trainers in an attempt to minimize the pain, before she was carried to the team bus.

Top performance by a freshman: Highland's Larissa Brown continued to move up the ranks of the highest-scoring ninth-graders in the area with a two-goal, two-assist effort in the Bulldogs' 10-0 Golden League victory at Littlerock. Brown, who had a goal and an assist Jan. 9 in Highland's 9-0 win over the Lobos, has seven goals and seven assists, ranking her third on the team with 21 points, trailing seniors Samantha Johnson (22 goals, 7 assists, 51 points) and Ana Perez (3 goals, 20 assists, 26 points).

Top goalkeeping performance: Chatsworth's Lauren Weaver was presented with the unfavorable task of taking over in goal for Dana Moreno without any time to warm up, and was forced to do so with El Camino Real's Sasha Scott standing in front of her ready to take a penalty shot. Although the Cal State Fullerton-bound Scott converted a penalty shot to tie the score 1-1, had it not been for Weaver's efforts, the final outcome would not have remained that way. Weaver came through with two crucial stops in the final six minutes, including one inside 10 yards on freshman Dylann O'Connor, to help Chatsworth remain in the hunt for the West Valley League title with the draw.

Top defensive performance: Desert Christian of Lancaster surrendered more goals in two days (13) than it did all of last season (8) when it lost all four matches in late December at the Los Tacos Holiday Festival in Glendale. But the Knights have since responded in impressive fashion, going unbeaten in their past eight matches, including an 11-0 High Desert League victory over Desert of Edwards Air Force Base. It was the eighth shutout for sophomore goalkeeper Aimee Pierson, including her sixth during the eight-match run, during which Desert Christian has allowed a total of three goals during the span.

Corner kicks: Melissa Fernandez scored twice and Cynthia Jacobo came up with a number of important stops during her half in net for Granada Hills, which recorded a 2-1 West Valley League victory over Cleveland of Reseda (5-11-3, 0-5-1). Liz Landon helped control the offensive flow for the Highlanders (12-8-2, 3-1-2), who built a 2-0 lead before Amber Schwindler scored for the Cavaliers. .......... Vasquez of Acton (16-0) extended the area's longest winning streak with a 5-0 victory over Cantwell Sacred Heart of Montebello. Paraclete of Lancaster transfer Emma Wright increased her area lead to 30 goals, scoring twice for the Mustangs, who received goals from Terra Chapman, Makaila Estrella and Sydney Tobin. Alissa Dawson, Samantha Houle and Estrella added assists for Vasquez, which has outscored opponents 94-4. ......... Stacy Guijarro scored twice for Eastside of Lancaster in a 5-0 Golden League victory over Antelope Valley. Guijarro has 18 goals for the Lions (7-8-2, 4-5). ......... Claire Kiefer and Claire Haft each scored twice, as Malibu (10-5-2, 5-0) extended its unbeaten streak to six in a row with a 7-0 Frontier League victory over Villanova Prep of Ojai. Caysie Beetley, Emily Mulvey and Coral Silverberg added goals and Maddie Clarfield recorded the shutout for the Sharks. ........ Meghan Reno and Samantha Romero provided the goals and Jennifer Gomez recorded six saves as Grace Brethren of Simi Valley (10-6, 4-2) recorded a 2-0 Frontier League victory over Santa Clara of Oxnard.

Some results are in:

In Mission League wrestling, Alemany beat Crespi 43-33 in a rough dual meet that had several injuries, a controversial finish and a diss of Alemany's Gary Espinosa by his former team Crespi.

Crespi's lighter weights did well - with Alex Bader pinning Tony Verelo and Angelo Gasparro. Garrett Morris and Scott Haskell winning, but then the heavier guys for Alemany - including Akeem Gonzales (215), Anthony Espinosa (189) and Mike Mendoza (171) all won to lead the Warriors to their second Mission League in a row.

Gary Espinosa would have been the marquee match - since this was his final home match in his senior year - but Crespi sent out no one to meet him and he won by forfeit.

Here are some photos from Alemany/Crespi

Here is Akeem Gonzales pinning Andrew Agajanian of Crespi (on the bottom)

Anthony Espinosa of Alemany (in white) jumping all over Ryan Callahan.

Espinosa and Callahan again, with Anthony picking up Callahan and dumping him. Espinosa won that match 20-5.

Here are (from left to right) Gary Espinosa, Akeem Gonzales and Anthony Espinosa of Alemany

In other scores, Thousand Oaks beat Agoura 51-27 in Marmonte League play. San Fernando also wrestled Monroe but I don't have a score as of yet.

Quartz Hill 58, Knight 16
Golden League

103 Jared Ricker (QH) forfeit
112 Ceniceros (K) maj. Jon Melendez, 10-2
119 Hale (K) d. Zach Martinez, 5-2
125 Elwood (K) p. Heying, 1:56
130 Matthew Salo (QH) forfeit
135 Ul-Hassan (K) d. Christopherson, 10-4
140 Jacob Ricker (QH) p. Rubio, 1:17
145 Greg Alesso (QH) maj. Edwards, 11-3
152 Josh Randenberg (QH) p. Remp, 3:30
160 Kai Pirelli (QH) p. Jones, 1:02
171 Josh Haussner (QH) p. Russell, 3:31
189 Ben Harvey (QH) forfeit
215 D'Errico (QH) p. Singh, 3:38
285 Anthony Chu (QH) p Torres, 1:20

A late wrestling result from last night that didn't make the paper was that Quartz Hill beat Knight in a dual meet and clinched the Golden League title outright.

I'll put up the results of the matches as soon as I get them from Trevor Leach, the Quartz Hill coach.

It was another wild Wednesday in local girls' soccer, with several league races becoming tighter and others looking like they could be coming closer to crowning a champion. Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge saved its best for a last to defeat Chaminade of West Hills, with Harvard-Westlake of Studio City keeping pace in an attempt to defend its Mission League title. Agoura and Royal of Simi Valley kept the pressure on idle Westlake and Thousand Oaks in the Marmonte League and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village extended its winning streak to 11 in a row. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 28:

Match of the night: Flintridge Sacred Heart 1, Chaminade 0: It hasn't been the easiest week for Flintridge Sacred Heart, which suffered its first Mission League loss and first setback of the new year Monday at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, and was without co-coach Frank Pace for the second consecutive match, as he attended to a family matter in New York. But unlike Monday, there was good news to report to Pace when the final whistle blew, as the Tologs relied on a goal from Sinead Fleming in the 79th minute to get past rival Chaminade of West Hills. "I was praying for a tie, but they were fighting for the win," Flintridge Sacred Heart co-coach Kathy Desmond said. "It was good for them to lose. It reminded us that no one's going them anything just because they're in first place. They knew the kind of effort it was going to take to win." Fleming not only helped Flintridge Sacred Heart (14-4-2, 6-1), the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. II, sweep the season series against the No. 2 Eagles -- including a 1-0 victory Jan. 9 -- but allowed the Tologs to win at Chaminade (18-2-2, 3-2-2) for the second straight year after going winless in their previous 12 tries. Dominique Oro, who had her run of seven consecutive shutouts snapped against Harvard-Westlake, recorded four saves, including a pair of point-blank stops on Alyssa Engstrom. Kacey McCormack, who missed the teams' first meeting while out ill, made four saves, but couldn't get a hand on Fleming's shot that landed inside the left post. Chaminade, which had a rebound goal by Engstrom in the 45th minute disallowed after the official whistled her for offsides, had a flurry in the Tologs' penalty area in the final minute, but Mandi Williams' header ricocheted off the crossbar and her rebound shot was headed over the bar as time expired. "We were physically drained (following Monday's 2-0 victory over Louisville), so our goal was just to get through the first half," Chaminade coach Mike Evans said. "In the second half, I thought we were very powerful. Those are our moments. But to be shut out twice at home (in a five-day span) is tough because now we give Flintridge the title."

Goal of the night: All Fleming remembers is that she had never run faster in her life. Other than that, the details of the winning goal were a little fuzzy to the New Mexico-bound standout. "I just found out that Izzy (Johnson) assisted on the goal," Fleming said. "We connected, just boom, boom, boom, and then the final boom." That final boom was a 25-yard shot on the right wing that sailed past a diving Kacey McCormack and inside the left post for her second goal in as many matches after not scoring all season. Fleming is one of the area's top defenders, but her versatility and clutch play helped the Tologs move one step closer to the program's first Mission League title. "It's definitely different than before," Fleming said. "Before I've been stuck on defense, playing right back. But now I get to help out the team on offense and defense. It's the best of both worlds."

Unsung hero of the night: Win, lose or tie -- emphasis on ties -- the effort turned in by Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks' Morgan Ritter has been consistent throughout the season. Although Ritter leads the Knights with 13 goals, it was her assist on Olivia Feitshans' goal that proved significant in Notre Dame's 1-0 Mission League victory over Louisville of Woodland Hills, keeping the Knights' slim playoff hopes alive. Notre Dame (6-5-6, 1-1-4) is off for a week before playing the most important match of its season Feb. 4 against seven-time league champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (11-2-3, 4-1-2).

Top performance by a freshman: The battle continues to determine the area's best freshman class between Flintridge Sacred Heart and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and the Lions put another feather in their cap in a 2-0 Tri-Valley League victory at St. Bonaventure (14-6, 4-3), the first road victory over the Seraphs in program history. Rachel Burrow and Nicole Kawamoto scored 15 minutes apart late in the second half for Oaks Christian (15-1, 7-0), which won its 13th consecutive league match. Jaci Mello hit Burrow in stride on the left wing and the ninth-grader slipped a shot inside the far post for a 1-0 advantage. Despite being double- and triple-teamed throughout the match TCU-bound junior Kelly Johnson was able to get free in the 78th minute to hit Kawamoto on the right wing. The freshman prompty curled a 25-yard shot over the goalkeeper's head to put the match away for Oaks Christian, which plays Friday at Nordhoff of Ojai.

Top goalkeeping performance: After surrendering three second-half goals in Monday's 3-1 Tri-Valley League loss to Nordhoff of Ojai, La Reina of Thousand Oaks sophomore Ali Parisi regained her confidence with a 2-0 victory over Fillmore, recording the team's 10th shutout. Megan Scanlon and Rebecca Koval supported Parisi with first-half goals off assists from Rachel Brajkovich and Jillian DeGennaro for the Regents (11-6-2, 3-3-1), who moved back into fourth place, ahead of Nordhoff (10-8, 3-4).

Top defensive performance: Defense, especially with the leadership of Kaitlin Paletta and Jessica Dingman, was the main reason why Moorpark reached the Southern Section Div. II final last season. But the Musketeers have struggled in establishing a defensive identity this season with Paletta at Cal and Dingman at Cal Lutheran. However, coach Frank Paletta had his team looking like the Moorpark of old in a 1-0 Marmonte League victory over Simi Valley, atoning for a loss to the Pioneers (5-5-1, 3-5-1) earlier this season. Although Jennifer Randall scored the goal for Moorpark, it was the performance of center backs Ariana Martinez and Selina Garcia and the goalkeeping of Cynthia Zaragoza (four saves) that enabled the Musketeers to record the shutout.

Corner kicks: Haley Boysen had a hat trick and assisted on Alyssa Garcia's goal and Donilynn-Hunter Sallustio recorded two assists for Harvard-Westlake of Studio City in a 4-2 Mission League victory over Alemany of Mission Hills (8-4-5, 0-4-2). Danielle Duhl added an assist for the Wolverines (11-2-3, 4-1-2), and Jessica Gonzalez and Samantha Tan scored for the Warriors, who received an assist from Thalia Garcia. ......... Erica Kim scored the first goal on a breakaway and Ciara Zeolla scored the second off a cross from Stephanie Gilbert as Oak Park (7-6-4, 5-1-1) remained in the hunt for the Tri-Valley League title with a 2-1 victory over Nordhoff of Ojai. .......... Whitney Cowell scored twice and Veronica Aguilar, Jordan Kirby, Brittani Dearman, Jordan Royer, Tori Baldridge, Brittany Berger, Michelle Deunay and Brianna Ismale added goals for Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta (13-1-4, 9-0), which enjoyed its largest scoring output of the season in a 10-0 Pacific League victory over Glendale. ......... Royal of Simi Valley kept the pressure on Marmonte League counterparts Westlake, Thousand Oaks and Agoura with a 1-0 victory over Calabasas. Alyssa Dodson scored the lone goal for the Highlanders (10-6-2, 5-3-1), who play a crucial match Friday against visiting Agoura. .......... Speaking of the Chargers, Michelle Manning scored twice, once on a penalty shot and the other following a long throw-in from Kelsey Reichow, and Taryn Kurcz added a goal set up by Natasha Blonsky in a 3-1 Marmonte League victory over Newbury Park (8-6-2, 3-5-1). Gina Goryoka had seven saves for the Chargers (11-3-1, 5-3), who allowed only a second-half goal by Lindsay Vesling.

Before the Best in the Valley Tournament, there are some strong dual meets Thursday. If you're in the area, check out the duals Crespi at Alemany at 5:00pm and San Fernando at Monroe.

Look for some results of both duals either here or in the newspaper - or both - Friday.

So mark your calendars for this weekend if you're a wrestling fan. The Best in the Valley Tournament at Chaminade on Saturday is going to feature some strong teams and individuals.

Tentatively scheduled to come so far is Jonathan Urango of Camarillo; Benito Mendez, Lorenzo Chapman, Rashaad Reynolds and Mike Le of San Fernando; Craig Seidenglanz, Adam Moreno and Bobby Medina of Chaminade; Joseph Liu of Granada Hills; Gary and Anthony Espinosa and Akeem Gonzales of Alemany and other local teams Chatsworth, Sylmar as well as out of the area teams Whitter Christian, St. Margaret's, South Torrance, San Marino and Brentwood, among others.

More news and photos coming. Look for a few of the local guys to place one or two in their weights, including Seidenglanz and Moreno, Le, Chapman, Reynolds, Mendez, Urango, Gary Espinosa and maybe Liu.

The tournament lasts all day, with weigh-ins starting at 7am.

Nicole Hung will be going for 1,000 career points when Harvrad-Westlake of North Hollywood faces Chaminade of West Hills Thursday night in a Mission League game.

Hung currently has 999 points in 62 games played after scoring 14 in a victory against Flintridge Sacred-Heart of La Canada on Tuesday.

Hung has 371 points in 19 games this season.

It was another topsy-turvy Tuesday in local girls' soccer with several shake-ups in area league standings. Canyon handed Valencia its first Foothill League loss, while Saugus moved back into a first-place tie with the Vikings following its win over Hart of Newhall. El Camino Real of Woodland Hills also returned to the top of the West Valley League by defeating previously unbeaten Taft of Woodland Hills, and was joined by Chatsworth, which held off Cleveland of Reseda. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 27:

Match of the night: Canyon 3, Valencia 1 Strong defense alone might not win Canyon the Foothill League championship, but an inspired second-half effort combined with efficiency on set plays enabled the Cowboys to get the back in the running for the title with a victory over the Vikings (12-6-1, 4-1). Valencia, which averaged nearly five goals per contest in league, struck first when Kelly Deckers took advantage of a loose ball in Canyon's attacking third following a long throw-in to score in the 25th minute. But aside from a late opportunity by Kristin Bos in front of Canyon's net, it was all Cowboys the rest of the night. Oregon State-bound sweeper Milan Cabrera again demonstrated why she might be the area's most effective player in the air, beating Valencia goalkeeper Christianne Cordero to a ball late in the first half and flicking it over her shoulder to a charging Elvia Contreras, who tied the score 1-1. "We started working well together and playing good combinations," Milan Cabrera said. "This was a team we wanted to beat for a long time." Milan's sister Malaya gave Canyon (12-5-2, 3-1-1) the lead in the 47th minute when she headed in a pass from Devon Goff. Milan Cabrera then put the match away with a well-placed header of her own in the 65th minute, elevating above four Valencia defenders on a corner kick to bury a shot inside the left post. "If you put her in front of the net with nobody on her, you can start running back to midfield (after the goal)," Canyon coach Eric White said. "We're not a quick-strike team. We're going to grind you out and play efficient and (Tuesday) we had good execution of our opportunities. I think it was our best all-around game back to front."

Goal of the day: Courtney Ito is listed on Granada Hills' roster as a defender. But with time running down in the Highlanders' West Valley League showdown with Birmingham of Lake Balboa, Ito became a primary attacker for Granada Hills, carrying the ball past several Patriots defenders to score the winning goal with less than two minutes remaining in a 2-1 West Valley League victory. For the second time in three matches, Cynthia Jacobo surrendered a first-half goal for Granada Hills (11-8-2, 2-1-2), only to move to the field in the second half -- and be replaced in goal by Linda Rosas -- and net the equalizer right away for the Highlanders.

Unsung hero of the day: Although Highland of Palmdale's Samantha Johnson moved closer to the milestone of 100 career goals with another hat trick, it was the efforts of Abbie D'Errico that enabled the Bulldogs (8-3-5, 7-1) to survive a less-than-stellar outing in a 5-3 Golden League victory over Knight of Palmdale (3-5 in league). D'Errico, one of the most versatile midfielders in the area, assisted on one of Johnson's goals -- which increased her career total to 96 -- and scored twice herself, with Johnson returning the favor on one by taking on six Knight defenders before slipping a pass to D'Errico, who went against the grain to redirect the shot inside the far post.

Top performance by a freshman: It was a significant day for Grace Brethren of Simi Valley ninth-graders Jennifer Brown and Gabby Arnone, who made significant contributions in the Lancers' 3-0 Frontier League victory over Villanova Prep of Ojai. Brown recorded her first career goal, joining Hayley Johnson and Meghan Reno in scoring in the first half. Arnone notched her second career assist, joining Beka Adams in setting up a goal for the Lancers (9-6, 3-2).

Top goalkeeping performance: After surrendering a goal on a penalty shot in Friday's 2-1 Golden League victory over Highland of Palmdale, Quartz Hill senior Charity Blanton was back to her usual "uncharitable" self -- credit to her father Don for the impressive play on words -- in the Rebels' 4-0 league victory over Palmdale (11-6-1, 4-4). Blanton needed to only make two saves to record her seventh shutout this season in league, but this recognition is more for her consistency over the past two years. The reigning Golden League MVP has allowed three goals in her past 22 league matches, recording 19 shutouts. The only other league opponent besides Highland to score in the past two seasons against Blanton is Lancaster, which visits Quartz Hill (10-2, 8-0) on Thursday.

Top defensive performance: Although El Camino Real of Woodland Hills surrendered a goal to Taft of Woodland Hills on an early miscue, the Conquistadores merit recognition for how they finished the match in a 2-1 West Valley League victory over the previously unbeaten Toreadors (15-1-5, 2-1-2). After red cards were issued to starting goalkeeper Cody Kornack for dissent and verbal abuse and to Cheyenne Hayden for an altercation with Taft's Crystal Romero, ECR finished the match with nine players. But thanks to the veteran leadership of Jessica Stadheim -- who scored the winning goal -- and Gaby Benton, among others, the Conquistadores (6-7-1, 3-1-1) were able to move into a first-place tie with Chatsworth (7-6-2, 3-1-1) entering Thursday's showdown.

Corner kicks: Saugus' Erin Ortega has been waiting for an opportunity to recapture her offensive prowess from December and a showdown with rival Hart of Newhall was just the trick for the UC Santa Barbara-bound forward. Ortega scored both goals, with Jamie Molacek and Emily Relles providing the assists, as the Centurions recorded a 2-0 victory over the Indians (11-6-2, 2-2-1). Saugus (12-2-2, 4-1) plays Friday at Valencia, looking to atone for a 4-2 loss Jan. 13. ........ Lauren Weaver scored off a first-half corner kick from Holly Weaver for Chatsworth, which held off Cleveland of Reseda in a 1-0 West Valley League victory. Dana Moreno had three saves for the Chancellors (7-6-2, 3-1-1), who recorded their third shutout in league. Stephanie Ortega had 10 saves for the Cavaliers (5-10-3, 0-4-1), who have managed just one goal in the first half of league play. .......... Antelope Valley secured its first Golden League victory with a 1-0 triumph over Littlerock, as both teams are now 1-7 in league. .......... Lancaster continued its strong play of late, recording a 4-0 Golden League victory over Eastside of Lancaster (6-8-2, 3-5). Lancaster (5-3 in league), the last Golden League team to defeat Quartz Hill, plays Thursday against the host Rebels. ........... Claire Kiefer had three goals and Claire Haft added two scores for host Malibu in an 8-2 Frontier League victory over Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara. Caysie Beetley and Emily Mulvey scored for the Sharks (9-5-1, 4-0). ........ Amber Pimley scored in the 24th minute for Camarillo (6-7-2, 4-1-1), but Pacifica of Oxnard (13-3-3, 5-0-1) rallied with a goal in the 63rd minute in the 1-1 Pacific View League draw. ........... Stephanie Armstrong and Cristal Diaz scored for Rio Mesa of Oxnard (4-10-2, 4-2) in a 2-0 Pacific View League victory over Channel Islands.

Sorry for the little delay, but many teams and individuals performed well at wrestling tournaments over this past weekend.

The Quartz Hill team won the West Covina Tournament and had 11 wrestlers place including Jared and Jacob Ricker, Alex and Ben Harvey, Anthony Chu, Zach Martinez, Matthew Salo, Kai Pirelli, JT Wilkins, Jonathan Melendez and Nick Ruiz.

Royal wrestlers Sergio Cortez (at 152 pounds) came in first, Matt Rulon (171) finished sixth, Blake Ginsburg (140) placed second and Mike Dumelle (145) finished fourth in the California Invitational Tournament at Morro Bay. Other local guys who finished high in the same tournament include Benito Mendez (San Fernando) at 119, who finished fifth; Joseph Liu (Granada Hills) placed eighth at 130; Brandon Stoyomayor (Granada Hills) placed fifth at 140; John Moore of Simi Valley placed sixth at 152; Oscar Avile of Granada Hills placed eighth at 152; Chris Organ (of Simi Valley) finished third at 189 and Anthony Espinosa of Alemany came in eighth; his cousin Gary Espinosa (also of Alemany) finished second at 135 and Tim McAnany of Simi Valley placed fourth at 215.

Craig Seidenglanz of Chaminade finished fourth at the Temecula Valley Invitational in Temecula. He narrowly missed winning a medal. Look for a Q&A on Craig in today's paper - including a photo of he and Gary Espinosa wrestling from a dual meet earlier this month.

Many of these guys will be wrestling at the Best in the Valley Tournament at Chaminade High School this weekend. the Finals of the tournament are mid-day Saturday, but there will be wrestling all day.

It was a marvelous Monday for Chaminade of West Hills and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City and a miserable one for Mission League rival Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge. Newbury Park got itself back in playoff contention in the Marmonte League and North Hollywood extended its league unbeaten streak. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 26:

Match of the night: Harvard-Westlake 2, Flintridge Sacred Heart 1: Flintridge Sacred Heart still has the inside track to the Mission League title, but Harvard-Westlake wasn't going to let the Tologs take another step at its expense, let alone at Slavin Field. After suffering a 1-0 loss Jan. 7 at St. Francis, the Wolverines (10-2-3, 3-1-2) earned a measure of revenge and prevented the Tologs (13-4-2, 5-1) from securing their first victory in 14 tries at Harvard-Westlake. Flintridge Sacred Heart controlled the run of play for the majority of the match, but despite outshooting the Wolverines 18-7 -- including six shots in a five-minute span in the first half -- the Tologs only had a 56th minute goal by Sinead Fleming to show for their efforts. Harvard-Westlake's efficiency on set plays, the lack of which plagued the Wolverines in their first meeting, was enough to help the Wolverines rebound from Flintridge Sacred Heart's early onslaught and build a 2-0 halftime lead on goals by senior captain Maddie Lenard. The goals were the first allowed by the Tologs since Dec. 29, snapping a run of seven consecutive shutouts. The road doesn't get any easier for Flintridge Sacred Heart, the top-ranked team in Div. II, following the loss to the No. 3 Wolverines, as the Tologs must travel Wednesday to No. 2 Chaminade, a place they have won only once in program history.

Goal of the night: A busted play. A brave effort. A demoralizing blow for the opposition. It all happened in the matter of a few seconds for Harvard-Westlake senior Maddie Lenard near the end of the first half. Having already staked the Wolverines to a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute on a 27-yard free kick that caught Flintridge Sacred Heart goalkeeper Dominique Oro off guard with a shot that was drilled near post just past the Tologs' wall, Lenard struck again less than a minute before the whistle. Haley Boysen's intent was to send the corner kick in the middle of the penalty area, if not the far post. But the USC-bound junior mishit the ball, resulting in it only traveling to the near post. However, Lenard found herself in the right place at the right time and connected on a diving header inside the right post before landing on the ground, with a Tologs defender falling on top of her. Not a bad way to record your first two goals of the season.

Unsung hero of the day: Antonia Aljuwani has enjoyed a pretty impressive career at City Section small-school power Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies of Reseda. As a freshman, she was a strong contributor on a team that went undefeated during the regular season. The past two seasons, she helped the Knights reach the City small-school final, scoring a goal in last year's 2-0 victory over Foshay Learning Center. Now a senior, Aljuwani is carrying SOCES (4-2-2, 3-0) in its bid for a repeat and she did her part again in a Valley League match against Northridge Academy, recording three goals and three assists in a 7-2 victory.

Top performance by a freshman: There's a reason why North Hollywood has remained unbeaten in 46 consecutive league matches spanning the Sunset Six and East Valley leagues and that's because coach Shane Watkins never has a shortage of talent with which he can work. A prime example is this year's ninth-grade class, which features Clarisa Erazo and Diana Hernandez, along with leading-scorer Ruby Sanchez (11 goals). Erazo scored her third goal and Hernandez contributed her first assist to lead the Huskies (9-5-2, 6-0) to a 2-0 victory over Verdugo Hills of Tujunga.

Top goalkeeping performance: Harvard-Westlake coach Richard Simms has coached goalkeeper Clara Jaques at the club and high school levels since she was 9. Simms said Jaques' deflection on Breeana Koemans' shot in the 14th minute might have been the best he's ever seen her make. Koemans blasted a shot from just outside the penalty area that appeared to be diving under the middle of the crossbar for a Flintridge Sacred Heart goal. However, Jaques' athleticism enabled her to not only touch the ball, but punch it over the crossbar for a Tologs' corner kick, part of a six-shot sequence in a five-minute span for Flintridge Sacred Heart. Jaques, who made 10 saves, did it to Koemans again in the 66th minute, redirecting the ball over the crossbar on a 25-yard shot to preserve Harvard-Westlake's lead. Add to the list a stop on a Pip Harragin free kick in the 43rd minute and a diving save in the 79th minute on Tera Trujillo and it was a great night for the Wolverines captain at Slavin Field.

Top defensive performance: Chaminade of West Hills coach Mike Evans knows how difficult to defeat a Jose Perez-coached Louisville of Woodland Hills team once in a season, let alone three times. But the Eagles successfully did so with a 2-0 victory, their third shutout against the Royals, including a 3-0 semifinal victory at the Hart tournament Dec. 27. Although Raquel Weckhurst scored both goals for Chaminade (18-1-2, 3-1-2), it was the defensive play of Ana Alvarado, Ryann Appell, Alyssa Esber, Rita Hurlbut, Kim Rosendo and Mandi Williams that enabled goalkeeper Kacey McCormack to record the team's 13th shutout. McCormack, who made four saves, has rebounded from allowing two goals for the first time in more than a month Jan. 16 against Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks to record back-to-back shutouts entering Wednesday's showdown with Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge (13-4-2, 3-1-2).

Corner kicks: Lindsay Vesling scored with six minutes remaining to lift Newbury Park to a 2-1 Marmonte League victory over Moorpark after the teams played to a 1-1 tie Friday. Vesling scored off an assist from Lyndsey Preston after Stacey Fujikuni tied the score for Moorpark (5-6-2, 1-5-2). Jordyn Zander gave the Panthers (8-5-2, 3-4-1) the first-half lead off a corner kick from Monique Pendleberry. .......... Santa Clara-bound Lauren Kawamoto had two goals and two assists for Oak Park in a 5-1 Tri-Valley League victory over Fillmore. Miranda de la Vega and Kaycee Holcomb each had a goal and an assist for the Eagles (6-6-4, 4-1-1), who received a goal from Katherine Chen and an assist by Victoria Cameron. ......... After allowing one goal Wednesday to Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and playing Oak Park to a scoreless tie Friday, La Reina of Thousand Oaks suffered a 3-1 Tri-Valley League setback to Nordhoff of Ojai (10-7, 3-3). Megan Scalon converted a penalty shot in the first half for the Regents (10-6-2, 2-3-1), who were victimized by three second-half goals. ........... Vasquez (15-0) extended the area's longest winning streak with a 4-1 victory over New Roads of Santa Monica at West L.A. College. Sydney Tobin had two goals and an assist for the Mustangs, who received goals from Alissa Dawson and Samantha Houle and assists from Brittany Eveland, Terra Chapman and Emma Wright.

Despite 30 points, 14 rebounds and four steals from Gennifer Brandon, Chatsworth's bid to knock off Long Beach Poly (17-2) -- the state's No. 2-ranked girls' basketball team according to Cal-Hi Sports -- came up short in a 62-59 setback at the Ayala Extravaganza in Chino Hills.

Brandon's total matched her season-high, set Dec. 20 against Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach.

Monica Jackson had 14 points, but fouled out with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter for the Chancellors (12-8), which trailed 50-38 entering the fourth.

Jasmine Wooton contributed nine points and Destinee Sellers added four points and seven rebounds for Chatsworth, which was trying to rebound from a 68-67 West Valley League loss Friday to Taft of Woodland Hills.

The eight-game schedule Saturday at Ayala benefited the Blow the Whistle for Breast Cancer campaign and the Jimmy V Foundation, as all the officials from the day's events donated their checks back to the cause.

All the Chatsworth players wore pink sweat bands as a show of support. The gesture was even more significant considering the loss of North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who endured a long battle with breast cancer before passing away early Saturday.

It was another fantastic Friday schedule of local girls' soccer, with a first-half leader finally emerging in the Golden League, as Quartz Hill got past Highland of Palmdale in one of the area's best rivalries. Saugus found a way to get past Canyon in the Foothill League, Westlake continued to maintain its lead in the Marmonte League and North Hollywood extended its impressive league unbeaten streak. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 23:

Match of the night: Quartz Hill 2, Highland 1: Samantha Johnson accomplished something she had never done before in her career by scoring against Quartz Hill goalkeeper Charity Blanton. But the Rebels responded with a strong second-half performance to take over sole possession of first place in the Golden League in the come-from-behind victory. The USC-bound Johnson took advantage of a foul in the box to convert a penalty shot inside the right post in the 18th minute for the Bulldogs (7-3-5, 6-1), only the third goal allowed this season by the Air Force Academy commit Blanton, two coming on penalty shots. But Quartz Hill -- which trailed for the first time in league play -- controlled the second half, with a pair of seniors stepping up and leading the charge for coach Chuck Gordon. Chloe McDaniel scored in the 45th minute and Stephanie Galarze recorded her team-leading 21st goal -- 18th in league play -- on a 35-yard free kick in the 67th minute for the Rebels (9-2, 7-0), who won their third straight against Highland, the streak beginning Jan. 18, 2008, when Quartz Hill snapped the Bulldogs' 40-match unbeaten streak in league with a 1-0 triumph. Assuming neither team slips up in the second half of league play, then the regular-season finale Feb. 12 at Highland will be the title-decider. Highland coach Juan Paolo, who led the Bulldogs to three consecutive league titles from 2005-07, dropped to 3-4-2 all-time against Quartz Hill.

Goal of the day: As Saugus coach Lisa Rollo said, "Mini does what she does. She comes out of nowhere and decides to take it and do it on her own." In this case "Mini," is midfielder Jamie Molacek and her goal in the 38th minute was enough for the Centurions (11-2-2, 3-1) to get one past the Foothill League's toughest defense in a 1-0 victory over visiting Canyon. Molacek took a pass from Shannon Suarez, worked her way past a Canyon defender and slipped a 10-yard shot from the left side of the penalty area past a diving Alex Krall to score the first goal in four league matches against the Cowboys (11-5-2, 2-1-1). "She's good at getting lost out there and just when you forget about her, that's when she steps up and hurts you the most, and that's exactly what happened to us. We had one breakdown and she took advantage," Canyon coach Eric White said. "She's a very smart player who puts herself in those situations. She's an advantageous player." Saugus' defense wasn't too shabby either, as Shasta Fisher, Heather Pilch, Colleen Ortega, Emily Relles and Jill Allen held Canyon scoreless for the second straight match.

Unsung hero of the night: Chloe McDaniel is a staple on defense for Quartz Hill. The fact that the Rebels have allowed only seven goals in nine matches, including only one in the run of play with reigning Golden League MVP Charity Blanton in net, speaks to McDaniel's impact at sweeper for coach Chuck Gordon. But McDaniel made an impact in more ways than one against rival Highland. After sharing with teammates before the match that she had a good feeling she would score against the Bulldogs, McDaniel looked like a prophet in the 45th minute when she drilled a 25-yard shot inside the left post for her third goal of the season, tying the score at 1-1. It was the emotional lift Quartz Hill needed in its most emotionally charged match of the season. "It doesn't surprise me to see her do that because with our zonal style system, I've seen that happen quite a bit," Gordon said. "She's always putting herself in position (to be successful)."

Top performance by a freshman: It has been a season of pleasant surprises for Westlake coach Frank Marino. After being in seventh place at the midway point of Marmonte League play last season, the Warriors (9-2-2, 6-0-2) are in first place early in the second half this year. Another unexpected bonus for Marino has been the offensive efforts of ninth-grade standout Taylor Perry, who continued to frustrate opposing defenses in the Warriors' 3-1 victory over Royal of Simi Valley (9-6-3, 4-3-1), scoring twice to improve her team-leading total to seven goals in league. After Mary Case gave Westlake an early lead with a 30-yard shot, Perry added a goal before the half and then increased the lead to 3-0 in the 46th minute, before the Highlanders broke the shutout with a goal in the 68th minute. Junior Andrea Todak, the Warriors' leading scorer overall, had two assists.

Top goalkeeping performance: North Hollywood's Jennifer Fernandez had reason to have her confidence shaken entering East Valley League play, surrendering three goals to Alemany of Mission Hills in a Grant tournament loss Jan. 10. But the junior has since responded in impressive fashion, recording her fifth consecutive shutout in the Huskies' 5-0 victory over Grant of Van Nuys, which extended their league unbeaten streak -- between East Valley and Sunset Six -- to 45 in a row. Fernandez made two saves against Grant, giving her 60 on the season for North Hollywood (8-5-2, 5-0), which received a hat trick from Franchesca Vasquez and goals from Sanae Matsuki and Ruby Sanchez.

Top defensive performance: La Canada matched local counterpart Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge with its seventh consecutive shutout in its Rio Hondo League match against San Marino. Unfortunately for the Spartans (11-2-2, 4-0-1), they were shut out for the fifth time this season and played to a 0-0 draw. Louie Bilowitz's teams always play strong defense, as evidenced by goalkeeper Haley Austin recording 10 shutouts and allowing only four goals entering next Friday's match against South Pasadena. But La Canada will need to develop a stronger attack in the second half of league in support of defenders Amanda Teng, Kelly Clark, Holly Shreckengast and Emma Persson in order to avoid another first-round playoff exit like it did last season.

Corner kicks: Thousand Oaks continued to create separation between itself and the rest of the Marmonte League pack, recording a 3-2 victory over Agoura to sweep the season series. The Lancers (8-6-2, 6-1-1) received goals from Alyson Birgel, Megan Meyer and Sarah Ruble to hold off a late charge by the Chargers (10-3-1, 5-3), who received a goal and an assist from Michelle Manning. Birgel, Taylor Demirjian and Amanda Neveu had assists for Thousand Oaks. ........... Valencia remained alone in first place in the Foothill League with a 7-1 victory over Golden Valley. The Vikings (12-5-1, 4-0) have scored 19 goals entering Tuesday's match against Canyon, which has allowed only one goal in four league matches. ......... Kat Prati scored for Moorpark (5-5-2, 1-4-2) and Lyndsey Preston recorded the goal for Newbury Park (7-5-3, 2-4-1) in the 1-1 Marmonte League tie. The teams play again Monday in a make-up from a December rainout. ......... Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta recorded its easiest Pacific League victory to date, earning a 1-0 forfeit win over Pasadena of Muir. The Falcons (12-1-4, 8-0) play Wednesday against Glendale. ......... Allyson Lods and Beatrice Giles produced second-half goals for host Lancaster, which moved into a third-place tie in the Golden League with a 2-0 victory over Palmdale, as both teams are 4-3 in league. .......... Eastside of Lancaster put itself back in playoff contention in the Golden League with a 5-0 victory over Littlerock. No team in the Antelope Valley has improved more than coach Trevor Hibbert's squad, which, at the midway point last year was 1-5-1 in league and had been outscored 33-5. This season, Eastside (6-7-2, 3-4) has outscored its league opponents 21-11, with Stacy Guijarro leading the way for the Lions with seven of her 16 goals. ........ Simi Valley moved within a match of the final playoff spot in the Marmonte League with a 3-1 victory over Calabasas (2-11-1, 0-8). The Pioneers (4-4-3, 3-4-1) had gone winless in their past five league matches following a 2-0 start. ......... Violet Perez scored twice and Aracelli Castillo added a goal added another for Poly of Sun Valley (2-6, 2-3) in an East Valley League victory over Canoga Park. ......... Claire Kiefer, Dakota Gross and Caysie Beetley scored for Malibu in a 3-1 Frontier League victory over Grace Brethren of Simi Valley. The victory was the fifth in six matches for the Sharks (8-5-1, 3-0).

Three two-day wrestling tournaments started Friday and continue Saturday. There are many area competitors who come back for Day Two, most of whom could get to the semi-finals

In the California Invitational Tournament in Morro Bay, the guys who advance to Day Two include:

Nasim Naser, El Camino Real - at 112 pounds

Benito Mendez, San Fernando - 119

Adam Ali, El Camino Real - 119 - He continues in the consolation round

Kyle Armour, Simi Valley - 125

Gary Espinosa, Alemany - 135

Blake Ginsburg, Royal - 140

Mike Dumelle, Royal - 145

Sergio Cortez - Royal - 152

John Moore - Simi Valley - 152 (Could meet Cortez if both win their next rounds. They're both in the Marmonte League regularly)

Anthony Uribe - San Fernando - 152 - consolation

Erik Hasan - Simi Valley - 160

Josh Dulaney - Granada Hills - consolation - 160

Matt Rulon - Royal - 171

Kyle Hasan - Simi Valley - 171

Chris Organ - Simi Valley - 189

Anthony Espinosa - Alemany - 189

Tim McAnany - Simi Valley - 215

Sultan Muhammed - San Fernando - 215 (meets McAnany in the first meet on Saturday)

Akeem Gonzales - Alemany - 215 in the consolation round

QUARTZ HILL went to the two-day WEST COVINA INVITATIONAL and the following guys advance to Day Two.

to Second Day (QTR finals, unless noted)

Jared Ricker, 103

Jonathan Melendez - 112 - in the consolation round

Zach Martinez - 119

Nick Ruiz - 125

Matthew Salo - 130

JT Wilkins- 135

Eric Peters - 152

Kai Pirell - 160

Alex Harvey - 171

Ben Harvey - 189

Anthony Chu - Heavyweight

We always knew Dick Billingsley was a terrific head coach - and apparently the school feels the same way because it's named two coaches to succeed him.

Here is the official press release from the school. Good luck to the new guys, and good luck to coach Billingsley, one of the true good guys.

Oak Park High School is proud to announce its Head Football position has been filled. Dennis Stephenson and Terry Shorten will assume the position as Co-Head coaches. They will replace Dick Billingsley, who stepped down after 19 years at the helm. Stephenson was the Head Football Coach at Grace Brethren HS from 1997-2004. He then came to Oak Park as a Varsity assistant, working with the offensive and defensive lines. With the added responsibilities of Co-Head coach, he will still work with the linemen. He has also worked 10 years as Grace Brethren Youth Sports Director.
Terry Shorten has coached six years of youth football as a head coach and joined the Oak Park staff in 2002. He was the Defensive Coordinator, as well as, linebacker and running back coach for the Jr. Varsity team. From 2005 to 2007 he stepped up into the Head coach of the JV program, as well as, the Offensive and Defensive Coordinator overseeing the Frosh program. This last season Shorten moved up to the varsity and was the Defensive Coordinator.
With Stephenson and Shorten taking over the reins, this will allow for a smooth transition, with their years of experience at Oak Park and their connection to the student athletes, administration, staff and community..

It was a therapeutic Thursday for a pair of West Valley League girls' soccer powers and a thrilling night for another, as Chatsworth and El Camino Real of Woodland Hills rebounded from losses Tuesday to keep pace with first-place Taft of Woodland Hills, which knocked off rival Cleveland of Reseda. Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge continued to solidify its status as the top-ranked team in Div. II with its seventh consecutive win. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 22:

Match of the night: Chatsworth 2, Granada Hills 0: Whether it was gaining a measure of revenge for being knocked out by Granada Hills in the City Section girls' volleyball semifinals in November or atoning for Tuesday's loss to Taft of Woodland Hills, Chatsworth was plenty motivated for its West Valley League showdown with the host Highlanders and the Chancellors backed it up with one of their most inspired performances of the season. "We talked about playing with intensity," Chatsworth goalkeeper Dana Moreno said. "That was the No. 1 thing, playing with the same amount of heart and intensity the entire time and not letting up." Olivia Patterson and Tyler Cano scored for the Chancellors (6-6-2, 2-1-1), who remained in a second-place tie with El Camino Real of Woodland Hills (5-7-1, 2-1-1) behind Taft (15-0-5, 2-0-2). Chatsworth also prevented Granada Hills (10-8-2, 1-1-2) from building on the emotional high of Tuesday's 2-1 victory over ECR, as the Nevada-bound Moreno came up with a huge block on a penalty shot and recorded 10 saves to record the Chancellors' second league shutout. "I just wanted to step it up and show leadership," Moreno said. "I knew (if I stopped it), that it would bring up the intensity level of our entire team." Cal State Fullerton-bound talent Kishi Smith controlled the midfield for the Chancellors, who face Cleveland of Reseda on Tuesday before Thursday's rematch with ECR. "It was a good rebound for us after the Taft game, mentally and physically," Smith said. "Everyone knew they needed to step it up and they did it and did it well."

Goal of the night: Taft coach Jarrett Gold has said junior striker Karina Flores might be the fastest player in the West Valley League. Early in the second half against Cleveland of Reseda, Flores' first step was quick enough to get past the Cavaliers' back line, enabling her to take a 15-yard shot from the left side of the penalty area that ricocheted off the right post, rolled back across the goal line and eventually spun in the goal for the Toreadors in a 1-0 West Valley League victory. Flores' goal, off a pass from Briana Behrad, was enough for Taft -- alone in first place for the first time in program history -- to spoil an otherwise strong defensive effort by Sarah Sassen and Ashani McGee in front of goalkeeper Stephanie Ortega for Cleveland (5-9-3, 0-3-1). It was also Gold's first victory against friend and former Taft coach Greg Venger, who is in his second year coaching with Hector Ramirez at Cleveland. The Cavaliers defeated Taft 4-1 in both meetings last season. "This one is tough to swallow," Venger said. "Both teams played their butts off. If we play like that the rest of the season, we will be around at the end of the season." It doesn't get any easier for Taft, which plays eight-time City champion El Camino Real on Tuesday. "I feel like we have a long road ahead of us, but it's a great spot to be in going against ECR Tuesday," Gold said.

Unsung hero of the day: Although she could easily be considered for top freshman honors as well, El Camino Real's Jackie Hilario was instrumental in the Conquistadores rebounding from Tuesday's loss to Granada Hills by setting up all three goals -- two on corner kicks -- to lead ECR to a 3-0 West Valley League victory over Birmingham of Lake Balboa (1-2-1 in league). Although the Conquistadores' efficiency in the attacking third and ability to finish is still something coach Eric Choi would like to see the team improve upon, Hilario's connection with Jessica Stadheim and Cheyenne Hayden on corner kicks and fellow ninth-grader Dylann O'Connor in the run of play helped ECR (5-7-1, 2-1-1) remain unbeaten at home. The Conquistadores will need similar heroics from Hilario with Taft and Chatsworth on the schedule next week.

Top performance by a freshman: Tera Trujillo was touted as one of the freshman who could have a profound impact on the Mission League race this season and the member of the Under-15 national team pool reaffirmed why in Flintridge Sacred Heart's 3-0 victory over Louisville of Woodland Hills. Trujillo -- who delivered the goal in a 1-0 victory Jan. 7 over Harvard-Westlake of Studio City -- scored the Tologs' first two goals and fellow ninth-grader Katie Johnson added the third for the top-ranked team in Div. II, which extended its winning streak to seven in a row. Another freshman, Breeana Koemans, assisted on the first and third goals for Flintridge Sacred Heart (13-3-2, 5-0), which plays Monday at Harvard-Westlake (9-2-2, 2-1-1).

Top goalkeeping performance: It didn't take long for Becca Verstraete to realize it was going to be a long night trying to solve Taft freshman Cindy Godina, who turned away two quality chances by the Cleveland standout in the first five minutes en route to the Toreadors' ninth shutout in their past 10 matches and their 14th overall. Godina stopped 11 shots, turning away one opportunity after another from Verstraete, Amber Schwindler and Emily Streb. Also worthy of mention is Chatsworth's Dana Moreno, El Camino Real's Cody Kornack and Flintridge Sacred Heart's Dominique Oro, all of whom recorded shutouts.

Top defensive performance: It's not the first time the names of these individuals have appeared in this category and it likely won't be the last. When your team hasn't surrendered a goal yet in the new year, such recognition is merited. Although Flintridge Sacred Heart's Dominique Oro is the goalkeeper of record during the Tologs' run of seven consecutive shutouts, it has been the efforts of Sinead Fleming, Pip Harragin, Alexa Montgomery, Sam Norton and Natalie Zeenni that has enabled Flintridge Sacred Heart to extend its run of not allowing a goal to more than 500 minutes since surrendering a late score to La Salle of Pasadena in a pool-play match Dec. 29 at the Los Tacos Holiday Festival in Glendale. The Tologs' 3-0 victory over Louisville was their 11th shutout.

Corner kicks: Morgan Ritter scored her team-leading 13th goal off an assist from Jessica Wiblin, but Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (5-5-6, 0-1-4) had a goal disallowed because of an offsides call, damaging its playoff chances after playing Alemany of Mission Hills to a 1-1 Mission League tie. It was the first goal scored in league by Alemany (0-3-1 in league). ............ Hayley Johnson scored just before the final whistle to lift Grace Brethren of Simi Valley to a 2-1 Frontier League victory over Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara. Johnson scored off a cross from Beka Adams, who also assisted on a goal by Sam Romero for the Lancers (8-5, 2-1), who received seven saves from Jenny Gomez ............ Amber Pimley had two goals and Katelyn White recorded seven saves for Camarillo in a 5-1 Pacific View League victory over Hueneme of Oxnard. Taylor Benton, Heather Brookes and Angelica Gonzalez added goals for the Scorpions (5-1-6, 3-1). ............ Karissa Sandoval scored midway through the second half off an assist from Kelsey Thompson for Rio Mesa of Oxnard (3-9-2, in a 1-0 Pacific View League victory over Oxnard.

Without the Marmonte League playing its usual Wednesday slate, the local girls' soccer schedule was a limited one. But that didn't stop Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and La Reina of Thousand Oaks from engaging in a Tri-Valley League battle and Golden League powers Highland of Palmdale and Quartz Hill both recording convincing wins to set their first-place showdown Friday. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 21:

Match of the day: Oaks Christian 1, La Reina 0: In past years, even with their multitude of offensive weapons, the Lions might have tied a contest like this. But Oaks Christian of Westlake Village has continued to find a way to pull out victories this season and its Tri-Valley League showdown with La Reina of Thousand Oaks was no different. The Lions (14-1, 6-0) were relentless in their attack on the Regents' back line and sophomore goalkeeper Ali Parisi, but La Reina (10-5-1, 2-2) held Kaycee Buckley, Megan Connor, Ally Courtnall, Kelly Johnson and Jaci Mello scoreless for the first 70 minutes. Finally, Courtnall had endured enough frustration, taking a pass from Connor in the 71st minute and beating one defender, before firing a 20-yard shot from the left wing into the upper-right corner of the net, saying afterward, "I just felt it (when I shot it). It was a great feeling." The Lions -- who received four saves and three takeaways from Noe Salter -- have now won a program-record 12 consecutive league matches, including their days in the Frontier League. They return to action Jan. 28 at St. Bonaventure of Ventura, a place Oaks Christian has never won before.

Goal of the day: La Reina goalkeeper Ali Parisi has only surrendered two goals in her last seven matches and it took an exceptional shot from Courtnall to account for one of them. The Oaks Christian sophomore striker had plenty of quality opportunities during the course of the match, only to be victimized by an extra dribble or have the ball redirected by a Regents defender. But with Courtnall sprinting down the left sideline, Megan Connor switched the point of attack to the wing, where Courtnall beat a La Reina defender with one dribble and took a right-footed shot that Lions coach Jan Hethcock labeled "a rocket." Despite missing several matches nursing ankle and knee injuries, Courtnall has seven goals for Oaks Christian, trailing only Kelly Johnson's team-leading 13.

Unsung hero of the night: Melanie Johnson didn't anticipate starting against Palmdale, but when Highland of Palmdale teammate Marisol Vite was late arriving to the field, Bulldogs coach Juan Paolo decided to start the junior and she stepped up in a big way in a 5-0 Golden League victory. Johnson and senior sister Samantha went back and forth scoring in the first 19 minutes, giving Highland (7-2-5, 6-0) a 4-0 lead. The USC-bound Samantha scored in the first 45 seconds and again in the 16th minute and Melanie contributed goals in the 14th and 19th minutes, as Palmdale (11-4-1, 4-2) surrendered the most goals it had all season. Samantha Johnson and Ana Perez each recorded two assists for the Bulldogs, who play Friday at rival Quartz Hill (8-2, 6-0).

Top performance by a freshman: To demonstrate how explosive Quartz Hill's offense has been the past three matches, Brittany Teaney had two goals against Littlerock and was the Rebels' third-leading scorer. Teaney matched her goal output from the previous nine matches combined in Quartz Hill's 16-0 Golden League victory, giving the Rebels 31 goals in their past three contests entering Friday's showdown with Highland of Palmdale. Fellow ninth-grader Brooke Heying added her first career goal against the Lobos, along with an assist for Quartz Hill, which was led by seniors Stephanie Galarze (seven goals and three assists) and Sonya Bernal (three goals and two assists).

Top goalkeeping performance: More and more, the goalkeepers on the losing end are being recognized for their efforts and the performance turned in by La Reina sophomore Ali Parisi was nothing short of exceptional against Oaks Christian. The Lions possessed the ball as well as they have all season. They recorded 20 shots, 15 of which were on frame. They created several corner kicks and free kick opportunities in the attacking third. And nearly every time Parisi was there to turn them away. With the exception of Ally Courtnall's goal in the 71st minute, which wouldn't have been stopped by most national team goalkeepers, Parisi was flawless, taking balls out of the air, covering the near post, making sliding stops on breakaways and commanding the penalty area. Parisi, who recorded five consecutive shutouts before back-to-back 1-0 losses to St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian, had 14 saves and nine takeaways.

Top defensive performance: It was a rough first month of the season for Kennedy of Granada Hills, which won only two of its first nine matches. But the Golden Cougars have rebounded to open Valley Mission League play unbeaten in their first three contests entering Friday's showdown with the highest-scoring team in the league Sylmar (8-3-2, 3-0). Jennifer De La Torre made three saves and Kennedy (4-7-1, 2-0-1) held Reseda -- which scored four goals in its first two league matches -- scoreless behind the defensive efforts of Monica Galvan, Tiare Fuentes and Kirstie Cournoyer.

Corner kicks: Stacy Guijarro scored twice, giving her 16 goals on the season, as Eastside of Lancaster (5-7-1, 2-4) kept its playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 Golden League victory over Knight of Palmdale (2-4 in league) ......... Cassandra Arroyo and Maria Ibarra scored goals for Lancaster (3-3 in Golden League) in a 2-0 victory over Antelope Valley .......... Ruby Sanchez had four goals and an assist for North Hollywood in a 7-0 East Valley League victory over Arleta. Maira Aispuro added a goal and two assists and Shannon McCulley contributed two goals for the Huskies (7-5-2, 4-0), who received assists from Gloria Almaraz, Franchesca Vasquez, Brianna Bendal and Mayra Equiuah.

Quartz Hill defeated Lancaster and Palmdale tonight to win the Golden League - or at worst, tie for the title. They have to beat Knight next week for the outright win or tie if they lose.

Here are some photos from the Sam De John Tournament last week. Quartz Hill did well there also, finishing third.

Timothy Stone of Newbury Park wins over Angelo Gasparro of Crespi

Bobby Medina of Chaminade (in front) battles Jared Ricker of Quartz Hill. Ricker won and won the 103 title.

Kyle Hasan of Simi Valley talking to his coach

Chris Organ of Simi Valley (in red) versus Ramsey Chahine of Mira Costa

The entire Quartz Hill team

There was change Tuesday in the White House, with the inauguration of the 44th president Barack Obama. Although one had nothing to do with the outcome of the other, there was also change Tuesday in the pecking order in the West Valley League, with Granada Hills and Taft of Woodland Hills both recording significant victories over El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and Chatsworth. Canyon and Hart of Newhall battled to a Foothill League tie, which featured a thrilling final five minutes, while Saugus and Valencia took care of their business in convincing fashion. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 20:

Match of the day: Granada Hills 2, El Camino Real 1: Lynda Fritsche knew the day would come sooner or later. Jackie Kecskes always wondered what more Granada Hills had to do to defeat West Valley League rival El Camino Real. It's unfortunate that neither of the Highlanders' former coaches were around to witness Granada Hills' second-half performance against the Conquistadores. But after dodging one close call after another in the first half, the Highlanders scored twice in the first five minutes of the second half to defeat ECR (4-7-1, 1-1-1) for the first time since 2004, snapping a 10-match winless streak against the Conquistadores in the process. Senior Cynthia Jacobo, who was stellar in goal in the first half recording seven saves -- many on breakaways -- for Granada Hills (10-7-2, 1-0-2), moved to the central midfield in the second half and teamed with Melissa Fernandez and Liz Landon to cause havoc with ECR's back line. Jacobo scored less than 30 seconds into the half to tie the score, then assisted on Landon's goal in the 45th minute to help the Highlanders move into a first-place tie with Taft (14-0-5, 1-0-2). Cheyenne Hayden scored in the 33rd minute off an assist from Cal State Fullerton-bound Sasha Scott for ECR, but the Conquistadores squandered several opportunities in the attacking third that enabled Granada Hills to remain within striking distance. It doesn't get any easier for either team Thursday, as Granada Hills plays host to Chatsworth (5-6-2, 1-1-1) -- which suffered a 1-0 loss to Taft -- and ECR faces Birmingham of Lake Balboa, a 2-0 winner over Cleveland.

Goal of the night: Briana Behrad tried with a shot from the top of the penalty area into the upper right corner, only to be turned away by Chatsworth goalkeeper Dana Moreno. Karina Flores also tested the Nevada-bound Moreno on a breakaway, only to come up empty. Taft threw everything they could at Moreno for more than 75 minutes, before Nora Perez finally found a way to get one past the senior standout. Michelle Quan played a ball into the penalty area to Perez, who held off a Chatsworth defender and Moreno to slip a shot into the lower right corner in the 78th minute, giving Taft a 1-0 victory on the Chancellors' home field and moving the Toreadors into a first-place tie in the West Valley League.

Unsung hero of the day: Haven't heard much from Birmingham since coaches Ed Verdugo and Jessica Knapcik stepped away from the program and Brendan Wydra took over. But anytime the Patriots post a shutout, junior sweeper Jennifer Venegas usually has a lot to do with it, and it was no different in Birmingham's 2-0 West Valley League victory over Cleveland of Reseda. Venegas has been instrumental in turning around the Patriots program from a group that won one match the year before she arrived to a combined 24 her first two seasons. Although Birmingham's overall record is still unknown to the Daily News, the victory over the Cavaliers (5-8-3, 0-2-1) improved its league record to 1-1-1 entering Thursday's showdown with El Camino Real.

Top performance by a freshman: It might get lost in the shuffle of an 8-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Carpinteria, but Kaycee Buckley recorded the first hat trick of her career for Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, which showcased the skills of several ninth-graders in another convincing win. Buckley, who had one goal in the Lions' first 13 matches, took advantage of significant minutes to help Oaks Christian to its ninth consecutive win. Buckley wasn't alone among freshman contributors for coach Jan Hethcock, who received a goal and an assist from Nicole Kawamoto, a goal and an assist from Katianna Tron, a goal from Rachel Burrow and an assist from Lauren Tracy.

Top goalkeeping performance: Hart of Newhall coach Mike Gomez and his players might have had nightmares about Canyon goalkeeper Alex Krall following the junior's performance in a 0-0 Foothill League draw. Krall made three-point blank stops in the final five minutes, including a one-on-one denial of Katie Trevino in the final minute, to keep the Indians (10-5-2, 1-1-1) off the scoreboard. Krall finished with seven saves for the Cowboys (11-4-2, 2-0-1), who play Friday at Saugus (10-2-2, 2-1). Canyon, which had a goal disallowed by Elvia Contreras and a near-miss from Oregon State-bound sweeper-turned-attack Milan Cabrera, has yet to allow a goal in league.

Top defensive performance: Double kudos to Taft for its performance against Chatsworth, which extended the area's longest unbeaten streak to 19 in a row. Senior sweeper Ani Eshoei helped the Toreadors escape early trouble against Chatsworth and settled down Taft's back line in front of freshman goalkeeper Cindy Godina, who finished with 11 saves. Sophomore stopper Nancy Lopez and junior defenders Crystal Romero and Sara Comis have also been instrumental for Taft, which recorded its 13th shutout, including the Toreadors' eighth in nine matches.

Corner kicks: Since a 4-2 loss to Valencia in its Foothill League opener, Saugus has been taking out its frustrations on the opposition and Golden Valley happened to be the latest unlucky recipient in a 7-0 setback. Brittanie Sakajian and Erin Ortega each scored twice and Shasta Fisher, Jamie Molacek and Shannon Suarez all scored for the Centurions (10-2-2, 2-1). Jill Allen, Colleen Ortega, Erin Ortega, Fisher and Molacek also had assists for Saugus ............ Valencia (11-5-1, 3-0) continued to maintain sole possession of first place in the Foothill League with a 6-1 victory over West Ranch. The Vikings built a 3-1 lead at the break, enabling coach Sean O'Connell to rest several starters in the second half. ........... Vasquez of Acton (14-0) continued the area's longest winning streak with a 9-0 home victory over Academy of Academic Excellence. Terra Chapman, Samantha Houle and Emma Wright all scored twice for the Mustangs, who received goals from Sami Calderon, Alissa Dawson and Sydney Tobin. Brittany Eveland, Makaila Estrella and Houle all recorded two assists for Vasquez, which has outscored opponents 85-3.

The Marmonte League was the only group of local girls' soccer teams that played Monday night, so there were only four matches on the schedule, with few surprises, as Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Agoura and Royal of Simi Valley continued to pull away from the pack in the quest to secure the league's four automatic playoff berths.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 19:

Match of the night: Royal 3, Newbury Park 0: There was a period in early December when Newbury Park had aspirations to win the Marmonte title following a Southern Section Div. II playoff berth last season. But an 0-2 start in league didn't bring much holiday cheer for the Panthers. Then, Newbury Park rallied to win its next two matches to pull even at 2-2, giving coaches Kelly Zieger and Gary Fowler hope the Panthers could run the table and be in title contention. But following a 2-1 loss to Thousand Oaks, coupled with a humbling setback against the Highlanders, Newbury Park (7-5-1, 2-4) better hope it's not too late to make a return trip to the postseason. Cindy Parks had a natural hat trick, with Kelly Habroun assisting on two of the goals, as Royal (9-5-2, 4-2-1) set up a huge showdown Friday at league-leading Westlake (8-2-2, 5-0-2).

Goal of the night: Michelle Cruz, who has been sidelined recently with a sore hamstring, was on the field for all of two minutes against Moorpark. But that was enough time for the junior standout to give the Lancers (7-6-2, 5-1-1) an early lead in a 2-0 victory over the Musketeers. Cruz received the ball 20 yards behind the midfield line and dribbled along the right sideline into the attacking third, before aggravating the hamstring again, causing her to limp. But it wasn't enough to prevent Cruz from dribbling an extra 15 yards and delivering an incredible shot into the upper left corner. She was promptly substituted out of the lineup and didn't return the rest of the match. Her status is questionable for Friday's match against visiting Agoura.

Unsung hero of the night: On a team loaded with offensive weapons, Megan Meyer might not always get the accolades at Thousand Oaks, but the senior's performance has been instrumental in helping the Lancers' rebound from a 1-0 loss Wednesday at Royal of Simi Valley. Meyer, who scored twice in Thousand Oaks' 2-1 victory Friday over Newbury Park, assisted on an insurance goal against Moorpark, as Taylor Demirjian gathered the ball near the top of the penalty area, spun on her defender and chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head in the 2-0 victory.

Top performance by a freshman: Although seniors Taryn Kurcz and Michelle Manning accounted for most of the offense in Agoura's 3-0 victory over Simi Valley (3-4-3, 2-4-1), it was Lydia Bowman who continued to shine at stopper for the Chargers (11-2-1, 5-2). With Agoura slowed by injuries, making a bench lacking in depth that much thinner, Bowman has provided quality minutes for coaches Mike Skene and Kathi Stewart. Manning, Kurcz and Whitney Rosenheim accounted for the offense against the Pioneers, but Bowman was a big reason why the Chargers recorded their sixth shutout.

Top goalkeeping performance: Never has a goalkeeper been so applauded for her efforts in a losing cause as Gabby Kaufman has been this season. The Calabasas junior was impressive again in a 1-0 loss to Westlake, earning high praise from Warriors coach Frank Marino. "She's pretty amazing," Marino said. "She made three unbelievable saves. She's the best goalkeeper in this league by far. She's the real deal." Although she was unable to stop Andrea Todak's 20th-minute goal off an assist from Bridget Berman, the Texas Tech-bound Kaufman recorded several highlight-reel stops, making a leaping save on a 6-yard shot by Julia Ozella and a one-hand diving deflection on a point-blank shot by Nicole Gilbert for the Coyotes (2-10-1, 0-7).

Top defensive performance: It's hard to argue the performance night in and night out of Kevin Corley's defenders at Royal, who teamed with goalkeeper Jen Stone (eight saves) to record the Highlanders' third consecutive shutout since a 1-0 loss Jan. 12 against Westlake. Alyssa Dodson, Jenna Fisher, Madisen Hasenauer, Marie Mackenzie and Diana Ohrt are just some of the reasons why Royal has recorded 10 shutouts in 16 matches.

Three local wrestlers finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes at the 5-Counties Tournament in Fountain Valley.

Sergio Cortez of Royal finished seventh in the 152 pound class and another Royal wrestler, Blake Ginsburg, finished seventh in the 140 weight.

Jonathan Urango of Camarillo finished third in the 160 class.

Several area teams competed in the Sam De John Tournament. Quartz Hill finished the highest of all of the area teams - which were QH, Simi Valley, San Fernando, Granada Hills, Newbury Park, Crespi, Birmingham, Chaminade and Arleta.

I'll put up some photos later tonight or tomorrow, but here are some of the results.

Jared Ricker of Quartz Hill won at the 103 pound weight class, beating Bobby Medina of Chaminade 12-1. Shane Murphy of Simi Valley finished fourth and Jacob Gorman of San Fernando went fifth.

Jonathan Melendez of Quartz Hill finished third at 112 while Anthony Figureroa of Granada Hills placed fourth when he beat Garrett Morris of Crespi 11-9.

Scott Haskell of Crespi finished third in the 119 weight class, while Raul Perez of San Fernando beat Blade Dyer of Simi Valley for fifth place. Adam Moreno of Chaminade would have wrestled in the tourney at this weight, but he was injured and sat it out.

Miguel Gallegos of San Fernando won the 125 weight class over William Ladiner of Mira Costa and Nick Ruiz of Quartz Hill finished fifth.

Joseph Liu of Granada Hills placed second in the 130 class when he lost to Joseph Padilla of Bell. Matthew Salo of Quartz Hill finished fourth at the same weight.

Jared Wilkins of Quartz Hill placed fifth in the 135 weight class, beating Diego Carbrera of Huntington Park 13-0.

Jacob Ricker of Quartz Hill won the 140 class by pinning Henry Jordan of Ventura at 2:54. Timothy Stone of Newbury Park finished fifth and Edgar Gonzalez of San Fernando placed sixth.

Richard Alesso of Quartz Hill beat Miguel Guardado of Newbury Park 7-2 to claim the 145 title.

John Moore of Simi Valley beat Ryan Bortness of Ventura 5-0 to win the 152 class. Oscar Aviles of Granada Hills finished fourth and Josh Randenberg of Quartz Hill finished fifth.

Sergio Perez of Birmingham had to bow out of the 160 class final due to an injury and finished second. Justin Molnar-Southon of Newbury Park finished sixth at the same weight.

Kyle Hasan of Simi Valley finished second and Alex Harvey of Quartz Hill third in the 171 category.

Chris Organ of Simi Valley finished second in the 189 weight and Ben Harvey of Quartz Hill placed fifth.

Adolfo Medina of San Fernando placed fourth in the 215 weight class and Tim McAnamy of Simi Valley finished fifth when he beat Christopher Rieboldt of St. John Bosco 7-1.

Anthony Chu of Quartz Hill pinned Jake Jourdan of San Marcos to take fifth place in the heavyweight division.

The La Canada boys' basketball team rebounded from Wednesday's heartbreaking last-second defeat at Monrovia to record a 58-40 Rio Hondo League victory Friday night over Blair of Pasadena, securing the 500th career win for coach Tom Hofman.

Mike McGlashan scored 21 points for La Canada (15-3, 2-1), which nearly produced the milestone victory at Monrovia, only to lose 69-68 on a buzzer beater.

Clarke Anderson added 12 points for the Spartans, who held their annual athletic hall of fame induction ceremony before the game, where Hofman presented his son Billy, who played point guard for La Canada from 1999 to 2003. Former football and track standouts Eric and Ryan Young, along with swimmer Alyssa Chin, were also inducted.

Hofman improved to 500-142 in 23 seasons, achieving his latest milestone less than four years after winning No. 400 against the same Blair team. It took Hofman only 123 games to win the last 100 games of his career.

Among area basketball veterans, Hofman trails Newbury Park girls' coach Nori Parvin (508 wins) and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City boys' coach Greg Hilliard (620 wins), although Hilliard has 485 victories with the Wolverines after coaching a decade at Catlin Gable in Portland, Ore.

It was a fantastic Friday for some local girls' soccer teams, yet frustrating for others. Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta pulled off its first victory at Pacific League rival Arcadia in more than a decade, Valencia atoned for an earlier tournament loss to Hart to remain tied atop the Foothill League standings and a frenzied second-half rally enabled Moorpark to tie Marmonte League leader Westlake. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 16:

Match of the day: Crescenta Valley 1, Arcadia 0: Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta coach Reggie Rivas collected his thoughts moments after the final whistle and said, "If this is what it's like, then I want this feeling every day. This feels great." Tori Baldridge's goal in the 23rd minute helped Rivas and the Falcons erase years of frustration by winning at Pacific League rival Arcadia (9-4-2, 5-1) for the first time since 1997, giving C.V. (10-1-4, 6-0) sole possession of first place. Baldridge, selected Far West Regional All-American by adidas and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, gave the Falcons a big boost with her effort at both ends of the field. The Kansas-bound defender gathered the ball 20 yards behind the midfield line and proceeded to dribble through the center of the Arcadia defense. After an attempted pass to Frances Boukidis was unsuccessful, Baldridge regained possession of the ball, beat another Arcadia defender and drilled a 25-yard shot over the head of Apaches goalkeeper Dana Lockie and under the crossbar for the score. "I saw an opening and I just dribbled and shot to score," Baldridge said. "I'm really proud of my team because we tried so hard and it paid off." Baldridge, along with Veronica Aguilar, Brittany Berger and Olivia Sierra, thwarted several Arcadia opportunities in front of goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson, who made four saves. The victory was extra special for Rivas, who never won at Arcadia in his first stint as Falcons coach earlier this decade, and his staff -- former C.V. players Tiffany Cervenka, Jorden Stanley and Stephanie Villa -- who had suffered through several heartbreaking losses against the Apaches the past 11 seasons. "I've been dreaming about this for about 7 1/2 years and we finally did it," Rivas said. "I think it's huge. This is the direction we're heading where we can come in here and get a win."

Goal of the night: When Harvard-Westlake of Studio City coach Richard Simms says it's "the best goal we've scored all season," then one tends to pay attention. In the Wolverines' 2-0 Mission League victory over Louisville of Woodland Hills, Harvard-Westlake covered both sides of the field and then some with a brilliant effort by Alyssa Garcia and Danielle Duhl en route to the team's goal in the 65th minute. After Nicole Sneider played a long pass from the central midfield along the right side to Garcia, the senior had the vision and the poise to deliver a 40-yard pass diagonally in between three Louisville defenders to hit Duhl in stride. Duhl then beat another Louisville defender, and with goalkeeper Katherine Amano charging at her, drilled a left-footed shot at a tough angle inside the far post to increase the lead to 2-0. Although equally important, but with slightly less fanfare was Donilynn Hunter-Sallustio's goal in the 30th minute off a corner kick from USC-bound junior Haley Boysen. Amano prevented Harvard-Westlake from two additional scores with point-blank stops.

Unsung hero of the night: Moorpark's road back to the Southern Section playoffs will be a long one, but it could've been one that all but came to an end had it not been for the efforts of junior Stacey Fujikuni in a 2-2 Marmonte League with first-place Westlake (7-2-2, 4-0-2). With Moorpark (5-4-1, 1-3-1) trailing 2-0 at halftime, Fujikuni took advantage of a pair of Warriors mistakes in the second half to score both goals, one coming off an assist from Kat Prati. Fujikuni has recorded points in three consecutive matches for Moorpark, which plays host to Thousand Oaks (6-6-2, 4-1-1) in another crucial league showdown Monday.

Top performance by a freshman: The goals they scored in Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Simi Valley weren't as significant since Westlake didn't allow its opponent to score. But the performance of ninth-graders Bianca Riazi and Taylor Perry was magnified in the Warriors' 2-2 tie with Moorpark. For the second straight match, both the younger Riazi -- junior sister Sara is one of the area's top defenders -- and Perry came through with goals for Westlake, which has had to look elsewhere to generate offense after leading scorer Andrea Todak aggravated her lower back after being taken down hard in Monday's 1-0 win at Royal of Simi Valley. Bridget Berman -- who scored Westlake's lone goal against Royal -- and Nicole Gilbert provided assists for Westlake, which can complete an unbeaten first half of league with a victory Monday at Calabasas (2-9-1, 0-6).

Top goalkeeping performance: So many strong efforts reported, it's hard to pick one, so top honors will be shared once again. Royal of Simi Valley's Jen Stone had six saves for the Highlanders (8-4-3, 3-2-1), who played rival Simi Valley (3-3-3, 2-3-1) to a scoreless Marmonte League draw. Moorpark's Cynthia Zaragoza, filling in for starter Alisa Reich (out ill), made six stops to preserve a 2-2 tie with Westlake. Although Louisville of Woodland Hills lost 2-0 to Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, the Royals' Katherine Amano received praise from Wolverines coach Richard Simms for her efforts. Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta's Amanda Rose Johnson made four saves in the Falcons' 1-0 victory at Arcadia, helping C.V. post its eighth shutout.

Top defensive performance: Canyon is the only Foothill team that hasn't surrendered a goal through the first week of league play and it's not just the result of the Cowboys playing West Ranch and Golden Valley. Canyon (11-3-1, 2-0) has a talented, versatile back line, which is ready for an eight-day stretch that features matches at Hart of Newhall and Saugus, before a Jan. 27 showdown against Valencia that could determine the first-half leader. With Oregon State-bound sweeper Milan Cabrera, along with Shannon Seidenglanz, Malaya Cabrera, Kathryn Hanson and Devon Goff leading the charge defensively for coach Eric White, Canyon is getting organized and focused at the right time. Burbank, a former Foothill League counterpart of Canyon, is thriving in the Pacific League, and a 2-0 victory over rival Burroughs was another example. The Bulldogs (11-4, 5-1), who play Wednesday at league-leading Crescenta Valley (10-1-4, 6-0), didn't allow a shot on goal in front of sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Reid en route to their sixth shutout.

Corner kicks: It was another wild affair in the Mission League involving Chaminade of West Hills and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, which played to a 2-2 tie. Raquel Weckhurst scored twice for the Eagles (17-1-1, 2-1-1), who received assists from Lauren Battung and Rita Hurlbut. Notre Dame (5-5-5, 0-1-3) took the lead on a penalty shot by Morgan Ritter -- her team-leading 12th goal -- and rallied for the tie in the 65th minute when Olivia Feitshans crashed the net following a Jessica Wiblin throw-in and kicked a loose ball past sweeper Ana Alvarado and goalkeeper Kacey McCormack ....... Kristin Bos and Kelly Deckers scored for Valencia (10-5-1, 2-0), which atoned for a Dec. 22 loss to Hart of Newhall in the Buena tournament semifinals with a 2-1 Foothill League victory. Allison Carivau scored for Hart (10-5-1, 1-1), which defeated Valencia 1-0 in their first meeting ........ Saugus took out its frustrations following Tuesday's loss to Valencia by defeating West Ranch 7-2. Jill Allen, Lauren Cech and Jamie Molacek each had two goals for the Centurions (9-2-2, 1-1). Shannon Suarez added a goal and Amanda Hill, Erin Ortega and Sarah Sager all recorded assists for Saugus ......... Agoura received goals from Taryn Kurcz, Alex Smith, Brooke Held, Natasha Blonsky and Taylor C'Debaca in a 5-1 Marmonte League victory over Calabasas (2-9-1, 0-6), which received a goal from Jenna Rebhun. Michell Manning contributed two assists, and Jessica Ramirez and Rachel Martinez each had one for the Chargers (10-2-1, 4-2) .......... Megan Meyer scored twice, both off assists from Samantha Rivera, as Thousand Oaks recorded a 2-1 Marmonte League victory over Newbury Park (7-4-1, 2-3) .......... Erica Kim, Victoria Cameron, Kathryn Klamecki, Lauren Kawamoto, Stephanie Gilbert and Rachel Medina scored for Oak Park (5-6-3, 3-1) in a 6-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Carpinteria ......... La Reina of Thousand Oaks (10-4-1, 2-1) had its five-match winning streak halted with a 1-0 Tri-Valley League loss at St. Bonaventure (12-5, 2-2) ......... North Hollywood continued its dominance of the East Valley League in a 6-0 victory over Poly of Sun Valley. Franchesca Vasquez had two goals and Julianna Renteria, Jennifer Fernandez, Ruby Sanchez and Gloria Almaray scored for the Huskies (6-5-2, 3-0). Almaray had two assists, while Sanchez and Vasquez had one each ........ Joandra Ramirez and Tiare Fuentes each had a goal and an assist for Kennedy of Granada Hills (4-6-1, 2-0) in a 2-1 Valley Mission League victory over Monroe of North Hills.

Several Antelope Valley teams wrestled a couple of times at Quartz Hill on Thursday night, but we got the results too late last night to put them in the paper.

So here they are.

Quartz Hill blew out Antelope Valley 74-0 in a dual and beat Eastside 67-6 and Highland (who Quartz Hill beat 67-3 earlier in the week) beat Eastside 54-22 and A.V. 75-6.

The top guys from Quartz Hill include Jared Ricker (at 103 pounds), Jon Melendez (112), Jacob Ricker (140), Greg Alesso (145), Eric Peters at 160, Alex Harvey (171) and heavyweight Anthony Chu.

Earlier in the week, Lancaster downed Antelope Valley 78-10 and beat Knight 46-10.

It was a terrific Thursday for some local girls' soccer teams and a tumultuous one for others. The West Valley League took center stage in the City Section, with Chatsworth and El Camino Real of Woodland Hills remaining at the top of the standings, and Golden League rivals Lancaster and Highland of Palmdale engaged in another physical, intense, personal battle with the Bulldogs managing to pull out the emotional victory. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely that no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 15:

Match of the day: El Camino Real 2, Cleveland 1: Cleveland of Reseda knocked off El Camino Real for the first time in program history in their first West Valley League meeting last year and pushed the Conquistadores to overtime before falling in the City Section semifinals, so ECR knew not to take the Cavaliers lightly. But despite controlling the run of play for a good portion of the match, Cleveland (5-7-3, 0-1-1) found itself on the frustrating end of another loss at ECR (4-6-1, 1-0-1), which remained in a first-place tie with Chatsworth (5-5-2, 1-0-1). "We are almost there," said Cleveland co-coach Greg Venger, whose team had an opportunity to net the equalizer just before the final whistle, only to have a free kick sail just wide of the post. Cheyenne Hayden had a goal and an assist and Nicola Berry also scored for ECR, which led 2-0 and had an opportunity to extend the advantage in the final 20 minutes, only to have San Diego-bound Jessica Stadheim misfire on a penalty shot. Karla Macias scored for the Cavaliers, who seek their first league victory Tuesday against Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

Goal of the night: If there's one area that Samantha Johnson has struggled in this season, it's been on penalty shots, where Highland of Palmdale coach Juan Paolo recalled the USC-bound talent having made one of her last five attempts entering their Golden League showdown against Lancaster. But after the four-year standout was taken down by multiple Lancaster defenders in the penalty area six minutes into the second half (technically the 41st minute and not the 46th, since the first half was called by officials at 35 minutes for some unknown reason), Johnson confidently stepped to the line and drilled a shot a few feet inside the left post and just under the crossbar for her 11th goal of the season and 86th of her career, leading the Bulldogs (6-5-2, 5-0) to a 1-0 victory. "I swear I saw smoke on the net," Paolo said. "There was no mercy on that one."

Unsung hero of the day: Following its most lopsided loss of the season, a 5-1 nonleague setback Monday against Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Malibu has bounced back with a pair of Frontier League victories and junior midfielder Claire Haft has been a big reason why. Haft had a pair of first-half goals to help the Sharks (7-5-1, 2-0) post a 3-0 victory at Santa Clara of Oxnard. Haft also scored twice in Tuesday's 6-1 victory over Villanova Prep of Ojai.

Top performance by a freshman: Taft of Woodland Hills boasts the area's longest unbeaten streak at 18 in a row and ninth-grade goalkeeper Cindy Godina has been an integral part of the Toreadors' success. Although Taft (13-0-5, 0-0-2) played to a 0-0 West Valley League draw against Granada Hills, its second tie in three days, Godina came up big with 12 saves. Godina will need to continue her strong play for the Toreadors to be competitive Tuesday against Chatsworth and Thursday against Cleveland of Reseda.

Top goalkeeping performance: Dana Moreno can do it all for Chatsworth (5-5-2, 1-0-1) and the Chancellors' 3-0 West Valley League victory over Birmingham of Lake Balboa was just another example. The Nevada-bound Moreno stopped the Patriots' only legitimate shot on frame, assisted on a Breanna Edwards goal with a long punt and played the final 13 minutes in the field -- just missing wide on a quality scoring chance of her own -- to allow Vanessa Ostovich to log time in net for Chatsworth. "She trained hard this year to become a backup goalkeeper," Moreno said. "I've played in the field (other matches) this year, but I want to put myself in goal. I want to be in that position and it makes my defense feel more comfortable when I'm back there."

Top defensive performance: Granada Hills probably isn't feeling too good about its offense after being held scoreless for the second straight West Valley League match. Good thing for the Highlanders they've continued to play strong defense, which has enabled them to salvage a pair of 0-0 ties against Cleveland of Reseda and most recently Taft of Woodland Hills. Despite injuries to several starters, Granada Hills (9-7-2, 0-0-2) still managed to record its 12th shutout entering a crucial week with home matches Tuesday against El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and Thursday against Chatsworth.

Corner kicks: Stephanie Galarze scored seven goals and added two assists for Quartz Hill in a 10-0 Golden League victory over Antelope Valley. Sonya Bernal added two goals, Rebecca Rodriguez had two assists and Courtney Ellis rounded out the scoring for the Rebels (7-2, 5-0), who have yet to surrender a goal in league play ......... Ally Gatti had five goals and two assists for Buckley of Sherman Oaks (4-4, 2-1) in a 7-0 Liberty League victory over Providence. Emily Turner and Shannon Crow also scored for the Griffins .......... Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge suffered its second straight 1-0 Prep League defeat, this time against Westridge of Pasadena. Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Bathke made four saves for the Rebels (7-6, 3-2) ........ Susan Lucas, Amber Pimley and Taylor Benton scored for Camarillo (4-1-6, 2-1) in a 3-0 Pacific View League victory over Channel Islands.

In local wrestling Thursday night, several teams were in action in dual meets.

El Camino Real defeated Cleveland at Cleveland High as Adam Ali (125) and Al Shuman (140) won by pins and Cameron Medina (135) beat his guy 8-7. In his match, Ali almost stood his opponent on his head for the pin.

For Agoura, John Combs recorded his 15th pin of the season to lead the Chargers to the win over Moorpark in Marmonte League play. PJ Press got a pin at the 103 weight class as did Justin Crane (125) and Cooper Rodgers (Heavyweight). Benn Rieder (189) also won for Agoura and Saul Garcia (at 130) stood out again for the Musketeers.

Monroe also dominated in the City against with a 65-7 win over Arleta. Monroe improves to 10-6 overall and 1-0 in league. Sophomore Bryan Valladares (119) and Julio Rodriguez (135) both got pins in the win.

On Wednesday, the Quartz Hill wrestling team beat Highland 67-3 in a dual meet in the Golden League. It was the first win by Quartz Hill over Highland in a dual meet in the school's history. Quartz Hill remains unbeaten in league, along with Lancaster.

San Fernando also beat Reseda 60-14 in a dual City Section meet. More on this as the results come in later.......

For 31 minutes and 59 seconds, La Canada boys' basketball coach Tom Hofman appeared on his way to securing his 500th career victory Wednesday night at Monrovia.

But the final second proved to be most the signifcant -- and heartbreaking -- for the 23rd-year coach, as Monrovia's Chris Bullock hit a shot along the right baseline as time expired to lead the Wildcats to a 69-68 Rio Hondo League victory.

Bullock finished with 20 points for Monrovia (11-4, 2-0), which scored seven points in the game's final 22 seconds to rally for the victory and spoil Hofman's milestone bid. Michael McGlashan, who, along with Omar Rady, had 21 points for La Canada (14-3, 1-1), missed two free throws with eight seconds remaining with the Spartans leading 68-67.

McGlashan had made three layups following a Jeff Grigg 3-pointer to increase La Canada's lead to 68-62 with 1:02 left, but Jonathan Henderson made a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, followed by a steal and layup from Chris Smith with 10 seconds left to cut the Wildcats' deficit to 68-67.

Monrovia's victory capped a home sweep for the Wildcats, who defeated La Canada 45-41 in girls' basketball and 2-1 in boys' soccer. All three contests were first-place showdowns.

Hofman, who is 499-142 in his career, will go after No. 500 in Friday's game against Blair of Pasadena. Before the game, he will induct his son, Billy, who played point guard at La Canada from 1999 to 2003, into the school's athletic hall of fame.

It was another wild Wednesday of local girls' soccer, with a pair of Franks -- Marino (Westlake) and Pace (Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge) -- keeping their teams in first place in the Marmonte and Mission leagues, Royal of Simi Valley knocking Thousand Oaks out of the top spot in the Marmonte League and a pair of Mission League rivals playing to a thrilling draw. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's probably because no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 14:

Match of the day: Notre Dame 2, Harvard-Westlake 2: There's still a significant amount of time left in the season for the Mission League rivals, seven matches to be exact for both teams. But Harvard-Westlake of Studio City will likely have to win all seven if the Wolverines want to extend their run of league championships to eight consecutive years. The margin for error could have been even less for Harvard-Westlake (8-2-2, 1-1-1) had it not been for the heroics of Nicole Sneider, who scored with five minutes left to rally the Wolverines to the draw, avoiding a rare loss at Slavin Field. USC-bound junior Haley Boysen gave Harvard-Westlake the lead in the first half, but Notre Dame (5-5-4, 0-1-2) rallied with goals from Jessica Wiblin in the 55th minute and Meg Pierce in the 70th minute to come ever so close to the first victory over the Wolverines in Sarah Farnham's coaching tenure. "We had them," Farnham said. "We felt like we were the better team, but they came back and they got a goal. It was just a great game to watch. In the past we would've been happy with tying Harvard-Westlake. But when a tie against Harvard-Westlake feels like a loss, you know you played well." Erin Landau and Donilynn Hunter-Sallustio recorded assists for Harvard-Westlake, which plays Friday against Louisville of Woodland Hills at Crespi High in Encino. "It was a crazy game," Harvard-Westlake coach Richard Simms said. "Both teams will feel like they should've won."

Goal of the day: Westlake put an exclamation mark on its 2-0 victory over Simi Valley, and subsequent move into sole possession of first place in the Marmonte League, with one of its finest goals of the season courtesy of one of its youngest players. With Molly Case attacking from the central midfield, she played a through ball to freshman Bianca Riazi, who finessed a pass in between three Simi Valley defenders to hit fellow ninth-grader Taylor Perry in stride. Perry then got past a Pioneer defender and beat the goalkeeper with a line drive from the right wing inside the far post. Bianca Riazi got things going for the Warriors (7-2-1, 4-0-1) in the first half with a header off a corner kick from Nicole Gilbert. Westlake plays host Friday to Moorpark (5-4, 1-3), which also scored two goals, but unfortunately allowed three in a loss to Agoura (9-2-1, 3-2).

Unsung hero of the night: Despite being shaken up following a collision that sent her to the bench for the latter part of the first half and early part of the second, Agoura's Taryn Kurcz had a profound impact on Agoura's 3-2 victory over Moorpark, snapping the Chargers' six-match winless streak against the Musketeers, including a loss in the Southern Section Div. II semifinals last season. The Harvard-bound Kurcz, who returned in the 55th minute to help fend off a frenetic second-half rally by the Musketeers, scored on an assist from Michelle Manning and set up a goal by Jessica Ramirez in the first half for Agoura (9-2-1, 3-2). Kurcz rarely leaves the field for coaches Mike Skene and Kathi Stewart, so "getting her bell rung" as Skene described must have been serious enough for the hard-working senior to be forced to the sideline. But despite second-half goals from Moorpark's Jennifer Randall and Mackenzie Markado, the efforts of Kurcz, Manning, Julie Watson and reserve goalkeeper Sarah Friedman were enough to hold off the Musketeers.

Top performance by a freshman: A big reason why Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge (12-3-2, 4-0) is the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. II, and soon to be the area's No. 1 team as well, is the efforts of seven freshmen. At the top of the list of rookie standouts has been Katie Johnson and Breeana Koemans, and the talented ninth-graders again showed why in a 3-0 Mission League victory over Alemany of Mission Hills (4-5-2, 0-3). Johnson had a goal and an assist, giving her six goals and eight assists, and Koemans scored her fifth goal -- which is supported by seven assists -- for the Tologs, who received a goal on a free kick from senior Pip Harragin. Goalkeeper Dominique Oro made two saves en route to her sixth consecutive shutout.

Top goalkeeping performance: It's not often that a coach goes out of his/her way to applaud the opposing goalkeeper, but Newbury Park's Kelly Zieger offered a great deal of praise for Calabasas junior Gabby Kaufman in the Coyotes' 1-0 Marmonte League loss to Newbury Park. "She was amazing," Zieger said. "She doesn't back down. She played a great game." The Texas Tech-bound Kaufman recorded 12 saves for Calabasas (2-8-1, 0-5), which has given its Marmonte League opponents fits thus far and appears primed to break through any day. Newbury Park's Kylie Hall was impressive in her own right, stopping six shots on frame for the Panthers (7-3-1, 2-2), who could return to the league title picture with a win Friday against defending-champion Thousand Oaks (5-6-2, 3-1-1).

Top defensive performance: Another strong candidate for the day's top match was Royal of Simi Valley's 1-0 Marmonte League victory over Thousand Oaks, a huge rebound victory by the Highlanders (8-5-2, 3-2) following a 1-0 setback Monday to Westlake. Although Royal struck in the first three minutes of the match, it was a stellar defensive effort by Alyssa Dodson, Jenna Fisher, Madisen Hasenauer, Marie Mackenzie and Diana Ohrt in front of goalkeeper Hannah Brimer that enabled the Highlanders to record their biggest win of the season. Royal takes on Simi Valley (3-3-2, 2-3), which dropped its third in a row, in a rivalry showdown Friday.

Corner kicks: It was a great scene before the Tri-Valley League match at Oak Park, when Eagles senior Lauren Kawamoto came out to midfield for the captains introduction and was staring across at freshman sister Nicole, who was named honorary captain by Oaks Christian of Westlake Village coach Jan Hethcock. It marked the first time the two sisters competed against one another at the high school level, with Nicole helping Oaks Christian post a 2-1 victory. Ally Courtnall scored off an assist from Lauren Tracy in the 28th minute and TCU-bound junior Kelly Johnson connected on a 25-yard free kick in the 64th minute for the Lions (11-1, 3-0). The Eagles (4-6-3, 2-1) benefitted from an Oaks Christian defender knocking the ball into the goal for their lone score ......... La Canada (8-2-2, 2-0) extended its unbeaten streak to 10 in a row with a 1-0 Rio Hondo League victory over Monrovia .......... Jessica Postma scored twice for Desert Christian of Lancaster in a 7-0 High Desert League victory over Desert of Edwards Air Force Base. The Knights (8-4-2, 4-0) have won 38 consecutive league matches.

A couple shots from last night's Alemany/Chaminade dual wrestling match.

Last night at the Alemamy and Chaminade dual meet, Gary Espinosa of Alemany and Craig Seidenglanz of Chaminade met in a rare match - since neither is in the same weight class on a regular basis. Gary cut weight and got down to 130 and Craig went up from 125.

Here's a shot of them facing off at the start of the match. Craig was up 2-0 early, but Espinosa came back and won it 7-5.

Espinosa is on the left in brown

Adam Moreno also won his match at 119 for Chaminade, but the Warriors otherwise dominated the Eagles team.

In other wrestling news, Monroe of North Hills beat Huntington Park in a dual meet last night. My apologies to Alex Ghaffary for not being able to fit that in the paper last night.

Email john.wareham@dailynews.com with any high school wrestling-related news and information, including any results from any matches and tournaments.

It was an exciting Tuesday of local girls' soccer competition, with one area heavyweight falling in the Foothill League, one local power rallying for a tie in the West Valley League and one Golden League playoff contender suffering a stunning loss. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's likely because no one affiliated with the team reported it to the Daily News.

So, without further delay, here's a recap of what transpired during the matches of Jan. 13:

Match of the day: Valencia 4, Saugus 2: With apologies to rapper Eminem, will the real Valencia please stand up? The Vikings' record in "big" matches this season entering their Foothill League opener hadn't been all that impressive, losing 4-1 at Westlake (a team Saugus defeated 3-2), 1-0 to Hart of Newhall (a team Saugus defeated 5-0), 1-0 to Santa Ynez (a team Saugus defeated 4-1) and 1-0 to Chaminade in the final of the Hart tournament Dec. 29. But all that didn't seem matter to coach Sean O'Connell's squad in the first 25 minutes, as Valencia (9-5-1) unleashed an onslaught against the defending league champion on Saugus' home field, scoring four goals, including three during a three-minute stretch. Kristin Bos had a goal and two assists, Alyssa Morse recorded a goal and an assist, and Kelly Deckers and Tiffany Geer both added goals for the Vikings, who also received an assist from Nicolette Smith. Jamie Molacek scored in the 59th and 64th minutes for Saugus (8-2-2) - which had its nine-match unbeaten streak halted competing in its first contest since Dec. 22 - the latter goal on a penalty shot. Valencia plays host to Hart on Friday, looking to atone for the aforementioned 1-0 loss Dec. 22 in the semifinals of the Buena tournament. Saugus' setback marked the second straight week that the area's No. 1 team suffered a loss in its first match out following the release of the rankings. Can someone say Daily News jinx?

Goal of the day: El Camino Real of Woodland Hills assistant AD Vinnie Orlando called it "senior leadership." Whatever the label was, Jessica Stadheim's 8-yard shot under the crossbar following a pass from Sasha Scott (Cal State Fullerton) in the 63rd minute prevented the veterans from suffering the first home loss in their careers in a 1-1 tie with West Valley League rival Chatsworth (4-5-2). ECR (3-6-1) surrendered a goal in the 53rd minute to Olivia Patterson, putting the Conquistadores in danger of losing to Chatsworth for the second year in a row after previously going unbeaten against the Chancellors in 16 consecutive matches. But Scott battled to gather the ball against three defenders, slipped it through traffic in the penalty area to the San Diego-bound Stadheim, who chipped a shot just over the oustretched arms of Nevada-bound standout Dana Moreno to net the equalizer. Stadheim gave all the credit to Scott for her effort, which kept ECR's home unbeaten streak alive.

Unsung hero of the night: Greg Venger's scoreless streak against Granada Hills - dating back to his head coaching days at Taft of Woodland Hills - extended to 11 matches following Cleveland of Reseda's 0-0 draw with the Highlanders. But the Cavaliers co-coach - along with Hector Ramirez - didn't focus on the lack offensive production, instead praising the efforts of forward-turned-defender Ashani McGee, who was instrumental in shutting down the Highlanders' attack, led by Melissa Fernandez. Stephanie Ortega and Kayla Colley combined for seven saves for Cleveland, which plays Thursday at El Camino Real, a team the Cavaliers defeated during the regular season last year before falling in overtime in the City Section semifinals.

Top performance by a freshman: Having to share the ball - and the spotlight - with USC-bound Samantha Johnson and older sister, Leanne, is a big responsibility, but Highland of Palmdale ninth-grade talent Larissa Brown seems to be handling the challenge just fine. After assisting on one of Johnson's first-half scores, the younger Brown scored three second-half goals - one more than she had in the first 11 games combined - in the Bulldogs' 7-1 Golden League victory over Antelope Valley, keeping Highland (5-2-5) - which won its fifth consecutive match - in a first-place tie with rival Quartz Hill (6-2).

Top goalkeeping performance: Staying in the Antelope Valley, although Quartz Hill tried to match Highland's scoring outburst in its 5-0 victory against Eastside of Lancaster, it was the performance of goalkeeper and reigning Golden League MVP Charity Blanton that was foremost on the mind of Rebels coach Chuck Gordon. Blanton stopped two breakaways by Eastside striker and 14-goal scorer Stacy Guijarro and recorded five saves en route to her fourth consecutive shutout in league competition. Stephanie Galarze, Rebecca Rodriguez, Brittany Teaney and Emilie Evenson supported Blanton with goals, including two from Galarze.

Top defensive performance: Even without central defender Katherine Hanson in the lineup, Canyon (10-3-1) demonstrated its depth in a 1-0 Foothill League victory over West Ranch by limiting the Wildcats to one corner kick and one 25-yard shot in the entire contest. Oregon State-bound sweeper Milan Cabrera teamed with sister, Malaya, and Devon Goff, to provide support for goalkeeper Alex Krall, who had to make only one save en route to the Cowboys' third shutout. Beth Barker provided all the offense Canyon would need by converting a Malaya Cabrera free kick midway through the first half.

Corner kicks: Taft of Woodland Hills extended its unbeaten streak to 17 consecutive matches with a 2-2 West Valley draw against Birmingham of Lake Balboa, completing an opening day of league competition that featured three ties. Brianna Behrad and Nora Perez scored for Taft (13-0-4), which will face a significant test Thursday against Granada Hills (9-5-1) ....... Knight of Palmdale, which had already suffered Golden League losses to Palmdale, Quartz Hill and Highland, defeated Lancaster 2-1 in the night's biggest upset ........ Palmdale had its largest offensive output of the season in a 10-0 Golden League victory over Littlerock ......... Kristina Hulse scored twice for Desert Christian of Lancaster (7-4-2) in a 7-0 High Desert League victory over Frazier Mountain, the Knights' 37th consecutive league victory ......... In a showdown for Prep League supremacy, Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge suffered a 1-0 loss to defending-champion Chadwick of Rancho Palos Verdes ........ Malibu rebounded from a 5-1 loss Monday to Oaks Christian of Westlake Village to record a 6-1 Frontier League victory over Villanova Prep of Ojai ......... Kendal Sears and Taylor Benton scored off assists from Briana Lariviere in Camarillo's 2-0 Pacific View League victory over Oxnard ......... Gabby Arnone and Sam Romero scored first-half goals for Grace Brethren of Simi Valley in a 2-0 Frontier League win over Santa Clara of Oxnard.

It wasn't a heavy Monday schedule of local girls' soccer competition, but there were still some significant performances and results from around the area. If your team's result doesn't appear on this report, it's not because the Daily News doesn't care about your team and its results, it's probably because no one affiliated with the team reported it to the paper via telephone call, fax or e-mail.

Anyway, here's a recap of what went down for the matches of Jan. 12:

Match of the day: Westlake 1, Royal 0: Skill, shape and set plays took a backseat to Mother Nature in this Marmonte League battle, which was overshadowed by winds that reached 25 mph in Simi Valley. Royal had the wind at its back in the first half and created several quality opportunities in the attacking third, with Marie Mackenzie, Kaleigh Zupon and Cindy Parks all frustrated by near misses. Westlake's Allie Altman recorded five of her seven saves in the first half, along with numerous takeaways in the penalty area, and was supported by Jackie Jacobson and Sara Riazi, who found a way to clear the ball up the field despite the recurring gusts in their face. Once Westlake escaped the first half unscathed, the Warriors controlled the run of play with the wind -- although somewhat subdued -- at their back in the second half. Mackenzie and Parks had Royal's only chances in the attacking third, but both were fired directly at Altman. Bridget Berman finally came to Westlake's rescue in the 74th minute when Andrea Todak played the ball into the center of the field, where the junior midfielder one-timed a shot just under the crossbar from 22 yards away. Nicole Gilbert, who had misfired on a free kick earlier in the second half, chipped a perfectly placed ball in the upper right corner from 30 yards in the 79th minute, but the sideline official ruled Westlake was offsides. The Warriors (6-2-1, 3-0-1) and Thousand Oaks (5-5-2, 3-0-1) have created early separation with the rest of the league, as Royal (7-5-2, 2-2) and the other five teams all have at least two league losses. Thousand Oaks plays Wednesday at Royal.

Goal of the day: Berman called her shot "half luck" as well as "one of the best I've scored." Whatever the circumstances, her right-footed blast couldn't have come at a better time for Westlake, which was in danger of squandering the final 40 minutes with the wind at its back. Todak factored into another Westlake goal, contributing to six of the Warriors' eight scores -- four goals, two assists -- since they returned from the holiday break.

Unsung hero of the night: Although she only recorded two saves, the return of Kacey McCormack to the Chaminade of West Hills lineup was significant for the Eagles (17-1), who haven't lost with the talented goalkeeper in net. McCormack was ill and missed Friday's 1-0 loss to Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge, but helped restore Chaminade's confidence in a 3-0 Mission League victory at Alemany of Mission Hills. Raquel Weckhurst, Alyssa Engstrom and Kim Rosendo all scored for the Eagles, who received an assist from Rita Hurlbut.

Top performance by a freshman: With Sinead Fleming, Pip Harragin, Samantha Norton and Natalie Zeenni around her, Alexa Montgomery's defensive contributions tend to get overshadowed at Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge. But the 14-year-old -- one of seven freshmen on the Tologs' roster -- continued to get the job done in a 2-0 Mission League victory at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. The shutout was the fifth in a row for Flintridge Sacred Heart, which is the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. II, marking the first time in program history the Tologs -- who received goals from Danielle Molina and Izzy Johnson -- have been ranked No. 1 in any division.

Top goalkeeping performance: This is more of belated recognition for Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's Noe Salter, who recorded one save and two takeaways in 51 shutout minutes in net in a 5-1 nonleague victory over former Frontier and Tri-Valley rival Malibu, which fell to 0-16 all-time against the Lions. In Friday's 3-0 victory over Nordhoff of Ojai, Salter passed Julia Humphries for the program's career records in saves and takeaways. With Monday's efforts, Salter now has 289 career saves (Humphries had 285) and 450 takeaways (Humphries recorded 444). In Wednesday's match against Tri-Valley rival Oak Park, Salter will tie Humphries' mark for career games played with 74 and she's closing in on Humphries' record for career starts in goal, which stands at 73.

Top defensive performance: North Hollywood had recorded only one shutout entering East Valley League play, but the Huskies picked a perfect time to hold another opponent scoreless in a 1-0 victory over Van Nuys in its league opener. Jennifer Fernandez played well in goal for North Hollywood, which made a goal from Franchesca Vasquez stand up.

Corner kicks: Carlene Abad, Krista Arredondo, Chelsea French and Johanna Moran all scored for Village Christian of Sun Valley and Amy Adamson recorded the shutout in a 4-0 victory over L.A. Baptist of North Hills.

1. Saugus (8-1-2) -- next match Tuesday vs. Valencia
2. Flintridge Sacred Heart (11-3-2) -- next match Wednesday vs. Alemany
3. Harvard-Westlake (8-2-1) -- next match Wednesday vs. Notre Dame
4. Chaminade (17-1) -- next match Friday at Notre Dame
5. Thousand Oaks (5-5-2) -- next match Wednesday at Royal
6. Westlake (6-2-1) -- next match Wednesday vs. Simi Valley
7. Oaks Christian (10-1) -- next match Wednesday at Oak Park
8. Agoura (8-2-1) -- next match Wednesday at Moorpark
9. Valencia (8-5-1) -- next match Tuesday at Saugus
10. Newbury Park (6-3-1) -- next match Wednesday vs. Calabasas

OTHERS: Burbank, Canyon, Chatsworth, Crescenta Valley, El Camino Real, Granada Hills, Hart, Highland, La Canada, La Reina, Louisville, Moorpark, Notre Dame, Quartz Hill, Royal, Simi Valley

This Saturday Saturday January 17, 2009:

MLK Hoops Shootout
At
LACES High School

10:00 am Van Nuys v Ayala (Chino Hills)
11:30 am LACES v San Dimas
1:00 pm Lynwood v Precision (Arizona)
2:30 pm Price v Cathedral
4:00 pm Fremont v Sylmar
5:30 pm 29 Palms v Durango (Las Vegas)
7:00 pm Serra (Gardena) v Cheyenne (Las Vegas)
8:30pm Windward v Pacific Hills

Players to watch include:
Tyler Honeycutt - Sylmar HS - Committed to UCLA
Tony Freeland - Fremont HS Committed to De Paul University
Anthony Stover - Windward HS - Committed to UCLA
Darius Morris - Windward - Committed to University of Michigan
Allen Crabbe - Price HS - Committed to University of California at Berkley
Elijah Johnson - Cheyenne HS - Committed to University of Kansas
Derrick Flowers - Pacific Hills HS - University California at Irvine
Kevin Johnson - Serra HS - Top 10 Sophomores in the Nation
Ronnie Stevens - Serra HS- Top 50 Sophomores in the Nation
Alex Osborne - Pacific Hills HS
Montreal Harris - 29 Palms HS
Sean Butler - LACES HS
Marcus Falley - Durango HS
Jaylen Henry - Cheyenne HS
Cameron Broomi - Van Nuys HS
Myles Jerrett - Ayala HS
Keon Pledger - Lynwood HS
Allen Jiles - Lynwood HS

Admission for all day pass: 8.00 adults 5.00 Students with I.D and children 12 and under

Malibu High is seeking a head JV baseball coach.

Interested applicants should contact athletic director Chris Neier.

chris.neier@smmusd.org

In tournaments over the weekend, several local wrestlers performed well.

Sergio Perez (160) and Johnny Fernandez (HVY), both of Birmingham, both went 5-0 in a Duals Tournament at Chaminade High School, where the host Eagles also had two 5-0 finishers - Craig Seidenglanz (competing at 130) and Adam Moreno (112-119).

The Thousand Oaks team split, where some of the team went to the Chaminade Duals Tournament - J.T. Lawson was the highest finisher at 189 pounds and went 4-1 -and others went to the Nogales Tournament. Behdod Katebian (125) placed third at Nogales, Ben Comfort (130) finished 8th, Eric Lawson (160) 8th, Johnny Herrera 8th at 171, Brandon Jansen 2nd at 189, Kevin Tran (112) finished 5th and Ethan Clifford (145) placed 8th.

Gary Espinosa of Alemany - who face Chaminade in a dual meet on Tuesday - finished third in his 135 weight class in the same Nogales tournament as did Agoura's Ben Wolhaupter (3rd at 140), John Combs (1st place at 160) and Joey Skinner, who finished 5th in the 145 pound class.

Another team that wrestled at Nogales was Moorpark, which had Collin Bradwell place 3rd at 145 pounds,.

OFFENSIVE MVP

RB - Brandon Buteyn, Paraclete

LINEMAN OF THE YEAR

OL - Brandon Owen, Paraclete

DEFENSIVE MVP

LB - Todd Davis, Paraclete

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

OL - Andrew Culver, Paraclete
OL - Daniel Fang, LAB
OL - Jared Vos, Valley Christian
QB - Daniel Owen, LAB
QB - Kyle Cameron, Valley Christian
RB - Dante Donato, Paraclete
RB - DJ Tripoli, LAB
RB - Ryan Montgomery, Valley Christian
RB - Mark Edwards, Whittier Christian
WR - Stephen Henderson, LAB
WR - Jason De Kruyf, Valley Christian
WR - Justin Trevino, Whittier Christian

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL - Justin Vargas, Paraclete
DL - Greg Gardner, Valley Christian
DL - Derrick Welsh, Village Christian
DE - Spencer Baskt, LAB
LB - Kyle Swanson, Paraclete
LB - Joey Vitelo, LAB
LB - Michael Phelps, Village Christian
LB - Jeremy Bowen, Village Christian
DB - John Hilliger, LAB
DB - Brett Struiksma,Valley Christian
DB - Zach Beckert, Whittier Christian

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

OL - Jordan Rush, Paraclete
OL - Cory Rodrigo, Paraclete
OL - Josh Nelson, LAB
OL - Jordan Dias, Village Christian
QB - Gabe Martinez, Paraclete
QB - PJ Kinney, Village Christian
RB - Nick Camarillo, Whittier Christian
WR - JayVaughn Nettles, Village Christian
WR - Jordan Chavira-Pearman, Whittier Christian
K - Kyle Steffes, Paraclete

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DE - Lavonte Barnett,Paraclete
DE - John Hunt, LAB
DL - Sam Phillips, Valley Christian
DE - Brent Howard, Valley Christian
DL - Dylan La Borico, Village Christian
DL - Sam Rhone, Whittier Christian
LB - Casey Reed, LAB
LB - Michael Ferra, LAB
LB - Kevin Running, Valley Christian
DB - Jonny Torsney, Paraclete
DB - Kyland Warren, Paraclete
DB - John Zipper, Valley Christian
DB - Nick Fosmire, Whittier Christian

Daily News Top 20 Boys Basketball thru Sunday Jan. 11

1. Taft (11-2)
2. Campbell Hall (11-3)
3. Golden Valley (15-1)
4. Reseda (10-6)
5. Thousand Oaks (14-2)
6. Harvard-Westlake (10-5)
7. Crespi (11-4)
8. Sylmar (8-5)
9. Cleveland (9-4)
10. Hart (11-6)
11. Agoura (14-2)
12. Granada Hills (13-3)
13. Valencia (11-4)
14. El Camino Real (11-5)
15. Simi Valley (11-5)
16. Chaminade (10-6)
17. La Canada (14-2)
18. Lancaster (10-3)
19. West Ranch (11-5)
20. Oaks Christian (12-2)

Others: Knight (10-3), Village Christian (11-4), Eastside (9-6), Saugus
(8-8), Burbank (11-5), Chatsworth (9-6), Calabasas (6-9), Oak Park (10-7),
Sierra Canyon (11-7), Buckley (14-2).

SMALL SCHOOLS TOP 10
1. Oaks Christian (12-2)
2. Village Christian (11-4)
3. Buckley (14-2)
4. Oak Park (10-7)
5. Sierra Canyon (11-7)
6. Montclair Prep (7-6)
7. Malibu (11-6)
8. Bell-Jeff
9. Holy Martyrs
10. Viewpoint (5-6)

Billy Parra, a 1989 graduate of Kennedy of Granada Hills has been named coach at Granada Hills High School.

Parra was the offensive coordiantor and frosh-soph coach at Granada Hills last season.

Parra replaces Straun Joseph.

It was a huge Friday of competition with several local girls' soccer teams making strong statements against league rivals. The Marmonte and Mission leagues continued to be as unpredictable as ever, with La Reina of Thousand Oaks and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village continuing to impress in the Tri-Valley League.

Here's a recap of what went down for the matches of Jan. 9:

Match of the day: Flintridge Sacred Heart 1, Chaminade 0: Chaminade of West Hills coach Mike Evans was so sick he almost didn't make the trip to the Glendale Sports Complex. Cal-bound striker Lauren Battung and Kacey McCormack didn't play because of illness. And other Eagles competed with cold and flu-like symptoms. So, the result of the Mission League showdown likely didn't help Chaminade's condition, as the Eagles had their 16-match winning streak snapped. Izzy Johnson scored in the 58th minute for the Tologs (10-3-2, 2-0) after a throw-in from Breeana Koemans was redirected by Pip Harragin to Johnson, who half-volleyed a shot just under the crossbar. Flintridge Sacred Heart, which has recorded four consecutive shutouts, recorded a 1-0 victory Wednesday over seven-time league champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, which rebounded Friday with a 2-0 win over Alemany of Mission Hills. Chaminade's loss leaves Vasquez of Acton (11-0) as the only area Southern Section team without a loss.

Goal of the day: Kelly Johnson assisted on two goals for Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, but it was her second-half goal on a well-placed header following a long free kick by Lauren Lindstrom that was the biggest highlight for the Lions in their 3-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Nordhoff of Ojai. Johnson assisted on goals by Megan Connor and Megan Schoppe for the Lions (9-1, 2-0), who play Malibu on Monday.

Unsung hero of the night: Although Sara Riazi, Nicole Gilbert and Andrea Todak were responsible for generating Westlake's offense in a 2-1 Marmonte League victory at Agoura, the Warriors turned in another strong defensive effort led by senior Jackie Jacobson. With the support of Riazi, Bri Linares and Chloe Wheeler, Jacobson helped Westlake (5-2-1, 2-0-1) halt Agoura's five-match unbeaten streak. With only three seniors on Westlake's roster, the leadership of Jacobson -- a former goalkeeper for coach Frank Marino -- has been invaluable for the Warriors, who play at Royal of Simi Valley on Monday.

Top performance by a freshman: Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge won its fourth in a row with a 2-0 Prep League victory over Vivian Webb of Claremont and goalkeeper Stephanie Bathke had a lot to do with the Rebels' success. Bathke recorded four saves and benefitted from two assists from Alina Okamoto on first-half goals from Michelle Bigony and Brooke Elby. It was the Rebels' fourth shutout, including their second in league play.

Top goalkeeping performance: Glory will be shared in this category. Louisville of Woodland Hills' Katherine Amano recorded 16 saves to help the Royals avoid an 0-2 start in the Mission League by playing Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks a 1-1 tie. Flintridge Sacred Heart's Dominique Oro, who had nine saves in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Harvard-Westlake, recorded seven saves in the Tologs' 1-0 victory over Chaminade. And La Reina of Thousand Oaks' Ali Parisi recorded her fifth consecutive shutout and sixth overall in a 5-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Carpinteria. Parisi has surrendered four goals in 14 matches for La Reina (10-3-1).

Top defensive performance: Although Newbury Park scored twice in the final two minutes to cap a 4-0 Marmonte League victory over Simi Valley, it was an inspired defensive effort that enabled the Panthers to bounce back from consecutive losses and avoid an 0-3 start in the Marmonte League. Coach Kelly Zieger said Newbury Park's performance was a complete 180-degree turnaround from a 5-1 loss Wednesday against Westlake. Kylie Hall shined in goal for the Panthers (6-3-1, 1-2), who received strong support from Anna Medler, Jami Murray and Monique Pendleberry.

Corner kicks: Ally Gatti scored for Buckley of Sherman Oaks in a 1-0 Liberty League victory over Oakwood of North Hollywood ....... Michelle Cruz had a hat trick, with Alyson Birgel, Taylor Demirjian and Caitlin Turner recording assists for Thousand Oaks in a 3-1 Marmonte League victory over Calabasas ........ Royal took advantage of Moorpark's inability to clear two balls in the penalty area in the first half to post a 2-1 Marmonte League victory over the Musketeers, who received a goal from Jennifer Randall off an assist from Stacey Fujikuni ....... Victoria Cameron and Stephanie Gilbert scored for Oak Park in a 2-0 Tri-Valley League victory over St. Bonaventure of Ventura ....... Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta received goals from seven individuals in a 7-0 Pacific League victory over Hoover of Glendale ....... Kristina Amela, Courtney Austin and Jennifer Seip scored for Burbank in a 3-0 Pacific League triumph over Glendale ....... Samantha Houle scored twice in the second half and Emily Gordon had seven saves for Vasquez of Acton in a 2-0 victory at Cate of Carpinteria.

2009 WAR ON THE FLOOR BOYS HOOPS
ONE DAY EXTRAVAGANZA

SATURDAY JANUARY 24, 2009.
SITE: SANTA MONICA CITY COLLEGE.

THE MATCH-UPS:
ALL GAMES, ONE SITE

SYLMAR VS. CLEVELAND 6:15 P.M.
CAMPBELL HALL VS. MOD. CHRISTIAN 8 P.M.
GRANITE HILLS VS. RENAISSANCE ACAD. 1 P.M.
BRENTWOOD VS. VAN NUYS 11:30 A.M.
PACIFIC HILLS VS. PRICE 4:00 P.M.
MONTCLAIR PREP VS. 29 PALMS 2:30 P.M.

Saturday January 17
Westside Challenge

Santa Monica High

12:30 p.m. Culver City vs. Gahr
2 p.m. Pacific Hills vs. St. Paul
3:30 p.m. Harvard-Westlake vs. Inglewood

5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Shootout Competition

6 p.m. Beverly Hills vs. Redondo Union
7:30 p.m. Bell-Jeff vs. Santa Monica

Taft of Woodland Hills is hosting the 2nd annual "To the Rack Showcase" Saturday January 17th at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

There will be four boys basketball games highlighted by Daily News No. 1 Taft squaring off against Compton at 8 p.m.

The other three games are La Verne Lutheran vs. Renaissance Academy at 3 p.m., Cleveland vs. Compton Centennial at 4:30 p.m. and Valencia vs. Colony at 6 p.m.

Tickets will be sold at the door on a first come-first sreved basis.

It was the first big night of the new year on the local girls' soccer schedule and it didn't disappoint, with Mission and Tri-Valley league play starting and competition resuming in the Marmonte and Pacific leagues following the holiday break.

Here's a recap of what went down for the matches of Jan. 7:

Match of the night: Flintridge Sacred Heart 1, Harvard-Westlake 0: Although the Mission League opener was marred by fouls and laden with cards, the Tologs managed to pull off the first significant upset of the calendar year and one of the biggest wins by an underdog so far this season with the victory at St. Francis High. Freshman Tera Trujillo scored in the 47th minute for the Tologs (9-3-2), who defeated Harvard-Westlake (7-2-1) for only the third time in 27 meetings. Flintridge Sacred Heart's Lauren Torres missed a penalty shot midway through the first half and Nicole Sneider had a goal in the 30th minute disallowed as a result of an offsides call for Harvard-Westlake, setting the stage for an intense and physical final 40 minutes. The Tologs were forced to play a girl down in the final 14 minutes after Bianca Garoian was issued a straight red card for going cleats up while challenging a loose ball, but their defense prevented a high-scoring Wolverines attack from tying the score, thanks to nine saves from Dominique Oro.

Goal of the night: With apologies to Tera Trujillo, this one goes to Moorpark's Ariana Martinez, who broke a tie in the 77th minute off an assist from Stacey Fujikuni to lift the Musketeers to a 2-1 Marmonte League victory over a much-improved Calabasas team.
The Coyotes (2-5-1, 0-3) tied the score on a penalty shot in the 65th minute, but Moorpark (5-2, 1-1) avoided going winless in its first two league matches with the clutch score from Martinez. Fujikuni also assisted on Patty Meza's goal for the Musketeers, who play Royal of Simi Valley (6-4-2, 1-1) on Friday.

Unsung heroes of the night: Agoura's Taryn Kurcz, Emily Kenney and Kelsey Reichow, for not only anchoring a strong defensive effort in a 2-0 Marmonte League victory over Royal of Simi Valley, but for leading the Chargers (8-1-1, 2-1) to their fifth consecutive win following a 1-0 loss Dec. 15 to Thousand Oaks (4-5-2, 2-0-1). Agoura plays host Friday to another surging squad, Westlake (4-2-1, 1-0-1), which defeated Newbury Park 5-1.

Top performance by a freshman: Westlake's Taylor Perry couldn't have picked a better time to record the first hat trick of her career, upstaging former Warriors freshman standout, Lyndsey Preston, who transferred in the offseason to Newbury Park. Preston and the rest of the Panthers found themselves part of a humbling 5-1 loss to Perry and her teammates, including Andrea Todak, who added two goals, and Bridget Berman, who contributed two assists.

Top goalkeeping performance: This will be a shared award, since some goalkeepers split time in net anyway. Thousand Oaks' Hanna Shirley, who was brought up from the junior-varsity team in December during the Lancers' appearances at the Mater Dei Premier Invitational and Excalibur tournament, made her first Marmonte League start and recorded seven saves to help preserve a 1-0 victory at Simi Valley. Shirley made two point-blank stops on breakaways to keep Thousand Oaks (4-5-2, 2-0-1), which received a goal from Pam Aikman, in sole possession of first place. Not too far down the road, La Reina of Thousand Oaks' Ali Parisi recorded her fourth consecutive shutout and fifth overall in a 5-0 Tri-Valley League victory over Fillmore. Parisi has surrendered four goals in 13 matches for La Reina (9-3-1).

Top defensive performance: Again shared recognition to a pair of Mission League squads, Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge and Chaminade of West Hills. Flintridge Sacred Heart received strong efforts from New Mexico-bound standout Sinead Fleming and sophomore transfer Natalie Zeenni, along with support from Pip Harragin, Izzy Johnson and Sam Norton, to shut out a Harvard-Westlake team that entered the match with 27 goals. Chaminade (16-0), led by junior sweeper Ana Alvarado and four saves from goalkeeper Kacey McCormack, defeated rival Louisville of Woodland Hills 1-0, recording its second shutout victory this season over the Royals (7-5-2).

Corner kicks: Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta surrendered its first goal in Pacific League play, but still delivered a dominant effort in a 5-1 victory at defending-champion Pasadena ...... Oaks Christian (8-1) received goal from Megan Connor off an assist from Kelly Johnson and seven saves from Noe Salter in a 1-0 Tri-Valley League victory over nemesis St. Bonaventure of Ventura (10-4) ...... Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge (6-4) scored three second-half goals to record a 4-3 nonleague victory over San Marino. Brooke Elby scored twice and assisted on goals by Alina Okamoto and Ellie Redding for the Rebels.

The new year is here and there is some good basketball going on the region this week.

Monday January 5, Brentwood at Viewpoint, 3 p.m. and Loyola at Chaminade, 7 p.m.

Tuesday January 6, Kilpatrick at Montclair Prep, 5 p.m. and Golden Valley at Oaks Christian, 7 p.m.

Wednesday January 7, Simi Valley at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.

Girls games include Bell-Jeff at Saugus, Alemany at Valencia, Sierra Canyon at L.A. Baptist, Windward at Harvard-Westlake and village christian at Campbell Hall. All games on Tuesday.

Wednesday features Montclair Prep at Faith Baptist at 4 p.m. and Muir at Crescenta Valley at 4:45 p.m.

Thursday January 8 showcases Chaminade at Harvard-Westlake and Saturday January 10 has Canyon at Notre Dame

Malibu took ninth-place in a 77-61 victory against L.A. Baptist of North Hills.

Chandler Abbott scored 33 points and Ben Apstein scored 23.

Malibu led 47-22 at halftime.

In the championship game, Walnut beat St. Monica 59-49.

Marshall of Pasadena beat Pasadena Poly 64-41 for third place.

Monrovia beat Western Christian of Covina 70-63 in overtime for fifth place.

St. Genevieve of Panorama City beat Sherman Oaks C.E.S. of Reseda 59-50 for seventh place.

Viewpoint of Calabasas beat Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills 60-39 for 11th place.

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't quite the same team that won the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoop Classic on Tuesday night in a victory against Etiwanda but Taft of Woodland Hills did just enough right things to beat Colony of Ontario, 69-55, in a non-league game in the Johnnie L. Cochran basketball classic at Cal St. Dominguez Hills in Carson.

"If some teams scouted us today they probably left feeling very confident," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said.

The Toreadors (11-2), the region's top-ranked team, got off to a slow start, leading only 34-28 at halftime.

They weren't fluid on offense and had some mental lapses on defense.

"I think everybody was relaxing a little too much," Taft guard Justin Hawkins said.

But when Taft needed to come through, that is exactly what it did.

Leading 50-47 with seven minutes remaining, the Toreadors went on a 17-3 run to finally pull away.

"I wanted to win," CSUN-bound forward Terran Carter said. "I was going to do whatever it took for that to happen. I had to be a leader."

Carter finished with nine points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.

Hawkins, headed for UNLV next year, did his part as well, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

"I think all the traveling we have done took its toll," Hawkins said. "We have not practiced a lot lately either. We just knew we had to step up in the second half."

Michael Williams and DeSean Johnson complemented fellow seniors Carter and Hawkins with 19 and 14 points respectively. Williams made five 3-pointers, once again demonstrating he is one of the best shooters in the region.

"We were just flat and every team always has a game like this at some point," Taylor said. "I am glad we were still able to win the game."

Colony (8-6), which lost top player Tyler Lamb when he transferred to Mater Dei of Santa Ana last summer, was led by Dennis Craig's 15 points and Gene Saulsberry's 13.

Christmas might be over a week old but Sylmar was still in the giving mood blowing an 11-point lead and dropping a non-league game to Perris, 58-56.

The Spartans (8-5) went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter behind two 3-pointers from Gary Ricks and a lay-up each from Roberto Dominguez and Tyler Honeycutt but couldn't hang on after a disastrous fourth quarter.

Sylmar was outscored 19-6 in the final eight minutes, shot just three of 15 from the field in the quarter and never got the ball to Honeycutt, instead settling for long range 3-point shots that weren't falling.

"We shot ourselves out of the game," Honeycutt said. "We shouldn't have been down at halftime even. We would just chuck up shots and then not get back on defense. Games like this are why we don't get the respect we think we should have. We should smash teams like we played today."

The 6'9 Honeycutt, who will attend UCLA next season, finished with 21 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks.

Gary Ricks had a solid game for Sylmar with 20 points and seven rebounds including six 3-pointers but the Spartans got little production anywhere else.

Santa Clara-bound guard Robert Smith had 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Perris.

Myron Samuel had 15 points, seven steals, four assist and four rebounds.

The game played like a roller coaster ride throughout.

Sylmar went on an 11-2 run to lead by nine at 26-17 but Perris used a 13-2 run to close the first half and lead by two.

In the third quarter, Sylmar went on a 10-0 run but Perris answered with a 15-2 fourth quarter run and hung on.

A key stat for Sylmar was shooting just one free throw the entire game.

Prince Obasi and David Selma each had 17 points for Cleveland of Reseda in a 64-62 victory against Price of Los Angeles (11-4).

The Cavaliers (9-4) led 61-53 with 2:21 remaining but had to withstand a late rally and two missed shots by Price in the final seconds.

Obasi had nine rebounds, five assists and made all eight of his free throws.

Selma made seven of eight shots from the field and Jason Johnson had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

"It was good teamwork today," Selma said. "We showed poise and made free throws down the stretch."

Thouansand Oaks Behdod Katebian won the 125-pound division at the Shark Tank Invitational wrestling tournament at Santiago HIgh School in Corona.

The junior placed second at the Brea Linda tournament on Dec. 20.

Andrew Farhadi started the new year with a bang....

Farhadi scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Buckley of Sherman Oaks to the 64-59 victory over Pacifica Christian of Santa Monica in a semifinal game in the Palm Springs tournament at Desert Christian High School in Indio.

The Griffins (13-1) will play host Desert Christian in the Championship game Saturday.

Jake Brodsky and Ryan Norris scored 11 points each for Buckley. Norris had seven assists while Brodsky had five assists.

In other Boys' Basketball games:
Malibu 64, Viewpoint 61: Chya Mousavipor had 20 points to lead four Malibu players in double figures in the Viewpoint tournament in Calabasas.

Chandler Abbott had 18 points, Max Flores had 11 and Ben Rotman added 10 for the Sharks (10-4).

Malibu trailed 30-27 at halftime but outscored Viewpoint 25-11 in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Tucker Trainer scored a game-high 27 points to lead Viewpoint (4-5). Jack Borenstein added 12 points for the Patriots.

Viewpoint Boys Tournament. Schedule for Friday Jan. 2

: : : 10:30 a.m. Malibu vs. Viewpoint
: : : 12 p.m. Hillcrest Chr./G. Hills vs. L.A. Baptist

: : : 1:30 p.m. Western Chr. vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S.
: : : 3 p.m. St. Genevive vs. Monrovia

: : : Champinship Semifinals
: : : 4:30 p.m. Pasadena Poly vs. Walnut
: : : 6 p.m. Marshall of Pasadena vs. St. Monica

Thousand Oaks resident JT Sundling, a USC signee, won the 18-under singles title Thursday at the USTA Winter National Championships in Phoenix, defeating Connor Smith of Tampa, Fla., 1-6, 6-0, 7-6 (0).

Sundling, who captured the 18-under summer sectional title in Fountain Valley in June, dropped only two sets -- the other in the first round -- en route to the championship.

Sundling, a former Winter National doubles champion, also reached the doubles final with partner Sekou Coker Bangoura of Bradenton, Fla., but lost 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to Irvine's John Huang and Marc Powers of Stamford, Conn.

Taft of Woodland Hills senior Josh Tchan and partner Daniel Ho of Beverly Hills rebounded from a three-set semifinal setback to Bangoura and Sundling to defeat Garret Dunn and Andy Nguyen -- both from Arizona -- 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the 18-under division third-place match.

Tchan, headed to Harvard, was also given the Sportsmanship Award in the boys' 18-under division. He reached the round of 16 in singles, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Redlands' Joe Young.

Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's Sarah Lee and Sabrina Santamaria, who captured the Southern Section doubles title Dec. 5, lost 6-4, 7-5 in the quarterfinals to champions Kaitlyn Christian of Orange Lutheran and Whitney Kay of Alpharetta, Ga.

Santamaria lost to Christian in the round of 16 in singles. Lee lost in the round of 32. Christian then defeated Lee in the consolation quarterfinals en route to the consolation title.

Daily News Top 20 Boys Basketball thru Dec. 31

1. Taft (10-2)
2. Campbell Hall (9-3)
3. Golden Valley (13-1)
4. Reseda (10-6)
5. Thousand Oaks (12-2)
6. Hart (11-5)
7. Agoura (12-2)
8. Granada Hills (12-3)
9. Simi Valley (10-4)
10. Valencia (10-2)
11. Sylmar (8-4)
12. Harvard-Westlake (8-5)
13. Crespi (9-4)
14. El Camino Real (10-5)
15. Chaminade (9-4)
16. Cleveland (8-4)
17. La Canada (11-2)
18. Lancaster (8-3)
19. Chatsworth (8-6)
20. Oaks Christian (11-1)

Others: Knight (8-3), Village Christian (9-4), Eastside (8-5), Saugus (7-6), Burbank, West Ranch, Kennedy, Calabasas (5-8), Sierra Canyon (9-7), Buckley (11-1).