Recently in Rialto High School Category

There were some great performances on Thursday at the San Andreas League track finals at San Gorgonio.
Pacific's Quincy Ross (100 and 200), San Gorgonio's Ryan Rittenhouse (1600 and 3200) and San Gorgonio's Ryan Hunter-Simms (shot and discus) each won multiple individual events on the boys side. My apologies to Quincy Ross, who was not mentioned in my story that is in Friday's paper. I think it was at least initially announced that Ross did not win one of those two races, but once I looked at the results (too late) I realized he's listed as winning both.
On the girls side, Cajon's Haley Sanner (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles) and Ayana Gales (long jump and triple jump) as well as Pacific's Gabriela Maldonado (800, 1600, and 3200) took home multiple events.
Hunter-Simms set a new

As part of the basketball regular signing period that began this week, Rialto High standout center Denae "Mary" Williams has signed a letter of intent to play basketball for University of San Francisco.

"Mary gives us an outstanding presence in the paint," USF coach Jennifer Azzi said on the school's web site. "She averaged 18 rebounds per game! Her strength and rebounding ability will make her an incredible force in the West Coast Conference. I am absolutely thrilled that she has chosen USF."

I spoke with Rialto coach Michael Anderson on Friday night and he said that there were several schools recruiting her hard in the final weeks.

"I have a lot of schools who are mad at me because they thought they had her," Anderson said. "UNLV thought they had her, Colorado State thought they had her ..."

Williams averaged 23.6 points and 18.3 rebounds for the Knights.

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)

Some of the county's best basketball teams are playing in one-day events the next two weekends: Jan. 28 at the SoCal Shootout at Azusa Pacific University and Feb. 3-4 in the Nike Extravaganza at Mater Dei.

I don't have the SoCal Shootout Schedule yet, but here is the one for Mater Dei:

Friday Feb. 3
3:00pm Fairmont Prep (Boys) vs Laguna Blanca (Boys)
4:30pm Rialto (Girls) vs Rosary (Girls)
6:00pm Orange Lutheran (Girls) vs Oaks Christian (Girls)
7:30pm Mater Dei (Boys) vs St. John Bosco (Boys)
9:00pm Mater Dei (Girls) vs Winward (Girls)

Saturday, Feb. 4
Boys Morning Session
9:00am Upland vs Los Alamitos
10:20am Colony vs JSerra
11:40am Ocean View vs Mission Viejo

Boys Evening Session
1:30pm Fairfax vs Eisenhower
3:00pm Westchester vs Capistrano Valley
4:30pm Taft vs Loyola
6:00pm Long Beach Poly vs Orange Lutheran
7:30pm Mater Dei vs La Verne Lutheran
9:00pm Bishop Gorman vs Whitney Young (IL)

The Rialto girls basketball team after its involvement in a fight in Tuesday's game against Pacific, will have to forfeit its next game, on Thursday against Colton, coach Michael Anderson learned on Wednesday.

"The officials lost control of the game," Anderson said. "I started talking to them about it 1:40 into the game."

Rialto coach Michael Anderson revealed this on Wednesday. The fight in the second half of the win over Pacific resulted in the halting of the game and five Rialto players and some Pacific players ejected. That left 4 Rialto players and Anderson assumed he could use those 4 plus call up a couple players from the JV team to compete in Thursday's game against last-place Colton.

However, he learned Wednesday that all 9 varsity players were suspended and the team will forfeit its game against Colton. That will drop Rialto to 15-2 overall, 7-1 in the San Andreas League.

Great performance by Rialto in beating Cajon, 27-25 on a Javone Morgan touchdown pass to Tyler Telphy with 25.7 seconds to play.

So much happened in the game that my complete story isn't running in the paper. Here is the complete story.

By Pete Marshall Staff Writer
RIALTO -- Rialto football teams in recent years would have succumbed to Cajon after an 81-yard touchdown on the second play in the game.
If not then, the Knights likely would have wilted after Cajon took the lead in the second quarter or the third. And if they hadn't been done in by that point, surely Cajon's go-ahead touchdown with 5:15 to play would have done in the Knights.
But this is a different Rialto team.
Rialto kept responding and sophomore Javone Morgan lofted a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Telphy on fourth down with 25.7 seconds to play as the Knights stunned Cajon 27-25 in a San Andreas League showdown at Rialto High.
Area fans will have to take notice of the Knights (6-1, 4-0) after pinning the first loss of the season on the Cowboys (6-1, 3-1).
"This is a big win for us," Rialto coach Gavin Pachot said. "But we've still got San Gorgonio and Carter coming up."
After Cajon took a 25-20 lead on Kendrick Gaines' 43-yard touchdown pass from Edwin Martinez with 5:15 to play, Morgan directed the game-winning drive.
He also threw to Telphy for the go-ahead score.
"Our quarterback made that play. It was supposed to go to the other side and he brought it back to the other side," Pachot said. "That's a sophomore who's growing up right before us."
It was the only catch of the game for Telphy, but not the only big play. Telphy led the Knights with 13 carries for 150 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
"He's a home-run threat," Pachot said. "And we made a commitment to get him the ball more."
Coaches frequently talk about the importance of special teams, but seldom is special teams a difference-maker like it was on Friday.
Rialto kicker Jonathan Pena made field goals of 31 and 38 yards (the latter on the final play of the first half), but he also put every kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
"I know those guys, No. 7 (Jordan Howard) and No. 24 (Damontae Kazee) want to get their hands on the ball," Pachot said of Cajon's kick returners. "So those kickoffs were big."
Cajon's special teams were not as good.
Kazee had a huge game offensively for Cajon, with 109 yards receiving and a touchdown and 88 yards rushing and a touchdown, but he's also the team's long snapper.
He had two errant long snaps, the first on Cajon's first extra point (immediately after his 81-yard touchdown run) and the Cowboys failed on the conversion.
The second went over punter Leo Sanchez's head and a subsequent scramble and errant punt gave Rialto the ball on the Cajon 11.
On the next play, Telphy scored his first touchdown to give Rialto a 10-6 lead in the first quarter.
Cajon answered with another touchdown in the second, a Deontrae Kazee 2-yard run, and Cajon coach Kim Battin elected to go for two in the second quarter and failed, leaving Cajon ahead, 12-10.
"We started chasing points early and probably shouldn't have done that," Battin said.
Rialto's first two-minute drill came at the end of the first half, as the Knights drove down, with Morgan's 18-yard scramble setting up Pena's 38-yard field goal that gave Rialto a 13-12 lead at the half.
Damontae Kazee turned a short pass into a 65-yard touchdown after sidestepping one defender and jumping over another to give Cajon a 19-13 lead with 1:58 to play in the third.
But on the very next play, Telphy answered with a 69-yard run and Rialto regained the lead 20-19.
Rialto's next two drives ended with Morgan interceptions, including one by Damontae Kazee. The second interception (by Michael Sandoval) led to Gaines turning a short pass and racing up the middle for a 43-yard touchdown and a 25-20 lead with 5:15 to play. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the door open for Rialto.
Martinez completed 20 of 32 passes for 257 yards and no interceptions for Cajon.
"That was a great football game between two good football teams," Battin said. "Those are two teams that showed a lot of heart. But they've still got some tough games left. I've said all along I didn't think the league champion would go undefeated."
pete.marshall@inlandnewspapers.com
909-483-9364

Gavin Pachot didn't get the Rialto job under ideal circumstances last year, as he was named the interim coach of the Knights last June after Don Markham resigned under allegations of player misconduct. But after a 5-5 record and a full offseason, things at Rialto not only are normal, but feeling pretty good.

"Spirits are pretty high," Pachot said. "Having an entire offseason to work with these kids makes a huge difference. I've had them since January and we've gotten a lot of good work done. We made some strides last year but we have a way to go."

The biggest thing the Knights are working toward in a quest for their first playoff berth since 2001 is closing the deal at home. While the Knights made tremendous strides in going from three wins combined from 2007-2009 to five last year, Pachot believes that squandering their home-field advantage was a big reason why their playoff drought continues.

"For whatever reason we didn't play well in front of our home fans," Pachot said. "I'm not sure if we were nervous or trying to hard, but we went 1-4 on our own field. That's something we need to fix because it's important to take advantage of being at home."

Got an e-mail last night from Cajon coach Jerry Tivey detailing the exploits of former Cowgirls Ashley Maroda and Breja'e Washington. Maroda, a 2007 graduate, led New Mexico State to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history this year and went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs in the Aggies' 9-0 win over Texas Tech in the NCAA regionals Friday night. A senior, Maroda is in the top 5 of 10 different categories of New Mexico State's record book.

Washington, a freshman at Texas, tied the school single-season record with 35 stolen bases this year and will likely break it this weekend, as the Longhorns are also playing in an NCAA regional this weekend. Not a bad first year by any means.

Also, Rialto graduate Bree Evans is playing right now for Michigan in the NCAA regional in Ann Arbor. Evans, an outfielder and leadoff hitter, will likely see her season end fairly soon however, as the Wolverines are down 8-3 in the sixth inning to Notre Dame in an elimination game.

The 47th annual Ken Hubbs Athlete of the Year award was given to San Gorgonio's Paul Rodriguez at the Elks Club in San Bernardino tonight. Rodriguez, a four-sport star in football, basketball, volleyball and track for the Spartans, is the second San G athlete to receive the award, joining 1986 winner Tony Kounas.

Rodriguez was especially gifted in football for San G, making the first-team all-Sun team as an offensive lineman this past season while receiving a full scholarship to San Diego State. Rodriguez will play for the Aztecs this fall.

"It's amazing to read some of the names of the guys who have won it and be among some of the athletes from other schools that you just hear about in the newspaper," Rodriguez said. "I played against (2010 winner) Derrick Malone last year and he's just a beast. You see guys like Ronnie Lott who made the NFL on the list and you want to be there right with them. I want to join them and add to the award."

The committee also recognized two female athletes for the first time in the award's 47-year history, honoring Redlands East Valley volleyball player Krista Vansant and Rialto basketball player Janae Sharpe. Perhaps inspired by the duo, the Hubbs committee also announced that it will be given out female school and overall winners annually started next year to go along with the annual male award.

"I think it's great that girls are going to get the same amount of recognition that guys are," Vansant said. "I feel fortunate to have helped bring that about a little bit along with Janae. I think having the two of us here really helped get this done and will help get more deserving girls recognized."

The individual school winners were also honored Monday. They were Kyle Didier (Aquinas), Charles Izydorek (Arrowhead Christian), Jordan Boothe (Arroyo Valley), Paul Topoleski (Big Bear), Alexander Cruz (Bloomington), Thomas Carter (Cajon), Steven Reneau (Carter), Devan Hussey (Colton), Bernard Ireland (Eisenhower), Isac Fonseca (Fontana), Shaun Bradley (Kaiser), Kendall Chambliss (Miller), Carlos Espinoza (Pacific), Nolan Brown (Redlands), Chris Mecate (Redlands East Valley), Enrique Lopez (Rialto), Dillon Pretzinger (Rim of the World), Choncey White (San Bernardino), Dorian Cason (Summit) and Jordan Morris (Yucaipa).

Five county-based basketball players made ESPNRise's All-State Underclass Junior teams recently. Three county girls -- Summit center Jillian Alleyne, Cajon guard Sophia Bhasin and Rialto center Denae Williams were among 20 recognized by the website for their achievements this past season. Bhasin and Wiliams were first-team all-Sun selections this past season while Alleyne was a second-team pick.

Two boys with county selections were among 15 juniors selected for the boys underclass team. Chino Hills native Grant Jerrett, who attends two-time defending state champion La Verne Lutheran, and Chino native Chris Reyes, who is at Damien, were both selected. Jerrett has verbally committed to the University of Arizona.

The complete teams:

Girls
Jordan Adams (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 6-1 PG
Jillian Alleyne (Summit, Fontana) 6-2 F/C
Aly Beebe (St. Joseph, Santa Maria) 6-5 C
Sophie Bhasin (Cajon, San Bernardino) 5-7 G
Kelsey Brockway (Palos Verdes, PV Estates) 6-1 C/F
Ashlie Bruner (Palisades, Pacific Palisades) 5-6 G
Elisha Davis (Berkeley) 5-8 G
Tia Dixon (San Diego) 5-7 G
Nyre' Harris (Lincoln, Stockton) 5-8 G
Lauren Holiday (Campbell Hall, North Hollywood) 5-9 G
Maya Hood (La Jolla Country Day, La Jolla) 5-10 F
Hannah Huffman (Carondelet, Concord) 5-10 G
Michelle Miller (Poly, Pasadena) 5-6 G
Terilyn Moe (Terra Nova, Pacifica) 5-9 G
Jeanier Olukemi (Brea Olinda, Brea) 6-0 F
Christine Salvatore (Canyon, Anaheim) 5-10 G
Imani Stafford (Windward, Los Angeles) 6-7 C
Annie Tarakchian (Chaminade, West Hills) 6-0 C
Keitra Wallace (Brea Olinda, Brea) 5-11 F
Denae Williams (Rialto) 6-1 F

Boys
Brandon Ashley (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) 6-9 C
Zena Esomwan (Harvard-Westlake, N. Hollywood) 6-8 F
Julian Harrell (Loyola, Los Angeles) 6-5 F
Grant Jerrett (Lutheran, La Verne) 6-8 C
Donovan Johnson (Palisades, Pacific Palisades) 6-0 G
Tajai Johnson (Vallejo) 6-2 G
Xavier Johnson (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 6-6 F
Joe Rahon (Torrey Pines, San Diego) 6-1 G
Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) 6-3 G
Chris Reyes (Damien, La Verne) 6-7 F
Matt Shrigley (La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad) 6-4 G
E.J. Twyman (Elsinore, Lake Elsinore) 6-1 G
Grant Verhoeven (Central Valley Christian, Visalia) 6-8 C
Tyrone Wallace (Bakersfield) 6-3 F
Gabe York (Lutheran, Orange) 6-3 G

Rialto's do-everything forward Brittani Walker will sign with La Sierra University in a ceremony in the Rialto High School Gymnasium according to a phone call I received from Knights coach Michael Anderson. Walker, who was the glue do Rialto's CIF-SS championship and CIF-State runner-up team, averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.1 steals this past season.

20 percent of the teams ranked in the top 25 of the Calhisports girls basketball top 25 are from the county, led by San Andreas League co-champion Cajon's No. 9 mark. Other teams to be ranked include fellow SAL co-champion Rialto at No. 15. The Knights also won the CIF-SS Division 2AA title and made it to the CIF-State Division II championship game before losing to Stockton St. Mary's. Baseline League champ Etiwanda clocked in at No. 17, with Rancho Cucamonga and Summit notching rankings of No. 24 and 25, respectively.

Here's the final rankings.

1. Mater Dei
2. Stockton St. Mary's
3. Brea Olinda
4. Long Beach Poly
5. Berkeley
6. Canyon Springs
7. Windward
8. Concord Carondelet
9. Cajon
10. La Jolla Country Day
11. Berkeley St. Mary's
12. Narbonne
13. Edison
14. Troy
15. Rialto
16. Corona Santiago
17. Etiwanda
18. Santa Maria St. Joseph
19. Santa Monica
20. San Ramon Dougherty Valley
21. Oakland Bishop O'Dowd
22. Loomis Del Oro
23. Sacramento St. Francis
24. Rancho Cucamonga
25. Summit

Got a couple MVPs and a Coach of the Year, as Rialto's Janae Sharpe was named the Player of the Year in Division 2AA while Mesa Grande's Jennifer Dupper did in the same in D6AA. Mesa Grande coach Bob Walker got Coach of the Year in leading the Cardinals to the first CIF title by a Seventh-Day Adventist school.

Division 1AA
Player of the Year - Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei (12)
Coach of the Year - Kevin Kiernan, Mater Dei

Jordan Adams, Jr., Mater Dei
Alexyz Vaioletama, Sr., Mater Dei
Justine Hartman, Sr, Brea Olinda
Moriah Faulk, Sr, Santa Monica
Ariya Crook-Williams, Sr., Long Beach Poly
Sheila Boykin, Sr., Long Beach Poly
Jada Blackwell, Sr., Etiwanda
Teara Laudermill, Sr., Canyon Springs
Sophia Ederaine, Sr., Canyon Springs
Chrishae Rowe, So., Corona Santiago

Division 1A
Player of the Year - Bonnie Samuelson, Edison (12)
Coach of the Year - Dan Wiley, Edison

Karlie Samuelson, So., Edison
Gaberiella Hanson, So., Troy
Madalene Barrett, Sr., Troy
Shelby Dougherty, Jr., Troy
Sarah Lipton, So., Woodbridge
Kourtney Ainsworth, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga
Connie Ballestero, Jr., Villa Park
Tyler Woods, Sr., Corona Centennial
Christina Marquette, Sr., Edison
Samantha Doucette, Sr., Woodbridge

Division 2AA
Player of the Year - Janae Sharpe, Rialto (12)
Coach of the Year - David Guenther, Buena

Denae Williams, Jr., Rialto
Lisha Eisenbach, Sr., Burbank Burroughs
Adrianna Dent, Sr., Canyon Country Canyon
Taylor McGuire, Sr., Buena
Kaity Lykins, Sr., Royal
Hanna Burge, Sr., Newbury Park
Alia McCoy, So., Canyon Country Canyon
Keani Albanez, Sr., Buena
Kelsey Minato, Jr., Huntington Beach
Deanna Johnson, Jr., Norco

Division 6AA
Player of the Year - Jennifer Dupper, Mesa Grande Academy (12)
Coach of the Year - Bob Walker, Mesa Grande Academy

Rachel Tohm, Sr., Mesa Grande Academy
Charley Parker, Sr., Rio Hondo Prep
Selina Breshers, Sr., Los Angeles Adventist
Nicole Tweedy, Sr., Lone Pine
Marry Spohn, Sr., Mayfield
Nanor Babian, So., Pasadena AGBU
Jordan Wilson, Sr., California Lutheran
Hannah Martin, Sr., Rio Hondo Prep
Erin Guinan, Sr., Hesperia Christian
Raquel Spencer, So., Orangewood Academy

Division 6A
Player of the Year - Mar-Jana Phillips, Rolling Hills Prep (12); Peyton Langston, Rolling Hills Prep (9)
Coach of the Year - Joe Jackson, Rolling Hills Prep

Jill Webster, Sr., Redlands Adventist
Jordan Ward, Sr., Riverside Bethel Christian
Marissa Lemus, Sr., Big Pine
Maya Machler, Sr., Lake Arrowhead Christian
Taylor Cubas, Sr., Santa Clarita Christian
Allison Dial, So., Calvary Baptist
Cassandra Haro, Jr., Calvary Baptist
Una Hertzog, Jr., Santa Maria Valley Christian
Grace Napier, Sr., Coastal Christian

For the second time in as many meetings with Buena, Janae Sharpe made a buzzer-beater to give RIalto the victory. This time, Rialto's 44-42 win vaulted the Knights into the Division II state championship game.
Sharpe's basket with 8.5 seconds to go tied the score 42-42. Then Denae Williams took a charge with 2.8 seconds to go. Sharpe then caught a long inbounds pass and hit a runner from the free throw line as time expired.
Rialto is headed to the state finals for the first time in school history. They will play on Friday at 6 p.m. at Arco Arena in Sacramento

After the offensive doldrums of the second quarter, both teams shot better in the third.
Buena went on an 11-4 run to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
Now, after three quarters, Buena leads Rialto 33-32.
Could we be in for another great finish?

Each team scored only four points in the second quarter, but Rialto leads Ventura Buena 18-15 at halftime of the Southern California Division III championship at the Galen Center.

Rialto led 14-11 after a quarter, then held Buena to a single free throw until a 3-pointer in the final minute cut the Knights' lead to 18-15.

Here are some ugly second quarter numbers: Buena 1-10 from the field, 1-4 from the line. RIalto 2-17 from the field, 0-0 from the line.
Overall, Rialto is shooting 23 percent from the field at the half, while Buena is at 26.

But the bottom line is, Rialto is leading, 16 minutes away from a berth in its first state championship game.

The brackets for the next step of California's February/March Madness were released today by the CIF-State offices. Leading the way is Division 2AA girls champion Rialto, who got the top seed in the Southern California part of the Division II girls bracket and a first-round bye, pushing its first game of the state playoffs back to Thursday.

Here are the Southern California regions that involve county teams. All first-round games will be played Tuesday at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

GIRLS
Division I
Fairfax at No. 1 Mater Dei, 6 p.m.
Santa Monica at Carson
San Diego at Troy
Narbonne at No. 4 Edison
Washington Prep at No. 3 Canyon Springs
Woodbridge at Hanford
Rancho Cucamonga at La Costa Canyon, 6 p.m.
Clovis East at Brea Olinda

Division II
No. 1 Rialto, bye
Canyon Country Canyon at Monache
Mt. Carmel at Inglewood, 6 p.m.
Yosemite at No. 4 Harvard-Westlake, 6 p.m.
Southeast at No. 3 Anaheim Canyon
Indio at Westview
Mark Keppel at Palisades Charter
No. 2 Buena, bye

Division V
No. 1 View Park Prep, bye
Chadwick at Rolling Hills Prep
Rio Hondo Prep at Horizon, 6 p.m.
Tri-City Christian at No. 4 St. Bernard
Redlands Adventist at No. 3 Central Valley Christian
Vincent Memorial at Pasadena Poly
Christian Life at Mesa Grande Academy
Kings Christian at No. 2 Santa Clara

BOYS
Division I
Palisades Charter at No. 1 Long Beach Poly
Etiwanda at Bullard
Torrey Pines at Loyola
Aliso Niguel at No. 4 Mater Dei, 7:30 p.m.
Clovis West at No. 3 Taft
Washington Prep at La Costa Canyon, 7:30 p.m.
Capistrano Valley at Westchester
Redlands East Valley at No. 2 Corona Centennial

Division II
No. 1 Lincoln, bye
Compton at Clovis North
Tulare at Mayfair
University at No. 4 Gahr
Foothill at No. 3 Mission Viejo
Hoover at Peninsula
Summit at Narbonne, 7:30 p.m.
No. 2 Ventura, bye

Division V
No. 1 Sierra Canyon, bye
Bishop Diego at Fresno Christian
Foothills Christian vs. View Park Prep at RFK HS
Calvin Christian at No. 4 Valley Torah
The Rock Academy at No. 3 Montclair Prep
Arshag Dickranian at Horizon, 7:30 p.m.
St. Bernard at Redlands Adventist
Tranquility at No. 2 Flintridge Prep

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The county has two No. 1s this week, with Rialto topping the Division 2-AA poll, Mesa Grande Academy getting No. 1 in D6-AA and Redlands Adventist grabbing the top spot in D6-A.

Division 1-AA
1. Brea Olinda
2. Long Beach Poly
3. Mater Dei
4. Cajon
5. Canyon Springs
6. Etiwanda
7. Summit
8. Corona Santiago
9. Santa Monica
10. Lynwood
11. Jordan
12. Laguna Hills
13. Chaparral
14. Redondo Union
15. Roosevelt
16. Warren

Division 1-A
1. Edison
2. Troy
3. Rancho Cucamonga
4. Villa Park
5. Woodbridge
6. Corona Centennial
7. Dana Hills
8. El Toro
9. Riverside Poly
10. Chino Hills
11. Ventura
12. Valencia
13. Capistrano Valley
14. Los Alamitos
15. Arcadia
16. Walnut

It didn't take long for the girls basketball season to get going, as two tournaments - Rialto's "Jam the Gym" and the Big Daddy Tournament, tipped off today.

Both tournaments will have their championship games Saturday, with the Jam the Gym title game being played at 6:30 p.m. at Rialto High School while the Big Daddy Gold Division championship game will be played at 6 p.m. at Notre Dame High School in Riverside. Joining Rialto in the Jam the Gym are Palm Springs, Upland, Ayala, Serrano, Fontana, Corona Centennial, Chino Hills, Victor Valley, Riverside North, Patriot and Ganesha High Schools.

The Big Daddy Tournament is a 18-team tournament with a Gold Division and a Green Division. The Gold will feature Cajon, Eisenhower, Lake Elsinore Lakeside, Moreno Valley, Temecula Valley, Vista Murrieta, Riverside Arlington, Redlands, Sultana and Riverside Poly. The Green Division will have Riverside Ramona, Banning, Corona, Mesa Grande Academy, Notre Dame, Norte Vista, Aquinas and Colton High Schools. Aquinas, Moreno Valley and Notre Dame will all host the tournament.

Also on the horizon is the Arroyo Valley Tournament, which will be held Dec. 6-10 at Arroyo Valley and Pacific High Schools. Teams involved in the tournament, which is straight bracket format, are Valley View, San Bernardino, Riverside Poly, Oak Hills, San Gorgonio, Rim of the World, Pacific, Patriot, Cajon, Kaiser, Fontana, Corona, Bloomington, Redlands, Arroyo Valley and Rubidoux. The title game will be held at Arroyo Valley at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 10.

Now to a much simpler league than a Citrus Belt, as the SAL is basically figured out save for the fourth playoff spot.

1. Cajon (7-2, 6-0): Has clinched a playoff berth and the No. 1 spot out of the league no matter what it does against San Bernardino Friday thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker with San Gorgonio.

2. San Gorgonio (5-4, 5-1): Has clinched a playoff berth and the No. 2 spot out of the league no matter what it does against Pacific Friday thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Colton.

3. Colton (6-3, 4-2): Has clinched a playoff berth and the No. 3 spot out of the league no matter what it does against Rialto Friday thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreakers with Carter and Arroyo Valley.

4. Carter (5-3-1, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 playoff spot with a victory over Arroyo Valley Friday. Still could get in as the at-large with a loss.

5. Arroyo Valley (4-5, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 playoff spot with a victory over Carter Friday. Probably wouldn't have much of an at-large shot with a loss and the resulting 4-6 record.

6. Rialto (5-4, 2-4): The Knights have no shot a one of the four playoff spots, but a win over Colton Friday and a Carter win over Arroyo Valley might get Rialto in the conversation for an at-large berth.

7. San Bernardino (3-6, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

8. Pacific (0-9, 0-6): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

If you love cross country -- and I'm sure there are many of you who do - Mt. San Antonio College is the place to be the next two Saturdays, Nov. 13 and 20.
The CIF-SS released the heat sheets for the CIF Prelims Nov. 13. In all, there will be 33 races, beginning at 7:45 a.m. and the last one beginning at 4:05 p.m. There will be a county team or individual competing in 31 of 33 races. It was also announced on Saturday that the Aquinas and Western Christian boys teams were selected as at-large teams in Division 5 based on their rankings.

Here are some races to keep an eye on:
Race 5, Boys Division 2, 8:43 a.m.
Ayala and Sultana, two schools better known for their girls teams, also have solid boys teams in search of the CIF Finals.
Race 24, Boys Division 1, 2:06 p.m.
Former Citrus Belt League rivals Rialto and Redlands East Valley will battle. Rialto won the San Andreas League this year, while REV was a close second to Yucaipa in the CBL.
Race 26, Boys Division 1, 2:33 p.m.
This one has five county teams in it. State ranked Rancho Cucamonga is there, as is CBL champion and defending state qualifier Yucaipa. Redlands, third in the CBL is there as is Chaffey, Upland and Christian Navarro of Los Osos.
Race 31, Girls Division 1, 3:38 p.m.
Two of the top teams in the county, Rancho Cucamonga and Redlands will be represented as will Los Osos and Rialto.

Well, last week wasn't a banner one in the history of T.J. Berka high school prognostications. While I actually only messed up on nine games - I thought I had missed double that - I was a pretty shoddy 5-5 on the feature games. Not quite enough to put a bag over my head, but close.

Colton at Arroyo Valley
The question, as has been the question throughout the season, is will Michael Yearwood play. It's a game-time decision according to Arroyo coach Marcus Soward and his presence will change the game considerably. If Yearwood plays, Arroyo stands a chance, as Colton was pushed to the brink last week by a fast, physical Carter team. If not, the Hawks don't have enough firepower to hang. I think Colton wins a low-scoring game.
Colton 20, Arroyo Valley 9

Redlands East Valley at Mission Viejo
After a tough loss to a physical Chino Hills team, the last thing REV needed to do was play the No. 1 team in Southern California. Whoops. Mission Viejo, the alma mater of Mark Sanchez, is No. 1 in the Pac-5 Division and a state bowl contender. This would be a good game next year, as REV has deep sophomore and junior classes. I'm not expecting much from the Wildcats in this game though. Mission Viejo is filthy-good.
Mission Viejo 28, Redlands East Valley 10

Yucaipa at La Quinta
The Thunderbirds have looked pretty good so far under Justin Price, winning three of their first four games behind an explosive offense led by Dylan Malone's nine TDs. Is Yucaipa a legitimate playoff contender though? This game will help answer that question, as La Quinta has already defeated Colton this season and is one of the traditional powers of the Low Desert. I don't think Yucaipa wins, but the T-Birds will scrap.
La Quinta 23, Yucaipa 14

San Gorgonio at Carter
I feel bad for San G. They go through a brutal four-game stretch to start the season - losing to Rancho Verde, REV, Yucaipa and Cajon, thinking that this could be the game they break out in. But the Lions are darn good, taking Colton to overtime at Colton in a game they easily could have won. If Carter doesn't have a hangover from that tough loss, it'll continue San G's misery.
Carter 26, San Gorgonio 13

Garey at Colony
Colony has been the grand poobah for the most part in the Mt. Baldy League during the last five years, winning four league titles and CIF titles in 2006 and 2007. Garey, meanwhile, hasn't made the playoffs. But the Vikings are dangerous this year, featuring all-everything WR Dominique Williams, and will be a formidable test for the Titans, who have won three straight since an inauspicious 1-2 start. Will go with the home team, but barely.
Colony 23, Garey 21

South Hills at Los Osos
The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for Los Osos, which was fresh off a triple-OT loss to Redlands and a lopsided loss against Vista Murrieta. South Hills has struggled in its move up the food chain, losing its last three. They'll likely have issues in a stout Sierra League and will have issues tomorrow with a sneaky-good Los Osos squad.
Los Osos 28, South Hills 16

Rialto at San Bernardino
The Knights were the darling of the San Andreas League during the nonleague season, winning their first three games to move up to No. 3 in the Central Division rankings. But a loss to Arroyo Valley has them in almost a must-win situation against a San Bernardino team that has quietly won three out of its first four games. The Cardinals can make it three in a row with a win here, but I'm not ready to give up on Rialto just yet.
Rialto 19, San Bernardino 16

Victor Valley at Patriot
While Rialto might have been the darlings of the SAL, Victor Valley has been the story in the High Desert, as the Jackrabbits have rolled to a 4-0 start with big victories over Rim of the World and Apple Valley. They head down the hill for the first time to take on a Patriot team that has been solid under new coach Scott Pearne. It should be a good test for Victor, one that I expect they'll pass with flying colors.
Victor Valley 30, Patriot 20

Barstow at Sultana
These teams limp into this one, as Barstow hasn't won a game while Sultana lost to Victor Valley this week. Why am I previewing this game then? Well, its a pretty thin week and I need 10 games to write about and the winner here could be a darkhorse in their respective leagues. Emphasis on could. I think Barstow, while anemic to date, is probably due here.
Barstow 16, Sultana 14

Ontario at Chaffey
When worse comes to worse, end the featured games with the Cat Bowl. This longtime rivalry will be played tonight at Chaffey and it could be competitive just for the simple fact that Chaffey seems to be down this year. The Tigers have struggled mightily in going 1-4 and could be vulnerable to the Jaguars, but I think their power-run game will be too much.
Chaffey 28, Ontario 12

Other games of note:
Riverside Notre Dame 30, Arrowhead Christian 10
Anza Hamilton 36, Bloomington Christian 14
Twentynine Palms 23, Cathedral City 16
Chino 45, El Monte 20
Etiwanda 54, Eisenhower 10
Pico Rivera El Rancho 24, Fontana 14
Hemet Tahquitz 27, Citrus Valley 16
Kaiser 58, Hesperia 0
Oak Hills 33, Laguna Beach 14
Bloomington 27, Menifee Paloma Valley 19
Summit 45, Murrieta Mesa 9
Desert Hot Springs 28, Rim of the World 20
Pasadena Maranatha 35, Western Christian 13
Yucca Valley 27, Imperial 14
Don Lugo 26, Montclair 16
Cajon 48, Pacific 6

Last week: 21-9
Overall: 107-47-3

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

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

If there's one thing that can be said about Rialto's offseason, it's that it wasn't boring. The Knights were uprooted from their league, moving from the Citrus Belt League to the San Andreas League. They changed coaches twice, removing Eric Rodriguez for Don Markham, only to see Markham resign in May due to allegations of misconduct toward players.

Now in place at Rialto is Gavin Pachot. Pachot was an assistant the last three years under Rodriguez and is technically the acting head coach of the Knights, which assures him of keeping the job through the end of the season.

"I'm excited to get started and I'm really not looking too far down the road," Pachot said. "They'll either hire me full-time after the season or open the job up for me and others to apply. I'm just happy to be coaching football and I'm excited about this group of kids."

The Rialto football job, which reopened last week with the resignation of Don Markham, has not been reposted, but former RHS offensive coordinator Gavin Pachot has been named the interim coach pending school board approval according to Rialto Unified School District Director of Communications Syeda Jafri.

Pachot has served time as an assistant at Redlands East Valley, Fontana and Rialto, spending the last three seasons with the Knights under former coach Eric Rodriguez.

As for the permanent position, it will be posted in the near future, with in-district applicants getting first priority.

"We'll open it up in the district, see who applies and move on from there," Jafri said.

Don Markham's second stint as Rialto High School football coach ended before he coached a game, as the veteran coach resigned Thursday in the wake of an investigation by the Rialto Unified School District on allegations of misconduct by the coach.

Markham delivered the resignation to Rialto athletic director Dan Williams Thursday morning at the prompting of Williams and Rialto principal Andreas Luna. Markham, who has won 309 games and five CIF titles in an illustrious career, tried to rescind the resignation later in the day but was told that it was final.

Recently hired Rialto High School football coach Don Markham has been placed on administrative leave by the Rialto Unified School District after allegations were levied against him according to RUSD Director of Communications Syeda Jafri.

Jafri indicated that Markham, who has won 309 games and five CIF championships in his illustrious high school coaching career, was suspended Tuesday after the allegations were filed to the school district's offices.

"Mr. Markham has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the upcoming investigation by the school district," Jafri said. "We take all allegations seriously and we believe in due process for both the accuser and accused."

Jafri didn't specify on the length of the investigation or the nature of the allegations, but did say that Markham was prohibited from stepping foot on the Rialto campus during the investigation. Because Markham is a walk-on coach employed within the Colton Unified School District, his leave will be of the unpaid variety according to Jafri.

"(Markham) is a walk-on coach until July 1, so that makes the administrative leave unpaid instead of paid," Jafri said.

Markham's leave comes at a bad time for Rialto, as spring football is set to start next month.

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).

An investigation into allegations of recruiting made by the family of former player Diamond Smith in the Rialto girls basketball program and head coach Michael Anderson has found no wrongdoing according to Rialto principal Andres Luna.

A source within the Rialto Unified School District indicate that the findings regarding the inquiry into the Rialto High School girls basketball program will be released shortly after Superintendent Dr. Harold Cebrun returns from a conference in Monterey later this week.

The inquiry into the program and head coach Michael Anderson started after the family of former player Diamond Smith met with school and district officials about problems between Smith, a standout player for the Knights for three years, and Anderson -- who led Rialto to a share of the Citrus Belt League championship last season and the CBL lead going into Wednesday night's game at Redlands East Valley. Smith has transferred to Carter since the meeting according to her mother, Betsy Wilson.

Wilson accused Anderson of recruiting from outside of RHS' enrollment zone, a charge that prompted the inquiry. However, Anderson has gotten support from parents of players still within the Rialto program.

"Michael Anderson is a great person and has done a lot for my daughter and the Rialto community," said Kimberly Dobard, mother of junior forward Brittani Walker. "He is a great teacher and the team has done great since he's been the coach. He's given my daughter opportunities that she might not have had."

The CIF-SS office, through e-mail correspondence with Director of Communciations Thom Simmons, has indicated that it will wait for RUSD's findings before deciding whether or not to launch an inquiry of its own.

"Neither Rialto High School, Rialto Unified School District nor the family involved has asked us to intercede in any way at this time," Simmons said via e-mail. "As is standard operating procedure whenever an accusation is brought against a school or a member of that school's athletic department we allow the school the opportunity to do their due diligence first and only intercede if their is a feeling that more needs to done whether that be in terms of investigations and/or sanctions applied. It is my understanding that the school district is conducting their own investigation and we will respect their process."

Janae Sharpe didn't provide much drama in breaking the Rialto High School scoring record Friday, rolling to 32 points in a 78-34 victory over Carter. Sharpe only needed to score 16 points to beat Okeme Oziwo's record, but doubled that to finish the game with 1,562 points for her career. Sharpe also has seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals as Rialto remained undefeated in the Citrus Belt League.

Rialto junior guard Janae Sharpe is 16 points short of setting the Rialto High School scoring record for both boys and girls, according to a phone call from Knights assistant coach Larry Claunch. Sharpe, who has 1,538 points in 2.5 seasons with the Knights, will likely break the record tonight, as the Knights play Carter.

The record is held by Okeme Oziwo, a 1996 graduate of RHS who went on to star at Arizona State - where he recovered from a devastating car crash to become a starter for the Sun Devils - and the Harlem Globetrotters after his time with the Knights. Tonight's game is at 6 p.m. at Rialto High School.

In the midst of call-in chaos tonight I got a call from Rialto Unified School District Director of Communications Syeda Jafri saying that Don Markham has been approved to be the next Rialto football coach by the RUSD school board. So the double-wing genius is officially back. Clay Fowler will have a story on it in tomorrow's Sun.

Rialto senior Giordan Porter pulled a unique doubleheader this past Saturday. Porter, a star wrestle for the Knights and a standout offensive lineman for Rialto this past football season, wrestled for the Knights at the Estancia tournament in the morning/early afternoon before heading to Corona High School to play for the San Bernardino All-Star football team in the Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic that evening.

Porter, who wrestles in the heavyweight division, has been a force on the mat this season, moving his record to 22-0 after winning the heavyweight division and the Most Valuable Wrestler award at Estancia Saturday. According to an e-mail by Rialto wrestling coach Todd Harris, Porter has pinned 21 of 22 opponents and defeated the 22nd by a technical fall.

Rialto High School, in coordination with the Rialto Unified School District, is looking into the girls basketball program after allegations of misconduct against head coach Michael Anderson by the family of former player Diamond Smith.

According to Rialto Unified School District's Director of Communications Syeda Jafri, legendary coach Don Markham will be named the next football coach at Rialto High School pending school board approval.

"It's on the agenda for the school board meeting on Jan. 13," Jafri said. "Don Markham's name has been submitted for the job."

Markham, who has won 309 games and five CIF championships during an illustrious high school football coaching career, will be making his second stop at Rialto High. He coached the Knights in 2000-2001, leading Rialto to a 13-9 record and the only two playoff berths in the school's history. He left for a six-year stint at Bloomington before spending the 2008 season coaching American Sports University in San Bernardino to a 10-4 record.

More on this to come.

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..

Local high school girls basketball starts off with a bang with Rialto's "Jam the Gym" Classic, which will run through Saturday at RHS. Hosting the tournament is Rialto, which split the Citrus Belt League title with Redlands last year and return much of that team, namely junior guard Janae Sharpe and senior guard Diamond Smith.

Also playing in the tournament was Chino Hills, led by Sacred Heart signee Ericka Norman, San Bernardino - led by senior guard Jasmine Ray - and La Puente Bishop Amat.

Tuesday's schedule
Court 1
Ganesha vs. San Bernardino, 3 p.m.
Victor Valley vs. Kaiser, 4:30
Upland vs. Chino Hills, 6
Arroyo Valley vs. Rialto, 7:30
Court 2
Bloomington vs. Riverside North, 3:30 p.m.
Lancaster Eastside vs. Corona Roosevelt, 5
Palm Springs vs. Riverside La Sierra, 6:30

Wednesday's first-round game
Court 1
La Puente Bishop Amat vs. Fontana, 3 p.m.

The Rialto Unified School District decided earlier this week not to renew the contract of Rialto High football coach Eric Rodriguez according to RUSD's Public Information Officer Syeda Jafri.

"Mr. Rodriguez was on a seasonal year-to-year contract and the prinicipal decided to take the football program in another direction," Jafri said. "Mr. Rodriguez is a valued employee and we appreciate the effort he has put out, but the decision was made to go in another direction."

Rodriguez coached the Knights for three years, accumulating a 3-27 record. Ironically, his last game - a 23-7 victory over Fontana High School this past Friday - was his first Citrus Belt League win. Attempts to reach Rodriguez for comment have been unsuccessful to this point.

As for the new coach, RUSD is accepting applications until next Wednesday according to Jafri. The applications will be evaluated after the Thanksgiving holiday.

This league is pretty easy, as the top two teams are playing for No. 1 and there are two teams playing for No. 4.

1) Redlands East Valley (9-0, 6-0): Receives the CBL's No. 1 seed - and likely the No. 1 seed in the Inland Division - with a victory over Redlands Friday. Gets the No. 2 seed in a loss.

2) Redlands (8-1, 6-0): Receives the CBL's No. 1 seed with a win over Redlands East Valley and the No. 2 seed with a loss. Will likely get a first-round home playoff game either way.

3) Miller (4-5, 4-2): Clinched the No. 3 seed in the CBL no matter what it does thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over the Carter-Yucaipa winner.

4) Yucaipa (5-4, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 seed out of the CBL with a win over Carter Friday. Likely eliminated with a loss, as the at-large bit is expected to come out of the Southwestern League.

5) Carter (4-5, 3-3): Clinches the No. 4 seed out of the CBL with a win over Yucaipa Friday. 99% eliminated with a loss.

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

7) Eisenhower (1-8, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

8) Rialto (0-9, 0-6): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

Bree Evans, a standout softball player at Rialto High School from 2005-08 and now a center fielder at the University of Michigan, was hospitalized Thursday evening in serious condition after being injured in a collison at home plate during an exhibition game with Michigan State according to an article released by annarbor.com.

Evans, a sophomore for the Wolverines, was transported by ambulance to the University of Michigan Hospital, where her condition was described as "acutely ill with questionable prognosis." The original story can be found here.

Evans started 59 games for Michigan as a freshman, batting .319 with eight doubles, two triples and 25 RBI. She also stole 16 bases.

These are the last two teams I have yet to preview and I'm going to be a bit brief with them, due to time constraints. Rialto has been in rebuilding mode for about as long as it's been a high school, as it has been almost impossible for the Knights to gain any traction.

Whether it be with coaching changes or transfers, its been hard for Rialto to keep any sort of consistency. They are all right on the coaching front, as Eric Rodriguez returns for a third year at the helm, giving them stability up top. Who Rodriguez can depend on to increase the win total of the Knights - who have gone 1-9 and finished last in the Citrus Belt League the last two seasons - is up in the air.

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

I've decided to expound on Monday's article about playoff scenarios this week, going league by league in the Sun coverage area with team-by-team scenarios. I'll start with one of the simpler ones, delving into the Citrus Belt.

1. Miller (9-0, 6-0): Has already wrapped up the No. 1 seed out of the CBL by virtue of its 18-15 win over REV on Halloween. Purely playing for overall seeding in the Inland Division bracket at this point.

2. Redlands East Valley (8-1, 5-1): Has already wrapped up the No. 2 seed by virtue of its 14-12 victory over Redlands last weekend. A win this weekend could give REV a first-round home game in the Inland Division playoffs.

3. Redlands (4-5, 4-2): Has already wrapped up the No. 3 seed, winning all possible head-to-head tiebreakers with Yucaipa and Eisenhower. A win this weekend would help the Terriers avoid a first-round matchup with a team like Rancho Verde or Temecula Chaparral.

4. Yucaipa (4-5, 3-3): The Thunderbirds are in as the No. 4 seed with a victory Friday against Rialto, as it owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with Eisenhower. Yucaipa would still get in with a loss if Ike loses as well.

5. Eisenhower (5-4, 3-3): Having lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Yucaipa, the Eagles have to defeat REV this weekend and have Yucaipa lose to Rialto to get the No. 4 seed. Even at 6-4, Ike would have very little chance at the one at-large bid in the Inland Division, as either Corona Santiago or Riverside North from the Big VIII or Riverside La Sierra from the Inland Valley League would be chosen before the Eagles.

6. Carter (2-7, 2-4): Eliminated from playoff contention.

7. Fontana (2-7, 1-5): Eliminated from playoff contention

8. Rialto (1-8, 0-6): Eliminated from playoff contention.