May 2009 Archives

The Barstow High School softball team, which had lost to No. 1 seed Calvary Murrieta in the first round of the CIF-SS Division V playoffs Thursday, had its protest upheld by the CIF-SS offices and will advance according to a press release sent out by CIF Friday morning.

The Aztecs' protest was based on Calvary Murrieta taking illegal batting practice on the day of the game. The rule, listed below, was spelled out in the CIF's press release:

"Teams entered in the softball playoffs WILL NOT be permitted to take batting practice on the day of the scheduled contest. Batting practice will be construed as any type of pitching motion with ANY type of ball from in front of the batter (including pitching machines, underhand tossing, overhand throwing or pepper). THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE BATTING WARMUP WILL BE SIDE SOFT TOSS. The player who tosses the ball should be on a knee and to the side of the batter. The ball should be lifted, not pitched, to the batter. THE PENALTY FOR BATTING PRACTICE WITH WIFFLE BALL, SOFTBALL, BASEBALL, ETC. MAY BE FORFEITURE OF GAME."

With the win, which will go down in the books as a 7-0 Barstow victory, the Aztecs will advance to play at Anaheim Western at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The protest of Yucaipa's 15-7 CIF-SS Division II first-round victory over La Crescenta Crescenta Valley Thursday was rejected Friday according to Yucaipa athletic director Mark Anderson.

The protest, filed by Crescenta Valley coach Phil Torres, was filed because Torres claimed that Yucaipa catcher Cody Meservey didn't leave the premises promptly after having been ejected in the top of the second inning. However, according to Anderson, Meservey didn't need to leave the premises at all.

"The rule is different for players than coaches," Anderson said. "If a coach is ejected, he must leave the premises, but a player can stay in the dugout or in the stands as long as he is supervised by an adult, which we did."

After Meservey blew off some steam from the ejection, Anderson escorted Meservey from the baseball field and took him over to the football stadium, where he watched the rest of the game by looking over the bleachers.

"The rule is different because what are you supposed to do if a player is ejected on the road?" Anderson said. "He can't leave the campus, like the rule for coaches states. That's why it's different. I think its unfortunate that the umpires didn't know this rule and this got as far as it did."

Anderson drove to the CIF-SS offices in Los Alamitos to make the case for the No. 2-seeded Thunderbirds Friday morning. It didn't take much of an argument though, as the CIF had no inclination to change the result of the game.

"They said that I really didn't need to go down there because there were no grounds for a reversal," Anderson said. "I just wanted to make sure that we did everything in our power to explain our point of view."

Yucaipa will continue its playoff run with a second-round game against Cypress Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. at Yucaipa High School.

After working out this past weekend at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Cajon senior guard Layshia Clarendon was named as one of 14 finalists for the Under-19 National Team Sunday. Clarendon, a 5-9 point guard who will play for California next season, will return to Colorado Springs July 9 to compete for a spot on the final roster, which will consist of 12 players. The 14 finalists were culled from a pool of 27 high school and college players that tried out this past weekend.

The United States' Under-19 National Team then will travel to Thailand for the 2009 FIBA World Championships, which start July 23.in Bangkok. Past standouts that have played on this team include Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Don Lugo alum Diana Taurasi.

Cajon senior guard Layshia Clarendon continues to rub her elbows with the elite in girls basketball, as she is in Colorado Springs currently working out with top high school and college players at the U.S. Olympic Training facility according to an e-mail sent by Cowgirls coach Mark Lehman.

Clarendon is among a handful of high school players chosen to compete with college players for spots on the Junior National Basketball Team, which will compete in the World Championship Games this summer. More information on the event can be found at www.usabasketball.com.

Citrus Valley High School is planning a Parent/Player Meet the Coach night on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Redlands East Valley's administration upstairs conference room. The Blackhawks, who start varsity play this upcoming fall, hired Cantwell Sacred Heart's Peter Smolin as their first head coach earlier this week.

Smolin will discuss upcoming spring and summer practice and workout schedules with interested players and their parents. Citrus Valley will be fielding a team of freshmen and sophomore in its first varsity season.

There is a lot going on in the world of football recruiting, as the May evaluation period is underway. According to Rivals.com, Colton kicker Alejandro Maldonado has verbally committed to Washington while teammates Derrick Malone and Jonathan Mack are receiving intersst from schools such as Nebraska.

Maldonado verbally committed to the Huskies after they saw him practice Wednesday, which he accepted. This is what Maldonado told Rivals:

"I accepted it right away," he said. "It feels really good. It was my first one. I told my mom and dad about it, and everybody is really excited. I would say I'm a soft commitment, but I was told that I could come in there right and be their starting kicker right away."

Malone, a safety, is up to five scholarship offers (Arizona State, Nebraska, Nevada, UTEP and Washington) while Mack, a cornerback, has an offer from the Cornhuskers.

The CIF-Southern Section offices decided Tuesday that San Bernardino athletic director Patrick Mills should be suspended from coaching the Cardinals baseball team after pulling his team off of the field in the bottom of the fifth inning of San Bernardino's game with San Gorgonio on Friday afternoon. The San Bernardino Unified School District will comply with the CIF's suggestion according to CIF Director of Communications Thom Simmons.

Contacted via e-mail, Simmons submitted the below explanation on the CIF's position:

"CIF Southern Section Bluebook Rule 125.2 states very clearly that the expectation of the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee is for a coach that removes his team from a court or field prior to the end of a contest should be relieved from his/her duties for the balance of the season or face potential sanctions from the section. It is our understandiing that San Bernardino High School has done just that. We commend the San Bernardino principal for taking the actions he has to this point and await a final report from him with any possible additional penalties against Mr. Mills."

The last statement suggests that more sanctions against Mills could arise from the incident, where Mills had the San Bernardino baseball team walk off the field down 8-1 in the fifth inning to the Spartans. The Cardinals (3-21 overall, 1-12 San Andreas League) will conclude their season with an interim coach with two games against Cajon, playing at Cajon today and hosting the Cowboys Friday.

The Division I swimming preliminaries, scheduled for tomorrow at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach, is being moved to the Mills Aquatic Center on the Mt. SAC College campus. A continued problem with the Belmont Plaza's pump system - a problem that necessitated the moving of today's Division IV preliminaries - is the reason for the change according to a press release sent out my the CIF's main offices.

The location of events set to be held Thursday through Saturday are up in the air as the CIF consults with Belmont Plaza on the repair of the pump system. A decision on Thursday's action - and maybe Friday and Saturday's - will be made tomorrow by the CIF. Affected by the move tomorrow is the Citrus Belt League.

I received a call from Lynda Musgrove, the mother of 16-year-old San Bernardino High School junior track athlete Jermaine Musgrove, earlier today updating Jermaine's status. Musgrove is still in critical condition at Arrowhead Medical Center at Colton after collapsing during his leg of the 4x400 relay at last Wednesday's San Andreas League meet at Colton High School.

"He's doing OK," Lynda Musgrove said. "He's opening his eyes and moving his hands a bit. He's certainly not a vegetable right now. When you tell him to open his eyes, he opens them."

Lynda said that she isn't quite sure how far along Jermaine's awareness is, though stated that Jermaine's eyes followed his grandfather as his grandfather walked around his room. Jermaine's overall status and prognosis is still unclear though.

"He's showing signs, but not enough right now," Lynda said.

Lynda also made it a point to thank the communities of San Bernardino and the surrounding areas for their support of Jermaine. Besides visitors and get-well cards and posters, several area religious leaders have called for prayers for Jermaine according to Lynda.

Lynda also lauded a note written by Angelina Shelton on the Press-Enterprise's website. Here is the entry, which is published with Shelton's consent.

"I witnessed this child go down and my heart sank and left the track meet in tears. He was the same size, frame, and build as my son so it was very profound and emotional for me to see him lying there that way. The only difference was that he was wearing a SB uniform and not a Cajon uniform. While the ambulance was on site on the west side of the track, it took them about 5-6 minutes to get to the other side of the track. During this time the other coaches were giving him CPR. Upon arrival by the ambulance to him, it looked like they appeared to be using a defibrilator machine. As I saw the paramedics doing chest compressions on him (mind you for at least 20 minutes) I just prayed the blood of Jesus over him. The personnel were feverishly working on him and I just really thought about how his parents might not have known that at that moment that they're baby was down. As a mother, I was hurting for his mother, still am. I prayed to God that she would not have to bury her child while celebrating Mother's Day. I stopped one of his teammates before getting on the bus and told him to pray for his friend and he replied, "Yeah Jermaine's a cool dude, we got class together, he'll be straight." The drive home was very somber and emotional for me as I just kept praying out loud to myself for his parents, for him, for siblings if he had any. Just to let this boy live. I asked God if he's an angel that you need right now, then have mercy on his soul and give his parents the courage they'll need thru their grief. I then asked God if he's not an angel that you need right now, then give Jermaine the strength to pull thru and go home to his parents. I apologize for writing so much, but I woke up just heartbroken thinking about this child. I just hope that if his parents or family or friends read this that they take comfort in knowing that from one mother to the next your son is in my prayers and I will continue to plead the blood of Jesus over him until he is better. God bless."

The CIF-SS Division IV preliminary meet set to be held tomorrow at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach, has been moved to the MIlls Aquatics Facility on the campus of Mt. SAC College.

A failure in the pump system was the reason for the move according to a press release sent out by the CIF-SS offices late this morning. The issue could affect events past Tuesday, and more preliminaries/finals in other divisions could be moved if the pump system can not be repaired quickly. A determination on that will be made Tuesday.

Local leagues affected by today's announcement include the De Anza, the Mt. Baldy and the Sunkist.

Cajon softball coach Jerry Tivey was named the California Coaches Association's softball Coach of the Year late last week. Tivey will be honored at a banquet set to be held on June 13 in Irvine and will be in the running for the National Coach of the Year.

The Tivey-led Cowgirls have already clinched the San Andreas League title and are 20-4 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the SAL going into the final week of the season. They are No. 2 in the most recent Division III poll behind Westlake Village Oaks Christian and have been led by senior second baseman Brehanna Rodrigues (.569 batting average) and freshman pitcher Monique Wesley, who has thrown seven straight shutouts.

San Bernardino High School junior track and field athlete Jermaine Musgrove remained in the intensive care unit at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton Friday, where he has remained since collapsing during the San Andreas League track and field meet Wednesday evening.

Musgrove was running the third leg of the 4x400 relay at Colton High School, the last event of the meet, at around 7 p.m. when he collapsed. Witnesses at the scene said he was attended to on site and taken by ambulance to the medical center, where he remains in critical condition according to San Bernardino Unified School District spokeswoman Linda Bardere.

"We know that he was taken to the intensive care unit right away after collasping during the event," Bardere said. "It all happened pretty quickly He was running the race and all of a sudden he collapsed."

Musgrove, who had been cleared in a preseason physical examination for athletics according to Bardere, was a replacement in the relay for another San Bernardino athlete who was injured prior to the event. His status was still critical as of 1 p.m. Friday according to a spokesperson at the medical center and Bardere, with updates being provided by the district office through Musgrove's parents and San Bernardino High School principal Sandra Rodriguez.

The district is also addressing rumors that have spread on campus due to the high-profile nature of the event.

"With the high attendance of the event, a lot of students and parents saw it occur and rumors have spread because of it," Bardere said. "We are working with principal Rodriguez to address that and prevent any inaccurate information from spreading."

The San Bernardino High School community has rallied around Musgrove, as crisis teams have been on campus helping students cope with the incident while the Cardinals track and field team and various other San Bernardino students have visited Musgrove at the hospital and have given the Musgrove family its support.

"It's an image I'll never forget," San Bernardino track and field coach John Hinkleman said. "There were 30 or 40 kids that stopped by the hospital (Thursday) to give their wishes and kids are making posters and cards and pouring their hearts out for Jermaine and his family."

The Cardinals track team postponed its team picture, set for Thursday, as well, waiting to see how Musgrove's situation plays out before rescheduling.

Hesperia High School will hire Jeremy Topete as its next head football coach, pending school board approval at the upcoming meeting on May 18.

Topete, 36, served two stints as an assistant coach for the Scorpions, most recently as a wide receivers coach this past season. He was also an assistant for the Scorpions in 2005.

"I'm excited," said Topete, a University of La Verne graduate said. "We have a good thing going here at Hesperia and I'm looking to keep it going and build on what we have. We just had our first spring practice (Monday) and I'm just ready to get started."

Topete replaces Robert Kistner, the 2007 All-Sun Coach of the Year, who left to take the head job at brand-new Oak Hills High School. The Scorpions compiled a 21-3 record over the last two seasons under Kistner, including a school-record 11 victories and a Mojave River League title this past season.

"We have a lot of seniors out there who are hungry to keep the MRL title and win "The Key" for a third straight year," Topete said. "Everyone in the program has high expectations and we feel we have the parts in place to do those things."

Prior to his stints at Hesperia, Topete served as an assistant at San Dimas High School and Chaffey College. He was a quarterback coach at San Dimas from 1998-2000 before spending a four-year stint at Chaffey -- one as a QB coach and three as a running backs coach.

After spending a year at Hesperia, Topete went back to Chaffey as the offensive coordinator in 2006-07, a move he said was important in preparing him for a job like Hesperia's.

"It was a great opportunity I couldn't pass up," Topete said of the Chaffey offensive coordinator job. "It really helped me become a better coach and a better teacher. Our main goal is to not only teach kids plays and techniques, but why we run them a specific way."

Topete said that the Scorpions will be running a lot of the single-back formations that they did under Kistner while looking to free up senior wide receiver Jay Waddell -- an all-Sun second-team selection a year ago.

Had a brief conversation with Jeremy Topete, who confirmed to me that he will be the next head football coach at Hesperia High School pending approval by the Hesperia Unified School District. According to a quick Google search, Topete has been an assistant at Chaffey College.

We'll have more later.