July 2010 Archives

Montclair Prep of Van Nuys is hosting an end of the summer tournament and the semifinals are locked in for Sunday.

Montclair Prep vs. Birmingham of Lake Balboa is at 11 a.m. followed by Granada Hills vs. Calabasas at 12:10 p.m.

The losers will play each other at 1:20 p.m. for third place and the winners will square off in the 2:30 p.m. championship game.

The games are at Montclair Prep (8071 Sepulveda Blvd., 91402)

The Taft of Woodland Hills girls' volleyball team won its third championship this summer after capturing the Occidental College tournament Saturday in a 25-15, 25-16 victory against Poly of Sun Valley.

Taft beat Monrovia 25, 17, 25-22 in the semifinals and registered pool play victories against Bernstein of Hollywood, South Pasadena and West Valley League rival Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

Naz Malal, the reigning City Section Div. II Player of the Year was selected tournament M.V.P.

Taylor Kline and Jamie Wynn made the all-tournament team.

Taft previously won the Gabrielino of San Gabriel and Gladstone of Covina tournaments.

Taft will be gunning for a fourth title next week when it competes in the Tournament of Champions in Oxnard.

Olinda 2.
There would not be another shutout victory in the playoffs for the Chatsworth baseball team in the championship game of the 30-team Valley Invitational Baseball League.

In fact, there would be no victory at all for the Chancellors.

The Chancellors had not given up a run in three games but saw that streak come to an end early.

Moorpark scored a first inning run, pushed across the game-winning run in the sixth and went on to a 2-1 victory at Birmingham of Lake Balboa Friday.

Just like on Wednesday in a semifinal victory against El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, Moorpark relied on its two pitchers named Matt.

This time it was Matt Corcoran going six strong innings and Matt Higginbotham coming on in relief in the seventh.

Higginbotham went five on Wednesday and Corcoran pitched two innings.

"We just all play together, there are no individuals on this team," Higginbotham said.

Corcoran stymied Chatsworth with great placement of an array of pitches yielding one run on eight hits with three strikeouts.

"I was able to throw my off-speed for strikes," Corcoran said.

Higginbotham hit Aaron Brown with two outs in the seventh but induced Brady Conlan into a harmless groundball to second to give No. 14 Moorpark (13-9) its second consecutive victory against a perennial power from the City Section's West Valley League.

"Our chemistry came together," Higginbotham said. "The intensity was there from the start tonight. We have a lot of football players on this team and it felt like the first football game of the season. Everyone was ready to go."

Higginbotham singled, was sacrificed to second, went to third on a Jake Woolley single and came home when shortstop Chris Carlin couldn't handle a throw as Woolley stole second base in the first inning.

After Chatsworth tied the game on a Ricky Obando double that scored Brown in the third, Moorpark scored the winning run when Blake Barnes came home on a passed ball in the fifth.

"We really didn't hit at all this summer and just got enough in this one," Higginbotham said. "We really didn't score tonight on any hits either."

Chatsworth had its chances but left eight runner on base, including two runners in the second and third.

A key play for Moorpark came in the fourth when Gunnar Mazur gunned down Hayden Tsutsui, who tried to advance to third on a Raul Camas single with one out.

"Solid defense all throughout the playoffs really helped us," Higginbotham said.

Loyola is playing five home games at L.A. Valley College this year, plus three road games in the Valley, so it's a good year to catch the Cubs.

Justin Estorga, a starting linebacker, is a Simi Valley resident. He benches 330 pounds.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Alemany of Mission Hills has picked up two big transfers from Dorsey of Los Angeles according to coach Tray Meeks.

Michael and Marqueze Coleman have checked in giving Alemany four solid guards with Max Guercy and Jordan Fuller.

"We have some depth now," Meeks said.

The question will be if they can all get along and share the ball.

"All the players are team guys so I don't anticipate any problems," Meeks said. "We have some unfinished business to take care of."

Alemany made a surprising run to the Div. IV-A championship game last year.

They knocked off top-seeded Oaks Christian of Westlake Village along the way before losing to Mission League rival Crespi of Encino

Ryan Silver, who coached at Rolling Hills Prep of San Pedro is taking over the high school team at Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth.

It will be interesting to see how long Silver stays around considering the school brought in Mike Moreau from Florida-based IMG Academy to be the director of basketball.

Many thought Moreau would coach the high school team but speculation is he will be concentrating on the lower levels and will coach the high school team in a few years.

Silver inherits a talented team that returns Michael and Daniel Cohen, Julian Brooks and Jesse Howell.

The Trailblazers advanced to the Div. V-A championship game last season losing to Besant Hill of Ojai.

Birmingham of Lake Balboa had a wonderful season in 2010 culminating in the City Section's inaugural Div. III championship.

Four players are moving on.

Jazzmyn Davis and Destiny Melton will play at College of the Canyons and Charnae Thomas and Chelsea Smith will play at Moorpark College.

Coach Hollie Wilson will be rebuilding at Birmingham but is optimistic considering the entire league lost many seniors.

Dalton Botts, a punter for Moorpark College, has committed to LSU.

-- Gerry Gittelson

REDONDO BEACH - Angelo Diazzesati saved his best performance for when Northridge Little League needed him most.

His team facing elimination for the third consecutive night, Diazzesati pitched a complete-game five hitter and struck out 12, and he also hit two home runs with five RBIs in a 9-0 victory over El Segundo on Wednesday in the Southern California Divisionals at Perry Park.

"This feels pretty good," Diszzesati said. "I wasn't surprised. I knew we would beat this team."

The teams play again at 6:30 tonight in the north bracket final, and the victor plays a best-of-three series with the south winner beginning Saturday to qualify for the Western Regional in San Bernardino - the last stop before the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

With an overpowering fastball and a sharp-breaking curveball, Diazzesati allowed just one runner to advance past second base.

"Whenever Angelo pitches, we know he can get the job done," manager Derek Giacomazzi said. "Without a doubt, he threw a gem.

Willem Nostert was El Segundo's only hard-throwing pitcher available, but after holding Northridge scoreless through 1 1/3 innings, Nostert was pulled, presumably to save him for tonight, but it was still a puzzling move that no one from Northridge could figure out.

"I don't know what they were thinking. You've got to come out and play to win," Giacomazzi said.

Not surprisingly, Northridge soon capitalized by scoring five runs in the third. Rece Reagan walked and eventually scored on Adam Bedrossian's grounder to short, and Diazzesati soon followed with a three-run home run.

After losing 3-0 to El Segundo (9-1) on Sunday, Northridge (11-1) needed to win six games in six days to win the tournament, and the 11- and 12-year-olds are halfway there.

"I've been coaching most of these kids since they were eight years old, and I believe in this team," Giacomazzi said. "They have a ton of heart the way they're battling back. Now the momentum is on our side, and I would take my kids over any team."

Since its only loss, Northridge has outscored three opponents 42-3 with 11 home runs over the past two games.

It was a good team effort Wednesday, as Christian Goretti was 3 for 3 with a double, a run and an RBI, David Magana was 1 for 2 with a home run - his third in two games - and a walk, and Anthony Pineda chipped in a double and a hit-by-pitch.

"All this pressure is a good thing. Hopefully, we'll keep hitting the ball," Goretti said.

Northridge has reached the World Series three times, the last in 1994, but has never won a championship. Granada Hills in 1963 remains the only local program to win the Little League World Series.

-- Gerry Gittelson

LITTLE LEAGUE
Southern California Divisionals at Perry Park (Redondo Beach)

Northridge 9, El Segundo 0

North 005 220 - 9-11-0
E.S. 000 000 - 0-5-2

Diazzesati and Reagan; Nostert, McDonnell (2), Kramer (4),
Griffin (5) and Smith. W-Diazzesati; L-McDonnell.
HR: N: Diazzesati 2, Magana. 2B: N; Goretti, Pineda; ES: Palmer.

Royal graduate Cody Buckel, a top right-handed pitcher, has signed with the Texas Rangers after being picked in the second round. His signing bonus reportedly is $590,000, and he is set to report next week to the team complex in Surprise, Ariz..

Buckel had signed to play college baseball at Pepperdine.

-- Gerry Gittelson

REDONDO BEACH -- Giacomo Giacomazzi hit a leadoff home run for Northridge Little League on Tuesday, and it was only just the beginning.

The 11- and 12-year-olds hit eight home runs in an 18-2 baseball victory over Moorpark (8-3) in an elimination game shortened to four innings because of the 10-run mercy rule in a Southern California Divisional showdown at Perry Park.

Northridge (10-1) must defeat El Segundo at 6:30 tonight and again on Thursday to win the Northern bracket, then win a best-of-three series with the Southern bracket champion to advance to the Western Regionals in San Bernardino - the last stop before the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Perhaps it could be interesting because El Segundo has used up its top two pitchers because of the pitch-count rule.

"We are ready," Northridge manager Derek Giacomazzi said. "I've never seen a team like this where every player can hit, one-through-13."

There were lots of oohs and ahhs Tuesday, as David Magana hit two home runs that cleared the surrounding fence deep beyond the fence and landed in the street, the first a majestic 275-foot shot to left, followed by an opposite-field shot to right that traveled nearly as far.

"We just try to hit line drives, and we know if we do that the ball will carry," Magana said. "I think it was a pretty good game. We executed with our bats and played well."

Rece Reagan, Christian Goretti, Adam Bedrossian, J.T. Legg and Angelo Diazzesati also homered to boost Northridge's summer home run total to 44 in 11 games.

Regan was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs, Goretti was 4 for 4 with three runs, Bedrossian was 3 for 4 with four RBIs, two runs and a double, and Magana was 2 for 4 with four RBIs.

Goretti pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings to earn the win.

"Our bats really came alive. I know we can win this thing," Bedrossian said.

Moorpark scored in the third inning on back-to-back home runs by Tyler Flores and Patrick Valdez. Myles Guy's single was Moorpark's only other hit, as Northridge played errorless defense.

Northridge has made it to Williamsport three times, the last in 1994 when the Earthquake Kids won the U.S. championship before losing in the final, but Granada Hills remains the only local Little League program to win it all in 1963 - the first year the World Series final was televised live by ABC.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

LITTLE LEAGUE

Northridge 18, Moorpark 2

Northridge 195 3 - 18-19-0
Moorpark 002 0 - 2-3-1

Goretti, Giacomazzi (2), Reuss (4) and Regan;
Frangos, Guy (1), Mitchell (3), Ziegeler (4) and Nevoso.
W-Goretti. L-Frangos.
HR: N: Magana 2, Giacomazzi, Reagan, Goretti, Bedrossian, Legg,
Diazesati; M: Flores, Valdez. 2B: N: Bedrossian, Pineda.

REDONDO BEACH -- Facing a deeply talented opponent led by hard-throwing pitcher Tyler Smith, Moorpark Little League needed to play near-perfect baseball Monday to defeat El Segundo in the second round of the Southern California Divisionals (12-under) at Perry Park.

It did not happen.

Smith struck out nine and allowed two hits in five innings, and he hit a two-run home run in the first inning, as Moorpark constantly swung at bad pitches in a 4-2 loss that set up an elimination game at 6:30 p.m. tonight against Northridge at Perry Park.

"We didn't really hit the ball at all," Moorpark pitcher Patrick Valdez said. "(Smith's) curveball broke at the last second, and he had a pretty good fastball, too."

Hitless through three innings, Moorpark finally got to Smith in the fourth inning when Valez walked, advanced to third on Myles Guy's double and scored on a wild pitch. Daniel Casillas followed with an RBI grounder to score Guy to knot the score 2-2, but by then Valdez had reached his pitch limit, and in the fifth El Segundo took advantage of three wild pitches and a walk to push across two more runs.

Moorpark had a great opportunity in the bottom of the fifth, but with two on and the potential go-ahead run at the plate, Smith got a strikeout to end the inning.

In the sixth, El Segundo reliever Willem Mostert struck out three in a row, and that was it.

"They held our hitters off-balance all night," Moorpark manager Doug Ziegeler said.

The Moorpark-Northridge matchup features the only two locals competing in the 10-team tournament that qualifies the winner for the Western Regional in San Bernardino - the last stop before the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

"Northridge plays solid defense, and they have solid pitching and they hit ball - just like us," Valdez said.

In other Southern California Divisional action Monday:

Northridge 12, South Sunrise (Orange) 1: Facing elimination for the first time this summer, Northridge (9-1) was all business, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning in a loser's-bracket victory shortened to four innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Rece Reagan pitched two innings to earn the victory, and he added a two-run home run and an RBI single. Teammate Giacomo Giacomazzi was 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI, Christian Goretti was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI, and Brandon Lewis pitched the final 1 1/3 inning of hitless relief and added a single, a run and an RBI.

South Sunrise was limited to two singles and one unearned run.

"The kids came out with their bats today, and they stepped up," Northridge manager Derek Giacomazzi said. "They executed and did a phenomenal job. Now we have another breath and another day to play baseball."

Northridge must win five games in five days to advance to the Western Regional, beginning at 6:30 p.m. today with an elimination game against Moorpark.

"I think we still have a good chance. We're a solid ball club," Lewis said.

Three Northridge pitchers combined for six strikeouts.

-- Gerry Gittelson

REDONDO BEACH - After a string of mostly one-sided baseball victories courtesy of its home run hitting and strikeout pitching, Northridge Little League learned Sunday what it feels like on the other side.

The 11- and 12-year-olds could not manage a run and surrendered a three-run home run in the sixth inning in a 3-0 loss to El Segundo in the second round of Southern California Divisionals at Perry Park.

Northridge (8-1), which returns to Perry Park at 4:30 p.m. today for an elimination game against South Sunrise of Orange, must win six games over six days to win the 10-team tournament and advance to the Western Regional in San Bernardino - the last stop before the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

"I think we can battle back," said Adam Bedrossian, Northridge's ace pitcher and top power hitter.

After giving up a leadoff single in the top of the first inning Sunday, Bedrossian pitched five hitless innings while striking out eight before being pulled after five innings because of the mandated 85-pitch limit.

El Segundo (8-0) soon capitalized, as Jake Palmer walked, Lars Nootbar singled and Tyler Smith hit a three-run home run deep over the left-field fence - Smith's eighth home run in tournament action and 26th overall counting the regular season.

"We'll come back. We just need to battle," Northridge shortstop Christian Goretti said.

Bedrossian agreed.

"We can definitely still win this thing. We have a lot of heart," Bedrossian said. "Our bats are going to start coming alive again."

Northridge had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the fifth when Trevor McColley, J.T. Legg and Goretti singled to load the bases with one out. But Nootbar, a hard-throwing left-hander, struck out two to end the threat.

"I was a little nervous knowing I had to get through their No. 3 and No. 4 hitters," Nootbar said. "I just tried to blow it by them. I love the pressure."

Nootbar pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up six singles and striking out 11. He was impressed with Bedrossian.

"The Northridge pitcher was pretty good, one of the best we've faced so far," Nootbar said.

Goretti was 3 for 3, but the three others who bat among the top four in the Northridge's lineup were a combined 0-for-9 with six strikeouts.

Instead of forgetting about the loss, Northridge manager Derek Giacomazzi hopes it serves as motivation.

"We walked through the district tournament, and we walked through sectionals. This will give us a wake-up call," Giacomazzi said. "We just didn't hit as well as we should have."

In other Southern California Divisional action tonight in Redondo Beach, Moorpark plays El Segundo at 7 p.m.

-- Gerry Gittelson

LITTLE LEAGUE

Southern California Divisionals (12-under)

at Perry Park in Redondo Beach

El Segundo 3, Northridge 0

El Segundo 000 003 - 3-3-0

Northridge 000 000 - 0-6-0

Nootbar, Mostert (6) and Smith;

Bedrossian, Goretti (6), Giacomazzi (6)

and Reagan. W-Nootbar; L-Goretti;

S-Mostert. HR: ES: Smith.

R: N 8-1; ES 8-0

The Camarillo Eagles women's soccer team made history Sunday with its 2-1 victory over Arizona Rush Soccer Club at the United States Adult Soccer Association 23-under National Cup final in Overland Park, Kansas.

The Eagles joined Colorado Rush Nike -- which captured 17-, 18- and 19-under titles from 1999-2001 -- as the only three-time national champion in the 31-year history of U.S. women's youth and adult soccer.

But the Eagles, who won a 14-under title in 2004 and a 17-under crown in 2007 under coaches Vince Thomas and Mike Alexander, became the first club to capture both youth and adult age-group national championships.

Long Beach State's Lindsay Bullock and UC Irvine's Coco Goodson scored goals and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Bianca Burright and Kansas' Emily Cressy recorded assists for the Eagles, who scored the deciding goal with less than 12 minutes remaining.

The Eagles roster also includes: UCLA's Amelia Mathis and Charney Burk, Pepperdine's Kelsea Smith (Oaks Christian) and Rebecca Klamser, Long Beach State's Nicole Sweetman (Oaks Christian) and Sidney Garza, UC Santa Barbara's Kylie McDonald (Westlake), Katy Robie and Abby Brogan, UC Irvine's Judy Christopher, Cal State Fullerton's Jordan-Michelle Santos, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Julie McKee, Washington State's Shannon McFadden and Texas' Amanda Lisberger.

Cressy, Garza, Goodson, Lisberger, Mathis, Smith and Sweetman are links to the Eagles' past two national championships.

Chaminade graduate Conor McCullough, a Princeton sophomore, became the first American male to capture an individual gold medal at the 13th IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Moncton, Canada, breaking his own U.S. junior record in the 6-kilogram hammer throw Sunday with a lifetime-best effort of 265 feet.

McCullough delivered the Nos. 6, 7 and 13 all-time marks on the all-time World junior performance list in his first five throws to defeat Hungary's Akos Hudi, who entered the competition as this year's World junior leader at 266 feet, 3 inches.

Hudi led after the first round with a throw of 257-1, but McCullough responded with his best mark in the second round and Hudi -- who fouled on his second throw -- didn't challenge the rest of the way.

McCullough, who captured a silver medal in 2008 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, with a U.S. high school record of 248 feet, 11 1/2 inches, gave the Americans back-to-back gold medals in the event after LSU's Walter Henning won with a toss of 252-4.

McCullough broke the World Junior championship record of 257-3 set in 2006 by Russia's Evgeny Aydamirov in Beijing, China. He also improved upon his American junior record set June 25 at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, by nearly 10 feet.

Chris Seddon, a hard throwing right-hander for the Seattle Mariners, who prepped at Canyon of Canyon Country registered his first Major League victory Saturday against the Boston Red Sox.

Seddon pitched one inning of perfect relief throwing 12 pitches, eight for strikes.

The 26 year-old was drafted in the fifth round in 2001 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Saturday was a good day for the Birmingham girls' volleyball team.

Birmingham won the Gabrielino Girls Summer Volleyball Classic.

The tournament had 25 schools.

Birmingham went undefeated in pool play, defeating Alhambra HS, 2-0, San Gabriel Mission HS, 2-0, Diamond Bar HS, 2-0 and Monrovia HS, 2-0.

In the playoffs, Birmingham defeated La Puente 1-0, San Gabriel 1-0, Taft 1-0 in the semifinals and Sylmar in the championship match.

Jessica Serrano and Nancy Nguyen made the all-tournament team and
Danetta Boykin was the tournament M.V.P.

Flintridge Prep of La Canada's Kenyatta Smith has been tearing it up on the summer basketball circuit.

The 6'8 forward has offers from Princeton, Penn, Pepperdine and Colgate.

He is included in several articles published by scouthoops.com

At a recent tournament in Las Vegas, Smith was playing so well coaches from UCLA, Washington, Cal and Portland made sure to plan accordingly to watch one of his games.

Smith no doubt has to be in the conversation when talking about the top five players in the region along with Damiene Can (Harvard-Westlake), Kevin Johnson (Taft), Jonathan Davis (Simi Valley) and Spencer Dinwiddie (Taft).

Malibu High is getting a pretty good freshman in September.

Jeremy Lieberman has been making quite an impression in Las Vegas

Here is what scouthoops.com recruting analyst Evan Daniels had to say about him.

Jeremy Lieberman, PG, Team Eleate 16's - We got a tip on this 6-foot lead guard and it was a good one. Lieberman, who is headed to Malibu (Calif.) High next year, is a 2014 prospect playing in the 16's group and he didn't look out of place at all. He has a tremendous feel for the game, handles the ball well and has a terrific looking outside shot.

REDONDO BEACH - After easily winning the District 40 and Section 2 baseball tournaments, Northridge Little League was expecting a much more difficult challenge in the Southern California Divisionals - the second-to-last stop on the road to the annual World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Yet the 11- and 12-year-old barely flinched Saturday in the first round at Perry Park, defeating South Sunrise of Orange 14-1, as Northridge battered five pitchers for 17 hits, including a 250-foot home run by Adam Bedrossian, to qualify for today's 4 p.m. game against El Segundo.

"We just keep doing our best, and I think we have a good chance," said Derek Kraemer, who went 2 for 2, including a two-out single in the second inning to ignite a three-run rally. "I'm having a great time. This is really fun."

Christian Goretti added two singles, two walks and three RBIs, Giacomo Giacomazzi chipped in two singles, two walks and two runs, and Rece Reagan totaled three hits and two RBIs while contributing two hitless innings of relief.

"If we keep playing well and executing, we can keep winning," Giacomazzi said.

Angelo Diazzesati gave up one earned run on two hits with one strikeout in three innings to earn the victory, and Bedrossian pitched a perfect sixth inning to close out the win, as Northridge improved to 8-0 while outscoring opponents 89-13 with 25 home runs.

"The kids did a good job today," manager Derek Giacomazzi said.

Northridge (8-0) has made it to Williamsport three times, winning the U.S. championship in 1994 but never the international title.

But such dreams are a long way off. First, Northridge must win the 10-team divisional at Redondo Beach and Rancho Santa Margarita, followed by the Western Regional in San Bernardino, the last qualifier for the World Series.

In other Southern California Divisional action:

Moorpark 7, San Dimas 6: Myles Guy helped Moorpark (9-1) come back from a four-run deficit, hitting a three-run home run and earning the win by pitching the final 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out four in the early game at Redondo Beach.

"I kind of thought it over, and I wanted to come in and pitch since the first inning," Guy said. "I just had a feeling we would come back and win the game, and before I hit that home run I was pumped. I was trying to hit a shot."

Patrick Valdez added a two-run home run and Daniel Casillas hit a three-run shot, as Moorpark scored all its runs on home runs.

Moorpark plays at 7 p.m. Monday against the Northridge-El Segundo winner.

"It was a total team effort, but Myles is our superstar," manager Doug Zeigeler said. "That's why we save him for moments when the game is on the line."

Moorpark played without one its top players, Tyler Flores, who was hospitalized Wednesday after being hit in the face by a line drive while pitching in the Section 1 championship. He is expected to return Monday.

LITTLE LEAGUE
Southern California Divisionals (12-under)
at Central Redondo Beach Little League

Northridge 14, South Sunrise (Orange)

Northridge 030 218 -- 14-17-1
S. Sunrise 001 000 -- 1-2-2

Diazzesati, Reagan (4), Bedrossian (6)
and Reagan, NA (4); Brown, Melendez (3),
St. Pierre (4), Mele (5), Moebius (6) and
Cacciatore. HR - N: Bedrossian; 2B: N: Diazzesati,
Reagan.

Moorpark 7, San Dimas 6

Rivals.com is reporting Peachtree Ridge's (Suwanee, Georgia) C.J. Blackwell, a 6'5, 225 pound senior to be forward is moving to Los Angeles and will attend Taft of Woodland Hills.

Blackwell is originally from the L.A. area and his father is former Wisconsin standout Corey Blackwell.

Blackwell is landing heavy interest from UNLV, Auburn, Clemson, Purdue, Wisonsin, Illinois and Wichita St.

Blackwell can score in a variety of ways and would team with Kevin Johnson (6'9), Brandon Perry (6'6) and Stephen Maxwell (6'5) to give Taft a formidable size advantage.

The Calabasas girls' basketball team had a good showing at the recent San Diego Classis tournament.

New coach Therese Berner, who coached at Alhambra last year is already making an impact.

Calabasas placed ninth in the open division out of 48 teams.

Here is a quick recap

Calabasas finished in the top 10, placing 9th out of 48 teams in the Open Bracket.

1. Bellarmine-Jefferson
2. Rancho Verde
3. Valley Christian (Arizona)
4. Santa Monica
5. Ingelwood
6. Dana Hills
7. St. Paul
8. Torrey Pines
9. Calabasas
10. Eastmont (Washington)
11. Valley Christian (California)
12. Montclair
13. Roosevelt
14. Eisenhower
15. Walnut
16. Olympian
17. Yucca Valley
18. Beverly Hills
19. Carlsbad
20. Glendale
21. Rancho Bernardo
22. Williams Field (Arizona)
23. Los Amigos
24. Estancia
25. Los Osos
26. St. Francis
27. Horizon
28. West Linn (Oregon)
29. Santa Margarita Catholic
30. Channel Islands
31. Sweetwater
32. Campolindo
33. Corona del Mar
34. El Rancho
35. Hunter (Utah)
36. Louisville
37. Ramona
38. Paloma Valley
39. Culver City
40. St. Joseph-Lakewood
41. Diamond Bar
42. Fallbrook
43. Fresno Christian
44. Santa Fe
45. Brethren Christian
46. Bonita Vista
47. Murrieta Mesa
48. Fullerton

Game 1:
Calabasas 37 Sweetwater 29

Game 2:
Calabasas 29 Calsbad 18

Game 3:
Valley Christian (Arizona) 41 Calabasas 39

Game 4:
St. Paul 40 Calabasas 33

Game 5:
Calabasas 37 Eastmont (Washington) 24

Dennis Reitz has resigned as coach at Agoura with plans to join the staff at Ventura College as an assistant.

-- Gerry Gittelson

D.J Hein turned around the Antelope Valley of Lancaster girls' basketball program in only two years at the helm.

Now he is turning away.

Hein, who led the Antelopes to the quarterfinals of the Div. IV-AA playoffs last season is moving out of the area to the Napa Valley.

The cupboard isn't bare as Destini Price and Keiona Matthews return for their junior years after transferring from Quartz Hill after their freshman seasons.

Hein was also the school's athletic director.

Ashton Purvis, a track athlete from St. Elizabeth in Oakland, has been Cal-Hi Sports' Girls' State Athlete of the Year.

Here is the the all-time list:

ALL-TIME GIRLS STATE
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009-10 - Ashton Purvis, Oakland St. Elizabeth (track)
2008-09 - Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track)
2007-08 - Jordan Hasay, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep (track) Jr.
2006-07 - Alix Klineman, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (volleyball)
2005-06 - Jayne Appel, Concord Carondelet (water polo, basketball)
2004-05 - Jessica Hardy, Long Beach Wilson (swimming)
2003-04 - Candice Wiggins, La Jolla Country Day (volleyball, basketball)
2002-03 - Alyson Felix, North Hills L.A. Baptist (track)
2001-02 - Julia Pitts, Torrance North (volleyball, basketball, track)
2000-01 - Lashinda Demus, Long Beach Wilson (track)
1999-00 - Monique Henderson, San Diego Morse (track) Jr.
1998-99 - Rometra Craig, San Jose Mitty (basketball, tae kwon do, track) Jr.
1997-98 - Amanda Freed, Garden Grove Pacifica (volleyball, soccer, baseball)
1996-97 - Tayyiba Haneef, Laguna Hills (volleyball, basketball, track)
1995-96 - Kerri Walsh, San Jose Mitty (volleyball, basketball)
1994-95 - Marcy Crouch, Huntington Beach Marina (soccer, softball)
1993-94 - Suzy Powell, Modesto Downey (basketball, track)
1992-93 - Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track)
1991-92 - Marion Jones, Thousand Oaks (basketball, track) Jr.
1990-91 - Marion Jones, Oxnard Rio Mesa (basketball, track) Soph.
1989-90 - Lisa Leslie, Inglewood Morningside (basketball, track)
1988-89 - Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming)
1987-88 - Janet Evans, Placentia El Dorado (swimming) Jr.
1986-87 - Michele Granger, Placentia Valencia (softball)
1985-86 - Terri Mann, San Diego Point Loma (basketball, track)
1984-85 - Elaina Oden, Irvine (volleyball, track)
1983-84 - Wendy Brown, Woodside (basketball, track)
1982-83 - Wendy Wyland, Mission Viejo (diving)
1981-82 - Denean Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1980-81 - Cheryl Miller, Riverside Polytechnic (basketball)
1979-80 - Sherri Howard, Granada Hills Kennedy (track)
1978-79 - Cynthia Woodhead, Riverside Polytechnic (swimming)
1977-78 - Tracy Austin, Rolling Hills (tennis)
1976-77 - Linda Fratianne, Van Nuys Valley Professional (figure skating)
1975-76 - Jill Sterkel, Hacienda Heights Wilson (swimming)
1974-75 - Barbara Reinalda, Cerritos Valley Christian (basketball, softball)
1973-74 - Mary Decker, Orange (track)
1972-73 - Keena Rothhammer, Santa Clara (swimming)
1971-72 - Mable Fergerson, Pomona Ganesha (track)
1970-71 - Laura Baugh, Long Beach Wilson (golf)
1969-70 - Cathy Rigby, Los Alamitos (gymnastics)
1968-69 - Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1967-68 - Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1966-67 - Debbie Meyer, Sacramento Rio Americano (swimming)
1965-66 - Charlotte Cooke, Compton (track)
1964-65 - Peggy Fleming, Pasadena (figure skating)
1963-64 - Sharon Stouder, Glendora (swimming)
1962-63 - Donna de Varona, Santa Clara (swimming)
1961-62 - Carolyn House, Los Angeles Marshall (swimming)
1960-61 - Billie Jean Moffitt, Long Beach Poly (tennis)
1959-60 - Chris von Saltza, Los Gatos (swimming)
1958-59 - Karen Hantze, San Diego Mission Bay (tennis)
1957-58 - Sylvia Ruuska, Berkeley (swimming)
1956-57 - Barbara Ann Roles, Arcadia (figure skating)
1955-56 - Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1954-55 - Mimi Arnold, Redwood City Sequoia (tennis)
1953-54 - Carol Tait, Atherton Menlo-Atherton (swimming)
1952-53 - Barbara Stark, Lafayette Acalanes (swimming)
1951-52 - Paula Jean Myers, Covina (diving)
1950-51 - Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1949-50 - Maureen Connolly, San Diego Cathedral (tennis)
1948-49 - Marlene Bauer, L.A. unknown (golf)
1947-48 - Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1946-47 - Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1945-46 - Zoe Ann Olsen, Oakland (diving)
1944-45 - Nancy Chaffee, Ventura (tennis)
1943-44 - Jean Doyle, San Diego Point Loma (tennis)
1942-43 - Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1941-42 - Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1940-41 - Ann Curtis, S.F. Washington (swimming)
1939-40 - Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1938-39 - Esther Williams, L.A. Washington (swimming)
1937-38 - Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1936-37 - Margorie Gestring, Los Angeles (diving)
1935-36 - Peggy Graham, Beverly Hills (golf)
1934-35 - Margaret Osborne, S.F. Commerce (tennis)
1933-34 - Florence Chadwick, San Diego Hoover (rough water swimming)
1932-33 - Dorothy Poynton, L.A. Fairfax (diving)
1931-32 - Evelyn Furtsch, Tustin (track)
1930-31 - Alice Marble, S.F. Polytechnic (tennis)
1929-30 - Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1928-29 - Gloria Russell, Berkeley (track)
1927-28 - Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1926-27 - Georgia Coleman, L.A. Polytechnic (diving)
1925-26 - Helen Jacobs, Berkeley Miss Anna Head's School (tennis)
1924-25 - Eleanor Garatti, San Rafael (swimming)
1923-24 - Helen Jacobs, Berkeley (tennis)
1922-23 - Helen Wills, Berkeley Miss Anna Head's School (tennis)
1921-22 - Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1920-21 - Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)
1919-20 - Helen Wills, Berkeley unknown (tennis)

-- Gerry Gittelson

Once considered the second coming of Russell White, Rhasheed Johnson of Crespi of Encino is switching from running back to linebacker for his senior season, as the Celts are looking to shore up their defense after allowing 37 points or more three times last year.

Johnson, who has a Tulsa scholarship offer as a running back, split time last year and finished as Crespi's leading rusher with 591 yards and nine touchdowns, including three 100-yard performances. He will continue to play running back and some receiver, but Crespi is giving a long look to Mejani Shanks and sophomore Timmy Hayes.

"It's all right. I like playing linebacker because it's a good way to release anger," Johnson said. "If they need me defense, that's OK. It doesn't bother me. I want to do what the team needs to win a championship."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Someone broke into a storage shed at Desert Christian in Lancaster and stole nearly $2,000 worth of equipment, including a blocking sled.

"I know these are hard economic times, but it doesn't justify it," coach Israel Ifeanychukwu said. "We're disappointed. The blocking sled was something that's very pivotal to teach skills, so this takes away an important practice tool. I talked to a detective and made a police report it. That's all you can do."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Fabian Alomar, who passed for eight touchdowns last season as a freshman Montclair Prep of Panorama City, has transferred to Canoga Park.

"He's a running quarterback, so in the system we have he fits in really nice," Canoga Park coach Ivan Moreno said.

Canoga Park plans to build around returning offensive lineman Abel De Haro, a 6-3, 285-pound who is receiving college interest.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Van Nuys went 2-8 last season under first-year coach Sean Pollard - an improvement from 0-10 in 2008 - and the Wolves continue to get better with returning All-East Valley receiver/cornerback Ernesto De La Paz and promising quarterback Iehanni Obinna.

De La Paz is a dynamic leader - "He could sell a ketchup popsicle to someone who's wearing a white mink coat," Pollard said - and Obinna helped lead the JV team to a league title last year after arriving from Taft of Woodland Hills.

"With our skill guys, if Obinna develops we should be pretty good," Pollard said. "I think we can go .500 or try to make the playoffs. That's what we're shooting for, and we've done pretty well in passing league."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Westlake has looked sharp during summer passing competitions, but most agree it's going to be tough for the defending Northern Division champions to finish 14-0 again, especially now that national powers Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and St. Bonaventure of Ventura have joined the Marmonte League.

"At Westlake, we always take things one game at a time, but 14-0? You could say there's a chance," receiver Nelson Spruce said. "But last year, we didn't have all the accolades like we do this year, so we really need to stay focused and keep working hard because we're ranked a lot harder, so there's a target on our back every week."

-- Gerry Gittelson

After rushing for more than 2,000 yards last season, running back Kevin Ervin of Poly of Sun Valley still does not have a scholarship offer, but coach Scott Faer believes it's just a matter of time.

"Kevin is going to have another great year. He's stronger, and his explosion is just ridiculous," Faer said. "A lot of these other great running backs in the area are just hype. They're not in Kevin's class. Plus, pretty much our whole offensive line is returning. We only lost one guy, and they one replacing him is better."

-- Gerry Gittelson

His main sport is basketball, but multipurpose back Austin McBroom of Campbell Hall of North Hollywood also is receiving recruiting interest in football after scoring 15 touchdowns last season, including seven on kick returns.

"Austin has four big colleges that are close to offering, including a couple from the Pac-10, but I don't want to say which ones until it's official," Campbell Hall coach Russ Gordon said.

McBroom has not been participating in summer practice because of basketball commitments. In the meantime, Josh Ross, a 6-foot-3 junior, has emerged as a key receiver for returning quarterback R.J. Gordon, the coach's son. Also, sophomore Blade Brady and senior Louis Collins are competing at running back. Brady is the brother of former basketball standout Bryce Brady, now at Air Force.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Kenny Boggs, a top running back at Notre Dame the past two seasons, has committed to Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, an NAIA school.

-- Gerry Gittelson

From Cal-Hi Sports:

Robert Woods: Boys State Athlete of the Year

Dynamic football star-track sprinter also had 4.0 GPA as senior

After earning Division IV Boys State Athlete of the Year status last year,
recent Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) graduate Robert Woods did one better
for the 2010-2011 school year.

All in all, Woods leaves Serra with three CIF state titles -- two in track and
one in football - plus numerous mentions in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book &
Almanac. Now Woods can add the prestigious title of 2009-10 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year.

Since 1980, the two-sport star is the only athlete from his particular
geographic area of Los Angeles County to win the Boys State Athlete of the
Year award, and the seventh overall from the county, joining Mike Smith
(1982-83, Hacienda Heights Los Altos), John Williams (1983-84, Los Angeles
Crenshaw), Ken-Yon Rambo (1996-97, Long Beach Poly), Chris Lewis (1998-99,
Long Beach Poly), Steve Smith (2002-03, Woodland Hills Taft) and Mike Stanton
(2006-07, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame).

As a wide receiver and co-captain on the Cavaliers' 15-0 football team,
Woods had another outstanding season, finishing with 66 catches for 1,112
yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 70 yards rushing and one score.

On the other side of the ball from his defensive back position, he recorded 96
tackles and had eight interceptions, two of which he returned to pay dirt.

The USC-bound Woods electrified the crowd at Carson last December in the
Cavaliers' 24-20 CIF Division III State Football Championship Bowl Game
victory over Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.).

On Serra's first play from scrimmage, the state's most explosive receiver
scored on a 67-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Conner Preston, taking a
short out pattern all the way while flying past defenders.

The 6-1, 185-pounder finished the game with the Division III bowl game record
for receiving yardage (180), and his two touchdown receptions tied him for
that record as well.

For his career at Serra, Woods ended up with 192 catches for 3,310 yards
receiving and 41 touchdowns. All three totals place him high on the respective
lists in the state record book. His career total of 25 interceptions on the
other side of the ball show his unique skills further since only one other
player in state history (Steve Smith) is on both reception and interception
record lists.

In track, the fleet-footed Woods surpassed last year's showing at the CIF
state meet, anchoring the Cavaliers' 4x400 gold medal relay team, and taking
silver and bronze medals in the 400 and 200.

The relay team nearly broke a 25-year-old national record and cruised to a
3:08.72 mark in the state final.

In the 400, Woods had the second-fastest time in the nation at 46.17 seconds,
trailing only fellow Californian Josh Mance of Don Lugo (Chino Hills, Calif.).
His top 200 time was 21.01 seconds.

"I'm a football guy first so the highlight last year was the perfect
season and going all the way, but it was great to break some records in track
and leave Serra on a good mark," said Woods from the campus of USC where he
is taking summer classes and undergoing conditioning.

"It felt good to be named for a statewide honor last year and it feels great
to be considered again. California is the tops and the best competition," he
continued.

Besides having the goal to play in the pros, Woods, who carried a 4.0 GPA as a
senior at Serra and 3.5 overall, would like to become an entrepreneur or a
scholar.

"I definitely have a number one goal of playing in the NFL. As for a career
and what I'm going to study, I came to USC thinking business but my eyes
opened up to sociology. To excel, though, I'll have to get my masters.
That's another one of my plans."

To the possibility of running track for the Trojans, Woods says, "It's up
in the air. We'll see how the school year goes academically and
football-wise."

ALL-TIME BOYS STATE
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009-10 - Robert Woods, Gardena Serra (football, track)
2008-09 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (football, baseball)
2007-08 - German Fernandez, Riverbank (cross country, track)
2006-07 - Mike Stanton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (football, basketball,
baseball)
2005-06 - Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (basketball, volleyball)
2004-05 - Drew Shiller, Burlingame (football, basketball, baseball)
2003-04 - Kenny O'Neal, Oakland Skyline (football, track)
2002-03 - Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft (football, basketball, track)
2001-02 - Aaron Piersol, Newport Beach Newport Harbor (swimming)
2000-01 - Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh (football, basketball, track)
1999-00 - D.J. Williams, Concord De La Salle (football, track)
1998-99 - Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly (football, volleyball)
1997-98 - C.C. Sabathia, Vallejo (football, basketball, baseball)
1996-97 - Ken-Yon Rambo, Long Beach Poly (football, track)
1995-96 - Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North (football, basketball)
1994-95 - Eric Guerrero, San Jose Independence (wrestling)
1993-94 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West (football, baseball)
1992-93 - Calvin Harrison, Salinas North Salinas (track, basketball)
1991-92 - Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph (basketball, baseball)
1990-91 - Rob Johnson, El Toro (football, basketball, baseball)
1989-90 - Ryan Hancock, Cupertino Monta Vista (football, baseball)
1988-89 - Lorenzo Neal, Lemoore (football, wrestling)
1987-88 - Adam Keefe, Irvine Woodbridge (basketball, volleyball)
1986-87 - LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei (water polo, basketball, track)
1985-86 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline (football, baseball)
1984-85 - George Porter, Lompoc Cabrillo (basketball, track)
1983-84 - John Williams, L. A. Crenshaw (basketball)
1982-83 - Mike Smith, Hacienda Heights Los Altos (football, basketball,
volleyball)
1981-82 - Jim McCullough, Hemet (football, wrestling)
1980-81 - Kevin Willhite, Rancho Cordova (football, track)
1979-80 - Darryl Strawberry, L.A. Crenshaw (basketball, baseball)
1978-79 - John Elway, Granada Hills (football, baseball)
1977-78 - Jesse Vasallo, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1976-77 - Brian Goodell, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1975-76 - Greg Louganis, El Cajon Valhalla & Santa Ana (diving)
1974-75 - Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove (basketball)
1973-74 - Tim Shaw, Long Beach Wilson (water polo, swimming)
1972-73 - Lonnie Shelton, Bakersfield Foothill (football, track)
1971-72 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo (baseball)
1970-71 - Anthony Davis, San Fernando (football, baseball)
1969-70 - James McAlister, Pasadena Blair (football, track)
1968-69 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson (football, baseball)
1967-68 - Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1966-67 - Mickey Cureton, Compton Centennial (football)
1965-66 - Tim Danielson, Chula Vista (track)
1964-65 - Paul Wilson, Downey Warren (track)
1963-64 - Don Schollander, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1962-63 - Tommie Smith, Lemoore (football, basketball, track)
1961-62 - Forrest Beaty, Glendale Hoover (track)
1960-61 - Ulis Williams, Compton (track)
1959-60 - Dennis Ralston, Bakersfield (tennis)
1958-59 - Dale Story, Orange (track)
1957-58 - Willie Davis, L. A. Roosevelt (basketball, baseball, track)
1956-57 - Bill Kilmer, Azusa Citrus (football, basketball, baseball)
1955-56 - Fred Lacour, S.F. St. Ignatius (basketball)
1954-55 - Dick Bass, Vallejo (football)
1953-54 - Don Bowden, San Jose Lincoln (track)
1952-53 - Ronnie Knox, Santa Monica (football)
1951-52 - Marty Keough, Pomona (football, basketball, baseball)
1950-51 - Charlie Powell, San Diego (football, baseball)
1949-50 - Lang Stanley, L.A. Jefferson (track)
1948-49 - John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (football, basketball, track)
1947-48 - Bob Mathias, Tulare (football, track)
1946-47 - Bill McColl, San Diego Hoover (football, basketball, baseball)
1945-46 - George Stanich, Sacramento (basketball, baseball, track)
1944-45 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland (football, baseball)
1943-44 - Bill Sharman, Porterville (football, basketball, baseball)
1942-43 - Glenn Davis, La Verne Bonita (football, baseball)
1941-42 - Irv Noren, Pasadena (basketball, baseball)
1940-41 - Tommie Fears, Los Angeles Manual Arts (football)
1939-40 - Howie Dallmar, San Francisco Lowell (basketball, baseball)
1938-39 - Jim Jurkovich, Fresno (football, track)
1937-38 - Frankie Albert, Glendale (football, baseball, tennis)
1936-37 - Jackie Robinson, Pasadena Muir (football, basketball, baseball)
1935-36 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont (pro baseball)
1934-35 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover (baseball)
1933-34 - Hank Luisetti, San Francisco Galileo (basketball)
1932-33 - Don Budge, Oakland University (tennis)
1931-32 - Corney Johnson, Los Angeles (track)
1930-31 - Frank Sobrero, Oakland (football, basketball, baseball)

Note: List continues back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book &
Almanac. All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research
by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis. Corrections or comments? Email
mark@studentsports.com.

More Boys State Athletes of the Year

Best of the best for each CIF division and for underclass

Boys Division I:
Cody Kessler, Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.) Jr.
The 6-3, 205-pound two-sport athlete who was All State Underclass first team
offense in football gets the nod over an outstanding list of two-sport
athletes after registering solid seasons on the gridiron and the hardwood. In
football, the Golden Hawks' quarterback led the team to a 9-5 record and a
runner-up spot in Central Section Division I playoffs. He passed for 2,169
yards and 10 TDs and ran for 290 yards and eight more scores. Kessler was also
the team's punter. In hoops, the March 2 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi Sports Boys State
Athlete of the Week was All-State Division I and finished far and away as the
Central Section's leading scorer with a 29.4 per game average and 706
points. For his career, he has a school-record 1,771 points. Kessler has
committed to USC for football and has said he won't play basketball next
season so he can graduate early and attend college the following spring.

More Division I Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Patrick Cantlay (Servite, Anaheim) Golf
Kaelin Clay (Poly, Long Beach) Football, Track
Geno Hall (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) Football, Track
Denzel Hawkins (Centennial, Corona) Football, Wrestling
Austin Hill (Roosevelt, Eastvale) Football, Basketball
Lefi Letuligasenoa (Elk Grove) Football, Wrestling
Aaron Siliga (Oceanside) Football, Baseball
Brett Thomas (Poway) Football, Baseball
Terron Ward (De La Salle, Concord) Football, Track

Boys Division II:
Victor Dean, Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
The 6-foot-6 power forward was the glue that held the team together and a
major force in the Division II top-ranked Hornets' 29-2 season that
culminated in a second state basketball championship for the school. He was at
his best in the state title game 74-59 victory over St. Francis of Mountain
View, finishing tied for game-high scoring honors with 24 points, while
pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. On the season, Dean had per game
averages of 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals.
Amazingly, basketball isn't his top sport. In football, the wide receiver
will take his talents to the Fresno State gridiron this coming fall. He caught
55 passes for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He also had two
interceptions on defense. For a third sport, Dean was on the Lincoln track
team. He had a best in the long jump of 23 feet.

More Division II Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego) Football
Joc Peterson (Palo Alto) Football, Baseball
Sam Tuivailala (Aragon, San Mateo) Football, Basketball, Baseball
Marquess Wilson (Tulare) Football, Basketball

Boys Division III:
Robert Woods, Serra (Gardena, Calif.) Sr.
Also selected as the Cal-Hi Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year. This is the
second straight year in which the Division III winner also is the overall
honoree following Tyler Gaffney of San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

More Division III Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors)
Isaiah Bohman (Sutter) Football, Basketball
Patrick Conroy (Drake, San Anselmo) Baseball, Football
Matt Darr (Frontier, Bakersfield) Football, Track
Shayne Fleming (Valley Christian, San Jose) Swimming
Malcolm Jones (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Football, Track
William Knowles (Calvary Chapel, Santa Ana) Wrestling
Louie Lechich (St. Mary's, Stockton) Football, Baseball
Vlad Morozov (Torrance) Swimming
Trevor Olson (Cathedral, Los Angeles) Football, Basketball
Derron Smith (Banning) Football, Basketball
Kevin Smith (Centennial, Compton) Football, Basketball
Blake Stanton (Crespi, Encino) Football, Basketball
Anthony Williams (Enterprise, Redding) Football, Basketball, Track
James Williams (Enterprise, Redding) Football, Basketball, Track

Boys Division IV:
Robby Rowland, Cloverdale (Cloverdale, Calif.) Sr.
This one was a slam dunk for the two-sport star from the Redwood Empire. In
fact, because of his prowess in baseball and basketball, the 6-foot-6,
210-pound small town hero got consideration for overall state athlete of the
year. Basketball is where he etches his name in the ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports.com Record Book & Almanac but it's at the diamond and on the mound
that landed him as the Arizona Diamondbacks' 88th pick in the MLB Draft, the
first prep player from Northern California selected. In his senior season,
Rowland was 7-1 on the mound with a 0.32 ERA while striking out 117 batters in
65 innings. At the plate, he hit .473 with 20 RBIs and six homers. Before
lacing up the cleats, he burned the nets for the Eagles and single-handedly
almost got them past eventual Northern Regional D4 champion St. Mary's of
Berkeley, dropping in 26 points with 17 rebounds and five assists in a 64-60
playoff loss that ended his hoops career. Rowland's career showed 2,548
points, good enough for 26th all-time in California history according to
Record Book & Almanac, most ever for the Redwood Empire. He had a scholarship
to Oregon but decided to take $395,000 and play for the Missoula (Montana)
Ospreys in the Diamondbacks' short season rookie ball system. "That call I
got to play in the Area Code games last year has paid off big time," said
Rowland when reached in Montana by Cal-Hi Sports. "I probably could have
waited and signed for more money but I really don't care that much about the
money, I just wanted to get out there and play and make good first
impressions." He follows his former Cloverdale teammate, Mitch Delfino, last
year's Boys Division V Athlete of the Year.

More Division IV Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Allen Crabbe (Price, Los Angeles) Basketball
Danny Diekroger (Menlo School, Atherton) Football, Basketball
Aaron Judge (Linden) Football, Basketball, Baseball
Nick Largent (Escalon) Football, Baseball
Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) Football, Baseball
Deon Randall (Parker, San Diego) Football, Basketball
Ryan Richardson (Clear Lake, Lakeport) Football, Basketball
Brando Tessar (Chaminade, West Hills) Baseball, Football

Boys Division V:
A.J. Vanegas, Redwood Christian (Castro Valley, Calif.) Sr.
The 2009 Area Code Games whiz and Stanford-bound pitcher who consistently
throws in the 90s edges basketball standout Troy Leaf for this honor. Vanegas
led Redwood Christian to its first-ever NCS baseball championship. The seventh
round pick in the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres topped off his high school
career by throwing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over
defending champion Head-Royce in the Div. V title game. On the season for the
22-5 Eagles, Vanegas posted an 11-0 record with two saves, a 0.67 ERA and a
section leading 141 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .342 with nine doubles,
16 RBIs and nine stolen bases. When not pitching, Vanegas played shortstop.

More Boys Division V Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Troy Leaf (Foothills Christian, El Cajon) Basketball

Boys Junior Athlete of the Year:
George Farmer, Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Farmer was an even easier choice to be the state's top junior athlete than
it was to pick Serra senior Robert Woods as the overall athlete of the year.
He caught 41 passes for 891 yards and 12 TDs in football for the Cavaliers'
15-0 team. He's already No. 4 in the ESPNU 150 for the Class of 2011. In
basketball, Farmer hit a huge three-pointer in the CIF Div. III state final
vs. Oakland Bishop O'Dowd and was a warrior on defense. In track, he was
second in the CIF state meet 100-meter dash final in 10.45 and ran a leg on
Serra's 4x100 relay team that had a best of 40.66, which was No. 1 in the
nation at the time. "I had motivation to put Serra on the map," he said.
"Being second at state in the 100 meters just topped it all off. Robert and
I met randomly in about the fifth or sixth grade and we have this chemistry to
just go for it in everything. We want our work ethic to be high and hopefully
others will follow."

More Junior Boys Athletes of Honor:
Jay Anderson (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Football, Baseball
George Atkinson (Granada, Livermore) Football, Track
Devon Blackmon (Summit, Fontana) Football, Track
Amir Carlisle (King's Academy, Sunnyvale) Football, Basketball, Track
Elias Gedyon (Loyola, Los Angeles) Cross Country, Track
Robert Gsellman (Westchester, Los Angeles) Baseball, Basketball
Juan Gutierrez (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Soccer
Marqise Lee (Serra, Gardena) Football, Basketball
De'Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) Football, Track
Greg Townsend Jr. (Beverly Hills) Football, Basketball
Turner (Sacramento) Basketball

Boys Sophomore Athlete of the Year:
Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) Football, Baseball
With his hitting leading the way, the Lancers' baseball team earned the top
seed in the CIFSS Division IV playoffs before being upset in the quarterfinals
by Torrance. On the season, he hit .528 with 34 RBIs while scoring 35 runs and
was the only non-senior to be selected to our All-State Baseball First Team.
He was recently selected to participate in the USA U16 trials in Houston,
Texas at the end of September but a tough decision awaits as doing so will
cause him to miss the first three football games of the season. Last year, he
caught 35 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns while adding 22 tackles on
defense. Ruiz is expected to be in the mix to possibly start as the Lancers'
quarterback. He has already committed to go to USC for baseball.

More Sophomore Boys Athletes of Honor:
Brandon Ashley (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) Basketball
Alex Sisneros (Selma) Wrestling
Freddy Tagaloa (Salesian, Richmond) Football, Basketball
Shaq Thompson (Grant, Sacramento) Football, Track

Boys Freshman of the Year:
J.P. Crawford (Lakewood) Baseball
He may have played just one sport, but that is enough to get Crawford this
honor. Before the 2010 season even started, Crawford was selected to play with
the USA U14 National Team. For the first time in 27 years, Lakewood head coach
Spud O'Neil started a freshman for his squad as Crawford was penciled in
every day at the shortstop position. He rewarded his coach with hits in 29 of
Lakewood's 34 games. On the season, he hit .410, scored 49 runs and knocked
in 21 runs while stealing 20 bases. The only other baseball state freshman of
the year to be named from the Moore League is former Major Leaguer Sean
Burroughs, who received the honor in 1995 while at Wilson of Long Beach.

More Freshmen Boys Athletes of Honor:
Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Basketball, Track
Khalfani Muhammad (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) Football, Track
Roschon Prince (Poly, Long Beach) Football, Basketball
Tyree Robinson (Lincoln, San Diego) Football, Basketball
Tyrell Robinson (Lincoln, San Diego) Football, Basketball

From Cal-Hi Sports:

Robert Woods: Boys State Athlete of the Year

Dynamic football star-track sprinter also had 4.0 GPA as senior

After earning Division IV Boys State Athlete of the Year status last year,
recent Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) graduate Robert Woods did one better
for the 2010-2011 school year.

All in all, Woods leaves Serra with three CIF state titles -- two in track and
one in football - plus numerous mentions in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book &
Almanac. Now Woods can add the prestigious title of 2009-10 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year.

Since 1980, the two-sport star is the only athlete from his particular
geographic area of Los Angeles County to win the Boys State Athlete of the
Year award, and the seventh overall from the county, joining Mike Smith
(1982-83, Hacienda Heights Los Altos), John Williams (1983-84, Los Angeles
Crenshaw), Ken-Yon Rambo (1996-97, Long Beach Poly), Chris Lewis (1998-99,
Long Beach Poly), Steve Smith (2002-03, Woodland Hills Taft) and Mike Stanton
(2006-07, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame).

As a wide receiver and co-captain on the Cavaliers' 15-0 football team,
Woods had another outstanding season, finishing with 66 catches for 1,112
yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 70 yards rushing and one score.

On the other side of the ball from his defensive back position, he recorded 96
tackles and had eight interceptions, two of which he returned to pay dirt.

The USC-bound Woods electrified the crowd at Carson last December in the
Cavaliers' 24-20 CIF Division III State Football Championship Bowl Game
victory over Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.).

On Serra's first play from scrimmage, the state's most explosive receiver
scored on a 67-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Conner Preston, taking a
short out pattern all the way while flying past defenders.

The 6-1, 185-pounder finished the game with the Division III bowl game record
for receiving yardage (180), and his two touchdown receptions tied him for
that record as well.

For his career at Serra, Woods ended up with 192 catches for 3,310 yards
receiving and 41 touchdowns. All three totals place him high on the respective
lists in the state record book. His career total of 25 interceptions on the
other side of the ball show his unique skills further since only one other
player in state history (Steve Smith) is on both reception and interception
record lists.

In track, the fleet-footed Woods surpassed last year's showing at the CIF
state meet, anchoring the Cavaliers' 4x400 gold medal relay team, and taking
silver and bronze medals in the 400 and 200.

The relay team nearly broke a 25-year-old national record and cruised to a
3:08.72 mark in the state final.

In the 400, Woods had the second-fastest time in the nation at 46.17 seconds,
trailing only fellow Californian Josh Mance of Don Lugo (Chino Hills, Calif.).
His top 200 time was 21.01 seconds.

"I'm a football guy first so the highlight last year was the perfect
season and going all the way, but it was great to break some records in track
and leave Serra on a good mark," said Woods from the campus of USC where he
is taking summer classes and undergoing conditioning.

"It felt good to be named for a statewide honor last year and it feels great
to be considered again. California is the tops and the best competition," he
continued.

Besides having the goal to play in the pros, Woods, who carried a 4.0 GPA as a
senior at Serra and 3.5 overall, would like to become an entrepreneur or a
scholar.

"I definitely have a number one goal of playing in the NFL. As for a career
and what I'm going to study, I came to USC thinking business but my eyes
opened up to sociology. To excel, though, I'll have to get my masters.
That's another one of my plans."

To the possibility of running track for the Trojans, Woods says, "It's up
in the air. We'll see how the school year goes academically and
football-wise."

ALL-TIME BOYS STATE
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009-10 - Robert Woods, Gardena Serra (football, track)
2008-09 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (football, baseball)
2007-08 - German Fernandez, Riverbank (cross country, track)
2006-07 - Mike Stanton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (football, basketball,
baseball)
2005-06 - Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (basketball, volleyball)
2004-05 - Drew Shiller, Burlingame (football, basketball, baseball)
2003-04 - Kenny O'Neal, Oakland Skyline (football, track)
2002-03 - Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft (football, basketball, track)
2001-02 - Aaron Piersol, Newport Beach Newport Harbor (swimming)
2000-01 - Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh (football, basketball, track)
1999-00 - D.J. Williams, Concord De La Salle (football, track)
1998-99 - Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly (football, volleyball)
1997-98 - C.C. Sabathia, Vallejo (football, basketball, baseball)
1996-97 - Ken-Yon Rambo, Long Beach Poly (football, track)
1995-96 - Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North (football, basketball)
1994-95 - Eric Guerrero, San Jose Independence (wrestling)
1993-94 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West (football, baseball)
1992-93 - Calvin Harrison, Salinas North Salinas (track, basketball)
1991-92 - Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph (basketball, baseball)
1990-91 - Rob Johnson, El Toro (football, basketball, baseball)
1989-90 - Ryan Hancock, Cupertino Monta Vista (football, baseball)
1988-89 - Lorenzo Neal, Lemoore (football, wrestling)
1987-88 - Adam Keefe, Irvine Woodbridge (basketball, volleyball)
1986-87 - LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei (water polo, basketball, track)
1985-86 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline (football, baseball)
1984-85 - George Porter, Lompoc Cabrillo (basketball, track)
1983-84 - John Williams, L. A. Crenshaw (basketball)
1982-83 - Mike Smith, Hacienda Heights Los Altos (football, basketball,
volleyball)
1981-82 - Jim McCullough, Hemet (football, wrestling)
1980-81 - Kevin Willhite, Rancho Cordova (football, track)
1979-80 - Darryl Strawberry, L.A. Crenshaw (basketball, baseball)
1978-79 - John Elway, Granada Hills (football, baseball)
1977-78 - Jesse Vasallo, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1976-77 - Brian Goodell, Mission Viejo (swimming)
1975-76 - Greg Louganis, El Cajon Valhalla & Santa Ana (diving)
1974-75 - Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove (basketball)
1973-74 - Tim Shaw, Long Beach Wilson (water polo, swimming)
1972-73 - Lonnie Shelton, Bakersfield Foothill (football, track)
1971-72 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo (baseball)
1970-71 - Anthony Davis, San Fernando (football, baseball)
1969-70 - James McAlister, Pasadena Blair (football, track)
1968-69 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson (football, baseball)
1967-68 - Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1966-67 - Mickey Cureton, Compton Centennial (football)
1965-66 - Tim Danielson, Chula Vista (track)
1964-65 - Paul Wilson, Downey Warren (track)
1963-64 - Don Schollander, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming)
1962-63 - Tommie Smith, Lemoore (football, basketball, track)
1961-62 - Forrest Beaty, Glendale Hoover (track)
1960-61 - Ulis Williams, Compton (track)
1959-60 - Dennis Ralston, Bakersfield (tennis)
1958-59 - Dale Story, Orange (track)
1957-58 - Willie Davis, L. A. Roosevelt (basketball, baseball, track)
1956-57 - Bill Kilmer, Azusa Citrus (football, basketball, baseball)
1955-56 - Fred Lacour, S.F. St. Ignatius (basketball)
1954-55 - Dick Bass, Vallejo (football)
1953-54 - Don Bowden, San Jose Lincoln (track)
1952-53 - Ronnie Knox, Santa Monica (football)
1951-52 - Marty Keough, Pomona (football, basketball, baseball)
1950-51 - Charlie Powell, San Diego (football, baseball)
1949-50 - Lang Stanley, L.A. Jefferson (track)
1948-49 - John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (football, basketball, track)
1947-48 - Bob Mathias, Tulare (football, track)
1946-47 - Bill McColl, San Diego Hoover (football, basketball, baseball)
1945-46 - George Stanich, Sacramento (basketball, baseball, track)
1944-45 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland (football, baseball)
1943-44 - Bill Sharman, Porterville (football, basketball, baseball)
1942-43 - Glenn Davis, La Verne Bonita (football, baseball)
1941-42 - Irv Noren, Pasadena (basketball, baseball)
1940-41 - Tommie Fears, Los Angeles Manual Arts (football)
1939-40 - Howie Dallmar, San Francisco Lowell (basketball, baseball)
1938-39 - Jim Jurkovich, Fresno (football, track)
1937-38 - Frankie Albert, Glendale (football, baseball, tennis)
1936-37 - Jackie Robinson, Pasadena Muir (football, basketball, baseball)
1935-36 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont (pro baseball)
1934-35 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover (baseball)
1933-34 - Hank Luisetti, San Francisco Galileo (basketball)
1932-33 - Don Budge, Oakland University (tennis)
1931-32 - Corney Johnson, Los Angeles (track)
1930-31 - Frank Sobrero, Oakland (football, basketball, baseball)

Note: List continues back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book &
Almanac. All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research
by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis. Corrections or comments? Email
mark@studentsports.com.

More Boys State Athletes of the Year

Best of the best for each CIF division and for underclass

Boys Division I:
Cody Kessler, Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.) Jr.
The 6-3, 205-pound two-sport athlete who was All State Underclass first team
offense in football gets the nod over an outstanding list of two-sport
athletes after registering solid seasons on the gridiron and the hardwood. In
football, the Golden Hawks' quarterback led the team to a 9-5 record and a
runner-up spot in Central Section Division I playoffs. He passed for 2,169
yards and 10 TDs and ran for 290 yards and eight more scores. Kessler was also
the team's punter. In hoops, the March 2 ESPN RISE Cal-Hi Sports Boys State
Athlete of the Week was All-State Division I and finished far and away as the
Central Section's leading scorer with a 29.4 per game average and 706
points. For his career, he has a school-record 1,771 points. Kessler has
committed to USC for football and has said he won't play basketball next
season so he can graduate early and attend college the following spring.

More Division I Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Patrick Cantlay (Servite, Anaheim) Golf
Kaelin Clay (Poly, Long Beach) Football, Track
Geno Hall (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) Football, Track
Denzel Hawkins (Centennial, Corona) Football, Wrestling
Austin Hill (Roosevelt, Eastvale) Football, Basketball
Lefi Letuligasenoa (Elk Grove) Football, Wrestling
Aaron Siliga (Oceanside) Football, Baseball
Brett Thomas (Poway) Football, Baseball
Terron Ward (De La Salle, Concord) Football, Track

Boys Division II:
Victor Dean, Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
The 6-foot-6 power forward was the glue that held the team together and a
major force in the Division II top-ranked Hornets' 29-2 season that
culminated in a second state basketball championship for the school. He was at
his best in the state title game 74-59 victory over St. Francis of Mountain
View, finishing tied for game-high scoring honors with 24 points, while
pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. On the season, Dean had per game
averages of 14.9 points, 7.9 rebounds 2.3 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals.
Amazingly, basketball isn't his top sport. In football, the wide receiver
will take his talents to the Fresno State gridiron this coming fall. He caught
55 passes for 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. He also had two
interceptions on defense. For a third sport, Dean was on the Lincoln track
team. He had a best in the long jump of 23 feet.

More Division II Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, San Diego) Football
Joc Peterson (Palo Alto) Football, Baseball
Sam Tuivailala (Aragon, San Mateo) Football, Basketball, Baseball
Marquess Wilson (Tulare) Football, Basketball

Boys Division III:
Robert Woods, Serra (Gardena, Calif.) Sr.
Also selected as the Cal-Hi Sports Boys State Athlete of the Year. This is the
second straight year in which the Division III winner also is the overall
honoree following Tyler Gaffney of San Diego Cathedral Catholic.

More Division III Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors)
Isaiah Bohman (Sutter) Football, Basketball
Patrick Conroy (Drake, San Anselmo) Baseball, Football
Matt Darr (Frontier, Bakersfield) Football, Track
Shayne Fleming (Valley Christian, San Jose) Swimming
Malcolm Jones (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Football, Track
William Knowles (Calvary Chapel, Santa Ana) Wrestling
Louie Lechich (St. Mary's, Stockton) Football, Baseball
Vlad Morozov (Torrance) Swimming
Trevor Olson (Cathedral, Los Angeles) Football, Basketball
Derron Smith (Banning) Football, Basketball
Kevin Smith (Centennial, Compton) Football, Basketball
Blake Stanton (Crespi, Encino) Football, Basketball
Anthony Williams (Enterprise, Redding) Football, Basketball, Track
James Williams (Enterprise, Redding) Football, Basketball, Track

Boys Division IV:
Robby Rowland, Cloverdale (Cloverdale, Calif.) Sr.
This one was a slam dunk for the two-sport star from the Redwood Empire. In
fact, because of his prowess in baseball and basketball, the 6-foot-6,
210-pound small town hero got consideration for overall state athlete of the
year. Basketball is where he etches his name in the ESPN RISE Cal-Hi
Sports.com Record Book & Almanac but it's at the diamond and on the mound
that landed him as the Arizona Diamondbacks' 88th pick in the MLB Draft, the
first prep player from Northern California selected. In his senior season,
Rowland was 7-1 on the mound with a 0.32 ERA while striking out 117 batters in
65 innings. At the plate, he hit .473 with 20 RBIs and six homers. Before
lacing up the cleats, he burned the nets for the Eagles and single-handedly
almost got them past eventual Northern Regional D4 champion St. Mary's of
Berkeley, dropping in 26 points with 17 rebounds and five assists in a 64-60
playoff loss that ended his hoops career. Rowland's career showed 2,548
points, good enough for 26th all-time in California history according to
Record Book & Almanac, most ever for the Redwood Empire. He had a scholarship
to Oregon but decided to take $395,000 and play for the Missoula (Montana)
Ospreys in the Diamondbacks' short season rookie ball system. "That call I
got to play in the Area Code games last year has paid off big time," said
Rowland when reached in Montana by Cal-Hi Sports. "I probably could have
waited and signed for more money but I really don't care that much about the
money, I just wanted to get out there and play and make good first
impressions." He follows his former Cloverdale teammate, Mitch Delfino, last
year's Boys Division V Athlete of the Year.

More Division IV Boys Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Allen Crabbe (Price, Los Angeles) Basketball
Danny Diekroger (Menlo School, Atherton) Football, Basketball
Aaron Judge (Linden) Football, Basketball, Baseball
Nick Largent (Escalon) Football, Baseball
Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) Football, Baseball
Deon Randall (Parker, San Diego) Football, Basketball
Ryan Richardson (Clear Lake, Lakeport) Football, Basketball
Brando Tessar (Chaminade, West Hills) Baseball, Football

Boys Division V:
A.J. Vanegas, Redwood Christian (Castro Valley, Calif.) Sr.
The 2009 Area Code Games whiz and Stanford-bound pitcher who consistently
throws in the 90s edges basketball standout Troy Leaf for this honor. Vanegas
led Redwood Christian to its first-ever NCS baseball championship. The seventh
round pick in the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres topped off his high school
career by throwing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over
defending champion Head-Royce in the Div. V title game. On the season for the
22-5 Eagles, Vanegas posted an 11-0 record with two saves, a 0.67 ERA and a
section leading 141 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .342 with nine doubles,
16 RBIs and nine stolen bases. When not pitching, Vanegas played shortstop.

More Boys Division V Athletes of Honor (all seniors):
Troy Leaf (Foothills Christian, El Cajon) Basketball

Boys Junior Athlete of the Year:
George Farmer, Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Farmer was an even easier choice to be the state's top junior athlete than
it was to pick Serra senior Robert Woods as the overall athlete of the year.
He caught 41 passes for 891 yards and 12 TDs in football for the Cavaliers'
15-0 team. He's already No. 4 in the ESPNU 150 for the Class of 2011. In
basketball, Farmer hit a huge three-pointer in the CIF Div. III state final
vs. Oakland Bishop O'Dowd and was a warrior on defense. In track, he was
second in the CIF state meet 100-meter dash final in 10.45 and ran a leg on
Serra's 4x100 relay team that had a best of 40.66, which was No. 1 in the
nation at the time. "I had motivation to put Serra on the map," he said.
"Being second at state in the 100 meters just topped it all off. Robert and
I met randomly in about the fifth or sixth grade and we have this chemistry to
just go for it in everything. We want our work ethic to be high and hopefully
others will follow."

More Junior Boys Athletes of Honor:
Jay Anderson (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Football, Baseball
George Atkinson (Granada, Livermore) Football, Track
Devon Blackmon (Summit, Fontana) Football, Track
Amir Carlisle (King's Academy, Sunnyvale) Football, Basketball, Track
Elias Gedyon (Loyola, Los Angeles) Cross Country, Track
Robert Gsellman (Westchester, Los Angeles) Baseball, Basketball
Juan Gutierrez (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Soccer
Marqise Lee (Serra, Gardena) Football, Basketball
De'Anthony Thomas (Crenshaw, Los Angeles) Football, Track
Greg Townsend Jr. (Beverly Hills) Football, Basketball
Turner (Sacramento) Basketball

Boys Sophomore Athlete of the Year:
Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) Football, Baseball
With his hitting leading the way, the Lancers' baseball team earned the top
seed in the CIFSS Division IV playoffs before being upset in the quarterfinals
by Torrance. On the season, he hit .528 with 34 RBIs while scoring 35 runs and
was the only non-senior to be selected to our All-State Baseball First Team.
He was recently selected to participate in the USA U16 trials in Houston,
Texas at the end of September but a tough decision awaits as doing so will
cause him to miss the first three football games of the season. Last year, he
caught 35 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns while adding 22 tackles on
defense. Ruiz is expected to be in the mix to possibly start as the Lancers'
quarterback. He has already committed to go to USC for baseball.

More Sophomore Boys Athletes of Honor:
Brandon Ashley (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) Basketball
Alex Sisneros (Selma) Wrestling
Freddy Tagaloa (Salesian, Richmond) Football, Basketball
Shaq Thompson (Grant, Sacramento) Football, Track

Boys Freshman of the Year:
J.P. Crawford (Lakewood) Baseball
He may have played just one sport, but that is enough to get Crawford this
honor. Before the 2010 season even started, Crawford was selected to play with
the USA U14 National Team. For the first time in 27 years, Lakewood head coach
Spud O'Neil started a freshman for his squad as Crawford was penciled in
every day at the shortstop position. He rewarded his coach with hits in 29 of
Lakewood's 34 games. On the season, he hit .410, scored 49 runs and knocked
in 21 runs while stealing 20 bases. The only other baseball state freshman of
the year to be named from the Moore League is former Major Leaguer Sean
Burroughs, who received the honor in 1995 while at Wilson of Long Beach.

More Freshmen Boys Athletes of Honor:
Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Basketball, Track
Khalfani Muhammad (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) Football, Track
Roschon Prince (Poly, Long Beach) Football, Basketball
Tyree Robinson (Lincoln, San Diego) Football, Basketball
Tyrell Robinson (Lincoln, San Diego) Football, Basketball

Granada United, a girls' soccer team based in Granada Hills, won the Slammers Futbol Classic (11-under) this past weekend in San Juan Capistrano, scoring 12 goals while allowing six in four games.

The second-year team won all four of its games in the tournament including wins over Slammers Maroon (6-2), ISC Strikers (3-2), Vikings (4-3 PK's) in the semifinal and LAFC Chelsea Black in overtime (1-0) in the championship game.

The team members are: Addie Puskar, Arianna Paz, Brianna Davis, Briana Ruelas, Chloe
Kouyoumdjian, Christine Lopez, Corina Sagato, Geovanna Pereira, Lizzie Bloch, Mayte
Lopez, Meagan Kaufman, Priscilla Torres, Samantha Reynosa and Yesenia Olmos.

"This was a great team effort, and each of the girls contributed to this victory," coach Jose Vasquez said. "I am very proud of the way the girls performed in this very competitive tournament and battled back from being behind in every game. As we are a young team, I am very excited about our future."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Taft of Woodland boys' basketball coach Derrick Taylor has been selected as a coach for the 5th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 all-star game Saturday August 28 at Venice Beach.

The game will feature 24 of the nations best players regardless of grade level and shoe affiliation.

There is a dunk contest scheduled for Friday August 27.

The game will be televised by ESPNU.

The event started in 2006 and several participants are now in the NBA.

With new schools opening and beginning to participate in varsity sports, the City Section has realigned some its leagues for the upcoming season.

Sun Valley High will compete in its first year of varsity football and will be part of the East Valley along with Arleta, Grant of Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Poly of Sun Valley, and Verdugo Hills of Tujunga.

Monroe of North Hills also joins the East Valley League, moving over from the Valley Mission League.

Canoga Park and Van Nuys shift over from the East Valley to Valley Mission giving both leagues seven teams each. San Fernando, Reseda, Kennedy of Granada Hills, Sylmar and Panorama remain in the Valley Mission.

No changes were made to the West Valley League (Birmingham, Chatsworth, Cleveland, Granada Hills, and Taft).

Sun Valley won't be the only area team with a first-year program. East Valley of North Hollywood will field a team and compete in the City Section's 8-Man Division.

Artificial turf is being installed at El Camino Real. That's the good news.

The bad news is, because of the time the Conquistadores are forced to play home games at Pierce College through Nov. 5 when the project is scheduled to be completed, athletic director Vincent Orlando said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Taft of Woodland Hills guard Spencer Dinwiddie has received scholrship offers from UNLV, Pepperdine, Colorado and SMU according to coach Derrick Taylor.

The offer from Colorado now becomes intriguing since the Buffaloes are set to join the Pac-10 conference.

After a sluggish first half, Taft of Woodland Hills pulled away from Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks for a 61-43 victory in the San Fernando valley "Elite" summer league.

Taft unveiled two new players, who should fit in nicely with Kevin Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Brandon Perry, Stephen Maxwell, Khiry Williams and Kris Yanku.

Sophomore to be Alessandro Alberto is a 6'4 wing from the state of Florida and incoming freshman Ajon Efferson is a point guard from Pasadena.

In other games, El Camino Real of Woodland Hills beat Buckley and Montclair Prep upset Harvard-Westlake, 50-44.

Montclair Prep got good play from guards Trey Dickerson, Amonte Dees, Bo Vaughn and forwards Charles Lockett and Jake Boger.

Harvard-Westlake was without forward Damiene Cain.

The Gametymers basketball club oraganization will be holding the Earl Watson instructional clinics at Taft High in Woodland Hills August 7 and 8 and 28 and 29.

There will be two clinics each day.

The first session for each weekend will be from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and is for ages 8-11.

The second session each weekend will be from 10:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. and is for ages 12-14.

Each session will include a skills contest, a clinic shirt and an autograph session in addition to quality instruction.

Watson was a former standout at UCLA and has played for eight teams in the NBA.

For more information and to register visit, www.gametymersbasketball.com

An application ready to download and print is available

The rosters have been set for the Area Code games, and there the Milwaukee Brewers' scout teams (locals in bold):

2010 Milwaukee Brewers Blue Roster

Name School (City, State) POS YR

Danny Keller Newbury Park (Newbury Park, Calif.) P 2011

Ryan Keller West Ranch (Stephenson Ranch, Calif.) P 2011

Trevor Megill Marina (Huntington Beach, Calif.) P 2012

Henry Owens Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) P 2011

Lucas Giolito Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) P 2012

Matt Budgell Woodbridge (Irvine, Calif.) P 2011

Michael Jordan Murrietta Valley (Murrietta, Calif.) P 2011

Cole Irvin Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) P 2011

Adam McCreery Bonita (La Verne, Calif.) P 2011

Matthew Troupe Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) P 2011

Joseph Musgrove Grossmont (El Cajon, Calif.) P 2011

Austin Hedges JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) C 2011

Riley Moore San Marcos (Santa Barbara, Calif.) C 2011

Kenny Matthews Diamond Bar (Diamond Bar, Calif.) 1B 2011

Max Homick Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, Calif.) 1B 2011

Christian Lopes Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) INF 2011

Phillip Evans La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) INF 2011

Brandon Martin Santiago (Corona, Calif.) INF 2011

Timmy Lopes Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) INF 2012

Trent Boras JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 3B 2011

Kyle Raubinger Arroyo Grande (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) 3B 2011

Taylor Sparks St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 3B 2011

Travis Harrison Tustin (Tustin, Calif.) OF 2011

Jacob Anderson Chino (Chino, Calif.) OF 2011

Daniel Camarena Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) OF 2011

Eric Snyder Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) OF 2011

2010 Milwaukee Brewers White Roster

Name School (City, State) POS YR

Joseph Ross Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) P 2011

Robert Stephenson Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) P 2011

John Hotchstatter San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) P 2011

Max Fried Montclair Prep (Van Nuys, Calif.) P 2012

Nigel Nootbaar El Segundo (El Segundo, Calif.) P 2011

Joseph Armstrong Logan (Union City, Calif.) P 2011

Darin Gillies San Benito (Hollister, Calif.) P 2011

Brett Fuller Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) P 2011

Spencer Linney Head-Royce (Oakland, Calif.) P 2011

Matthew Troupe Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) P 2011

Carlos Rodriguez Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) P 2011

Blake Grant-Parks Yuba City (Yuba City, Calif.) C 2011

Nathan Esposito Granite Bay (Granite Bay, Calif.) C 2011

Adam Ehrlich Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) C 2011

Trevor Gretzky Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) 1B 2011

Rouric Bridgewater Diamond Ranch (Pomona, Calif.) 1B 2011

Zachary Green Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.)
INF 2012

Chris Keck Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) INF 2011

Dante Flores St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) INF 2011

Kevin Kramer Turlock (Turlock, Calif.) 3B 2011

Tyler Goeddel St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) 3B 2011

Billy Flamion Central Catholic (Modesto, Calif.) OF 2011

Aaron Brown Chatsworth (Chatsworth, Calif.) OF 2011

Desmond Henry Centennial (Compton, Calif.) OF 2011

Shawon Dunston Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.) OF 2011

-- Gerry Gittelson

From Cal-Hi Sports:

There seems to be a group of several that are always in the mix to be State
School of the Year, led by last year's winner, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose,
Calif.).

Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) hasn't been one of them, but after winning
two CIF state titles, nearly winning a third and earning the most section
titles (with five) in the massive CIF Southern Section, the Cavaliers have
been chosen as the 2009-10 State School of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.

Based on school enrollment, Serra is the smallest school to ever be named
State School of the Year, although enrollment totals for schools prior to the
1920s and 1930s aren't readily available. The Cavaliers also are the first
State School of the Year from the Los Angeles South Bay region since El
Segundo for 1965-66.

Some will notice immediately that the Cal-Hi Sports honor conflicts with the
ESPN RISE All-Sports FAB 50, which went out last week and shows Mater Dei
(Santa Ana, Calif.) in the No. 1 position.

The two honors, however, are derived at from different criteria. The
All-Sports FAB 50 is based strictly on where teams finished in final FAB 50
national rankings. The Cal-Hi Sports School of the Year provides much more
credit on CIF state titles, CIF section titles and historical significance.

While Mater Dei was nationally ranked in five sports - boys basketball,
girls basketball, boys track, softball, baseball - the Monarchs won one CIF
state title and four CIFSS section crowns.

Serra also scored more points in the Cal-Hi Sports criteria for becoming the
first school in state history to win CIF state titles in football and boys
basketball in the same school year.

"People don't look at small schools the way they do at the big schools
like Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly," said standout Serra junior George
Farmer, a member of the football, basketball and track teams. "We were glad
to show that a small school can do the same things."

Serra's football team got the ball rolling in the fall and pointed toward a
potential 13-0 vs. 13-0 matchup with then No. 1 state ranked Oaks Christian
(Westlake Village, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division
final.

That showdown materialized and perhaps the best game in the state during the
year in any sport ensued.

Serra tied it up with 4:48 remaining on a dazzling 17-yard run by USC-bound
All-American Robert Woods. The Cavaliers won it in overtime, 42-41, on a PAT
by Francisco Olloqui.

Then after getting a bid into the CIF Division III state bowl game, Serra held
on for a 24-20 win over Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.). Woods scored on
the team's first offensive play.

The Cavaliers finished 15-0 and were No. 5 in the overall state rankings.

Both Farmer and football coach Scott Altenberg thought the momentum from the
football team's CIF state title in the fall carried over into the winter and
spring.

"With our school, we actually want to share all of our athletes,"
Altenberg said. "The basketball team then gets infused from what the
football team did."

Four football players in all were on the Serra hoops' squad, but the two top
players were non-gridder guards Keith Shamburger and Vaughn Autry.

In the CIF Division III state final, Serra outlasted Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland,
Calif.), 63-59, in overtime. Shamburger led the way with 14 points.

Serra ended 34-2 and was No. 4 in overall state top 20. All that prevented a
higher ranking was a head-to-head loss to Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.). Head
coach Dwan Hurt also was later chosen as the State Coach of the Year.

With two CIF state titles already in the bag, Serra was then looking for an
even bigger prize - the boys team title at the CIF state track meet. This
one is bigger because in the CIF state track meet there are no divisions.

Heading into the section prelims, the Cavs were favored to do just that. They
had one of the nation's best times in the 4x100 relay, a 41.01 clocking at
the Penn Relays, and they were looking unbeatable in the 4x400 as well.

A lane violation, however, disqualified the 4x100 unit in the early rounds of
the CIFSS championships.

Even so, Serra still nearly achieved its goal with 34 points at the state
meet. The only school to top the Cavs was Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.), which
was strong in the field events and ended with 36.

In the final running event of the meet, Woods, Devin Spann, Pete Lauderdale
and Olloqui (is there a kicker in America who is faster?) blazed to a 3:08.72
winning time in the 4x400.

"Man, if we would have been there with our 4x1 relay we would have won the
meet for sure," Farmer said. "We were still pretty happy with the way it
turned out."

While Farmer and Woods were front and center toward much of the school's
success, the girls weren't exactly missing from the equation.

In girls basketball, with all-state underclass Bria Richardson leading the
way, Serra reached the CIF Southern California Division IV quarterfinals.

Then in girls track, Serra showed its future is bright. Freshman Chimere
Ezumah smoked a veteran field to win the 400-meter dash in 52.91 seconds and
anchored a second-place finish in the 4x400 relay. Two others from the relay
team will be back next year as well.

"The girls definitely were there all year," Altenberg said. "The idea of
our school becoming a school of champions just caught on with everyone."

And it caught on with others, including those of us at Cal-Hi Sports.
Congratulations to all of the Cavaliers.

State Schools of the Year
Updated All-Time List

2009-10 - Junipero Serra (Gardena)
2008-09 - Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
2007-08 - Poly (Long Beach)
2006-07 - Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
2005-06 - Buchanan (Clovis)
2004-05 - Clovis West (Fresno)
2003-04 - De La Salle (Concord)
2002-03 - Torrey Pines (San Diego)
2001-02 - Poly (Long Beach)
2000-01 - Poly (Long Beach)
1999-00 - De La Salle (Concord)
1998-99 - Clovis West (Fresno)
1997-98 - Santa Margarita (Rancho SM)
1996-97 - Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1995-96 - De La Salle (Concord)
1994-95 - Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1993-94 - Clovis West (Fresno)
1992-93 - Esperanza (Anaheim)
1991-92 - Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
1990-91 - Poway
1989-90 - Bakersfield
1988-89 - Corona del Mar (Newport Beach)
1987-88 - Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo)
1986-87 - Mission Viejo
1985-86 - Bellarmine (San Jose)
1984-85 - Bellarmine (San Jose)
1983-84 - Cordova (Rancho Cordova)
1982-83 - St. Francis (Mountain View)
1981-82 - Mission Viejo
1980-81 - Poly (Long Beach)
1979-80 - Berkeley
1978-79 - Mt. Whitney (Visalia)
1977-78 - Andrew Hill (San Jose)
1976-77 - Pasadena
1975-76 - San Fernando
1974-75 - Clovis
1973-74 - Kearny (San Diego)
1972-73 - Monte Vista (Spring Valley)
1971-72 - Ygnacio Valley (Concord)
1970-71 - Lompoc
1969-70 - Blair (Pasadena)
1968-69 - Compton
1967-68 - Homestead (Cupertino)
1966-67 - El Rancho (Pico Rivera)
1965-66 - El Segundo
1964-65 - Poly (Long Beach)
1963-64 - Poly (Long Beach)
1962-63 - Santa Clara
1961-62 - McClymonds (Oakland)
1960-61 - Compton
1959-60 - Poly (Long Beach)
1958-59 - Poly (Long Beach)
1957-58 - Berkeley
1956-57 - Fresno
1955-56 - Jefferson (Los Angeles)
1954-55 - Centennial (Compton)

Note: All-time list extends back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record
Book and Almanac. All selections prior to 1980 made retroactively through
research by the late Nelson Tennis, founder of Cal-Hi Sports

More State Schools of the Year

Total of 10 schools break through for special recognition

Girls Sports Only:
Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.)
In a close call, the Golden Eagles edge the state's top girls sports school
for the last 15 years, Archbishop Mitty. The girls of the school claimed six
of Clovis West's nine CIF Central Section titles. The girls swimmers led the
way by claiming their 14th straight section title. The girls basketball team
reached the SoCal Division I final before bowing out while the girls golf team
was sixth in the SoCal finals. The other three section crowns came in
volleyball, water polo and track. Clovis West also took section titles on the
boys side in volleyball, tennis and swimming and was top 20 in the nation in
baseball. Mitty has been the winner in this category the past three years and
also has won it five other times. Clovis West is the first Central Section
school to land on top for girls sports since Clovis in 1996-97.

Boys Sports Only:
Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Both the football and basketball CIF state titles were won by the Cavalier
boys. They also scored 34 points in the CIF state track meet.

Division I:
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
We're calling the Monarchs a Division I school this year after they were
Division II last year and had to be behind Archbishop Mitty in several
categories. This year, arguably there was no better school anywhere,
especially if you look at all of the national rankings. If Mater Dei could
have gotten one more CIF state title, the overall resume would have been too
much for even Serra of Gardena to beat. The highlight of the year was the
girls basketball team winning a state title, ending 32-1 and taking the
mythical ESPN RISE FAB 50 national title. Boys coach Gary McKnight became the
state's winningest ever and his team went 32-2. McKnight's team lost in
the CIF Division I SoCal final to Westchester. The year included a CIFSS title
in boys water polo plus a boys track team that was among the best in the
state, led by CIF pole vault champ Michael Woepse. Mater Dei capped the year
with a CIFSS title in baseball and with the girls softball team going 24-3 and
placing among the top 25 in the final FAB 50. Mater Dei has been State School
of the Year three times: 1991-92, 1994-95 and 1996-97.

Division II:
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.)
As recent history suggests, the Monarchs have been almost a lock to get at
least one State School of the Year honor. This year, it's for Division II
and it's now six in a row for the school in this division. Mitty earned five
CCS titles during the 2009-10 school year, led by the girls volleyball team,
which was unbeaten and was No. 1 in the nation for the second straight year.
The baseball team was the school's other top finisher with a State Team of
the Year honor after finishing 31-3. The other CCS titles came in boys
basketball, girls basketball and girls swimming.

Division III:
Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Also named as the 2009-10 State School of the Year. Last year's winner in
this category was Cathedral Catholic of San Diego.

Division IV:
Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.)
In a year to remember in North Hollywood, the girls cross country team not
only captured its first ever CIF Div. IV state championship but did it by
recording the fastest time by a Division IV team in the 23-year history of the
state final with a combined 95:36. In the winter, led by Nicole Hung's 17.7
points per game, the Wolverines' girls basketball squad went 34-1 and won
the school's first state title with a 58-44 victory over St. Mary's of
Berkeley. The boys basketball season did not go as well as the girls but H-W
was still 25-6 and was in the state rankings. Erik Swoope paced the team with
21.8 points per game. The school's boys cross country team was fifth in the
CIF Div. IV state final while the girls soccer team won a CIFSS title and made
it to the CIF regional semifinals. This is Harvard-Westlake's third state
school of the year selection. The other two are for medium schools in 1995-96
and for Division III in 1998-99.

Division V:
St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
The Tartans have been knocking on the door for multi-sport excellence for
several years and this year they are tops in the state for their division for
the first time. In the fall, the football team went 13-1 and captured an
Orange County record fourth consecutive CIF Southern Section championship with
a 12-6 win over Ontario Christian in the East Valley Division. With a chance
at its first CIFSS Division V title since 2001, the boys' volleyball tem
defeated Arrowhead Christian in four games. We may not cover tennis like we do
some of the other sports but the girls team once again rolled to a CIFSS
championship with a second straight 25-0 record. Both the girls and boys cross
country teams also qualified for the Division V state meet as the boys
finished in sixth place while the girls finished 11th.

Special Mention School
Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.)
It was practically a dead-on tie between Buchanan and Clovis West in the CIF
Central Section during the 2009-10 school year. While Clovis West claimed one
more section title - nine to eight - it was the Bears who won the Tri
River Athletic Conference Supremacy Award by a 137-136 total. The section
final in baseball tipped that one in Buchanan's favor as the Bears upset
favored Clovis West in the final. The school's other section titles were in
girls cross country, boys cross country, girls tennis, boys water polo, girls
soccer, badminton and boys track. Five other teams earned section runner-up
finishes.

Special Mention School
Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.)
Continuing their dominance in girls cross country, the Sea Queens captured the
CIF Division III state championship for the second year in a row and fourth
time in the last five years. For the first time in school history, CdM then
added a soccer championship as the boys' team capped off a 26-1-2 season
with a 1-0 win over Santa Barbara for the CIF SoCal Divison II Regional title.
The boys also were No. 3 in the nation by ESPN RISE. In the spring, with
senior Weston Nielson in the starring role, the Sea Kings boys' volleyball
team reached the CIFSS Division I semifinals and ended the season ranked in
the top 10 of the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

Special Mention School
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.)
What would a school year be without at least one Jackrabbit CIF state title.
This time, the title came in girls track and it was an easy triumph as Poly
nearly doubled up in points compared to second-place Clovis. The boys, usual,
also were stellar on the track. They scored 32 points at the state meet for a
third-place medal. It was expected, of course, that the girls basketball team
was going to win its fifth straight CIF state title. That didn't happen as
Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills pulled off the upset. Poly's girls still beat a
number of outstanding teams, including Bolingbrook and Whitney Young, both of
Illinois.

Special Mention School
St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.)
No matter the season, the Rams were in the mix for high rankings in the state
and nation with their girls' basketball team once again leading the way. In
that sport, St. Mary's spent a good portion of the season as the top ranked
team in the nation before ending with a Division III state title and No. 2
ranking by ESPN RISE. The football team started out 11-0 while showing an
explosive offense and was top 10 in the state before a heartbreaking playoff
loss at home to Del Oro. Despite falling short of a section title after losing
in a shootout, the girls soccer team still finished the season ranked highly
in the nation. One St. Mary's team that didn't fall short of a section
title was the baseball team, which played one of the toughest schedules in the
state and ended No. 6 overall. Also having nice seasons were the girls
volleyball team, which went deep into the postseason, and the boys basketball
team, which lost in the section semifinals.

Perhaps Crespi is on the brink of a turnaround. The Celts won the large-scale Claremont tournament today, defeating Corona Santiago in the final.

-- Gerry Gittelson

MONDAY JULY 19
at Taft of Woodland Hills HS
4 p.m. Taft vs. Notre Dame
5:10 p.m. Buckley vs. El Camino Real
6:20 p.m. Harvard-Westlake vs. Montclair Prep
7:30 p.m. Birmingham vs. Cleveland
8:40 p.m. Crespi vs. Oaks Christian

Seven weeks away from its season opener, Highland of Palmdale is searching for a new football coach following the resignation Friday of Randy Block, who stepped down after three seasons guiding the Bulldogs. No replacement candidates have been named.

Block, also a teacher at Highland, has left the school after posting a 14-19 record, including three first-round losses in the Southern Section Western Division playoffs.

"It's time for a change. I'm just going to do something else," Block said. "I've been coaching football for 20 years and it's time to move on and explore my options. I don't know what I'm going to do. I grew up in Colorado and have family there, so I might go to Colorado."

Northridge Little League plays Quartz Hill at 10 a.m. Saturday in the first round of the four-team Section 2 tournament at Sierra Vista Park in Sierra Madre.

Northridge (4-0) has outscored opponents 44-7, including an 18-4 victory Tuesday at Sherman Oaks to win the District 40 title.

Quartz Hill (5-1) lost its first game 6-2 to Park View of Lancaster on July 5, then outscored five opponents 80-3 while staving off elimination to win the District 51 title - including a 4-2 revenge victory Sunday over Park View in the final.

The other entrants in the Section 2 tournament are Crescenta Valley (4-0) and Santa Anita (7-0). The championship game is slated for 6 p..m. Tuesday and, if necessary, 6 p.m. Thursday.

The winner advances to the Southern California championships in Redondo Beach and Rancho Santa Margarita, followed by the Western Regionals in San Bernardino, then the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

-- Gerry Gittelson

After going 8-3 last season in its first year in 11-man football, Sierra Canyon should be a lot better.

There are only 246 students, but there are plenty of good players, including returning receiver Shane Harrison, who's 6-foot-3 and scored 17 touchdowns last season despite missing a couple of games.

Quarterback Tyler Stewart (6-4, 205) is back, too, along with receiver Julian Brooks (6-3, 180), tight end Jesse Howell (6-4, 205), linebacker Caleb Nichols, lineman Andrew Terry (6-4, 260), running back Danny Jordan and defensive back Daniel Cohen.

"No messing around, I've got a great team," coach Jon Ellinghouse said.

Plus, Sierra Canyon welcomes touted transfer Xavier Mennified, a top running back on Valencia's frosh team last year.

Mennifield is the fourth impact transfer to leave Valencia for a small school since the end of last season . The other three are at Montclair Prep.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Remember Kenny Davis, a top receiver for Birmingham way back in 2005?

He has overcome some injury issues and is still around as a sophomore for Pierce College, and Davis has developed into quite a DI prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, New Mexico State, San Diego State, Tennessee, Utah State and Wyoming.

Davis, a 6-3, 190-pounder who runs a 4.8 40-yard dash, is part of a tall receiver corps at Pierce that coach Efrain Martinez calls "the best in the nation."

There is another Birmingham tie at quarterback with Exavier Johnson, who played at Birmingham during the mighty 2007 championship season and has bounced back from Utah State.

"This is the season for Xavier to prove all the critics wrong, the ones who didn't want him to play quarterback and were always trying to put him at a different position," Martinez said. "He looks really good."

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's midsummer with temperatures well over 100 degrees, and high school football teams are sweating through conditioning drills, weight-lifting and seven-and-seven tournaments.

"This week has been brutal," Antelope Valley coach Brett Pape said. "We were playing seven-on-seven at Antelope Valley College on the artificial turf, and it had to be 130 degrees on that turf. Just brutal. The heat makes it a lot tougher."

Like many schools, Antelope Valley has already taken its mandatory three-week break. There is a lot to get done, too, as the Antelopes have two quarterbacks competing - junior Daniel Jaegers and freshman Noa Matthews.

Jaegers is 5-foot-8 and Matthews is 6-3, but they both weigh just 150 pounds.

"Matthews is a skinny kid but he has a heck of an arm," Pape said.

Travion Tucker was the starting quarterback last year but has switched to receiver, and the 6-3, 180-pounder has proved to be natural in seven-on-seven matchups, Pape said.

"Once we moved Travion to receiver, he started taking over games," Pape said. "In a game against Birmingham, he scored four touchdowns. He's played well against Westlake, Hart, all of these schools."

Montclair Prep of Panorama City is also enduring the heat.

"We have (artificial) turf on our field, too," first-year coach John Greaves said.

Montclair Prep was hurt when several top returning players transferred to Chaminade of West Hills this past winter, but the Mounties have welcomed a group of incoming transfers, too, including Valencia seniors Wyatt Hixon (linebacker) and Stephen Rawls (defensive tackle) and junior Jordan Riley (linebacker), along with running back Blair Stone, who played in Texas.

Hixon totaled 23 tackles last season, and he is also a kickoff specialist. Rawls also had 23 tackles, plus three sacks. As for Stone, the junior has stood out in practice, Greaves said.

"I think he's going to be really good. You can tell, he looks like a player," Greaves said.

Meanwhile, at Alemany in Mission Hills, the Warriors are begin a three-week break next week - just in time to dodge the heat.

"So far, the summer hasn't been too bad," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said.

In the championship game of the L.A. Valley tournament Saturday, Alemany tied Hart of Newhall, coached by Herrington's older brother, Mike - and that was fine with both coaches.

"We had already been out there 8 ½ hours, and we didn't want the kids to play another
overtime," Herrington said. "We were tied, but I have no idea what the score was."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Blair Holliday is juggling football and basketball this summer, and the 6-3 receiver is a standout in both sports.

"I'm going to Duke for a football visit, and I also might visit Boise State because they just offered me a scholarship," Holliday said. "I'm going to Las Vegas next week for a big basketball tournament, and that's going to be the first time college coaches can make contact, so we'll see what happens."

Holliday, who caught 48 passes and scored eight touchdowns last season, has six football offers, including Colorado State, San Diego State and New Mexico State.

"I'll play football or hoops - whatever's the best fit for me," Holliday said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

One of the area's most accomplished prep football players ever, Malcolm Jones represented Oaks Christian High of Westlake Village one last time today as one of six finalists for the male Gatorade National Athlete of the Year.

Jones lost out to Brandon Knight, a basketball player from Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in an awards luncheon at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. But the event gave the prized running back a chance to reflect on more than his three section championships and 114 career touchdowns.

"When I look back, it was a really great four years at Oaks Christian, the best years of my life," Jones said. "Not just football but all the friends I've made that will be my friends forever. The whole atmosphere at Oaks Christian, I just loved it."

Jones previously was named Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, and all of the national winners in every sport were the finalists for the athlete of the year honor. Besides Knight, the other finalists were Lucas Verzbicas (cross country) from Illinois, Kaleb Cowart (baseball) from Georgia, Sam Crouser (track) from Oregon and Soony Saad (soccer) from Michigan.

Beforehand, Jones said he "can't stand losing," but he also conceded that Knight was the favorite because he was a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year in his sport.
"I'm a little disappointed, but this was still a good experience," Jones said. "It's cool, all this media attention and the whole experience of doing all this at L.A. Live, plus we get to participate in the Espys, walk the red carpet, get recognized on the show. It's just a really good experience."

Chiney Ogwumike, a basketball player from Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Texas, was selected Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. The other finalists were Ashley Wittman (volleyball) from Minnesota, Megan Goethals (cross country) from Washington, Kasey Fagen (softball) from Florida, Ashton Purvis (track) from Oakland and Mollie Pathman (soccer) from North Carolina.

Jones is at UCLA, where he has already begun classes and football workouts.
"High school is over. It's time to move on," he said.

Jones could have played college football just about anywhere - he has shoebox full of scholarship offered - but wanted to remain close to home.

"I just love Southern California. It's one of the best places to live," Jones said.

Knight -- a Kentucky signee considered the top national recruit in the class of 2010 by Rivals and Scout.com -- is a two-time Gatorade National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year, joining LeBron James and Greg Oden as the only two-time honorees.

Knight, who averaged 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals, helped the Panthers (25-5) return to the Florida Class 3A championship game after winning state titles in 2008 and '09.

He is a member of the USA Basketball Junior Select National Team, a Jordan Brand Classic All-America, a Parade Magazine All-America first-team selection and a USA Today All-USA first-team honoree.

In addition, Knight hit the winning 3-pointer in the West's 107-104 victory in this year's McDonald's All-American game.

The Stanford-bound Ogwumike, the No. 1 national recruit in the class of 2010 according to ESPNU, averaged 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.1 blocks leading the Bobcats (36-1) to the Texas Class 5A state title.

She was also selected Naismith Girls' High School Basketball Player of the Year, Parade Magazine Co-Player of the Year, McDonald's High School All-American Game MVP and Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America Game MVP.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Brandon Knight, a basketball player from Pine Crest High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was selected Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year at a luncheon Wednesday at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live.

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village graduate Malcolm Jones, the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year signed with UCLA, was one of six finalists for the award.

Knight -- a Kentucky signee considered the top national recruit in the class of 2010 by Rivals and Scout.com -- is a two-time Gatorade National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year, joining LeBron James and Greg Oden as the only two-time honorees.

Knight, who averaged 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals, helped the Panthers (25-5) return to the Florida Class 3A championship game after winning state titles in 2008 and '09.

He is a member of the USA Basketball Junior Select National Team, a Jordan Brand Classic All-America, a Parade Magazine All-America first-team selection and a USA Today All-USA first-team honoree.

In addition, Knight hit the winning 3-pointer in the West's 107-104 victory in this year's McDonald's All-American game.

Chiney Ogwumike, a basketball player from Cy-Fair High in Cypress, Texas, was selected Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year at a luncheon Wednesday at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live.

The Stanford-bound Ogwumike, the No. 1 national recruit in the class of 2010 according to ESPNU, averaged 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.1 blocks leading the Bobcats (36-1) to the Texas Class 5A state title.

She was also selected Naismith Girls' High School Basketball Player of the Year, Parade Magazine Co-Player of the Year, McDonald's High School All-American Game MVP and Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America Game MVP.

After after winning all nine girls' singles matches in pool play, the Southern California all-stars lost all three in Wednesday's semifinals against Midwest and the team fell behind 6-0 at the 16-under intersectional team championships at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club in Shreveport, La.

Westlake High sophomore Sivan Krems, who was 3-0 in singles along with a mixed doubles victory in pool play, didn't play singles against Midwest. Temple City's Ashley Dai, Palm Desert's Desirae Krawczyk and Ojai's Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum all lost, as did University High of Irvine's Reo Asami and Gage Brymer, along with Los Angeles' Alex Scheinman in boys' singles competition.

Krems will play doubles with Dai in the afternoon for Southern California, which lost 6-3 to Midwest in last year's semifinals.

Southern has built a 5-1 lead over Eastern following singles play in the other semifinal, securing a rematch with Midwest in Thursday's championship. Southern, which defeated Eastern 8-1 in last year's semifinals, recorded a 9-0 win over Midwest to capture last year's title.

Akeem Gonzales, a top offensive lineman for Alemany, has picked up his 10th major-college scholarship offer, and this time it's Nebraska.

However, Gonzales said he plans to pick a Pac-10 school, most of which have offered. Stay tuned.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Northridge Little League has advanced to the Section 2 baseball tournament in Sierra Madre after winning the District 40 championship Tuesday with an 18-4 victory at Sherman Oaks -- the third time in four consecutive victories that the 11- and 12-year-olds have won by the 10-run mercy rule.

Adam Bedrossian earned the win, and David Magana hit two home runs, while Giacomo Giacomazzi, Rece Reagan, Derek Kraemer and Anthony Pineda also homered for Northridge.

The nine-team double elimination tournament also featured Encino, Canyon Country, San Fernando, Granada Hills, Frazier Mountain, Woodland Hills and Mission Hills.

Northridge opens Section 2 competition Saturday against District 51 (Antelope Valley area).

The 10 Section champions advance to the Southern California championships in Redondo Beach and Rancho Santa Margarita, followed by the Western Regionals in San Bernardino and then the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Recruiting interest continues to swirl for Akeem Gonzales, a top returning offensive lineman for Alemany.

According to scout.com, Gonzales has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, UNLV, Utah, Washington and Washington State.

Gonzales also is receiving interest from Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Westlake High sophomore Sivan Krems won her second consecutive singles match Monday to help the Southern California all-stars record an 8-1 pool-play victory over Intermountain at the 16-under intersectional team championships at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club in Shreveport, La.

Krems recorded a 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 victory over Jennifer Weissmann of Loveland, Colo., to help Southern California sweep its three girls' singles matches for the second day in a row.

Southern California faces fellow unbeaten Florida at 10:15 a.m. PDT Tuesday for a berth in Wednesday's semifinals.

Westlake High sophomore Sivan Krems was victorious in singles and mixed doubles Sunday for the Southern California all-stars in an 8-1 pool-play victory over Southwest at the 16-under intersectional team championships at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club in Shreveport, La.

Krems recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Rachana Bhat of Tucson, Ariz., in singles, then teamed with Ventura's Brendan McClain to post a 6-0, 6-0 mixed doubles win over Bhat and Phoenix's Nolan Bauer.

Southern California is scheduled to face Intermountain -- an 8-1 loser Sunday to Florida -- at 7:45 a.m. PDT Monday in another pool-play contest.

MONDAY JULY 12
at Taft of Woodland Hills HS
4 p.m. Taft vs. Oaks Chr.
5:10 p.m. Harvard-Westlake vs. Cleveland
6:20 p.m. Crespi vs. Birmingham
7:30 p.m. Calabasas vs. El Camino Real
8:40 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Buckley
Bye-Montclair Prep

MONDAY JULY 19
at Taft of Woodland Hills HS
4 p.m. Taft vs. Notre Dame
5:10 p.m. Buckley vs. El Camino Real
6:20 p.m. Harvard-Westlake vs. Montclair Prep
7:30 p.m. Birmingham vs. Cleveland
8:40 p.m. Crespi vs. Oaks Christian
Bye-Calabasas

MONDAY JULY 26
ALL GAMES AT TAFT HS
4 p.m. Taft vs. Montclair Prep
5:10 p.m. Harvard-Westlake vs. Birmingham
6:20 p.m. Crespi vs. El Camino Real
7:30 p.m. Calabasas vs. Buckley
Bye-Cleveland

MONDAY AUGUST 2
ALL GAMES AT TAFT HS
4 p.m. Buckley vs. Oaks Christian
5:10 p.m. Montclair Prep vs. Birmingham
6:20 p.m. Calabasas vs. Cleveland
Bye-Taft, Crespi, El Camino Real, Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake

Westlake High graduate and Pepperdine sophomore golfer Danielle Kang shot a 9-over 80 in the final round Sunday at the 65th U.S. Women's Open to finish 64th out of 155 competitors with a four-round total of 26-over 310 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Penn.

Kang's former Pepperdine teammate Lisa McCloskey, who recently transferred to USC, finished a stroke ahead at 25-over 309 to tie for 62nd place following a 10-over 81 on Sunday.

Kang and McCloskey were two of six amateurs to make the cut. She had a best round of 3-over 74 on Thursday. McCloskey's best round also came Thursday, shooting a 2-over 73.

McCloskey finished with nine birdies, 22 bogeys and six double bogeys. Kang recorded four birdies, 23 bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey.

Westlake High graduate and Pepperdine sophomore golfer Danielle Kang shot 7-over 78 in the third round to post a 54-hole score of 17-over 230 entering Sunday's final round at the 65th U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Penn.

Kang, who shot 74 in the first round, recorded consecutive 78s in the second and third rounds.

After being victimized by a double bogey and triple bogey in the second round, Kang recorded eight bogeys and a birdie in the third round.

By Gerry Gittelson
Special to the Daily News

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Football is a game of inches, but in the summer it's a game of seconds.

Matt Nyberg caught a long pass in the end zone from Alex Bishop for what appeared to be the winning touchdown for Valencia on the last play of a 7-on-7 matchup today against La Habra in the semifinals of the highly competitive Edison High tournament.

But an official ruled Bishop held onto the football longer than the allotted 3.5 seconds, so the score was disallowed and eventual champion La Habra escaped with a 25-18 victory.

"I was waiting for a receiver to get open, and by the time I saw Nyberg it was too late," Bishop said.

And so went the last hope for any of the area's four entrants to win the Gold division of the 16-team tournament, as Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Westlake lost in the first round of the playoffs, and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks lost in the Silver final.

For the second consecutive summer, Valencia has failed to win a passing tournament. But the Vikings went undefeated during the regular season last fall and advanced to the Northern Division semifinals, and Bishop is confident Valencia will be just as good.

"We're really coming together as a team. The timing is coming together, and that's the most important thing," Bishop said.

Earlier, Nyberg scored one of Valencia's three touchdowns. As for that last call, Nyberg can play it over in his head, but it won't change a thing.

"I knew we had to score, and I knew I had to get open, and I knew I had to go up and get the ball, so that's what I was concentrating on," Nyberg said. "We're progressing a lot and we've got a lot more competitive since the beginning of the summer."

Valencia went 3-0 in pool competition, defeating St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Centennial of Corona and Tesoro of Las Flores before eliminating host Edison in the first round of the playoffs.

Defense was the key, and among Valencia's top defenders are linebackers Trevor Smyth, Ryan Gorman, Connor Howell and Rudy Alcanter and defensive backs Tedrick Thompson, Edmund Darko, Ricky Vega and Zach Kelley.

"I think we're coming along. We're not worried about the wins and losses," Smyth said. "We've got a young team, so we started a little slow but we're looking good."

With one week of practice remaining before a three-week break, Valencia coach Larry Muir is satisfied with the way things are going.

"It's been good progress. I think the kids competed in a highly competitive tournament," Muir said. "We love to come down to Orange County because the competition is really good. I'm not too concerned about what happens right now in the beginning. I'm more concerned about the end."

La Habra defeated Centennial 25-24 in the championship game.

Notre Dame is trying to rebuild after graduating record-setting quarterback Ryan Kasdorf, two-year starting running back Kenny Boggs, top receiver Tyler Thomas and several top linemen and experienced defensive players.

The Knights, operating without injured top receiver Teddy Eng, have been up and down for most of the summer - including Saturday - but performed well down the stretch before falling 27-6 to Tesoro in the Silver final.

Some of the top players are quarterback Matt Lathuras, running backs Sam Robinson and Khalfani Muhammad, receivers Kevin Carrasco and Cole Spurlin, linebacker Micah Peters and defensive back Steve Jusko.

"We started off a little cold but caught our stride in the middle of the day," Lathuras said. "I think we're going to be better than last year because every receiver has good hands and runs good routes, and we're working hard."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Recent area graduates Anton Arboleda of La Canada, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City's Jeff Wibawa and Burroughs of Burbank's Emily Tubert were among the 20 selections for the West roster for the 21st annual Canon Cup competition July 26-29 at Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, Mass.

The West leads the all-time series 11-8-1, including five consecutive victories over the East.

The UCLA-bound Arboleda helped the West record a 25 1/2-24 1/2 victory last year. It will mark the first Canon Cup appearance for Wibawa, a Rice signee, and the Arkansas-bound Tubert.

The event will feature team match play competition with matches that include four-ball, mixed-four-ball, foursomes, mixed-foursomes and singles.

Westlake graduate and Pepperdine sophomore golfer Danielle Kang shot 7-over 78 in the second round Saturday of the 65th U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Penn., but it was good enough for her to make the cut with a 36-hole total of 10-over 152.

After weather postponed her round Friday, Kang was able to survive a double-bogey on the par-4 10th hole followed by a triple-bogey on the par-5 12th hole to qualify by one stroke.

Kang is scheduled to tee off in the final group this afternoon to begin third-round competition.

Valencia sophomore Alison Lee shot 84 in the second round to finish 24-over 166.

Royal of Simi Valley won the 7-on-7 passing tournament Friday night at St. Francis of La Canada Flintridge, defeating Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta 26-18 in the championship game of the eight-team event.

Royal defeated St. Francis 37-21 in one semifinal and C.V. recorded a 24-15 victory over Moorpark to advance to the final.

Fulton Prep, one of the San Fernando Valley's most successful eight-man programs, is moving up to 11-man as part of the new City Section Small Schools league.

It will be interesting to see if Fulton Prep can put up 47 points per game like last year, when the Jaguars advanced to the City 8-man final. The first game is Thursday, Sept. 2 vs. Blair of Pasadena at Muir High.

"I'm ready to work some magic. I'm excited. This is what I've always wanted to do," coach Sean Jackson said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The National Federation of State High School Associagtions has banned composite bats.

Here is the press release:

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 7, 2010) -- One of six new rules changes by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee forbids the use of composite bats until they can meet the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) performance standard. The changes, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors, will take effect with the 2010-11 school year.

After thorough testing by the Baseball Research Center at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee voted to outlaw composite bats until they can produce consistent results through the life of the bat, be made tamper-evident and be labeled as a composite product.

Elliot Hopkins, NFHS liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee, visited with James Sherwood, director of the Baseball Research Center, and spent several hours witnessing composite bat testing. "Rolling the bat gives it a higher performance," Hopkins said. "It can significantly increase the performance and that's huge in our game."

Rolling the bat isn't the only problem. Rolling only speeds up the performance enhancement that would occur over time after normal use. Even composite bats that were not altered will eventually see this increase in performance, and the rules committee views that as a major concern.

Rule 1-3-2 through 5 was completely rewritten with the intention of creating a rule that preserves the intent and spirit of the old rule, but is better suited to products resulting from new technology.

Under the new rule, bats with composite handles and tapers would still be legal. The stricter language applies primarily to the barrel of the bat.

"While the handles and taper are important components of the bat," Hopkins said, "the area that we recognized as more susceptible to abuse is the barrel."

Other rules changes this year aim at increasing convenience for coaches and umpires by simplifying the substitution policy and clarifying several rules.

Rule 1-1-2 now requires coaches to list all known substitutes on the lineup card before the umpire accepts it. Coaches will still be able to add a substitute without a penalty, but this should speed up substitutions and player changes during the game.

A change to Rule 2-16-2 was also made to clarify an existing rule and ease its application for coaches and players. The rule now reads: "A foul tip is a batted ball that goes directly to the catcher's hands and is legally caught by the catcher. It is a strike and the ball is in play."

Similarly, a "last-time-by" rule has been instituted. The new rule states that if a runner correctly touches a base that was missed the last time he was by the base, that last touch corrects any previous base-running infraction. This last-time-by practice is commonly accepted, but is now legally Rule 8-2-6l.

The last two rules changes were approved on recommendation from the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. First, in a change to Rule 1-5-8, all hard and unyielding items such as braces, casts, etc., must be padded with a closed-cell, slow-recovery foam padding no less than one-half-inch thick. Knee and ankle braces that are unaltered from the manufacturer's original design/production do not require additional padding.

Second is an update to concussion language that has been added to the rules for all high school sports. The new rule, 3-1-5, puts strict constraints on players who may have suffered a concussion. The rule states that any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion, including but not limited to loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion of balance problems, must be removed from the contest immediately and shall not return to play before being cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.

A complete listing of all rules changes approved by the committee is available on the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org. Click on "Athletics & Fine Arts Activities" on the home page, and select "Baseball."

Baseball is the fourth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level, according to the 2008-09 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey, with 473,184 participants nationwide. The sport ranks third in school sponsorship with 15,699 schools sponsoring the sport.

###

This press release was written by Arika Herron, a summer intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department and a senior at Butler (Indiana) University.

About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and Rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing Rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.5 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; produces publications for high school coaches, officials and athletic directors; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, spirit coaches, speech and debate coaches and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org.

It's going to be a good year for kickers this season, perhaps one of the best in a long time.

Among the top returning kickers to watch out for are Alex Ball of Westlake, Matt Goudis of Chaminade, Martin Meza of Alemany and Mohammad Roknipour of Canyon.

Everything about Ball is big. He's just a junior, but he's 6-foot-4 and is coming off a season in which he scored 98 points and totaled eight field goals and 58 touchbacks.

Goudis, who has a Boise State offer, has been a machine since his freshman season. He has kicked seven field goals in each of his first three seasons, and if he keeps the pace Goudis will finish with 28 - which would put him fourth all-time among area kickers behind Chris Sailer (33, Notre Dame), Ignacio Brache (32, Village Christian) and Jordan Mannisto (29, Westlake).

Meza is coming off a season in which he kicked six field goals and totaled 47 PATs for a team that generally goes for it on fourth down.

Roknipour got off to a late start while awaiting eligibility clearance but still finished with five field goals and 15 touchbacks in 22 kickoffs. He also scored 15 goals in soccer, so you know the kid can kick.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Eric Solis, who kicked seven field goals for Notre Dame last season including a memorable 52-yarder to beat rival Crespi in the final seconds, is walking on at Oregon.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's always fun checking youtube for highlights of the area's top players, and I found this eight-minute video of Valencia running back Stephen Manfro, who in these clips looks like he is the next Reggie Bush. Very impressive.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Valencia graduate Jordan Taylor pitched four innings Thursday night for the U.S. women's futures softball team in a 4-3, nine-inning setback to the host Canadian national team as part of the Women's Marquee Game Series at the Canada Cup in British Columbia.

Taylor, a Michigan senior, started for the Americans, allowing four hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Taylor allowed a first-inning home run to Georgia Tech's Jen Yee before UCLA's Megan Langenfeld drove in Stanford's Alissa Haber to tie the score 1-1 in the second.

Langenfeld went 1 for 4 and scored a run for the U.S., which took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth on a run-scoring fielder's choice by Lancaster graduate and Washington sophomore Shawna Wright, before Canada battled back to tie it again in the bottom of the inning.

The Americans took a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth when Langenfeld scored on a groundout by Arizona's Jenae Leles, but Canada rallied to score twice off Texas' Blaire Luna to secure the victory.

Danielle Lawrie, Wright's teammate at Washington and the two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, pitched nine innings, allowing two hits, one earned, walking seven and striking out 10 for Canada.

The teams square off again at 7 p.m. PDT today in the second contest in the four-game series.

Ismael Samano and Nancy James-Klinger were the fastest male and female runners Thursday night at the first installment of the annual College of the Canyons summer series.

Samano, a Monroe of North Hills graduate who later competed at COC, covered the 3-mile layout in 15 minutes, 33 seconds.

James-Klinger, a Valencia resident who competed at Cal State Northridge, clocked 18:16.

Saugus athletes A.J. Yarnell and Emily McCarty were the top high school finishers on the 3-mile course, running 16:46 -- good for third overall -- and 19:06.

Saugus graduates Brandon Jauregui (San Francisco State) and Shannon Murakami (UCLA) ran 4-mile races, clocking 22:49 and 25:05.

Canyon went 3-0 in a four-way today that including Taft, West Ranch and Golden Valley.

Led by quarterback Jonathan Jerozal and receiver Drew Wolitarsky, Canyon defeated Taft 36-12, at one point shutting down the Toreadors six times in a row.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Local amateurs Danielle Kang (Westlake High/Pepperdine) and Alison Lee (Valencia High) completed the first round Thursday at the 65th U.S. Women's Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Penn.

Kang shot 3-over 74 and Lee posted an 82.

After recording four consecutive bogeys on holes Nos. 2 through 5, Kang -- a Pepperdine sophomore -- regrouped and was 1 under over the final 13 holes, including birdies on the par-3 sixth and 13th holes.

Lee, who began her round on the 10th hole, opened with three consecutive bogeys and five in her first six holes -- including a double bogey on the 14th -- before recording her lone birdie on the par-3 16th hole.

Lee, a Valencia sophomore, added double bogeys on the first and eighth holes.

One of the top passing league events of the summer is the Edison tournament on Saturday in Huntington Beach.

There are 16 teams, most of them annual section-championship contenders, including locals Westlake, Valencia, Notre Dame and Oaks Christian -- all of whom are in different pools.

You can check out the schedule here. It should be quite an event, as tournament includes Inland champion Chaparral of Temecula, Mater Dei, Los Alamitos and a bunch of other top programs.

"Our whole team is really excited," Westlake receiver Nelson Spruce said. "The Edison tournament gives us a chance to see what we've got. There's a lot of good competition in Orange County, so it will be good to see what we have."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Nelson Spruce, a 6-foot-3 Westlake receiver who had 65 receptions and 18 TDs as a junior last season, has 10 scholarship offers -- not bad considering the season is still eight weeks away.

"Washington State, Hawaii, San Diego State, Air Force -- those are the main ones, and there are some others," Spruce said.

Meantime, Westlake quarterback Nick Isham just picked up a second offer from New Mexico State. He also has been offered by Air Force.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Here's a link for seeing all of the prep Blogs in one spot.

ALL-CALIFORNIA SOFTBALL: FIRST TEAM OVERALL

Catchers:

Taylor Edwards, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) Sr.
The CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year also was a Ms. Softball State Player of the Year finalist. Edwards, who has one of the most powerful swings you'll ever see, rarely was challenged this season. Still, she had nine homers and 28 RBIs with a .425 average. Edwards also ended her career with 38 homers. She'll play next at Nebraska.

Amber Freeman, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) Jr.
She'd be the No. 1 honoree of a team that had a shot to be No. 1 in the state heading into the playoffs. Freeman hit eight homers to tie the school record and also had 30 RBIs with a .425 batting average. The Arizona State commit has just been chosen to play this summer for the USA Junior National Team.

Lauren Sweet, Santiago (Corona, Calif.) Jr.
The Sharks had a great season come to a surprising end in the first round of the CIFSS Division I playoffs after going
undefeated in Big VIII League play. Sweet was named the league's most valuable player. The already Michigan-committed catcher hit .448 with eight home runs and 37 runs batted in.

Pitchers:

Nancy Bowling, Royal (Simi Valley, Calif.) Soph.
Last year's State Freshman of the Year continued to shine as she was named our Sophomore of the Year after going 18-5 with a 0.58 ERA while striking out 268 batters in 156 2/3 innings pitched. Bowling, already committed to Arizona, also had 12 shutouts and a .339 batting average.

Ally Carda, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) Jr.
Although Pleasant Grove didn't quite live up to team expectations, Carda was as stellar as usual. She had a 0.54 ERA with an 18-6 record and struck out 331 in 169 innings. At the plate, she hit .512 with 21 extra-base hits. She's already committed to UCLA.

Jessica Hall, Ayala (Chino Hills, Calif.) Sr.
Named already as our 2010 California Ms. Softball Player of the Year, she led the Bulldogs to the CIFSS Division III title. Hall went 28-3 with a 0.68 ERA and 336 strikeouts. At the plate, she hit .340 with five home runs and 32 RBIs. She is headed to UCLA.

Amy Letourneau, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) Jr.
After a slow start due to an elbow injury, Letourneau got hot in May and led the Eagles to the CIFSS Division I title. She finished 14-4 with a 0.87 ERA. She batted .377 as well and had five homers.

Kayla Massey, Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo, Calif.) Sr.
An Orange County standout for the last three seasons, Massey racked up 23-2 record in the circle as a senior. She also had a 0.32 ERA with 247 strikeouts. At the plate, she added a .376 average with five homers. Massey has signed with Iowa.

Kasey Stanchek, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) Jr.
She was the winning pitcher in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II final for the third straight year. Stanchek's national stock seems to be rising as well. For Oak Ridge this season, she was 25-4 with 321 strikeouts and a 0.81 ERA.

Chloe Wurst, Bonita (La Verne, Calif.) Sr.
It took Ms. Softball Jessica Hall and her team at Ayala eight innings to get by Wurst and her team in the CIFSS playoffs. The Texas A&M bound standout finished 19-4 with a 0.84 ERA and fanned 277 batters. She was chosen as the San Gabriel Valley Tribune Player of the Year.

Infielders:

Courtney Ceo, Bear River (Lake of the Pines, Calif.) Sr.
Ceo made it 4-for-4 as a member of a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title team. She already has been picked as the State Medium Schools Player of the Year. The University of Oregon recruit batted .457, stole 31 bases and scored 37 runs.

Lauren Chamberlain, El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.) Jr.
The Chargers may not have had as successful of a season as they would have liked but Chamberlain shined with an Orange County record 17 home runs. She was the Orange County Register Player of the Year and last week landed State Junior of the Year honors.

Eliza Crawford, Lakewood (Lakewood, Calif.) Sr.
A Cal State Fullerton signee, Crawford sparked a deep run by the Lancers in the CIFSS Div. II playoffs. She belted 11 homers with 43 RBIs and had a .484 batting average. She is the older sister of State Freshman Baseball Player of the Year J.P. Crawford, also of Lakewood.

Melissa Davin, Clovis East (Clovis, Calif.) Sr.
Hitting above .500, collecting buckets of hits and starring on defense has been the norm for Davin during her prep career. This season, she had 51 hits with a .537 average. Next season, Davin heads for the bright lights of the SEC at the University of Tennessee. She's a two-time All-Fresno Bee selection.

Kelsey Dodd, Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.) Jr.
The Fresno Bee's Player of the Year led the Bears to the CIF Central Section Division I final. She set school records for doubles (20) and RBIs (35) while collecting 50 hits and a .455 batting average.

Kellie Fox, Mt. Carmel (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
Along with fellow all-state selection Alix Johnson, she capped a four-year run with the Sundevils with a fourth straight CIF San Diego Section Division II title. Fox hit for a .454 average. The UCLA recruit also led the team with seven homers and 38 RBIs.

Victoria Hayward, Mountain View (Mountain View, Calif.) Sr.
She dominated in the circle and at the plate with a 0.83 ERA and 223 strikeouts while hitting .459 and scoring 24 times to earn the Daily News Softball Player of the Year award. Before her senior season, Victoria became the youngest player ever named to the Canadian National Softball Team. She played at several tournaments, including the Pan-Am Games. Hayward is playing next at the University of Washington.

Kathryn Pilpil, Oxnard (Oxnard, Calif.) Sr.
With Pilpil leading the way, the Yellowjackets captured their first-ever Pacific View League championship, set a program record for wins with 24 and advanced past the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs for the first time. The Ventura County Star Player of the Year batted .486 with seven home runs and drove in 20 runs.

Madison Shipman, Valencia (Valencia, Calif.) Sr.
After missing a large part of last season due to an injury, the 2008 State Sophomore of the Year had a standout senior
season for the Vikings. She hit .444 with nine home runs and 36 runs batted in and she was one of six finalists for our Ms. Softball State Player of the Year award. She'll play next at Tennessee.

Jessica Vest, San Benito (Hollister, Calif.) Jr.
The University of Oklahoma-bound junior batted .352 while driving in 27 runs and scoring 27 runs as the Haybalers
won their fifth straight CCS Division I championship. Vest starred last summer with two hits in the ASA 18-under Gold National Championship.

Outfielders:

Alix Johnson, Mt. Carmel (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
The Arizona State-bound outfielder wrapped up a high school career that saw the Sundevils win four straight San
Diego Section Division II championships. She batted .504 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. She was the San Diego Union Tribune Player of the Year.

Mary Massei, Ayala (Chino Hills, Calif.) Sr.
She may have hit just two home runs on the year but there wasn't a more important one than her grand slam that
proved to be the winner in the CIFSS Division III championship game that enabled the Bulldogs to end the season as the top team in the state. On the season, the Wisconsin-bound outfielder led the team with a .487 average while driving in 17 runs and scoring 25 times.

Nicole Sappingfield, Norco (Norco, Calif.) Sr.
Capping off a high school career that saw her set an Inland-area record for career hits with 192, Sappingfield has been named the Riverside Press-Enterprise Player of the Year. Before heading to Michigan in the fall, she had her best season with the Cougars as she had 58 hits and a .523 average while scoring 28 runs.

Hallie Wilson, Foothill (Tustin, Calif.) Jr.
After earning Orange County Register Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, Wilson followed up with another strong season. She batted .432 with six homers and was on the All-CIFSS Division I squad. Wilson also will be playing this summer for the USA Softball Junior National Team.

Multi-Purpose:

Sammy Albanese, Castilleja (Palo Alto, Calif.) Sr.
She was the one with the biggest bite for the Gators as she tied the state record for consecutive no-hitters with 10. The
Northwestern-bound hurler also tied the state record for strikeouts in a seven inning game with 22 and on the year struck out 395. At the plate, she dominated equally with eight homers, 57 RBIs and a .606 average.

Cheyenne Coyle, Chatsworth (Chatsworth, Calif.) Sr.
She was more of a slugger than a pitcher but was still the leader of a team that made it to the CIF L.A. City Section final. As a hitter, Coyle, who is headed to Florida, had 13 homers with 40 RBIs and a .528 average. She was 20-3 in the circle with 150 strikeouts and a 0.93 ERA.

Brianna Elder, Concord (Concord, Calif.) Sr.
Chosen as the Contra Costa Times East Bay Player of the Year, Elder led her team to the CIF North Coast Section Div. II title. She pitched a two-hitter and had two hits in the final. She batted .383 overall and had a 0.38 ERA. She'll play next at Cal State Northridge.

Whitney Jones, Upland (Upland, Calif.) Sr.
She tossed a five-hitter and smacked a two-run homer in her final game to lead the Highlanders past Temecula Valley of Temecula, 10-2, in the CIFSS Division II final. Jones pitched three no-hitters during the season and had 191 strikeouts. At the plate, she batted .382 with four home runs. She'll play next at Washington.

Justine Vela, Stockdale (Bakersfield, Calif.) Jr.
For her importance to her team's success you don't have to look any farther than the final game of the season. Vela struck out 19 and didn't allow a run in 15 innings as the Mustangs captured the CIF Central Section Division I championship, 1-0, over Buchanan of Clovis. Vela's ERA was 0.19, she had 324 strikeouts and has been named Player of the Year by the Bakersfield Californian.

Shelby Wisdom, Elk Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) Jr.
A finalist for our Ms. Softball State Player of the Year honor, Wisdom led the Thundering Herd to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship. She went 16-2 with a 0.54 ERA and whiffed 269 batters. Two of her wins came in duels against 2009 State Sophomore of the Year Ally Carda of Pleasant Grove. Wisdom contributed on offense with a .338 batting average.

El Camino Real of Woodland Hills will be hosting a two-day showcase.

Each team plays twice on Saturday and Sunday.

Teams entered are:

Santa Monica, Chaminade, Notre Dame, El Camino Real, Golden Valley, Westlake, Burbank and Kennedy

Registration is on for the City of Palmdale's youth flag
football program, which will begin play in October.

Teams will play an eight-game schedule and will have four weeks'
practice prior to the first game. Coaches will determine the practice
day and time. Games will be held on Thursdays between 5:30 and 8:30
pm and Saturdays between 9 am and 2 pm at Desert Sands Park, 39117
3rd St. East.

The league will run from Oct. 16 through Dec. 11.The program is
offered in three age groups: ages 6 to 8, 9 to 11 and 12 to 14. The
cost is $57 for Palmdale residents and $68 for non-residents. The fee
includes weekly practice, games, jersey and picture package.

Residents may register online at www.cityofpalmdale.org/playpalmdale
or at the parks and recreation office, 38260 10th St. East in
Palmdale Monday through Thursday between 7:30 am and 6 pm. Proof of
age is required for all youth sports.

For more information, please contact the parks and recreation sports
division at 661/267-5611.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Following in the footsteps of Danny Worth, Matt Aidem and other former Valencia standouts who went on to play college ball at Pepperdine, returning infielder Quincy Quintero has committed to the Waves.

As a junior, Quintero batted .368 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

-- Gerry Gittelson

After going undefeated last year with a cast of mostly underclassmen, Westlake is a no-brainer Daily News preseason No. 1 team, not to mention one of the top programs on most national polls like USA Today, ESPN/RISE and Maxpreps.

There is a lot more to the Warriors than quarterback Nick Isham and receiver Nelson Spruce, both of whom are coming off huge junior seasons.

Among the other top returnees are running back Tavior Mowry, receiver Tre'Shon Wilson, backup quarterback Justin Moore, kicker Alex Ball, defensive back Casey Bliss, tight end/defensive lineman Johnny Stuart and defensive lineman Justin Solis, among others.

Overall, 40 players on last year's team were underclassmen.

No matter how much hype is attached to Westlake, it won't be easy winning the Marmonte League, not to mention the Northern Division and perhaps a CIF State Bowl. With national powers St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian joining the league this fall, the Marmonte League features no less than six of the area's top programs including Moorpark, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks.

It would be shocking but not impossible for Westlake, or anyone else in the Marmonte League, to go undefeated. But one thing is for sure: Whomever wins the league title simply must be awarded the No. 1 seed in the playoffs; I don't see how it could be any other way.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Hart of Newhall alumnae Taylor Lilley, an Oregon graduate, had six points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals in 11-plus minutes Tuesday night for the Phoenix Mercury in a 98-89 WNBA victory over the L.A. Sparks at Staples Center.

Lilley connected on 2 of 3 attempts from behind the 3-point arc for Phoenix (7-11), which has won two in a row following six consecutive losses.

Lilley leads all WNBA rookies shooting 45.5 percent (10 of 22) from 3-point territory. Lilley, a 5-foot-6 guard, is averaging 3.8 points in 10 games this season for Phoenix.

Lilley led all NCAA Division I players this past season with 124 3-point field goals, a Pacific-10 Conference record.

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: FIRST TEAM OVERALL

Catchers:

Jake Rodriguez, Elk Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) Sr.
While moving behind the plate to catch this season, he hit .461 with 14 home
runs and 48 RBIs as the Thundering Herd reached the Sac-Joaquin Section
Division I finals. After taking home our State Sophomore of the Year honor two
years ago and our State Junior of the Year honor last year, he just missed
out on continuing his streak although he was a Mr. Baseball State Player of
the Year finalist.

Wynston Sawyer, Scripps Ranch (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
The All-San Diego Section catcher fits the mold at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. In
addition to displaying defensive skills, Sawyer hit .391 with seven homers, 10
doubles and 39 RBIs. He was an eighth round pick in the MLB Draft by the
Baltimore Orioles.

Pitchers:

Cody Buckel, Royal (Simi Valley, Calif.) Sr.
A second round draft pick by the Texas Rangers, he led the Highlanders to the
CIF Southern Section Div. I semifinals with a 12-1 record and a 0.61 ERA. He
also struck out 123 in 80 innings. A Pepperdine signee and Mr. Baseball
finalist, Buckel also hit .410 with 25 runs batted in and six home runs.

Dylan Covey, Maranatha (Sierra Madre, Calif.) Sr.
The state's highest prep choice in the MLB draft at No. 14 in the first
round also was a Mr. Baseball finalist and Gatorade Player of the Year. Covey
was 7-1 on the mound with three saves. He also had a 0.40 ERA and 138
strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings.

Joey DeNato, Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) Sr.
A San Diego Section panel of media members voted DeNato as its player of the
year. He faced brutal competition but still posted an impressive 1.46 ERA. He
struck out 87 batters in 62 1/3 innings and led the Falcons to a 24-11
record.

Adam Plutko, Glendora (Glendora, Calif.) Sr.
The sixth round draft choice and UCLA signee went 10-1 on the mound with a
1.36 ERA for the state's No. 2 ranked team. In 67 innings, he struck out 97
and in the CIFSS Div. II semifinals he tossed a no-hitter.

Peter Tago, Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.) Sr.
He led the Dolphins to the CIFSS Division I championship game with a 10-3
pitching mark and 2.77 ERA. He had some of his top outings at the end of the
season against the toughest competition. Tago was recently selected in the
supplemental part of the first round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado
Rockies.

A.J. Vanegas, Redwood Christian (Castro Valley, Calif.) Sr.
After spending the summer helping the U.S. junior national team, A.J. paced
the Eagles to the CIF North Coast Section Division V championship. He tossed a
no-hitter in his final game. On the year, he was 10-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 130
strikeouts. The Stanford signee was also recently picked in the seventh round
of the MLB Draft.

Vincent Velasquez, Garey (Pomona, Calif.) Sr.
Known prior to this season as a shortstop, Velasquez has blossomed as a
pitcher. He showed a 92 to 94 mph fastball during the season and was the 58th
pick in the second round of the recent MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He led
Garey to the playoffs with a 7-1 record and 1.70 ERA. In a playoff game vs.
San Dimas, Velasquez struck out 17 batters.

Vince Wheeland, Turlock (Turlock, Calif.) Sr.
The Modesto Bee's Player of the Year led the state for best reported
pitching record with a 13-0 total. He had a 0.74 ERA with two saves and led
the Bulldogs to the CIF Sac Joaquin Section Division I South finals. He also
batted .375 with 27 RBIs.

Infielders:

Angelo Gumbs, Torrance (Torrance, Calif.) Sr.
Despite walking 29 times, Gumbs still managed to knock in 22 runs while
stealing 17 bases, scoring 47 times, and hitting .495 for the Tartars. The New
York Yankees selected him in the second round of the MLB Draft. He already had
been named as our Medium Schools State Player of the Year.

James Roberts, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) Sr.
Star shortstop for state's No. 1 team hit .411 with 11 doubles and 11 steals
while also picking up three saves to earn the West Catholic Athletic League
MVP honor. He was also a Mr. Baseball finalist capping off a sensational four
years that started with him being named as the State Freshman of the Year.
Roberts will play next at USC.

Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) Soph.
Dynamic athlete who was on the All-State Sophomore team for football as a wide
receiver was even better on the diamond. Ruiz batted .528 with four homers and
34 RBIs and was the top player for an Amat team that was in line to be No. 1
in the state heading into the final week of the regular season.

Sam Tuivailala, Aragon (San Mateo, Calif.) Sr.
There may not be a better all-around athlete on this team. Tuivailala starred
as Aragon's quarterback in football, averaged 13 points and nearly five
assists in basketball and had a nearly .400 career batting average in
baseball. He pitched a 17-strikeout no-hitter and was recently the 105th
player taken in the MLB Draft. He was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the
third round and says he hopes to blaze a trail for other Tongan athletes,
showing them there's more to sports than football.

Tony Wolters, Rancho Buena Vista (Vista, Calif.) Sr.
He had a more than solid season after being All-State Underclass as a junior.
Wolters hit .430 and was on the All-San Diego Section team. Before this
season, he was part of the USA U18 team that won a gold medal at the Pan Am
Junior Games and was MVP at the Aflac All-American Game.

Christian Yelich, Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) Sr.
In 28 games this season, he hit .451 with 14 doubles and nine home runs while
knocking in 25. Originally committed to UCLA, he changed his commit to the
University of Miami but has a big choice to make after being drafted 23rd
overall in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins.

Outfielders:

Louie Lechich, St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) Sr.
A two-time Stockton Record Player of the Year, Lechich was the No. 1 player
from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title team. He pitched and even
had a no-hitter in a playoff game to highlight a 7-1 record. But he's on
this team as an outfielder, the position he'll likely play at Cal. Lechich
batted .445 for the Rams with five homers, 13 doubles, three triples and 40
RBIs. He hit .640 in seven playoff games.

Michael Lorenzen, Fullerton (Fullerton, Calif.) Sr.
If you went to see the Indians play this season, the odds were good you saw
Lorenzen record at least one base hit. He hit .455 on the year, scored 38
runs, drove in 35 and hit eight home runs. He had committed to nearby Cal
State Fullerton but was also selected in the seventh round of the MLB Draft by
the Tampa Bay Rays.

Joc Peterson, Palo Alto (Palo Alto, Calif.) Sr.
Showing why he's giving up his success on the football field to concentrate
on baseball, he hit .515, drove in 22 runs, stole 22 bases and scored 53 runs.
The Palo Alto Daily News Baseball Player of the Year helped the Vikings finish
29-4. He is headed to USC unless he signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who
selected him in the 11th round of the MLB Draft.

Aaron Siliga, Oceanside (Oceanside, Calif.) Sr.
The North County Times Player of the Year was a terror at the plate. He ranked
among the state leaders in homers with 14 and drove in 41 runs with a .505
batting average. Siliga was a 17th round pick in the recent MLB Draft by the
Cleveland Indians.

Austin Wilson, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) Sr.
In his final high school season, Wilson hit .485 with 23 runs batted in and
showed his speed by going a perfect 27-for-27 on stolen base attempts.
Considered one of the top high school players not just in the state but in the
nation he slipped down to the 12th round of the draft due to it being known he
wanted big money to pass up attending Stanford.

Multi-Purpose:

Alex Balog, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) Sr.
The USF-bound Balog was picked as the San Jose Mercury News Player of the Year
for prowess as a hitter and pitcher. He tossed six shutout innings in the CCS
Division I final to finish 8-2 on the season with a 1.01 ERA. At the plate,
Balog ripped five homers with 30 RBIs and had a .407 average.

Cory Hahn, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) Sr.
He capped off a 14-1 record on the mound with five perfect innings in the
CIFSS Div. I finals to help earn his selection early last week as the Cal-Hi
Sports 2010 Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year. Hahn's 0.89 ERA and 92
strikeouts were complimented by his 10 home runs and .411 batting average.

Eric Jaffe, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) Sr.
For power pitching and power hitting, Jaffe was one of the best in the state.
He led the Dragons with an 8-1 mound mark to go with 98 strikeouts and a 0.85
ERA. As a batter, Jaffe smacked seven homers and had a .442 average. He will
play next at Cal.

Eric Karch, Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.) Sr.
Pepperdine-bound shortstop-pitcher has been honored as the Fresno Bee's
Player of the Year. In leading the Eagles to a 29-4 record and top 20 national
ranking, Karch went 11-1 with 90 strikeouts with his arm. At the plate, he hit
.402 with seven homers and 41 RBIs.

Griffin Murphy, Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) Sr.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise Player of the Year posted an 11-1 pitching
record with a 1.35 ERA and also batter .333 with 21 RBIs. While we went with
Murphy in the multi-purpose category, it was for his pitching that got him
picked at 61st overall in the recent MLB Draft. Going 2-0 against Yucaipa and
fellow all-stater Taijuan Walker was another season highlight.

Robby Rowland, Cloverdale (Cloverdale, Calif.) Sr.
With the 88th pick in the MLB Draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks picked the first
prep player from Northern California and it was this talented two-sport star
who heard his name called. In his senior season, Rowland was 7-1 on the mound
with a 0.32 ERA while striking out 117 batters in 65 innings. At the plate, he
hit .473 with 20 RBIs and six homers.

Aaron Sanchez, Barstow (Barstow, Calif.) Sr.
His appearances on the mound were limited but he went a perfect 7-0 with a
0.69 ERA and struck out 95 in 50 2/3 innings. Showing he could also hit,
Sanchez had a .403 average with five home runs and 20 RBIs. With big-time
velocity, it was as a pitcher in which the L.A. Angels picked Sanchez in the
supplemental first round of the recent MLB Draft. He's also the two-time
player of the year by the Victor Valley Daily Press.

Jesus Valdez, Hueneme (Oxnard, Calif.) Sr.
An early signer with the University of Arizona, Valdez used that signing as a
springboard to a huge season. He batted .446 with a Ventura County best 10
homers and 34 RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 7-2 with a 0.98 ERA and two
no-hitters. In June, he was a fifth round MLB draft pick by the L.A. Angels
and may not to to Tucson after all.

Taijuan Walker, Yucaipa (Yucaipa, Calif.) Sr.
He just missed out on being a Mr. Baseball finalist after going 10-4 with a
1.77 ERA and 93 strikeouts while also hitting an impressive .426 with six
homers and 37 runs batted in. Walker has already signed with the Seattle
Mariners after being selected with the 43rd overall pick in the recent MLB
Draft.

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: SECOND TEAM OVERALL

Catchers:

Aaron Jones (San Clemente) Sr.
Jeff Keller (Menlo-Atherton, Atherton) Sr.

Pitchers:

Nick Baker (Palm Desert) Sr.
Josh Eagle (Deer Valley, Antioch) Sr.
Gabe Encinas (St. Paul, Santa Fe Springs) Sr.
Scott Frazier (Upland) Sr.
T.J. Kendzora (El Toro, Lake Forest) Sr.
Drew Merlo (Buchanan, Clovis) Sr.
Henry Owens (Edison, Huntington Beach) Jr.
Paul Paez (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Sr.
Kyle Porter (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills) Sr.

Infielders:

Jake Alvarez (Clovis West, Fresno) Sr.
Daniel Armendariz (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) Sr.
Rouric Bridgewater (Diamond Ranch, Pomona) Jr.
Austin Davidson (Oxnard) Jr.
Tyrone Wiggins (El Capitan, Lakeside) Jr.

Outfielders:

Kyle Buchanan (El Dorado, Placerville) Sr.
Danny Diekroger (Menlo School, Atherton) Sr.
Brando Tessar (Chaminade, West Hills) Sr.
Brett Thomas (Poway) Sr.
Sammy Tuivailala (Aragon, San Mateo) Sr.
Isaiah Turner (Stockdale, Bakersfield) Sr.

Multi-Purpose:

J.D. Davis (Elk Grove) Jr.
Chris Keck (Amador Valley, Pleasanton) Jr.
Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) Sr.
Nigel Nootbaar (El Segundo) Jr.
Jake Stassi (Yuba City) Sr.
Luke Swenson (Moorpark) Sr.
Lucas Whitehill (Mira Costa, Manhattan Beach) Sr.
Jeff Yamaguchi (Lakewood) Sr.

Third Team Overall

(Seniors only; 40 players total; large schools only)

Tony Amezcua (Bellflower) P
Luke Barker (Pleasant Valley, Chico) P
Aaron Beckley (Redlands East Valley, Redlands) OF
Johnny Bekakis (Clayton Valley, Concord) INF
Thomas Bernal (Paso Robles) MP
Mitch Bluman (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills) MP
Dallas Chadwick (Shasta, Redding) MP
Dan Child (Jesuit, Carmichael) P
Tevin Craig (Valley Christian, San Jose) C
Bret Dahlson (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) INF
Brandon DeFazio (Foothill, Pleasanton) INF
Kyle Demerritt (Bellarmine, San Jose) INF
Ricky Diaz (Tracy) C
Dillon Dooney (Poway) INF
Michael Erb (Camarillo) OF
Julio Espinoza (Rialto) MP
Matt Fielding (Rocklin) P
Josh Frye (Millikan, Long Beach) P
Brennan Fulkerson (El Dorado, Placentia) INF
Michael Kathan (Campolindo, Morage) INF
Tyler Kuresa (Oakmont, Roseville) INF
Brad Lohse (Pleasant Valley, Chico) INF
Jeff Miller (Vista del Lago, Folsom) INF
Brian Murphy (Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove) OF
Tyler Painton (Centennial, Bakersfield) 1B/P
Richie Rhoades (Franklin, Stockton) INF
William Rosado (Clovis East, Fresno) P
Stefan Sabol (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo) C
Jake Sisco (Grace Davis, Modesto) MP
Kurt Smith (St. Mary's, Stockton) MP
Dylan Stuart (Poly, Riverside) P
Will Swanner (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) C
Matt Tedesco (Bullard, Fresno) INF
Andrew Thurman (Lutheran, Orange) P
Garrett Tuck (Arcadia) INF
Kevin Williams (Crespi, Encino) INF
Trevor Williams (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) P
Cody Willingham (Ramona) P
Joseph Winterburn (Glendora) C
Scott Witte (Palo Alto) INF

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: Medium Schools

Catchers:

Kevin Paulsen (Miramonte, Orinda) Sr.
Peter Woodall (Hillsdale, San Mateo) Sr.

Pitchers:

Forrest Armanino (Burlingame) Sr.
Nick Baker (Palm Desert) Sr.
Matt Barber (Manteca) Sr.
Ricardo Diaz (Willow Glen, San Jose) Sr.
Gabe Encinas (St. Paul, Santa Fe Springs) Sr.
Kevin Goularte (Mountain View) Sr.
Paul Paez (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Sr.
Robert Stephenson (Alhambra, Martinez) Jr.
Vincent Velasquez (Garey, Pomona) Sr.

Infielders:

Rouric Bridgewater (Diamond Ranch, Pomona) Jr.
Scotty Burcham (Palm Desert) Jr.
Angelo Gumbs (Torrance) Sr.
Kyle Hayes (Santana, Santee) Sr.
Kenny Moulton (Rio Americano, Sacramento) Jr.
Rio Ruiz (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Soph.
Dalton Silva (Hanford) Sr.
Brandon Trinkwon (Beckman, Irvine) Sr.
Sam Tuivailala (Aragon, San Mateo) Sr.
Tyrone Wiggins (El Capitan, Lakeside) Jr.

Outfielders:

Curtis Frisbie (Central Valley, Lake Shasta) Sr.
Connor Hofmann (St. Augustine, San Diego) Sr.
Cody Lavalli (Granite Hills, Apple Valley) Sr.
Michael Lorenzen (Fullerton) Sr.

Multi-Purpose:

Patrick Conroy (Drake, San Anselmo) Sr.
Nigel Nootbaar (El Segundo) Jr.
Adam Quintana (San Gorgonio, San Bernardino) Sr.
Aaron Sanchez (Barstow) Sr.
Blake Walker (Ocean View, Huntington Beach) Jr.

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: Small Schools

Catchers:

Chase Graham (Bakersfield Christian) Sr.
J.C. Thornton (Central Valley Christian, Visalia) Sr.

Pitchers:

Tyler Cook (Chowchilla) Sr.
Dylan Covey (Maranatha, Sierra Madre) Sr.
Michael Davis (Woodcrest Christian, Riverside) Sr.
Ben Griset (Gustine) Sr.
John Kukuruda (East Nicolaus, Nicolaus) Sr.
Spenser Linney (Head-Royce, Oakland) Jr.
Daniel Lucak (Oxford Academy, Cypress) Soph.
A.J. Vanegas (Redwood Christian, Castro Valley) Sr.
Travis Walker (Kerman) Sr.

Infielders:

Jonathan Armenta (Tahquitz, Hemet) Sr.
Matt Chabot (Woodcrest Christian, Riverside) Sr.
Kenny Corona (Fowler) Sr.
Josh Miguel (Escalon) Soph.
Nathan Roth (Cornerstone Christian, Camarillo) Sr.
Mitchell Scott (Kingsburg) Sr.

Outfielders:

Matt Antopia (Soledad) Sr.
Billy Flamion (Central Catholic, Modesto) Jr.
TyRay Gatewood (Firebaugh, Lynwood) Sr.
Nick Largent (Escalon) Sr.

Multi-Purpose:

Taylor Aikenhead (Desert Christian, Lancaster) Sr.
Ryan Cordell (Valley Christian, Roseville) Sr.
Thomas Cortese (St. Thomas More, San Jose) Sr.
Jeff Curran (St. Anthony, Long Beach) Sr.
Danny Diekroger (Menlo School, Atherton) Sr.
Aaron Judge (Linden) Sr.
Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) Sr.
Aaron Roth (Cornerstone Christian, Camarillo) Sr.
Robby Rowland (Cloverdale) Sr.

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: 1ST Team Underclass

(Note: No separate sophomore or freshman teams are included, but sophomores
and freshmen were eligible for these teams)

Catchers:

Trevor Podratz (Chaparral, Temecula) Jr.
Chris Whitner (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills) Jr.

Pitchers:

Jose Cardona (El Camino Real, Woodland Hills) Jr.
Tyler Davis (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Jr.
Kenny Mathews (Diamond Bar) Jr.
Joe Musgrave (Grossmont, La Mesa) Jr.
Henry Owens (Edison, Huntington Beach) Jr.
Robert Stephenson (Alhambra, Martinez) Jr.

Infielders:

Alex Blandino (St. Francis, Mountain View) Jr.
Rouric Bridgewater (Diamond Ranch, Pomona) Jr.
Scotty Burcham (Palm Desert) Jr.
Andrew Daniel (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) Jr.
Austin Davidson (Oxnard) Jr.
Brett Fuller (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) Jr.
Rio Ruiz (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Soph.
Mitchell Walding (St. Mary's, Stockton) Jr.
Tyrone Wiggins (El Capitan, Lakeside) Jr.
Trey Williams (Valencia) Soph.

Outfielders:

Andy Crowley (San Gorgonio, San Bernardino) Jr.
Ryan Howell (Heritage, Brentwood) Jr.
Billy Flamion (Central Catholic, Modesto) Jr.
Eric Snyder (Edison, Huntington Beach) Jr.

Multi-Purpose:

Daniel Arellano (Centennial, Corona) Jr.
Troy Conyers (El Capitan, Lakeside) Soph.
J.D. Davis (Elk Grove) Jr.
Chris Keck (Amador Valley, Pleasanton) Jr.
Chris Mariscal (Clovis North, Clovis) Jr.
Ty Moore (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) Soph.
Seth Moranda (Buchanan, Clovis) Jr.
Nigel Nootbaar (El Segundo) Jr.

ALL-CALIFORNIA BASEBALL: 2nd Team Underclass

Catchers:

Marcus Greene (Vista del Lago, Moreno Valley) Soph.
Steven Moen (California, San Ramon) Jr.

Pitchers:

Angel Acosta (Gabrielino, San Gabriel) Soph.
Daniel Camarena (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) Jr.
Spenser Linney (Head-Royce, Oakland) Jr.
Michael Mallory (Amador Valley, Pleasanton) Jr.
Travis Radke (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village) Jr.
Jesse Scholtens (Rodriguez, Cordelia) Soph.
Keegan Yuhl (Poway) Jr.

Infielders:

Austin Bailey (Great Oak, Temecula) Jr.
J.P. Crawford (Lakewood) Fr.
Phillip Evans (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) Jr.
Ryan Garvey (Palm Desert) Jr.
Tyler Goedell (St. Francis, Mountain View) Jr.
Travis Harrison (Tustin) Jr.
Max Homick (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) Jr.
Jordan Luplow (Buchanan, Clovis) Jr.
Robert Meir (Bonita, La Verne) Jr.
Kenny Moulton (Rio Americano, Sacramento) Jr.
Robert Wayman (Salinas) Jr.

Outfielders:

Devyn Bolasky (Vista del Lago, Moreno Valley) Jr.
Alex Michaels (St. Mary's, Stockton) Jr.
Daniel Pitts (Quartz Hill) Jr.
R.J. Ybarra (Poly, Riverside) Soph.

Multi-Purpose:

Robert Gsellman (Westchester, Los Angeles) Jr.
John Koretoff (Clovis West, Fresno) Jr.
Chaz Meadows (Clayton Valley, Concord) Jr.
Blayne Ontiveros (Frontier, Bakersfield) Jr.
Kevin Torres (Birmingham, Lake Balboa) Jr.
Blake Walker (Ocean View, Huntington Beach) Jr.

With five returning starters from last season's section finalist team, Alemany of Mission Hills should be even better this winter.

The Warriors again figure to rally behind All-Southern Section returnees Max Guercy and Jordan Fuller. Plus, coach Trey Meeks is really excited about Bear Henderson, a 6-3 incoming freshman who is primed to make a big impact.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The six Foothill League teams -- Canyon, Golden Valley, Hart, Saugus, Valencia and West Ranch -- compete in a burrito-eating contest at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at La Salsa Restaurant in Santa Clarita.

The "Burrito Bowl" features teams of five members competing to finish a four-foot burrito.

There is more than pride on the line, too, as the winning team gets $1,000, the runner-up gets $400 and the third place team gets $250.

There are no rules other than everyone has to hold down their food. My advice would be to stick with the linemen and not the quarterbacks and kickers.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Mission League has undergone a major overhaul, with Harvard-Westlake, Serra of Gardena and Cathedral joining in, and defending champion Alemany graduating to the Serra League.

So, instead of being a four-team league, the Mission League now is a six-team league, and reigning CIF State Div. III champion Serra figures to be a strong favorite after going 15-0 last season - including a victory over Oaks Christian in the section final - and returning standout quarterback Connor Preston and all-world receiver George Farmer.

Cathedral should be strong, too, after finishing 11-2 last year. The Phantoms have dominated at the lower levels for more than a decade, and this is their chance to prove they can hang with the big boys. Expect hard-nosed coach Kevin Pearson to take it seriously, though the nonleague slate appears underwhelming with Glendale, Pasadena, West Adams and South Pasadena scheduled.

Of the remaining hopefuls, St. Francis should have a good shot because the Golden Knights are rich in returning talent, including offensive lineman Patrick Carroll, receiver Travis Talianko and defensive back Ryan Jenkins - all of whom were All-Mission League first-team selections.

It will be interesting to chart the growth of Chaminade, operating for the second year under coach Ed Croson. The ex-Birmingham coach made a big impact in his first season, as the Eagles finished 7-5 in 2009 and advanced to the Western quarterfinals after going 2-9 the year before. He's got a great returning kicker in Matt Goudis and a bunch of talented young skill players who have transferred in, but someone needs to step up at quarterback.

Harvard-Westlake still hasn't won a section title in the school's long history, but at least it's a comfort that Oaks Christian no longer is in the same division.

As for St. Paul, a year after winning the 2008 Western title, the Swordsmen went 4-6 last year and finished last, so who knows what to expect?

-- Gerry Gittelson

Robert DeSantiago, an Arleta catcher who was named East Valley co-Player of the Year, has committed to UC Riverside.

"He's a straight-A student a great young man," Arleta coach Edgar Maldonado said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Shane Zeile of Valencia is 6 for 8 over the past three VIBL games to raise his batting average to .667 with one home runs, four doubles and six RBIs in five games.

The right-hander is also 1-0 in two pitching appearances

Also performing well is Tyler Glasnow from Hart. He is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Senior X-treme cheerleading team from Santa Clarita's Gymcheer USA won a 16-under title at the state championships, and the junior Kamikaze team (14-under) won the national title in Atlanta, presented by Cheer Sport.

Both teams also traveled to Las Vegas for the Jamz Nationals and won titles.

Also winning at the state and national level were the Superstarz stunt group (14-under).

Information: (661) 299-6849 or info@californiaflyers.org.

Marti Sementelli, a girl pitcher who was 2-1 as a junior at Birmingham this past season, is scheduled to throw the first ball Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium against the Marlins.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Jacob Smith, one of the area's top young running backs, is at his third school in 17 months, and the junior-to-be is hoping to win a hardship appeal and become eligible at Granada Hills following stops at Notre Dame and Canyon.

Smith was a top track sprinter and effective running back at Notre Dame, where he rushed for 476 and seven touchdowns this past fall while adding seven receptions for 127 yards. He was also a top return specialist.

Smith transferred to Canyon in January, where he later was denied a hardship waiver, Canyon football coach Chris Varner said.

Granada Hills athletic director Rick Charls said today he has talked Smith and his mother and has begun the paperwork process.

"Because of summer break, it might take a while," Charls said.

Smith has been practicing and lifting weights with Granada Hills' team.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Christian Lopes, a two-year standout at Valencia before transferring in January to Edison in Huntington Beach as a junior this past season, has made the U.S. 18-under national team for the World Junior Championships from July 23 to Aug. 1 in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Tryouts were conducted in North Carolina, and the team is slated to play exhibition games in New York.

Here is the roster:

No., Name, Position(s), Hometown
3, Albert Almora, OF, Hialeah, Fla.
13, Daniel Camarena, LHP/IF, Bonita, Calif.
23, Nicky Delmonico, IF, Knoxville, Tenn.
17, John Hochstatter, LHP, Danville, Calif.
12, Francisco Lindor, IF, Clermont, Fla.
9, Marcus Littlewood, IF, Saint George, Utah
6, Christian Lopes, IF, Canyon Country, Calif.
7, Michael Lorenzen, OF, Anaheim, Calif.
14, Dillon Maples, RHP, West End, N.C.
8, Lance McCullers, RHP/IF, Tampa, Fla.
28, Christian Montgomery, RHP, Indianapolis, Ind.
25, Henry Owens, LHP, Huntington Beach, Calif.
5, Phillip Pfeifer III, LHP, Knoxville, Tenn.
11, Brian Ragira, OF, Arlington, Texas
26, John Simms, RHP, The Woodlands, Texas
10, Elvin Soto, C, New York, N.Y.
21, Derek "Bubba" Starling, OF/RHP, Gardner, Kan.
4, Blake Swihart, C, Rio Rancho, N.M.
16, A.J. Vanegas, RHP, Alameda, Calif.
1, Tony Wolters, IF, Vista, Calif.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Taft of Woodland Hills boys' basketball team didn't beat Long Beach Poly in the championship game of the 24th annual Nike Fairfax tournament Saturday but it is a good bet the Toreadors could face the Jackrabbits with a lot more on the line next March in the Div. I Southern California state regionals.

Taft battled and battled, tied the game twice late in the second half but finally succumbed, 55-48.

The game sure didn't have the feeling of a typical summer atmosphere as both squads played solid defense and showed good discipline.

Ryan Anderson had 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead Long Beach Poly while sophomore-to-be Roschon Prince had 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists and USC-commit Alexis Moore had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Kevin Johnson, a 6'9 senior, who transferred from Serra of Gardena and sat out all of last season had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Taft.

Khiry Williams had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists and Stephen Maxwell had seven points.

Taft trailed 27-19 at halftime but came back and tied the game at 37-37 and at 41-41.

That is when Prince came up big for Long Beach Poly with a block of a possible dunk by Johnson and then made a putback off a missed shot on the other end.

Taft would never tie the game again.

Long Beach Poly scored 10 of its final 14 points on free throws.

"It was a dogfight," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. "There were not very many transition baskets. We just had too many turnovers. I was happy with our willingness to compete. I know this team can play at a high level."

As to another chance to play Long Beach Poly, Johnson can't wait.

"I am looking forward to it. It would be real fun. We always go at it every time. We will beat them for sure."

In other games, Loyola of Los Angeles beat Serra of Gardena, 51-43; Orange Lutheran beat Fairfax of Los Angeles, 43-34; Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood beat Pasadena, 62-56; Crenshaw of Los Angeles beat Price of Los Angeles, 82-79; Mater Dei of Santa Ana beat St. Bernard of Playa del Rey, 75-69 and Dorsey of Los Angeles beat Santa Monica, 55-54.

Zena Edosowman had 12 points and five rebounds and Josh Hearlihy and Damiene Cain each had 11 points for Harvard-Westlake.

Sophomore-to-be Isaac Hamilton registered a triple-double of 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Crenshaw's victory.

Askia Booker had 26 points for Price in the losing effort.

David Brown had 19 points, Eli Stalzer had 18 and Jordan Strawberry had 16 in Mater Dei's win.

Brandon Baker capped Dorsey's comeback from a 48-33 second half deficit with a game-winning layup with 8 seconds remaining.

Saugus is ready to unleash tight end Dently Rodriguez, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound sophomore with good feet, excellent hands and a natural feel for the game.

What makes Rodriguez an especially intriguing prospect is he's a younger brother of Desi Rodriguez, a former Saugus quarterback who was the Foothill League MVP in 2008. The elder Rodriguez is at Air Force.

-- Gerry Gittelson

A nagging ankle injury limited his productivity as a sophomore last year, but rising prospect Bryce Henderson of Alemany is developing into what everyone thought he would be: one of the most physical -- and effective -- linebackers in the San Fernando Valley.

He's 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds of solid muscle, and Henderson, now a junior, has the speed to keep up with the fastest of receivers during summer competitions combined with a hitter's mentality that we'll see in the fall.

"I've come back 100 percent. I'm faster, I'm stronger, I'm ready," Henderson said.

He teams with Jesse Sampson and Tyler Dabevich to give Alemany one of the area's top linebacker corps.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Taft of Woodland Hills boys' basketball team had no letdown Friday after its big quarterfinal victory against Mater Dei of Santa Ana a day earlier.

Taft moved into tonight's championship game with an impressive 68-46 victory against Santa Monica.

Taft will play Long Beach Poly at 6 p.m.

Taft has a six-player attack consisting of three guards and three front-court players that simply was too much for an undersized Santa Monica team to handle.

6'10 center Kevin Johnson scored 21 points and was virtually unstoppable when he caught the ball on the block.

Sophomore guard Chris Yanku scored 13 points, forward Brandon Perry had 10, forward Stephen Maxwell had six and guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Khiry Williams each had six as well.

More impressive for Taft is the fact it is playing team basketball and playing to its strength of pounding the ball inside.

"We are all getting touches and the scoring is balanced," Dinwiddie said. "The focal point is Kevin but with his presecnce inside it just opens things up for everybody else."

With Johnson and the improved Perry controlling the paint, Taft is the clear cut favorite to win the City Section championship next year.

"They do have all the pieces right now," Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani said.

Taft led early by nine points but slipped and let Santa Monica come back and grab a one point lead at halftime.

However, the Vikings didn't have enough in reserve to keep up with the Toreadors.

Taft started pulling away five minutes into the second half and outscored Santa Monica 48-23.

In other games, Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood beat Fairfax, 67-55; Loyola of Los Angeles beat Crespi of Encino, 90-66; Serra of Gardena beat La Canada, 54-51; Pasadena beat Orange Lutheran, 69-56; St. Bernard of Playa del Rey beat Crenshaw of Los Angeles, 92-90 and Mater Dei of Santa Ana beat Price of Los Angeles, 68-66.

Zena Edosowman scored 23 points to lead Harvard-Westlake, which also received 14 points each from junior-to-be Josh Hearlihy and San marcos of santa Barbara transfer Danilo Dragovich, the younger brother of former UCLA guard Nikola Dragovich.

Justin Rubia had 18 points and sophomore-to-be London Perrantes had 13 in a losing effort for Crespi, which played without sharp-shooting guard Matt Mounier.

Mike McGlashan poured in 27 points but it wasn't quite enough for La Canada.

Thurman Thomas made a putback layup at the buzzer to help St. Bernard upset City Section title contender Crenshaw.

Katin Reinhardt made a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1.8 seconds remaining to give Mater Dei the close victory. The Monarchs also received a stroke of luck when Askia Booker's 80 feet heave went through the basket but came after the buzzer had sounded.

The field is set for the 1st annual Santa Monica High tournament being held Dec. 8-11

16 teams are scheduled to participate

Corona Centennial
Lincoln (San Diego)
Sheldon (Sacramento)
Compton
Serra
Eisenhower
Crenshaw
Bishop Montgomery
Santa Monica
Windward
Central-Fresno
Palisades
Sylmar
Cleveland
Notre Dame
Blair

A couple of interesting tidbits from day four of the Nike Fairfax tournament.

Jahmel Taylor, an outstanding sophomore-to-be guard who played at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks last season was playing for St. Bernard of Playa Del Rey in its game with Crenshaw.

New Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew and his son Landon were watching the Harvard-Westlake vs. Fairfax contest.

Landon is a junior-to-be point guard that played at Taft last year but is not expected back with the Toreadors.

Harvard-Westlake 67
Fairfax 55

Zena Edosowman had 23 points to lead Harvard-Westlake.

Josh Hearlihy and Danilo Dragovich each added 14 points. Dragovich is a senior transfer from San Marcos of Santa Barbara and the younger brother of UCLA guard Nikola Dragovich.

C.J. McCain had 14 points and Amir McCormick had 10 for Fairfax.

Loyola 90
Crespi 66

Justin Rubia scored 18 points and London Perrantes had 13 to lead Crespi, which has lost all three of its games by 18 points or more.

Serra 54
La Canada 51

Taft vs. Santa Monica and Long Beach Poly vs. Dorsey are coming up in the semifinals at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Fairfax of Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead on Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood in a consolation semifinal in the 24th annual Nike Fairfax tournament but the Wolverines have battled back and now lead by 15 with 12:13 remaining.

Harvard-Westlake went up 46-34 at halftime and have extended the advantage behind Josh Hearlihy and Zena Edosowman.

There is a huge microscope on Crespi, as new coach Jon Mack is trying to breath life into a program that failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons despite huge expectations both years.

The Celts are coming off a three-week dead period, and there are some key developments, notably the hiring of Pepe Villasenor as offensive coordinator. Villasenor played under Mack at St. Bonaventure through 1996, and the two coached together from 2000 to 2006.

"Oh I love it. We've been through hard times and good times together, so it's almost like bringing in your brother," Mack said.

Mack said he is not sure if he will bring in a defensive coordinator or continue handling it by committee -- "it's probably going to be a dual thing," Mack said -- but other things have taken shape.

Kenny Stenhouse, better known as a top basketball player, is the new quarterback, and running back Rhasheed Johnson should be key. Another top running back, Mejani Shanks, is recovering from a knee injury and won't be available until late summer.

"Kenny is real solid. He's a great athlete and very coachable -- he listens," Mack said.

The Celts also feature Devin Lucien, one of California's top returning receivers. He has blown up at combines and has lots of major offers, Oregon State, Tulsa, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa State and Air Force.

Defensive lineman Reggie Coates, another top recruit, is back, along with linebacker/defensive back Charles Washington, who has offers from Iowa State, Nevada and a couple of others.

"Charles is very solid. You're going to love him this year," Mack said.

L.J. Wilkerson, a junior linebacker, has come on strong.

"He's a really solid young linebacker," Mack said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Canyon's home field has been named after Harry Welch, but the legendary and sometimes controversial coach hasn't been seen much in Cowboy circles since leaving for St. Margarets and now Santa Margarita.

That could change Saturday, however, if Canyon, which has looked good in most passing-league tournaments, and Santa Margarita happen to meet in the playoffs of the annual Claremont tournament.

Canyon coach Chris Varner was the JV coach when Welch left after winning the 2006 CIF State Div. I championship.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football team has been fortunate to have some outstanding quarterbacks in its 10-year history, most notably Jimmy Clausen.

Chase Gardella could be next.

The incoming ninth-grader was recently selected to attend Football University's Top Gun Elite camp July 21-24 after an outstanding performance at a preliminary camp in Denver, Colorado.

The Top Gun camp will be held at Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The camp Gardella qualified from was one of 28 different stops throughout the nation to find the best of the best in various age groups.

Gardella was also a key player for the Oaks Christian eighth grade tackle football team last Fall, leading the Lions to the Delphic League championship in a victory against Chaminade of Northridge.

Gardella is slated to play J.V. this upcoming season before being promoted to varsity for three years.

The Taft of Woodland Hills boys' basketball team exacted a bit of revenge in a 79-66 quarterfinal victory against Mater Dei of Santa Ana at the 24th annual Nike Fairfax of Los Angeles tournament.

Taft lost at Mater Dei in the quarterfinals of the Div. I state playoffs last season.

Khiry Williams had 16 points, Kevin Johnson had 15, Stephen Maxwell had 14, Chris Yanku had 14 and Spencer Dinwiddie had 12 in the balanced effort for the Toreadors.

Taft trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before rallying to tie the game at 37-37 late in the half.

The guards took over in the second half to help Taft advance to Friday's semifinal at 6 p.m. against Santa Monica.

Here's some pretty big news in terms of summer football: Taft's Michael Bercovici has been selected as the quarterback for the West in second annual national ESPN/RISE Gridiron Kings 7-on-7 all-star tournament July 23-26 in Orlando, Fla. -- the nation's most prestigious passing-league event.

Bercovici is the only local slated to participate. Two of his receivers are Victor Blackwell from Mater Dei and Devon Blackmon from Walnut.

Full details and rosters are scheduled to be released next week.

"I'm really excited. To be honest, I'm pretty shocked," Bercovici said. "I know there are a lot of great quarterbacks, especially on the West Coast, so this is a good opportunity, and it's going to be a lot of fun."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Amir Ali Patterson, 14, an incoming freshman at Crespi, won the youth boys' shot put today with a 50 4" toss at the USATF Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships -- his third national shot put title since 2006.

-- Gerry Gittelson