Recently in Citrus Valley High School Category

The Citrus Valley girls swimming team nearly won the CIF-SS Division 4 team title on Friday, but came up just short

It was semfinal day on Tuesday in boys soccer, girls soccer and some of the boys and girls basketball divisions.
Many county teams took their lumps, but congratulations to Summit girls basketball, Cajon boys soccer, and Los Osos and Citrus Valley girls soccer for making it to the finals.
Here's how county teams did:

BOYS BASKETBALL
DIVISION 1AA
Long Beach Poly 56, Etiwanda 47
DIVISION 2A
Santa Maria Righetti 68, Colony 65

GIRLS BASKETBALL
DIVISION 1A
Summit 72, Burbank 49

BOYS SOCCER
DIVISION 4
La Crescenta Crescenta Valley 2, Oak Hills 1
DIVISION 5
Cajon 2, Granite Hills 0
Lake Elsinore Lakeside 2, Colton 1

GIRLS SOCCER
DIVISION 2
Los Osos 4, Upland 0
DIVISION 3
La Puente Bishop Amat 4, Chino HIlls 1
DIVISION 5
Downey 1, Cajon 0
DIVISION 7
Citrus Valley 4, Calabasas Viewpoint 3

With his first class of seniors finally taking the field in year three of Citrus Valley football, Blackhawks coach Peter Smolin is starting to see his vision for the Blackhawks program take shape. But he realizes that Citrus Valley isn't quite at the "normal" stage yet.

"We are still going to be young," Smolin said. "We'll be pretty junior dominated - I think we only have six seniors that will start this year. But these guys are starting to look like men. Physically the difference between now and two years ago, even now and last year, is significant."

One of the "men" Smolin is referencing is junior tight end Luke Taylor. Taylor (6-5, 240) has already started to create some buzz on the recruiting trail, as he was invited to USC's Invite-only summer camp this year. Starting quarterback Dalton Douglas (6-4, 210) and offensive lineman Nick Hospodar (6-4, 255), also juniors, also pass the looks test with flying colors.

Hospodar is a rarity on the Blackhawks though, as Citrus Valley is low on size and high on smaller skill-position players, something that Smolin hopes his team will be able to work around.

OFFENSIVE MVP - ANDREW RAMONES CITRUS VALLEY JUNIOR SS/3B
DEFENSIVE MVP - RYAN BORDEN CITRUS VALLEY SOPHOMORE P
COACH OF THE YEAR - RON CARMODY CITRUS VALLEY

1ST TEAM -
CONNOR MCCOY CITRUS VALLEY
ISAAC GONZALEZ CITRUS VALLEY
ZACH RODRIGUEZ CITRUS VALLEY
BEN DUNCAN NOTRE DAME
CHRISTIAN BECK NOTRE DAME
JACOB BOUCHER NOTRE DAME
TONY MANZO RUBIDOUX
GLENN GUARDAMONDO RUBIDOUX
TREY BAUDERS RUBIDOUX
CODY ELLS RIM OF THE WORLD
MIGUEL MEDRANO BANNING
TYLER DRAKE JURUPA HILLS

2ND TEAM -
CITRUS VALLEY - ART GOMEZ, FIDEL SANDOVAL
NOTRE DAME - MATT GIFFIN, KEVIN OCONNOR, DALTON WEEKS
RUBIDOUX - ERICK PEREZ, ROMAN ALVAREZ
RIM OF THE WORLD - WYATT MCGILVERY, RYAN LOZOYA, ANDREW THOMAS
BANNING - JUAN GOMEZ, ISAAC LINARES
JURUPA HILLS - BRYAN C. SANCHEZ

HONORABLE MENTION -
CITRUS VALLEY - JORDAN BABBITT
NOTRE DAME - TYLER PEACOCK
RUBIDOUX - HUGO CORNEJO
RIM OF THE WORLD - JUSTIN SOTO
BANNING - RYAN FISH
JURUPA HILLS - NICK MENDEZ

Catching up on some all-league teams.

Most Valuable Offensive Player - Elizabeth Caporuscio, Sr., Rim of the World
Most Valuable Defensive Player - Nikki Hoffman, So., Citrus Valley
Coach of the Year - April Finazzo, Citrus Valley

First Team
Jasmine Canez, So, Jurupa Hills
Chandler Geary, So, Citrus Valley
Katie Gyll, Sr, Notre Dame
Hayley Jaquess, So, Citrus Valley
Halle Luna, Sr, Notre Dame
Felicity McCafferty, So, Banning
Ashlyn Morris, So, Citrus Valley
Sarah Tribe, Jr, Rim of the World
Taylor Tribe, Jr, Rim of the World
Melanie Vidaurri, So., Citrus Valley
Haley Young, Fr, Notre Dame

Second Team
Vanessa Aguirre, So, Jurupa Hills
Laura Becerra, So, Banning
Brianna Chairez, So, Citrus Valley
Jamie Garner, So, Rim of the World
Julie Goldsberry, So, Rim of the World
Taylor McCafferty, So, Banning
Nichole Moore, Jr, Rim of the World
Sophia Ortega, Jr, Citrus Valley
Monique Rojas, Fr, Jurupa Hills
Stephanie Sandoval, Fr, Rubidoux
Austin Schmidt, Jr, Notre Dame
Katie Schoenauer, Sr, Notre Dame
Andrea Villegas, So, Banning

Honorable Mention
Jesicah Lara, Jr, Banning
Sonia Lopez, Sr, Rubidoux
Brianna Meza, So, Jurupa Hills
Kalene Needham, Jr, Rim of the World
Bailey Powell, Jr, Notre Dame
Katie Witherby, So, Citrus Valley

It didn't take the Citrus Valley girls swim program too long to net a CIF championship, as its 200 medley relay team just took the gold with a time of 1:52.47 at the CIF-SS Division 4 meet at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach. The team of junior Kahiwa Hollands, freshman Julia Zhao, sophomore Kailee Mora and junior Natasha Fares won by nearly four seconds, helped by Mora's torrid 26.16 in the butterfly in leg 3, which opened up what had been a nip-and-tuck race with La Salle to that point

The newest league is last but certainly not least. Like the Ambassador, the automatic playoff berths and seedings have been decided.

1. Rubidoux (6-2-1, 4-0): The Falcons have clinched a playoff spot and the No. 1 seed out of the Mountain Valley League regardless of what they do Friday against Banning due to its head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Notre Dame.

2. Notre Dame (6-3, 3-1): The Titans have clinched a playoff spot and the No. 2 seed out of the Mountain Valley League regardless of what they do Friday against Citrus Valley due to losing the head-to-head to Rubidoux and owning the head-to-head over Rim of the World.

3. Rim of the World (3-6, 2-2): The Fighting Scots are eliminated from automatic playoff consideration due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Notre Dame. However, a win over Jurupa Hills Friday might put it in consideration for an at-large playoff berth.

4. Banning (3-6, 2-2): The Broncos are eliminated from automatic playoff consideration due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Notre Dame. A win over Rubidoux could help toward an at-large berth, but Banning would probably need Rim to lose as well, as the Scots defeated the Broncos earlier in the season.

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

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

The Citrus Valley girls volleyball team will be dedicating its October 28 game against Riverside Notre Dame to breast cancer awareness as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A baked-goods drive will be held at the game with pink t-shirts to be sold for $12 each. All proceeds from the sales will go to Susan G. Komen for The Cure.

Along with the t-shirt sales, which are expected to get a big boost from the girls tennis team, there will be a speaker at 4:30 p.m. before the game.

The 44th annual Riverside Poly Boys Water Polo tournament starts today and runs through Saturday at seven different venues -- Arroyo Valley, Corona Santiago, Corona Roosevelt, Jurupa Valley, Riverside Arlington and Riverside King High Schools as well as Sippy Woodhead Pool at Riverside Poly. The tournament, which features 60 teams throughout Southern California, will be played through Saturday, with pool play Thursday and Friday and the championship match to be held at 2 p.m. at Sippy Woodhead Pool.

County teams participating in the tournament and theare Los Osos (Woodhead), Redlands and Upland (Roosevelt), Yucaipa and Arroyo Valley (Arroyo Valley), Cajon, Alta Loma and San Gorgonio (Arlington) and Pacific, Rancho Cucamonga, Summit, Colony and Citrus Valley (Jurupa Valley).

Still got a couple more teams to get to in previews, but luckily they don't play this week. There are several teams that do play, however, and several intriguing games, including a doozy tonight.

Etiwanda at Summit
This is where I'll be in T minus-3 hours, as the Baseline co-champion Eagles play a Summit team that might have more explosion than any team in the area. I'm interested in two things a) how creative Summit is in using Devon Blackmon and b) how the Etiwanda offense will look after losing Angel Santiago and Bobby Ratliff, among others. I think Summit will have a bit too much firepower.
Summit 27, Etiwanda 17

Rancho Cucamonga at Silverado
I was originally slated to be at this game tomorrow, but changes out of my control prevent that. And that's really too bad, because I was looking forward to seeing the Cougars in the High Desert. Silverado doesn't dodge anyone in the nonleague schedule, but injury issues to its offensive line will make it tough for its skill players to dodge the Rancho defenders.
Rancho Cucamonga 31, Silverado 16

Upland at Miller
The Baseline League is all over Week 0 apparently. This game was highly anticipated when it was played at Upland last year and turned out to be prophetic, as a CIF-champion Highlander team choked out a highly-touted Miller team that eventually ended up underachieving. The Rebels will want to turn the tables, but I don't think they'll be able to.
Upland 24, Miller 10

Cajon at Claremont
Another intriguing Sun/Bulletin crossover game, as both teams feel they are ready for a considerable leap. For Cajon, the feeling is that the Cowboys will have a team comparable to its 2008 SAL champion and Central semifinalist. For the Wolfpack, the change to the Sierra League and a new opportunity is something they are stoked about. I'll go with the team that's more used to success in this one.
Cajon 26, Claremont 20

Temecula Greak Oak at Redlands
This is where I was switched to tomorrow and, despite my regret about not seeing Rancho-Silverado, I'm not going to complain. Great Oak handled the Terriers 24-7 in the season opener last year, something that I'll bet Redlands coach Jim Walker is reminding his team about. I think the Terriers will come out hungry and push Great Oak around a bit.
Redlands 19, Great Oak 13

Los Osos at Colony
The Bechtel Bowl should be a fun one, as former Los Osos offensive coordinator Matt Bechtel will be making his debut as the Colony coach against his old team. It will be interesting to see how the Titans handle Bechtel's system in game one and how much the Grizzlies can reload from last year. Los Osos has never lost a season opener and I'm not betting against that streak.
Los Osos 28, Colony 21

Apple Valley at Barstow
Both of these teams aren't really sure what kind of hand they have, as graduation losses have ravaged them. The Sun Devils won their first playoff game in over two decades last season, giving them some momentum, while Barstow is always a tough out, especially at home. In a game filled with uncertainty, I will go with the safe pick and take the home team.
Barstow 17, Apple Valley 12

Silver Valley at Citrus Valley
After a year of waiting, the Blackhawks will finally play their first game in their swanky new, on-campus stadium. A manageable league and a returning roster have expectations high at Citrus Valley. Playing a feckless Silver Valley team will only make them higher. The Blackhawks will get their first home victory in their first home game.
Citrus Valley 56, Silver Valley 6

Paraclete at Serrano
Paraclete gave Serrano an early wake-up call a year ago, throttling the Diamondbacks' young offensive line in a 13-3 victory. Well, that offensive line isn't so young anymore, as four starters return from a team that went to the Eastern Division championship game. Add in the homefield advantage of Snowline Stadium and Serrano's season starts out nicely.
Serrano 27, Paraclete 9

Ayala at Don Lugo
Two teams that I really don't have a handle on go head-to-head in this game. Ayala has suffered heavy personnel losses in the past two years, going from being a Central quarterfinalist to a team that might struggle in the Sierra League. The Conquistadores lost some top-line talent last year in George Uko and Steven Bethley. Once again, I will go with the home team here.
Don Lugo 21, Ayala 16

Other games of interest:
Montclair 27, Ganesha 12
Chaffey 42, Alta Loma 6
Aquinas 24, Desert Hot Springs 13
Chino Hills 30, Lakewood Mayfair 14
Granite Hills 31, Lancaster Eastside 21
El Monte Arroyo 30, Ontario 10
Twentynine Palms 38, Xavier Prep 6
Moreno Valley 20, Rialto 14
Ridgecrest Burroughs 41, Hesperia 13
Ontario Christian 23, Whittier Christian 21
Yucca Valley 26, Rubidoux 17
Pasadena Maranatha 23, Big Bear 17

The best part of Citrus Valley's inaugural season, in which the Blackhawks went 2-8 with a team of freshman and sophomores, is the fact that it its over according to Peter Smolin. As the Blackhawks head into year two, Smolin is confident that the worst of the building process is behind them.

"We feel that the gray clouds are behind us," Smolin said. "It was a lot of work establishing a program and a culture in a tough year on the field and we really think that's going to pay off this year. Everyone is back and there's a lot of excitement right now."

Citrus Valley is also excited about its new league, as it goes from a freelance schedule to the Mountain Valley League. The MVL is a hodge-podge of different sorts of schools, with Rim of the World, Riverside Notre Dame, Banning, Rubidoux and brand-new Jurupa Hills High School in Fontana forming a peculiar combination. But its a combination that the Blackhawks feel they can take advantage of right away.

Former NFL cornerback Chris Hayes, a San Gorgonio graduate who played for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and New England Patriots from 1996-2002, will be back in the area on July 10, as he's hosting a football camp at Citrus Valley High School.

The camp will be run by NFL players, with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and former USC and NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson being possible counselors. Snoop Dogg may also attend. The camp is open to campers ages 6-18 and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration at 8 a.m. at the school. The entry fee is $35 before July 10 and $45 on the 10th. More information on the camp can be found at this link.

Citrus Valley is hosting a clinic for local players run by the NFL's High School Player Development program from July 26-30. The clinic is free and will go over fundamental skill development, position reviews and individual competition. The clinic will be run in coordination with the National Guard for the first time, as the National Guard will instruct with coaches and give seminars on personal development and community service.

For more information on the camp, you can contact Citrus Valley football coach/AD Peter Smolin at 909-799-2320 or petesmolin@gmail.com, Clare Graff with the NFL at 212-450-2435 and Jim Boyle, LM&O, at 703-797-7103.

This one is pretty much all subjective, as the top two spots in the De Anza League are sealed up, leaving Big Bear, Desert Hot Springs and a freelance upstart to fight for bids.

1) Twentynine Palms (6-4, 4-0): The Wildcats clinched the De Anza League championship and top seed with a victory over Big Bear Saturday.

2) Yucca Valley (2-7, 2-1): The Trojans have clinched the No. 2 spot in the De Anza League, as they own head-to-head tiebreakers over Big Bear and Desert Hot Springs.

3) Big Bear (3-6, 1-2): Have to defeat Desert Hot Springs Friday to have any shot at an at-large bid, as the Bears lose the head-to-head tiebreaker in event of a win and a Yucca Valley loss. Even then, 4-6 might not be good enough to get in.

4) Desert Hot Springs (3-6, 1-2): The Golden Eagles are in the same exact boat as Big Bear, as they need to win to have any shot at an at-large bid. And it still may not be enough.

5) Desert Mirage (3-6, 0-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

And the two freelance teams, which are eligible for the East Valley playoff if I'm not mistaken.

1) Oak Hills (7-2) - I really can't see any way the Bulldogs don't make the postseason. Not only do they have a lot of wins, but they have quality wins over teams like Aquinas and Laguna Beach. Can't imagine a scenario where they wouldn't be able to play in the playoffs.

2) Citrus Valley (2-7) - Eliminated from playoff consideration.

It didn't take long for Citrus Valley to grab its first varsity football victory. And it definitely wasn't in the conventional way.

Riverside Patriot High School, which defeated the Blackhawks 48-0 in Citrus Valley's inaugural game last Thursday at Redlands High School, forfeited the victory due to an ineligible player. Nothing had been reported to CIF officials as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, but CIF-SS director of communications Thom Simmons confirmed hearing of it in an e-mail correspondence.

Citrus Valley athletic director Steve Thornburgh also confirmed it, saying that the incident was a self-policing move by Patriot that came unsolicited from Citrus Valley.

"We would have liked to gotten our first victory on the field by scoring more points than the other team," Thornburgh said. "This isn't the way we wanted to get it, but I applaud Patriot High School for discovering the problem and reporting it promptly. It was entirely on their end."

The Blackhawks play again Saturday at 7 p.m., as they take on Arrowhead Christian at Redlands High School.

The county got two new schools added to the football docket - Oak Hills in Hesperia and Citrus Valley in Redlands. Both teams are playing freelance schedules this season, with Citrus Valley playing its inaugural game tonight against Riverside Patriot at Redlands High School and Oak Hills traveling to Rosamond tomorrow.

Although both schools are new, the start-up circumstances are different. Citrus Valley is starting with freshmen and sophomores, with head coach Peter Smolin indicating that the Blackhawks' varsity unit will consist entirely of sophomores, while Oak Hills has freshmen, sophomores and juniors to choose from. A few of the Bulldogs' juniors were transfers over from Hesperia, where they saw time with the Mojave River League champion Scorpions. Oak Hills' coach, Robert Kistner, was at Hesperia last year.

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.

Got back from the releaguing meeting at Norte Vista High School a couple of hours ago and here are the new leagues. A detailed story of the proceedings can be found in Saturday's paper.

Here are the schools that moved:
Banning - Mountain Pass League to a brand-new league
Carter - Citrus Belt League to San Andreas League
Hemet - Sunbelt League to Mountain Pass League
Hemet West Valley - Sunbelt League to Mountain Pass League
Menifee Heritage - Mountain Pass League to Sunbelt League
Rialto - Citrus Belt League to San Andreas League
Rim of the World - Mojave River League to a brand-new league
Riverside Notre Dame - Mountain Pass League to a brand-new league
Riverside Rubidoux - Mountain Pass League to a brand-new league
Temescal Canyon - Southwestern League to Sunbelt League

Brand-new schools:
Citrus Valley - brand-new league
Jurupa Hills - brand-new league
Mesa Murrieta - Southwestern League
Oak Hills - Mojave River League

And now, the actual leagues:

BIG XII (remains the same)
Corona Centennial
Corona High
Corona Santiago
Eastvale Roosevelt
Norco
Riverside King
Riverside North
Riverside Poly

CITRUS BELT LEAGUE (drops from 8 teams to 6)
Eisenhower
Fontana
Miller
Redlands
Redlands East Valley
Yucaipa

DE ANZA LEAGUE (the same)
Big Bear
Desert Hot Springs
Desert Mirage
Twentynine Palms
Yucca Valley

DESERT SKY LEAGUE (the same)
Barstow
Granite Hills
Ridgecrest Burroughs
Silverado
Victor Valley

INLAND VALLEY LEAGUE (the same)
Moreno Valley Canyon Springs
Moreno Valley High
Moreno Valley Rancho Verde
Moreno Valley Valley View
Moreno Valley Vista del Lago
Riverside Arlington
Riverside La Sierra
Riverside Ramona

MOJAVE RIVER LEAGUE (Oak Hills for Rim)
Apple Valley
Hesperia
Oak Hills
Serrano
Sultana

MOUNTAIN PASS LEAGUE (8 teams to 6)
Beaumont
Hemet High
Hemet Tahquitz
Hemet West Valley
Perris Citrus Hill
San Jacinto

NEW LEAGUE (6 teams)
Banning
Citrus Valley
Jurupa Hills
Rim of the World
Riverside Notre Dame
Riverside Rubidoux

SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE (6 teams to 8)
Arroyo Valley
Cajon
Carter
Colton
Pacific
Rialto
San Bernardino
San Gorgonio

SOUTHWESTERN LEAGUE (Mesa Murrieta for Temescal Canyon)
Mesa Murrieta
Murrieta Valley
Vista Murrieta
Temecula Chaparral
Temecula Great Oak
Temecula Valley

SUNBELT LEAGUE (Temescal Canyon and Heritage for West Valley, Hemet)
Lake Elsinore Lakeside
Menifee Heritage
Menifee Paloma Valley
Perris
Temescal Canyon
Wildomar Elsinore

SUNKIST LEAGUE (same)
Bloomington
Kaiser
Riverside Jurupa Valley
Riverside Norte Vista
Riverside Patriot
Summit