December 2009 Archives

The Thousand Oaks girls basketball team was trying to accomplish two things Thursday in the championship game of its own holiday tournament.

Win the tournament to ring in the new year and exact some revenge against Buena of Ventura after suffering a 72-67 loss on Dec. 12 in the third place game of the Buena tournament.

The Bulldogs would not let either goal come to fruition turning away several rally attempts by Thousand Oaks in a 55-42 victory.

Junior Keani Albanez scored 25 points to lead Buena and Kacie Sowell added 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Katie Deamer did her best in the third quarter to give the Lancers (7-7) hope scoring 14 points but Thousand Oaks went ice cold in the fourth quarter only making two baskets.

"I felt I needed to step up at that point," Deamer said. "We talked at halftime about keeping the game in single digits and we could pull it out."

Taylor Valdez made a 3-pointer with six minutes remaining as part of a 9-0 run to get the Lancers to within 40-39 but Albanez scored nine points in the fourth quarter and Clara Strozier's 3-pointer with 3:00 minutes remaining stretched the lead to 49-40.

"They started to guard us real close and it was hard to get open," Deamer said. "As a result our defense also slacked a bit and the game got away from us."

Kendall Frisoli scored nine points for Thousand Oaks while Camilla Chun and Valdez each had six.

THIRD PLACE GAME

Camarillo 57, Granada Hills 44

Kelli Nishimori scored 23 points to lead the Scorpions (5-10) over the Highlanders.

Xava Grooms had 16 points for Granada Hills, which does not have another game until Jan. 13 when West Valley League play begins.

Westlake coach Jim Benkert has been named Cal-Hi Sports state coach of the year after leading the Warriors to a 14-0 record and a Northern Division championship.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Winning is not getting old for the Agoura girls basketball team.

The Chargers won their third tournament championship of the season and stayed undefeated in the process with a 55-48 victory against Oaks Christian of Westlake Village at the Oaks Christian Holiday Hardwood Invitational.

The win was even more impressive considering standouts Brittany Oster and Kylie Cunningham had subpar performances by their standards.

The pair combined for only two points by halftime but both came thorugh with clutch plays in the fourth quarter that proved vital.

Oster made a 3-pointer in the third quarter to even the game at 41-41 and then scored six points in the fourth quarter, including making all four of her free throws.

Cunningham didn't register a basket until the 2:52 mark of the fourth quarter but the basket gave Agoura a one point lead and her next basket 30 seconds later extended the lead to three putting the Lions (10-2) on their heels.

"It felt good to finally score and be able to help at the end," Cunningham said.

Agoura was able to stay in the game because of some unhralded performances from Sam Fisher and Camille Mahlknecht.

Fisher scored eight points in the first half helping the Chargers ease the loss of Cunningham, who went ot the bench with three fouls.

Mahlknecht scored 12 points, mostly all in the paint taking pressure away from Oster and did a good job defensively blocking several Oaks Christian shot attempts in the paint.

"I told the girls it is a sign of a good team when someone is down that others step up for the team," Agoura coach Steve Scifres said. "Fisher, (Liz) Levy, Camille (Mahlknecht) all stepped up."

The Lions held a 47-46 lead but surrendered six straight points with under 3:00 minutes remaining, didn't score another basket the rest of the way, missed two free throws, missed a layup and couldn't secure a defensive rebound when Mahlknecht missed two free throws with :38 seconds remaining.

"We just played our game and played well as a team," Cunningham said. "This is unbelieveable right now. We challenge ourselves not to lose."

Sasha Borenstein scored 13 points for Agoura, Oster finished with 12 and Mahlknecht had 12.

Katie Brooks scored 21 points to lead Oaks Christian but no other player was in double figures.

Agoura has a chance to finish the regular season undefeated with 10 Marmonte League games left on the schedule.

The Chargers visit Royal of Simi Valley Wednesday.

Oaks Christian starts Tri-Valley League play Tuesday against Villanova Prep of Ojai and has a chance to make waves in the Div. IV-A rankings with a huge nonleague showdown against Bell-Jeff of Burbank on Jan. 9 in the "To the Rack" showcase at Oaks Christian.

Hardly anyone is willing to talk on the record in case they don't get the job, but here is the most up to date information I have on the Crespi High of Encino head football coaching job, a coveted position that includes a six-figure salary and a chance to win right away in the Pac-5 -- the Southern Section's largest division -- because lots of key players are returning.

Since Jeremiah Ross was forced out in December after going 5-5 last season and failing to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, a total of about 20 applicants have made official inquiries, and the interview process begins Monday.

Among the names being thrown into the mix by various sources are Harry Welch (St. Margarets of San Juan Capistrano), Tim Lins (Moorpark), Jim Benkert (Westlake), Troy Thomas (Servite), Jon Mack (Ventura College/ex-St. Bonaventure of Ventura), Todd Therrien (St. Bonaventure) and Tony Maddox (Oaks Christian assistant).

Welch, a proven winner at Canyon (five Southern Section titles, one state title) and St. Margaret's (three Southern Section titles and one state titles in three years), would be a particularly intriguing choice. He is 63 but swears he has the energy of men half his age, and he is a Crespi alum who was in the school's first graduating class and also coached there one season as an assistant.

Welch also is reportedly in position for the vacant head job at Loyola of L.A. While he preferred not to directly confirm whether or he has officially applied at either school, Welch did say: "I'd say I'm a real serious candidate."

Welch has had just one losing season in 21 years as a head coach, and only once in his life has he not won an interview for a head-coaching position -- in 1999, when Canyon picked Jack Bowman over him after Welch had been retired for seven years.

"That was kind of political," Welch said.,

Welch is a combined 98-10 over the last eight seasons at St. Margaret's and Canyon (an average of more than 12 wins per year), and he has won a section title the past five years in a row.

Before taking the St. Margaret's job in 2007, Welch was offered the head job at Chaminade of West Hills but could not come to terms, according to a Chaminade source. The job eventually went to Anthony Harris, who resigned after two seasons.

"I don't think it would be right to comment on that in fairness to the guy who took the job," Welch said.

Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell said he was not aware whether or not his assistant, Maddox, had applied for the Crespi job, but Redell did say Maddox has expressed interest in being a head coach and that Redell had written him an open letter of recommendation.

"I know Tony is looking for a head-coaching job, so it wouldn't surprise me. I think he would be a good fit at Crespi," said Redell, who previously coached at Crespi. "The problem is he has just two years of experience, but when I took the Crespi job in 1982 I had just two years of experience, too. I think he would do a good job."

Paul Wrens, Crespi's PR director, said he does not have confirmation of who has applied.

There are other openings for a head football coach at Grace Brethren of Simi Valley, St. Genevieve of Panorama City and Eastside of Lancaster.

In the meantime, Ross has vowed he will be back on his feet this coming season.

"I'm looking into some offers, both at the high school level and the college level," Ross said. "I definitely will be coaching in 2010."

West Coast Holiday Invitational girls basketball tournament schedule for Wed. Dec. 30

Harvard-Westlake Games:

9am Morningside vs. Channel Islands
1030am ND Academy vs. Saugus
12pm Brentwood vs. Sylmar
130pm St. Monica vs. Venice
3pm West Ranch vs. Vista Del Lago
430pm St. Paul vs. Culver City
6pm Monroe vs. Marlborough
730pm Harvard-Westlake vs. Inglewood (semis)

Beverly Hills High Games:

9am Poly vs. Hawthorne
1030am Oxnard vs. Bellflower
12pm Oak Park vs. Valencia
130pm Crescenta Valley vs. Chatsworth
3pm Newbury Park vs. Burroughs
430pm Beverly Hills vs. LACES
6pm Norco vs. Marymount
730pm Alemany vs. El Camino (semis)

La Canada tourney schedule for Wed. Dec. 30

CONSOLATION SEMIS
11:30am Fillmore vs Keppel
1:00pm Village Christian vs Arcadia

5th PLACE SEMIS
2:30pm Burbank vs Flintridge Prep
4:00pm Flintridge Sacred Heart vs La Salle

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET SEMIS
5:30pm La Canada vs Chaminade
7:00pm Serra vs Canyon (Canyon Country)

La Canada High School Address:
4463 Oak Grove Drive
LC, CA 91011

9:30 a.m. Oaks Chr. vs. 1000 Oaks boys (main court)
9:30 a.m. Calvary Baptist vs. Cleveland girls (aux. court)
11 a.m. Pasadena vs. Santa Monica boys (main court)
11 a.m. Horizon Chr. vs. Palisades girls (aux. court)
12:30 p.m. Sierra Canyon vs. Westlake girls (main court)
12:30 p.m. Horizon Chr. vs. Alemany boys (aux. court)
2 p.m. Sheldon vs. Santa Clara girls (main court)
2 p.m. Cleveland vs. Blair boys (aux. court)
3:30 p.m. Colony vs. Sheldon boys (main court)
3:30 p.m. El Camino Real vs. Sierra Cyn boys (aux. court) 11th Place
5 p.m. Sacaramento vs. Etiwanda boys (main court) 3rd Place
5 p.m. Taft vs. Mount Vernon girls (aux. court) 3rd Place
6:30 p.m. Oaks Chr. vs. Agoura girls championship game (main court)
8:15 p.m. Loyola vs. Salesian boys championship game (main court)

All 14 games at Oaks Christian High School
(31749 La Tienda Ave. Westlake Village, Ca. 91362)

It's been a trying first month for Hart High's boys' basketball team, one of the area's most consistently successful programs this past decade but in the midst of a horrible start that has included several blowout losses.

The Indians (4-10) lost for the sixth time in a row today with a 57-51 pool-play defeat to Palmdale in the 40th annual Hart Holiday Classic tournament.

But at least Hart gave Palmdale a scare, matching the Falcons basket for basket before succombing in the final minutes after being down by one point enterting the fourth quarter.

"We played our tails off. I was happy with our effort," said Tom Kelly, who has four league titles and one section runner-up in his nine-year career.

"We just have to get over the hump."

Kelly, 40, has had just one losing season, and that was back in 2001.

The victory boosted Palmdale (9-3) into the tournament championship tonight at 7:30 p.m., while leaving Hart wondering when its first home-court victory might come this season after averaging more than 20 wins the past eight years.

In a game that did not include a successful 3-pointer, Palmdale's Keiosha Reddix scored 10 points, and Dimas Solares added nine, as the Falcons won their sixth in a row.

Hart's Roman Delgado scored 15 points, including 7 of 8 free throws. He and teammate Cole Preston (12 points) were the only Hart players to score a field goal in the fourth quarter.

In other Hart tournament action:

Righetti 61, Grant 60 -- Hunter Walker scored 20 points, including the winning free-throw with one second remaining to propel Righetti of Santa Maria into the tournament championship tonight at 7:30 against Palmdale.

With the score tied, Walker was fouled on a 3-point attempt from the left baseline. He missed the first free throw, but after a Grant timeout he made the second to all but clinch the game before missing the third.

"It was nerve-wracking, but I had to hit that free throw to get my team the victory," said Walker, a sophomore. "I think we can win this thing, but we have to come out more aggressive like we did the night before against Camarillo."

Grant did not get off a final shot.

"We played hard. I think we can still do a lot this season because I trust my teammates," Grant's Travis Wilson said.

Nick Sauer scored 18 for Righetti (10-3), while Grant was led by Jared Garner (18 points), Cory Payne (14 points) and Travon Thomas (12 points.

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village boys basketball team nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the season Tuesday in a championship quarterfinal at its own Holiday tournament.

The Lions led by eight points with 3:22 remaining but squandered the lead and lost when sophomore Chass Bryan's off balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer was wide right.

"I was just trying to come off a couple screens and get a good look," Bryan said. "It looked pretty good but didn't fall."

Oaks Christian trailed by seven points late in the third quarter but mounted a furious 15-2 run to go up 58-53.

Jono Wening made two 3-pointers to end the third quarter and continued his hot shooting with eight more points in the fourth quarter, including two more 3-pointers.

Wening hit one his fourth quarter 3-pointers followed by a 3-point play from Bryan and then Wening hit another 3-pointer with 3:44 remaining.

The Lions found themselves up 65-57 and seemingly on their way to a huge early season victory.

However, Loyola turned up the defensive pressure, De La Salle of Concord transfer Joe Stein made three of four free throws and the Cubs experience came through down the stretch.

"They have been together longer than us," Bryan said. "It was our first big game of the year. They have had a few big games already this season."

Player of the Game Miles Cartwright scored 27 points, including making 14 of 18 free throws.

Cartwright continually was able to get into the paint or drive on the baseline and get fouled.

Stein had 16 points, including three 3-pointers and Ryan Oliver had 13 for the Cubs (9-0).

Wening had 16 points, all in the second half for Oaks Christian.

Bryan had 13 points, 6'8 junior forward Dillon van der Wal chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds and Stephen Saksa had eight.

Loyola will play state ranked Sacramento High in one semifinal tonight at 7 p.m. Sacramento escaped Pasadena in a 71-70 victory when junior guard Josiah Turner made a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer.

Turner finished with 48 points as UCLA coach Ben Howland looked on.

In other games, Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth beat another large school opponent in a 41-31 victory against Cleveland of Reseda.

Sophomore Jesse Howell and Julian Brooks scored 13 and 12 points for the Trailblazers (8-3).

Alemany of Mission Hills received 23 points from Mater Dei transfer Jordan Fuller but it wasn't enough in a 71-57 setback.

Sheldon 22 13 17 19=71
Alemany 14 13 9 23=57

For Sheldon, Darius Nelson 26, Chambers 14, Eaton 9, Britton 8, Dickerson 6, Thomas 6, Allen 2.

For Alemany, junior Jordan Fuller 23, soph. Max Guercy 14, soph. Jerico Richardson 11, Fresh. Moffett 9, Martin 2.

Sheldon 9-2, Alemany 3-8

Sierra Canyon 10 12 12 7=41
Cleveland 4 7 12 8=31

For Sierra Canyon, Howell 13, Brooks 12, M. Cohen 8, D. Cohen 6, Ku. Chhatawal 2.

For Cleveland, Bland 7, Johnson 6, Riewthong 5, Hernandez 3, Rezkallah 2, Moore 2, Spencer 2, Montes 2, Williams 2.

Cleveland 5-6, S. Cyn. 8-3

Orange Holiday Classic schedule for Monday

Monday's Schedule
9:00 Ramona vs. Westminster
10:30 Olympian vs Kennedy
12:10 San Juan Hills vs San Dimas
1:50 Orange vs. Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary
3:30 Canyon Vs. Esperanza
5:10 Foothill vs. Claremont
6:50 Diamond Ranch vs Tustin
8:30 Mater Dei vs La Habra

Championship Quarterfinals
4:00pm Sacramento vs Pasadena
5:30pm Loyola vs Oaks Christian
7:00pm Santa Monica vs Etiwanda
8:30pm Thousand Oaks vs Salesian

Consolation Quarterfinals
10:00am Cleveland vs Sierra Canyon
11:30am Bishop Alemany vs Sheldon
1:00pm Blair vs Colony
2:30pm Horizon Chr. vs El Camino Real

Chaminade tournament schedule for Monday Dec. 28

Consolation Games
9 a.m. Northridge Academy vs. San Fernando
10:30 a.m. Burbank vs. Golden Valley
3 p.m. St. Bonaventure vs. Monroe
12 p.m. Kennedy vs. Menlo

Championship Games
Chaminade vs. Newbury Park 6 p.m.
Eastside vs. Granada Hills 7:30 p.m.
Valencia vs. Lancaster 4:30 p.m.
Calabasas vs. Montclair Prep 1:30 p.m.

Grant of Van Nuys senior Jared Garner is having a big season

Garner could end up as one of the best players in the East Valley League.

Here are some early season big games from Garner

1) vs. Granada Hills HS 25 pts 5 ass. 7 rebounds.
2) vs. Panorama HS 22 pts 4 ass. 4 rebounds.
3) vs. Saugus HS 24 pts 5 ass. 8 rebounds.
4) vs. Beverly Hills HS 26 pts 7 rebounds.

Oaks Christian finished No. 7 and Westlake finished No. 9 in the final Cal-Hi Sports state rankings.

Situated just a few blocks apart, they play next year for the first time, as Oaks Christian has moved up to the Marmonte League. Both have good players returning, so that should be a doozy.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Pool A: Agoura, Horizon (San Diego), Santa Clara (Oxnard), Calvary Baptist (La Verne)

Pool B: Taft, Westlake, Mount Vernon (Virginia), Palisades

Pool C: Oaks Chr, Sheldon (Sacramento), Sierra Canyon, Cleveland

Saturday Dec. 26 games
1:30 p.m. Agoura vs. Calvary Baptist
3 p.m. Horizon vs. Santa Clara
4:30 p.m. Taft vs. Palisades
6 p.m. Mt. Vernon vs. Westlake
7:30 p.m. Sheldon vs. Sierra Canyon
9 p.m. Oaks Chr. vs. Cleveland

AT LA SALLE HS
La Cañada vs. Franklin, 3 p.m.
Gabrielino vs. Crescenta Valley, 4:30 p.m.
Montebello vs. Chatsworth, 6 p.m.
Paraclete vs. La Salle, 7:30 p.m.

AT TEMPLE CITY HS
Marshall vs. Temple City, 3 p.m.
Alhambra vs. St. Francis, 4:30 p.m.
St. Paul vs. Arcadia, 6 p.m.
Maranatha vs. Keppel, 7:30 p.m.

The Daily News picks a prep football Player of the Year every season, but Malcolm Jones, this year's choice, will go down in history as one of the greatest ever.

A running back at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Jones rushed for 2,470 yards - averaging 10.5 yards per carry - and scored 45 touchdowns, including 14 touchdowns in four playoff games.

The Gatorade state and national Player of the Year, Jones finished his four-year career with 6,280 yards and 113 touchdowns - the eighth-highest touchdown total in state history.

Jones is one of those rare running backs who have it all: a 6-foot-1, 220-pounder with blinding speed, awesome power, terrific open-field moves and that special quality of being at his best in the fourth quarter.

Also a top linebacker, Jones is headed to UCLA, picking the Bruins over dozens of major colleges, including USC, Notre Dame, Stanford, Oklahoma and LSU.

"Malcolm is the whole package. He made me into a really good coach," Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell said.

During Jones' four-year career, Oaks Christian was 53-4, winning three Southern Section championships plus a CIF Div. III Bowl championship during his freshman season in 2006, along with finishing as the Northwest Division runner-up this past season.

As a senior this season, many of Oaks Christian's victories were one-sided, which meant Jones sat out most of the second half, as the Lions won their first 13 games
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by an average of more than 38 points before a shocking 42-41 loss at Serra of Gardena in the section final that broke a 34-game winning streak.

The one-sided wins not withstanding, Jones came through against top opponents when Oaks Christian needed him most:

In an opening 28-17 victory at eventual Western finalist Alemany of Mission Hills, Jones rushed for 280 yards in 38 carries and scored three touchdowns.

In a nationally televised 28-25 victory at eventual Washington state champion Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.), Jones rushed for 128 yards in 18 carries, including the winning 47-yard touchdown in the final minutes.

In a 33-13 victory at eventual City Section semifinalist Venice, Jones rushed for 332 yards in 28 carries and four touchdowns.

And in the final game of Jones' career, a 42-41 overtime loss at state power Serra, Jones rushed for 321 yards in 38 carries and four TDs in wet, muddy conditions.

After the loss to Serra, he had every reason to duck out, but while his stunned teammates were totally devastated, Jones held his head high and answered every reporters' questions after the game.

Besides his accomplishments on the football field, Jones is an honor student with a 3.5 grade-point average who helps fellow classmates as a campus math tutor. He is also a goodwill ambassador for the Tarzana-Encino Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and he serves as a volunteer referee for a basketball league for at-risk youths at the Dream Center in Los Angeles.

-- Gerry Gittelson

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Malcolm Jones, Oaks Christian, Sr.: One of the most productive running backs in California prep history, Jones rushed for 2,470 yards - averaging 10.5 yards per carry - and scored 45 TDs, including 14 in four playoff games. In his last game, Jones rushed for 321 yards and four TDs in a 42-41 loss at Serra of Gardena in the Northwest Division final.

The Gatorade National Player of the Year, Jones finished his four-year career with 6,280 yards and 113 touchdowns - the eighth highest touchdown total in state history.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Drew Wolitarsky, Canyon, Fr.: A rare freshman impact player in the Foothill League, Wolitarsky has a big future after totaling 40 receptions for 773 yards and six TDs, including an 80-yarder.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Jim Benkert, Westlake: Despite a lineup consisting mainly of underclassmen on both sides of the ball, Benkert coached Westlake to a 14-0 record, including the Northern Division championship. Not bad for a team that no one picked to win the Marmonte League and did not crack the Cal-Hi Sports top 25 until late in the season.

ALL-AREA FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

QB - Nick Montana, Oaks Christian, Sr. - The son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Nick completed 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,636 yards and 34 TDs and finished his career 27-1 as a starter.

QB - Nick Isham, Westlake, Jr. - Isham completed 74.1 percent of his passes - the most accurate season of all-time among Valley-area quarterbacks - for 2,128 yards and 30 TDs. Also scored 14 TDs.

RB - D.J. Morgan, Taft, Sr. - A blazing fast running back with great open-field moves, Morgan rushed for 1,453 yards (9.3 avg.), caught 23 passes and scored 23 TDs. Also a top LB.

RB - Malcolm Marable, Alemany, Sr. - A four-year starter, Marable rushed for 1,286 yards and scored 25 TDs to help carry Alemany to its first section-championship appearance.

RB - Antonio Bray, Arleta, Sr. - A dangerous breakaway threat, Bray averaged 13.8 yards per carry while rushing for 1,398 yards and scoring 28 TDs, including six of 80 yards or longer.

OL - Erik Kohler, Oaks Christian, Sr. - An excellent blocker who helped to open holes for RB Malcolm Jones and to protect QB Nick Montana. One of the top OLs on the west coast.

OL - Hroniss Grasu, Crespi, Sr. - A three-year standout, Grasu's season was cut short by a knee injury, but he still made an impact on both sides of the ball, totaling five sacks as a DL.

OL - Ben Gottschalk, Notre Dame, Sr. - A steady, driving force for the Knights, Gottschalk was a key protector for record-setting QB Ryan Kasdorf. Also a top defensive player.

OL - Joe Frank, Moorpark, Sr. - Moorpark reached the Northern Division final, and Frank, one of Moorpark's few returning experienced blockers, was an important building block.

OL - Tyler Sulka, Notre Dame, Sr. - At 6-5, 280 pounds, Sulka was an intimating blocker who loved to knock defenders on their back. A dependable force for one of the area's top programs.

WR - Zach Tartabull, Valencia, Sr. - One of the Foothill League's top all-around players, Tartabull totaled 42 receptions for 890 yards and 14 TDs, and he was also a top DB.

WR - Nelson Spruce, Westlake, Jr. - The area's most feared deep threat, Spruce caught 65 passes for 1,325 yards (20.4 avg.) and 18 TDs, and he also totaled 54 tackles and two INTs.

TE - Christian Thomas, Highland, Sr. - A three-year standout who is one of the area's most impressive athletes, the 6-3, 240-pound Thomas had 43 receptions for 674 yards and seven TDs

PK - Matt Goudis, Chaminade, Jr. - For the third consecutive season, Goudis totaled seven FGs and recorded touchbacks on most of his kickoffs. Also one of the area's top punters.

ALL-AREA FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

DL - Cassius Marsh, Oaks Christian, Sr. - One of the nation's top college prospects, Marsh totaled 88 tackles, 16 sacks and one pass deflection in his third year as a starter.

DL - Alani Fua, Oaks Christian, Sr. - Fua had 54 tackles, nine sacks and an INT, and he also caused three fumbles and was a top TE. One of the area's premier two-way standouts.

DL - Antwuan Woods, Taft, Jr. - One of the nation's most coveted underclassmen, the 6-1, 285-pound Woods recorded 38 tackles and four sacks to help Taft reach the City quarterfinals.

DL - DeAndre Roberts, Sylmar, Sr. - A two-time All-City selection, Roberts had 102 tackles, five sacks and on INT, and he was also a top blocker for the Spartans.

LB - Lucky Radley, Taft, Sr. - A spiritual leader for the Toreadors, Radley missed four games but still totaled 62 tackles and four sacks. Also a top RB and return specialist.

LB - Zac Stout, Oaks Christian, Sr. - The key defensive player for Oaks Christian's staunch defense, Stout totaled 113 tackles, three INTs and three sacks. Perhaps the area's hardest hitter.

LB - Collin Keoshian, Santa Clarita Christian, Sr. - The unsung Keoshian led Santa Clarita Christian to its second consecutive eight-man title, totaling 87 tackles and four sacks. Also scored 42 TDs.LB - Marc Palacios, Moorpark, Sr. - A key leader for one of the area's top programs, Palacios was a defensive force who helped the Musketeers reached the Northern final.

DB - Dietrich Riley, St. Francis, Sr. - A four-year starter, Riley had 65 tackles, three INTs, six pass deflections and a fumble recovery. Also a top RB, he scored 15 TDs.

DB - Josh Shaw, Palmdale, Sr. - A no-brainer choice for Golden League MVP, Shaw had 38 tackles and an INT, and as a QB he passed for more than 2,000 yards and accounted for 30 TDs.

DB - Brock Vereen, Valencia, Sr. - Quick and aggressive, Vereen totaled 44 tackles and an area-best eight INTs, and he was also an impact player at WR and special teams, scoring eight TDs.

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

QB - Ryan Kasdorf, Notre Dame, Sr.

QB - Alex Bishop, Valencia, Jr.

RB - Steven Manfro, Valencia, Jr.

RB - Ra'Shon Harper, ECR, Sr.

RB - Kevin Ervin, Poly, Jr.

OL - Brandon Mitchell, Taft, Sr.

OL - Ben Loth, Crespi, Sr.

OL - Michael Lorenzo, Westlake, Sr.

OL - Sergio Figueroa, Alemany, Sr.

OL - Dan Muyer, Notre Dame, Sr.

TE - Kevin Lenik, Alemany, Sr.

WR - Devin Lucien, Crespi, Jr.

WR - Richard Mullaney, Thousand Oaks, Jr.

WR - Ryan Molesworth, Camarillo, Sr.

PK - Alex Ball, Westlake, Soph.

P - Kyle Steffes, Paraclete, Sr.

DEFENSE

DL - Brent Williams, Taft, Sr.

DL - Darrol Mitchell, Valencia, Sr.

DL - Dillon van der Wal, Oaks Christian, Jr.

DL - Quen Kantaris, Moorpark, Sr.

LB - Ryan Seidler, Burbank, Jr.

LB - Adrian Muguerza, Westlake, Sr.

LB - Logan Bates, ECR, Sr.

DB- Austin Edmonson, Moorpark, Sr.

DB- A.J. Delatorre, Moorpark, Sr.

DB- Philip Muscarella, Newbury Park, Sr.

DB- Jordan Payton, Oaks Christian, Soph.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Alpha: Maranatha

Del Rey: Serra

Desert Mountain: Boron

Foothill: Valencia

Frontier: Fillmore

East Valley: Arleta

Golden: Palmdale

Marmonte: Westlake

Mission: Alemany

Olympic: Cerritos Valley Christian

Pacific: Burbank

Pacific View: Camarillo

Prep: Rio Hondo Prep

Rio Hondo: Monrovia

Santa Fe: Salesian

Serra: Bishop Amat

Tri-Valley: Oaks Christian

Valley Mission: Sylmar

West Valley: El Camino Real and Taft

-- Gerry Gittelson

All-Tournament Selections
Most Valuable Player
Michelle Miller Pasadena Poly

All-Tournament Selections
Megan Baer Crossroads
Nadine Byers Crossroads
Shannon McQueen Crossroads
Julia Brown Pasadena Poly
Christine Mallari Providence
Monet McNally Los Angeles Baptist
Megan Janolino St. Genevieve

Despite losing in the championship game, Pasadena Poly sophomore Michelle Miller was named Tournament MVP after scoring 40 points in the championship game and 140 points over the four tournament games, both tournament records. The previous marks were 37 points in a game by St. Genevieve's Kate DeCastro in 2001 and 97 points by L. A. Baptist's Andreanna Marshall in the 2006 tournament.

San Fernando's Sultan Muhammad took second in the 215-pound division Wednesday at the Mann Classic at Cal State Fullerton, falling 3-2 to Redlands East Valley's Andrew Hudson in the final.

Highland of Palmdale's Tyler Burton went 5-1 to capture third place in the 130-pound division. Following an 8-2 loss to Citrus Hill of Perris' Matt Guevara, Burton rebounded to defeat Ayala of Chino Hills' Alec Herrera 2-0 and Atascadero's Cullen Joy 2-1.

Highland's Patrick Larkin went 6-1 to finish third at 160 pounds, capped by a pin of Montebello's Raymond Guzman.

San Fernando's Adolfo Medina was 5-1 in the 189-pound draw, defeating Cypress' Paul Yoo 5-1 in the third-place match. Highland's Nick Moreno took sixth and El Camino Real's Aaron Tracht was eighth.

Littlerock's Trever Devestern defeated ECR's Jack Medina 9-7 in the seventh-place match at 145 pounds.

Devestern -- 12-0 with 11 first-period pins entering Wednesday -- suffered a 10-9 setback to Servite of Anaheim's Gian-Pier Yanez, before rebounding to defeat Atascadero's Ben Giggy 6-5.

Devestern then lost 12-7 to Laguna Hills' Wyond Mills, before capping the tournament by defeating Medina.

1. Harvard-Westlake
2. Bell-Jeff
3. Agoura
4. Alemany
5. Oaks Christian
6. Taft
7. Crescenta Valley
8. Chaminade
9. El Camino Real
10. Canyon

Others: Royal, Notre Dame, Valencia, La Canada, Thousand Oaks, Montclair Prep

If you want to check out some high school basketball before teams start league there is no shortage of tournaments starting on Saturday.

Boys tournaments:
Oaks Christian (seven of the top 32 teams in the state will be here)
Chaminade
Hart
La Salle (Pasadena)
MaxPreps.com Holiday Classic in San Diego
Ventura
Santa Barabra

Girls tournaments:
Oaks Christian (12 teams)
Thousand Oaks (eight teams)
Harvard-Westlake and Beverly Hills (32 teams)
La Canada

Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks freshman Jahmel Taylor tallied five made 3-point baskets in the final round to win the 2009 San Fernando Valley Invitational 3-point shootout at Kennedy High.

Taylor advanced through two preliminary rounds and out shot Jordan of Los Angeles' Tim Giles, 5-3.

The Prep Wrestling preview has been delayed a little bit and should be in the paper at end of this week or early next week.

Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth keeps knocking off bigger schools.

It's latest victim was Antelope Valley of Lancaster on Wednesday in the fifth place game of the San Fernando Valley Invitational at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.

Michael Cohen made seven 3-pointers en route to 23 points as the Trailblazers (7-2) beat the Lopes, 42-41.

Sophomore Jesse Howell made one of two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining and Sierra Canyon made it stand up.

The Trailblazers beat Chaminade of West Hills and Crespi of Encino earlier putting a dent on the Mission League.

Coach Colin Jamerson has done a wonderful job utilizing his personnel.

Jamerson doesn't have a deep bench and has his team playing a great zone defense and being opportunistic on offense.

One of the youngest coaches in the region in his early twenties, Jamerson has a bright future.

First Annual Oaks Christian

"Holiday Hardwood Invitational"

December 26- 30, 2009

Boys' Division

First Round Action on Saturday, December 26th.

All games played at Oaks Christian High School, 31749 La Tienda Drive, Westlake Village CA 91362.

10:30am Thousand Oaks v. Cleveland

12:00noon Santa Monica v. Bishop Alemany

1:30pm Colony v. Pasadena

3:00pm El Camino (Woodland Hills) v. Loyola

4:30pm Sacramento v. Blair (Pasadena)

6:00pm Sheldon (Sacramento) v. Etiwanda

7:30pm Horizon (San Diego) v. Oaks Christian

9:00pm Sierra Canyon v. Salesian (Richmond)

The Golden Valley of Santa Clarita boy's basketball team is having no problems as it navigates its way through the 32-team San Fernando Valley Invitational tournament.

The Grizzlies won their third consecutive game by double digits as they beat Jordan of Los Angeles, 75-60, in a championship semifinal at Kennedy of Granada Hills.

Golden Valley's closest call came in the first round when Robert Looper made a lay up with 1.2 seconds remaining to beat Lancaster, 72-71.

Since then, the Grizzlies beat Granada Hills by 25 and Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth by 12.

Trevor Wiseman, one of the best players in the Santa Clarita Valley scored 20 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and had five assists to lead Golden Valley on Tuesday.

Wiseman got off to a slow start with only one basket in the first 12:30 of the game but tallied eight points in the third quarter helping Golden Valley take a 19 point lead into the fourth quarter.

Wiseman got plenty help from his teammates.

Taylor Statham and Khatari Price each scored 16 points. Price and Josh Serrano each had two 3-pointers.

Serrano's second 3-pointer came with 7:00 remaining to extend the lead back to 17 points after Jordan opened the quarter on a 5-0 run.

"Coach Printz is doing a really great job with us, he is keeping us together right now," Statham said. "We have great chemistry and are playing unselfish."

The Grizzlies (7-1) are playing with great emotion right now as guard Erik Gould is fighting for his life at the Henry Mayo Hospital in Newhall after a car accident last Friday.

"We have been told Erik is making progress but he is still on a ventilator to help with his breathing," Golden Valley coach Chris Printz said.

The Grizzlies will play Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks tonight at 8 p.m. at Kennedy High for the championship.

Burbank 62, Notre Dame 55

Andy Karandganyan scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and had 11 in the fourth quarter to lead Burbank to its second win against Notre Dame this month.

Karandganyan was nine for 10 from the free throw line in the second half as Burbank finally took its first lead on an Adam Colman free throw midway through the fourth quarter.

Burbank advances to play Golden Valley tonight at 8 p.m. in the championship game.

Notre Dame (5-3) led throughout the first half behind five 3-pointers but had trouble stopping penetration and rebounding in the second half.

Freshman Ausar Madison and Jahmel Taylor scored 14 and 13 points to lead Notre Dame. Madison also had seven rebounds.

Colman finished with 14 points for Burbank. The Bulldogs (7-1) were 26 of 37 at the free throw line.

Tiny Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth pulled off its second victory against a Mission League team in a 46-37 win over Crespi of Encino Tuesday at the San Fernando Valley Invitational at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.
Michael Cohen scored 17 points, including 12 in the second quarter helping the Trailblazers (6-2) erase a nine point deficit.
Sophomore Jesse Howell had 14 points and sophomore Julian Brooks had 11 for Sierra Canyon.

Howell had 11 points in the fourth quarter, including five of seven free throws.

Crespi looked in a fog the entire game except for the first four minutes when it went ahead 9-0.

Justin Rubia was the leading scorer for the reeling Celts (4-4) with seven points.

Crespi is hurting from losing Michael Avery and Jericho Richardson, who both transferred out and a season ending injury to forward Reggie Coates.

To make matters worse, starting guard Blake Stanton has been held out of the last four games because he missed practice last week.

Taft of Woodland Hills is losing 25-21 with 5:00 remaining in the first half against Ballou of Washington, D.C. in the championship game of the Mission Prep tournament.

Calabasas High won the Cleveland of Reseda Snow Ball classic with a 74-33 victory against host Cleveland.

Emily Cohen was named tournament MVP.

Campbell Hall of North Hollywood took third place in the National Division with a 55-46 victory against Pasadena.

One night after getting throttled by Taft of Woodland Hills, Campbell Hall rebounded behind 22 points from Louisiana Tech-bound forward James Johnson and 19 points from junior guard Austin McBroom.

Birmingham of Lake Balboa could be a surprise in the West Valley League after winning the Elite Division in a 69-40 victory against Rio Americano of Sacramento.

Sahdi Odu had 25 points and Angel Gutierrez added 19.

In another game, Sylmar beat Washington Prep of Los Angeles.

Sierra Canyon 7 12 11 16=46
Crespi 13 3 7 14=37

Sierra Cayon-Michael Cohen 17, Jesse Howell 14, Julian Brooks 11, D. Cohen 2, Ki. Chhatawal 2.

Crespi- Rubia 7, Hankins 6, Loth 6, Connelly 5, Graves 4, Teevan 3, Stenhouse 2, Perrantes 2, Johnson 2.

S. Cyn. 6-2, Crespi 4-4

Tiny Sierra Canyon of Chastworth pulled off its second victory against a Mission League team in a 46-37 win over Crespi of Encino Tuesday at the San Fernando Valley Invitational at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.

Michael Cohen scored 17 points. including 12 in the second quarter helping the Trailblazers (6-2) erase a nine point deficit.

Sophomore Jesse Howell had 14 points and sophomore Julian Brooks had 11 for Sierra Canyon.

Howell had 11 points in the fourth quarter, including five of seven free throws.

Crespi looked in a fog the entire game except for the first four minutes when it went ahead 9-0.

Justin Rubia was the leading scorer for the reeling Celts (4-4) with seven points.

Crespi is hurting from losing Michael Avery and Jericho Richardson, who both transferred out and a season ending injury to forward Reggie Coates.

To make matters worse, starting guard Blake Stanton has been held out of the last four games because he missed practice last week.

Tiny Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth is at it again beating another larger school.

The Trailblazers battled back from a 9-0 deficit and lead 19-16 at halftime.

Michael Cohen had 12 points in the second quarter for Sierra Canyon.

I just ran into Crespi of Encino football/basketball player Blake Stanton and he mentioned Colorado and Arizona St. as the two school he is considering attending next year for football.

The semfinals of the 32-team San Fernando Valley Invitational are set for Tuesday night at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.

Golden Valley of Santa Clarita faces Jordan of Los Angeles at 6 p.m. and Burbank plays Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks at 7:30 p.m.

Top players will be Golden Valley's Trevor Wiseman, Burbank's Adam Colman and Notre Dame's fantastic freshman Jahmel Taylor.

Taft of Woodland Hills advanced to the championship game of the Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo with an impressive 72-43 dismantling of Campbell Hall of North Hollywood.

USC-bound Bruce Jones scored 17 points, had 12 rebounds and five assists to lead the Toreadors (7-1).

Texas-bound De'Andre Daniels had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Taft got off to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

James Johnson scored 14 points but picked up his fourth foul only three minutes into the second half.

Junior guard Austin McBroom scored 13 points but struggled in a 2 for 18 performance from the field.

McBroom didn't get his first field goal until the 2:16 mark of the third quarter.

Taft plays Ballou of Washington, D.C. in the championship game.

Campbell Hall plays Pasadena for third place.

Two years ago the Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks boys basketball team was struggling through a 2-25 season.

Sophomores Kennedy Edwards and Jonathan Bell and freshman Jahmel Taylor and Ausar Madison are erasing those memories quickly.

The quartet are all in the starting lineup and Taylor was at the forefront Monday in a dominating 70-43 quarterfinal victory against Antelope Valley of Lancaster in the San Fernando Valley Invitational at Kennedy High of Granada Hills.

Taylor could end up being the best of the bunch as he finished with 23 points and took over in the second half extending the Knights (5-2) two point halftime lead to 11 going into the final quarter.

"I feel like we are all captains," Taylor said. "We all help each other out. We are all leaders."

Taylor helped Notre Dame rebound from a 9-0 deficit with a 3-pointer and then poured in 10 points in the third quarter.

Taylor scored on a layup and converted a three point play to give Notre Dame a 12-point lead late in the third quarter.

"I felt I needed to push the team in the second half to help us get the win."

Jeremy Sulker scored 10 points and Edwards and Andry Karchemsky added 10 each in the balanced attack for the Knights.

Karchemsky's 3-pointer with 5:27 remaining gave Notre Dame a 17 point lead and it extended it from there.

Travion Tucker and Lorenzo Goines scored 13 and 11 points respectively to lead the Lopes (7-4).

While Edwards is tough down low, Madison is a capable point guard and Bell has talent, Taylor can do it all.

"The chemistry is really coming together. That is going to get us wins."

Notre Dame will Burbank in a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

The game will be a rematch of the fifth place game at the Burbank tournament on Dec. 5 in which Burbank prevailed 59-54.

Palisades 66, Montclair Prep 35

Garrett Nevels scored 21 points to lead the Dolphins (6-2) in the regional consolation championship victory.

Sophomore Trey Dickerson scored 19 points to lead Montclair Prep (5-4).

West Ranch 59, Kennedy 47

Martin Flowers had 19 points for the Wildcats (3-4). Tim Chavez poured in 18 points for Kennedy (2-6).

Santiago (Corona) 64, Verdugo Hills 57

The Dons (3-2) cut a 14 point deficit to four points but couldn't complete the comeback in a consolation loss.

Nick Brown scored 17 points and Aragad Abramian had 15 for Verdugo Hills.

Halftime scores.

Notre Dame 21
Antelope Valley 19

Burbank 28
Hart 14

Winners advance to semifinals tomm. at Kennedy High

El Camino Real of Woodland Hills bounced back from a loss to Burbank with a 63-53 overtime victory against Alemany of Mission Hills.

Jericho Richardson, a transfer from Crespi of Encino scored on a running lay up with eight seconds remaining to get Alemany to overtime.

ECR missed a putback rebound at the buzzer but came through in overtime with a 14-4 run.

The Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood girls basketball team advanced to the championship game in the gray division at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chandler, Arizona with a 69-47 victory against Bell-Jeff of Burbank.

The matchup was between the regions top two teams, who both won section championships last year. Bell-Jeff went on to win the Div. V state title as well.

Princeton-bound guard Nicole Hung scored 24 points and had 10 rebounds to lead the Wolverines (7-1), who outscored Bell-Jeff 22-6 in the first quarter.

Hung also made 14 of 15 free throws.

Skylar Tsutsui had 19 points and UC Santa Barbara-bound guard Nicole Nesbit had 14.

Bell-Jeff cut the lead to nine points but Tsutsui made three 3-pointers to regain control.

Harvard-Westlake plays Canyon Springs of Moreno Valley in the championship Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.

Another Mission League team, Alemany of Mission Hills advanced to its championship game.

Palisades 12 31 11 12=66
Mont. Prep. 8 6 11 10=35

Palisades- Garrett Nevels 21, Johnson 9, Griffin 8, Osborne 5, Towner 5, Martin 4, Merritt 3, Otero 2, Johnson 2, Creer 2, Matheney 3, Nazarian 2

Mont. Prep.- Trey Dickerson 19, Lugo-Rodriguez 7, Fried 4, Lockett 3, Dees 1, Boger 1.

Pali 6-2, Mont. Prep. 5-4

The Calabasas girls basketball team has advanced to the championship game of the Cleveland of reseda tournament on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against host Cleveland.

Calabasas beat Leuzinger of Lawndale, Marshall of Los Feliz and Northridge Academy in pool play.

The Coyotes are led by Emily Cohen and Roya Valikhani.

West Ranch won its first game at the San Fernando Valley tournament with a 59-47 victory against Kennedy of Granada Hills.

Junior Martin Flowers scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats (3-4).

Tim Chavez led Kennedy (2-6) with 18 points.

2010 War on the Floor One-Day Event Extravaganza

Saturday January 23, 2010

Location site: El Camino Real High in Woodland Hills (5440 Valley Circle Blvd.)

Schedule as of Sunday December 20


Besant Hill vs. Ribet Academy, 10 a.m.
Sierra Canyon vs. San Bernardino, 11:30 a.m.
Montclair Prep vs. Buckley, 1 p.m.
Montclair Prep vs. Campbell Hall (girls), 2:30 p.m.
Golden Valley vs. Chatsworth, 4 p.m.
Taft vs. Oaks Christian (girls), 5:30 p.m.
El Camino Real vs. Reseda, 7 p.m.
Price vs. Pacific Hills, 8:30 p.m.
Sylmar vs. Renaissance Academy 10 p.m.

Harvard-Westlake and Beverly Hills are hosting a 32-team girls basketball tournament starting Saturday.

Here is the schedule

Dec 26th to Dec 31. No games on the 27th.

TOP BRACKET
12/26
Harvard Westlake vs Oxnard at HW 730pm
Monroe vs Crescenta Valley at HW 6pm
Norco vs Notre Dame Academy at BH 430pm
Oak Park vs SV Poly at HW 10:30am
Chatsworth vs Saugus at HW 430pm
Marymount vs Hawthorne at BH 9am
Marlborough vs Valencia at HW 12pm
Bellflower vs Inglewood at BH 3pm

BOTTOM BRACKET

Beverly Hills vs Brentwood at BH 730pm
Newbury Park vs West Ranch at HW 130pm
St Paul vs Morningside at BH 12pm
El Camino vs St Monica at BH 6pm
Alemany vs Burroughs at HW 9am
Culver City vs Sylmar at BH 1030am
LACES vs Channel Islands at BH 130pm
Venice vs Vista Del Lago at HW 3pm

There is no doubt Taft of Woodland Hills is the regions most dominant basketball program.

The Toreadors are loaded this season, have a record of 6-1 and are in the semifinals of the Mission Prep Christmas Classic Monday at 8 p.m. against Campbell Hall of North Hollywood.

Here is a list of players Taft has playing college ball right now.

Larry Drew-North Carolina
Calvin Haynes-Oregon St.
Garrett Green-LSU
Justin Hawkins-UNLV
Eugene Phelps-Long Beach St.
Michael Williams-San Francisco
Bryce Smith-Cal St. Northridge (redshirting)

2003 graduate Steve Smith is a wide receiver for the NY Giants and 2004 graduate Jordan Farmar plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brock Vereen, a Valencia defensive back, has committed to Minnesota. He is the younger brother of Shane Vareen, a running back at Cal.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The 32-team San Fernando Valley Invitational boys basket ball tournament is down to the final eight on Monday.

Four games will be played at four different sites.

Upstart Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth plays Golden Valley of Santa Clarita at Granada Hills High.

Burbank plays Hart of Newhall at Alemany High of Mission Hills.

Crespi of Encino faces L.A. Jordan at Crespi.

Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks plays Verdugo Hills of Tujunga at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.

All games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Three consolation games preceed the regional finals at each site starting at 3 p.m.

Several teams competed in the 39th Annual Greg Mattison Rebel Classic wrestling tournament at Quartz Hill High School and host team Quartz Hill came away as the winner.

The local teams that participated were the host team, along with Palmdale, Eastside, Lancaster, Westlake, Golden Valley, Highland and Knight.

The winners per weight are broken down in the following way:

key is: Quartz Hill A team (QHA), Golden Valley (GV), Coachella Valley (CV), Lancaster (LN), Westlake (WL), Highland (HL), Quartz Hill B Team (QHB), Paso Robles (PR), Eastside (ES), Desert (DES), Silverado (SL)

103 School Wrestler Record
1 GV Abel Mejia 8-0, 7 F
2 CV Christian Hernandez 8-0, 6 F
3 QHA Hayden Zimmerman 6-2, 6 F
4 LN Anna Divens 5-3, 3 F
5 WL Michael Arnold 5-3, 2 F

112
1 QHA Jared Ricker 8-0, 7 F
2 HL Forrest Phatenhauer 7-1, 7 F
3 ES Ryan Vernon 7-1, 5 F
4 QHB Xavier Arellano 6-1, 5 F
5 CV Phillip Salinas 6-2, 3 F

119
1 SL Ryan Lynn 8-0, 5 F
2 QHA Jon Melendez 8-0, 4 F 3 TF
3 GV Jose Leandro 7-1, 5 F
4 CV Eduardo Herrera 6-2, 3 F
5 PR Robby Martinez 4-4

125
1 PR Ryan Miller 8-0, 7 F
2 SL Roman Delgado 8-0, 3 F
3 CV Benjamin Reyes 6-2, 5 F
4 PD Robert Ornelas 6-2 2 F
5 GV Jonathan Torres 6-2, 2 F

130
1 QHA Tyler Benavides 8-0, 8 F
2 SL Ryan Stockwell 7-1, 4 F
3 GV Chris Hernandez 7-1, 5
4 PR Kevan Garcia 6-2
5 CV Michael Amezquita 5-3, 4 F

135
1 KN Josh Ellwood 8-0, 6 F
2 WL Terry Jackson 7-1, 6 F
3 QHA Trevor Heying 7-1, 6 F
4 ES Tim Broadenax 6-2, 3 F
5 PR Brady Zubia

140
1 QHA Matthew Salo 8-0, 4 F
2 PD Michael Arus 7-1, 4 F
3 LN Tristan Seaver 6-2, 5 F
4 KN Richard Rubio 6-2, 2 F
5 Des Pierce Ben Lian

145
1 QHA JT Wilkins 8-0, 8 F
2 KN Saad Ul-Hassan 8-0, 6 F
3 WL Nathan Kidd 7-1, 5 F
4 QHB Nicholas Christopherson 5-2, 3 F
5 PD Elijah Cooksey 4-4, 3 F

152
1 WL Jake Snider 8-0, 5 F
2 CV Sergio Salinas 7-1, 5 F
3 QHA Nathan Keyes 6-2, 6 F
4 PR Josh Hayley 5-3, 4 F
5 HL Levi Romero 5-3, 4 F

160
1 CV Walter Rosales 8-0, 8 F
2 HL Pat Larkin 8-0, 8 F
3 WL Shane Laguna 6-2, 5 F
4 QHA Sean Berk 5-3, 5 F
5 KN Jakeob Kono 5-3, 3 F

171
1 QHA Alex Harvey 8-0, 6 F
2 PR Harley Holt 7-1, 4 F
3 WL Cole Lingo 7-1, 2 F
4 ES Ryan Bishop 6-2, 6 F
5 HL Christian Lomeli 5-3, 5 F

189
1 QHA Ben Harvey 8-0, 8 F
2 WL 7-1, 5 F
3 PR Jeremiah Vaughan 7-1, 4 F
4 LN Jonathan Diaz 5-3, 4 F 1 TF
5 ES Minor Garcia 4-4, 3 F

215
1 SL James Lynn 8-0, 8 F
2 ES Justin Wright 8-0, 7 F
3 QHA Zechary Uribe 6-2, 3 F
4 QHB Dan Singleton 5-2, 5 F
5 LN Joe Coranado 5-3, 5 F

285
1 QHA Anthony Chu 8-0, 8 F
2 PR Justin McAfee 6-2
3 CV David Reyes 6-2, 3 F
4 SL Derrick Bell 5-3, 5 F
5 LN Adam Jafery 5-3, 5 F

The Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth boys basketball team pulled off its second straight upset in the San Fernando Valley Invitational tournament in a 48-44 regional semifinal victory against Chaminade of West Hills at Granada Hills Charter High.

Sierra Canyon advances to the quarterfinals of the 32-team tournament on Monday at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Golden Valley of Santa Clarita vs. Granada Hills.

"I am very excited for our team right now," Sierra Canyon sophomore forward Julian Brooks said. "We are ready for what is ahead of us. This is just the start for good things for our team."

The Trailblazers didn't get off to a good start, down 13-2 in the first quarter but cut the deficit to eight points by halftime and held Chaminade to only three points in the third quarter.

Sierra Canyon used a zone defense that Chaminade couldn't figure out.

The Eagles missed 3-pointer after 3-pointer and turned the ball over several times in the fateful third quarter.

Chaminade shot a woeful 10 of 52 from the field and was without three key players.

Brandon McKinney and Jake Basmagian are nursing injuries and 6'9 junior Gilles Dierickx is not eligible until January 25th following his transfer from Belgium last year.

"Injuries are killing us right now," Chaminade coach Todd Wolfson said.

Sierra Canyon was up by two points with 5:00 remaining when sophomore Jesse Howell made a 3-pointer from the right corner and Michael Cohen made two free throws to extend the lead.

Sierra Canyon led by 10 points when Chaminade made a furious rally behind two 3-pointers from freshman Jaron Martin but it wasn't quite enough.

Howell made one of two free throws with two seconds remaining for the final advantage and more importantly making it a two posession game and impossivle for Chaminade to even tie the game.

Howell finished with 15 points, Brooks had 11 and Michael Cohen had eight for the Trailblazers.

Jamal McClerkin had 13 points to lead Chaminade.

Montclair Prep 71, West Ranch 57

Sophomore guards Trey Dickerson and Max Fried played huge for the victorious Mounties with 23 and 15 points respectively.

Montclair Prep led 33-31 at halftime but opened up a 16 point lead entering the fourth quarter thanks to holding West Ranch to five third quarter points.

Dickerson is a 5'7 speedy guard, who transferred from New York and Fried is a top lef-handed pitcher on the baseball team.

Junior Martin Flowers had 21 points to lead the Wildcats (2-4), who are reeling from four players quitting the team the first week of the season.

We got a little behind with the wrestling results from this past week or so, so here are some summaries of various teams.

LANCASTER:
El Dorado 54, Lancaster 30
103 MORRIS (ED) PIN 1:03 ANNA DIVINS (LANCAS)
112 MYERS (ED) PIN 3:03 EDDIE TAPIA (LANCAS)
119 AMDYA (ED) PIN 2:44 CHRISTIAN MERRILL (LANCAS)
125 HALES (ED) PIN 2:41 AMRI MOJICA (LANCAS)
130 MORRIS (ED) PIN 1:11 ARMANDO CURIEL (LANCAS)
135 GOGIN (ED) PIN 1:11 JADEN ELMORE (LANCAS)
140 VANGAS, M (ED) PIN 3:22 BRANDON SAMUELS (LANCAS)
145 CHAVEZ, C (ED) PIN 2:33 TRISTEN SEAVER (LANCAS)
152 ENGLAND (ED) PIN 3:44 KENYON WILLIS (LANCAS)
160 LOREN BLACK (LANCAS) PIN 2:38 CLARK (ED)
171 JUSTIN JONES (LANCAS) PIN 1:28 VILARDI (ED)
189 JON DIAZ (LANCAS) PIN 1:17 WALSH (ED)
215 JOE CORONADO (LANCAS) PIN 5:15 KIRBY (ED)
285 STEPHAN COOPER (LANCAS) FOR BYE OPEN (ED)

Oak Hills 65, Lancaster 12 (both from December 9th)

103 SOLIS (OH PIN 0:07 CHRIS PERRY (LANCAS)
112 FLORES (OH) TF 4:00 EDDIE TAPIA (LANCAS)
119 DELGADO (OH) PIN 1:11 CHRISTIAN MERRILL (LANCAS)
125 SCHERFENBERG (OH) PIN 4:37 AMRI MOJICA (LANCAS)
130 JADEN ELMORE (LANCAS) PIN 2:19 MUNOZ (OH)
135 DEPAUW (OH) FOR LEFT ARMANDO CURIEL (LANCAS)
140 ROUT (OH) PIN 2:34 BRANDON SAMUELS (LANCAS)
145 XUE (OH) PIN 3:27 STEVEN REIMAN (LANCAS)
152 VAM STEEG (OH) PIN 0:40 KENYON WILLIS (LANCAS)
160 SORIANO (OH) PIN 0:44 DARIUS SIMMS (LANCAS)
171 JUSTIN JONES (LANCAS) PIN 1:49 HERNANDEZ (OH)
189 MARCHESE (OH) DEC 7-8 TYREE COX (LANCAS)
215 FILLINGAME (OH) DEC 4-11 ADAM JAFERY (LANCAS)
285 JIMENEZ (OH) PIN 3:40 STEPHAN COOPER (LANCAS)

QUARTZ HILL
Oak Hills 31, Quartz Hill 30 (It was a 30-30 tie until the last match and Oak Hills won on 8-6 criteria)
140 Rout (Oak) p. Cambaliza, 3:30
145 Salo (Quartz) p. Xue, 1:20
152 Von Steeg (Oak) maj. Wilkins, 12-4
160 Soriano (Oak) maj. Ruiz, A., 8-0
171 Marchese (Oak) d. Harvey, A., 5-3
189 Harvey, B. (Quartz) d. Fillingame, 6-1
215 Uribe, Z. (Quartz) p. Rivas, 3:11
285 Chu (Quartz) p. Jimenez, 4:32
103 Solis (Oak) d. Zimmerman, 11-4
112 Ricker (Quartz) d. Flores, 8-7
119 Aguilar (Oak) d. Arellano, 3-1
125 Delgado (Oak) maj. Melendez, 14-2
130 Benavides (Quartz) p. Sherfenberger, 3:47
135 Depauw (Oak) d. Heying, 2-1

Quartz Hill 36, El Dorado 34 (very exciting and was decided on the 12th match).
145 Chavez (ED) maj. Salo, 18-7
152 England (ED) d. Wilkins, 12-8
160 Ruiz, A. (QH) p. Clark, 2:38
171 Vilardi (ED) p. Berk, 1:30
189 Harvey, B (QH) p. Walsh, 1:37
215 Uribe, Z. (QH) p. Kirby, :35
285 Chu (QH) ff
103 Morris (ED) d. Zimmerman, 4-3
112 Ricker (QH) d. Myers, 4-1
119 Melendez (QH) d. Amaya, 6-5
125 Hales (ED) p. Arellano, 1:59
130 Benavides (QH) p. Field, 1:58
135 Donovan (ED) p. Cambaliza, 2:48

In Dual Meets with Palmdale and Knight
Quartz Hill 67, Palmdale 9
112 Ricker, Jared (QH) p. Rivera, :59
119 (Melendez, Jon) (QH) tf. Egas, 21-5
125 Cisneros (P) d. (Smith, Broc), 18-13
130 Benavides, Tyler (QH) p. Harl, :30
135 (Heying, Trevor) (QH) p. Carreon, 5:13
140 Harold (P) p. (Ruiz, Nick), 2:44
145 Christopherson, Nicholas (QH) d. Cooksey, 9-3
152 Keyes, Nathan (QH) ff.
160 (Ruiz, Andrew) (QH) tf Reyes, 16-0
171 (Berk, Sean) (QH) p. Huntley, 1:16
189 (Brott, Garth) (QH) p. Ramos, 1:17
215 Uribe, Zechary (QH) p. Tirado, :40
285 (Chu, Anthony) (QH) p. Hicks, 3:20
103 Zopelis, John (QH) p. Kramer, 3:19

Quartz Hill 67, Knight 12
119 (Melendez, Jon) (QH) tf. O'Brien, 15-0
125 Jaramillo, Jesse (QH) ff.
130 Benavides, Tyler (QH) p. Ortega, 3:01
135 Elwood (K) p. (Heying, Trevor), 3:02
140 (Salo, Matthew) (QH) d. Rubio, 4-0
145 (Ruiz, Nick) (QH) p. Barron, 3:59
152 Ul-Hassan (K) p. Wilkins, JT, 1:38
160 (Ruiz, Andrew) (QH) ff.
171 (Harvey, Alex) (QH) p. Kono, 1:38
189 (Brott, Garth) (QH) p. Kasdorf, 2:41
215 Uribe, Zechary (QH) p. Singh, :33
285 (Chu, Anthony) (QH) tf. Flores, 21-5
103 Zopelis, John (QH) p. Thomas, 3:15
112 Ricker, Jared (QH) ff.

SAN FERNANDO
from the El Dorado meet from December 4th and 5th:
Sultan Muhammad placed 1st at Heavyweight and Adolfo Medina placed 7th.

At Lancaster High:

103 Sergio Mendez placed 4th; 112 Jake Gorman 6th; 119; Raul Lechuga 4th; 125 Raul Perez 4th; 130; Miguel Gallegos 2nd; 135 Robert Garcia 1st; 140 Fernando Palacios 2nd; 160; Anthony Uribe 1st; 189 Adolfo Medina 2nd; HWT Ted Peralta 6th.

Wednesday night, Ventura 36, San Fernando 33

LITTLEROCK
Trever Deverstern (147 pounds) finished 1st (went 4-0 in four matches) at the Eagle Invitational in Lancaster and Austin Cline (171) also went 4-0.
Deverstern's record at the time was 8-0.

Montclair Prep of Van Nuys beat West Ranch, 71-57 in a consolation game at the San Fernando Valley Invitational tournament at Kennedy High.

Sophomore guards Trey Dickerson and Max Fried scored 23 and 15 points respectively to lead the Mounties.

Dickerson is a transfer from New York and Fried is a top left-handed pitcher for the baseball team.

Montclair Prep has no seniors on the team and could challenge Campbell Hall and Windward in the Olympic League

The Sylmar High boys basketball team had a two point lead with one minute remaining against Campbell Hall of North Hollywood but couldn't hang on in a 57-54 National Division loss in the Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo tournament.

If Taft of Woodland Hills wins its game against Cathedral tonight, Taft and Campbell Hall will play on Monday.

With no seniors in the starting lineup, Montclair Prep has a 33-31 lead at halftime in a consolation game in the San Fernando Valley tournament at Kennedy High in Granada Hills.

Sophomore point guard Trey Dickerson, an electrifying player from New York is leading the Mounties with 15 points.

@ Salesian

10:00am Van Nuys vs. John Glenn (23rd Place)
11:30am Maywood Academy vs. Van Nuys (21st Place)
1:00pm Cantwell vs. Bravo (19th Place)

@ Cantwell-SHM

9:00am Blair vs. Salesian (17th Place)
10:30am Pioneer vs. Huntington Park (15th Place)
12:00pm St. Paul vs. Los Altos (Consalation)
1:30pm Venice vs. Roosevelt (11th Place)
3:00pm Bell vs. Hoover (9th Place)
4:30pm Community Charter vs. Whittier (7th Place)
6:00pm Hawthorne vs. Morningside (5th Place)
7:30pm Artesia vs. Chatsworth (3rd Place)
9:00pm (El Camino (Oceanside, Ca) vs. Price (Championship)

Chaminade of West Hills' UC San Diego-bound forward Erin Dautremont recently went over the 1,0000 career points mark in a victory against Milken Community of Los Angeles.

Two other area players, Erin Ruiz of West Ranch of Santa Clarita and Lauren Varney of Oak Park also have eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier.

Ruiz has 1,097 and varney is at 1,118 with many games still left to be played.

Best wishes and prayers to Erik Gould and his family. The Golden Valley senior was hospitalized late Friday after being involved in a car accident, and coach Chris Printz said this morning that Gould was in intensive care but there were no details about the extent of Gould's injuries.

Earlier that day, Gould came off the bench and made a key basket in the final minute of a 72-71 victory over Lancaster in a tournament game at Granada Hills High, Printz said.

"It was a pretty serious accident," Printz said. "I can't even imagine what the family is going through. I have three kids of my own."

Gould, a 5-foot-9 guard, transferred from Canyon High.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth won its first round game in the San Fernando Valley Invitational tournament with an impressive 52-36 victory against Marmonte League member Westlake.

Michael Cohen had 21 points to lead the Trailblazers and sophomore forward Jesse Howell had 13.

Sierra Canyon jumped out to a 16-1 lead after one quarter and never looked back.

It was a very disappointing showing for Westlake considering they nearly beat Thousand Oaks on Wednesday.

"Schizophrenic team," quipped Westlake asst. coach Rob Bloom as the team headed into the locker room at halftime.

The Calabasas boys basketball team officially put the rest of the Marmonte League on notice it wants to win the league championship in an impressive 76-62 victory against Simi Valley in an early season showdown Friday.

Not only did the Coyotes (9-1, 2-0) keep pace with Thousand Oaks but Hawaii-bound guard Jordan Coleman firmly stamped himself as one the best athletes in the region.

Coleman finished with 26 points, including 18 in the first half.

Coleman scored in a variety ways, beating Simi Valley defenders off the dribble and out jumping them for easy putbacks.

Coleman's two handed running dunk in the third quarter gave the Coyotes a seven point lead.

"I knew it was a big game tonight because everybody was talking about Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks," Coleman said. "We wanted to get a win."

Coleman wasn't just scoring at will but showed improvement in other areas such as ball-handling, jumping and great body control in the air.

"I just worked real hard over the summer," Coleman said. "I worked out with Marvin Lea and Clint Parks all the time."

Simi Valley (7-3, 1-1) had chances throughout the game leading 19-15 in the first quarter but surrendered a 12-0 run later in the half and trailed by six points at intermission.

The Pioneers also went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter highlighted by two baskets and a 3-pointer from Grant Keller to take a three point lead.

However, Simi Valley went ice cold in the fourth quarter, not scoring for 6:16 and let Calabasas score 13 consecutive points to clinch it.

6'7 forward Jonathan Davis scored 20 points to lead Simi Valley but missed several easy layups in the second half not allowing the Pioneers to shift momentum.

Keller finished with 16 points and Nick Bruen made three 3-pointers for the Pioneers, who played without starting guard Danny Cox.

Lenard Gorokhov had 15 points and Josh Langer had 12 for Calabasas.

Gorokhov made a 3-pointer from the left wing to end Simi Valley's third quarter run and Calabasas took off from there.

"We are just real confident right now," Coleman said. "We can compete with anybody out there."

Both teams take a break from league play and will play in Christmas tournaments.

Simi Valley heads to San Diego for the MaxPreps Holiday classic and Calabasas takes its act to Chaminade of West Hills where it will be a heavy favorite to win its second tournament championship of the year.

The Coyotes won the Campbell Hall of North Hollywood tournament Dec. 5 in a 67-66 overtime victory against Campbell Hall.

Eric Harris has resigned as head coach at St. Genevieve in Panorama City, stepping down so he can pursue his Master's degree, he said.

Harris, 28, coached at St. Genevieve for three seasons. He is a former Chatsworth running back who played with Matt Cassel, now an NFL quarterback.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Chatsworth has advanced to the semifinals at the Cantwell Sacred Heart tournaey in Montebello.

Chatsworth plays El Camino of Oceanside at 9 p.m.

The other semifinal is Price vs. Artesia at 7:30 p.m.

She has only been playing basketball since the seventh grade but freshman Ayisat Afolabi is making quite an impact for the Monroe of North Hills girls basketball team.

Afolabi scored 15 points Tuesday in a loss to canyon and had 17 Thursday in a 56-53 victory against Montclair Prep.

Not only is she able to shoot from the outside or penetrate into the paint, her teammates seem to look to her when they need a basket.

Watch out for Afolabi in Valley Mission League play next month.

An early season showdown in the Marmonte League friday night pits Simi Valley at Calabasas at 7 p.m.

It will be a battle between Calabasas' Jordan Coleman, who is headed to the Univ. of Hawaii next year against 6'7 rising junior prospect Jonathan Davis of Simi Valley.

It is still early in the season but the hospitality room at the Burroughs of Burbank tournament has been the best.

Coach Victoria Oganyan had pasta with giant meatballs, garlic bread, cookies, chips, donuts, drinks and other snacks available in massive quantities.

The food was hot and quite tasty.

The semifinals are set for the Burroughs tournament Friday night.

Undefeated Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta plays Beverly Hills at 5:30 p.m.

Canyon of Canyon Country faces Granada Hills or Burroughs at 7 p.m.

Many top players will be on the court, including C.V.'s Cassie Pappas, Canyon's Brooke Lemar and Shorty Dent, Xava Grooms of Granada Hills and Lisha Elsenbach of Burroughs.

Sarah Rebibo, a senior guard at El Camino Real of Woodland Hills was named MVP of the Calabasas tournament after scoring 27 points in a championship game game victory against Knight of Palmdale on Dec. 12.

The Conquistadores have won four in a row after losing to Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and Chaminade of West Hills.

After a surprising successful run to the East Valley Division semifinals, Grace Brethren coach Terry Gourley has resigned to be an assistant at College of the Canyons.

"I'm beyond excited. This is what I've wanted to do for a while," Gourley said. "I want to help COC get back to being No. 1 in the nation."

Grace Brethren athletic director Matt Cooper is expected to name a new coach within the next week.

-- Gerry Gittelson

When Renaissance Academy High of La Canada advanced all the way to the CIF State Div. V basketball final in Sacramento two years ago, coach Sid Cooke thought he was really onto something - and rightfully so.

At the time, Renaissance Academy featured three of the nation's top young big men, 6-foot-10 junior Anthony Stover, 6-8 sophomore DeAndre Daniels and 6-7 junior Hector Harold, along with 6-4 junior Tremaine Tatum.

All of the players left. Stover transferred to Windward of L.A., Daniels transferred to Taft of Woodland Hills, Harold transferred to a prep school in Massachusetts, and Tatum transferred to South Pasadena; Without them, Renaissance went 10-10 last season and did not make the playoffs - a huge letdown for a program that had advanced to three section finals and a state final over the previous five seasons.

"I remember one of the four told me right before he left that travel ball was more important than high school ball. That was really tough to hear," Cooke said. "After that, everyone kind of forgot about us."

Stover is now a UCLA freshman, Daniels has committed to Texas, Harold has committed to Pepperdine, and Tatum is spending another year in prep school in hopes of becoming eligible to play college basketball, too.

Meanwhile, Renaissance Academy, with only about 55 students, is making a nice little comeback. The Wildcats, playing a beefed-up schedule against much larger opponents, are 6-4, including victories over Agoura, Crespi of Encino, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Palos Verdes and Temple City.

The 63-37 victory over Crespi was especially impressive considering Crespi had scored 91 points two days earlier in a win over Culver City, plus it was Cooke's 200th career victory in nine-plus seasons.

Gill Tacita is averaging 19 points, fellow senior Bryan Bourgeios is averging 11 points, and junior point guard Ed Burrows is averaging nine points and six assists.

"We also have three sophomores and two freshmen who play a lot, too," Cooke said. "We're young and we're facing some really good teams, so we're going to win some and lose some, but I think this team is going to win the Southern Section Div. V championship.

"This team listens, and everyone gets along. Two years ago, the kids who eventually transferred were talking about transferring during the season, and it tore apart our team chemistry."

Despite the defections, Cooke, 47, said he holds no grudges.

"It really wasn't the kids, it was the people around them," Cooke said. "Whenever I see one of them, I give them a big hug."

- Gerry Gittelson

Mark Watley, a former Crespi football standout who is a redshirt freshman defensive back at University of Arizona, says his old nickname "Snoop" has stuck with him in college - no big surprise considering Watley looks exactly like rap star Snoop Dogg in his younger days.

"It's funny. The coaches and players out here still call me 'Snoop' all the time," he said.

Watley, who plays mainly on special teams, is preparing for the Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday between the Wildcats (8-4) and BYU (10-2).

-- Gerry Gittelson

Ryan Kasdorf, the all-time leading passer at Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks, is graduating, and among the hopefuls to take over at quarterback is highly touted Kelly Hilinski, a 6-foot-5 freshman with advanced skills who works with top private coach Steve Clarkson.

Also in the mix are freshman J.J. Muno and juniors Matt Lathuras and Kevin Carrasco.

"All four are going to be given a long look," coach Kevin Rooney said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

A continuing trend over the past few years is for schools to change their school colors, most of them adding black as its primary color after decades of using the same color patterns. Among the San Fernando Valley schools that have moved away from their main colors are Taft of Woodland Hills, Granada Hills, Alemany of Mission Hills and Chatsworth.

Taft used to be red and gold, but now the Toreadors wear black football jerseys. Granada Hills wears black basketball jerseys after always wearing green with black and white trim. Alemany wears black football football jerseys instead of the school's traditional cardinal and gold, and Chatsworth added navy blue to its color pattern after years of wearing orange, gold and white.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Larry Drew, a Taft alum, is having a great sophomore basketball season at North Carolina after playing sparingly as a freshman. He's averaging 9.0 points and 6.8 assists with 11 3-pointers for the 8-2 Tar Heels.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Keep on eye on Matt Strickland, who plays for Crespi's freshman basketball team. He scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers, in a victory over Valencia.

- Gerry Gittelson

Trajuan Briggs, a running back from Birmingham High who committed to USC before the season, has rescinded his pledge to the Trojans and instead has committed to Cal, according to several reports.

Briggs missed nearly all of his senior season because of a foot injury. It is not clear if Briggs' de-committment is a mutual decision.

Also, Louiszell Alexander, a 315-pound offensive tackle from College of the Canyons, has committed to Syracuse after an official visit this past weekend. He also had offers from UCLA, Oregon and Washington.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Nick Wallin of Faith Baptist of Canoga Park has been nominated for the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year Award.

The award is given annually to a player who embodies leadership, performance and desire, and serve as examples to their teammates on and off the field.

Wallin was a key member of the Faith Baptist 8-Man football team, helping lead the Contenders to a 10-3 record and their second straight appearance in the Div. I championship game.

The junior totaled 1,845 all-purpose yards with 23 touchdowns, including a team-leading 884 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

It's official: Nick Isham of Westlake had is the area's most accurate single-season passer of all time.

The junior completed 74.1 percent of his passes this season -- 137 of 185 -- for 2,128 yards, 30 touchdowns and three INTs.

The previous mark was 72.4 by Samson Szakacsy of Camarillo in 2005.

-- Gerry Gittelson

There was a noteworthy performance in girls basketball this past week:

Lauren Varney (Sr. - Forward) from Oak Park, last season's
Ventura County leader in scoring, is averaging 22 ppg and 14
rebounds per game through the first 6 games of this season.

On Saturday, she scored 33 points and pulled down 17 rebounds
in the final game of the Nordhoff tournament against Nordhoff,
securing the tournament championship for Oak Park and earning
the tournament MVP award.

Quartz Hill won the Eagle Invitational at Lancaster High School. They had five
first place finishers with Hayden Zimmerman (103), Jared Ricker (at 112 pounds),
Johnathan Melendez (119), Zack Uribe (215), Anthony Chu (heavyweight) winning first
place in their weight classes.

Valencia finished in 2nd place while San Fernando went 3rd, Highland 4th, Lancaster
(red) 7th, Littlerock 9th, Knight 10th, Burroughs 11th and Palmdale 13th. Chase French of Valencia won the 125 weight class, while Tyler Burton of Highland defeated Miguel Gallegos of San Fernando in the 130 class and Robert Garcia won the 135. Trever Devestern won the 145 weight over Joey Crawford of Burroughs and Anthony Uribe of San Fernando won at 160. Austin Cline of Littlerock and Tyree Cox of Lancaster won at 171 and 189 respectively.

Look for a couple of Littlerock and San Fernando guys in the Wrestling Preview

After a little delay, the 2009-2010 wrestling preview looks like it'll be out in the paper and online on Wednesday. So look for that then.

Meanwhile there are results from the early season, but those will be in another blog.

Tyler Sulka, an offensive tackle for Notre Dame High, has committed to Arizona State.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's official. Westlake, the area's only program eligible to participate a CIF State Bowl next weekend, was not selected.

The pairings have been released, and Crenshaw of L.A. has been chosen to represent the South in the Open division, and Servite of Anaheim has been chosen to represent Div. II.

Had either of those two lost Saturday, it might have been different story.

Westlake was undefeated and Servite had one loss, but obviously Servite's more challenging nonleague schedule, plus the prestige of winning the Pac-5 Division, was too much to pass up by the bowl selection committee consisting of the California's 10
section commissioners.

Here are the pairings:

CIF STATE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIPS

at Home Depot Center

Friday

Small Schools: Parker (11-2) vs. Modesto Christian (14-0), 4 p.m.

Division I: Oceanside (13-0) vs.Bellarmine Prep (11-1-1), 8 p.m.

Saturday

Division III: Serra (14-0) vs. Marin Catholic (13-1), noon

Division II: Servite (13-1) vs. Rocklin (14-0), 4 p.m.

Open Division: Crenshaw (14-0) vs. Concord De La Salle (12-2), 8 p.m.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village girls basketball team faced its biggest test of the young season Saturday in the championship game of the Buena of Ventura tournament against Ventura.

The Lions, who have only one senior starter passed the test with a valiant effort but didn't ace the exam in a 51-46 setback.

"We didn't shoot very well and we were caught off guard on defense a few times," Oaks Christian coach Andre Chevalier said.

The Lions battled back from a 12 point deficit to cut the lead to one at 47-46 after a Brianna Barrett free throw but Amy Pupa and Maddie Fahan each hit two free throws down the stretch to hold off Oaks Christian.

Oaks Christian (7-1) missed several opportunities as Barrett had a chance to tie the game but missed a free throw and sophomore Meghan McIntyre was standing on the out of bounds line as she tried to attempt a game tying three pointer with three seconds remaining.

Brooks had 15 points to lead Oaks Christian, including 10 in the fourth quarter to lead the spirited comeback.

McIntyre had 15 points and Barrett had nine despite a 2 of 14 shooting performance from the field.

"It was an early season loss that we need to learn and grow from," Chevalier said. "As long as we get better we will be fine."

The Lions took a 14-9 lead after one quarter but Ventura settled down, ran its offense and executed to grab a four point lead by halftime and never trailed again.

Maddie Fahan had 17 points and Amy Pupa had 14 to lead the Cougars (8-0).

Royal of Simi Valley took third place in a 58-45 victory against Marmonte League rival Newbury Park.

Destinee LaFountain had 14 points and Gabbi King added 12 for the Highlanders (7-1), under the direction of former player Kinsley Mittel, one of the regions youngest varsity coaches.

Chelsea Jacoby had 12 points and freshman Aubree Mittel, the coach's sister chipped in with nine.

Royal took a 27-12 lead early in the first half and never looked back.

Jasmine Polk scored 16 points to lead Newbury Park.

All great things must come to an end.

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football team had its end come Friday in a 42-41 overtime loss in the Northwest Division championship game against host Serra of Gardena that left the Lions absolutely stunned.

Campbell Davis missed an extra point after a Malcolm Jones touchdown and Serra took advantage scoring on a Conner Preston 1-yard sneak and winning on a successful extra point by Francisco Olloqui.

Serra's players and fans stormed the field as the victory atoned for two defeats against Oaks Christian in the 2007 quarterfinals and 2008 championship.

"I don't know what I am feeling right now," a distraught Jones said. "It was a hard fought game, we just came up short."

Many things came to an end for the Lions.

A 34 game winning streak.

A 28 game postseason winning streak that was the second longest in the state.

A chance for a seventh consecutive section championship.

A chance to advance to its second state bowl game in school history.

Most of all, a chance to keep a dynasty going.

Jones more than did his part rushing for 328 yards on 39 carries, including four touchdowns. He had 162 yards on 15 carries in the first half, not really affected by the damp field and light drizzle.

His six-yard touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the third quarter gave the Lions a 35-28 lead but it didn't hold up.

Robert Woods rushed for a 16-yard score with 4:48 remaining to save the Cavaliers and force overtime.

The USC-bound Woods had three touchdowns, including a 69-yard interception return early in the third quarter putting Serra on top, 28-21.

Oaks Christian would comeback on a Dillon van der Wal 29-yard touchdown catch and Jones' score.

Oaks Christian had to comeback in the first half after Serra scored three consecutive touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead.

Nick Montana found Jordan Payton on a 73-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage but the Cavaliers were unaffected.

Preston connected with George Farmer on touchdowns of 40 and 67 yards and Woods ran for 17-yard touchdown.

Touchdown runs of eight and 10 yards by Jones got Oaks Christian even at 21-21 by halftime.

"We lost to a great team," Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell said. "They have great speed and are well coached. They have four or five playmakers. A couple breaks here and there is the way it goes. It would have been more disappointing if we lost to a bad team but that was a great team. We knew they would be tough."

Montana finished 10 of 20 for 167 yards but threw three interceptions, two in the end zone killing potential scoring drives.

"That hurt," Redell said. "But they made mistakes too so what can you really say."

Preston was 14 of 28 for 237 yards and hurt Oaks Christian with his feet picking up key first downs and scrambling away.

Farmer had 143 yards receiving on five receptions. Payton had four catches for 125 yards for Oaks Christian.

Jones is headed to UCLA next year but he left a lasting impression breaking Marc Tyler's record for most rushing yards in a season and winning the Gatorade national player of the year honor.

"I did as much as I can. There is only so much one player can do. It was still a great way to end the season in a game like this. I had a great four years. It is sad it had to end like this but I am looking forward to playing in college now. Serra deserved to win. They were definitely the best team we played all year. They had athletes everywhere."

Fifty-three years without a football championship was a long wait for Alemany of Mission Hills, but it's going to be a little longer.

In Alemany's first championship appearance since opening its doors in 1956, the Warriors lost 24-21 to Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach on Friday in the Western Division final before a crowd of about 6,000 at College of the Canyons.

For a while, it looked like it was going to be Alemany's night, as the Warriors (10-4) scored on their first two possesions, but top-seeded Mira Costa (12-2) used its size advantage to wear down the Warriors, and Alex Norocea kicked a 28-yard field goal with 4 minutes, 37 seconds remaining to break a 21-21 tie and give the Mustangs their third section titles in nine appearances.

Everything was laid out for Alemany to win it. With threatening skies and rain earlier in the day, it did not rain at all during the game -- a factor that figured to play into Alemany's favor. And the Warriors looked more than ready by forging early leads of 7-0 and 13-7, but Alemany picked the wrong night for a second-half letdown, as quarterback Vernon Adams failed to complete a single pass over the final two quarters.

Adams, who entered with 2,333 yards and 22 touchdowns, finished 8 of 19 for 83 yards with one interception and no scoring passes.

Alemany also wasted a great performance from running back Malcolm Marable, who rushed for 188 yards on 20 carries and scored on runs of 2 and 25 yards. A four-year starter headed to Oregon State, Marable finished the season with 1,286 yards and 25 touchdowns.

After reaching the Western final last year, Mira Costa returned 18 starters and eliminated four local teams in the playoffs, including victories over Quartz Hill, Chaminade of West Hills, then Palmdale in the semifinals. The Mustangs finished with 12 consecutive victories.

Mira Costa's Kyle Nunn had five receptions for 107 yards, including a 35-yarder in which he snatched the ball from two Alemany defenders to set up Norocea's winning field goal.

It will only get harder for Alemany, which moves up to the Serra League next season and will compete in the Pac-5, the Southern Section's most competitive division.

Mira Costa is driving at the Alemany 13 with timeout and just over minutes minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

-- Gerry Gittelson

In an exciting hard-hitting first half, Mira Costa leads 14-13 over Alemany at intermission in the Western Division final at College of the Canyons, the difference a failed extra-point by Alemany's Martin Meza.

Alemany scored first on a 2-yard run by Malcolm Marable, driving 80 yards on six plays, highlighted by Marable's 57-yard run to the 2.

Mira Costa answered with an 80-yard drive on seven plays, Rico Wright scoring on a 4-yard run. Kyle Demarco keyed the drive with two completions for 46 yards, including a 32-yard pass to Kyle Nunn.

Alemany again put together an 80-yard scoring drive on 13 plays, gobbling more than seven minutes with Vernon Adams finishing with a 2-yard touchdown run to pull ahead 13-7. Adams rushed for 23 yards on four carries during the drive and also completed a 28-yard pass to Chike Mbanefo.

Alemany amassed 233 yards in the first half. Marable rushed for 99 yards on 12 carries and caught four passes for 30 yards through two quarters, while Adams completed 8 of 14 for 83 yards and added 52 yards on 11 carries.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Alemany has scored on a 2-yard run by Vernon Adams, boosting the Warriors to a 13-7 lead over Mira Costa after one quarter in the Western championship at College of the Canyons.

-- Gerry Gittelson

We're tied 7-7 here at the Western Division championship between Alemany and visiting Mira Costa, as Alemany's Malcolm Marable scored on a 2-yard run, then Mira Costa answered with a 4-yard touchdown run by Rico Wright.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's a couple of hours before kickoff here at the Western Division championship at College of the Canyons, and the weather is nice -- a little cold but no rain ... yet.

Alemany is playing visiting Mira Costa, and the forecast calls for 50 percent chance of showers tonight. Obviously, Alemany would rather it not rain, as would spectators for both teams, but Mira Costa would probably have a minor advantage if it does rain because Alemany is more about finesse, and the Mustangs are more about straight-ahead smash-mouth football.

I hear it's already raining at Serra, so let's hope for the best.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Day 1

Melbourne vs Arshag Dickranian 99-59
Melbourne 3 vs Besant Hill 69-75
Dos Pueblos vs Melbourne 2 36-67
Villanova vs Oak Park 36-67

Day 2

Arshag Dickranian vs Santa Paula 49-75
Besant Hill vs Oxnard 61-68
Melbourne 2 vs Agoura 48-103
Hueneme vs Oak Park 44-61

Day 3

Melbourne 3 vs Oxnard 71-94
Melbourne vs Santa Paula 86-51
Dos Pueblos vs Agoura 55-54
Villanova vs Hueneme 45-39

Today

Arshag Dickranian vs Besant Hill 1 pm
Melbourne 2 vs Villanova 2:30pm
Santa Paula vs Melbourne 3 4 pm
Agoura vs Hueneme 5:30pm

Melbourne vs Oxnard 7 pm
Dos Pueblos vs Oak Park 8:30 pm
(Winner of these two games play for championship tomorrow at 7:30)

One weekend after scouting Alemany and then losing to Mira Costa on successive nights, Palmdale coach Jeff Williams is picking Mira Costa over the Warriors in the Western championship tonight at College of the Canyons.

"Because of the weather, I'll go with the mudders -- Mira Costa is too dominant on the ground," Williams said.

What if the rain stops, coach?

"It will be wet field regardless. The way to win this game tonight is to establish the run, and Mira Costa will be able to do that," Williams said.

-- Gerry Gittelson
.

Paraclete 59 West Ranch 58
Valencia 58 Eastside 52
Lancaster 69 Kennedy 51
Canyon 77 Panorama 22

FRIDAY MATCHUPS
BRONZE BRACKET semi's
Panorama vs. Poly 3:00
Grant vs. Highland 4:15

SILVER BRACKET semi's
Muir vs. Kennedy 5:30
Eastside vs. West Ranch 6:45

CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET Semi's
Canyon vs. Lancaster 8:00
Valencia vs. Paraclete 9:15

Oaks Christian has scored 621 points in 13 games heading into tonight's Northwest championship at Serra in Gardena -- an average of 48 points per game.

If Oaks Christian hits its scoring average tonight, the Lions would have 669 points, which would be good for No. 8 on the Southern Section's all-time season scoring list.

Oaks Christian has been there before, scoring 797 points in 2006 -- No. 2 on the list behind Bloomington (880 points, 1994) -- along with 740 in 2004 and 697 in 2005.

Throw in a probable 15th game in CIF State Bowl, and Oaks Christian would have a good chance to crack 700 this season.

Here is the Southern Section Top 10 for most points in a season:

880 Bloomington 1994
797 Oaks Christian 2006
774 Bloomington 1997
740 Oaks Christian 2004
724 Bloomington 1996
714 St. Bonaventure 2001
697 Oaks Christian 2005
662 St. Bonaventure 2000
659 Diamond Bar 1984
651 Santa Margarita 1997
646 Cathedral 1996

The Gatorade state player of the year was nice last week, but now the news is 50 times better because running back Malcolm Jones of Oaks Christian is the Gatorade national player of the year, too.

Jones has 109 career touchdowns, including 41 this season heading into a Northwest final at Serra of Gardena on Friday.

A press conference at Oaks Christian is scheduled in about an hour, but it's official.

-- Gerry GIttelson

After failing to make the playoffs two years in a row, Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross has been forced out, resigning about an hour ago.

"It's best for Crespi that I move on," Ross said. "Crespi is a great place with great kids, and they've treated me well the past seven years."

Ranked among the state's top teams in the beginning of the season, Crespi finished 5-5.

Ross is 39-21 overall, including two league championships, one section championship and one section runner-up.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Results from the first two days of the Viewpoint tournament in Calabasas

We will post Wednesday results later.

Boy's Day 1 (December 7th)

Viewpoint 49 Northridge Academy 30
Village Christian 91 Providence 77

Boy's Day 2 (December 8th)

Viewpoint 52 Faith Baptist 37
Bell Jeff 78 Village Christian 73 (Overtime)
Crossroads 72 Providence 55

Girls Day 1 (December 7th)
Viewpoint 50 St. Gens 49
Providence 47 Village Christian 33
Milken 58 Malibu 31

Girls Day 2 (December 8th)
Malibu 59 Viewpoint 49
Carpinteria 46 Faith Baptist 23

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village girls basketball continued its hot start to the season Wednesday in a 78-60 pool play victory against Newbury Park at the Buena of Ventura tournament.

Junior Crystal Owusu scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds, taking advantage of attention being paid to forward Katie Brooks and sophomore point guard Brianna Barrett.

Owusu scored eight points in the first quarter as the Lions (5-0) recovered from a slow start to take a four point lead and never look back.

Brooks had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Barrett finished with seven points and four assists.

Oaks Christian put the game away by halftime thanks to a 15-1 run at the outset of the second quarter.

"We didn't come up with the same intensity like we did last week when we won the Crescenta Valley tournament," Barrett said. "We have to come ready to play every day and put fear into the eyes of the other teams."

The Lions won their 27th game against only two losses going back to last season.

Oaks Christian also received contributions from freshman Megan McIntyre, Beth Mounier and Azhya Aupiu, who combined to score 19 points.

Newbury Park was led by junior Hanna Burge's 21 points, includng three 3-pointers.

The Panthers are still trying to figure out how to play without stars Doris Park-Sherman and Sidney Dobnar, who graduated last year.

Oaks Christian plays Camarillo today at 4 p.m. and will face its biggest test of the season on Friday against highly regarded Buena.

A year ago, things could not have been worse for Dallas Rutherford, the local-boy-done-good who did something really bad.

A top basketball player who had won back-to-back state championships at Campbell Hall High of North Hollywood and was a rising freshman guard at Cal State Northridge, Rutherford's was wrecked. He and a couple of Northridge teammates had participated in the theft of $6,600 worth of merchandise from a Best Buy in Porter Ranch, and Rutherford, facing jail time, pled guilty to misdemeanor grand theft and was sentenced to probation plus 200 hours of community service.

He was suspended from Northridge's team and has never returned, but Dallas Rutherford is making a comeback -- not just on the basketball court but in the game of life.

He is averaging more than 20 points playing JC ball at Moorpark College, and he has learned valuable lessons and vows to remain a respectable citizen.

"When you go through stuff like this, you find out who your friends are and who really loves you," Rutherford said. "A lot of people stuck by me, and that meant a lot to me. Everyone makes mistakes. I was dumb, it was a stupid mistake, and I got caught up in something foolish. I feel like I've overcome it, but it in some ways it will always affect me."

Rutherford said he has 3.4 grade-point average and eventually plans transfer to another four-year program. But he has no illusions about perhaps joining former Campbell Hall teammate Jrue Holiday in the NBA.

"The NBA? Absolutely not," Rutherford said. "I'm 6-foot-2. That's Jrue's calling, not mine."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Whenever a high school football game is moved to a college field, it's the kickers who carry a burden. That's because the goal posts are 23 feet, 4 inches wide in high school but only 18-foot-6 in college -- a big difference when you're trying to nail a last-second, 50-yard field goal.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Ra'Shon Harper has scored 31 touchdowns, so he gets most of the football publicity at El Camino Real of Woodland Hills. But senior linebacker Logan Bates is having quite a year, too, with 170 tackles heading into the City Div. II championship vs. Hamilton of L.A. on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at East L.A. College.

"We have a lot of confidence in our defense," Bates said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Former local football coaches Troy Starr (ex-Taft) and Karl Zierhut (ex-Simi Valley) are still alive in the playoffs, and both have hopes of qualifying for a CIF State Bowl. Starr is 9-4 at Helix of La Mesa in the San Diego Section and Zierhut is 9-3 at Capital Christian in Sacramento in the San Joaquin section.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Jesse Sampson, a junior linebacker for Alemany of Mission Hills, has come on strong, and he could play a key role in the Western Division championship against Mira Costa on Friday at College of the Canyons.

"Jesse is really something. He's going to a be a Division I college prospect," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Riding a 34-game winning streak and a string of six consecutive section football titles, Oaks Christian High of Westlake Village is a lock to earn a CIF State Div. III Bowl berth if the Lions (13-0) defeat host Serra of Gardena (13-0) on Friday in the Northwest final.

Oaks Christian would be in consideration for a berth in the prestigious Open division, too, but the Lions would be better off if Crenshaw of L.A. and Edison of Huntington both lose this coming weekend in the City Section final and the Pac-5 final.

It also would help Oaks Christian's cause if Alemany of Mission Hills defeats Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach in the Western Division, because Oaks Christian owns a nonleague victory over Alemany.

"I think we would deserve to be the open division if we win Friday because we beat Skyline, too, and they won the state championship in Washington," Oaks Christian running back Malcolm Jones said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Don Morrow, head football coach at Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, is a former Cal State Northridge player who returns Friday for the Western championship against Alemany at College of the Canyons.

Mira Costa is the top seed, but Morrow said he is bracing himself for a tough one.

"Alemany looks terrific. We've got our work cut out for us," Morrow said. "Our defense must slow them down."

In its playoff run, Mira Costa has defeated three area opponents - Quartz Hill 42-6, Chaminade of West Hills 41-19 and Palmdale 51-27.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Monday
Antelope Valley 81 Alhambra 54
Tykus Evans had 18 for Antelope Valley

Flintridge Prep 75 LACES 55
Kenyatta Smith had 20 for Flintridge Prep

Simi Valley 43 St. Francis 36

Tuesday
Simi Valley 76 LACES 37
Jonathan Davis 16 points for Simi Valley

Flintridge Prep 60 St. Francis 57 in OT
Kenyatta Smith had 19 for Prep

Tommy Jordan for St. Francis had 27

C.V. 73 South Pasadena 59
Nick Dragovich 26 and 11 rebs.
Coltrane Powdrill 21 and 13 rebs.

For South Pasadena...Kevin Kohler had 27 with 8 3-pointers.

Wed. night schedule Tonight
4 p.m. St Francis v. LACES
5:30 p.m. Antelope Valley v South Pasadena
7 p.m. C.V. v Alhambra.

Ryan Keller, a hard-throwing right-hander from West Ranch High, has committed to University of San Diego.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Lucky Radley, a top running back/linebacker at Taft of Woodland Hills, is scheduled to visit Michigan this coming weekend.

Radley does not have an official offer from the Wolverines, but he does have offers from Arizona, Idaho State, North Carolina, San Diego State, South Carolina, Utah and Utah State.

-- Gerry Gittelson

After defeating Moorpark 38-14 in the regular-season finale, Westlake offensive lineman Michael Lorenzo expects a much more difficult time in the rematch Friday in the Northern championship.

"That was Moorpark's only loss of the year, so you know both teams are going to come out full bore," Lorenzo said. "It's going to be that kind of game. This is for everything."

The rivals are both relatively injury-free and are coming off top performances in the semifinals: Westlake remained undefeated by knocking off national power St. Bonaventure 17-7, and Moorpark eliminated previously undefeated Valencia 40-14 in a semifinal in which Moorpark dominated offensively, defensively and on special teams.

"I'm excited because you know it's going to be a big game that both teams want to win," Westlake linebacker Adrian Muguerza said. "I'm sure Moorpark is going to come back stronger because they have something to prove."

The teams have contrasting styles, and that makes the showdown all the more intriguing. Westlake loves to pass, as Nick Isham has completed 73.8 percent for 1,979 yards and 29 touchdowns, while Moorpark' Austin Edmonson has rushed for 1,486 yards and 26 touchdowns.

"This is a good opportunity for us. We just have to execute and play our game," receiver James Dearborn said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Southern Section has ruled Westlake must change the site of its home football game against Moorpark on Friday for the Northern Division championship because Westlake's stadium can not hold enough spectators and there is no equal seating for both home and visitors.

"We just didn't think there was an equitable seating arrangment as far as sight lines and things like that are concerned," Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons said. "The total number of seats that are available was also part of it, based on the numbers for both teams in the semifinals."

Westlake is in the process of finding a new venue. So far, Moorpark College has been ruled out by Westlake because it's in the city of Moorpark, said Moorpark athletic director Rob Dearborn.

"I can understand that," Dearborn said.

Simi Valley High might be an option. Stay tuned.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Mike Mitchell, a Crespi offensive lineman, has committed to Nevada.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Tori Chiodo of Kennedy and Danielle Fletcher of Grace Brethren have signed with Purdue.

Chiodo, a outfielder/infielder, has 20 career home runs in three seasons. Fletcher, a catcher/third baseman, played two years at Moorpark before transferring to Grace Brethren last season. Her travel team finished third in the USA this past summer.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Alemany has switched its Western Division championship game vs. Mira Costa on Friday from its home field to College of the Canyons.

"It's a championship game, and we decided the kids deserved a better venue," Alemany principal Frank Ferry said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

BOYS' BASKETBALL
DIVISION I

ARLETA, BANNING, BERNSTEIN, BIRMINGHAM, CANOGA PARK, CARSON, CLEVELAND, CRENSHAW, DORSEY, FAIRFAX, FREMONT, GARFIELD, HOLLYWOOD, JEFFERSON, JORDAN, LINCOLN, MARSHALL, MONROE, PALISADES, PANORAMA, SOUTH GATE, SYLMAR, TAFT, WASHINGTON, WESTCHESTER

DIVISION II

BELL, BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET, CONTRERAS, CHATSWORTH, GARDENA, GRANADA HILLS, GRANT, KING-DREW MAGNET, KENNEDY, NARBONNE, POLY, RESEDA, SAN PEDRO, SOUTH EAST, UNIVERSITY, VAN NUYS, VENICE, WILSON

DIVISION III

BELMONT, EAGLE ROCK, EAST VALLEY, EL CAMINO REAL, FRANKLIN, HAMILTON, HUNTINGTON PARK, LOCKE, LOS ANGELES, MANUAL ARTS, MAYWOOD, NORTH HOLLYWOOD, ROOSEVELT, ROYBAL, SAN FERNANDO, SANTEE, VERDUGO HILLS, WEST ADAMS PREP

SMALL SCHOOLS

ANIMO JACKIE ROBINSON, ANIMO SOUTH LA, ANIMO VENICE, ANNENBERG, CALS EARLY COLLEGE, CAMINO NUEVO, CENTRAL CITY, COMMUNITY HARVEST, DISCOVERY PREP, DOUGLASS, DOWNTOWN MAGNETS, ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER, FOSHAY, FULTON PREP, GERTZ-RESSLER, HARBOR TEACHER PREP, HUNTINGTON PARK COLLEGE READY, LACES, LA LEADERSHIP, MARLTON, MIDDLE COLLEGE, NEW DESIGNS, NORTHRIDGE ACADEMY, ORTHOPAEDIC, OSCAR DE LA HOYA ANIMO, SOCES, USC MASTERS, VALLEY ALTERNATIVE, VAUGHN, VIEW PARK PREP

GIRLS' BASKETBALL
DIVISION I

BELL, BELMONT, BERNSTIEN, CANOGA PARK, CARSON, CHATSWORTH, CRENSHAW, DORSEY, FAIRFAX, FRANKLIN, FREMONT, GARDENA, HAMILTON, JEFFERSON, JORDAN, KENNEDY, MANUAL ARTS, NARBONNE, PALISADES, SAN PEDRO, TAFT, VENICE, WASHINGTON, WESTCHESTER, WILSON

DIVISION II

ARLETA, BANNING, CLEVELAND, EAGLE ROCK, EL CAMINO REAL, FAIRFAX, GRANADA HILLS, GRANT, HOLLYWOOD, LINCOLN, LOS ANGELES, MARSHALL, PANORAMA, RESEDA, ROOSEVELT, SOUTH EAST, VAN NUYS, VERDUGO HILLS, WEST ADAMS PREP

DIVISION III

BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET, BIRMINGHAM, CONTRERAS, EAST VALLEY, GARFIELD, HUNTINGTON PARK, KING-DREW MAGNET, LOCKE, MAYWOOD, MONROE, NORTH HOLLYWOOD, POLY, ROYBAL, SAN FERNANDO, SANTEE, SOUTH GATE, SYLMAR, UNIVERSITY

SMALL SCHOOLS

ANIMO JACKIE ROBINSON, ANIMO SOUTH LA, ANIMO VENICE, ANNENBERG, CALS EARLY COLLEGE, CAMINO NUEVO, CENTRAL CITY, DISCOVERY PREP, DOUGLASS, DOWNTOWN MAGNETS, ELIZABETH LEARNING CENTER, FOSHAY, FULTON PREP, GERTZ-RESSLER, HARBOR TEACHER PREP, HUNTINGTON PARK COLLEGE READY, LACES, LA LEADERSHIP, MARLTON, MIDDLE COLLEGE, NEW DESIGNS, NORTHRIDGE ACADEMY, ORTHOPAEDIC, OSCAR DE LA HOYA ANIMO, SOCES, USC MASTERS, VAUGHN, VIEW PARK PREP

DeAndre Roberts, a top defensive lineman at Sylmar, has committed to Nevada.

-- Gerry Gittelson

He had his troubles before arriving at Arleta for his senior year -- his third school in three years -- but you have to admit running back Antonio Bray had an great season: 1,398 yards rushing on just 101 carries and 28 touchdowns, including six of 80 yards or longer.

In his final game, a 21-20 loss to El Camino Real this past Friday, Bray rushed for 154 yards on 13 carries, caught two passes for 54 yards, played full-time cornerback and scored all three of Arleta's touchdowns on runs of 95 and 30 yards plus a 50-yard reception as time expired.

-- Gerry Gittelson

DAILY NEWS TOP 10 RANKINGS

1. Oaks Christian (13-0) - Plays at Serra on Friday

2. Westlake (13-0) - Plays host to Moorpark on Friday

3. Moorpark (12-1) - Plays at Westlake on Friday

4. Alemany (10-3) - Plays host to Mira Costa on Friday

5. Valencia (12-1) - Season over

6. Notre Dame (9-3) - Season is over

7. El Camino Real (12=1) Plays Hamilton at East L.A. Collage on Friday

8. Palmdale (10-3) - Season is over

9. Arleta (11-2) - Season is over

10. St. Francis (9-3) - Season is over

Oaks Christian is one victory away from what would be a seventh consecutive Southern Section title, but BYU-bound tight end/defensive lineman Alani Fua's status has yet to be determined after he suffered a concussion Saturday in the Lions' semifinal victory at Cathedral.

Fua will see a doctor on Monday, he said.

"I'm feeling good, and I remember what happened," Fua said. "I was running a slant route and got hit helmet to helmet, and I didn't see the other guy until the last second."

Oaks Christian (13-0), ranked No. 1 in the state, plays at Serra (13-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

-- Gerry Gittelson

After winning its first 12 football games by an average of more than 30 points, Valencia High learned what it's like on the other side Saturday, as the Vikings (12-1) were defeated 40-14 by visiting Moorpark in the Northern Division semifinals.

Moorpark's Austin Edmonson rushed for 200 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns, including a 55-yarder, and Moorpark's defense forced four interceptions and held the high-powered Vikings scoreless in the second half.

"Austin Edmonson ran like a mad man tonight," Moorpark offensive lineman Joe Frank said. "He was a pleasure to block for."

Valencia quarterback Alex Bishop, a model of consistency who entered with a 75 percent completion rate, 36 touchdown passes and just three interceptions, had difficulty dealing with Moorpark's aggressive defensive line, hard-hitting linebackers and skilled defensive backs. The junior was intercepted four times and completed 17 of 31 for 194 yards and no touchdowns, finishing the season with 3,417 yards.

Moorpark (12-1) also held explosive running back Steven Manfro to 65 yards in 14 carries.

"We knew if we stopped the run, we had it in the bag," Moorpark linebacker Marc Palacios said. "We kept the pressure on, and we have great DB's than can play man-to-man with anyone."

Moorpark plays at Westlake (12-1) in the Northern championship Friday at 7:30 p.m., the Musketeers fourth championship appearance under coach Tim Lins. The school has won one championship, in 1997, under Ron Wilford, now Moorpark's defensive coordinator.

"Our defense came to play. We were on tonight," Lins said. "I don't think Valencia had seen teams like us on a weekly basis."

Valencia defensive lineman Darrol Mitchell said his team has nothing to be ashamed of.

"We came out confident and we knew Moorpark was a great football team, and we wanted to play the best," Mitchell said. "We never gave up, and we never quit. I think we should still be proud of ourselves."

Moorpark has really asserted itself here in the third quarter against Valencia. The Musketeers have scored two touchdowns to lead 30-14.

Moorpark's Austin Edmonson has rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns in 18 carries.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Moorpark is leading Valencia 16-14 at the half in a Northern Division semfinal at Valencia.

Down 16-7 late in the second quarter, Valencia drove 76 yards on three plays, scoring on Steven Manfro's 4-yard run to pull within 16-14. One player earlier, Manfro set up his own touchdown by catching a short pass from Alex Bishop, breaking a couple of tackles, then sprinting down the right sideline for a 52-yard gain to the 4.

After both teams went three-and-out on their first possessions, Moorpark scored first on a 55-yard touchdown run by Austin Edmonson, who found a hole off right-tackle and quickly broke into the open field, as no Valencia defender had a chance at him.

Valencia answered with a 28-yard touchdown pass on a reverse pass from Zach Tartabull to Jake Reed, followed by a 45-yard field goal by Moorpark's Stephen Picchini, then a 7-yard touchdown run by Edmonson to boost the lead to nine points.

In the first half, Edmonson totaled 100 yards on 12 carries, while Bishop completed 10 of 13 for 127 yards as Valencia amassed 194 yards.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Down by a touchdown, Valencia got a little fancy against Moorpark, scoring on a 28-yard double-reverse pass from Zach Tartabull to Jake Reed, and the score is 7-7 after the first quarter in a Northern semifinal.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Well, that was quick. Austin Edmonson has scored on a 55-yard run, and Moorpark leads Valencia 7-0 early in the first quarter here at Valencia.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's cold and bit windy here at Valencia High, where the host Vikings are preparing to face Moorpark in just a few minutes in a Northern Division semifinal between two of the Valley area's winningest programs.

They've met once before, with Moorpark eliminating Valencia 30-8 in last year's semifinals. But this year could be different, as Valencia (12-0) has not lost a game and has a couple of dynamic new faces in juniors in quarterback Alex Bishop and running back Steven Manfro.

Moorpark (11-1) has lost only to undefeated Westlake, which has qualified for the Northern final by virtue of a 17-7 victory over St. Bonaventure on Friday.

Westlake will host the winner of tonight's game in the championship next Friday.

I'll update when I can.

It's a huge day in high school football, beginning in just a few hours with the eight-man championship this afternoon at 1 p.m. -- no one could have a picked a more compelling matchup than rivals Santa Clarita Christian and host Faith Baptist in the final -- and continuing with tonight's Southern Section semifinals.

Oh, the storylines:

-- Valencia has a perfect season going and plays host to Northern rival Moorpark, who happened to knock the Vikings out of last year's playoffs.

-- Palmdale is also in a rematch, playing at nemesis Mira Costa, the top seed and the same team that knocked off the Falcons last year (MC has 19 returning players). Palmdale is trying to reach a final for the first time in school history, just as Alemany succeeding in doing last night, and wouldn't it be fun if Palmdale upsets Mira Costa and sees Alemany next Friday in an All-Valley area final?

-- And, of course, Oaks Christian. The Lions play a tougher opponent that usual, host Cathedral of L.A., and looming in the final is a probable showdown against state power Serra of Gardena. Oaks, the top ranked team in the state on Cal Hi Sports, is going for a seventh consecutive section title. Running back Malcolm Jones, the Gatorade state player of the year, is a touchdown machine.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Saturday is shaping up a great day for local high school basketball fans.

Championship games are scheduled all over Southern California.

Campbell Hall tournament: Campbell Hall vs. Calabasas, 7 p.m.
Burbank tournament: Royal/Canyon winner vs. Renaissance Academy/Keppel winner
Westchester tournament: Taft (USA Today No. 9) vs. Westchester (USA Today No. 5), 7 p.m.
third-place, Leuzinger vs. Compton Centennial

Simi Valley tournament: Valencia vs. Clovis East, 6:30 p.m.
third-place, El Camino Real vs. Simi Valley

Redondo Union tournament: Serra/Compton winner vs. Long Beach Poly/Fairfax winner
Crescenta Valley Girls tournament: Oaks Christian vs. Montclair Prep, 7 p.m.
Valencia Girls tournament: TBA

One day after crushing Windward of Los Angeles by 33 points, Taft of Woodland Hills was taken to the limit by Leuzinger of Los Angeles, ranked No. 14 in the state.

Spencer Dinwiddie received a pass from Pierson Williams at halfcourt, drove downt he left sidleine, crossed over into the paint and made a running 10-foot floater with three seconds remaining to help the Toreadors escape.

"I just knew I had to attack the basket," Dinwiddie said. "It was either go up strong and score or get fouled."

Dinwiddie finished with 17 points, including several key baskets in the second half.

Leuzinger held a seven point lead with two minutes remaining but were burned by a Pierson Williams 3-pointer and missing two front ends of one and one attempts at the free throw line.

Taft looked like it was on to another easy victory after taking a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

However, Leuzinger came back behind Amir Garrett, Aqeel Quinn, Colroy Gordon and Chaysen Williams.

Garrett finished with 20 points while the remaining trio had 10 points each.

Bryce Jones had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Taft but was hampered by foul trouble all night.

De'Andre Daniels only had six points but came up with some huge rebounds down the stretch to keep Taft's hopes alive.

Daniels had 12 rebounds but was an abysmal one of 9 at the free throw line.

Taft won despite a four of 15 performance at the charity stripe

Taft 22 9 13 16=60
Leuzinger 10 25 17 7=59

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village pulled off an upset friday in the semifinals of the Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta girls basketball tournament with a 50-25 victory against defending Div. IV-AA champion Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.

Sophomore point guard Brianna Barrett scored 16 points and was the best guard on the floor as the Lions advanced to the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. against Montclair Prep of Van Nuys.

The game will be a rematch of last years final when Montclair Prep handed Oaks Christian one of its only two losses on the season.

Oaks Christian led 19-16 at halftime but outscored the Knights (2-1) 31-9 in the second half to run away.

NC St.-bound forward Kody Burke was limited to 10 points on three baskets and four free throws.

Burke was removed from the game by coach Paul Gross with seven minutes remaining as the lead grew to nearly 20 points.

The Lions have won 25 of their past 27 games.

Alemany qualified for its first Southern Section football final in the school's 53-year history Friday, and the Warriors did it the old-fashioned way, playing tough defense and using crisp execution on offense in a 35-24 victory over visiting Dominguez of Compton in the Western Division semifinals before a crowd of about 4,500.

"I feel great. This is the first time we've ever made it to the final, and I'm part of it," running back Malcolm Marable said.

In fact, Marable was a big part of it.

A four-year starter who saved one of his best performances, Marable rushed for 120 yards and four touchdowns in 23 carries.

Alemany (10-3) plays at home next Friday in the championship game against tonight's semifinal between Palmdale (10-2) and host Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach (10-2).

"I think now that we've made it to a CIF final, there's no stopping us," Marable said.

It was anyone's game after the teams were tied 14-14 at halftime, but in the second half Alemany finally figured out how to slow Dominguez's power-pitch offense, and the Warriors eventually pulled away thanks to three Marable touchdown runs over the final two quarters.

Alemany coach Dean Herrington signed on four years ago after Alemany had won 16 games over the previous six seasons, and after one rebuilding season in 2006, Alemany advanced to the quarterfinals in 2007 and the semifinals last year.

"Coach Herrington deserves 100 percent of the credit. I admire him a lot," Marable said.

Alemany's Vernon Adams completed 5 of 6 passes for 139 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to Chike Mbanefo, and Adams added 80 yards rushing on eight carries.

Dominguez's Will Gregory rushed for 141 yards on 19 carries, scoring on two 1-yard runs. Devonte Carter added 95 yards on 14 carries, and Chris Brown completed 6 of 8 passes for 49 yards.

Alemany totaled 379 yards, including 240 on the ground.

The Westlake High football team is either impatient or precocious.

Then again, why put off winning a championship until next year when you can do it now?

Junior quarterback Nick Isham scored on a one-yard touchdown with a minute left and linebacker Max Winsberg recovered a fumble in the end zone 11 seconds later to ice the Warriors improbable but impressive 17-7 upset of two-time defending champion St. Bonaventure of Ventura Friday night in the semifinals of the Southern Section Northern Division playoffs.

Westlake will meet the winner of tonight's semifinal between Moorpark and Valencia in next weekend's title game.

``Everyone always says we're a year away,'' said Winsberg, who also had a first-half interception. ``But we just believed it'd be this year.''

The first half was filled with big hits, as both teams dug in.

Dominguez led 14-7 on a pair of Chris Brown 1-yard touchdown runs, and the Dons were in position to score another touchdown with two minutes remaining in the first half when Anthony Espinosa recovered a fumble on his own 4.

Alemany drove 96 yards on seven plays, scoring on Malcolm Marable's 1-yard run with 22 seconds left. The key play was a 39-yard pass from Vernon Adams to Marable, combined with a late 15-yard penalty by Dominguez for unsportsmanlike conduct that brought the football to the Dons' 19.

With its combination of crisp execution and athletic backs, Dominguez amassed 210 yards rushing in the first half.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Everyone who's supposed to be here is here, and the teams are just trotting onto the field for the opening kickoff here in Mission Hills for a Western semifinal between host Alemany and visiting Dominguez.

Alemany is seeking its first championship berth, and Dominguez is a Cinderella team but must be respected considering the Dons knocked Alemany out of the playoffs two years ago.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It could be an historical football evening at Alemany tonight, as the Mission League-champion Warriors (9-3) hope to qualify for their first-ever Southern Section title game by defeating Dominguez (6-5) in the Western semifinals. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

It will only get more difficult in the coming years for Alemany, which switches to the more competitive Serra League and Pac-5 Division beginning next season.

Alemany is led by running back Malcolm Marable and quarterback Vernon Adams, and Doninguez's top players are running back Will Gregory and quarterback Chris Brown.

In the other Western semifinal, Palmdale 910-2) plays at top seeded Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach (10-2).

I'll be there in Mission Hills blogging as much as I can, so stay tuned.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Jay Creps is the new head coach at Chatsworth High. He is the father of former coach Jaisa Creps.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here for a while," Creps said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Friday schedule

3:30 p.m. Roosevelt vs. Agoura
5 p.m. Chaminade vs. Glendale
6:30 p.m. Royal vs. Canyon (semifinal)
8 p.m. Renaissance Academy vs. Keppel (semifinal)

Taft 20 30 21 17=88
Windward 15 13 14 15=57

Taft- De'Andre Daniels 28, Bryce Jones 12, Landon Drew 16, Mark Jackson 9, Pierson Williams 8, Stephen Maxwell 8, K. Williams 3, Gathers 2, Dinwiddie 2

Windward- Wesley Saunders 32, Wilson 6, Silverman-Lloyd 6, Stover 4, Rubin 4, Hill 3, Gueno 2

Friday:

3:00pm Cathedral vs. Mayfair
4:20pm Bishop Montgomery vs. Pacific Hills
5:40pm Palisades vs. Santa Monica
7:00pm L.B. Poly vs. Fairfax (semifinal)
8:20pm Compton vs. Serra (semifinal)

Monday
North Hollywood 68, Ganesha 55
Don Lugo 66, Vista Murrieta 63
Chatsworth 55, Rowland 43

Tuesday
Los Osos 98, Don Lugo 69
Damien 49, Chatsworth 38
Glendora 63, Ganesha 30

Wednesday
Los Osos Def. Vista Murrieta
Damien 61, Rowland 49
Glendora 63, North Hollywood 44

Thursday
Vista Murrieta Def. Ganesha
Rowland Def. North Hollywood

Friday
Semifinals at Glendora
6:00 Damien v. Los Osos
7:30 Glendora v. Don Lugo
at Rowland
4:00 Chatsworth v. Vista Murrieta

Saturday
3:00 Rowland v. Ganesha
4:30 Chatsworth v. North Hollywood
6:00 3rd Place Game
7:30 Championship

Games at Palisades High

* Canoga Park vs. L.A Adventist 2:30pm @ PCHS
* Brentwood vs. Camarillo 4:00pm @ PCHS
* Roosevelt vs. Marymount 5:30pm @ PCHS
* L.A.C.E.S vs. Calabasas 7:00pm @ PCHS (Third Place Game)
* Carson vs. Palisades 8:30pm @ PCHS ( Championship Game)

Games at Locke will take place as follows,
New Roads vs. Locke @ 3:30pm
Cleveland vs. Locke @ 5:00pm
Notre Dame Academy vs. Manual Arts @ 6:30pm

Teams in the West Valley League better get used to playing the fourth quarter with a running clock in January and February because the Taft of Woodland Hills boys basketball team is simply good enough to be leading by 40 points or more after three quarters.

In what was supposed to be a competitive game against defending state Div. V champion Windward of Los Angeles, Taft turned it into a rout in an 88-57 quarterfinal victory at the Westchester of Los Angeles tournament.

Taft advances to the semifinals tonight against Leuzinger of Lawndale or Washington Prep of Los Angeles at 7 p.m. The host Comets, ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today face Compton Centennial in the other semifinal at 8:30 p.m.

Texas-bound junior forward De'Andre Daniels scored 28 points and had 12 rebounds to lead the Toreadors, who routed Carson by 47 points on Tuesday.

Daniels was a man among boys tallying 22 points and eight rebounds by halftime. Daniels played sparingly in the second half as Taft would bring in players off the bench that could start at most other schools in California

Daniels keyed a 27-8 run to end the first half, bursting wide-open a tight three point game early in the second quarter.

Daniels scored in the paint, scored facing the basket, scored on several putbacks and made a three point shot for good measure.

Windward simply was outmanned and couldn't guard him or any of the other Toreadors to be precise.

"I just want to get our team going," a humble Daniels said. "My job is to bring energy and intensity."

If Daniels performance wasn't enough, sophomore Landon Drew had 16 points, USC-bound Bryce Jones had 12, Mark Jackson had eight and Pierson Williams and Stephen Maxwell each scored eight points.

Jones had 25 points in the Carson victory and relishes the fact he doesn't have to carry the team night in and night out.

"We have a great team, no doubt about it," Jones said. "It is great to know that somebody will step up always. We know it will happen, the only question is who will it be each night."

Wesley Saunders, a rising junior prospect put in a great effort with 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Windward.

He didn't have the supporting cast Taft did, however.

No other Windward player scored in double digits.

Taft's only real concern moving forward could be keeping everybody happy for the next four months. Only five players can play at one time.

"Everybody is buying in and playing their roles," Jones said.

Taft coach Derrick Taylor added, "It is always a concern at every level but we drill and talk about team first above anything else. We make sure no one loses sight of the team goal."

If Taft gets by its semfinal contest, the Toreadors will likely face Westchester in the championship game Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Taylor is not taking Leuzinger or Washington Prep lightly but would love a chance to see what his team would do against a national level opponent.

"They have experience, strength and size but I think we have better athletes and skilled players. It would be a fantastic early season game. This is why we come to this tournament, to always play the best. The question for us would be if we can score enough points."

In a second round consolation game, tiny Community Charter of Lake View Terrace came back from a six-point second half deficit to beat Horizon Christian of San Diego, 65-53.

Josh Greene, Lawrence Domingo and Jermaine Dansby scored 22, 15 and 12 points respectively to lead the Titans, who are one of the best kept secrets in the region.

Domingo had 11 rebounds and Dansby added six assists in the come from behind victory.

Community Charter is off its two year probation in January according to coach Les Bean and could be eligible for the City Section playoffs in February.

The Titans would certainly be a Div. III or small-schools contender depending on their placement.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS

SOUTHERN SECTION

All games 7:30 p.m unless indicated

FRIDAY

NORTHERN

St. Bonaventure (11-1) at Westlake (12-0), 7 p.m. - Westlake's combo of QB Nick Isham and WR Nelson Spruce has been lethal all season, but can they continue their success against St. Bonaventure's hard-hitting defense?

WESTERN

Dominguez (6-5) at Alemany (9-3) - Alemany looks to end Dominguez's Cinderella season, but the favored Warriors better watch out because they've been susceptible to the run, and that's Dominguez's specialty.

EAST VALLEY

Grace Brethren (7-5) vs. Ontario Christian (6-6) at Moorpark College, 7 p.m. - Two unseeded underdogs go head-to-head in this intriguing small-schools showdown.

SATURDAY

NORTHERN

Moorpark (11-1) at Valencia (12-0), 7 p.m. - Moorpark defeated Valencia by 22 points in the playoffs last year, but the Vikings, led by QB Alex Bishop, RB Steven Manfro and WRs Zach Tartabull and Brock Vereen, have added more weapons in this rematch.

WESTERN

Palmdale (10-2) at Mira Costa (10-2) - After a 49-42 double-OT victory last week, Palmdale finds out if there is anything left in the tank. The key is how tough Palmdale plays the run.

NORTHWEST

Oaks Christian (12-0) at Cathedral (11-1) - Oaks Christian QB Nick Montana and RB Malcolm Jones form quite a combination, as Washington-bound Montana has passed for 29 TDs, and UCLA-bound Jones has scored 34 TDs.

CITY SECTION

FRIDAY, 7 p.m.

DIVISION II

El Camino Real (11-1) vs. Arleta (11-1) at Monroe HS - Defending champion Arleta is top-seeded, but El Camino Real has faced tougher competition in this San Fernando Valley showdown that's too close to call.

EIGHT-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Santa Clarita Christian (8-4) at Faith Baptist (10-2) - It doesn't get better than this, as two arch-rivals go head-to-head in a rematch of last year's final won by Santa Clarita Christian 50-28.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The first wrestling of the new season has happened with teams such as Highland, Quartz Hill, Chaminade and Crespi seeing action so far. More detailed results as they come in.

Several schools - Chaminade and Alemany are two - just finished up their football seasons, so their guys are getting into wrestling shape.

Look for the high school wrestling preview mid next week. We'll detail the wrestlers, the teams and all of the leagues.

It was good thing Rosamond transfer Josh holden was cleared by City Section officials Monday.

Holden scored 30 points in a 67-52 victory against Westlake in the Simi Valley tournament on Tuesday and followed that performance with 21 points in a 63-48 quarterfinal win against Burroughs of Burbank on Wednesday.

El Camino Real will face Clovis East of Clovis in a semifinal on Friday at Simi Valley.

Coach David Rebibo has the Conquistadores playing well in the early going.

No word yet if Renaissance Academy of La Canada transfer Dushon Carter will suit up this season.

If Carter gets eligible, Holden continues to play well and the role players do their part, Taft of Woodland Hills might have a contender on its hands.

Stay tuned..............

After losing a nonleague football game to Bishop Amat of La Puente in early October, St. Bonaventure of Ventura (11-1) could never make it back to being the top seed in the Northern Division, as Westlake (12-0) and Valencia (12-0) have remained undefeated heading into the semifinals this weekend.

But it's hard not to consider St. Bonaventure the division favorite considering the Seraphs have won the past two Northern championships, along with the past two CIF State Div. III Bowl titles. Overall, they've won eight section titles over the past 10 years and have won 21 of 22 playoff games since a loss to Westlake in the 2003 Div. IV championship.

This season, St. Bonaventure has defeated Long Beach Poly, Crespi of Encino, Long Beach Jordan and St. John Bosco -- all participants in the Pac-5, the Southern Section's highest division.

St. Bonaventure and Westlake, the last opponent to defeat the Seraphs in the playoffs, meet again Friday at Westlake, and an overflow crowd is expected. The championship game is Dec. 11.

"Westlake is a very dangerous team. It's going to be a challenge," St. Bonaventure coach Todd Therrien said. "They play hard on defense, and they're explosive on offense."

Said Westlake kicker Alex Ball: "I think it's going to be a really good game. We're lucky to be here, and we have to prepare ourselves to do our best. St. Bonaventure is a good team, but we've got good players too. I think we can win if we perform."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's football team has been coping without starting receiver Trey Smith, a junior who is out for the season after breaking his foot and undergoing surgery last week.

"Trey was jumping to catch a pass in practice right before the first playoff game, and he came down wrong," coach Bill Redell said.

Smith, a junior who is the son of top Hollywood actor Will Smith, had 23 receptions and two touchdowns. He has been replaced in the lineup by Brett Medders.

-- Gerry Gittelson

You won't find a more underrated football player in the Northern Division than Darrol Mitchell, a Valencia defensive lineman who has 21 1/2 sacks heading into a semifinal Saturday between the host Vikings (12-0) and Moorpark (11-1).

"Darrol had a decent season as a junior last year but I don't even think he made all-league," quarterback Alex Bishop said. "He's come back a lot stronger this season."

Meanwhile, there is a growing contingent of Valencia fans who wear purple "manfro" wigs every game in honor of running back Steven Manfro, a junior who has rushed for 1,607 yards and scored 33 touchdowns.

"At first there were about 50 of them, but now it's closer to 100," Bishop said. "I think it's great."

One final note on Valencia: Receiver/defensive back Brock Vereen said it would be a mistake to read too far into Moorpark's 22-point playoff victory last year over the Vikings.

"Moopark is a whole new team just like we're a whole new team," Vereen said. "Last year is behind us, but we are going to look at it as motivation."

-- Gerry Gittelson

After a 2-9 football record in 2008, Chaminade of West Hills improved to 7-5 this season and advanced to the Western Division quarterfinals -- not a bad first year for new coach Ed Croson, who came in having won four City Section championship over a six-year span at Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

"For what it's worth, our kids had a great run, especially when you consider things like our eventual starting safety didn't even join the team until after the first game," Croson said. "It was a total transition year, but we did pretty well."

Croson's longtime defensive coordinator at Birmingham, Jim Rose, took over as head coach, and the Patriots finished 3-8, as the team's key returning player, USC-bound running back Trajuan Briggs, appeared in just two games because of a foot injury suffered in an opening scrimmage.

"We'll have eight returning starters on defense and six returning starters on offense next year, so I would say we're going to be a lot better," Rose said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Coming off a 49-42 double-overtime victory Friday over St. Francis of La Canada, Palmdale football coach Jeff Williams said it was the first overtime game he has ever coached -- and for the time being, that's enough.

"My heart was racing for two hours. The older I get, the longer it takes to recover," Williams said.

Palmdale (10-2) plays Saturday at top-seeded Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach (10-2) in a Western semifinal one year after Mira Costa eliminated the Falcons in the same round.

"Mira Costa is a very physical team, so it's definitely going to be a very physical game," Williams said. "It should be another exciting game to watch that could boil down to the end just like last week."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Football standout Christian Thomas, a blue-chip tight end from Highland of Palmdale who is being recruited by USC, is planning official recruiting visits to Oregon State and Miami this month.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Fulton Prep of Van Nuys (9-3) is looking to win its second City Section eight-man football title over the past three seasons on Thursday at 7 p.m. against View Park of L.A. (12-0) at Contreras High of L.A.

Fulton Prep's multipurpose back Julio Perez has scored 31 touchdowns and passed for 11 touchdowns, and Oscar Miranda has rushed for 1,558 yards and 21 touchdowns. View Park's Leon Garrett has passed for more than 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns, and Devin Ellison has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 33 touchdowns.

"Honestly, we're the underdog. View Park is loaded," Fulton Prep coach Sean Jackson said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

As expected, Taft's boys' basketball team is off to a good start, defeating Carson 84-37 in its first game Tuesday in the Westchester tournament, as USC-bound Bryce Jones scored 25 and DeAndre Daniels added 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Taft, No. 9 in USA Today's national rankings, could eventually face host Westchester, No. 5 in the same rankings, on Saturday night in the tournament championship.

-- Gerry Gittelson

if you're looking for a good pregame meal Saturday before the Northwest football semifinal between Oaks Christian and host Cathedral of L.A., some of the Oaks Christian parents are planning to dine at nearby Philippes, a landmark restaurant that's been serving French dip sandwiches since 1908.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Hal Lambert, the founding football coach at Taft High in Woodland Hills for 20 seasons beginning in 1960, died Monday. He was 84.

"We opened the school together," said Ray O'Connor, Lambert's longtime assistant coach. "Hal was always an energetic worker, and he produced a lot of league-championship teams and coached several all-star teams. He coached several players that went on to the pros. I guess the most famous one was Jeff Fisher."

A memorial service is scheduled for Monday at noon at Groman-Eden in Mission Hills.

Lambert's career record was 94-80-6. Taft finished undefeated in the regular season in 1965 before eventually losing to Los Angeles in the playoffs.

He is survived by his wife Millie, his daugther Jodi, his son Michael, and one grandchild and two great grandchildren.

-- Gerry Gittelson

For the third time in as many seasons, there was a different coach roaming the sidelines during the season opener for the Desert Christian of Lancaster girls' soccer team.

But just like Casey Jenison and Deann Lewis before her, Jessica Wick got the job done for the Knights.

Wick, a 2007 Desert Christian graduate, secured her first varsity coaching victory Tuesday as the Knights defeated Highland of Palmdale 3-0 at Lancaster National Soccer Center.

Cara Eskenazi, Kristina Hulse and Shea Richards scored for Desert Christian, which extended its unbeaten streak to 21 in a row including last season's run to the Southern Section Div. VI and Div. III Southern California Regional titles.

"We had our chances and so did they, but the girls really wanted it and they took care of it," Wick said. "It was really exciting."

Aimee Pierson posted the shutout for the Knights, who play Friday against Littlerock.

One freshman expected to be in the spotlight Tuesday night at College of the Canyons.

The other ninth-grader had the attention focused on her whether she was ready for it or not.

Westlake's Arielle Ship, a Region IV Olympic Development Program player who moved from Colorado during the offseason, lived up to her advanced billing in the central midfield and at forward for the Warriors.

Valencia goalkeeper Logan Byam-Taylor was moved up from JV and thrust into the starting position with junior Kaci McCain still out injured and responded to a flurry of Westlake opportunities.

Both freshmen came through with strong performances, as Byam-Taylor turned away 11 shots, including one on Ship that led to a rebound goal by Julia Ozello with less than five minutes remaining that forced a 1-1 tie.

"Logan stepped up huge," Valencia coach Sean O'Connell said. "She made some big saves and if our defense hadn't been standing around watching, maybe we could've avoided that (goal)."

Despite having shots ring off the post, balls roll across the front of the goal and scrambles inside the penalty area repeatedly turn out in Valencia's favor, Westlake continued to apply pressure, especially when coach Frank Marino moved Ship from the central midfield up to center forward in the second half.

"Considering we were missing (starters Taylor Perry and Andrea Todak) and we had a freshman starting at center mid, I was really pleased," Marino said. "For a first game, I was really happy with their effort. We created a lot of chances and we finally got one in, so I'll take a tie."

Nicollette Smith gave Valencia a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute, heading in a well struck free kick by Haleigh O'Connell over the head of Westlake goalkeeper Allie Altman, who finished with four saves.

"Considering our first practice with all 18 girls was (Monday), I'm pleased," Sean O'Connell said. "Frank's got a great program and he's a great guy and that's why I want to play his team every year. We've got a lot of talented club players and I'm excited about what we can accomplish."

The message from assistant coach Jorden Stanley before the match was simple: "Prove it."

And that's exactly what the Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta girls' soccer team did Tuesday against defending Southern Section Div. II champion Saugus.

Despite struggling to keep up with the Centurions' speed, holding possession for less time and being outshot, the host Falcons managed to record a 1-0 victory, their first over Saugus since 2002.

Nine C.V. players that competed Tuesday had carried around the frustration during the offseason of a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to the Centurions, who returned 12 players off last year's championship team.

"I didn't have to say anything. Jorden handled the pre-game talk and she told them, 'Prove you're that good. Prove you're a league champion. Prove you're capable of being a CIF champion,'" C.V. coach Reggie Rivas said. "We knew they were going to outpossess us, but I just told the girls to be patient and you will get a couple of opportunities. I told them you can bend, but you can't break."

That moment finally came in the 55th minute, when sophomore Mea Zuiderveen corralled a loose ball in the penalty area following a cross from Frances Boukidis and took advantage of Saugus' defensive miscommunication to bury a shot in the lower left corner.

"I just saw the ball come loose and I kicked it," Zuiderveen said. "I didn't know what was going on. I was just trying to get behind the last defender."

Saugus had its share of opportunities, but aside from Ysabel Padron knocking a shot off the left post in the first half, most of the Centurions' attack resulted in shots that sailed wide of the net or balls that were knocked out of the air by the Falcons' defense or goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson.

"I thought we did a lot of good things, this just shows me we need to work on our offensive tactics," said Saugus first-year coach Natalie Helgeson, who succeeded Lisa Rollo in May. "They've had all year to enjoy their CIF championship, but now it's about finding the right chemistry and the right players in the right positions. And I can't put it all on the forwards, because we didn't play enough to their feet."

Saugus had one last chance to net the equalizer, but a corner kick was redirected to the left of the net just before the final whistle.

"Absolutely, I would've been happy with a 0-0 tie. I know how good they are," Rivas said. "I'm impressed and proud of the girls. They worked hard and they did a good job of staying focused."

Perhaps no one more than Johnson, who recorded seven saves, including several with traffic in front of the net. Kelly Parker made four stops for Saugus.

wednesday games
Birmingham vs. West Torrance, 3 p.m.
King-Drew vs. Reseda, 4:30 p.m.
Westchester vs. Peninsula, 6 p.m. (quarterfinal)
Crenshaw vs. Compton Centennial, 7:30 p.m. (quarterfinal)

thursday games
Carson vs. Morningside, 3 p.m.
Community Charter vs. Horizon Chr., 4:30 p.m.
Taft vs. Windward, 6 p.m. (quarterfinal)
Leuzinger vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m. (quarterfinal)

Wednesday games at Simi Valley tournament

Saugus vs. Rio Mesa, 3:30 p.m.
San Fernando vs. Dos Pueblos, 5 p.m.
Ventura vs. Valencia, 6:30 p.m. (quarterfinal)
Simi Valley vs. Knight, 8 p.m. (quarterfinal)

games at Camarillo:
Newbury Park vs. Venice, 3:30 p.m.
Camarillo vs. Westlake, 5 p.m.
Clovis East vs. Golden Valley, 6:30 p.m. (quartefinal)
Burroughs vs. El Camino Real, 8 p.m. (quarterfinal)

Tuesday scores from first round

Cajon 61 Canyon Springs 51
L.A. Jordan 66 Fremont 63
Price 62 Arroyo Valley 39
Pasadena 79 Van Nuys 29

Day 3 Games 12/2
3:30 Sylmar vs Cleveland
5:00 Dorsey vs Inglewood
6:30 Corona Centennial vs Etiwanda (quarterfinal)
8:00 La Verne Lutheran vs. Eisenhower (quarterfinal)

Day 4 Games 12/3

3:30 Arroyo Valley vs. Canyon Springs
5:00 Fremont vs. Van Nuys
6:30 Price Vs Cajon (quarterfinal)
8:00 Pasadena vs. L.A. Jordan (quarterfinal)

Alhambra 58 Burbank 31 at the San Marino Tournament

Amanda Hua had 19 pts. 9 steals 3 assists 3 rebounds
Vera Machado 11 pts. 12 steals 7 assists 4 reb.
Benny Sierra 12 pts. 9 reb.
Gabby Rodgers 4 pts 6 reb 3 steals

Wednesday schedule at Redondo Union High

Quarterfinal games

Compton vs. Harvard-Westlake, 5:40 p.m.
Serra vs. Redondo Union, 8:20 p.m.
Palisades vs. Long Beach Poly, 7 p.m.
Fairfax vs. Santa Monica or Mayfair, 6:30 p.m.

Taft 26 17 27 14=84
Carson 6 19 8 4=37

Taft- Bryce Jones 25 and 8 rebs., De'Andre Daniels 17 and 11 rebs. and 3 blocks, Landon Drew 3 pts. and 9 ast., Spencer Dinwiddie 5 ast. and 5 steals, Brandon Perry 7 and 8 rebs.

Carson- Victor Robbins 17 and 9 rebs., Brandon Moore 11.

Burroughs 10 14 16 11=51
Camarillo 11 14 7 16=48

Burroughs- Dylan Ward 19, Safarians 5, Tipton 5, Pfeisinger 5, King 5, Holmes 4, Gonzales 4, Flores-Pere 4

Oaks Chr. 15 13 14 9=51
Pasadena 11 3 7 1=22

Oaks Chr.- Katie Brooks 16, Brianna Barrett 10, Mounier 8, Mc Intyre 7, McAmis 5, Howard 2, Owusu 2, Aupiu 1.

Pasadena- Crockom 6, Turner 4, Rogers 4, Steward 3, Alica Mayberry 3, Jasmine 1, Ashley Mayberry 1.

Thousand Oaks 29 8 16 9=62
Grant 2 0 2 5=9

1000 Oaks-Katie Deamer 16, Hilary Chun 12, Kelly 7, Schenkle 6, C. Chun 7, Valdez 5, Perry 2, Reeves 4, Fisoli 2

Grant-Jessica 3, Shaneeka 2, Lilly 2, #2, 2 pts.

Cleveland 14 9 23 14=60
Etiwanda 24 27 14 15=80

Cleveland-
Jason Johnson 26
J.R. Williams 13
Jalen Bland 12
Rezkalla 4
Topchyan 2
Hayes 2
Montes 1

Etiwanda-
Byron Wesley 33
Jordan Daniels 13
Crockett 5
La Cour 6
Jenkins 4
Smith 4
Roland 3
Flemming 3
Nuaimi 3
Bradford 2
Walker 2
O'Leary 2

Centennial Corona 23 30 27 8=88
Sylmar 3 14 17 6=40

Centennial-
Gelaun Wheelwright 24
Michael Caffey 13
Marquis Eansom 14
Dominique Dunning 11
Ligon 8
Dunlap 6
Williams 4
Perez 5
Nelson 3