February 2011 Archives

A total of 25 wrestlers from the county placed in the top 9 in their respective weight classes at Saturday's CIF-SS Masters Meet at Temecula Valley, qualifying them for the CIF State Championships at Bakersfield.

To give it perspective, with Masters results available on the internet going back to 2001, the most state qualifiers the county produced in any year during that time was 2007, when there were 19. So the 25 blows that out of the water.

Redlands East Valley's Chris Mecate (135) and Sultana's Ryan McWatters (171) were Masters champions.
A list of state qualifers by school: Oak Hills 5 (finishing second overall), Alta Loma 3, Bloomington 3, Los Osos 2, Colony 2, Chino Hills 2, Sultana 2, Redlands East Valley 1, Rim of the World 1, Cajon 1, Kaiser 1, Etiwanda 1, Hesperia 1.

Here's a link to the complete results:
http://www.tmi.150m.com/Results2010-2011/11-SSM-F.pdf

Arroyo Valley football coach Marcus Soward will be the next head coach at Miller pending approval at Wednesday's Fontana Unified School District board meeting, Soward said this afternoon.

"I accepted the job about a week ago," Soward said. "I've always had a dream of coaching in the CBL, having gone to Eisenhower High School, and this was the right time and right opportunity to make that move. I knew I wanted to do this someday and Miller is a great place to do it at."

Soward replaces Jeff Strycula, who was removed from his job less than 24 hours before the Rebels' season finale with Redlands East Valley in mid-November. Soward has coached at San Bernardino and Arroyo Valley High Schools, compiling a 15-16 record during the last three seasons with the Hawks and guiding Arroyo Valley to the playoffs in 2009. He served as an assistant at Arroyo under Tony DiThomas as well. But that playoff appearance isn't the thing that Soward is proudest of at Arroyo Valley.

"We had a team GPA of 3.29 last year," Soward said. "I had some great kids, some hard-working kids at Arroyo Valley and I'm thankful for them. We'll have a meeting after everything is official and I'm sure some tears will be shed, because I'll miss those guys."

That being said, Soward is excited about the opportunity that Miller - which made the playoffs three consecutive years before being eliminated by a coin flip this past season - presents.

"We are just looking to bring the title back west," Soward said. "It's been at Redlands East Valley and Redlands for too long and this is where it belongs. And I think we can do it. I was very impressed by the adminstration and there have been some great players come through here like (Green Bay Packers) linebacker Nick Barnett. I'm ready to go."

After the first day of the CIF-SS Masters Wrestling Championships at Temecula Valley, 12 wrestlers from the county have advanced to the semifinals and clinched a spot among the top six. The top 9 in each weight class advance to the CIF State Championships at Bakersfield next weekend. There are 18 others from the county alive in consolation. In each weight class, there are 12 wrestlers who make it to day 2.

County semifinalists: 103: Christian Martin (Chino Hills), 119: Timmy Maldonado (Los Osos) vs. Ray Delgado (Oak Hills), 135: Eric Dunlap (Cajon, despite finishing 5th last week), Chris Mecate (Redlands East Valley); 140: Eli Mack (Alta Loma), Seth Whisner (Rim of the World), 145: Michael Gonzalez (Sultana); 160: Jon Solano (Los Osos); 171: Robert Marchese (Oak Hills), Ryan McWatters (Sultana); 189: Anthony Flores (Kaiser).

Others still alive: 103: Anthony Roybal (Hesperia), Anthony Soto (Colony), 125: Edward Lopez (Victor Valley), Spencer Glasheen (Upland), Gilbert Gomez (Colony); 130: Michael Rodriguez (Alta Loma); 135: Jacob Leon (Alta Loma); 145: Alex Cruz (Bloomington); 152: Juan Alvarado (Bloomington); 160: Zach Vom Steeg (Oak Hills), Edward Randolph (Bloomington); 171: Brody Goens (Chino HIlls); 189: Marin Padilla (Bloomington); 215: Garrardo Aguirre (Oak Hills), J.J. Everard (Etiwanda), Rene Sanchez (Bloomington); Heavyweight: Martin Gonzalez (Montclair), Anthony Jimenez (Oak Hills).

Leading teams with wrestlers alive: Oak Hills 5, Bloomington 5, Alta Loma 3.

No neutral sites here. To be played tomorrow.

Division 3
Corona del Mar at Santa Maria
Lompoc Cabrillo at No. 4 Paramount
Warren at Century
Fontana at Hart

Division 4
No. 1 Santa Monica at Oak Hills
Artesia at No. 4 Salesian
Ganesha at No. 3 Cathedral
No. 2 El Rancho at Crescenta Valley

Division 5
No. 1 La Canada at Carpinteria
Cajon at Oaks Christian
No. 3 Los Amigos at Baldwin Park
Amino Leadership at No. 2 Victor Valley

Division 7
No. 1 Cate at The Grove
University Prep at La Sierra Academy
No. 3 Paraclete at West Shores
No. 2 Mammoth at Kilpatrick

Still waiting on official confirmation from the Division 6A matchup between Calvary Baptist and Redlands Adventist Academy locally, but this is what we got right now for Saturday.

Division 1A
No. 4 Rancho Cucamonga vs. No. 1 Edison at Huntington Beach HS
No. 3 Woodbridge vs. No. 2 Troy

Division 2AA
No. 6 Inglewood vs. No. 1 Rialto at Carter HS
No. 5 Canyon Country Canyon vs. No. 2 Buena

Division 6AA
Lone Pine vs. No. 1 Mesa Grande Academy at Mesa View Middle School
No. 11 LA Adventist vs. No. 2 Rio Hondo Prep

Division 6A
No. 1 Rolling Hills Prep vs. No. 4 Santa Maria Valley Christian
No. 3 Calvary Baptist vs. No. 2 Redlands Adventist

Colton athletic director Harold Strauss, who won 229 games in a storied high school career at Colton, Bloomington Christian and in Oregon, will be inducted into the Southern California High School Coaches Hall of Fame this weekend and honored at a banquet on Sunday.

Strauss is the second Inland Empire coaching legend to receive this honor in as many years, as former Fontana and Kaiser coach Dick Bruich received the honor last year. Bruich will be one of the keynote speakers at Sunday's banquet.

These will be played tomorrow.

Division 2
Corona Santiago at No. 1 Palos Verdes
Upland at No. 4 Buena
No. 3 Long Beach Wilson at Sunny Hills
No. 2 Los Osos at Newbury Park

Division 3
Flintridge Prep at No. 1 Ayala
Quartz Hill at Righetti
Garden Grove Pacifica at No. 3 Granite Hills
Serrano at No. 2 La Puente Bishop Amat

Division 4
Arlington at No. 1 Oaks Christian
Ramona Convent at Don Lugo
Chino at No. 3 Canyon Springs
No. 2 Brentwood at South Torrance

Division 5
Palm Desert at No. 1 Lancaster Desert Christian
No. 4 Lompoc Cabrillo at Woodcrest Christian
Downey at No. 3 Santa Ynez
Cajon at No. 2 La Serna

Division 7
Citrus Valley at Marshall
Desert Hot Springs at Amino Leadership
Arroyo vs. No. 3 Sierra Canyon at El Camino Real HS
Viewpoint vs. No. 2 Rim of the World at San Gorgonio HS

The neutral sites for Friday's CIF-SS boys basketball semifinal matchups were chosen Wednesday. Summit, the No. 6 seeded team in Division 2AA, will "host" No. 2 seeded Mission Viejo at 7 p.m. at Miller High School. Redlands East Valley, the No. 5 seed in the Division 1A playoffs, will play top-seeded Los Angeles Loyola at 7 p.m. at Cal State Los Angeles while Redlands Adventist Academy, the No. 3 seed in Division 6A, will play at Boron at 2:45 p.m.

The other county boys team still alive is Etiwanda, the No. 4 seed in Division 1AA. The Eagles will play No. 1 seeded Long Beach Poly Tuesday at the Anaheim Convention Center as part of doubleheader that also involves No. 3 Corona Centennial and No. 2 Santa Ana Mater Dei.

The girls basketball neutral sites for semifinal games that will be played Saturday will be decided today.

These will be played Wednesday, with finals set for Saturday at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

Division 4
No. 3 Los Osos vs. No. 2 Dana Hills, 2:30 p.m., Woollett Aquatic Center
Upland vs. No. 1 Harvard-Westlake, 4 p.m., Woollett Aquatic Center

Division 5
No. 3 Crescenta Valley vs. No. 2 Temescal Canyon, 6 p.m., Mt. SAC, Walnut
No. 4 Bonita vs. No. 1 Redlands East Valley, 7:30 p.m., Mt. SAC

Division 7
No. 3 Cajon vs. No. 2 Santa Ana Valley, 4 p.m., Costa Mesa HS
Katella vs No. 1 Garden Grove, 5:30 p.m., Costa Mesa HS

Catching up a bit from my days off. These games will be played tomorrow.

Division 1AA
No. 9 Corona Santiago at No. 1 Brea Olinda
No. 5 Cajon at No. 4 Canyon Springs
No. 3 Mater Dei at No. 6 Etiwanda
No. 7 Santa Monica at No. 2 Long Beach Poly

Division 1A
No. 1 Edison at Corona
No. 5 Villa Park at No. 4 Rancho Cucamonga
No. 3 Woodbridge at No. 6 Corona Centennial
No. 2 Troy at No. 7 Chino Hills

Division 2AA
No. 1 Rialto at No. 8 Norco
No. 4 Burbank Burroughs at No. 6 Inglewood
No. 5 Canyon Country Canyon at No. 3 Huntington Beach
No. 10 Murrieta Valley at No. 2 Buena

Division 6AA
No. 1 Mesa Grande Academy at No. 9 Mayfield
No. 12 Pasadena AGBU at Lone Pine
Pilgrim at No. 11 LA Adventist
No. 2 Rio Hondo Prep at No. 7 Cal Lutheran

Division 6A
No. 1 Rolling Hills Prep at Le Lycee
No. 4 Santa Maria Valley Christian at Santa Clarita Christian
No. 3 Calvary Baptist at Price
No. 2 Redlands Adventist at West Valley Christian

Division 2A
No. 1 Harvard-Westlake at No. 8 Cypress
No. 4 Indio at No. 5 Santa Barbara
No. 6 Mayfair at No. 3 Mark Keppel
No. 7 Eisenhower at No. 2 Anaheim Canyon

To be played Tuesday. Division 6AA has quite a few games today so we'll update that one later.

Division 1AA
No. 1 Long Beach Poly at No. 8 Montebello
No. 4 Etiwanda at No. 12 Valencia
No. 11 Upland at No. 3 Corona Centennial
No. 2 Mater Dei at No. 7 Eisenhower

Division 1A
No. 9 Montclair at No. 1 Loyola
No. 5 Redlands East Valley at No. 4 Downey
No. 3 Capistrano Valley at No. 6 Silverado
Walnut at No. 2 Aliso Niguel

Division 2AA
No. 1 Ventura at No. 9 Villa Park
No. 5 Edison at No. 4 Compton
No. 3 Anaheim Canyon at No. 6 Summit
No. 10 Colony at No. 2 Mission Viejo

Division 4A
No. 8 Whittier Christian at No. 1 Oaks Christian
No. 5 JSerra at No. 4 Morningside
No. 6 Buckley at No. 14 La Salle
No. 7 Ontario Christian at No. 2 Maranatha

Division 5A
No. 1 Sierra Canyon at No. 9 Aquinas
No. 4 Pasadena Poly at No. 5 Renaissance Academy
No. 6 Brethren Christian at No. 3 Montclair Prep
No. 8 Ribet Academy at No. 2 St. Bernard

Division 6A
No. 1 Padre Pio at No. 8 Midland
No. 4 Calvary Baptist at No. 5 Arshag Dickranian
No. 6 Trinity Classical Academy at No. 3 Redlands Adventist
No. 2 Boron at No. 7 Bethel Baptist

These are set for Wednesday.

Division 2
No. 1 Mission Viejo at Riverside King
Coachella Valley at Great Oak
Valley View at Claremont
No. 4 Sunny Hills at Foothill
No. 3 El Modena at Arlington
Santa Ana at Capistrano Valley
La Habra at Chino Hills
Chaparral at No. 2 Canyon Springs

Division 3
Oxnard at Santa Maria
Santa Ana Valley at Corona del Mar
Hueneme at Lompoc Cabrillo
No. 4 Paramount at Yucaipa
No. 3 Woodbridge at Century
Montclair at Warren
University at Hart
No. 2 Katella at Fontana

Games will be played Tuesday.

Division 1
No. 1 San Clemente at Yucaipa
Los Alamitos at Corona del Mar
Santa Margarita at Harvard-Westlake
No. 4 Dana Hills at Trabuco Hills
No. 3 Flintridge Sacred Heart at Aliso Niguel
Tesoro at Newport Harbor
Mission Viejo at Edison
No. 2 Esperanza at Mater Dei

Division 2
No. 1 Palos Verdes at Troy
Westlake at Corona Santiago
Murrieta Valley at Upland
No. 4 Buena at Riverside King
No. 3 Long Beach Wilson at Mira Costa
Sunny Hills at Glendora
Riverside Poly at Newbury Park
Peninsula at No. 2 Los Osos

Here they are for tomorrow.

Division 1AA
No. 1 Brea Olinda at Mira Costa
No. 9 Corona Santiago at No. 8 Summit
Colony at No. 5 Cajon
No. 4 Canyon Springs at No. 13 Lynwood
No. 14 Warren at No. 3 Mater Dei
No. 11 Redondo Union at No. 6 Etiwanda
No. 10 Laguna Hills at No. 7 Santa Monica
No. 2 Long Beach Poly at Silverado

Division 1A
No. 16 Arcadia at No. 1 Edison
No. 8 Valencia at Corona
No. 12 Riverside Poly at No. 5 Villa Park
No. 4 Rancho Cucamonga at No. 13 Capistrano Valley
No. 14 Los Alamitos at No. 3 Woodbridge
No. 6 Corona Centennial at California
No. 7 Chino Hills at No. 10 Ventura
No. 15 Marlborough at No. 2 Troy

Division 1AA
Palmdale Knight at No. 1 Long Beach Poly
No. 8 Montebello at No. 10 Roosevelt
No. 12 Valencia at No. 5 Murrieta Valley
No. 13 Chino Hills at No. 4 Etiwanda
No. 3 Corona Centennial at No. 14 Los Alamitos
No. 6 Pasadena at No. 11 Upland
No. 7 Eisenhower at Lakewood
No. 15 Rancho Verde at No. 2 Mater Dei

Division 1A
No. 16 Highland at No. 1 Loyola
No. 8 El Toro at No. 9 Montclair
No. 12 Cajon at No. 5 Redlands East Valley
No. 13 Fountain Valley at No. 4 Downey
No. 3 Capistrano Valley at No. 14 San Clemente
Palmdale at No. 6 Silverado
Walnut at Quartz Hill
Arroyo Valley at No. 2 Aliso Niguel

I was going to have an article in tomorrow's paper on San Bernardino senior guard Choncey White. However, the Cardinals were upset 62-54 by Manhattan Beach Mira Costa last night in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2A playoffs, so the story won't run.

Luckily, this is one of the main reasons I enjoy having this blog, because, quite frankly, White is one of the more impressive players I've had the pleasure to watch this season and deserves to be lauded. He stands about 5-foot-10, which means I can look him straight in the eye. But anyone who watches White knows that he plays much bigger than that.

"I go into the lane without fear because I really feel that no one can stop me," White said. "They may be bigger than me, but I'm going to get where I want to go and I'm not going to be scared off by bigger players."

White exhibited this tenacity in San Bernardino's historic 83-57 victory at Cajon Jan. 19 - the Cardinals first victory over the Cowboys in 18 years. At a key juncture in the second quarter of what was a close game, White and Cajon's 6-7 center Lorelle Martin were locked in a scramble for a loose ball when the bigger Martin pushed White out of the way.

White was unintimidated, getting right back into Martin's face (or more accurately, arching his neck to talk to Martin at close range) and bugging the Cajon player to the point where Martin pushed him off, earning a technical foul and setting the fire for a Cardinal burst that eventually overwhelmed Cajon.

The San Andreas League saw three basketball streaks, all of which involved Cajon in some way, shape or form, disinegrate during this season. The most notable of the three came on the girls' side, as the Cowgirls saw their 85-game league winning streak -- a streak that dated back to the 2002-03 campaign -- snapped Jan. 28 with a 43-41 loss against Rialto. Cajon and the Knights, the No. 1 seed in the Division 2AA playoffs, tied for the league championship. Summit now has the longest league win streak in the county for girls basketball, having won all 50 of its Sunkist League games since opening its doors in 2006.

San Bernardino also broke a pair of streaks this past season, as the Cardinals defeated Cajon for the first time in 18 years en route to winning their first league title since 1993. San Bernardino, the No. 6 seed in the D2A playoffs, broke their streak of futility against Cajon with an 83-57 win Jan. 19 and extended their winning streak over the Cowboys with a 79-71 win last Monday. San Bernardino has now won 18 SAL games in a row dating back to last year.

Other boys basketball teams with long league winning streaks include Eisenhower and Summit, who won undefeated league titles in the Citrus Belt and Sunkist Leagues, respectively. The Eagles have now won 32 CBL games in a row dating back to the 2008-09 season while the SkyHawks have won 29 games in the Sunkist League dating back to 08-09.

Titans FC announced the rosters for their 4th annual Inland Empire Showcase boys soccer all-star game which will be held March 13 at 5 p.m. at Norco High School earlier this week. Check-in for the game will be at 3 p.m.

County players who will be taking part in the game are Jesse Huerta (Eisenhower), Omar Vasquez (Fontana), Isaac Fonseca (Fontana), Giovani Romero (Yucaipa), Christopher Angenet (Yucaipa), Angel Deleon (San Gorgonio), Jorge Caballero (San Gorgonio), Gerardo Montes (Carter), Robert Rodriquez (Colton), Jorge Ruiz (Kaiser), Juan Nuno (Oak Hills), Javier Botello (Bloomington), Kramer Gudgeon (Redlands East Valley) and Jeff Salt (Summit).

Even though National Signing Day for the football class of 2011 was only two weeks ago, 2012 recruiting is going at full force, with Upland wide receiver Kenny Lawler making a verbal commitment to Arizona State Monday according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Lawler, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound incoming senior, led the Highlanders in receiving a year ago with 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns. He joins Osahon Irabor, a 2009 Upland graduate who started the second half of this past season at cornerback as a redshirt freshman, in Tempe.

Rialto and Mesa Grande Academy each notched No. 1 seed, with the Knights getting the top seed in Division 2-AA and Mesa Grande doing the game in D6-AA. Redlands Adventist Academy came through with the No. 2 seed in D6-A as well.

Division 1-AA
First Round (Thursday)
San Clemente at No. 1 Brea Olinda
Jordan at Mira Costa
Great Oak at No. 9 Corona Santiago
Knight at No. 8 Summit
Ayala at No. 5 Cajon
No. 12 Chaparral at Colony
No. 13 Lynwood at Oxnard Pacifica
Long Beach Wilson at No. 4 Canyon Springs
King at No. 3 Mater Dei
Schurr at No. 14 Warren
Millikan at No. 11 Redondo
Perris at No. 6 Etiwanda
Rancho Verde at No. 7 Santa Monica
Palmdale at No. 10 Laguna Hills
No. 16 Roosevelt at Silverado
Los Osos at No. 2 Long Beach Poly

Division 1-A
First Round (Thursday)
No. 1 Edison, bye
No. 16 Arcadia at Santa Fe
Corona at No. 9 El Toro
Diamond Bar at No. 8 Valencia
No. 5 Villa Park at Montclair
No. 12 Riverside Poly at Redlands
No. 13 Capistrano Valley, bye
Fountain Valley at No. 4 Rancho Cucamonga
No. 3 Woodbridge, bye
No. 14 Los Alamitos at Walnut
No. 11 Dana Hills at California
Trabuco Hills at No. 6 Corona Centennial
Redlands East Valley at No. 7 Chino Hills
Arroyo Valley at No. 10 Ventura
Crescenta Valley at No. 15 Marlborough
No. 2 Troy, bye

The highest county seed is actually Redlands Adventist Academy, which is the No. 3 seed in Division 6-AA. Etiwanda is the leader of the bigger schools, grabbing the No. 4 seed in Division 1-AA, three spots ahead of two-time D2-A champion Eisenhower.

Division 1-AA
First Round (Wednesday)
Corona Santiago at No. 1 Long Beach Poly
No. 16 Los Osos at Knight
No. 10 Roosevelt at Perris
Redlands at No. 8 Montebello
Corona at No. 5 Murrieta Valley
Oxnard at No. 12 Valencia
Leuzinger at No. 13 Chino Hills
Long Beach Wilson at No. 4 Etiwanda
Great Oak at No. 3 Corona Centennial
Lynwood at No. 14 Los Alamitos
Santa Monica at No. 11 Upland
Trabuco Hills at No. 6 Pasadena
Chaparral at No. 7 Eisenhower
Lakewood at No. 9 Thousand Oaks
Bell Gardens at No. 15 Rancho Verde
Rancho Cucamonga at No. 2 Mater Dei

Division 1-A
First Round (Wednesday)
No. 1 Loyola, bye
Arcadia at No. 16 Highland
Rialto at No. 9 Montclair
Santa Fe at No. 8 El Toro
Dana Hills at No. 5 Redlands East Valley
Diamond Bar at No. 12 Cajon
No. 13 Fountain Valley at California
No. 4 Downey, bye
West Covina at No. 3 Capistrano Valley
No. 14 San Clemente at El Rancho
No. 11 Vista Murrieta at Palmdale
No. 6 Silverado, bye
Quartz Hill at No. 7 Crescenta Valley
No. 10 Tesoro at Walnut
No. 15 Warren at Arroyo Valley
No. 2 Aliso Niguel, bye

The basketball ones are being released as we speak. While those slowly are released, here are the girls water polo matchups. Redlands East Valley is the local highlight, grabbing the No. 1 seed in Division 5.

Division 5
Wild Card (to be played Tuesday)
A: Burbank Burroughs at Perris

First Round (Wednesday)
Wild Card A at No. 1 Redlands East Valley
Glendale at La Sierra
Elsinore at Pasadena
Jurupa Valley at No. 4 Bonita
Yucaipa at No. 3 Crescenta Valley
Walnut at Arlington
Redlands at Los Altos
Burbank at No. 2 Temescal Canyon

UCLA fullback Jayson Allmond, a Bloomington High School graduate, is transferring to Northern Arizona according to Jon Gold's UCLA blog. A Q&A with Allmond, who just completed his redshirt freshman season for the Bruins, can be accessed here.

The Bloomington wrestling team won the CIF-SS Division 5 championship this evening at Anaheim Western High School, outpointing top-seeding Valencia 41-19 in the finals. The second-seeded Bruins were led by Israel Rodriguez, who will be competing in the CIF Individual meet in the 112-pound class.

Miller sprinter Davonte Stewart will sign a letter of intent to run at USC at Friday at noon at Miller High School after committing to the Trojans last week according to Miller athletic director John Romagnoli. Stewart burst onto the scene during the track postseason last spring, winning both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the CIF-SS championships and finishing second at the state meet in the 200.

Miller also saw quarterback Eric Shufford sign with Weber State last week. Shufford ran and passed for over 1,000 yards this past season in helping the Rebels tie for second place in the Citrus Belt League.

After three years at Pacific High School, Oscar Torres resigned in December from his position as Pirates head football coach. As has been the case with other Pirate coaches during the past decade, Torres wasn't able to win many games, compiling a 2-28 record, including an 0-10 mark this past season.

"I got burned out from all of the outside factors that came with being the coach," said Torres, who will remain at the school as a physical education teacher. "The fundraising, the grade checks, the raising money for equipment because the school couldn't afford it, it just took a toll and it burned me out."

Losing also burned out Torres, whose two victories came in 2008 against San Bernardino and 2009 against Citrus Valley. Establishing an infrastructure at a program that's starved for success was more than Torres could handle.

"I felt like I was banging my head against the wall, that I was in a dark tunnel with no light at the end," Torres said. "Changing the perception here was a full-time job and I gave as much as I was able to give and wasn't seeing the results."

Torres will take a break from coaching to spend time with his 5-year old son.

San Bernardino High School boys basketball coach Darin Graham gives his team the night of and the morning after a big win to celebrate. After Monday's 79-73 victory over Cajon clinched the Cardinals' first league championship in 18 years, Graham will give his players the afternoon to celebrate as well.

"In one word, the feeling is great," Graham said. "This was a long time coming and the mood around campus is something I haven't seen here in a while. Students, teachers, administrators, everyone is happy and school spirit is as high as it has been in years."

That school spirit contributed to an electric atmosphere at Cardinal City Arena Monday night, as famed alumni such as Mark Seay and Jack Brown were among the fans attending. Recent Cardinal alumni spearheaded the Gatorade bath of Graham after the victory and helped lead the throng of fans who rushed the floor to celebrate the historic win.

"Everyone who has been in this program can share in this victory," Graham said. "Cajon has dominated across the board for a long time and for us to get this victory meant so much, from our current players to our former players. They all were a part of what led up to this."

After losing to the Cardinals 83-57 at Cajon Jan. 19 for their first loss to San Bernardino in 18 years, Cajon came out playing well, leading for most of the first two quarter and only being down 33-32 at halftime. But a 22-13 Cardinal spurt in the third quarter led by seniors Choncey White, who ended with 23 points, and Jeremiah Tardy, who had 17 on the game, gave San Bernardino wiggle room and eventually got the party started.

"We were 12-0 coming in, they were 11-1," Graham said. "I told our guys that they weren't going to back down and let us have this, that we had to take it. That's exactly what we did."

While football got almost all of the National Signing Day coverage Wednesday, Los Osos had two water polo players - Dominic Vicino and Matt Wong - sign letters of intent to the Air Force Academy. Wong and Vicino were key components in Los Osos' CIF championship team as sophomores in 2008, along with their CIF finalist team in 2009 and this year's team, which lost in the semifinals. Vicino was the MVP of the Southern California High School All-Star game this past season as well.

Wong (left) and Vicino (right) are pictured below along with Los Osos baseball player Cody Rogina, who signed with UC Riverside.

Before we get into this, here's a picture of Los Osos wide receiver Paul Pitts, who was one of three county players to sign with San Diego State today. The picture was submitted by his parents.

Number of signees by high school:

1 tie) Colton 3, Kaiser 3, 3 tie) Chino 2, Chino Hills 2, Etiwanda 2, Redlands 2, Upland 2, 8 tie) Los Osos 1, Redlands East Valley 1, San Gorgonio 1, Summit 1.

Kind of a down year as far as numbers, as REV - which is good for 3 guys a year - only sent Josh Armstrong to FCS Sacramento State. As you would guess, the more successful schools sent the most guys on, as every school with multiple signees went to the playoffs with all but Redlands making it to the second round. The top two schools, Colton and Kaiser, were extremely successful, with the Cats going 12-1 and the Yellowjackets winning the CIF-SS Central Division number.

Crazily enough, the JCs were fruitful this year, with Chaffey sending three to BCS schools and Victor Valley sending 1.

Number of signees by college.

1) Oregon 4 2) San Diego State 3 3 tie) Nebraska 2, Portland State 2, Sacramento State 2, UC Davis 2 7 tie) Boise State 1, Hawaii 1, Montana 1, Nevada 1, San Jose State 1, Texas A&M 1, USC 1, Utah 1, Washington State 1.

Two of the more successful programs of late built on their successes this year, as Oregon and San Diego State have each combined to sign seven county kids over the last two recruiting cycles. The Ducks were especially effective, grabbing the top two kids in the area in Summit's Devon Blackmon and Chino Hills' Ifo Ekpre-Olomu along with Colton's Rodney Hardrick and Etiwanda's Jamal Prater.

With Oregon's surge came the fall from the two LA powers, as UCLA was shutout after cleaning up in 2009 and USC only got Chaffey College's Dallas Kelley this year after grabbing three players last year. And it wasn't for lack of trying, as both schools were after Blackmon and USC made a last-ditch effort to get Chino's Quinton Pedroza, who signed with Utah after decommitting from Arizona State this morning.

San Diego State has been a force in the IE under Brady Hoke and kept San Gorgonio's Paul Rodriguez, Redlands' Jordan Smith and Pitts (pictured above) despite Hoke going to Michigan. It will be interesting to see if Rocky Long can keep up Hoke's momentum, or if the Wolverines start becoming a factor in Southern California again.

Along with the list below, here are a couple pictures of some signings, the first being San Gorgonio offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez to San Diego State. Ajzhana Cordova and Summer Mathews contributed the photo.

And here are Kaiser players (from left) Dennis Taylor, Walter Earnest and Desman Carter, who signed this morning with Portland State, UC Davis and Nevada, respectively. Kaiser coach Phil Zelaya is in the background.

And the rest of the list.

Promise Amadi, WR, Chino -- Hawaii
Josh Armstrong, DB, Redlands East Valley -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Devon Blackmon, WR, Summit -- Oregon
Desman Carter, DB, Kaiser -- Nevada
Joseph Carter, DE, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, DB, Chino Hills -- Oregon
Walter Earnest, DE, Kaiser -- UC Davis (FCS)
Tyler Ervin, RB/DB, Colton -- San Jose State
Johntel Franklin, DB, Victor Valley College -- Texas A&M
Rodney Hardrick, LB, Colton -- Oregon
Nate Harris, DB, Chino Hills -- Montana (FCS)
Dallas Kelley, LB, Chaffey College -- USC
Marcus Mason, RB, Etiwanda -- Washington State
Justin Nunes, QB, Upland -- UC Davis (FCS)
Quinton Pedroza, WR, Chino -- Utah
Paul Pitts, WR, Los Osos -- San Diego State
Jamal Prater, OL, Etiwanda -- Oregon
Paul Rodriguez, OL, San Gorgonio -- San Diego State
John Siliga, DL, Redlands -- Portland State (FCS)
Jordan Smith, OL, Redlands -- San Diego State
Daimion Stafford, DB, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Dennis Taylor, LB, Kaiser -- Portland State (FCS)
John Taylor, OL/DL, Colton -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Jake Van Ginkel, K, Upland -- Boise State

According to Rivals.com, Chino wide receiver Quinton Pedroza has switched his commitment to the University of Utah from Arizona State and has faxed in his letter of intent to the Utes. According to colleague Clay Fowler, Pedroza was mulling over a late offer from USC along with offers from Utah, where he visited two weekends ago, and Arizona State, which he committed to on Jan. 13 after a visit.

Either this blog or Fowler's blog will have the latest.

Redlands High School got an 11th-hour commitment last night when all-CIF defensive tackle John Siliga committed to Portland State. Siliga signed his letter of intent alongside Redlands teammate Jordan Smith, who signed with San Diego State, at midfield of Dodge Stadium.

"I decided last night," Siliga said. "They offered me at the beginning and have stuck by me this entire time. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go that far from home but Portland State is a great place for me."

Smith was styling for his signing, sporting a black SDSU hat with shades, a red Aztec t-shirt and black pants. After a whirlwind couple of weeks that saw Smith almost reopen his recruitment after former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke left for the Michigan coaching job, Smith was happy to finally ink with the school he's been committed to since June.

"It's such an honor to be able to play college football," Smith said. "To have your school paid for for four years is unbelievable. I can't wait to get down to San Diego State. I was a little nervous with the coach Hoke situation, but (new SDSU coach Rocky) Long talked to me on the phone, went over my options with me and now I'm excited."

County football players that will signing National Letters of Intent with Division I schools today as part of National Signing Day. Let me know if I've missed anyone.

Promise Amadi, WR, Chino -- Hawaii
Josh Armstrong, DB, Redlands East Valley -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Devon Blackmon, WR, Summit -- Oregon
Desman Carter, DB, Kaiser -- Nevada
Joseph Carter, DE, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, DB, Chino Hills -- Oregon
Walter Earnest, DE, Kaiser -- UC Davis (FCS)
Tyler Ervin, RB/DB, Colton -- San Jose State
Johntel Franklin, DB, Victor Valley College -- Texas A&M
Rodney Hardrick, LB, Colton -- Oregon
Nate Harris, DB, Chino Hills -- Montana (FCS)
Dallas Kelley, LB, Chaffey College -- USC
Marcus Mason, RB, Etiwanda -- Washington State
Justin Nunes, QB, Upland -- UC Davis (FCS)
Quentin Pedroza, WR, Chino -- Arizona State
Paul Pitts, WR, Los Osos -- San Diego State
Jamal Prater, OL, Etiwanda -- Oregon
Paul Rodriguez, OL, San Gorgonio -- San Diego State
Jordan Smith, OL, Redlands -- San Diego State
Daimion Stafford, DB, Chaffey College -- Nebraska
Dennis Taylor, LB, Kaiser -- Portland State (FCS)
John Taylor, OL/DL, Colton -- Sacramento State (FCS)
Jake Van Ginkel, K, Upland -- Boise State

Just got off the phone with Kaiser coach Phil Zelaya, who said that three players will be signing National Letters of Intent to Division I schools tomorrow at the school at 9 a.m. Signing will be defensive back Desman Carter (Nevada), linebacker Dennis Taylor (Portland State) and defensive end Walter Earnest (UC Davis).

San Gorgonio also has announced the signing time for offensive lineman Paul Rodriguez, who will sign with San Diego State. Rodriguez will sign with the Aztecs at 8 a.m. tomorrow at San G in room C-34.