January 2010 Archives

Edmond Coleman, a receiver for Pierce College who is from Cincinnati, has committed to Cal.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Namon Wright, a 6'6 eighth grader and Devin Burleson, a 6'0 guard, who are both top middle school prospects in Southern California will be attending Ribet Academy in Los Angeles starting Monday according to guardian Doug Burnside.

Burnside did not say that Ribet Academy will be the school the boys will be attending for high school, still leaving the possibility of Mater Dei, Price, Oaks Christian and several others in the mix.

The Grant of Van Nuys boys basketball team i snot going to win the City championship this year but the Lancers have a good shot to win the East Valley League.

One of the main reasons is the play of senior Jared Garner.

Garner is averaging 17.8 points per game through games of Jan. 22 and has scored 20 points or more nine times.

Garner had a career high 36 points against Birmingham of Lake Balboa on Jan. 8th.

In that game, Garner made 11 of 15 shots from the field and knocked down 13 of 16 free throws.

Garner started his career at Taft but transferred out and has flourished in his last year before hopefully continuing his career in college.

Garner is also contributing in the rebounding, assists and steals department.

He has had three games of 10 or more rebounds and three other games with nine, eight and seven.

His all-around play with some help from fellow senior Corey Payne could just be enough for the league championship.

Oaks Chr. improved to 15-7, 7-0 in the Tri-Valley League with an impressive 91-70 victory against Santa Clara.

Dan Ross and Spencer Kier lead five players in double figures with 15 points each for Oaks Chr.

6'8 junior forward Dillon van der Wal scored 14 points, junior Blair Holliday had 12 and sophomore Chass Bryan added 11 in the balanced offensive attack.

Oaks Chr. is ranked No. 1 in Div. IV-A and will likely be playing for the league championship next Friday when it travels to Oak Park.

HW 29-10-10-18-77
LOY 14-17-15-17-63

HW: Attenasio 1, Kelly 16, Cain 16, Swoope 37, Bulluck 5, Edmsomwan 2
LOY: Childress 2, Harrell 7, Cartwright 25, Oliver 12, Wroblicky 4, Stein 11.

R: HW 17-4, 9-0xxx; Loy: 19-2, 8-2

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

By Gerry Gittelson
Special to the Daily News

It was the most important basketball game of the season, and Erik Swoope carried his Harvard-Westlake of Studio City teammates on his back.

Swoope, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored 37 points on 11 of 13 shooting - including four dunks - and added 12 rebounds in a 77-63 victory Friday at Loyola of Los Angeles that all but clinched the Mission League boys' basketball championship.

Harvard-Westlake (17-4, 9-0) leads second-place Loyola (19-2, 7-2) by two games with four remaining.

Harvard-Westlake jumped to an early 18-point that eventually was cut to 45-44 on Miles Cartwright's driving layup with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Loyola never quite caught up and eventually the Wolverines pulled away again in the fourth quarter.

"We just came out with a lot of pressure and a lot of fire," Swoope said. "We just came out and played to the best of our ability. I think Loyola trying to catch up, it took a lot of energy, and by the end of the third quarter they were just out of gas."

Harvard-Westlake has won 15 and row and is the only team to defeat Loyola this season - not once but twice.

"I guess we have a pretty big cushion at this point, but we still need to stay strong because we've got the playoffs coming up, too," Swoope said.

Harvard-Westlake's Damiene Cain added 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and Austin Kelly chipped in 16 points.

"I think we played well. We came out strong," Cain said. "I was very surprised when Loyola came back from 18 points, but that just meant we had some more work to do. We just played really well."

Harvard-Westlake shot 61.4 percent (27 of 44) and displayed excellent fundamentals by limiting turnovers and converting 9 of 12 free throws over the final three minutes.

Cartwright finished with 24 points for Loyola, and Ryan Oliver added 12.

The Wolverines used their superior height advantage and crisp passing to open an early 37-19 lead midway through the second quarter.

Swoope made a big statement by slamming down a powerful one-handed dunk for the first basket of the game, and he totaled 17 points in the first half.

Loyola outscored Harvard-Westlake 12-2 in the final minutes before halftime to pull to within 38-31 at the break.

Cain had 10 points in the first half, while Cartwright scored 13 for Loyola.

The matchup featured two of the Southland's oldest private schools, both with rich basketball traditions. Loyola opened in 1865 and won a section championship in 1953, and Harvard-Westlake opened in 1900 and has won eight section championships, all since 1995.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Harvard Westlake used its superior height advantage and crisp passing to open an early 37-19 lead midway through the second quarter.

Harvard-Westlake's Erik Swoope made a big statement by slamming down a powerful one-handed dunk for the first basket of the game, and he totaled 17 points in the first half.

Loyola, however, did not give up, outscoring Harvard-Westlake 12-2 in the final minutes before halftime to pull to within 38-31 at the break.

Harvard-Westlake's Damiene Cain had 10 points in the first half, while Miles Cartwright scored 13 for Loyola.

The matchup featured two of the Southland's oldest private schools, both with rich basketball traditions. Loyola opened in 1865 and won a section championship in 1953, and Harvard-Westlake opened in 1900 and has won eight section championships, all since 1995.

Wow, Harvard Westlake is really taking it to host Loyola.

The visiting Wolverines have surged to an early 17 point lead thanks to lots of easy inside baskets and put-backs, as this thing is getting out of hand.

It's 29-14 after one quarter.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's standing room only here at Loyola, as Harvard Westlake is hoping to all but clinch the Mission League title tonight by defeating the host Cubs.

The game just started, and HW's Erik Swoope just throw down a monster dunk for the first points of the game. Gonna be fun.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Cal Hi Sports All-State Football:

First Team Offense

WR Kenny Stills (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) 6-2, 180, Sr.
The son or former NFL player Ken Stills set a San Diego Section record for
career receiving yardage and finished with more than 3,000. He faced constant
double-teams this year, but still ended with 45 grabs for 914 yards and 10
scores. Stills, who had more than 1,000 yards receiving as a sophomore and
junior, was one of the top recruited wideouts on the West Coast as well. He is
expected to sign with Oklahoma.

WR Robert Woods (Serra, Gardena) 6-1, 180, Sr.
The Cavaliers went a perfect 15-0 and captured the CIF Division III state bowl
game crown. The first name that comes up when you think about this team is
Woods, possibly the fastest player in the state with the ball in the open
field. Despite playing with another talented wideout, junior George Farmer, he
caught 66 passes for 1,112 yards and 15 touchdowns while being a force on the
defensive side of the ball with 96 tackles and eight interceptions. In the
24-20 bowl game win over Marin Catholic he had eight receptions for 180 yards
and two touchdowns. The USC commit also was a finalist for our Mr. Football
State Player of the Year.

OL Alex Crosthwaite (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-4, 310, Sr.
His blocking up front helped the Dons to their third straight CIF San Diego
Section Div. III championship. On the year, the Dons featured the run game,
mainly behind the mammoth Cal-bound lineman. Crosthwaite started as a
sophomore and was a key blocker last year for current Stanford freshman Tyler
Gaffney.

OL Giovanni Di Paulo (St. Bonaventure, Ventura) 6-6, 295, Sr.
He is considered not just one of the top centers/offensive tackles in the
state but in the nation as he created holes for Devon Blackledge to have a big
year running the ball. Before this season got underway, Di Paulo committed to
USC in what he described as a tough decision over Stanford.

OL Erik Kohler (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-4, 285, Sr.
Just like Giovanni up above, we first noticed Erik when he and Giovanni were
sophomore starters during a much-hyped Oaks Christian-St. Bonaventure matchup
of two seasons ago. Now, both kids are first team all-state seniors. Kohler
has been named the Tri-Valley League Lineman of the Year and committed to
Washington over Notre Dame and UCLA. Just last weekend, Kohler and teammate
Nick Montana took their official trip to their future college.

OL Chris Ward (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 6-5, 290, Sr.
He started for the Monarchs at the offensive tackle position for the third
straight year and will head to UCLA next season. The Monarchs saw their hopes
for a third straight Trinity League title come to a disappointing finish,
although Ward's blocking led the way for a balanced offense that saw a pretty
even split between running and passing.

OL Wade Yandell (Carson) 6-4, 300, Sr.
The two-time All-L.A. City pick enjoyed a strong fall season and also was the
South Bay Daily Breeze's Lineman of the Year. Yandell, who helped Carson to a
berth in the L.A. City Section semifinals, will play next season at UCLA.

QB Tyler Bray (Kingsburg) 6-6, 215, Sr.
The Tennessee-bound signal caller was one of seven finalists for our Mr.
Football award and despite not winning we did select him as our Small Schools
Player of the Year. During his senior season, he led the Vikings to a perfect
13-0 record and a section championship while passing for 3,321 yards and 41
touchdowns. Of all the California quarterbacks at last summer's Elite 11 Camp,
Bray showed the most promise due to his uncanny ability to hit deep passes
with a thin frame that is only going to fill out over the next few years.

RB Deontae Cooper (Citrus Hill) 6-2, 210, Sr.
The Hawks soared their way to 10 straight wins before their lone loss of the
season behind Cooper's 2,863 yards and 34 touchdowns. In just the second game
of the season he set a state record for carries in a game with 59 for 412
yards and four touchdowns in a 30-20 win over Great Oak. For his career,
Cooper ended with 7,450 yards and 107 scores. Both of those totals will be
toward the top of the all-time state lists. Cooper already is taking classes
at the University of Washington.

RB Malcolm Jones (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-2, 215, Sr.
If there was any doubt who was the standout player on Oaks Christian this year
you needed to look no farther than the final game of the season that saw Jones
rush for 328 yards and four touchdowns in a one-point overtime loss to Serra
of Gardena. That was just one day after he was named the Gatorade National
Player of the Year. Jones rushed for 2,470 yards and scored 45 touchdowns to
end his high school career with 6,080 yards rushing and 113 touchdowns.
Considered runner-up for Mr. Football to Dillon Baxter, we have Jones listed
at the running back position but he could more than fill in on defense as he
finished with over 130 tackles this season from the linebacker position.

RB Terron Ward (De La Salle, Concord) 5-7, 190, Sr.
The younger brother of the University of Oregon's T.J. Ward (look for him in
the upcoming NFL Draft) was the focal point of the Spartans' offense. He was
the No. 1 player on the No. 1 team in the state and set two impressive school
records, including rushing yards in a season. With those like NFL standout
Maurice Jones-Drew lining up in the DLS backfield, it was Ward who set the
school's single-game rushing record with 398 yards in a win over Monte
Vista. With the school's single-season rushing record in sight, he rushed
for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the Spartans' 28-14 win over Crenshaw in
the CIF Open Division bowl game to finish the year with 2,050 yards. He also
scored two touchdowns on special teams and for most of the season started on
defense in the secondary.

PK Trevor Romaine (Centennial, Corona) 5-11, 175, Sr.
The soon to be Oregon State Beaver gave the Huskies a huge advantage in
special teams most of the year as 82 of his 88 kickoffs reached the end zone
for touchbacks. What make Romaine first team all-state is setting state
records for most kicking points in a career (280) and most conversion kicks
(217). He had seven field and 66 PATs as a senior and also averaged more than
42 yards per punt.

First Team Defense

DL Vei Moala (Grant, Sacramento) 6-3, 335, Jr.
With a defense unlike any seen in the Sacramento area for decades, this
talented junior recorded 104 tackles and 15 sacks to earn our selection as the
state's top junior, which hadn't been awarded to a lineman since 1962. The
Pacers' defense opened the season with five straight shutouts, including an
impressive one in Washington against perennial power Bellevue with Moala
getting three sacks in that game. He now has the attention of every big-time
Division I school nationwide.

DL Thomas Molesi (Oceanside) 6-2, 280, Sr.
He was named the San Diego Section Defensive Player of the Year after the
Pirates captured their sixth straight section title and ended the season with
a win up in Carson over Bellarmine Prep in the CIF D1 bowl game. Molesi played
on both sides of the line, but it was on the defensive side where he was the
most effective as the Pirates allowed just 116 points in 14 games to end the
season with a 39-game unbeaten streak. A three-year starter for the Pirates,
Molesi he will head to Oregon State next season.

DL Kirifi Leuta-Taula (Servite, Anaheim) 6-4, 270, Sr.
Despite missing several games this season due to a broken arm, there's no
doubt when healthy he was one of the state's best defensive linemen. After
waiting until after his senior season was finished before making his college
choice, he committed to Arizona. He had to sit out the 2007 season after
transferring from Lutheran of Orange to Servite and in 2008 was a first-team
All-Trinity League selection.

DL Justin Utupo (Lakewood) 6-3, 250, Sr.
The Los Angeles Times' Lineman of the Year recorded two huge fumble recoveries
against Poly of Long Beach as the Lancers defeated the Jackrabbits, 21-14, to
end Poly's 80-game league winning streak and give the Lancers their first win
over Poly since 1982. In his best game of the season, he recorded four sacks
in a the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division quarterfinals against Bishop
Amat. Utupo ended the year with 16 sacks and 29 tackles for loss and is going
to Notre Dame.

LB Tony Jefferson (Eastlake, Chula Vista) 6-0, 205, Sr.
Tony's offensive stats running the ball jump out before his defensive stats
but it's his ability on the defensive side of the ball that has Oklahoma
fans excited. Regarded as one of the top linebacking/strong safety prospects
in the nation and in the top 25 on the ESPNU 150, Jefferson was the star
player for Eastlake's CIF San Diego Section Division I title team.
He rushed for 1,995 yards and 25 touchdowns.

LB Ronald Powell (Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley) 6-4, 230, Sr.
Powell's final season at Rancho Verde may have come to an end, but after an
impressive performance at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl he moved to the No.
1 spot as the top prospect in America according to the ESPNU 150 player
rankings. The two-time All-Riverside County linebacker/defensive end recently
decided he'll join the Florida Gators over USC. In San Antonio, he had five
tackles and a sack on defense, returned a blocked extra-point for two points,
and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass.

LB Jordan Zumwalt (Edison, Huntington Beach) 6-4, 215, Sr.
Even with a broken left arm for some of the season, when there was a play that
needed to be made for the Chargers on defense, it was likely Zumwalt making
it. The Orange County Defensive Player of the Year led the team in tackles
with 164 in 12 games and came up just 12 tackles shy of breaking the single
season school record previously set in 1979 by Bill Malavasi. Before his
senior season, he committed to Stanford but has schools like UCLA and USC
hoping he'll change his mind before signing a letter of intent next month.

DB Terrance Mitchell (Burbank, Sacramento) 6-0, 185, Sr.
He was the MVP for defensive backs at the Stanford Nike Camp and followed up
an impressive summer with an impressive season. Mitchell, who is going to
Oregon, had 70 tackles and six interceptions on defense. He also led the
Titans to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I playoffs by rushing for 1,047
yards and 15 TDs as well as catching 48 passes for 851 yards and seven more
scores.

DB Sean Parker (Narbonne, Harbor City) 6-0, 185, Sr.
Narbonne's march to the CIF L.A. City Section finals featured Parker in a
starring role. He is a two-time All-L.A. City pick as a defensive back and was
on the L.A. Times' honor squad. The three-year starter also was a standout on
offense with 30 catches for 551 yards and nine TDs. Parker recently took
visits to USC, Washington, Michigan and Cal.

DB Dietrich Riley (St. Francis, La Canada) 6-1, 205, Sr.
The Under Armour All-American performer is regarded as one of the top safety
prospects in the nation and backed it up with a stellar season. Riley had 64
tackles and three interceptions and prevented many quarterbacks from even
trying to throw deep. On offense, he also shined with 900 yards rushing plus
29 catches for 436 yards. Riley is another top Cali player who will likely
wait until close to signing day next week to choose his college.

DB Josh Shaw (Palmdale) 6-2, 190, Sr.
He's got to go down as one of the best ever from the Antelope Valley. Shaw
makes this team on defense since he's fairly universally regarded by college
scouts as the best cover corner in the state one of the best in the nation.
The No. 28 player in the ESPNU 150 has committed to Florida. He didn't have
stellar defensive stats (50 tackles, one interception) but no one threw even
close to him. Shaw did have stellar offensive stats, however. As a passer in
the spread offense, he had 2,279 yards and 18 TDs. He also rushed for 921
yards and 14 scores.

P Jake Van Ginkel (Upland) 6-0, 175, Jr.
Is there a better junior kicker in the nation? Not likely. Van Ginkel just as
easily could have been our place kicker on offense instead of punter on
defense, but we just flipped it the other way with Trevor Romaine since
Romaine set two state career records. Jake connected on 16 field goals and
didn't miss inside 40 yards. He made a 58-yarder in a game as a freshman. As a
punter, Van Ginkel averaged 40.2 yards per punt and dominated games with his
skill and knocking down balls inside the 20 and often inside the 10-yard
line.

First Team Multi-Purpose

QB/RB Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego) 6-0, 205, Sr.
Our winner of the 2009 Mr. Football State Player of the Year was sensational
as a spread quarterback and also starred on defense. A multitude of honors
have come his way, but he was really in the media spotlight after the recent
coaching change at USC. Baxter, who committed to the Trojans as a sophomore,
seemed to waver after Pete Carroll left for the NFL, but reassured the USC
faithful last week he isn't going anywhere else. Baxter, in fact, has already
enrolled.

QB/RB/LB Ryan Dimino (Del Campo, Fair Oaks) 6-1, 190, Sr.
It was a pretty easy choice for us to have Dimino at the multi-purpose
position after he did something no player has ever done in the state before,
and that is to rush and pass for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. On
the year, he passed for 2,089 yards and 19 touchdowns, rushed for 2,702 yards
and 28 touchdowns, and played on defense in leading the Cougars to the
Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship. The Sacramento Bee Player of
the Year won't be going that far away for college as he's staying local
and will attend UC Davis.

QB/RB Cody Fajardo (Servite, Anaheim) 6-3, 200, Sr.
It was a record-setting year and certainly one to remember for Fajardo as he
set a single-season school record for total offense with 3,562 yards and ended
the season with a victory in Carson. He passed for 2,444 yards and 21
touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions and also rushed for 1,118
yards and nine scores. After leading the Friars to a state bowl game victory
over Rocklin, he has received numerous honors before this selection, including
Los Angeles Times Player of the Year, Mr. Football finalist, and our state
Large Schools Player of the Year.

WR/DB/KR Geno Hall (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 5-8, 165, Sr.
After becoming a multiple threat for the Cougars, Hall named the L.A. City
Section Player of the Year. He helped Crenshaw to the CIF Open Division bowl
game by catching 50 passes for over 750 yards and eight TDs and ran it in for
scores six times on special teams. Hall also contributed on defense as he made
24 tackles, recovered two fumbles, and had two interceptions.

WR/DB/KR Josh Harper (St. Mary's, Stockton) 6-2, 190, Sr.
Harper's numbers this season may not have been as impressive as he would have
liked for his senior season but he clearly was the one the opposition worried
about the most when facing the Rams' high-octane offense. He caught 40 passes
for over 700 yards and nine touchdowns while also rushing for almost 400 yards
and four touchdowns. He scored an additional seven times on special teams and
defense. Harper even looked good as a Wildcat formation quarterback. Just
recently, Harper switched from his commitment to Cal and will now head to
Fresno State.

QB/ATH Brett Nottingham (Monte Vista, Danville) 6-3, 210, Sr.
We often find one extra spot on the first team for a quarterback who maybe
didn't run it that much, but just did too much to be second team. Nottingham
is that guy this year. He led the Mustangs to the CIF North Coast Section
Division I semifinals by passing for 3,962 yards and 45 TDs. He was named the
East Bay Offensive Player of the Year, completed 72 percent of his passes and
ended his career with 7,467 yards and 91 TDs. Nottingham had committed to
UCLA, but switched to Stanford recently. Last year, the Cardinal had two from
Monte Vista on the roster (Ryan Whalen, Zach Ertz).

MR. FOOTBALL STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay)

STATE COACH OF THE YEAR:
Jim Benkert (Westlake, Westlake Village) 14-0

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL: 2ND & 3RD TEAMS

Here are 30 more of the state's top players, honored for their achievements
during the 2009 season. We also have 70 on third team for seniors only and
large schools only.

Second Team Offense

WR Antoine Arnold (Chaparral, Temecula) 6-4, 195, Jr.
He was named the Riverside County Player of the Year, led Chaparral to the CIF
Inland Division title and caught 79 passes for 1,535 yards and 17 TDs.

TE Randall Telfer (Rancho Cucamonga) 6-4, 230, Sr.
USC-bound player caught 42 passes for 600 yards and eight TDs. He's one of the
top tight end prospects in the nation.

OL Sil Ajawara (Tesoro, Las Flores) 6-5, 320, Sr.
The Arizona State commit was on the All-L.A. Times and All-Orange County units
due to his stellar play.

OL Mike Criste (Mission Viejo) 6-5, 290, Sr.
One of many Washington commits, Criste was a force up front for the Diablos in
their 12-1 season.

OL Thomas Hickel (De La Salle, Concord) 6-3, 260, Sr.
All-Metro pick by the S.F. Chronicle is going to Army and was the leader of a
DLS offensive line that opened holes for a strong running game.

OL David Peterson (Redlands East Valley, Redlands) 6-5, 275, Sr.
Ranked as one of the top centers in the nation by ESPNU, Peterson was a
three-year starter and outstanding player for top team.

OL Roman Sapolu (Edison, Huntington Beach) 6-2, 265, Sr.
The Sunset League Lineman of the Year is the son of former NFL player Jesse
Sapolu. He is going to Oregon State.

QB Jesse Scroggins (Lakewood) 6-3, 205, Sr.
Highly-regarded prospect going to USC passed for 2,395 yards and 35 TDs with
just five interceptions. There were a couple of big blowout games in which
Scroggins sat early, otherwise his totals would have been even more
impressive.

RB Devontae Butler (Grant, Sacramento) 6-1, 200, Sr.
Even with all the blowouts and early departures, Butler still rampaged for
2,884 yards and scored 45 TDs for the Pacers.

RB Jessie Callier (Warren, Downey) 5-11, 180, Sr.
The state's only reported back with 3,000 yards rushing or more (3,010),
Callier is committed to Washington.

RB Ricky Seale (Escondido) 5-10, 190, Sr.
San Diego's new career rushing leader finished with 2,418 yards and 35 TDs in
just 11 games.

PK Mitch Murar (Trabuco Hills, Mission Viejo) 6-1, 180, Sr.
He had 81 straight PATs, made 15 of 19 on field goals with a long of 48 and
averaged 40 yards as a punter.

Second Team Defense

DL Cassius Marsh (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-4, 285, Sr.
It was too much to put more than two from Oaks on the first team, especially
since the Lions didn't win at the end. Marsh certainly has first team ability.
He had 16 sacks on the season and is going to LSU.

DL Eddie Plantaric (Del Campo, Fair Oaks) 6-5, 270, Sr.
While Ryan Dimino's accomplishments got him onto the first team, Plantaric was
an easy choice for second team. The Stanford-bound tackle had a whopping 55
tackles for loss during the season, including eight sacks.

DL Sione Tupuoata (Fremont, Oakland) 6-4, 250, Sr.
He was MVP of the Oakland Section due to his talents as a bruising fullback
and dominating defensive lineman.

LB Anthony Joyner (Point Loma, San Diego) 6-2, 225, Sr.
Despite playing the four games with a cast (broken hand), Joyner averaged 10
tackles per game down the stretch. The All-San Diego pick had 110 tackles,
11.5 sacks and six fumble recoveries.

LB Blake Renaud (De La Salle, Concord) 6-1, 225, Jr.
He was considered the leader of a DLS defense that was the best at the school
since 2003. Renaud has been chosen as the All-East Bay Defensive Player of the
Year.

LB Josh Shirley (Kaiser, Fontana) 6-2, 225, Sr.
He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after a senior season in which he
had 105 tackles and five sacks.

DB Dion Bailey (Lakewood) 6-1, 195, Sr.
Very physical corner had three interceptions and more than 70 tackles for
Lakewood team that was top 10 in the state for most of the season.

DB Darien Johnson (Bishop Amat, La Puente) 5-10, 175, Sr.
Those who saw Amat beat St. Bonaventure can attest to Johnson's abilities. He
is also a first team All-Pac Five Division pick.

DB Kyle Olugbode (Bellarmine, San Jose) 6-0, 190, Sr.
Called the heart and soul of a Bells' team that reached the CIF Division I
state bowl game and lost by just 24-19 to Oceanside, Olugbode was recently
picked as the San Jose Mercury-News Player of the Year.

DB D'Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 5-9, 170, Jr.
The 2008 State Sophomore of the Year had a quiet regular season due to nagging
injuries but in the Cougars' last two games it was obvious that he's a special
player and one of the best we saw all year.

DB Jerry Whittaker (Oceanside) 5-10, 170, Sr.
His defense in the CIF Div. I bowl game was impressive. He also caught 49
passes on offense and rushed for nearly 600 yards. Whittaker also started as a
sophomore when the Pirates won the CIF D2 bowl game two years ago.

P Matt Darr (Frontier, Bakersfield) 6-2, 215, Sr.
Top-notch athlete -- check out his marks in the shot put and discus in track
-- averaged more than 42 yards per punt. Going to USC.

Second Team Multi-Purpose

QB/RB Deshawn Beck (Jordan, Los Angeles) 5-10, 175, Sr.
Versatile talent being recruited as a wideout was a spread QB for the
Bulldogs. He passed for 1,166 yards and rushed for 2,031 yards and nine
scores.

QB/RB Isaiah Burse (Modesto Christian) 5-11, 180, Sr.
The Modesto Bee's overall player of the year led the Crusaders to the CIF
Small Schools state title.

RB/WR Jackson Cummings (Rocklin) 5-9, 180, Sr.
He can run inside or out and was the No. 1 player for team that nearly beat
Servite in CIF Division II state bowl game. He rushed for 2,400 yards and 39
scores.

RB/DB D.J. Morgan (Taft, Woodland Hills) 5-10, 180, Sr.
One of the top-ranked junior hurdlers in track in the world, Morgan suffered a
knee injury late in the season. He did enough, though, before that to prove
his worth as an elite player.

QB/RB Matt Viles (Edison, Huntington Beach) 6-2, 180, Sr.
It's likely that if Edison had won a state title and had beaten Servite twice,
then Viles would have been first team and Cody Fajardo second team. Viles led
the 13-1 Chargers with 2,948 yards passing and 24 TDs. He also rushed for 150
yards and three scores.

RB/ATH Anthony Wilkerson (Tustin) 6-0, 215, Sr.
In just 11 games, Wilkerson rushed for more than 2,300 yards and scored 34
TDs. A first team All-State Underclass pick last year, he is headed to
Stanford.

THIRD TEAM OFFENSE & DEFENSE

(70 players; seniors only; large schools only)

WR Joey Branker (Mission Viejo)
WR Tevin Carter (Santee, Los Angeles)
WR Jevon Kelly (Downey, Modesto)
WR Denzel Idris (Leuzinger, Lawndale)

TE Tyler Perry (Buena, Ventura)

OL Zach Dilley (Paloma Valley, Menifee)
OL Wilson Edwards (Poly, Long Beach)
OL Wesley Flowers (Edison, Fresno)
OL Colin Tanigawa (Loyola, Los Angeles)

QB Chad Dashnaw (Narbonne, Harbor City)
QB Nick Hirschman (Los Gatos)
QB Sean Mannion (Foothill, Pleasanton)
QB Jeff Mathews (Camarillo)
QB Marcus McDade (St. Mary's, Stockton)
QB Casey Nielsen (Gahr, Cerritos)
QB Kerr Taubler (Bullard, Fresno)
QB Pete Thomas (Valhalla, El Cajon)

RB Devon Blackledge (St. Bonaventure, Ventura)
RB Anthony Brown (Kaiser, Fontana)
RB Ronald Douglas (Chaffey, Ontario)
RB Austin Edmonson (Moorpark)
RB Rickey Galvin (Berkeley)
RB Deantre Lewis (Norco)
RB Adam Muema (Charter Oak, Covina)
RB Bryce Pratt (Del Oro, Loomis)
RB Josh Quezada (La Habra)

PK Dillan Freiberg (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach)
PK James Langford (Foothill, Pleasanton)
PK Alejandro Maldonado (Colton)
PK Craig McMahon (Bakersfield)
PK Stephen Picchini (Moorpark)

DL Lee Adams (Centennial, Corona)
DL Andrew Hudson (Redlands East Valley)
DL Brendan Manion (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose)
DL Fred Thompson (Technical, Oakland)
DL Tony Washington (Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga)
DL Rakeem Yates (Edison, Fresno)

LB Henry Fernandez (Oxnard)
LB Eric Kendricks (Hoover, Fresno)
LB Ofa Kose (Vista)
LB Hayes Pullard (Crenshaw, Los Angeles)
LB Phillip Ruhl (Lincoln, Stockton)
LB Daniel Snelling (Bullard, Fresno)
LB Christian Spears (Palm Springs)
LB Ronald Stovall (Crenshaw, Los Angeles)
LB Dave Wilkerson (Monte Vista, Danville)

DB Tyler Anderson (De La Salle, Concord)
DB John Hardy (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta)
DB Troy Hill (St. Bonaventure, Ventura)
DB Tevin McDonald (Edison, Fresno)
DB Shaquille Richardson (Los Alamitos)
DB Derron Smith (Banning) 5-10, 170, Sr.
DB Brock Vereen (Valencia)

P Jake Capraro (Damien, La Verne)
P Aaron Jones (San Clemente)

RB/DB Jamil Austin (Colony, Ontario)
RB/WR Brennan Clay (Scripps Ranch, San Diego)
WR/RB Kaelin Clay (Poly, Long Beach)
RB/LB Edward Dillihunt (Tulare)
QB/RB Broughan Jantz (Nevada Union, Grass Valley)
RB/QB Jemeryn Jenkins (Silverado, Victorville)
WR/DB Robert Jiles (Pittsburg)
QB/RB Ryan Kasdorf (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks)
RB/DB Derrick Malone (Colton)
Rb/DB Malcolm Marable (Alemany, Mission Hills)
RB/DB Akeelie Muhammad (Cypress)
WR/KR Chris Nicholls (Servite, Anaheim)
WR/DB Kyle Nunn (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach)
WR/DB Jalen Sanders (Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove)
RB/LB Rene Siluano (Oceanside)

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL; MEDIUM SCHOOLS

Note: Just as for small schools, no punter was selected for the second team so
one extra multi-purpose player was chosen. The Medium Schools designation is
for schools that are considered Division III for the state team rankings we
compile according to league strength and section playoff alignments. This is
not the same as Division II or Division III for the CIF state bowl game
divisions.

First Team Offense

WR Victor Dean (Lincoln, San Diego) 6-6, 200, Sr.
WR George Farmer (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215, Jr.
OL Alex Crosthwaite (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-4, 310, Sr.
OL Cory Guynn (Terra Nova, Pacifica) 6-3, 300, Sr.
OL Erik Kohler (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-5, 280, Sr.
OL Zach Perron (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 6-6, 240, Sr.
OL Jacob Tryon (Lincoln) 6-5, 300, Sr.
QB Nick Montana (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-3, 190, Sr.
RB Chris Adams (Marin Catholic, Kentfield) 6-0, 215, Sr.
RB Malcolm Jones (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-1, 215, Sr.
RB Soma Vainuku (Eureka) 6-2, 245, Sr.
PK Anthony Hall (Sierra, Manteca) 5-7, 160, Sr.

First Team Defense

DL Sean Bacon (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215, Sr.
DL Mustafa Jalil (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-4, 295, Jr.
DL Cassius Marsh (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-4, 285, Sr.
DL Tony Popovich (Marin Catholic, Kentfield) 6-3, 270, Jr.
LB Vince Buhagiar (Clayton Valley, Concord) 6-3, 230, Sr.
LB Thomas Everett (Andrew Hill, San Jose) 5-10, 225, Sr.
LB Anthony Joyner (Point Loma, San Diego) 6-2, 220, Sr.
LB Zac Stout (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-2, 220, Sr.
DB Deone Buchanan (Vanden, Travis AFB) 6-2, 185, Sr.
DB Tyrone Duckett (Encinal, Alameda) 6-0, 205, Sr.
DB Bene Benwikere (Serra, Gardena) 6-0, 190, Sr.
P Jeremy Stein (Carpinteria) 6-1, 210, Sr.

First Team Multi-Purpose

WR/DB Aldin Barrett (Scotts Valley) 6-0, 180, Sr.
QB/RB Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego) 6-0, 205, Sr.
RB/DB K.J. Cusack (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 5-9, 175, Sr.
FB/DL Tim House (Oakdale) 6-2, 220, Sr.
RB/DB Jovahn Lualamana (Seaside) 6-1, 185, Jr.
WR/DB Robert Woods (Serra, Gardena) 6-0, 180, Sr.

Second Team Offense

WR Anthony Jefferson (Cathedral, Los Angeles) 6-2, 200, Sr.
WR Jake Pruger (Harbor, Santa Cruz) 5-11, 175, Sr.
TE Alani Fua (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-5, 215, Sr.
OL Keith Bendixen (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 6-5, 255, Sr.
OL Sean Dalton (Leland, San Jose) 6-3, 270, Sr.
OL Mike Padovese (Marin Catholic, Kentfield) 6-5, 300, Jr.
OL Stehly Reden (Valley Center) 6-5, 235, Jr.
OL Allen Taamu (Fremont, Sunnyvale) 6-3, 290, Jr.
QB Connor Preston (Serra, Gardena) 6-1, 200, Jr.
RB Jerrod Daniels (Sierra, Manteca) 5-10, 190, Sr.
RB Elijah Penny (Norwalk) 6-0, 210, Jr.
PK Garrett Dudock (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 6-0, 170, Sr.

Second Team Defense

DL Isaac Luatua (La Mirada) 6-2, 290, Jr.
DL Jason Gibson (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215, Jr.
DL Travis Raciti (College Park, Pleasant Hill) 6-4, 255, Sr.
LB Woodson Greer (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215, Jr.
LB Drew Howell (Tehachapi) 6-3, 210, Sr.
LB Jordan Lance (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 5-11, 200, Sr.
LB Darren Lee (Lassen, Susanville) 6-1, 200, Sr.
LB Josh Lowden (Monrovia) 6-2, 230, Sr.
DB Davon Dunn (Lincoln, San Diego) 6-0, 180, Sr.
DB Forrest Hightower (Mt. Diablo, Concord) 5-10, 175, Sr.
DB Ivan Hodges (Dinuba) 5-10, 185, Sr.

Second Team Multi-Purpose

QB/RB Carl Cox (Terra Nova, Pacifica) 5-7, 150, Sr.
WR/DB Ray Herring (Mission Bay, San Diego) 6-0, 170, Sr.
RB/LB Ryan Kohler (San Dimas) 5-9, 210, Sr.
QB/ATH Trevor Olson (Cathedral, Los Angeles) 6-5, 200, Sr.
RB/LB Ricky Sims (Petaluma) 5-10, 215, Sr.
RB/LB Kyle Todd (San Lorenzo Valley, Felton) 6-3, 220, Sr.
RB/QB Sean Young (Garden Grove) 5-10, 190, Sr.

Player of the Year: Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego)
Coach of the Year: Sean Doyle (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego)

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL: SMALL SCHOOLS

Note: No punter was selected for the second team so one extra multi-purpose
player was chosen. Our small school designation also is for schools that are
considered Div. IV or Division V in our state rankings according to league
strength and section playoff alignments. This is not the same as the CIF small
schools divisions. There are schools that are Division III and even a few that
are Division II according to the CIF state bowl game enrollment divisions that
we consider small schools for our all-state team selections.

First Team Offense

WR Clay Robbins (Menlo School, Atherton) 6-1, 170, Sr.
OL Matt Galas (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-1, 270, Sr.
OL Wes Gavin (Francis Parker, San Diego) 6-5, 275, Sr.
OL Tyler Sambrallo (St. Francis CCC, Watsonville) 6-6, 270, Sr.
OL Ioane Savai'i (Taft) 6-2, 310, Sr.
OL Freddie Tagaloa (Salesian, Richmond) 6-8, 285, Soph.
QB Tyler Bray (Kingsburg) 6-6, 215, Sr.
RB Amir Carlisle (The King's Academy, Sunnyvale) 5-11, 175, Jr.
RB Jake Cimolino (Fort Bragg) 6-1, 190, Sr.
RB Cody Shireffs (Taft) 6-1, 210, Sr.
RB Jessie Soria (Strathmore) 5-5, 150, Sr.
PK Matt Wile (Francis Parker, San Diego) 6-1, 200, Jr.

First Team Defense

DL Uche Amajoyi (Aquinas, San Bernardino) 6-2, 225, Sr.
DL Austin Moreland (Sutter) 6-0, 220, Sr.
DL Jeff Worthy (Whittier Christian, La Habra) 6-4, 265, Jr.
LB Todd Davis (Paraclete, Lancaster) 6-2, 230, Sr.
LB Nick Largent (Escalon) 6-1, 230, Sr.
LB Tyrone Sauls (Christian, El Cajon) 6-2, 225, Jr.
LB Mike Schmall (St. Margaret's, SJ Capistrano) 6-1, 195, Jr.
DB Fernando Almejo (St. Margaret's, SJ Capistrano) 5-10, 165, Sr.
DB Billy Flamion (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-1, 180, Jr.
DB Austin Fugate (Corcoran) 6-1, 165, Sr.
DB Cody Johnston (Carmel) 5-11, 180, Sr.
P Brandon Greenly (Capital Christian, Sacramento) 6-0, 175, Sr.

First Team Multi-Purpose

QB/RB/DB Isaiah Burse (Modesto Christian) 5-11, 180, Sr.
QB/RB Max Leffler (Grace Brethren, Simi Valley) 6-2, 195, Jr.
QB/RB Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) 6-0, 180, Sr.
TE/DE Raymond Nelson (Modesto Christian) 6-5, 225, Jr.
QB/RB Devin Pearson (Carmel) 5-9, 165, Soph.
QB/RB Deon Randall (Francis Parker, San Diego) 5-10, 180, Sr.

Second Team Offense

WR Aaron Judge (Linden) 6-8, 235, Sr.
WR Trevor Niemann (Chadwick, Palos Verdes Estates) 6-1, 175, Sr.
OL Ben Cowger (Liberty, Madera Ranchos) 6-5, 225, Sr.
OL Michael Cruz (Salesian, Los Angeles) 6-3, 270, Sr.
OL Troy Jackson (Kingsburg) 6-2, 245, Jr.
OL Duncan Laliberte (Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth) 6-4, 250, Sr.
OL John Oppenheimer (Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton) 6-1, 255, Sr.
QB Danny Diekroger (Menlo School, Atherton) 6-1, 175, Sr.
RB Jeremiah Armstead (Oak Hills, Hesperia) 6-1, 210, Jr.
RB Austin Maranville (Linfield Christian, Temecula) 5-9, 175, Sr.
RB John Murayama (St. Margaret's, SJ Capistrano) 5-6, 155, Sr.
PK Luis Benitez (Colusa) 5-10, 170, Sr.

Second Team Defense

DL Lavonte Barnett (Paraclete, Lancaster) 6-4, 215, Jr.
DL Isaiah Bowman (Sutter) 6-7, 245, Sr.
DL Devin Moreland (Salesian, Los Angeles) 6-3, 225, Jr.
LB Tim Hastie (Sierra, Tollhouse) 6-1, 225, Sr.
LB Clint Johnson (Wheatland) 6-1, 215, Sr.
LB Cody Lowe (Fort Bragg) 6-1, 225, Sr.
LB Kurt Luedtke (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach) 6-1, 180, Sr.
LB Zach Scurich (St. Francis CCC, Watsonville) 6-2, 225, Sr.
DB Aaron Brown (Modesto Christian) 6-1, 180, Sr.
DB Kevin Laird (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo) 6-1, 180, Sr.
DB Ryan Luna (Corcoran) 5-9, 175, Jr.

Second Team Multi-Purpose

WR/DB/PK Andrew Franks (Carmel) 5-10, 175, Jr.
QB/WR/DB Jim Jones (Aquinas, San Bernardino) 6-0, 180, Sr.
QB/DB Zach Roberson (Summerville, Tuolomne) 6-, 185, Jr.
RB/DB Kevin Roya (Modesto Christian) 5-9, 190, Sr.
RB/DB Garrett Steele (Kingsburg) 6-1, 190, Jr.
QB/RB Dylan Swartz (Central Catholic, Modesto) 6-3, 190, Sr.
RB/LB Jaycee Totty (Exeter) 6-4, 220, Sr.

Player of the Year: Tyler Bray (Kingsburg)
Coach of the Year: Jack Moyer (Fort Bragg)

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL: UNDERCLASS

Note: Unlike the sophomores, these honor squads do include a second team
punter and are separated by offense, defense, multi-purpose. It's an extremely
strong group for wide receivers and defensive linemen and we admit we weren't
able to get as many picked as usual. In addition to Grant, other schools with
multiple players selected are Chaparral of Temecula, Crenshaw of Los Angeles,
De La Salle of Concord, Del Oro of Loomis, Folsom, Liberty of Bakersfield,
Monte Vista of Danville, Pleasant Valley of Chico and Westlake of Westlake
Village.

First Team Offense

WR Antoine Arnold (Chaparral, Temecula) 6-4, 180
WR Bryce McGovern (Monte Vista, Danville) 5-9, 180
WR Nelson Spruce (Westlake, Westlake Village) 6-3, 190
OL Patrick Carroll (St. Francis, La Canada) 6-5, 270
OL Isaiah Henderson (Berkeley) 6-5, 300
OL Stehly Reden (Valley Center) 6-5, 235
OL Jordan Rigsbee (Pleasant Valley, Chico) 6-4, 270
OL Adrian Williams (Del Oro, Loomis) 6-3, 255
QB Cody Kessler (Centennial, Bakersfield) 6-3, 200
RB Amir Carlisle (The King's Academy, Sunnyvale) 5-11, 175
RB Kevin Ervin (Poly, Sun Valley) 5-10, 175
PK Jake Van Ginkel (Upland) 6-0, 175

First Team Defense

DL Todd Barr (Lakewood) 6-4, 255
DL Mustafa Jalil (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-4, 295
DL Vei Moala (Grant, Sacramento) 6-3, 335
DL Dylan Wynn (De La Salle, Concord) 6-2, 230
LB Rane Cravens (Liberty, Bakersfield) 6-2, 215
LB Woodson Greer (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215
LB Tre' Madden (Mission Viejo) 6-1, 220
LB Blake Renaud (De La Salle, Concord) 6-1, 225
DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Chino Hills) 5-11, 185
DB Darius Guillory (Chaparral, Temecula) 5-10, 165
DB James Sample (Grant, Sacramento) 6-2, 180
P Derrick Brown (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta) 6-4, 235

First Team Multi-Purpose

WR/DB George Farmer (Serra, Gardena) 6-2, 215
QB/RB Dano Graves (Folsom) 5-9, 165
QB/RB Nick Isham (Westlake, Westlake Village) 6-0, 170
RB/LB Superiorr Reid (Arlington, Riverside) 6-3, 215
RB/DB De'Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 5-9, 170
WR/RB Tyler Trosin (Folsom) 5-11, 185

Second Team Offense

WR Victor Blackwell (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 6-2, 200
WR Jajuan Hammond (Bullard, Fresno) 6-3, 180
WR Cameron Rowland (Foothill, Pleasanton) 6-1, 170
OL Ryan Cope (Del Oro, Loomis) 6-3, 300
OL Nate Falo (Inderkum, Sacramento) 6-2, 255
OL Isaac Luatua (La Mirada) 6-2, 290
OL Jacob Welter (Monte Vista, Danville) 6-5, 280
OL Gary Womack (Merced) 6-2, 285
QB Kyle Boehm (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) 6-3, 210
RB Jared Baker (Loyola, Los Angeles) 5-9, 185
RB Jordan Perkins (Lodi) 6-1, 190
PK Will Mondragon (San Jacinto) 6-1, 240

Second Team Defense

DL James Brock (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) 6-4, 240
DL Cody Kurz (St. Bonaventure, Ventura) 6-3, 245
DL Puka Lopa (Grant, Sacramento) 6-3, 245
DL Cody Temple (Liberty, Bakersfield) 6-3, 285
DL Greg Townsend Jr. (Beverly Hills) 6-4, 260
LB Maki Musika (Milpitas) 6-1, 245
LB Darryl Paulo (Grant, Sacramento) 6-2, 240
LB Tyrone Sauls (Christian, El Cajon) 6-2, 225
DB Stefan McClure (Vista) 5-10, 175
DB Richard Mullaney (Thousand Oaks) 6-3, 190
DB Kristoffer Olugbode (Bellarmine, San Jose) 5-9, 180
P Smith Heath (Pleasant Valley, Chico) 6-1, 170

Second Team Multi-Purpose

RB/WR Jay Anderson (Bishop Amat, La Puente) 5-10, 175
RB/LB Sam Atoe (Maria Carrillo, Santa Rosa) 6-0, 200
QB/RB Alex Bishop (Valencia) 5-10, 165
QB/RB Tramayne Bondurant (Fairfield) 6-0, 170
RB/DB Will Gregory (Dominguez, Compton) 5-11, 180
TE/DE Raymond Nelson (Modesto Christian) 6-5, 225

State Junior of the Year: Vei Moala (Grant, Sacramento)

ALL-STATE FOOTBALL; SOPHOMORES

Note: The All-State Sophomore team is comprised of 30 players like all of the
other all-state teams that are selected by CalHiSports.com, but it is not
broken up into offense, defense and multi-purpose. We realize many top Class
of 2012 players have yet to emerge due to many factors, especially at schools
where a top sophomore may have played behind an older player.

(1st group of 15 players in alphabetical order)

Gavin Andrews (Granite Bay) 6-5, 280, OL
Michael Baker (Central, Fresno) 6-2, 185, QB
Alex Ball (Westlake, Westlake Village) 6-3, 200, PK
Thomas Brown (St. Anthony, Long Beach) 6-3, 190, RB-LB
Anthony Charles (Verbum Dei, Los Angeles) 5-9, 160, RB
Curtis Dozier (Chaparral, Temecula) 6-2, 185, LB
Dalante Dunklin (Parker, San Diego) 5-10, 180, WR-LB
Salamo Fiso (Poly, Long Beach) 6-0, 200, LB
Chad Foster (San Clemente) 5-10, 200, LB
Jake Gilliland (Grace Brethren, Simi Valley) 5-9, 150, WR
Bart Houston (De La Salle, Concord) 6-2, 185, QB
Charles Howard (Lincoln, Stockton) 6-4, 285, DL
Byron Marshall (Valley Christian, San Jose) 5-10, 190, RB-DB
Carl Martin (El Capitan, Lakeside) 6-3, 245, OL
Ellis McCarthy (Monrovia) 6-4, 245, DL

(2nd group of 15 players in alphabetical order)

Butch Pauu (Servite, Anaheim) 6-0, 200, LB
Jordan Payton (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) 6-2, 190, WR-DB
Devin Pearson (Carmel) 5-9, 170, QB-RB
Rio Ruiz (Bishop Amat, La Puente) 6-1, 180, WR
Brayden Sanchez (Hanford) 5-11, 160, WR
Justin Solis (Westlake, Westlake Village) 6-2, 275, DL
Chris Solomon (West Covina) 6-0, 175, DB
Freddie Tagaloa (Salesian, Richmond) 6-8, 285, OL
Tavita Taito (Deer Valley, Antioch) 6-2, 300, DL
Ian Taubler (Bullard, Fresno) 6-5, 215, DE
Bryce Treggs (St. John Bosco, Bellflower) 5-10, 160, WR
Shaquille Thompson (Grant, Sacramento) 6-1, 180, DB
Mia Valoga (Channel Islands, Oxnard) 6-5, 210, TE
Fernando Villanueva (Independence, San Jose) 6-7, 275, OL
Patrick Wooten (Jordan, Los Angeles) 5-11, 185, LB

State Sophomore of the Year: Byron Marshall
Special Mention Freshman:
Davante Young (Irvine) 5-8, 165, RB

St. Francis multipurpose back Dietrich Riley, one of the Southland's few top national recruits yet to commit to a major college, is scheduled to announce his college choice Wednesday on ESPN as part of National Signing Day.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Cleveland girls' water polo team downed Granada Hills 20-4 and El Camino Real 26-0 in their last two West Valley League games.

The Cavaliers' offense is on fire with 46 goals in two days.

Mychal Rivera, a College of the Canyons tight end who played at Birmingham High, has committed to Tennessee.

-- Gerry Gittelson

If you want to see some of the best wrestlers in the area, head on over to Chaminade High School in West Hills on Saturday and watch the BIV Tournament.

The teams that will be there are the following:

Alemany
Canoga Park
Brentwood
West Torrance
South Torrance
Camarillo
Beverly Hills
Rio Mesa
Monrovia
Santa Paula
El Camino Real
San Fernando
Monroe
Granada Hills
St. John Bosco
Thousand Oaks
Chatsworth
Sylmar
Fillmore
Chaminade
St. Margarets
Newbury Park

The teams and wrestlers to watch are San Fernando, Alemany, El Camino Real, Thousand Oaks along with Matt Hickman of Camarillo (ranked #4 in the state), Craig Seidenglanz of Chaminade, With ECR and San Fernando going against each other, it'll be a precursor to the City Finals.

With it's undefeated season on the line and every opponent trying to spoil the Agoura girls basketball team's season long party, the Chargers feel no pressure and keep turning back every attempt.

Wednesday night was no different as Agoura raced to a 24-8 lead after one one quarter, led by 24 points at halftime and cruised to an 80-54 victory against host Newbury Park.

Samantha Fisher led four Agoura players in double figures with 19 points.

Brittany Oster had 18 and Sasha Borenstien and Amanda Burch each added 11 in the balanced offensive effort.

Oster and Burch carried the load in the first quarter with eight and seven points to get Agoura ahead, Fisher had 10 in the second quarter and Oster came back with eight in the third quarter.

The Chargers (21-0, 9-0) would not let up racing up and down the court, forced Newbury Park into a plethora of turnovers and made nine 3-pointers to boot.

"It is always our plan to come out strong and take the game from the beginning," Oster said. "Get ahead and never let up."

That is exactly what they did as Newbury Park (14-8, 6-3) only scored 18 first half points because of the turnovers and rebounding advantage for Agoura.

"Other teams try to shut down one or two of us but somebody always steps up." Oster said. "They don't have an answer for us."

Newbury Park was led by Jasmine Polk's 12 points and 10 from Grifyn Flatery but the first half proved costly despite a 36-point second half effort.

The Chargers remain unbeaten, are ranked No. 1 in Div. III-AA and are getting recognized on campus.

"I actually try and not remind them of all that is going on because they get enough of it from everybody else," Agoura coach Steve Scifres said. "We know something special is going on. I have to remind them to have fun and just focus on the next team. That is all we can control."

The Vikings started off like they were in a rush to finish off the Mounties and catch the last part of "American Idol," surging to quick 12-point lead in the first five minutes.

Campbell Hall's fast-paced, run-and-gun style was too much in the early going, but Montclair Prep eventually got up to speed and played the Vikings even in the second quarter and trailed 38-27 at halftime.

Standout sophomore Trey Dickerson kept Montclair Prep in the game in the first half, scoring 16 points, including several dazzling drives in traffic.

It was a good matchup in the first half between Dickerson and Campbell Hall's Austin McBroom, one of the top returning guards in the San Fernando Valley. McBroom was hot in the beginning to help Campbell Hall take an early lead, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. But the junior cooled down in the second quarter and did not record a field goal, though he did make 4 of 4 free throws to match Dickerson's 16 points in the first half.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Here we are at Montclair Prep in Panorama City, as the host Mounties take on Campbell Hall in an Olympic League games matching two of the San Fernando Valley's top small-schools programs.

Montclair Prep is very young with just one senior, and the Mounties are 10-10, 1-2 with three losses in a row.

Campbell Hall has won four in a row but is without key inside player James Johnson (ankle).

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Taft of Woodland Hills girls basketball team earned a share of first place on Wednesday and it can thank UNLV-bound guard Rmanii Haynes.

Haynes dribbled the length of the court after an El Camino Real missed shot and made a pull-up 10 footer with 14.8 seconds remaining to give Taft a wild 42-41 victory.

"I had to be a senior and lead my team," Haynes said of her winning shot. "I had to make a smart decision."

ECR had a chance at the end but nothing substantial developed and Sarah Rebibo missed on a wild attempt from the left wing.

Taft led the entire game until Alexis Tanner scored five consecutive points on a basket and a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and the game was tied 31-31 with 6:20 remaining.

Nobody could get the upperhand the rest of the way as the score was tied at 33, 35, 37 and 39.

After Skyy Lewis made one of two free throws to give Taft a 40-39 lead, Haynes fouled Sarah Rebibo and Rebibo made two free throws to put the Conquistadores (15-6, 4-1) ahead.

Haynes then came thorough with the biggest basket of the season thus far for the Toreadors (11-6, 4-1).

Taft was on its way to a big victory when it went ahead 22-10 in the second quarter.

Danielle Tyler made two 3-pointers, Breanna Burton had five points in the quarter and Haynes and Lewis each added baskets.

However, ECR cut the deficit to eight by halftime and chipped away until Tanner got the Conquistadores even early in the fourth quarter.

"We did a real good job with our half court defense and doubling the post players," Taft coach Mark Drucker said. "We still have to learn to put teams away."

Burton finished with 15 points and Haynes had 12 for Taft.

Shannon Kingery led ECR with 10 points and six rebounds.

Rebibo and freshman Cora Chan scored eight and seven points.

The teams will meet on Feb. 12 at ECR with first place possibly on the line again.

Here's a scoop: George Giannini is retiring as head coach at Montclair Prep.

Giannini, 59, who started in 1969 back when Montclair Prep back played six-man football, is in his third stint with the Mounties.

During Montclair Prep's prime years in the late 1980s through the late1990s, the Mounties were among the area's top 11-man programs of any size, winning several lower-division titles.

"Yeah, I'm going to retire. I've been doing this a long time," Giannini said. "It's been 40 years. Maybe it's time. I'm sad. I'm going to miss the the kids, but it's time. Who knows? Maybe I will change my mind in a couple of years."

-- Gerry Gittelson

As reported by scoop machine Jon Gold in our UCLA Blog, prized defensive lineman Cassius Marsh from Oaks Christian has switched committments from LSU to UCLA, where he'll join classmate Malcolm Jones -- who undoubtedly had some influence in all this.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Gilles Dierickx, a 6'10 transfer from Belgium finally made his varsity debut for the Chaminade of West Hills boys basketball team and it probably won't be very long before he cracks the starting lineup.

Dierickx came off the bench to score 13 points, grab three rebounds and register two blocks and a steal but the Eagles were beaten 53-43 in a Mission League game at Crespi of Encino.

"More or less we are going to need to get on his page," Chaminade coach Todd Wolfson. "It will take us some time to get used to playing with the big guy. We need to get used to looking for him in the paint."

The Eagles (8-13, 1-7), who beat Crespi (13-8, 5-3) earlier this month for their lone league win got off to a horrendous start trailing 18-0 and not scoring a point until the 4:40 mark of the second quarter.

"We practiced against that zone defense for eight hours," Wolfson said. "We broke it down, watched film, I don't know, we just couldn't make shots."

Matt Mounier, Blake Stanton, Kenny Stenhouse and Ben Loth lead Crespi with 14,10, eight and eight points respectively.

Mounier made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and all six of his free throws in the fourth quarter helping Crespi fend off a Chaminade rally.

"We played real good, we knew what we had to do after losing to them the first time," Mounier said.

No other player beside Dierickx scored in double figures but Jamal McClerkin and Zach Miller each contributed eight points.

Louiszell Alexander, OL, College of the Canyons -- Syracuse
Jordan Allred, OL, Pierce College/Thousand Oaks HS- Kansas State
Bryan Bennett, QB, Crespi - Oregon
Brian Blechen, DB, Moorpark -- Utah
Trajuan Briggs, RB, Birmingham - Cal
Joe Frank, OL, Moorpark - Air Force
Alani Fua, DL, Oaks Christian -- BYU
Josh Gibbs, DB, College of the Canyons/Valencia HS - Kentucky
Ben Gottschalk, OL, Notre Dame - SMU
Hroniss Grasu, OL, Crespi - Oregon
Evan Harrington, LB, College of the Canyons - Colorado
Marquis Jackson, DL, College of the Canyons -- UCLA
Malcolm Jones, RB, Oaks Christian, UCLA
Collin Keoshian, LB, Santa Clarita Christian -- BYU
Erik Kohler, OL, Oaks Christian -- Washington
Ben Loth, OL, Crespi - Iowa State
Malcolm Marable, RB, Alemany -- Oregon State
Cassius Marsh, OL, Oaks Christian -- UCLA
Jeff Matthews, QB, Camarillo - Cornell
Michael Mitchell, Crespi -- Nevada
Nick Montana, QB, Oaks Christian - Washington
D.J. Morgan, RB, Taft -- USC
Daniel Munyer, OL, Notre Dame - Colorado
Max Napolitano, DB, Oaks Christian -- Yale
Pierce Richardson, TE, Crespi - Iowa State
Joshua Shaw, DB, Palmdale - Florida
Zac Stout, LB, Oaks Christian -- BYU
Tyler Sulka, OL, Notre Dame - ASU
Brock Vereen, DB, Valencia - Minnesota
Brent Williams, DL, Taft -- Washington

Santa Monica High School's 2nd Annual Westside Challenge
January 30, 2010

9:30 a.m. Santa Monica vs. Mater Dei (Frosh/Soph)
11:00 a.m.Santa Monica vs. Mater Dei (Junior Varsity)
12:30 p.m. Culver City vs. Marymount
2:00 p.m. St. Monica vs. Gahr
3:30 p.m. Ventura vs. Serra
5:00 p.m. Inglewood vs. Windward
6:30 p.m. Beverly Hills vs. Bishop Montgomery
8:00 p.m. Santa Monica vs. Mater Dei (Varsity)

Several of San Fernando's female wrestlers competed in the Southern State Regionals where Sarah Saenz winning first place in the 138 pound weight class and Sertell Hollie finishing 3rd at 122. Berenice Flores (114 pounds) almost placed in the top 8 after winning two matches and losing two, but narrowly missed.

San Fernando as a team finished 7th out of 56 teams who competed.

With wrestling tournaments in full swing now, here are the local wrestlers and teams who placed in a variety of tournaments.

At Temecula Valley Invitational, Alemany placed 30th (of 63 teams) and San Fernando tied at 31st. Miguel Gallegos of San Fernando placed 7th at 130 pounds while Richard Ortiz finished in 8th for Alemany at 140. Anthony Espinosa placed 6th for the Warriors and San Fernando's Sultan Mohammad finished in 2nd - losing in the finals to Alex Grandy of Pioneer Valley.

El Camino Real finished in 3rd place overall at the San Clemente Rotary Wrestling Tournament in San Clemente with several of their guys medaling. Nasim Naser won at 119 pounds, Bruce Holmes won at 135, Jack Medina lost in the finals at 145 and finished second as did Aaron Tracht, won finished second at 189.

Quartz Hill (who won the whole tournament), Crespi (who finished 12th), Chaminade 23rd and 27th with two teams), Newbury Park (8th place) and La Canada (14th) all competed in the 42-team West Covina Wrestling Tournament in West Covina. The medalists include the following:

Adrian Manzo (Crespi) placed 3rd at 103 and Bobby Medina (Chaminade) finished 6th.
Jonathan Melendez (Quartz Hill) placed 4th and Canyon's Matt Nader finished 5th at 112
Jared Ricker (Quartz Hill) placed 4th at 119.
Craig Seindenglanz (Chaminade) finished 2nd, Tyler Benavides (Quartz Hill) was 3rd, Garrett Morris (Crespi) 4th and Ramine Sobati (Chaminade) placed 5th at 125 pounds.
Scott Haskell finished 6th for Crespi at 130.
David Wyatt finished 3rd for La Canada and Matt Salo placed 6th for Quartz Hill at 135 pounds.
Tim Stone of Newbury Park placed 3rd for Newbury Park at 140.
Miguel Guardado of Newbury Park (4th) and JT Wilkins of Quartz Hill (5th) medaled at 145.
Andrew Ruiz (Quartz Hill) finished in 5th place at 152.
Justin Southon (3rd) of Newbury Park and Nathan Keyes of Quartz Hill (6th place) medaled at the 160 pound weight class.
Alex Harvey of Quartz Hill won the 171 pound class and John Kearns of Crespi finished 3rd.
Ben Harvey of Quartz Hill won the 189 pound class.
Anthony Chu of Quartz Hill finished in first place in the heavyweight division, while Austin Devine of La Canada placed 3rd, Michael Laperche of Newbury Park was 4th and Alex Guzzi of Crespi finished in 6th.

Ben Gottschalk, a top offensive lineman from Notre Dame, has committed to SMU.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village girls basketball team was hoping to play tough, hard and have a chance against City Section juggernaut Taft of Woodland Hills on Saturday at the War on the Floor Extravaganza at El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

The Lions did that and more

The Lions were without two-time all-section pick senior Katie Brooks but gave the Toreadors all they could handle before falling 43-40 in a classic intrasection matchup.

Freshman Beth Mounier just missed wide right on a 3-point attempt from the top of the key at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.

"We had chances and a couple decent really good looks in the last couple sequences," Oaks Christian coach Andre Chevalier said.

Taft (10-6) went on an 8-0 run in the first half to erase a four point Oaks Christian lead and held a 29-21 lead two minutes into the third quarter.

Chevalier called a timeout to stop the momentum and the Lions responded with a 9-1 run to get back in the game.

"At that point the timeout was to let the girls figure things out, the coaches didn't have to say a word."

Oaks Christian (15-4) led 38-37 with 3:30 remaining but freshman Ahlisha Henderson made one of two free throws and Skyy Lewis scored on the ensuing putbcak to give Taft the lead again.

UNLV-bound guard Rmanii Haynes scored 13 points to lead Taft, Lewis had 12 and Henderson finished with nine.

Taft played without starter Amari Hampton, who was nursing a knee injury.

Sophomore Brianna Barrett picked up the scoring punch vacated by Brooks' abscence with 16 points.

Freshman Meg McIntyre had 11 points, including two 3-pointers and Crystal Owusu finished with nine for the Lions.

MONTCLAIR PREP 52, CAMPBELL HALL 41

Long Beach St-bound guard Chantel Dooley scored 21 points as Montclair Prep held off several Campbell Hall rallies.

Sophomore Lauren Holiday scored 12 points to lead the Vikings (14-2) but was hampered after tweaking her ankle in the fourth quarter.

BUCKLEY 70, MONTCLAIR PREP 53

The Griffins (14-4) picked up the slight upset win behind four players in double figures.

Nick de bonfilhs scored 22 points, Andrew Farhadi had 18, Jake Brodsky had 12 and Tyler Coppin-Canter contributed 11.

Montclair Prep (10-10) was led Amonte Dees' 13 points but let the game get away with a 23-4 second quarter run by Buckley.

Winning the job over an impressive group of applicants that included coaches Tim Lins of Moorpark, Dean Herrington of Alemany of Mission Hills and Troy Thomas of Servite of Anaheim, Jon Mack is the new head football coach at Crespi High of Encino, and he promises a successful turnaround after the talent-rich Celts have failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons.

The Daily News first broke the news of Mack's hiring on Wednesday.

Mack, 49, is a proven winner. He was 163-47-1 in 17 years at St. Bonaventure of Ventura, including seven section championships and a runner-up over a 10-year period from 1996 to 2005. He has coached at Ventura College the past three years, compiling a record of 19-12, including 7-4 this past season.

Mack was introduced today at a campus press conference, and the first question was would he bring Crespi back to the playoffs.

"I wouldn't put a limit on just making the playoffs. I want to win the whole thing," Mack said. "We understand there's a lot of competition, and we want to be the best we can be."

Mack replaces Jeremiah Ross, who coached Crespi to the 2007 Pac-5 final but went 11-9 over following two seasons, including a total of one Serra League victory; Ross was forced out in December.

About 40 applicants from as far away as New York seriously pursued the Crespi job, which was narrowed to six finalists this past week.

"Obviously, that adds to the honor of the position that there was so much interest," Mack said. "It says something special is ready to happen here. This is very exciting. I can't wait to get started."

Crespi has plenty of returning talent, particularly at the skill positions. Among the key underclassmen are running backs Rhasheed Johnson and M.Ajani Shanks and receivers Devin Lucien and Brian Irvine, along with blue-chip defensive lineman Reggie Coates, defensive back Charles Washington and kicker Patrick McDonough.

"We love great athletes of all shapes and size, but speed is something I especially love," Mack said. "That's the key to victory."

Mack said he has yet to decide on any assistant coaches and that he plans to interview as many Crespi assistants that are interested in coming back.

"I feel pretty good about the new coach. I think the team will respond well," Lucien said.
Shanks was impressed with Mack's positive attitude.

"He seems like he has a lot in store for us," Shanks said. "He doesn't seem like the type of guy who's going to give up easily."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Buckley 70
Montclair Prep 53

Buckley 10 23 18 19=70
Mont. Prep 13 4 20 14=53

Buckley- Andrew Farhadi 18, Nick de bonfilhs 22, Jake Brodsky 12, Tyler Coppin-Canter 11, Wagner 7,

Mont. Prep- Amonte Dees 13, Trey Dickerson 10, Fried 8, Lugo-Rodriguez 7, Rankin 4, Lockett 4, Nembot 2, Chiang 2.

Buckley 14-4
Mont. Prep 10-10

San Bernardino 19 15 10 15=59
Sierra Canyon 13 17 9 15-54

SB- Chatman 18, Evans 14, Hardy 11, Perkins 4, White 6, Harris 2, Stamps 2, Stubbs 2

SC- Daniel Cohen 17, Julian Brooks 13, Howell 7, M. Cohen 8, Kun. Chhatawal 8, Kis. Chhatawal 2

SB 15-5
SC 13-6

Box Score

Besant Hill 52
Renaissance Academy 46

Besant Hill 8 21 12 11-52
Ren. Acad. 12 3 14 17-46

Besant Hill- Ivan Matip 21, Yannick Atanga 13, Tchoyi 7, Arnicans 8, Bennett 3

Renaissance Academy- Dushon Carter 14, Bryan Bourgeois 17, Cantinol 4, Burrows 6, Fontanilla 3, Deguzman 2

Besant Hill 15-1, Ren. Academy 13-7

Just touched base with Taft linebacker Lucky Radley, who is happy to report Texas Tech has offered a scholarship -- the latest in a long line of offers for Radley, who played for three different high schools over the past three years.

"They just offered me five minutes ago -- you're the first to know," Radley said.

Radley says he has a total of 15 offers. His new top five are North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Texas Tech and Clemson.

-- Gerry Gittelson

After winning its first three West Valley League games by over 40 points, the Taft of Woodland Hills boys basketball team was finally challenged Friday against longtime rival Cleveland of Reseda.

However, Taft never trailed in the contest, pushed back every Cavaliers rally and came away with a tougher than expected 66-52 victory.

"A win is a win," Taft's Pierson Williams said. "We should have beaten them by more. We can't tale any teams for granted. I guess that is a wake-up call for us."

USC-bound Bryce Jones and Texas-bound junior De'Andre Daniels led the Toreadors (14-3, 4-0) with 15 points each, Williams had 12 and sophomore point guard Landon Drew contributed 11 in a balanced offensive attack.

Taft won its 53rd consecutive league game but has bigger issues to deal with going into next week.

With 5:47 remaining, Jones was whistled for an intentional offensive foul and was ejected by official Jesse Williams along with Taft J.V. coach Chris Spann and his wife for poor conduct.

Jones will not be allowed to play in Taft's next game on Wednesday against El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

"This will be a good lesson for Bryce," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. "We have to control our emotions. It was a total lack of maturity on Bryce's part."

Cleveland played tough and hard cutting a 15 point deficit to four on a Jaylen Bland 3-pointer with 6:02 remaining in the third quarter but could never get closer.

Taft was too big inside, ran the floor well and it's high level experience came through in the clutch.

"We didn't play well but we can still win league games when we don't have our best night," Taylor said."

Jason Johnson scored 18 points to lead Cleveland while freshman Kody Riewthong had 10 and Bland chipped in nine.

Taft went on a 9-0 run to start the second quarter to take a 30-15 lead and led 39-24 later in the second quarter before Cleveland started to chip away.

Daniels had five points during the run, Williams made a basket and Jones made two free throws to put Cleveland in catch-up mode.

"We really held ourselves down, it wasn't Cleveland affecting us," Williams said. "We have to learn not to underestimate any of our opponents."

CANYON COUNTRY - Picked to finish no better than third in the Foothill League, Canyon High is surprising everyone.

With hustle, determination and solid fundamentals, the Cowboys knocked off co-league favorite Valencia 59-53 tonight to take sole possession of first place with six games remaining.

Riding a seven-game winning streak, Canyon (15-5, 4-0) is the only team in the in the six-team league not to lose a league game, and the Cowboys have a good chance to win a league title for only the third time over the past 23 years.

"We're playing hard, and so far we're looking good, but our motto is one step at a time," said Wesley Bartole, who led Canyon with 18 points.

Canyon did an excellent job smothering Valencia's high-scoring Lonnie Jackson, who was constantly harassed by Paul Nnaoji and Cody Moore and finished with 18 points that he had to work extremely hard for.

Jackson, a 6-foot-3 junior who already has broken most of Valencia's scoring records, started the week averaging more than 25 points per game but was held to fewer than 20 for the second time in a row - both losses.

After winning 10 consecutive games, Valencia is on a two-game losing streak and must regroup quickly, as the Vikings are in the midst of a five-game road stretch.

"We're just struggling. I don't know what else to say," Jackson said. "Canyon played a good game."

There are no superstars on Canyon, just a scrappy bunch of blue-collar types that go 11 deep, so there is always a fresh body or two on the floor.

"Our team works really hard, and our coaches prepare us really well," said Canyon's Brian Nnaoji, who scored 16 points with nine rebounds. "I would say we have great chemistry as a team, and we're not afraid to pass the ball, and we work well together."

Canyon outrebounded Valencia 30-22 and scored most of its points inside or on fast breaks.

"It was a good team effort," Canyon coach Chad Phillips said. "Canyon High School is never on the map for basketball, so we're having a lot of fun. We pretty much have 10 or 11 guys in the rotation, so we're a little deeper than usual, and we're seeing the results."

Canyon led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter when Bartole scored inside to make it 53-42. Valencia got as close as six in the final minute before Brian Nnaoji's alley-oop basket extended the lead back to eight in the final seconds.

Tere Adams scored 14 points for Canyon, while Valencia's Brandon Bennett and Zach Davis both scored eight.

-- Gerry Gittelson

VALENCIA 11-11-14-17-53
CANYON 10-13-22-14-59

V: Jackson 18, Sansome 2, Brandon Bennett 8, Zach Davis 8, Kelfer 2, Tredick 4, Hammel 4, Sommer 5, Spargo 2.

CYN - Apsay 5, Wesley Bartole 18, Tere Adams 14, Paul NNaoji 4, Brian NNaoji 16. Moore 2.

R: V 15-4, 2-2; C 15-5, 4-0.

For the second game in a row, Valencia's high-scoring Lonnie Jackson is struggling.

He has just four points at the half at Canyon -- one field goal and two free throws -- and has missed several close shots as Valencia finds itself losing 23-22 in a key Foothill League matchup.

Jackson took an accidental shot to the mouth with a few seconds left in the half and was pulled because there was some blood coming from his mouth. But the injury does not appear serious, and Jackson is expected to step it up in the second half.

He better, or Valencia could be in trouble. He started the week averaging 25 points a game but managed just 13 in a loss at Golden Valley on Tuesday that snapped Valencia's 10-game winning streak.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Coming off a loss at Golden Valley that snapped a 10-game winning streak, Valencia looks to get back on track tonight at Canyon, and victory over the Cowboys could force a tie for first place in the Foohill League.

The teams tipped off a few minutes ago, and Canyon leads 10-7.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Tim Kenney is the new head coach at St. Genevieve, replacing Eric Harris.

Kenney, 24, was an assistant under Harris this past season.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's been a hot topic of debate who will be the next Crespi coach, and on Saturday at 2 p.m. the new coach will be introduced at a campus press conference.

A source Wednesday said Ventura College coach Jon Mack was the first choice and was in negotiations, but Crespi spokesman Paul Rawate said he could not confirm or deny whom the new coach will be.

"I don't even know myself," Rawate said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Jacob Smith, one of the area's top young running backs, has transferred from Notre Dame to Canyon.

Smith, a sophomore, rushed for 476 yards (7.2 avg.) and seven touchdowns as a backup this past season after rushing for nearly 2,000 yards on the frosh team in 2008.

He also caught seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown and returned kicks.

Smith is also a top track sprinter.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Camarillo quarterback Jeff Matthews, a first team All Southern Section selection, has committed to Cornell.

"I took a visit there and just fell in love with the place," Matthews said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Harry Welch is on the move again. The former Canyon coach who won five section titles and a state title for the Cowboys before winning three consecutive section titles and one state title at St. Margaret's, has taken the head job at Santa Margarita.

"It's a new chapter in my life, and I'm very excited about it," Welch said.

Santa Margarita finished 3-7 and in last place in the Trinity League this past season. The team is 6-14 over the past two years and has not won a playoff game since 2006.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Just talked with Chaminade A.D. Todd Borowski, and he has some news on Belgium transplant Gilles Dierickx.

After waiting to be cleared, the 6-foot-11 sophomore makes his debut Monday at Crespi -- a bit sooner than Jan. 30 as previously reported.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Updates from two leagues:

In the Golden Valley, several of the teams were in action, but a couple had abbreviated action due to inclement weather. Quartz Hill beat beat Eastside and Antelope Valley in twin duals and here are the results of those:

Quartz Hill 56, Eastside 24

112 Vernon, Ryan (E) p. Arellano,Xavier, 4:19
119 Ricker, Jared (QH) ff.
125 Smith, Broc (QH) ff.
130 Woodruff, James (QH) p. Tramell, Jacob, 1:57
135 Ruiz, Nick (QH) p. Maccharoli, John, 1:19
140 Cambaliza, Joe (QH) p. Hicks, Marquis, :31
145 Christopherson, Nicholas (QH) p. Garcia, Richard, :39
152 Ruiz, Andrew (QH) p. Lepe, Evan, 2:19
160 Keyes, Nathan (QH) p. Zamudio, Jose, :21
171 Lewis, Josiah (E) p. Ruiz, Derrick, 1:05
189 Garcia, Mynor (E) ff.
215 Wright, Justin (E) p. Singleton, Dan, 1:53
285 Chu, Anthony (QH) p. Fahamokioa, Will-bo, 5:13
103 Zopelis, John (QH) d. Caro, Jylianne, 14-12

Quartz Hill 67, Antelope Valley 6

119 Melendez, Jon (QH) ff
125 Smith, Broc (QH) ff
130 Woodruff, James (QH) d. Jones,Kyle, 11-6
135 Ruiz, Nick (QH) maj. Smith, Donald, 13-0
140 Rizza, Michael (AV) p. Bauer, Sam, 1:13
145 Christopherson, Nicholas (QH) ff
152 Wilkins, JT (QH) ff
160 Keyes, Nathan (QH) ff
171 Ruiz, Derrick (QH) ff
189 Harvey, Ben (QH) ff
215 double ff
285 Singleton, Dan (QH) p. Bankhead, Trevor, 1:51
103 Zopelis, John (QH) ff
112 Arellano, Xavier (QH) ff

Due to some unusual circumstances not known at the present time, Highland started to participate in matches against Lancaster and Palmdale, but the team weighed in and then left immediately after. So both Lancaster and Palmdale went through the motions of each wrestler coming to the mat in full gear and raising their hands in victory and both teams won 84-0 over Highland.

So based on those results, here are the standings so far in the Golden League.

1. Quartz Hill 6-0
1. Lancaster 5-0 (but perhaps 6-0 based on the unusual and unknown circumstances with the Highland match)
3. Palmdale 4-1 (perhaps 5-1)
4. Highland 3-1 (perhaps 3-3)
5. Eastside 2-3
6. Littlerock 1-3
7. Knight 1-5
8. Antelope Valley 0-6

In the Marmonte League, Thousand Oaks meets Royal tomorrow night in a tough dual which is bound to be intense. Eddie Ruiz and Christian Beauvoir (among others) of Royal take on Behdod Katebian (among others) at TO. Thousand Oaks has already beaten Simi Valley this season and is 4-0 in league play. Several Royal and Thousand Oaks wrestlers placed high at the 5-Counties Tournament recently, so this Marmonte League matchup should be a good one. The league finals are always dramatic with Simi Valley, Royal, Thousand Oaks, Agoura, Newbury Park and Moorpark all fielding strong teams with strong individuals this season.

When the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Oak Park boys basketball teams play each other first place in the Tri-Valley League is usually on the line and the neighborhood rivalry produces great games.

It was no different Wednesday night as Oaks Christian made enough plays in overtime to come away with an exciting 66-60 victory.

Taylor Hange made a 3-pointer to start the extra period, Dillon van der Wal made two baskets and Blair Holliday and Spencer Kier each made a free throw to finally shake a pesky Eagles (12-8, 4-1) team.

"We know we have target on our back every time we take the floor," van der Wal said. "We have to play our best because we are always going to get everybodys best game."

van der Wal finished with a game high 22 points and was virtually unstoppable in the paint. He scored 10 points in the third quarter helping the Lions go on an 8-0 run and take a short lived four point lead at 34-30.

"We knew it was going to be a fight but it was closer than we thought," van der Wal said.

The Lions surged ahead 51-44 but Oak Park came back on a 7-0 run behind a Chris McCarthy 3-pointer, a Steven Brodie layup and a Ron Lee putback off a miss.

Oaks Christian again thought they had the game won in regulation when Holliday was fouled while making a basket, made the free throw and gave the Lions (11-7, 4-0) a 56-54 lead with :55.8 seconds remaining.

However, Austin Ramljak made two free throws with :42 seconds left and no one scored again to force overtime.

The win was especially sweet for Oaks Christian after close losses to Loyola of Los Angeles, Pasadena and Campbell Hall of North Hollywood.

"I think we really learned from those games and it showed tonight," van der Wal said. "We had better clock management and took better shots."

Coach Tom Roanhaus took it one step further.

"We were feeling cursed almost with those losses. That was a great win."

Holliday finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and six assists in a great all-around performance.

Sophomore point guard Chass Bryan scored 11 points but was saddled with four fouls with 5:42 remaining and fouled out in overtime.

Lee and Ramljak scored 13 points each for Oak Park, Brodie and Cameron Stevens had eight points each.

While the loss was tough to take for Oak Park, it will get another shot on Feb. 5 with a share of the league championship possibly still on the line.

Jon Mack is at Crespi today negotiating a contract to be the new head football coach at Crespi, according to a Crespi source who asked that his name not be published.

Mack, the head coach at Ventura College, previously helped build St. Bonaventure into a dynasty.

The interview process ended last night, and the other top candidates were Troy Thomas (Servite), Scott Squires (ex-Cal Lutheran) and an applicant from New York, according to the source.

An official announcement is expected soon.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The interview process ended last night for the coaching position at Crespi in Encino, and a new coach could be named as early as today -- Friday the latest -- according to Crespi spokesman Paul Rawate.

There has been much speculation about whom the new coach will be, and it's my guess it's going to be Jon Mack, the former St. Bonaventure High coach who is now at Ventura College.

Rawate said today he could neither confirm nor deny Mack won the job, but I know from a second Crespi source that Mack has applied.

Whomever gets the job should feel pressure to win. Former coach Jeremiah Ross was forced out in December after going 5-5 and failing to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year after coaching Crespi to the Pac 5 final in 2007.

-- Gerry Gittelson

CANYON COUNTRY -- What a frustrating night for Lonnie Jackson.

The high-scoring Valencia High basketball star was constantly denied the ball Tuesday at Golden Valley, and every time Jackson worked hard enough to receive a pass, he was immediately double-teamed -- sometimes triple-teamed -- and the defensive pressure really took a toll.

Jackson, a 6-foot-3 junior, came in averaging nearly 25 points, but he was held to 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, and he committed seven turnovers and fouled out with four minutes remaining in a 75-68 Foothill League loss at Golden Valley.

"They were guarding me off the ball, and I couldn't catch it," Jackson said. "I have to congratulate Golden Valley on such good defense. The ball just wasn't bouncing my way."

It was Golden Valley's game plan to suffocate Jackson, and that's exactly what happened, as Valencia's winning streak was snapped at 10 games.

Valencia (15-3, 2-1) committed 27 turnovers and blew a chance to take sole possession of first place.

Jeff Darko, Brandon Hale and Khatari Price took turns guarding Jackson -- usually in combinations -- and that was the difference in the game.

"He's a great player, and obviously it was to our advantage to limit the amount of times he touched the ball," Golden Valley coach Chris Printz said. "I thought we had a good strategy going in -- a box-and-one on Jackson and an automatic double team every time he got the ball."

Eventually, Golden Valley (15-4, 2-1) got into Jackson's head, affecting everything he did.

"We knew he was great, so we wanted to put pressure on him," Price said.

Leading by just two points heading into the fourth quarter, Golden Valley went on an 11-2 run to open the final period to forge a 61-50 lead, and Jackson fouled out two minutes later.

Golden Valley's Trevor Wiseman scored 27 points, 17 in the fourth quarter including seven free throws over the final three minutes. The 6-foot-8 guard added eight rebounds, nine assists and four steals, and he was 13 of 16 from the free-throw line and 7 of 11 from the field.

As the Foothill League's other prized scorer besides Jackson, Wiseman emphasized with what Jackson was going through.

"I've been there myself," Wiseman said. "He couldn't do a thing."

A big difference was free-throw shooting. Golden Valley was 20 of 31, and Valencia was 9 of 12.

Price scored 17 points, and Darko added 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

Darko's playing time has increased over the past few weeks because of his hustle and determination, and he was an important factor on Tuesday.

"He plays lock-down defense," Wiseman said. "I know how hard it is to get by him in practice."

Stevie Sansome scored 12 points for Valencia, and Brandon Bennett added 11 and Zach Davis scored 10.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Golden Valley 75, Valencia 68

Valencia 16-19-13-20-68
G Valley 12-20-17-25-75
V: Jackson 13, Stevie Sansome 12, Brandon Bennett 11, Zach Davis 10, Kelfer 7, Tredick 7, Hammel 4, Russ 2, Zerpoli 2.
GV: Trevor Wiseman 27, 8 reb, 9 assists, 4 steals; Khatari Price 17, Jeff Darko 12 (6 of 6 FG), Statham 6, Looper 5, Hale 4, Calahan 2, Martin 2.

Every time Valencia star Lonnie Jackson has seen the basketball, two or three Golden Valley defenders are all over him, and Jackson is getting frustrated.

The 6-foot-3 junior has turned the ball over six times in the first half while scoring just nine points on 4-for-9 shooting, and visiting Valencia leads 35-33 at halftime in a key Foothill League showdown.

Jackson isn't just standing around. He has five rebounds, three assists and two steals, but he came in averaging 24.5 points, and I would expect him to be hungry for the ball once the second half begins.

-- Gerry Gittelson

In one of the toughest wrestling tournaments in the state, three area wrestlers earned a medal by finishing in the top 8 in their weight class.

Ali Naser of El Camino Real made a roaring comeback at 112 pounds and finished 6th in that weight class. He had dropped to the consolation round on the first day and finished Day Two strong, capturing a medal.

Blayne Briceno of Crespi quietly excelled in the consolation round and finished 8th at 119 pounds and medaled also.

The highest placer in the area came within an inch of winning the whole thing at 145 pounds. Matt Hickman of Camarillo got the quarterfinals of the championship round on Day One, then started Day Two against the state's top-ranked guy Cody Rodenbaugh of San Lorenzo Valley. Hickman put up a fight and only lost 6-4, which bounced him to the consolation round, where he won his next two and defaulted the third and final match, placing him fourth in the tournament.

Its tough to explain the competition level at 5-Counties. It's such a high level of competition that its like being the pitcher against the 1927 Yankees or having to box against Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali and then Mike Tyson - in their primes - all in a row in order to advance. 5-Counties is like going to State at the end of the year and almost everyone there is state-ranked.

So medaling there is impressive enough, while finishing 4th is even more so.

In the Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood gym hangs a banner with all the years the girls basketball team has won a league championship.

The year 2009 is on the banner although the team didn't win the Mission League title that year.

It will be easy to replace with a 2010 decal because the team has no plans of losing anymore games this season, especially after a 74-43 victory against defending league champion Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.

The Wolverines improved to 18-1, 3-0, are ranked No. 1 in Div. IV-AA and have another big game next Friday at Alemany of Mission Hills.

Princeton-bound Nicole Hung scored 18 points, Hawaii-bound Sydney Haydel had 17 and UCSB-bound Nicole Nesbit had 12 to lead Harvard-Westlake.

"We don't plan on losing anymore this season," Haydel said.

The win was very gratifying for the Wolverines considering Notre Dame won the last two times in the Harvard-Westlake gym.

"Tonight was a little bit of a revenge game," Haydel said. "This was our year to comeback and win at home. Everybody was fired up and ready to play. We had a great pregame too."

Things looked like Notre Dame would be able to pull off another upset early as NC State-bound Kody Burke was unstoppable in the first half.

Burke had 19 of the Knights first 20 points helping them only trail 21-20 midway thorugh the second quarter.

However, the Wolverines went on a 14-0 run behind nine second quarter points each from Hung and Haydel and took a 15 point lead at halftime that only got bigger and bigger.

Burke finally slowed down in the second half, picked up her fourth foul at the 4:45 mark of the third quarter and eventually fouled out with 6:54 remaining.

"She is a great player," Haydel said. "She is very tough and physical but I think we just played better as a team."

No player other than Burke made a field goal until the second half and no one reached double figures behind Burke's 24.

"We want this season to be special," Haydel said. "We are committed to defense to make that happen."

Crespi is down to five candidates to be the school's next head football coach, and a new coach is expected to be named by the end of next week.

According to a source, some of the candidates do not want their names made public, which is understandable because they're coaching at other schools.

Jeremiah Ross resigned after going 5-5 this past season and failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Several local teams have wrestlers competing at the 5-Counties Tournament at Fountain Valley High School. Three local guys are still active and still in the Championship Bracket. 5-Counties is one of the most prestigious wrestling tournaments in the country, so the guys there are all top-ranked in the state.

Thousand Oaks, Royal, San Fernando, El Camino Real, Crespi and Camarillo have all sent wrestlers and only Camarillo's Matt Hickman, Royal's Christian Beauvoir and Anthony Uribe of San Fernando are left in the Championship bracket. Hickman is ranked #4 in the state, but his first match tomorrow is against the state's #1 - Cody Rodenbaugh of San Lorenzo Valley in Felton - while Beauvoir wrestles Scott Sire of Edison and Uribe goes up against Bradley Johnson of Canyon Springs - a state-ranked honorable mention at 160 pounds - in his first match.

Behdod Katebian (Thousand Oaks) won two matches at 125 pounds before losing in the third round and moving to the consolation round - where he won two more.

Eddie Ruiz (Royal) won once at 119 and teammate Alex Rivera won twice at 215, then both went to the consolation round. Beauvoir is the Highlanders furthest placer thus far - starting in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Franklin Flores (112), Anthony Figueroa (who won once at 119), Adolfo Medina (189), Miguel Gallegos (130), Fernando Pacacios (140), Raul Perez (125), Robert Garcia (135), Sultan Muhammad (215) and Ted Peralta (heavy) all went for San Fernando and all of them went to the consolation round early. Only Uribe (at 152 pounds) is left in the championship round for San Fernando.

Chris Rolon (135) Al Shuman (140) Isac Lazarovits (152) all quickly moved to the consolation round for El Camino Real while Ali Naser (112) won twice in the championship round and then twice in the consolation round and his brother Nasim (119) won once and lost once then moved to the consolation round, where he is still active .

Scott Haskell (130), Alex Bader (140), John Kearns (171) and Alex Guzzi (heavy) all competed for Crespi and all went to the consolation round early.

Look for Hickman, Uribe and Beauvoir as they try to advance tomorrow in the tough tournament.

Behdod Katebian again dominated in his match and led the Lancers to the 53-16 win over Calabasas on Thursday night.

Katebian won 22-5 in his heavier-than-usual 135 pound class and 10 other Thousand Oaks guys won in theirs.

Katebian is one of the several area wrestlers - along with Trever Devestern of Littlerock and Miguel Gallegos of San Fernando - who are blazing through their weight classes this season so far.

Christian Lopes, one of the Southland's top baseball prospects, has transferred from Valencia to Edison in Huntington Beach.

He transferred out today, and the Lopes family has rented an apartment in Huntington Beach. Lopes' brother Tim, who played on Valencia's varsity team as a freshman, also transferred.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The annual Thousand Oaks softball tournament is set for May 1 and May 8.

Here are the 16 teams participating:

Kennedy, Granada Hills, El Camino Real, Beckman, Long Beach Millikan, Hart, Camarillo, Agoura, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Rio Mesa, St. Joseph (Santa Maria), Oxnard, Burbank, La Canada and Oak Park.

Here are the pools for the 2010 So. Cal. Easton showdown tournament hosted by Moorpark High.

Pool A: Alemany, Canyon, Chatsworth, Hueneme
Pool B: Mooraprk, Rio Mesa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica
Pool C: Agoura, Cleveland, Harvard-Westlake, Lancaster
Pool D: Calabasas, Crespi, Kennedy, Quartz Hill
Pool E: Chaminade, Palmdale, St. Bonaventure, West Ranch
Pool F: Hart, Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Ventura
Pool G: Burroughs, Camarillo, Oaks Christian, Valencia
Pool H: Buena, El Camino Real, Knight, Simi Valley

There is a link to aprintable schedule at musketeerbaseball.org

Bill Redell, who has led the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football team to seven consecutive Southern Section finals and won six division championships, confirmed Friday he will return for next season after much speculation that he would retire following the 2009 campaign due to recurring back pain as a result of a car accident.

Redell, who has been Oaks Christian's head football coach since the program's inception in 2000, has guided the Lions to a 121-12-1 record during that time. Redell is 210-60-3 during his career, which includes coaching stints at Crespi of Encino and St. Francis of La Canada Flintridge.

Redell's decision to return also coincides with Lions' veteran assistant Mark Bates being promoted to assistant head coach. Redell's on-field duties will be in a reduced capacity compared to the past 10 seasons.

Oaks Christian, which fell in the Southern Section Northwest Division final to Serra of Gardena, will move to the Marmonte League for the 2010 season, along with St. Bonaventure of Ventura. Redell said he wanted to be part of ushering in that new chapter in the football program.

Got some results from last night's tournament late tonight and here there are.

Quartz Hill - the #1 Daily News ranked team - met rivals Highland and Littlerock and easily handled both teams to advance up the Golden League ladder.

The results are:

Quartz Hill 51, Highland 18

140 Salo, Matt (QH) p. Lucero, Steve, :55
145 Wilkins, JT (QH) m. Saul, Josh, 14-5
152 Ruiz, Andrew (QH) d. Johnson, Nathan, 10-4
160 Larkin, Pat (H) p. Berk, Sean, 1:11
171 Harvey, Alex (QH) p. Kuriyama, 5:30
189 Harvey, Ben (QH) p. Tuvai, Tua, 1:51
215 Moreno, Nick (H) p. Singleton, Dan, :48
285 Chu, Anthony (QH) dq. Casillas, Gus
103 Zimmerman, Hayden (QH) p. Escue, Louie, 3:09
112 Pfatenhauer, Forest (H) d.Arellano, Xavier, 8-1
119 Ricker, Jared (QH) p. Iguaran, Brian, 1:03
125 Melendez, Jon (QH) m. Shore, Nathan, 19-7
130 Burton, Tyler (H) d. Benavides, Tyler, 7-4
135 Ruiz, Nick (QH) m. Torgeson, Nathan, 16-5

Quartz Hill 63, Littlerock 12

145 Wilkins, JT (QH) p. Figueroa, 2:23
152 Devestern, Trever (L) p. Ruiz, Andrew, 1:51
160 Tollman, (L) p. Gottlieb, Sean, 2:50
171 Harvey, Alex (QH) d. Cline, 3-2
189 Harvey, Ben (QH) p. Sury, 3:32
215 Singleton, Dan (QH) d. Freeman, 13-7
285 Chu, Anthony (QH) p. Poston, 3:31
103 Zimmerman, Hayden (QH) ff
112 Arellano, Xavier (QH) ff
119 Ricker, Jared (QH) ff
125 Arce, Eric (QH) ff
130 Benavides, Tyler (QH) ff
135 Ruiz, Nick (QH) d. Chavez, Rolando, 6-1
140 Salo, Matt (QH) ff

Littlerock's Trever Devestern continues to roll through the competition. Watch for him to advance far in the postseason

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village girls basketball team finally faced some adversity in a Tri-Valley League game on Thursday.

After three relatively easy wins against the likes of Villanova Prep of Ojai, Nordhioff of Ojai and St. Bonaventure of Ventura, the Lions knew neighborhood rival Oak Park would pose a good challenge

First place was on the line and the Lions would have to try and win the game with star player Katie Brooks nursing an ankle injury suffered early in the second half and sophomore point guard Brianna Barrett on the bench with four fouls.

Oaks Christian came through and took sole possession of first place in a 44-40 victory.

Freshman Meghan McIntyre scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, junior Crystal Owusu had 10, Brooks had eight and Barrett contributed seven as the Lions literally held on at the end.

"Our girls did a wonderful job coming together, keeping their composure and gutting a big league win," Oaks Christian coach Andre Chevalier said. "To now know we can play without some of our starters for long stretches should only make us a better team going forward."

Oaks Christian led 27-20 at halftime before extending the advantage to eight points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

That is when Brooks sprained her ankle on a spin move in the paint. Barrett already picked up her third foul by then and committed a her fourth just a short time later and had to come out of the game.

Oak Park was ready to take advantage especially with center Lauren Varney now free to roam the middle.

However, the Lions struck first with a McIntyre 3-pointer from the left corner and Owusu driving to the basket.

"I think that really helped us extending the lead when Katie and Bri went out," Chevalier said. "The other girls gained confidence and were a little more at ease."

The Lions largest lead was 34-22 late in the third quarter but Oak Park would not go quietly.

Varney converted a three-point play on a basket and made free throw to cut the lead to 41-35 but Owusu drive the right baseline and was fould while converting a layup.

Trailing 44-40 with under a minute remaining, Oak Park (9-8, 3-1) still had a chance but Brett Hall missed a 3-pointer from the left wing and the Eagles never got the ball back.

Varney fnished with 20 points to lead Oak park, Courtney Lindsay had nine points on three 3-pointers in the first half and Hall chipped in with six.

The injury to Brooks could be huge for the Lions (14-3, 4-0) as she was averaging double figures in points and rebounds but the timing couldn't have come at a better time with no games until next Thursday.

"We just hope and pray Katie gets healthy forst and foremost," Chevalier said. "This will give us a chance to come together and work on some things at practice. I know if Katie can even get out of bed tomorrow she will be playing with us next week."

With an ambitious plan to play the best possible competition and to eventually win a state basketball title, tiny Renaissance Academy High continues to play an ultra challenging free-lance schedule, and on Thursday the host Wildcats played their toughest opponent, Price of Los Angeles, which has won eight section title and five state titles.

No one expected Renaissance Academy to win, but the Wildcats certainly did not back down, diving for every loose ball and continuing to hustle until the final buzzer in a 70-57 loss that surely will help Renaissance Academy down the road.

"I feel like this was a good experience for us, and we're going to need this experience to make a playoff run," Renaissance Academy's Dushon Carter said. "We have a lot of potential, and once we really start playing together I think we'll win our division easily."

Price (17-1) is ranked No. 5 in the California by Maxpreps.com and No. 1 in the Southern Section Div. IV-AA poll, and the team includes five players 6-foot-7 or taller. The Knights led by as many as 22 points in the second half, but Renaissance Academy (11-6) kept on coming and ended up giving the visitors all they could handle.

"It's a challenge, but I like that," Renaissance Academy's Gil Tacita said. "We want to play against the best, so we just play hard. Price is very good."

Carter scored 25 points and Tarcita added 21, but only two others managed to score for Renaissance Academy, as Price was much deeper.

"We were a little nervous. We missed some shots," Renaissance Academy coach Sid Cooke said. "I think we missed shots we usually would have made, but this kind of competition is what we wanted. We never play teams in our own division."

Price's top players, Allen Crabbe and 6-foot-9 Richard Solomon, have both signed with California. Crabbe scored 22 points with 10 rebounds and four assists, and Solomon totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Renaissance Academy, ranked No. 1 in Div. V-A, entered with a six-game winning streak.

"I think we'll get better from this," Cooke said. "We're going to keep playing tough teams, and we want to make a really serious run."

Nobody ever said tiny basketball power Renaissance Academy was not ambitious, and the Wildcats have another tough one tonight against visiting Price of L.A., one of the Southland's top programs regardless of division.

Price (16-1) is No. 1 in Div. IV, and Renaissance Academy is No. 1 in Div. V-A, so if you're into the whole Hickory High angle, this is the game for you. Tipoff is 6 p.m.

One good thing for Renaissance Academy is the presence of Dushon Carter, who just joined two games ago after awaiting eligibility clearance; he's a former standout at El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, and he is averaging 14 points.

-- Gerry Gittelson

In a dual match, Alemany defeated Chaminade 55-11 at Alemany.
Carlos Lazo, Anthony Igne, Juan Ortiz, Rabbanee Williams, Anthony Espinosa, Richard Ortiz, Akeem Gonzales, Diego Rabanal and Sergio Figueroa all won their matches for the Warriors while Craig Seidenglanz, Bobby Medina and Ramin Sobati won for the Eagles.

CANYON COUNTRY -- Down by 12 points in the second half of a basketball game nobody ever expected Canyon High to win, the Cowboys pulled off a huge comeback Tuesday, defeating heavily favored Golden Valley 77-70 in an upset that is sure to send shockwaves through the Foothill League.

"We never gave up. That's what was beautiful," said Canyon's Wesley Bartole, who scored 20 points.

Canyon had won just eight games last year compared to 27 for Golden Valley, and two of Canyon's top returning starters transferred out before this season.

Just three weeks ago, Golden Valley (13-4, 0-1) won the prestigious 32-team San Fernando Valley Invitational, one of the Southland's biggest tournaments. But on Tuesday, the Grizzlies imploded.

"We knew Golden Valley wouldn't take us seriously and that they thought they were better than us," Bartole said. "But we also knew we could come back against them because that's the way we are -- we're 14 deep and we fight every game."

Canyon's Chris Quant scored 19 points and converted five 3-pointers, four in the third quarter.

"We're underdogs, but we made a statement tonight," Canyon's Cody Moore said. "People better watch out for us."

Brian Nnaoji added 18 points for Canyon (12-5, 1-0), and Tere Adams scored 16.

Golden Valley has no choice but to get back to basics.

"We've got to play like us. We've got to play like Golden Valley," Trevor Callahan said.

It was not a pretty game, as the teams combined for 52 fouls, and three players totaled were disqualified for totaling five fouls.

It was an especially rough first quarter that included 17 fouls, four technicals and a near ejection when Golden Valley's Jake Martin charged Canyon's Paul Nnaoji, resulting in Martin being called for a technical and being benched by coach Chris Printz for nearly all of the first half.

"We got beat. I give all the credit to Canyon," Printz said. "We made a lot of mistakes, and we have a lot of work to do. I'm excited to see how our guys handle this challenge."

-- Gerry Gittelson

GV 16-17-18-19-70
CYN 13-16-22-26-77

GV - Hale 4, Khatari Price 13, Taylor Statham 14, Trevor Wiseman 20, Calahan 7, Chaissan 3, Nunley 2, Looper 7.
CYN - Apsay 4, Brian Nnaoji 18, Wesley Bartole 20, Tere Adams 16, Chris Quant 19 (5 3-pointers)
R: GV : 13-4, 0-1; C 12-5, 1-0
C

It's hopping here at Canyon High, where the Cowboys are warming up for a Foothill League opener against visiting Golden Valley.

After going 8-19 last season (compared to 27-4 for Golden Valley), Canyon has a lot to prove. But the good news for the Cowboys is they definitely appear to be improved, considering their respectable nonleague record of 11-5; meantime, Golden Valley, led by 6-8 Trevor Wiseman, is 13-3 and has tougher competition, and it would be a real upset if the Grizzlies find a way to lose this game.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Lance Fauria is the third head football coach in three years at L.A. Baptist, replacing Josh Henderson, who left after one season to take the head job at Grace Brethren in Simi Valley.

Fauria, the school's assistant principal this past year, previously has coached at Montclair Prep and St. Joseph of Santa Maria.

L.A. Baptist finished 3-7 last season, and Fauria has vowed the Knights will fare better.

"People in the area are going to see an immediate improvement in our win-loss record," Fauria said. "This is a great opportunity and a great place with great kids. I'm already the assistant principal, so this is like icing on the cake."

-- Gerry Gittelson

For nearly 26 minutes, undefeated Loyola High of Los Angeles was shooting the lights out at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City. Every time the host Wolverines would pull close, Loyola would make a key shot to spark another run to lead by as many as 10 points.

Then something odd happened. The visiting Cubs forgot how to put the ball in the basket, failing to convert a field goal over the final six minutes, 22 seconds, as Harvard-Westlake rallied for a 74-70 Mission League boys' basketball victory Monday before a roaring overflow crowd that celebrated by storming the court.

The result: Loyola (14-1, 3-1) is undefeated no more, and Harvard-Westlake (11-4, 3-0) finds itself in first place.

"I never lost faith," said Harvard-Westlake's Erik Swoope, who scored 33 points and totaled eight rebounds.

"We're like a family. I had complete confidence we were going to pull it out."

After winning 14 in a row to start the season, Loyola learned what it feels like on the other side.

"We just got cold. We couldn't buy a shot," Loyola's Julian Harrell said. "Of course it's tough to lose for the first time. You always want a perfect season. You can't win them all, but I've got to give Harvard-Westlake credit. They were ballin', and we stopped attacking the basket and settled for jump shots."

Nate Bulluck scored on a driving layup to give Harvard-Westlake its first lead, 67-65, with just over two minutes remaining.

With 36 seconds left, Loyola's Miles Cartwright hit a free throw to cut the lead to 71-70, but Swoope answered with a fast-break layup off an assist from Austin Kelly, followed by a free throw by Damien Cain with six seconds left.

Loyola missed two 3-pointers in the final seconds.

Cain finished with nine points, 18 rebounds and six blocks. Bulluck added 14 points, and Kelly had 13 points and seven assists.

Cartwright scored 25 points for Loyola, and Ryan Oliver added 14 points (including four 3-pointers), and Herald had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

With Harvard-Westlake trailing by eight points with six minutes left, Loyola's 6-foot-10 Tony Wroblicky went to the bench with his fourth foul, and that proved a key turning point. His foul put Harvard-Westlake in the bonus, and the Wolverines hit four free throws over the next two minutes.

Once Wroblicky took a seat, Swoope scored 11 points down the stretch.

After starting the season 2-4, Harvard-Westlake has won nine in a row.

Of Loyola's 14 consecutive victories coming in, 11 were by 15 points or more.

The Cubs have won three section titles, the last in 2003. Harvard-Westlake has won eight section titles,
-- Gerry Gittelson

Loyola 18-18-20-14-70
H.W. 14-15-21-24-74
Loyola: Miles Cartwright 25, Ryan Oliver 14, Harrell 11, Young 7, Wroblicky 6, Stein 5, Childress 2.
HW: Erik Swoope 33, Bulluck 14, Kelly 13 and seven assists, Cain 9 and 18 rebounds and six blocks, Barnum 3, Burton 2.
R: L 14-1, 3-1; HW 11-4, 3-0

Evan Harrington, a linebacker from College of the Canyons, has committed to Colorado.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Apparently, you can go home again.

Dushon Carter, who transferred from Taft of Woodland Hills to Reseda to Renaissance Academy of La Canada and to El Camino Real of Wodland Hills, is now back at Renaissance Academy.

Carter's hardship appeal to play at El Camino Real was denied two weeks ago by City Section officials but because he never played for the Conquistadores he went back to Renaissance and is playing for the Div V-A top ranked Wildcats.

Carter recently played in two games scoring 17 points against Bell Gardens and 10 against Schurr.

Carter is also averaging six rebounds and 4.5 assists so far.

Carter joins a team that has recorded victories against Crespi of Encino, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Agoura.

It has been a whirlwind of a ride for Carter but it looks like he is finally settled in for his senior year and is hoping to land a scholarship.

Harvard-Westlake is making a few too many mistakes, so the Wolverines need to tighten things up in the second half against undefeated Loyola, which leads 36-29 at halftime in a Mission League showdown before a packed gym at Harvard-Westlake.

The teams went back and forth for most of the first half before Loyola got hot near the end of the second quarter and hit three 3-pointers in a row -- the last by Joe Stein to give the Cubs a 36-26 lead with 50 seconds remaining before halftime.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's a couple minutes before tipoff, and Harvard-Westlake's gym is absolutely packed, as well more than 1,000 spectators have packed in to see tonight's Mission League showdown between undefeated Loyola of L.A. (14-0) and the host Wolverines (10-4).

Harvard-Westlake has won eight in a row, so this is definitely a matchup between two very hot teams with great histories -- Harvard Westlake has won eight section titles, and Loyola has won three.

L.A.C.E.S. High School one day showcase event for this Saturday

11:30 am: Renaissance Academy vs. 29 Palms High School

1:00 pm: Cathedral High School vs. Lynwood High School

2:30 pm: Pacific Hills High School vs. Diamond Ranch High
School

4:00 pm: Washington Prep High School vs. Cheyenne High School
(Las Vegas)

5:30 pm: Cleveland High School vs. Durango High School (Las
Vegas)

7:00 pm: Dorsey High School vs. Colony High School (Ontario)

8:30 pm: Price High School vs. Serra High School (Gardena)

ALL GAMES PLAYED AT LACES HIGH SCHOOL

Here are some of the standouts from recent wrestling action..

- Chaminade defeated Harvard-Westlake 49-21 in their dual tournament.

- Kyle Hasan (189 pounds) from Simi Valley and Ali Naser (112) of El Camino Real; Emmanuel Martinez (119) of Chatsworth; Miguel Gallegos (130) and Sultan Muhammad (215) of San Fernando, Tim Stone (145) of Newbury Park and Bruce Holmes (125) and Al Shuman (140) of El Camino Real all won their weight class championships at the Sam de John Tournament at San Fernando High. In team competition, St. John Bosco won the tournament, while El Camino Real came in second, Simi Valley (3rd), Ventura (4th) and San Fernando finished in the top five.

- Reseda finished in 10th place as a team and John Villalobos, Robert Orbison (119 pounds), and Christian Beltran (171) all medaled at the Santa Fe Scuffle at Santa Fe High.

- Anthony Inge (103 pounds; 8th place), Juan Ortiz (119; 8th), Carlos Lazo (135; 4th), Richard Ortiz (140; 7th), Diego Rabanal (160; 5th), Akeem Gonzales (215; 6th) and Sergio Figueroa (heavyweight; 6th) all medaled for Alemany at the Asics SC Challenge Tournament. Martin Williams of Rio Mesa also medaled - finishing 5th.

- Many area wrestlers medaled at the Tournament of Champions including Ali Naser (El Camino Real), Ben Kogan (Harvard-Westlake) and Jonathan Melendez of Quartz Hill at 112 pounds; Eddie Ruiz of Royal and Emmanuel Martinez of Chatsworth at 119; Miguel Gallegos of San Fernando at 130; Jack Medina of El Camino Real at 145; Isac Lazarovits of El Camino Real and Nick Trueuer of Harvard-Westlake at 152; Dillon Freeman (160) of Granada Hills; Alex Harvey (171) of Quartz Hill, Adolfo Medina (San Fernando), Kyle Hasan (Simi Valley), Ben Harvey (Quartz Hill), Armando Ontiveros (Sylmar), and Tyree Cox (Lancaster) at 189; Akeem Gonzales (Alemany) at 215 and Anthony Chu (heavyweight) of Quartz Hill.

The region could be getting two outstanding prospects next year in boys basketball.

Namon Wright, a 6'0 combo guard, who can shoot and penetrate the paint and Devin Burleson, a 6'6 wing/post player, who is unstoppable down low have been spotted attending various high school games this season.

Both players attend Desert Christian middle school in Lancaster but will probabaly end up at a high profile high school.

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Ribet Academy of Los Angeles, Alemany of Mission Hills, Mater Dei of Santa Ana and Price of Los Angeles are under consideration according to local club coach Doug Burnside.

Both boys play for the A.I.M High club oraganization, which is backed by former NBA star and TNT analyst Kenny Smith.

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

Just touched base with D.J. Morgan, the Taft senior running back who committed to USC prior to his junior.season.

In light of USC's coaching situation, I asked Morgan if he was still committed.

He said, "Yeah. Not as strong, though."

Morgan is among the fastest football players in California. He is also a top track sprinter and hurdler but is taking some time off this spring because of a knee injury.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It hasn't been announced, but Josh Henderson has accepted the head coaching job at Grace Brethren in Simi Valley, replacing Terry Gourley.

Henderson went 3-7 at L.A Baptist last year after a long stint at Ontario Christian. It's a good fit because he lives in SImi Valley has three children, all of whom are slated to attend Grace Brethren.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Bell-Jeff of Burbank girl's basketball team had two important factors in its favor Saturday night at the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village "To the Rack Showcase".

Experience from winning last years Div. V state championship and a grueling preseason schedule against some of California's best teams.

Both came into full effect during the decisive third quarter as the Guards went on to a 61-54 victory against host Oaks Christian.

A 15-4 run was too much for the Lions (12-3) to come back from although they cut the lead to four points with two minutes remaining.

Margeaux Gupilan made a driving layup and added a free throw to push the lead to seven points and that was it.

"We wanted to play good position defense and stop penetration," Bell-Jeff coach Bryan Camacho said. "We have seen all kinds of defenses this year with our schedule and we were ready."

Sophomore Rishonda Napier scored 19 points and Gupilan had 17 to lead Bell-Jeff.

The game looked like it would go either way in the first half as it went back and forth and was tied 30-30 at halftime.

Bell-Jeff relied on eight 3-pointers to keep Oaks Christian off balance defensively.

The Lions had a 21-17 lead thanks to Katie Brooks down low and Brianna Barrett in transition with layups.

Brooks had 21 points and 15 rebounds and Barrett and Crystal Owusu each had 13 points for Oaks Christian.

Bell-Jeff has the inside track to the No. 1 ranking in Div. IV-A with the victory.

In other games at the showcase...

Sierra Canyon 69, Bell-Jeff 29

Michael Cohen scored 21 points, sophomore Julian Brooks had 17 and sophomore Jesse Howell had 14 as the Trailblazers (11-5) opened a 15-0 lead and never looked back.

Bell-Jeff (10-4) played without top players Andre Frazier and Micah Shirley, who were held out due to disciplinary reasons.

Sierra Canyon 35, Santa Clara 24

Tori Wells scored 11 points to lead the Trailblazers (14-4) in a mild upset of last years Div. V-A finalist.

Golden Valley 65, Cleveland 62

The Grizzlies were able to withstand the Cavaliers when Jaylen Bland missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Trevor Wiseman scored 15 points and Taylor Statham had 13 to lea dGolden Valley (13-3).

Bland had 20 points for Cleveland (7-7).

Campbell Hall 53, Hart 44

The Vikings (12-1) overcame a 10-point first half deficit behind 19 points from Alexa Brown.

Lauren Holiday, the sophomore brother of Philadelphia 76'ers guard Jrue Holiday had 14 points and several dazzling assists for Campbell Hall.

Campbell Hall 63, Oaks Christian 61

The Vikings (11-5) squeezed out a victory after Chass Bryan's half court shot attempt fell short at the buzzer.

Campbell Hall came back from a 41-34 deficit in the second half behind Austin McBroom and two 3-pointers from Cole Huff.

McBroom led the Vikings with 26 points.

Calabasas 20 23 23 24=90
Thousand Oaks 14 12 12 39=77

Calabasas- Jordan Coleman 38, including four dunks. Lenard Gorokhov 13, Josh Langer 12, Ungar 8, Justman 8, Campbell 5, Dewar 4, Jube 2.

Thousand Oaks- Alex Tiffin 23, James Whalen 21, Evann Hall 15, Cagley 5, Kingi 1, Jaques 4, Solomon 3, Mullaney 3, Cusworth 2.

Calabasas 14-2, 4-0
1000 Oaks 12-4, 3-1

Idle for nine days since losing to rival Campbell Hall of Studio City on a last-second 3-pointer in a tournament game in San Diego, visiting Windward of Los Angeles made amends in the rematch Friday in the Olympic League opener.

The Wildcats played relentless man-to-man defense and continually pulled away whenever host Campbell Hall (10-5, 0-1) got close in a 62-54 victory that gave Windward (9-6, 1-0) the inside track for the league championship.

"Windward pretty much picked it up this time," said Campbell Hall's 6-foot-7 standout James Johnson, who was held to just 10 points on limited minutes because of foul trouble. "We beat them in San Diego but they gave it to us tonight."

Give credit to Campbell Hall for not giving up. The Vikings fell behind by 14 points with four minutes remaining but went on 12-4 run to cut the advantage to six with just over a minute remaining. Windward did not make a field goal over the final three minutes but converted four free throws and forced several key turnovers in the stretch to pull it out.

"This time, we kept the intensity up the whole game," said Windward's Wesley Saunders, who scored 30 points. "Every time they made a run, we just kept on going. We showed poise."

The teams meet one more time Feb. 9 in the second-to-last game of the season, and it would be a surprise if Windward loses another league game between now and then.

"I think we're in a good situation in league and in our ultimate goal to win a CIF championship," Saunders said.

Austin McGroom, who hit the game-winning shot last time against Windward, scored 19 points, and he had seven steals, including three within a one-minute span in the fourth quarter to help Campbell Hall rally one last time. But the junior managed made just 5 of 20 shots, including 1 of 8 3-pointers.

Overall, Campbell Hall shot 28 percent from the floor (19 of 60) and committed 13 turnovers. When you take that into account, it's surprising the Vikings were still in the game near the end.

"It wasn't for lack of effort. It was a lack of execution," Campbell Hall first-year coach Steve Wachs said. "It's a great rivalry, and this time Windward was up for the rivalry. Just like the last time when we made the big plays down the stretch, it was them this time."

Campbell Hall's Cole Huff added 11 points, and no one else was in double figures.

Windward played relentless defense from the opening tip and jumped to an 18-6 lead with two minutes remaining the first quarter, but Campbell Hall went on a 13-5 run to cut the advantage to 23-19 with three minutes to go in the first half.

McBroom ignited the rally with his first basket, a 3-pointer, scoring 11 points during the spree and finishing with 14 in the first half.

But just when Campbell Hall thought it was back in the game, Windward went on 7-0 run over the next two minutes to push the lead back to 11 just before halftime.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Third Annual To the Rack Showcase - Sat, Jan 9, 2010 @Oaks Christian High School, 31749 La Tienda Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91362.

Game 1: 11:30am Sierra Canyon (Boys) v. Bell-Jeff (Boys)
Game 2: 1:00pm Sierra Canyon (Girls) v. Santa Clara (Girls)
Game 3: 2:30pm Cleveland (Boys) v. Golden Valley (Boys)
Game 4: 4:00pm Hart (Girls) v. Campbell Hall (Girls)
Game 5: 5:30pm Oaks Christian (Boys) v. Campbell Hall (Boys)
Game 6: 7:00pm Oaks Christian (Girls) v. Bell-Jeff (Girls)
Game 7: 8:30pm Taft (Boys) v. Ventura (Boys)

Harvard Westlake basketball standout Erik Swoope has committed to Miami, according to blog in the L.A. Times.

-- Gerry Gittelson

This one is an exclusive and hot off the press, the news coming from Dietrich Riley himself. The St. Francis all-purpose back has received another scholarship offer, this one from LSU.

One of California's most in-demand unsigned recruits, Riley also has offers from USC and UCLA, along with Florida, Cal, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Washington.

-- Gerry Gittelson