Recently in Bloomington High School Category

I realize I probably haven't mentioned all of these on this blog, so here are the changes announced this week in area football coaches

Marcos Fino takes over at Bloomington, replacing Tommy Conner, who stepped down after the season. Fino had been an assistant at Bloomington. He had also been an assistant at one point at Yucaipa, where he graduated from.

Marcos Fino will be Bloomington's next football coach, pending approval by the Colton Joint Unified School District at Thursday night's meeting.

Although the district cannot comment on Fino's hiring at this time, he is listed on the agenda for Thursday night's meeting as being up for approval to be Bloomington's next head foootball coach.

Although I'm not sure if he currently is, it appears at one point that Fino taught in the Colton district. He also may have coached at Yucaipa at one time, although not under current Yucaipa head coach Justin Price.

It was a good day for San Bernardino County wrestlers, as a total of 26 advanced to next weekend's CIF State Championships in Bakersfield.

The county produced three champions: Chino Hills senior Christian Martin (113), Sultana sophomore Corey Griego (152) and Oak Hills senior Robert Marchese (195). Marchese is ranked No. 1 in the state and improved his record to 45-0.

A listing by school of state qualifiers, with some notes:

Alta Loma (4): Jacob Leon (2nd, 138, qualifies for 2nd straight year), Eli Mack (4th, 145, qualifies for 2nd straight year), Joseph Rodriguez (8th, 152), Anthony Flores (5th, 195, qualified last year while at Kaiser). First time 4 state qualifiers in same year.
Apple Valley (1): Anthony Ballinger (5th, 182)
Arroyo Valley (1): Bryan Garcia (9th, 160), first ever wrestling state qualifier from the school. Only 2nd state qualifier from school in any sport.
Bloomington (1): Derrick Jones (5th, 220, only a sophomore)
Carter (2): Casper Sherow (6th, 126, first Masters semifinalist in school history), Kenneth Clark (8th, 285). First time 2 state qualifiers from Carter in the same year.
Chino Hills (2): Christian Martin (1st, 113, qualifies for 2nd straight year), Brody Goens (6th, 182)
Colony (1): Anthony Soto (9th, 106 qualifies for 2nd straight year)
Etiwanda (2): Larry Cutbirth (3rd, 182, held out of Masters last year for academics), J.J. Everard (3rd, 220, qualifies for 2nd straight year). 2nd time in school history two state qualifiers the same year.
Granite Hills (1): Ryan Soto (2nd, 152)
Los Osos (2): Timmy Maldonado (3rd, 132), Jon Solano (3rd, 170). Both qualify for 2nd straight year
Miller (1): Raymond Sanchez (9th, 182)
Oak Hills (1): Robert Marchese (1st, 195, placed at state the last 2 years)
Rialto (1): Thomas Pegues (9th, 145) Was 5th last week at CIF-SS Southern Division. Third qualifier in school history.
Rim of the World (1): Seth Whisner (8th, 145, qualifies for 2nd straight year)
Serrano (1): Shaun Donley (7th, 170)
Sultana (3): Corey Griego (1st, 152, only a sophomore), Matt Williams (5th, 160) and Zach Williams (9th, 220). Williams are brothers
Victor Valley (1): Zack Douglass (6th, 160)

Congratulations to both Bloomington and Victor Valley on Saturday as they won the Division 5 and 4 CIF-SS Dual-Meet wrestling titles, respectively.
I was at the Division 5 tournament at Irvine High and Bloomington won with relative ease.
After a first-round bye, the top-seeded Bruins downed Yorba Linda 43-22, fourth-seded West Torrance 44-24 and second-seeded Placentia Valencia 53-12 in the finals.
I'll have a story in Sunday's section, but it was impossible to mention all 23 wrestlers who competed for Bloomington in one or more matches on Saturday. All told, Bloomington's individuals were 30-12 in their 42 matches. Pretty impressive.

So, here's a rundown, on who wrestled for Bloomington and how they did:
106 pounds: Jorge Carbajal 1-0 (pin)
Miles Avila-Johnson 2-0 (both by pin)
113: Jose Santiago 0-1 (pin)
Johnny Foster 2-0 (by pin and by decision)
120: Angel Sida 0-2 (pin in both)
Carlos Garcia 1-0 (major decision)
126: Albert Arce 1-0 (decision in OT)
Jonathan Gutierrez 2-0 (pin and decision)
132: Brian Alvarez 0-1 (by major decision)
Miguel Medina 2-0 (by major decision and pin)
138: Uzo Owuama 3-0 (decision, technical fall, default)
145: Jorge Medina 3-0 (1 minor decision, 2 major decisions)
152: Derek Abeln 1-0 (by pin)
Alejandro Guerrero 0-2 (both by minor decision)
160: Emanuel Cruz 0-1 (by pin)
Antonio Leon 0-2 (both in OT)
170: Marcus Vargas 3-0 (all by pin)
182: Angel Villarreal 3-0 (1 major decision, 2 minor decisions)
195: Tyrik Easley 1-2 (all by pin)
220: Samuel Aviles 1-0 (in OT)
Derrick Jones 2-0 (major decision, pin)
285: Ronnie Warren 1-0 (minor decision)
Khaelin Webb 1-1 (both by pin)

Victor Valley, meanwhile was top-seeded and competing at Palmdale Quartz Hill in D4.
The Jackrabbits won easily in the finals. Coach C.T. Campbell said his team built a 37-3 lead over second-seeded Ventura, then Ventura chose to forfeit the final four matches.
In the semifinals against San Jacinto however, it was a different story.
The Jackrabbits trailed and needed to win their final four matches to pull out the victory. and needed three pins to do so. They got the two pins and a decision so they entered their final bout trailing 32-28 but Danny Delgado got the pin at 126 pounds to give Victor Valley the victory.
Congratulations to both teams.

Tommy Conner, the Bloomington head football coach for the last four seasons, has stepped down.
He said he made the decision after consulting with his wife and doctor. he said he is having some medical procedures done, but declined to discuss details.
In four years at Bloomington, Conner compiled a 13-27 record. He says he intends to stay at the school as guidance counselor, his current position.

In a game that featured plenty of offense and little defense, Riverside Patriot (3-6, 1-3) pulled away in the fourth quarter for a wild 54-40 Sunkist League victory over Bloomington (4-5, 0-4) on Thursday. These were two teams who won't be in the playoffs, but very much wanted to win.

The game featured:
Six lead changes, the last coming in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
Only 1 punt between the 2 teams, and only 1 turnover.
A total of 22 first downs and 458 yards of total offense by Patriot and 15 first downs and 400 yards of total offense by Bloomington.
A pair of 200-yard rushers: Nano Martinez of Patriot (28 carries, 201 yards, five rush TDs, 1 receiving TD), Johnta Carter of Bloomington (24 carries, 237 yards, three TDs, one 2-point receiving conversion)
Patriot converting seven of eight third-down chances, and Bloomington converting six of 10.
lA total of 106 yards in penalties by Bloomington and 52 by Patriot.
A mess for point-after conversions. Bloomington was 2 of 3 kicking extra points and 1 of 3 on 2-point conversions. Patriot was 2 of 5 kicking extra points and 2 of 3 on 2-point conversions.

It's been a hard road for Bloomington coach Tom Conner in his three years since taking the reins from legendary coach Don Markham, as the Bruins have yet to make the playoffs or finish with a winning record. Year four might not be very easy either, as graduation ravaged the Bloomington lines.

Add in the transfer of hulking 360-pound junior Napoleon Taufahema, who started at center as a sophomore for the Bruins, to Colton in the offseason and Conner is faced with the uneviable task of being young and untested on the line.

"We are small in general," Conner said. "We were going to have five underclassmen starting on the line even with Napoleon coming back but now we'll really have some young guys figuring it out as they go. We'll see how it goes."

It's not all gloom and doom at Bloomington though. They have good numbers combined between the varsity and JV teams and have a stocked cupboard of position players with the potential to break out and do some things.

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.

The wrestling season is less than 2 weeks old, but www.thecaliforniawrestler.com has already put out individual wrestling rankings. Here are the county wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the state in their respective weight classes.

103: Anthony Soto, Colony (No. 20)
119: Ray Delgado, Oak Hills (No. 6), Tim Maldonado, Los Osos (No. 16).
125: Alec Smith, Sultana (No. 17)
130: Chris Mecate, Redlands East Valley (No. 4)
135: Michael Gonzalez, Sultana (No. 4)
152: Juan Alvarado, Bloomington (No. 7), Ryan McWatters, Sultana (No. 8),
160: Jonathan Solano, Los Osos (No. 17)
171: Robert Marchese, Oak Hills (No. 5), Anthony Ballinger, Apple Valley (No. 18)

--Pete Marshall

This is a pretty easy, straightforward league, as all three spots have been clinched and only one game matters in relation to seeding.

1. Kaiser (9-0, 4-0): Clinched a playoff berth and the No. 1 seed regardless of what it does Thursday against Bloomington thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreakers with both Summit and Norte Vista.

2. Summit (6-2-1, 3-1): Has clinched a playoff berth and will play Norte Vista Thursday for the No. 2 seed. Should the SkyHawks lose, they'll get the No. 3 seed.

3. Norte Vista (5-4, 3-1): Has clinched a playoff berth and will play Summit Thursday for the No. 2 seed. Should the Braves lose, they'll get the No. 3 seed.

4. Bloomington (4-5, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

5. Patriot (3-6, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

6. Jurupa Valley (1-8, 0-4): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

While there have been a couple of leagues that have already started playing, league play will really get going this week. And this is when high school football gets good. I seem to finally be getting into some sort of groove, only dropping five games this week.

Redlands at Redlands East Valley
The battle of the Smudge Pot is always a battle and will be again. Both teams are smarting a bit, Redlands from three straight losses in this rivalry and REV from two consecutive losses where it was outscored 55-17. The Terriers are fresh off a bye week and confident after going 4-0-1 against a tough nonleague schedule and look to have the mojo going in. Which is why I'm going the other way. I think REV will circle the wagons and hoist the Smudge Pot again.
Redlands East Valley 17, Redlands 14

Silverado at Victor Valley
Another crosstown rivalry that should be a doozy, as the Jackrabbits have their best chance in a decade to knock off Silverado. Victor Valley has played well in going 5-0, winning The Bell over Apple Valley for the second straight year, but they haven't faced the schedule Silverado has to date. And the Jackrabbits don't have a win like Silverado's victory over Summit two weeks ago. This is when the Hawks start to turn it on and I think Silverado wins a thriller.
Silverado 30, Victor Valley 28

Rancho Cucamonga at Los Osos
This was the Grizzlies' coming-out party a year ago, as a struggling Los Osos team shocked Rancho, starting a seven-game winning streak that didn't end until the Grizzlies lost to Upland in the Central Division title game. Los Osos isn't struggling this year, sporting a solid 3-2 record, but they are the underdogs to a stout Rancho team led by senior RB Sateki Finau. The Cougars have had two weeks to overcome their loss to Redlands and will prevail tomorrow.
Rancho Cucamonga 26, Los Osos 20

Aquinas at Ontario Christian
The bellwether game of the Christian League is expected to be the same in the new Ambassador League, as this holy war is always one of the must-see games in the county. Aquinas has won the last three and comes in with momentum, having won four in a row after a season-opening loss to Desert Hot Springs. The Knights, meanwhile, have struggled, losing three in a row. They'll get back to winning, but after this week, as I'm going with the Falcons.
Aquinas 34, Ontario Christian 23

Chino Hills at Claremont
The Baseline League has gotten the hype as the toughest league west of the 15, but that title may actually go to the Sierra. And that reason is due in large part to the play of these two teams. A senior-laden Claremont squad has erupted to a 4-1 start behind QB Daniel Kessler, who has thrown for 302 yards per game. The Wolfpack haven't faced a defense nearly as stout or as talented as Chino Hills' though and will be slowed down enough by the Huskies.
Chino Hills 27, Claremont 17

Arroyo Valley at San Gorgonio
The Hawks have been in a holding pattern on offense this year with the travails of quarterback Michael Yearwood, who has missed all but one series due to transfer paperwork and a knee injury. The latter will have him out for this key game, putting the onus on an impressive Arroyo Valley defense to shut down a potent San G attack. The Spartans got a big win last week at Carter and are thirsting at the chance to go on a winning streak. And I think they will.
San Gorgonio 20, Arroyo Valley 14

Serrano at Apple Valley
The Diamondbacks are the king poobah of the Mojave River League and despite having issues in the passing game during the nonleague season, always seem to be ready to roll this time of the year. Apple Valley has done a good job of adjusting to its personnel, going from a power-running option attack to a more balanced attack that has featured senior WR Cavion Flournoy. Serrano has size and experience in the trenches, which will tell the tale in this one.
Serrano 28, Apple Valley 13

Chino at Garey
Two of the surprises of the Mt. Baldy League meet to see who is the most for real. The Cowboys have been devastating offensively under first-year coach Matt McCain, averaging 45 points per game. Garey will be Chino's toughest test to date, as the Vikings possess possibly the best player in the league in senior WR Dominique Williams. But I like the groove Chino is in and look for it to continue tonight.
Chino 35, Garey 24

Bloomington at Norte Vista
This league opener, which I'll be at in a couple hours, could eventually decide the third Sunkist League playoff spot behind Kaiser and Summit. The Bruins have already equaled their win total from last year at 3, though were defeated handily by Paloma Valley last week, while the Braves are looking to recapture the form that brought them 11 wins and a Eastern Division semifinal appearance a year ago. I look for the Braves to do that and win a crucial game.
Norte Vista 23, Bloomington 18

Desert Hot Springs at Big Bear
Saturday afternoon brings a big matchup in the mountains, as both of these teams have taken tremendous steps forward from a year ago. DSH has already knocked off some name county foes, beating Aquinas and Rim of the World, while the Bears have sparkled behind the nifty option work of junior quarterback Zak Planz. The winner here takes a huge step toward ending Twentynine Palms' reign atop the De Anza League and its basically a coin flip. So I'll go with the home team.
Big Bear 35, Desert Hot Springs 32

Other games of note:
Linfield Christian 38, Arrowhead Christian 9
Western Christian 20, Calvary Murrieta 10
Glendora 35, Etiwanda 30
Upland 49, Alta Loma 0
Miller 45, Eisenhower 13
Yucaipa 28, Fontana 12
Twentynine Palms 36, Shadow Hills 10
Yucca Valley 47, Desert Mirage 0
Barstow 16, Granite Hills 14
Oak Hills 30, Sultana 10
Rubidoux 42, Jurupa Hills 6
Rim of the World 35, Citrus Valley 14
Colony 42, Chaffey 10
Ontario 23, Don Lugo 21
Colton 38, San Bernardino 12
Cajon 27, Rialto 14
Carter 54, Pacific 12
Bloomington Christian 20, Fairmont Prep 10
Charter Oak 24, Ayala 17
Kaiser 59, Jurupa Valley 0
Summit 38, Patriot 16
Last week: 21-5
Overall: 128-52-3

Did virtually the same this past week as I did the week before. I blame the Mt. Baldy League. I think i'm 2 for 20 on Mt. Baldy predictions.

Redlands East Valley at Orange Lutheran
It's always fun to see county powers go against the elite from other parts of the Southland. REV pulled a fast one on O-Lu last year, scoring two touchdowns in the final minute to pull the shocker. I'm not sure how many players on either team remember it, as both teams have a ton of new starters. It should be a great game though. I expect REV to pull another one out.
Redlands East Valley 17, Orange Lutheran 13

Norco at Upland
Another meeting of the powers, as the No. 3 team in the Inland Division hosts the No. 4 one. It should be an outstanding matchup, as Norco has taken to its new-found spread offense like a duck to water, scoring 74 points in two games, while Upland's new-look defense seems to get better every week. There should be some scoring in this game, as Norco's D will give up points. I think Upland is a bit more experience.
Upland 28, Norco 27

Cajon at Kaiser
Kaiser has been flying under the radar thus far this year, but it won't for year much longer, as the Cats have been straight filthy on defense thus far, giving up six points in two games. Cajon has been uneven, getting worked by Claremont before destroying Eisenhower, but had its bye week last week to work out some kinks. I expect the Cowboys to be competitive, but I'm really liking Kaiser right now.
Kaiser 24, Cajon 9

Victor Valley at Apple Valley
The Bell Game is one of the most hotly-contested games in the High Desert and, recently, one of the most thrilling. The last two meetings between the Jackrabbits and Sun Devils have been decided by a combined four points, with Victor Valley winning by 3 last year and Apple Valley pulling out a one-point win in 2008. I'm heading up there and I'm expecting much of the same, with the host Sun Devils pulling it out late.
Apple Valley 26, Victor Valley 24

Miller at Etiwanda
These teams are a combined 1-5, so why am I featuring this game? Because these teams are a lot better than their record gives them credit for. Etiwanda's three-game stretch of Summit, Vista Murrieta and Norco may be the toughest in the Southland, while Miller hasn't exactly had a picnic with Upland and Carson. Having seen both of these teams in person, it's a coin flip, but I think Miller's D is a little bit better. But not much.
Miller 33, Etiwanda 29

Charter Oak at Rancho Cucamonga
This has been a hard-fought game the last two years and I don't see why it would be any different this year. Charter Oak has equipped itself admirably in the Inland Division thus far, going 2-1, while Rancho Cucamonga is perfect despite having to spend its first three games on the road. It is the first "home" game for Rancho - who doesn't play on campus - and I expect it'll show up well.
Rancho Cucamonga 27, Charter Oak 17

Bloomington at Colton
Although they reside in the same school district, these two teams don't play very often. This could be a surprisingly good game, as Bloomington has looked pretty good in going 2-0 while Colton sputtered quite a bit last week in a 14-3 loss to La Quinta. But I think Colton will be just fine in the home opener, overpowering the Bruins in the second half.
Colton 30, Bloomington 14

San Gorgonio at Yucaipa
This should be a pretty solid game, as both of these teams are in a bit of purgatory. The Spartans are 0-2, but they've had to play Rancho Verde and REV, so its hard to really have a true handle on them. Yucaipa stomped Canyon Springs, only to be stomped by Rancho Verde. I hate using the transitive scores property, but San G was a lot more competitive against Rancho Verde than Yucaipa was. I'll go with that.
San Gorgonio 31, Yucaipa 26

Redlands at Carlsbad La Costa Canyon
The Terriers played arguably the game of the year last week against Los Osos, gutting through a triple-overtime victory against the Grizzlies despite losing their quarterback Jojo Hernandez. I would imagine that Redlands is going to rest Hernandez for this one, which will be a tough one, as La Costa Canyon can ball. I'll go with the home team.
La Costa Canyon 23, Redlands 10

Granite Hills at Rialto
It might be time to start getting on the Knights' bandwagon. Rialto has won three in a row dating pack to last year, including an impressive 28-14 victory at a tough Oak Hills team last week. Granite Hills has been up and down this season and should be an opponent that Rialto can use to build momentum. Look for four in a row from the No. 5 team in the Central Division polls.
Rialto 26, Granite Hills 12

Other games of note:
Diamond Ranch 33, Chaffey 10
Aquinas 35, Shadow Hills 13
Arroyo Valley 28, Eisenhower 7
Ayala 31, Los Altos 20
Twentynine Palms 19, Banning 14
Quartz Hill 27, Barstow 12
Big Bear 37, Western Christian 20
Rim of the World 18, Bishop 14
Bloomington Christian 23, Arrowhead Christian 9
Yucca Valley 24, Calexico 16
Chino 30, Covina Northview 14
Murrieta Mesa 28, Citrus Valley 24
City of Industry Workman 23, Montclair 17
Colony 33, Alta Loma 14
Desert Hot Springs 45, Jurupa Hills 6
Don Lugo 24, Oak Park 14
Fontana 28, San Bernardino 21
Palm Desert 49, Hesperia 13
Ontario Christian 27, Jurupa Valley 22
Oak Hills 29, Lancaster 13
Vista Murrieta 38, Los Osos 16
Carter 27, Norte Vista 23
Chino Hills 31, Pomona 15
Serrano 34, Palmdale Highland 7
Sultana 27, Pacific 20
Silverado 21, Valencia West Ranch 18

Last week: 24-9-1
Overall: 60-28-3

It was a tumultuous offseason for Bloomington head coach Tom Conner, who suffered a heart attack in March while playing pickup basketball. The 35-year old Conner has spent the offseason recovering and changing his diet and is feeling a lot better as he embarks on his third season in charge of the Bruins.

"Life is great right now," Conner said. "The doctor has cleared me to resume working out and physical activities and I've been working real hard to stay healthy. I'm just excited to be back out there and get this season going."

Along with his improving health, Conner is getting excitement from a Bruins team that returns 10 starters and several other contributors from last year's team. After painful 2-8 and 3-7 seasons in adjusting from Don Markham's double-wing offense and 30-man roster to a spread offense and a roster that is roughly 20 players bigger, Conner thinks that this year will be the one where Bloomington makes a leap.

Several county schools will be honored at Dodger Stadium next Thursday, as the CIF-Southern Section announced the winners of 28th Annual Kenny Fagans Toyota Shake for Sportsmanship Awards Monday.

Boys Republic (Arrowhead League), Arrowhead Christian (Christian), Apple Valley (Mojave River), Ontario (Mt. Baldy), Cajon (San Andreas) and Bloomington (Sunkist) will be honored for their sportsmanship at the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bloomington football coach Tom Conner is young (35 years old) and presumably in good shape. So when he felt sharp chest pains during a pickup basketball game last Thursday at Bloomington High School, he was predictably alarmed.

"I was playing basketball and all of a sudden I got this sharp pain," Conner said. "I told the coaches with me that it probably sounds silly but I need to get to the emergency room right away. It's a 40-50 minute wait for the paramedics to get to Bloomington and back and I needed to get there right away."

Bloomington swept the superlatives here, as senior goalkeeper Chelsea Lesniak was named Most Valuable Player while head coach Rosa Quiroz won coach of the year.

SUPERLATIVES
Most Valuable Player: Chelsea Lesniak, Bloomington, GK, Sr.
Coach of the Year: Rosa Quiroz, Bloomington

FIRST TEAM
Katherine Bathgate, Bloomington, F, Sr.
Jennifer Espinoso, Bloomington, F, Sr.
Jasmine Medina, Bloomington, D, Jr.
Tanya Velasquez, Bloomington, MF, Jr.
Clarissa Contreras, Jurupa Valley, MF, Jr.
Becky Finn, Jurupa Valley, D, Sr.
Silvia Sanchez, Jurupa Valley, MF, Sr.
Francesca Escobedo, Kaiser, D, Jr.
Emma Martinez, Kaiser, MF, Sr.
Priscilla Martinez, Kaiser, D, Sr.
Lilla Torres, Norte Vista, D, So.
Audrey Correra, Patriot, MF, Sr.
Melissa Johnson, Patriot, MF, Sr.
Briana McCarthy, Patriot, D, Sr.
Jennifer Summerville, Patriot, F, Sr.
Elizabeth Amado, Summit, F, Sr.
Brittney Bravo, Summit, F, So.
Carina Perez, Summit, D, Sr.
Emily Perez, Summit, D, Sr.

Or at least, it seems that way.
Five different leagues (De Anza, Desert Sky, Mojave River, Mt. Baldy and Sunkist) with San Bernardino County schools will be sending wrestlers to Oxnard Pacifica High for the CIF-SS Northern Division individual championships on Friday and Saturday.

Four of those leagues: Desert Sky, Mojave River, Mt. Baldy and Sunkist all have wrestlers who are seeded among the top five in their weight class. The top five in each weight class advance to the CIF-SS Masters Meet next week.

Of the 70 wrestlers in the division seeded in the top five, 37 are from San Bernardino County.
Montclair leads county schools with top five seeds, (seven), followed by Bloomington and Colony (five), Sultana (four), Barstow, Victor Valley and Hesperia (three), Kaiser (two), Ontario (two), and one each for Granite Hills, Apple Valley and Rim of the World.

Six of the 14 top-seeded wrestlers in the division are also from the county: Barstow's Sean Silva (112), Hesperia's Ivan Pinto (125), Bloomington's Phillip Hendrix (130), Montclair's Joseph Martinez (135), Hesperia's Chris Sloat (160) and Sultana's Manuel Mazariegos (heavyweight).

Although the brackets don't come out until Thursday, I believe, the seeding has been done for the Division 6 dual meet wrestling, taking place at Baldwin Park Sierra Vista High School on Saturday.

Although defending champion Morro Bay is seeded No. 1, the next three teams are all from San Bernardino County: Oak Hills, Bloomington and Kaiser in that order. That means there's a decent chance a county team will make it to the finals. Only the 9 league champions are guaranteed spots in the 16-team bracket in D6, so with Kaiser seeded fourth, the Cats will take one of those 7 at-large spots, and another will go to Santa Ynez, runner-up in the Los Padres League behind Sierra Vista and seeded fifth for Saturday.

San Gorgonio athletic director Matt Maeda released the bracket for the 2009 San Bernardino Kiwanis Club Tournament to be held December 26, 28-30 at Cajon and San Gorgonio High Schools.

This particular tournament is a bit unusual in that it has an out-of-state team, El Paso (Texas) Chapin, competing. And because of a UIL rule (Texas' equivalent to the CIF) prohibiting Texas teams from playing on the 26th, Chapin and its first-round opponent, Barstow, will have to play its first and second-round games on Dec. 28.

Matchups for the Kiwanis..

The Bloomington wrestling team turned some heads at the 2009 Tom Bravo Invitational this past weekend at Los Osos High School, winning the meet with 222 points -- 98 more than second-place Chino.

The Bruins had four weight-class champions -- Eddie Reyes (103 pounds), Daniel Aguirre (125), Phillip Hendrix IV (130) and Rene Sanchez (215).

After almost having my brain explode while typing the Sierra League breakdown, I can chill a bit on this one, as tonight's game between Patriot and Summit is the only one that matters.

1. Kaiser (6-3, 4-0): Clinched the No. 1 seed out of the league no matter how it does tomorrow by virtue of its head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Norte Vista.

2. Norte Vista (8-1, 3-1): Clinched the No. 2 seed out of the league no matter how it does tomorrow, as it loses the tiebreaker to Kaiser and owns the tiebreaker over both Patriot and Summit.

3. Summit (4-5, 2-2): Clinches the No. 3 playoff spot with a win tonight over Patriot. Eliminated with a loss.

4. Patriot (4-5, 2-2): Clinches the No. 3 playoff spot with a win tonight over Summit. Eliminated with a loss.

5. Bloomington (3-6, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

6. Jurupa Valley (0-9, 0-4): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

Better last week, as I only messed up six games. Of course four of those were in my featured 10, so I'm really not sure if I've really gotten smarter. This week starts Citrus Belt League play, so it's starting to get really good. Here are my picks before I head to Fontana High School for tonight's Fohi-Miller tilt.

Miller at Fontana
Before the season, this looked to be a speedbump for the defending CBL champion Rebels, as Fontana had only won five games the previous five seasons while Miller was returning much of their offense. But two Steeler wins and an 0-3 Miller start has made this game pretty key. While Miller had a brutal schedule and Fohi beat SAL cellardwellars Pacific and San Bernardino, its clear that Fohi is improved and Miller isn't. However, I'll pick Miller to survive, albeit barely.
Miller 28, Fontana 20

Carter at Redlands
Another intriguing CBL opener, because for whatever reason, the Lions play well against Redlands. The Terriers barely escaped at Carter 7-6 during their CBL championship season in 2006, lost to Carter at home in 2007 and struggled to beat the Lions last year. The Carter offense has shown explosive qualities, but Redlands has been stingy on defense. I'll take the savvy of Redlands in this one.
Redlands 21, Carter 12

Colony at Kaiser
These teams have both been battle-tested and quality approved, with Colony beating Chino Hills and Diamond Ranch already while Kaiser destroyed Cajon last week. Both teams are feeling confident and have talent to burn. However, Kaiser gave one of the better defensive performances I've seen in my three years here, especially given the quality of Cajon. I expect them to be slightly superior to the Titans.
Kaiser 19, Colony 16

Summit at Silverado
Silverado entertained the heck out of me last Thursday, breaking five touchdowns of 50 yards or more against Palm Desert. After a slow start, it seems as if the Hawks offense is running in full gear. Summit has that capability and while only 1-2, showed well in close losses to Etiwanda and Redlands. Expect some big plays and some crazy athleticism in the High Desert, with the home team prevailing in a classic.
Silverado 35, Summit 30

Hesperia at Barstow
Very interesting litmus test for both of these schools. The Scorpion offense finally broke out against Pacific, but playing the listless Pirates doesn't really compare to facing defending Eastern Division runner-up Barstow. The Aztecs also have something to prove after falling last week to Quartz Hill in upset fashion. Hesperia is improved, but I'll go with a veteran Barstow team at home.
Barstow 30, Hesperia 21

Chaffey at Colton
If there are 10 passes combined between the two teams, I'll be shocked. Chaffey likes to pound the ball with senior RB Ronald Douglas, the county's leading rusher, while Colton has a fleet of backs to excel in the double-wing. The Yellowjackets defense seems to have settled in after a tough opener against Vista Murrieta and will subdue Chaffey enough to pull out the win.
Colton 24, Chaffey 12

Upland at Bloomington
The positive vibes the Bruins got by winning their first two games were mostly eradicated in their 51-0 loss to Corona Roosevelt. It doesn't get much easier for Bloomington, as Upland and its lockdown defense come into town. Tim Salter gets a ton of credit in my mind for reshaping the Highlanders from a big-play, somewhat finesse squad into a hard-nosed physical unit. Bloomington will be heaping praise on Upland as well.
Upland 28, Bloomington 6

San Gorgonio at Chino Hills
After impressively winning at Hesperia in its opener, the Spartans have had a tough time of it in losing to Redlands East Valley and Yucaipa. Now they are going against a team that smacked them twice last year, including 52-13 in the playoffs. Chino Hills bounced back last week with a nice win over Diamond Ranch after losing to Colony the week before and will continue to roll.
Chino Hills 34, San Gorgonio 14

La Quinta at Cajon
La Quinta hasn't had a fun time in the Inland Empire the past two weeks, losing lopsided games to Colton and Norco. They come back again to face a Cajon team who's pride is a bit wounded after being shut out by Kaiser. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys react to being punched in the mouth and how La Quinta will react to the travel. I'll go with Cajon in a close one.
Cajon 18, La Quinta 14

Indio at Rim of the World
This has all the makings of a beatdown. Indio has struggled after losing the bulk of its 6-4 team a year ago and faces a Rim of the World team that's a bit sore about losing to the Rajahs on the road a year ago. Expect the Fighting Scots to run on Indio early and often, keeping its undefeated start going.
Rim of the World 38, Indio 7

Other games of interest:
Redlands East Valley 55, Eisenhower 0
Yucaipa 48, Rialto 14
Apple Valley 31, San Bernardino 26
Arroyo Valley 34, Alta Loma 10
Ayala 47, South El Monte 3
Granite Hills 30, Cathedral City 17
Etiwanda 45, Chino 6
Pacific 28, Citrus Valley 10
Claremont 38, Ontario 14
Don Lugo 37, Jurupa Valley 9
San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's 42, Ontario Christian 13
Aquinas 28, San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea 13
Serrano 38, Santa Clarita Golden Valley 3
Oak Park 24, Twentynine Palms 13
Victor Valley 33, Sultana 16
Yucca Valley 21, Arrowhead Christian 17
Big Bear 28, Oak Hills 27

Week: 24-6
Overall: 86-35

Tom Conner had some sizable shoes to fill at Bloomington High School last yer. Don Markham, who won 309 games and five CIF titles - including one at Bloomington in 1994 where the Bruins set the national scoring record with 880 points - during his storied career, retired after the 2007 season, with Conner being hired in his place.

Replacing a legend was hard enough for Conner, especially a legend that built the Bloomington program with the unique run-heavy double-wing offense. But considering that Conner was more comfortable in the spread - a 180-degree shift from the tight formations of the double-wing - that transition was made even more difficult.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I covered the Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic last night, a game that didn't go too well for the San Bernardino boys, who fell 38-7 to Riverside.

The San Bernardino team, coached by Los Osos' Tom Martinez, didn't have the full arsenal that Riverside had, as several highly-touted, Division I-committed players who were scheduled to play during the week dropped out. Among those were Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp - the No. 1 guard in the nation according to Rivals.com, Los Osos QB Richard Brehaut, Cajon CB Marlon Pollard, Upland CB Osahon Irabor and Upland CB Taj Johnson. Upland QB Josh Nunes also didn't play, as a hand injury suffered in the Central Division title game with Rancho Cucamonga hasn't fully healed.

This is another one of those complicated ones, though luckily, a four-way tie is not involved in any way, shape or form.

1 tie) Riverside Patriot (7-2, 4-0): The Warriors will face off with Kaiser for the league title. If it wins, Patriot is the No. 1 seed out of the Sunkist in the Eastern Division playoffs. If it loses, its the No. 2.

1 tie) Kaiser (5-3-1, 4-0): Copy and paste what I said for Patriot, except substitute "Cats" for "Warriors", "Kaiser" for "Patriot" and "Patriot" for "Kaiser".

3) Summit (7-2, 2-2): If the SkyHawks beat Bloomington Thursday, they will clinch the No. 3 spot out of the Sunkist. If they lose, they'll need Riverside Norte Vista to beat Jurupa Valley. That would cause a three-way coin flip for the last spot between Summit, Norte Vista and Bloomington.

4) Bloomington (2-7, 1-3): I'm putting Bloomington ahead of Norte Vista because the Bruins have a more direct possibility at the playoffs. If they win and Norte Vista loses, Bloomington gets the No. 3 seed. If both the Bruins and Norte Vista win, then it goes to a three-way coin flip with Summit.

5) Norte Vista (4-5, 1-3): The Indians need a win and a Bloomington win. In that situation, they'll be part of three-way coin flip with the Bruins and SkyHawks.

6) Jurupa Valley (2-7, 0-4): Eliminated from playoff consideration.