Recently in Oak Hills High School Category

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)

Year three is when many new schools start to be innudated with veteran leaders. That's not the case at Oak Hills, which is suffering a pretty severe senior shortage after making the playoffs in its first two seasons of play.

"We knew this was coming," Oak Hills coach Robert Kistner said. "A lot of the sophomores from a couple of years ago stayed at their school rather than coming over to play for us because they felt they could get on the field quicker. So we knew that this year was going to be shorthanded as far as seniors go. But we really like the seniors we have."

Leading the way for Oak Hills' senior class is running back Marshaun Coprich and cornerback/wide receiver Garrett Reece-Scott. Coprich (5-5, 180) led the Bulldogs in rushing last year, running for 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns, while Reece-Scott (5-9, 170) was a lockdown corner for Oak Hills along with being the team's leading receiver.

The Bulldogs will need junior quarterback David Richardson (6-2, 220) to take a bit of the heat off Coprich and an offensive line that has three new, underclassmen starters. Richardson threw for 835 yards and eight touchdowns last year, five to Reece-Scott.

Chino first baseman Jacob Anderson, San Gorgonio pitcher/outfielder Andy Crowley, Oak Hills pitcher Adolfo Espinoza and Aquinas first baseman Jonathan Ruiz were honored by MaxPreps.com last week, making the website's all-state teams.

Anderson, a first-round sandwich pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in June and a first-team all-Sun selection, was a first-team all-state and a first-team all-Medium Schools selection. Crowley, the Sun Player of the Year, was a second-team all-state as an all-purpose player and a first-team all-Medium Schools.

Espinoza, a first-team all-Sun player and the ace of the CIF-SS Division 5 champion Bulldogs, was a first-team all-Medium Schools selection while Ruiz, another first-team all-Sun pick, was first-team all-Small Schools.

Five county wrestlers excelled at the NHSCA Wrestling Nationals last weekend. Leading the way was Oak Hills 171-pounder Robert Marchese, who finished second in the junior division. Redlands East Valley senior Chris Mecate, the state champions in the 135-pound division, finished in third in the senior division at nationals, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Terrel Wilbourn of St. Charles, Mo. 6-4. Mecate defeated Bakersfield's Timmy Box -- who he defeated in the state semifinals -- 7-4 in the third-place match.

Oak Hills had two other wrestlers place in their respective divisions, with Ray Delgado placing fifth at 112 pounds in the senior division and Justin Gilliam placing third in the heavyweight division in the freshman division. Rim of the World junior Christian Smith also finished sixth in the junior division.

Oak Hills junior wrestler Robert Marchese, competing at the NSCA National Wrestling Championship, Junior Division, in Virginia Beach, Virginia has advanced all the way to the finals.

Marchese, who was seventh at the state meet four weeks ago, had to win five matches in the 171-pound weight class to reach Friday's final. The medal rounds for the juniors are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PDT today.

Marchese won his first two matches of the tournament 12-3 and 11-1, then won by fall. His last two were close: 9-7 and 3-1 to advance to the final where he'll face California State champion Nikko Reyes of Fresno Clovis West. Marchese and Reyes did not meet in the state tournament.

Oak Hills freshman heavyweight Justin Gillham, competing in the Freshman division of nationals, advanced all the way to the semifinals, before losing 2-1 on Thursday. He'll be competing in consolation today before wrestling for a medal.

The Senior Division gets underway Friday, including 135-pound state champion Chris Mecate of Redlands East Valley.

Only two county teams, the Ayala girls and Oak Hills boys, advance on to the regional tournament, which starts Tuesday and will end Saturday at Downey Warren High School. The pair of Bulldogs are looking to avenge CIF-SS championship losses, with Ayala falling to Bishop Amat in the Division 2 finals Friday and Oak Hills losing to Pico Rivera in the D4 championship Saturday. First-round games are Tuesday at 4 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Division 1 Girls
Westview at No. 1 San Clemente
Buena at No. 4 Bullard
Wilson at No. 3 El Camino Real
Ayala at No. 2 Torrey Pines

Division 2 Boys
Coronado at No. 1 Claremont
Oak Hills at No. 4 Reedley
Canoga Park at No. 3 Santa Barbara
Citrus Hill at No. 2 University City

The times and sites for this weekend's CIF-SS soccer championships were finalized Wednesday, with three county teams set to battle for titles in their respective divisions. Both county boys soccer teams that are still alive, Fontana in Division 3 and Oak Hills in Division 4, will play Saturday. The Mojave River League champion Bulldogs, making their second consecutive CIF championship appearance, will play No. 2-seeded Pico Rivera El Rancho in the D4 title game at 9:30 a.m. at Downey Warren High School while the Citrus Belt League champion Steelers will face off against No. 4-seeded Paramount in the D3 title game at 5 p.m. at Mission Viejo High School.

The top-seeded team in Division 3 girls, Ayala, will play its championship game on Friday, as the Bulldogs will take on No. 2-seeded La Puente Bishop Amat at 7:30 p.m. at Warren High School. Bishop Amat defeated No. 3 Granite Hills in the semifinals Tuesday.

No No. 1s this week, but plenty of No. 2s, as Oak Hills, Cajon and Arrowhead Christian are in the second spot in Divisions 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

DIVISION 4
1. El Rancho
2. Oak Hills
3. Santa Monica
4. Cathedral
5. Norwalk
6. La Salle
7. Artesia
8. California
9. Salesian
10. Diamond Ranch

DIVISION 5
1. La Canada
2. Cajon
3. Victor Valley
4. Baldwin Park
5. Granite Hills
6. Carter
7. Carpinteria
8. Lakeside
9. Mountain View
10T. Garden Grove Santiago
10T. Cerritos Valley Christian

DIVISION 6
1. Brentwood
2. Arrowhead Christian
3. Buckley
4. Tahquitz
5T. Bishop Union
5T. San Jacinto
7. Rubidoux
8. Ontario Christian
9. Pasadena Poly
10. Windward

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

Now off to the Eastern Division, where the game is "Catch Kaiser if you can."

Apple Valley at No. 1 Kaiser
If I'm the Sun Devils, I'm pretty bitter right about now. While Apple Valley's 5-5 record wasn't ground-breaking, the Sun Devils are hardly the worst team and shouldn't be the sacrificial lamb to the undefeated Cats. But that's precisely what they are. Apple Valley is intriguing on offense, but Kaiser has murdered people all year and will do the same tomorrow.
Kaiser 45, Apple Valley 6

Granite Hills at Beaumont
Granite Hills, which lost to Apple Valley in the regular season and had the exact same league record and finish in league as the Sun Devils, got a winnable draw, at least for the first round, as Beaumont isn't exactly a dominating opponents. But the Mountain Pass League champs are good and will win a low-scoring, hard-hitting duel.
Beaumont 14, Granite Hills 12

Norte Vista at Victor Valley
This is a rough draw for the Jackrabbits, as Norte Vista's grind-it-out, ball-control style netted it a trip to the semifinals a year ago. You can bet that the Braves will rely on Ryan Ruiz to play keep away from Victor's potent offense. However, the Jackrabbits took a huge step in beating Burroughs for the Desert Sky League title last week and that confidence will carry over.
Victor Valley 24, Norte Vista 16

Oak Hills at No. 4 Elsinore
The continuation of the Bulldogs' building process has Oak Hills in a tough spot, as the Bulldogs didn't get much respect for being the No. 2 team in their league. Elsinore held it own in recent years in the Central Division, advancing to the finals in 2006, and will be a tough go of it. Marshaun Coprich and Jeremiah Armstead will have success, but not quite enough.
Elsinore 26, Oak Hills 17

Silverado at No. 3 Heritage
If there was any proof necessary to validate the theory that tough nonleague schedules mean something, it came with the selection of 5-4-1 Silverado to the playoffs over 7-3 San Jacinto. The Hawks' philosophy of taking on all comers worked once again, albeit in a different way than normal. However, a 10-0 Heritage team is a tough draw for the Hawks, who just don't have the guns this year for a long run.
Heritage 34, Silverado 20

West Valley at Summit
West Valley has been a playoff underachiever recently, getting bounced in the first round as a higher seed in each of the last three years. They don't have to worry about that, as they'll be the clear underdogs against a Summit team with the best skill-position talent in the division. Summit is prone to lapses, but if the SkyHawks are on, this will get ugly quick.
Summit 38, West Valley 6

Ridgecrest Burroughs 35, Citrus Hill 30

Temescal Canyon at No. 2 Serrano
Kaiser is getting the hype in this division, and for good reason, but seasonal progression indicates that it's the year of the Diamondback. Serrano has gone from losing in the first round (2006) to the quarters (2007) to the semis (2008) to the championship game last year (2009). So the logical progression is a title. While that may not happen, a comfortable win over Temescal Canyon will.
Serrano 28, Temescal Canyon 7

Doing this a day earlier than normal, as several county teams are pulling a Conference USA and playing on a Wednesday. Only dropped five games last week, which is tied with my high performance of the season to date. We'll see if I get any smarter this week.

Redlands East Valley at Miller
With Miller's upset at Redlands last week, this game is now for the Citrus Belt League title. These teams have played classics the last three years, with each game going down to the final minute. If the good Miller shows up and stays for a while, this game could very well be the same. I'll be out to see this game Thursday and I expect a close game that goes to be more even-tempered team - which is REV.
Redlands East Valley 21, Miller 14

Upland at Los Osos
The tide in this series turned in 2008, when Upland smacked down the Grizzlies in the CIF semifinals to end a sizable losing streak to Los Osos. The Highlanders have added two more wins since, including a CIF championship win last December. A Los Osos win would put the Baseline on tilt, as Upland, Los Osos and Etiwanda would have to flip for two spots behind Rancho Cucamonga. An Upland win would make things nice and easy. We like nice and easy.
Upland 28, Los Osos 24

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Victor Valley
It very well could be feast or famine for the Jackrabbits. If they defeat Burroughs at home, Victor Valley will be the Desert Sky League champions and the No. 1 seed out of the league going into the playoffs. A loss could send them into a three-way tie for second with Silverado and Granite Hills and a resulting coin flip. While Victor Valley is in good shape for the at-large, it wouldn't mind not going down that road. But it might have to, as I see Burroughs winning.
Burroughs 30, Victor Valley 17

Carter at Arroyo Valley
The SAL is nice and simple, as the top three playoff spots are set with seeding locked in and this game settling the No. 4 spot. Carter is extremely close to being undefeated, losing to Cajon and San G by one score and Colton in overtime. Arroyo Valley, meanwhile, wasn't really close in any of its games against the Big 3. While the transitive property is dangerous to use to predict games, I feel as if Carter is a bit more equipped for this game.
Carter 21, Arroyo Valley 13

Summit at Norte Vista
The SkyHawks gave Kaiser all it could handle last week, actually having the top-ranked Cats behind in the fourth quarter before relenting and losing 19-7. Now can Summit shake off a possible letdown and get its first second-place finish in league? Norte Vista is physical and will try to pound the Cats. A first-round home playoff game is at stake, which should be enough for Summit to overcome any thoughts of regret from last week.
Summit 28, Norte Vista 22

Apple Valley at Oak Hills
Another game between teams jostling for seeding happens in the Mojave River League, as Oak Hills wants to cement its first season in league with a solid second-place finish. Apple Valley has been erratic at times, struggling to put away Sultana last week to clinch the playoff spot. The Bulldogs piledrove Hesperia last week and should take care of the Sun Devils this week.
Oak Hills 27, Apple Valley 14

Big Bear at Twentynine Palms
This is another league-title showdown, as the Wildcats will try to capture their fourth straight De Anza title by beating the Bears on their home turf. I expect this game to be a dandy, as the Bears' option attack is being executed in tip-top form with junior quarterback Zakk Planz while the Wildcats have profited from the bruising running of fullback Chris Fuifui. However, I like the Bears here in a mild upset.
Big Bear 24, Twentynine Palms 22

Ontario at Colony
I could write a dissertation on the Mt. Baldy League playoff situation and still not explain it correctly. However, I'm going to defer to my colleague Clay Fowler on this, as I would probably turn myself crosseyed trying to explain how a five-way tie at 2-4 for two playoff spots (which is mathematically possible) could work. This game could contribute to that chaos, as Ontario is one of four teams at 2-3 playing a Colony team that has its spot already set. Colony could be nice, let the Jaguars win and save us all from grief, but it won't.
Colony 34, Ontario 14

Ayala at Chino Hills
This battle of Chino Hills typically has huge implications riding on it but really doesn't this year, at least for Ayala, as the Bulldogs are long since eliminated from the playoffs. Chino Hills could still sneak out with a Sierra League title, as South Hills' upset of Claremont last week opened up that door just a tad. The Huskies still need Claremont to lose to Damien for a league title to happen, but they'll do their part tonight.
Chino Hills 38, Ayala 6

Ontario Christian at Arrowhead Christian
With only two teams automatically making the playoffs out of the Ambassador League, Ontario Christian is in a precarious spot. Aquinas and Linfield Christian have the two spots locked up, which leaves the 3-6 Knights, who made the East Valley finals a year ago, scrambling for an at-large. How does this game with ACA factor in? Well, a few style points wouldn't hurt, so I expect Ontario Christian to put a hurting on the Eagles and hope for the best on Sunday.
Ontario Christian 44, ACA 10

Other games of note
Aquinas 48, Western Christian 14
Rancho Cucamonga 38, Glendora 13
Etiwanda 65, Alta Loma 7
Redlands 49, Fontana 6
Yucaipa 38, Eisenhower 10
Yucca Valley 45, Shadow Hills 0
Silverado 28, Barstow 6
Serrano 42, Hesperia 0
Chino 49, Don Lugo 20
Montclair 26, Chaffey 22
Rim of the World 56, Jurupa Hills 12
Riverside Notre Dame 45, Citrus Valley 9
Colton 28, Rialto 7
San Gorgonio 62, Pacific 14
Cajon 55, San Bernardino 12
Kaiser 43, Bloomington 6
Granite Hills 16, Sultana 6

Last week: 26-5
Overall: 226-78-3

I could basically copy and paste the Sunkist League breakdown in here, as the three playoff participants have already been decided, with one game to decide seeding to be played Friday.

1. Serrano (8-1, 3-0): The Diamondbacks have clinched the league title and the No. 1 seed no matter what they do Friday against Hesperia due to their head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over Oak Hills and Apple Valley.

2. Oak Hills (6-3, 2-1): The Bulldogs have clinched a playoff spot and are playing Apple Valley for the No. 2 seed. Should Oak Hills lose, it will get the No. 3 seed out of the league.

3. Apple Valley (5-4, 2-1): The Sun Devils have clinched a playoff spot and are playing Oak Hills for the No. 2 seed. Should Apple Valley lose, it will get the No. 3 seed out of the league.

4. Sultana (2-7, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

5. Hesperia (1-8, 0-3): Elimianted from playoff consideration.

I regressed to nonleague form this past week, missing five of the 10 feature games and nine games overall. I'm not proud of what I've done and how I've acted. Let's move on amicably.

Upland at Rancho Cucamonga
This game is kind of a big deal. People know these teams, as they are the last two Central Division champions and are undefeated in league coming in. This matchup has gone Rancho's way in recent history, as the Cougars have won three in a row over Upland, including that CIF championship victory in 2008. I think the Cougars are a bit more complete of a unit right now. In a month, Upland might be better, but I'll take Rancho now and feel decent about it.
Rancho Cucamonga 31, Upland 27

Serrano at Oak Hills
This is the game in the Mojave River League, with Serrano being the big kid on the block and Oak Hills being the unafraid new kid. The Bulldogs threw it in my face last week, not only proving me wrong for picking Victor Valley, but ripping the Jackrabbits a new one. I'll be at this game tomorrow - my inaugural Oak Hills football game - and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Bulldogs have, though I don't think it'll be enough.
Serrano 28, Oak Hills 17

Kaiser at Norte Vista
Another week, another Kaiser shut out, its fifth of the season. The Cats pretty much suck all the anticipation out of games by just beating the living heck out of every team they play. Norte Vista, with its 2-0 league record and physical running game featuring junior running back Ryan Ruiz, won't be intimidated by the Cats. But intimidated or not, Kaiser is on a roll right now and doesn't look to be stopped this week.
Kaiser 38, Norte Vista 6

Yucaipa at Miller
This is expected to decide the third playoff spot out of the Citrus Belt League eventually, though Miller is tied with REV with a 2-0 league mark. Both of these teams have extremely dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks, with Yucaipa's Dylan Malone and Miller's Eric Shufford making this a potentially entertaining game. The Rebels are a bit more battle-tested and a year further along in their system, factors which will come to play in what should be a good battle.
Miller 31, Yucaipa 20

Cajon at Arroyo Valley
The Cowboys come into this matchup with their swag on 10, as they went into Colton and won a huge game to take control of the San Andreas League race. But Cajon would be advised not to take this game lightly. Arroyo Valley's offense has scuffled against most defenses with a pulse but their defense will keep this game relatively uncomfortable. I see the Cowboys winning, but not without an early scare.
Cajon 20, Arroyo Valley 14

Linfield Christian at Aquinas
The newbies from Linfield Christian have made a name for themselves in the Ambassador League, knocking off Ontario Christian last week to set up this showdown with Aquinas. Since losing to Desert Hot Springs in the opener, the Falcons have rolled off six wins in a row, ascending to No. 3 in the East Valley polls. Linfield is a quality opponent, but Aquinas has things on lock this year.
Aquinas 28, Linfield Christian 12

Granite Hills at Ridgecrest Burroughs
The Cougars threw a monkey wrench into the Desert Sky League race last week, pulling off the 8-6 upset over Silverado to move to 2-0 in league. For a school that hasn't had much success to speak of, this is pretty heady position going into the matchup with the league favorites. So can Granite pull this off two weeks in a row? It's defense has been awesome, but defending the Burros and third-year starting QB Derrick Dison might be a bit more difficult.
Burroughs 21, Granite Hills 12

Silverado at Apple Valley
The High Desert gets a high amount of love this week, as the aforementioned Hawks come into this nonleague matchup pretty ticked off. Not only because of the loss to Granite Hills, but the matchup with the Sun Devils, who whipped them in the playoffs last year. Both these teams should ultimately be in the playoffs, making this a possible preview. I think Silverado is going to be a little more annoyed and pull this out.
Silverado 24, Apple Valley 21

Chino at Montclair
I'm officially on the Chino bandwagon. I've wondered all year if the Cowboys were a mirage caused by a weak schedule, but Chino's whipping of Colony definitely convinced me otherwise. Plus I like the prospect of a player named Promise Amadi being in headlines in our paper. Opens up a ton of possiblities. Montclair has been surprising in going 4-3, but the Cavaliers don't have the horses to stay in this game.
Chino 45, Montclair 10

Los Osos at Etiwanda
Start with the Baseline, end with the Baseline. The loser of this game finds themselves in a pretty untenable position in a brutal league, as they'd be 1-2 and have to play one of the top two before the season ends. So yeah, this game is kind of big. Etiwanda might have the most potent offense in the county, but its defense gives up points almost as fast as its offense scores them. Los Osos will make enough stops to win this donnybrook.
Los Osos 36, Etiwanda 34

Other games of note:
Summit 56, Jurupa Valley 0
Ontario Christian 27, Western Christian 16
Glendora 38, Alta Loma 7
Redlands 45, Eisenhower 0
Redlands East Valley 49, Fontana 6
Big Bear 43, Shadow Hills 7
Twentynine Palms 38, Desert Mirage 0
Desert Hot Springs 30, Yucca Valley 15
Victor Valley 28, Barstow 6
Hesperia 17, Sultana 13
Citrus Valley 28, Jurupa Hills 9
Rim of the World 27, Banning 20
Don Lugo 23, Chaffey 18
Ontario 30, Garey 21
Colton 60, Pacific 0
Carter 35, San Bernardino 10
San Gorgonio 20, Rialto 9
Claremont 42, Ayala 14
Chino Hills 31, South Hills 6
Bloomington 20, Patriot 10
Arrowhead Christian 18, Calvary Murrieta 7
Bloomington Christian 26, Saddleback Valley Christian 14

Last week: 21-9
Overall: 175-66-3

Starting to get into a groove now, as I had my best week of the season to date.

Cajon at Colton
This has become the de facto championship game in the San Andreas League and for good reason, as the teams have split the last five league titles and have won seven total since 2000. Needless to say, they are at it again, as both are undefeated in league. It's been a weird season for both, as Colton has become almost pass-happy while Cajon has shown off the double-wing. I think this one will be relatively low scoring, with the home team prevailing.
Colton 20, Cajon 10

Redlands at Yucaipa
The Terriers have the unenviable task of having to recover from a devastating Smudge Pot rivalry loss to Redlands East Valley last week. The schedulemaker didn't do Redlands any favors, as they'll have to play a sneaky-good Yucaipa team with an elite playmaker in quarterback Dylan Malone. The Terriers might be ripe for an upset, but I think they'll pull this one out late.
Redlands 23, Yucaipa 19

Colony at Chino
How real is Chino? That's the million-dollar question heading into this one. The Cowboys have gone from a feeble 0-10 team to a 6-0 juggernaut that is straight pile-driving opponents. However, Chino's opponents haven't exactly been SEC caliber to date. Colony's five-game winning streak has flown under the radar a bit, but the defending champs have a chance to make a splash. And I think they will.
Colony 28, Chino 23

Etiwanda at Upland
If they had odds on this game in Vegas (or on bodog.com) I would take the over because this thing is going to be a track meet. The Eagles have an explosive offense led by the leading passer in the county in Larry Cutbirth, who averages 275 yards per game through the air. Problem is that Etiwanda doesn't really stop anyone on defense. That will prove fatal against the Highlanders, which has a balanced offense and a little more defense.
Upland 44, Etiwanda 36

Oak Hills at Victor Valley
Kind of a slow week in the High Desert, as all the league games pit the haves against the have-nots, but this nonleague tilt has some teeth. Oak Hills has won a lot in its first year-and-a-half, piling up 13 wins, but still doesn't have that signature win over a large-school program. Victor Valley started out firing at 5-0 but lost to Silverado last week and wants to avoid a second-half slide. I think Victor will stem the slide and Oak Hills will still be searching.
Victor Valley 34, Oak Hills 26

Damien at Chino Hills
This game is usually a doozy and should be again this year, as the Huskies come in needing a win pretty badly after falling in a tough league-opener to Claremont this week. Damien came into this year having to overcome some massive personnel losses due to graduation but has equipped itself well, matching Chino Hills' 4-2 record. No one backs Bub into a corner though, as I feel the Huskies will come out swinging.
Chino Hills 23, Damien 9

Kaiser at Patriot
The question this week isn't whether or not Kaiser - the No. 1 team in the Sun, the Daily Bulletin, the Eastern Division and city of Fontana polls - will be Patriot tomorrow. It will. The question, er questions, are how bad and will there be a fifth shutout. I'm answering very bad on the first one and yes on the second. Patriot didn't muster a point against Summit last week - no way its scoring on Kaiser unless the Cats get bored.
Kaiser 48, Patriot 0

Twentynine Palms at Desert Hot Springs
The Wildcats have ruled the De Anza League the last three years, taking the league title each and every year. But DSH has been on an uber roll this season, taking out Aquinas and Rim of the World in the nonleague and grabbing a big win at Big Bear this past weekend. Twentynine Palms is playing pretty well, but the Golden Eagles seem to have some mojo going. That's good enough for me.
Desert Hot Springs 28, Twentynine Palms 18

Rubidoux at Rim of the World
Last week saw the return of Rim of the World running back Dillon Pretzinger from a foot injury. Not coincidentally, it also saw the Fighting Scots look more like the juggernaut that I expected them to be before the season. The table is set for Rim to win the inaugural Mountain Valley League title and while Rubidoux is much improved, I see Rim rolling here.
Rim of the World 28, Rubidoux 13

Glendora at Los Osos
With all respect to the Dallas-Minnesota game this past Sunday I feel that this game is the true "Desperation Bowl". Both of these teams, which came into the season with high expectations, are 0-1 in a three-playoff-berth league and an 0-2 mark would be a sure death sentence in a brutal Baseline in a division with zero at-large berths. So who gets to play the role of a despondent Tony Romo? Unless it goes into overtime, I think Glendora will.
Los Osos 35, Glendora 27

Other games of note:
Rancho Cucamonga 56, Alta Loma 6
Aquinas 40, Calvary Murrieta 0
Linfield Christian 21, Ontario Christian 17
Western Christian 24, Arrowhead Christian 16
Redlands East Valley 61, Eisenhower 12
Miller 38, Fontana 6
Big Bear 27, Yucca Valley 25
Ridgecrest Burroughs 34, Barstow 0
Silverado 26, Granite Hills 10
Apple Valley 38, Hesperia 14
Serrano 38, Sultana 7
Banning 28, Citrus Valley 23
Riverside Notre Dame 50, Jurupa Hills 6
Garey 31, Don Lugo 12
Ontario 27, Montclair 16
Arroyo Valley 45, Pacific 0
Carter 21, Rialto 18
San Gorgonio 36, San Bernardino 13
Banning Twin Pines 26, Bloomington Christian 20
Summit 39, Bloomington 10

Last week: 26-5
Overall: 154-57-3

I guess I'm a little slow - which Victor Valley fans would agree with after I incorrectly picked against the Jackrabbits in the Bell Game - but I seem to be stuck in a rut of mediocre prognosticating.

Chino Hills at Redlands East Valley
The first step of REV's Bataan Death March-like four-game stretch went well, as the Wildcats subdued Orange Lutheran. It gets a bit harder this week, as the Wildcats play a Chino Hills team that's responded nicely after an upset loss to Corona Santiago. However, I'm not sure the Huskies are quite ready to come to Redlands and leave with a victory. The Wildcat defense will prevail here.
Redlands East Valley 19, Chino Hills 7

Arroyo Valley at Rialto
San Andreas League play gets going this week with several intriguing matchups, but when the season started, I don't think anyone would have identified this one as the most intriguing. But thanks to Arroyo Valley's QB issues and Rialto's surprising 3-0 start, it has been. Michael Yearwood is questionable due to injury and the Knights have some mojo going. Rialto continues its surge.
Rialto 16, Arroyo Valley 10

Rancho Cucamonga at Redlands
The Terriers have proven themselves to be outstanding scrappers, outlasting Los Osos in triple OT and defeating Carlsbad La Costa Canyon without starting QB Jojo Hernandez. Rancho has been on a pretty big roll and seems to thrive on playing away from home (or Los Osos if you want to get technical) and should have enough to put away the Terriers.
Rancho Cucamonga 24, Redlands 16

Kaiser at Palm Desert
The cliche' "the irresistible force against the immovable object" may be annoying, but it is completely appropriate here. The Kaiser defense has been completely dominant, allowing a garbage-time TD to Barstow in its opener and that's it. Meanwhile, Palm Desert's defense has put 113 points up the last two weeks. In these cases, I almost always go defense, so that's what I'll do here.
Kaiser 28, Palm Desert 18

Carter at Colton
One team is undefeated going into this game and surprisingly, it isn't Colton. Carter has been stout on the defensive end, giving up only 28 points in its first three games. But then again, Bloomington was cruising last week before getting backhanded 42-6 by the Yellowjackets. I expect the Lions to go through the same thing, though not nearly as savagely. Colton is awake and aware.
Colton 36, Carter 13

Silverado at Summit
The bye week couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the SkyHawks, who got an extra week to rest up Devon Blackmon's ankle and separate RB Montigo Alford further from a Week 0 concussion. I expect both players to play and be effective against Silverado, which will fight valiantly but doesn't quite have the big guns to pull the upset.
Summit 27, Silverado 17

Chaffey at Chino
This game looked like a dud before the season, but Chino's resurgence has made it pretty interesting. This will be the Cowboys' first Mt. Baldy League game since moving over and they'll try to exploit a struggling Chaffey squad with explosive senior Promise Amadi. I promise that it will be successful, as Chino moves to 4-0.
Chino 28, Chaffey 20

Big Bear at Rim of the World
This should be a fun one. For years I've wondered why this matchup didn't happen, so now that it's here, I expect it to be pretty fun. The Bears have been gashing people with their triple-option offense behind a stout offensive line, while Rim of the World has scuffled due to an injury bug that has taken out RB Dillon Pretzinger. However, I'm going with the home team to show a little something in this one.
Rim of the World 24, Big Bear 22

Miller at Oak Hills
Miller's nonleague gauntlet comes to a merciful end, as they play an Oak Hills team that, while good, isn't in the league of an Upland or a Carson at this point. The Bulldogs will be hungry in this game though, as they failed their first test of the season against a big school from down the hill, falling to Rialto. This should be a good one, but I think Miller is due to pull one of these close ones out.
Miller 27, Oak Hills 21

Riverside Notre Dame at Aquinas
The Holy War is always one of the more spirited rivalries in the area, as the IE's top two parochial schools face off. The Falcons have been impressive, especially defensively, since losing their season opener to Desert Hot Springs. I expect this to be a physical, ground-oriented, low-scoring game and am going with the home team.
Aquinas 19, Notre Dame 16

Other games of note:
Cajon 25, San Gorgonio 14
San Bernardino 35, Pacific 18
Colony 33, Don Lugo 13
Garey 26, Montclair 14
Granite Hills 24, Alta Loma 7
Yucaipa 38, Beaumont 20
Bloomington 28, Fontana 14
Ontario Christian 24, Cerritos Valley Christian 20
Temecula Great Oak 37, Eisenhower 6
Arrowhead Christian 30, Irvine Crean Lutheran South 12
Jurupa Valley 26, Hesperia 20
Claremont 42, Ontario 13
Serrano 28, Santa Clarita Golden Valley 13
Ayala 31, Santa Fe Springs St. Paul 24
Victor Valley 36, Sultana 10
Palm Springs 35, Twentynine Palms 9
Upland 23, Los Angeles Loyola 17
Rubidoux 21, Western Christian 17
Apple Valley 34, Indio 14
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 30, Bloomington Christian 14

Last week: 26-10
Overall: 86-38-3

A new wrinkle we added this year, the preseason all-area team wasn't very easy to put together. But I'm sure these guys will make me look somewhat smart.

OFFENSE
QB - Thomas Carter, Sr., Cajon
RB - Dillon Pretzinger, Sr., Rim of the World
RB - Jeremiah Armstead, Sr., Oak Hills
RB - Tyler Ervin, Sr., Colton
WR - Paul Pitts, Sr., Los Osos
WR - Angel Rivera, Sr., Arroyo Valley
TE - Rodney Hardrick, Sr., Colton
OL - Jamal Prater, Sr., Etiwanda
OL - Jordan Smith, Sr., Redlands
OL - Hector Sotelo, Sr., Serrano
OL - Gary Dixon, Sr., Summit
OL - Jesus Cortez, Sr., Chaffey
Util - Devon Blackmon, Sr., Summit
K - Cody Madsen, Sr., Redlands East Valley

DEFENSE
DL - Ethan Hillyer, Sr., Serrano
DL - John Siliga, Sr., Redlands
DL - Devon Lewis, Sr., Redlands East Valley
DL - Kyle Jerkins, Sr., Apple Valley
LB - Devan Hussey, Sr., Colton
LB - Dennis Taylor, Sr., Kaiser
LB - Jamal Wilson, Sr., Miller
LB - Jimmy Musgrave, Sr., Silverado
DB - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Sr., Chino Hills
DB - Josh Armstrong, Sr., Redlands East Valley
DB - Desman Carter, Sr., Kaiser
DB - Demontae Kazee, Jr., Cajon
Util - Sateki Finau, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
P - Jake Van Ginkel, Sr., Upland

Typically new schools get the luxury of flying under the radar in their first few years of existence, getting to build their new program slowly from scratch as they watch a mishmash of younger players eventually grow into veterans. Oak Hills screwed up that plan last year, busting out to a 9-3 record as a freelance team and winning its first-round playoff game in the East Valley Division. So any anonymity the Bulldogs might have had entering their first season of Mojave River League play this season is gone.

"I think we have a little bit of a target on our backs," Oak Hills coach Robert Kistner said. "We were able to win some games early and get some confidence and I think that's made everyone else take notice. No one wants to lose to the new guy, so I think we are going to get everyone's best shot."

Having only sophomores and juniors last season, the Bulldogs return their 2009 squad intact. That rare luxury is made even nicer by the fact that one of those returners, senior RB Jeremiah Armstead, ran for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago.

Plenty of county boys soccer players were recognized by the CIF-SS offices when the all-CIF soccer teams were unveiled earlier today. But Oak Hills junior forward Juan Nuno went the extra mile, earning Offensive MVP honors for the Bulldogs, who advanced to the Division 6 finals in their inaugural year. Oak Hills coach Darren Goodman was also named coach of the year.

Still no state champions in wrestling from San Bernardino County since Rim's Ricky Turk in 2002, but the county produced five state placers on Saturday in Bakersfield: Sultana's Matt Welch (fourth, 112), Barstow's Sean Silva (fourth, 119, 2nd time placing in state), REV's Chris Mecate (fifth, 125), Oak Hills' Robert Marchese (eighth, 160, school's first-ever state placer) and Sultana's Manuel Mazariegos (7th, heavyweight).
It's the first time Sultana's had 2 state placers in the same meet. Not a bad showing. And Welch was impressive a year after he was ineligible due to grades.
I do think, however, Rialto's Giordan Porter got a raw deal in his last match. He should've been awarded a takedown with 12 seconds left, when the referee ruled him out of bounds and he ended up losing by one point.
Sometimes you need to avoid back luck and you need to get a good draw to place. Porter and Colony's Cody Dixon, 2 CIF-SS Masters champions, were both victims of that.

The drought of no state champions from San Bernardino County will extend to eight years.
The three semifinalists from the county, all lost Saturday morning here in Bakersfield.
third-ranked Matt Welch (Sultana, 112) lost to No. 1 Alex Cisneros of Selma 4-2 in the semifinals when he was unable to get a reversal in the final seconds.
Third-ranked Sean Silva (Barstow, 119) lost to second-ranked Bryan Grubbs of La Costa Canyon 5-2 in his match.
Fourth-ranked Chris Mecate (REV, 125) lost the toughest one of all, dropping a 3-1 decision in overtime to second-ranked Chris Martinez of Fresno Clovis West.
All three are in consolation, but can now finish no higher than third.
Welch's teammate, heavyweight Manuel Mazariegos won his first match to clinch a spot among the top eight.
Oak Hills' Robert Marchese (160) became the first state placer in the first year of the school's existence, and is currently wrestling in consolation. Teammate Ray Delgado did not place.
Rialto's Giordan Porter and Colony's Cody Dixon, both hoping to become their schools' first state placers, lost their first matches Saturday and were eliminated.

Three County wrestlers made it through the first day unscathed at the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield, and will be wrestling in the semifinals Saturday morning.

Sultana senior 112-pounder Matt Welch, ranked third, will wrestle No. 1-ranked Alex Cisneros of Selma in the semifinals. Cisneros, a sophomore won 103 pounds last year.
Barstow senior 119-pounder Sean Silva won 10-0, 8-3, and 5-4. Silva, ranked third, will face second-ranked Bryan Grubbs of La Costa Canyon in the semifinals.
Redlands East Valley junior 125-pounder Chris Mecate won twice via technical fall, then 3-0 and 5-1 to advance to the semifinals. Mecate, ranked fourth, will face second-ranked Chris Martinez of Fresno Clovis West in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 1-ranked Jesse Delgado of Gilroy has already lost.
Those are the 3 standouts from the county, but others are still alive in consolation.
Both of Oak Hills' wrestlers, Ray Delgado (112) and Robert Marchese (160) are still in consolation, needing to win their first match Saturday to make the top eight.
Sultana's five wrestlers started the day 8-0, but faltered after that. Other than Welch, however, only heavyweight Manuel Mazariegos is still alive among the five Sultans. Mazariegos won twice, lost 2-1, then won twice in consolation.
Rialto heavyweight Giordan Porter is still alive in consolation. He lost a 5-4, double-overtime match in the third round, but won via pin and 1-0 to remain alive.
Colony 160-pounder Cody Dixon is also alive, losing his first match by a 15-1 score, but maneuvering through consolation.
Others who didn't make Day 2:
San Gorgonio's Richie Cascante (didn't make weight at 112), Los Osos' Tim Maldonado (119), Sultana's Alec Smith (125), Michael Gonzalez (135) and Ryan McWatters (152), REV's Pedro Vazquez (130), Bloomington's Juan Alvarado (152), Hesperia's Chris Sloat (160), REV's Andrew Hudson (215, after finishing eighth last year).

The High Desert remains alive and well in soccer going into this weekend's CIF-SS title games, as all three remaining teams in the boys and girls playoffs are located north of the Cajon Pass.

On the girls side, Sultana and Granite Hills will get a chance to replay their classic Division 4 championship game from a year ago, which the Sultans won on penalty kicks, 7 p.m. Friday at Downey Warren High School. The Sultans advanced to the finals with a 1-0 victory over No. 1-seeded La Puente Bishop Amat Tuesday while No. 2 Granite Hills defeated Hacienda Heights Los Altos 1-0 in the semifinals.

On the boys side, No. 1-seeded Oak Hills advanced to the Division 6 championship in its inaugural season by ousting Brentwood Tuesday. After a scoreless tie in regulation, the Bulldogs won the penalty-kick round 4-1 on goals by Abel Arriola, Brett Croft, Juan Nuno and Sergio Romero. The Bulldogs will face El Monte Mountain View at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Warren HS.

In the other semifinals Tuesday, Redlands East Valley fell to Harvard-Westlake 4-0 in Division 2 girls while Malibu defeated Ontario Christian on penalty kicks 3-2 in D6 girls after the teams played to a 1-1 tie.

Today was a bloody day for every county team but Oak Hills. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 in Division 6, defeated Maranatha today and now head to O.J. Simpson's old stomping grounds Tuesday for a semifinal matchup with Brentwood. Pretty crazy that the youngest team in the playoffs is the only one left.

Quarterfinal scores
Division 3
Santa Ana Valley 2, Redlands 1

Division 5
Amino Leadership 3, Cajon 1
Garden Grove Santiago 2, Hesperia 0

Division 6
Oak Hills 3, Maranatha 0
Brentwood 2, Granite Hills 1
Mountain View 2, Arrowhead Christian 0

Semifinals
Oak Hills at Brentwood
Pasadena Poly vs. Mountain View

Oak Hills, a freelance team without seniors in its first year, grabbed the No. 1 seed in Division 6, a pretty heady accomplishment for a young program. Hesperia notched the No. 2 seed in Division 5 as well, while Division 3 is a who's who of county teams. Wild Card games will be played Wednesday, with the first round starting Friday.

DIVISION 3
Wild Card
A: Cathedral City at Rialto
B: Santa Ynez at Saugus
C: Chaffey at Great Oak
D: Redlands East Valley at Anaheim
E: Miller at Bloomington
F: Temecula Valley at Nogales
G: Ontario at Indio
H: Lynwood at Pioneer.

First Round
Wild Card A at Chaparral
West Covina at Savanna
Wild Card B at Paramount
California at Garey
Wild Card C at Fontana
Warren at Lompoc
Kaiser at La Quinta
Wild Card D at Canyon Country Canyon
Wild Card E at Coachella Valley
Valencia at Santa Maria
Downey at El Rancho
Wild Card F at Montclair
Wild Card G at Norte Vista
Murrieta Valley at Redlands
Lompoc Cabrillo at Rowland
Wild Card H at Santa Ana Valley.

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.

The High Desert is feeling good again, as Oak Hills jumps into first in Division VI while Hesperia and Granite Hills are ranked No. 2 in Division V and VI, respectively.

The High Desert teams continue to regulate in the lower divisions, with Granite Hills and Oak Hills maintaining their No. 1 and No. 3 rankings, respectively, in Division 6 while Hesperia is No. 2 in Division 5. Montclair seems to be making a movie in Division 3, where the Cavaliers have surged to No. 4.

The High Desert is leading the way in soccer (which isn't unusual at all really). Granite Hills (No. 1), Oak Hills (No. 3) and Silverado (No. 5) are ranked high in Division VI, while Hesperia holds down the No. 2 spot in Division V.

In addition to T.J.'s previous post about REV's Chris Mecate (seeded third) winning the 119 pound title at the Five Counties Wrestling Invitational last Friday, there were seven more wrestlers from the county who placed at state.

The were three county wrestlers placing in the 112 pound class, as Oak Hills' unseeded Ray Delgado was second, Sultana's unseeded Matt Welch was fifth and Ayala's unseeded Andrew Delgado was eighth.

At 135 pounds, Victor Valley's unseeded Chris Swayze took seventh, while Carter's Chuck Wilson, also unseeded was eighth at 140. REV's sixth-seeded Andrew Hudson took seventh at 215 and Sultana's fifth-seeded Manny Mazariegos was third at heavyweight.

There were eight wrestlers in each weight class seeded prior to the event, and the top eight placed. As far as I can tell, Mecate, Hudson and Mazariegos were the only county wrestlers who were seeded, yet not only did they all place, but five others from the county who were unseeded placed.

Looks to me like county wrestlers are deserving of a little more respect than what was given to them at the seeding meeting.

Whiffed on a couple of the games featuring local teams last week, so I have some explaining to do to the likes of Aquinas and Ontario Christian, respectively.

Aquinas at No. 1 San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's
Note for next year - don't pick against Aquinas at home in the playoffs. The Falcons dusted Sierra Canyon, making me look pretty dumb. And for good reason. However, they are on the road against the defending CIF and small-school state champions. I have to pick against Aquinas again here. Sorry fellas.
St. Margaret's 27, Aquinas 13

Fillmore 34, Bishop 18

Simi Valley Grace Brethren at Oak Hills
The Bulldogs redeemed my trust last week, ekeing past No. 3 seeded Kern Valley 21-19 to continue their historic run as a first-year school. Now they get another first - their inaugural home playoff game. Oak Hills is straight rolling and I'm not a huge believer in Grace Brethren. Plus, gotta keep my sleeper alive.
Oak Hills 38, Grace Brethren 27

No. 2 Pasadena Maranatha at Ontario Christian
All of a sudden, the Knights have become a tough out. They took Aquinas to the wire in the regular season finale two weeks ago and pulled the upset against a hot Twentynine Palms team on the road in the first round last week. However, OC is at home and they have a very explosive Maranatha team to face. I see the Knights' recent run of spunk coming to an end.
Maranatha 35, Ontario Christian 21

St. Margaret's ruled this division with an iron fist last year, taking out 40% of the De Anza League en route to the division and, eventually, the small-school state title. Can anyone take them out this time around?

No. 1 St. Margaret's 38, Santa Paula 6

Chatsworth Sierra Canyon at Aquinas
This is basically a coinflip, as Sierra Canyon was second in the Alpha League with an 8-2 record while Aquinas won its third straight Christian League title in thrilling fashion over Ontario Christian. It's been a bit of an up-and-down ride for the Falcons thus far this season and I'm not quite sure if they'll be able to outfight Sierra Canyon.
Sierra Canyon 27, Aquinas 20

Los Angeles Brentwood 31, Bishop 14

Yucca Valley at No. 4 Fillmore
Yucca Valley doesn't have a pretty record, but it does have another berth in the East Valley playoffs. The Trojans opened some eyes in the playoffs a year ago, winning their first-round game and giving St. Margaret's a struggle in the second round, but I have a hard time seeing them repeating that trick this year.
Fillmore 33, Yucca Valley 13

Oak Hills at No. 3 Kern Valley
Oak Hills isn't your typical first-year program - or your typical at-large freelance cannon fodder squad. The Bulldogs are 8-2 and have some pretty big wins, so they won't be intimidated by a 9-1 Kern Valley squad. And quite frankly, I think Oak Hills is too young to realize that it shouldn't be doing this well. I smell an "upset".
Oak Hills 38, Kern Valley 27

Newport Beach Sage Hill 23, Simi Valley Grace Brethren 21

Ontario Christian at Twentynine Palms
How quickly can the Knights recover from their heartbreaking loss to Aquinas? That's the million-dollar question for Ontario Christian, as Twentynine Palms has been a Christian League-killer over the past few seasons. The Wildcats are surging, winning six in a row and went to the finals a year ago. I don't see Ontario Christian doing well here.
Twentynine Palms 34, Ontario Christian 13

No. 2 Pasadena Maranatha 40, Lebec Frazier Mountain 7

QUARTERFINALS
St. Margaret's over Sierra Canyon
Brentwood over Fillmore
Oak Hills over Sage Hill
Maranatha over Twentynine Palms

SEMIFINALS
St. Margaret's over Brentwood
Maranatha over Oak Hills

Championship
St. Margaret's over Maranatha

The fourth and final goes to the smallest division, the East Valley. I'll be honest, I haven't had a chance to see these teams play, so there will be some more speculation in here than normal. I'm sure you guys can handle it.

The matchups:

Santa Paula (6-4) at No. 1 St. Margaret's (9-1)
Sierra Canyon (8-2) at Aquinas (6-3)
Bishop (5-4) at Brentwood (8-2)
Yucca Valley (3-7) at No. 4 Fillmore (7-3)
Oak Hills (8-2) at No. 3 Kern Valley (9-1)
Grace Brethren (5-5) at Sage Hill (7-3)
Ontario Christian (4-6) at Twentynine Palms (6-4)
Frazier Mountain (7-3) at No. 2 Pasadena Maranatha (8-2)

My initial impression is that St. Margaret's should have this division on tilt. They rolled to a CIF and state title a year ago and have a good draw to do the same thing. Aquinas could give them a test in round two, but the Falcons haven't done so well against the upper-level teams in the division, losing to teams like Oak Hills and Twentynine Palms. I see St. Margaret's rolling until the final.

I also see Oak Hills being a bracket buster. Being a brand-new school without a league, the Bulldogs weren't given much slack by the selection committee, having to face No. 9 Kern Valley. But Oak Hills has sparkled all year and has proven it can play with playoff-caliber teams, already having defeated Aquinas and Laguna Beach this year. Oak Hills has one of the more talented squads in this bracket - it's whether it can overcome its youth that will tell the tale.

I also like Twentynine Palms in the bottom half of the bracket. The Wildcats made it to the championship game last year and have won six straight games after starting out 0-4 against a nonleague schedule made of primarily larger schools. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Twentynine Palms took out Maranatha in the second round.

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.

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.

Hesperia football coach Robert Kistner comfirmed just now his plans to leave Hesperia High School - where he coached the last six seasons - to take the job at brand-new Oak Hills High School, which will open its doors this fall. It was supposed to be approved at a school board meeting today, but the meeting was postponed. But pending board approval, Kistner will be the first coach of the Bulldogs.

"It'll be an exciting challenge to open up a new school," said Kistner, who was the 2007 All-Sun Coach of the Year. "It's going to be a big challenge, but it's something that will be fun to do. The opportunity to start your own program is something that I'm excited about."

Kistner leaves Hesperia after six seasons, including a 2008 one where the Scorpions went 11-1 and won the Mojave River League championship, setting a school record for victories in a season in the process. Kistner compiled a 43-22 record in his tenure at Hesperia, including a 21-3 mark and first-round playoff victories in each of the last two seasons.

"I had a great run at Hesperia and this move has nothing to do with any ill feelings toward that school," Kistner said. "I enjoyed my time there a great bit and it meant a lot to me personally."

Kistner was hired by Oak Hills athletic director Darren Goodman, who is also leaving Hesperia for the new high school. Tuesday's Sun will have a more detailed story.

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