Recently in San Bernardino High School Category

San Bernardino coach Nick Monica can count the number of returning seniors he has on two hands. In a competitive San Andreas League, that makes for quite the challenge for the Cardinals as they strive to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

"We have about 8-10 seniors and roughly 43 juniors and sophomores," Monica said. "Because of that, it's taken a little bit longer than normal to come together and get that camraderie, that family atmosphere. We had a lot of seniors last year and we'll have a lot coming back this year, but we are caught in the middle right now."

Having a lot of juniors isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when they are guys like quarterback/safety Khleem Perkins. Perkins (6-4, 185) has already started receiving Division I recruiting interest and is rated among California's top 25 for the 2013 class by ESPN.com.

"Khleem is a stud," Monica said. "We are looking for big things out of him, both on the field and as a leader. He's definitely a guy that we are going to lean on both on offense and on defense."

Just got this e-mail highlighting the all-SAL team. Leading the way was San Bernardino senior guard Choncey White, who won Most Valuable Player honors after averaging 16.9 points and 2.6 assists per game in leading the Cardinals to their first league title since 1993.

The entire team:

Most Valuable Player: Choncey White, SR, San Bernardino

First Team
Steven Reneau, SR, Carter
Devin Jones, JR, Cajon
Stephen Marshall, JR, Arroyo Valley
Richie Ragoo, JR, Colton
Jeremiah Tardy, SR, San Bernardino

Second Team-
Kevin Batiste, JR, Rialto
Bill Belvins, JR, Cajon
Kalen Fair, SO, Pacific
Dashun Hardrick, SR, Arroyo Valley
Khleem Perkins, SO, San Bernardino

Honorable Mention-
Channing Runkle, SR, Arroyo Valley
Lorelle Martin, SR, Cajon
Marcus Marshall, SR, Carter
Richard Medina, SO, Colton
Bobby Jackson, SR, Pacific
Devon Blackwell, SR, Rialto
Deantonio Harris, SR, San Bernardino
Kevin Poku, SR, San Gorgonio

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Nick Monica has had some athletes in his three years at San Bernardino High School in the likes of San Diego State signee Aarein Booker and All-Sun first-team wide receiver Vanzell Richardson. But he feels that Khleem Perkins might be the best of the bunch, as the 6-foot-4, 180-pound sophomore quarterback made the MaxPreps.com 2013 players to watch and is already receiving recruiting interest.

"We have schools around here that we've never seen before," Monica said. "Penn State, Michigan State, UConn, they've all been by to see this kid and he's only going to be a sophomore. We are excited about his potential and can't wait to see what he's capable of doing."

Monica's enthusiasm goes beyond just Perkins though. The Cardinals are coming off a fourth-place finish in the San Andreas League last season - their best showing under Monica - and have increased numbers of players out. Plus Monica believes that being in the fourth year of the system is paying off as well.

San Bernardino High School sophomore quarterback/safety Khleem Perkins was named to MaxPreps' Fresh Faces 2013 Top 100 watch list last week and was presented a certificate at practice yesterday according to Cardinals coach Nick Monica.

"It was a really cool thing," Monica said. "They came by practice and let everybody know. It's a big deal for Khleem because I really think he has a lot of potential and something like this could really put his name out there."

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Perkins, who also plays basketball and was a key player for the Cardinals as a freshman in that sport, will play quarterback and safety for San Bernardino this season. You can read the write up on him and the rest of the Fresh Faces here.

The inaugural East/West all-star girls basketball game, to be held April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Whittier College, has a pretty substantial local flavor, as five county players have been added to the East's roster. San Bernardino guard Jasmine Ray, Summit guard Adrienne Thomas, Alta Loma forward Sylvia Shepherd, Colony guard Te'onna Campbell and Upland Christian forward Destinee Duncan are all scheduled to play as of now. The website highlighting the event can be accessed here.

The 14th annual County Clash will take place Saturday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park with a baseball tripleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Colton and San Bernardino will start things off with a San Andreas League game at 1 p.m. and will be followed by two Citrus Belt League clashes -- Eisenhower vs. Redlands East Valley at 4 and Carter vs. Yucaipa at 7. Tickets can be purchased at the schools or at the 66ers' box office on Saturday.

This is the first of two County Clashes, with another one set to take place May 8.

These were e-mailed to me last Thursday by Arroyo Valley athletic director Matt Howell, but I was in Las Vegas and out of e-mail access. Plus, my typing could have been ugly after spending afternoons at various sportsbooks watching my brackets spontaneously combust.

So I apologize for the delay and here they are.

Just got a call in from the San Bernardino-San Gorgonio girls soccer game, which saw the Cardinals tie the Spartans 1-1 and clinch the first-ever girls soccer playoff berth for SBHS. The Cardinals (5-12-4 overall, 4-3-3 San Andreas League) needed to tie or win to qualify and got a goal from Patricia Aguirre with five minutes left to do so.

The San Bernardino boys basketball team is back in Southern California after spending Dec. 27-31 in Logan, Utah playing in the Cache Valley Electric Holiday Classic. But as far as Cardinal coach Darin Graham is concerned, a lot of them wouldn't have minded staying in snowy Utah for much longer.

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.

Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame guard and general manager Jerry West will speak from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at San Bernardino High School as part of "The Power of Mentoring" program.

West will talk to parents and children from the San Bernardino, Colton and Rialto Unified School Districts. Free tickets to the event are currently available at the Carousel Mall in San Bernardino.

With several games going on tonight, I have to hustle some of this stuff out. So I'll give you the SAL, which is another easy one.

1) Colton (8-1, 4-0): The Yellowjackets have clinched the No. 1 seed out of the SAL regardless of what it does against Pacific tomorrow by virtue of owning the head-to-head tiebreaker with both Cajon and Arroyo Valley. A win likely wraps up the No. 1 seed in the Central Division for Colton though.

2) Arroyo Valley (7-2, 3-1): Wraps up the No. 2 seed with a win over Cajon tomorrow no matter what Colton does, as the Yellowjackets own the head-to-head tiebreaker. A loss to Cajon drops the Hawks to the No. 3 seed.

3) Cajon (6-3, 3-1): Wraps up the No. 2 seed with a win over Arroyo Valley tomorrow no matter what Colton does, as the Yellowjackets own the head-to-head tiebreaker. A loss to Arroyo Valley drops the Cowboys to the No. 3 seed.

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

5) San Bernardino (2-7, 1-3): Eliminated from playoff consideration.

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

San Bernardino High School girls basketball coach Damian Staricka has been put on administrative leave by the San Bernardino Unified School District according to Linda Bardere, the district's Director of Communications.

Cassandra Williams has been named the interim coach while Staricka is on leave, which is the result of an internal investigation according to Bardere.

"The investigation is a personnel matter that is separate from his duties as a basketball coach," Bardere said. "He's been put on leave until that investigation concludes and he is re-evaluated."

Bardere did not know when Staricka was placed on leave. At Tuesday's school board meeting, a personnel report indicated that Staricka had been approved as a coach at SBHS for the 2009-10 season as part of a standard annual review by the school district.

Former San Bernardino High School defensive assistant coach Jeff Bees was in front of the San Bernardino Unified School District School Board on Tuesday night, trying to figure out why he was fired as a volunteer assistant coach last Wednesday.

Bees, a 1989 Cajon High School graduate, was removed due to allegations of depriving kids of water and because of derogatory remarks -- both charges that Bees, 37, denied.

These previews will be sporadic - pretty much done right after I talk to the coaches. Just got off the phone with San Bernardino football coach Nick Monica, who took time out of a lovely Thursday evening at the Cheesecake Factory to talk shop. Hopefully his wife wasn't too annoyed.

Anyway, the Cardinals, after a pretty solid 4-5 record in Monica's first season in 2007, slipped a bit in 2008, registering a 2-8 record which saw them lose to Pacific, giving the Pirates their first victory since 2005. Needless to say, the San Berdoo brass are happy about putting 2008 in the rearview mirror.

The CIF-Southern Section offices decided Tuesday that San Bernardino athletic director Patrick Mills should be suspended from coaching the Cardinals baseball team after pulling his team off of the field in the bottom of the fifth inning of San Bernardino's game with San Gorgonio on Friday afternoon. The San Bernardino Unified School District will comply with the CIF's suggestion according to CIF Director of Communications Thom Simmons.

Contacted via e-mail, Simmons submitted the below explanation on the CIF's position:

"CIF Southern Section Bluebook Rule 125.2 states very clearly that the expectation of the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee is for a coach that removes his team from a court or field prior to the end of a contest should be relieved from his/her duties for the balance of the season or face potential sanctions from the section. It is our understandiing that San Bernardino High School has done just that. We commend the San Bernardino principal for taking the actions he has to this point and await a final report from him with any possible additional penalties against Mr. Mills."

The last statement suggests that more sanctions against Mills could arise from the incident, where Mills had the San Bernardino baseball team walk off the field down 8-1 in the fifth inning to the Spartans. The Cardinals (3-21 overall, 1-12 San Andreas League) will conclude their season with an interim coach with two games against Cajon, playing at Cajon today and hosting the Cowboys Friday.

I received a call from Lynda Musgrove, the mother of 16-year-old San Bernardino High School junior track athlete Jermaine Musgrove, earlier today updating Jermaine's status. Musgrove is still in critical condition at Arrowhead Medical Center at Colton after collapsing during his leg of the 4x400 relay at last Wednesday's San Andreas League meet at Colton High School.

"He's doing OK," Lynda Musgrove said. "He's opening his eyes and moving his hands a bit. He's certainly not a vegetable right now. When you tell him to open his eyes, he opens them."

Lynda said that she isn't quite sure how far along Jermaine's awareness is, though stated that Jermaine's eyes followed his grandfather as his grandfather walked around his room. Jermaine's overall status and prognosis is still unclear though.

"He's showing signs, but not enough right now," Lynda said.

Lynda also made it a point to thank the communities of San Bernardino and the surrounding areas for their support of Jermaine. Besides visitors and get-well cards and posters, several area religious leaders have called for prayers for Jermaine according to Lynda.

Lynda also lauded a note written by Angelina Shelton on the Press-Enterprise's website. Here is the entry, which is published with Shelton's consent.

"I witnessed this child go down and my heart sank and left the track meet in tears. He was the same size, frame, and build as my son so it was very profound and emotional for me to see him lying there that way. The only difference was that he was wearing a SB uniform and not a Cajon uniform. While the ambulance was on site on the west side of the track, it took them about 5-6 minutes to get to the other side of the track. During this time the other coaches were giving him CPR. Upon arrival by the ambulance to him, it looked like they appeared to be using a defibrilator machine. As I saw the paramedics doing chest compressions on him (mind you for at least 20 minutes) I just prayed the blood of Jesus over him. The personnel were feverishly working on him and I just really thought about how his parents might not have known that at that moment that they're baby was down. As a mother, I was hurting for his mother, still am. I prayed to God that she would not have to bury her child while celebrating Mother's Day. I stopped one of his teammates before getting on the bus and told him to pray for his friend and he replied, "Yeah Jermaine's a cool dude, we got class together, he'll be straight." The drive home was very somber and emotional for me as I just kept praying out loud to myself for his parents, for him, for siblings if he had any. Just to let this boy live. I asked God if he's an angel that you need right now, then have mercy on his soul and give his parents the courage they'll need thru their grief. I then asked God if he's not an angel that you need right now, then give Jermaine the strength to pull thru and go home to his parents. I apologize for writing so much, but I woke up just heartbroken thinking about this child. I just hope that if his parents or family or friends read this that they take comfort in knowing that from one mother to the next your son is in my prayers and I will continue to plead the blood of Jesus over him until he is better. God bless."

San Bernardino High School junior track and field athlete Jermaine Musgrove remained in the intensive care unit at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton Friday, where he has remained since collapsing during the San Andreas League track and field meet Wednesday evening.

Musgrove was running the third leg of the 4x400 relay at Colton High School, the last event of the meet, at around 7 p.m. when he collapsed. Witnesses at the scene said he was attended to on site and taken by ambulance to the medical center, where he remains in critical condition according to San Bernardino Unified School District spokeswoman Linda Bardere.

"We know that he was taken to the intensive care unit right away after collasping during the event," Bardere said. "It all happened pretty quickly He was running the race and all of a sudden he collapsed."

Musgrove, who had been cleared in a preseason physical examination for athletics according to Bardere, was a replacement in the relay for another San Bernardino athlete who was injured prior to the event. His status was still critical as of 1 p.m. Friday according to a spokesperson at the medical center and Bardere, with updates being provided by the district office through Musgrove's parents and San Bernardino High School principal Sandra Rodriguez.

The district is also addressing rumors that have spread on campus due to the high-profile nature of the event.

"With the high attendance of the event, a lot of students and parents saw it occur and rumors have spread because of it," Bardere said. "We are working with principal Rodriguez to address that and prevent any inaccurate information from spreading."

The San Bernardino High School community has rallied around Musgrove, as crisis teams have been on campus helping students cope with the incident while the Cardinals track and field team and various other San Bernardino students have visited Musgrove at the hospital and have given the Musgrove family its support.

"It's an image I'll never forget," San Bernardino track and field coach John Hinkleman said. "There were 30 or 40 kids that stopped by the hospital (Thursday) to give their wishes and kids are making posters and cards and pouring their hearts out for Jermaine and his family."

The Cardinals track team postponed its team picture, set for Thursday, as well, waiting to see how Musgrove's situation plays out before rescheduling.

The forfeit of the San Bernardino boys basketball team's 94-85 victory at San Gorgonio on Jan. 23 was upheld by a 5-1 vote at a San Andreas League athletic directors meeting according to San Bernardino AD Patrick Mills and San Gorgonio AD Matt Maeda.

The Cardinals forfeited the game to the Spartans after a freshman basketball coach, who had been ejected from a game at another site earlier in the day, sat on the end of the San Bernardino bench for the varsity game. San Gorgonio filed a protest of the game shortly after.

"I was notified in the fourth quarter of the varsity game by our freshman coach," Maeda said. "He told me that the coach had been ejected from the freshman game earlier that day at San Bernardino High and asked if he was allowed to be on the bench. I said absolutely not."

The athletic directors and coaches talked briefly after the game about the coach in question, though they had different interpretations of what should have been done.

"I talked to (San G boys coach) Cedric Wells at the end of the game and he said that he didn't want the forfeiture, but would give it to his players for a vote and let me know," Mills said. "However, Maeda had already sent the paperwork in.

"The coach's oldest daughter plays on the varsity basketball team and he was there for that and asked if he could sit on the end of the bench. He was told it was OK as long as he didn't do any coaching."

Maeda felt that the rule, which is Rule 16.27 according to the CIF rulebook, needed to be enforced, as it was impossible to quantify what affect the ineligible coach did or did not have.

"The rule states that a coach or player that is ejected isn't even allowed to be in the building to watch, much less on the bench," Maeda said. "They stated the rule like that so there is no grey area. You can't just say 'You can stay there as long as you are not really involved' because how do you determined how involved you can be?"

The vote Wednesday was for seeding preferences for the upcoming playoffs rather than the overall record. The playoff brackets will be released Sunday by the CIF offices and San Bernardino didn't want the forfeited loss, or the extra win, under consideration for league seeding purposes.

"It's happened before," Mills said. "(Pacific athletic director) Carmel Brand mentioned that Pacific's 1995 boys basketball team went 10-0 but had to forfeit all of its games due to an ineligible player but we were awarded the top seed out of the league. The league can award its seeds however it wants and that's what we were asking for.

"We didn't use an ineligible player. We didn't have a varsity coach participating illegally. I've never seen a coach make a basket for a team."

Said Maeda: "In my opinion, voting for that would have been a contradiction of why the rule is in place. If you are going to have that rules, you have to enforce the consquences that result from it."

The ruling puts the Cardinals, who have lost their last two games, in a precarious spot. San Bernardino (14-10 overall, 5-4 SAL) is tied with Arroyo Valley (12-11, 5-4) for third place in the league, one game behind second-place San G (12-13, 6-3). One game remains in the regular season, with San Bernardino playing at first-place Cajon, San G hosting fifth-place Pacific and Arroyo Valley playing at winless Colton.

Should things hold up, the Cardinals will be looking at relying on an at-large bid to qualify for the Division II-AA playoffs. Only three teams automatically qualify from the six-team SAL, which will leave the Cardinals on the edge of their seats for the CIF-Southern Section's version of Selection Sunday if the expected results take place.

"I don't know if we'll make it in or not," Mills said. "It depends on how many automatic qualifiers get in from the other leagues. It's going to be a tight one."

Whatever the result may be, San Gorgonio desires to put the incident in the past and focus on the future.

"We didn't want this," Maeda said. "It's as stressful for our school and our administration as it has been for San Bernardino's. We want all of the San Bernardino schools to do well and we want to avoid situations like these.

"Had we known about it before the game, we would have let them know. No athletic directors want to go through this."

Here is the complete breakdown of Division I-A and Division I-AA signees per high school and per college.

By High School:
1. Upland 4; 2 tie. Cajon 3; Colony 3; 4 tie. Arroyo Valley 2; Diamond Ranch 2; Etiwanda 2; Los Osos 2; Rancho Cucamonga 2; Redlands 2; Redlands East Valley 2; 11 tie. Aquinas 1; Ayala 1; Bloomington 1; Colton 1; Diamond Bar 1; Eisenhower 1; Kaiser 1; Norco 1; Pomona 1; Roosevelt 1; San Bernardino 1; San Dimas 1; Yucaipa 1.

Obviously Upland was the big winner individually, especially since they had two Pac-10 guys (Josh Nunes and Osahon Irabor) and a Big Ten guy (Davion Fleming). But the city of San Bernardino had seven players (Aarein Booker, Chris Bradford, Daron Griffin, Walter Kazee, Michael Philipp, Marlon Pollard and J.P. Ragan) sign, with Colton's Nat Berhe giving the SAL another signee.

By University
1. UCLA 5; 2 tie. Oregon State 3; San Diego State 3; 4 tie. Fresno State 2; Idaho 2; New Mexico State 2; Northwestern 2; 8 tie. Air Force 1; Arizona State 1; Cal Poly SLO 1; Colorado State 1; Columbia 1; Louisville 1; Montana 1; Navy 1; New Mexico 1; Northern Arizona 1; South Florida 1; Southern Utah 1; Stanford 1; SUNY Stony Brook 1; UNLV 1; Utah 1; UTEP 1; Washington State 1.

A couple things stand out to me. The first one is the dominance of UCLA. Rick Neuheisel seems to recognize the growth of the Inland Empire and made great efforts out here, signing Marlon Pollard, Jayson Allmond, Richard Brehaut, Jared Koster and Brandon Sermons. San Diego State, who "hasn't been out here in years" according to Cajon coach Kim Battin seems to be making an IE effort under new coach Brady Hoke. Oregon State had a big year, while Fresno State continues its steady haul of local talent.

A couple of oddities exist as you go further. One is Northwestern, which picked off Fleming and Arby Fields from the Baseline League despite its location in suburban Chicago. Another is SUNY Stony Brook, who signed Taj Johnson from Upland this year, took Dominick Reyes from Hesperia last year and was in on Daron Griffin. Seems like this Long Island school is a player.

Also, look out for New Mexico State and Eastern Michigan in the future. The Aggies are now coached by former UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker - who is well-versed in the area - while Eastern Michigan is now being coached by Ganesha graduate Ron English. English recruited Southern California well for Michigan while on Lloyd Carr's staff and pulled Titus Teague from Pomona for Louisville while serving as defensive coordinator there this past season. Don't be surprised if the Eagles start coming up in conversation among 2010 recruits.

In the hustle and bustle that comes with deadlines in the newspaper business, sometimes things get in too late to be put in the next day's paper. That happened with the San Bernardino boys basketball team, which is starting to turn some heads in the San Andreas League.

The Cardinals made history Wednesday night, defeating Arroyo Valley 81-74 for their first-ever varsity boys basketball win over the Hawks. The Cardinals (12-6 overall, 3-0 San Andreas League) went 23 of 27 from the free-throw line and had three players score over 20 points. James Harper led the way with 26 points, Jeremiah Tardy scored 22 and Devonte Chatman added 20.

Wednesday's win was the sixth in a row for San Bernardino, which plays at San Gorgonio Friday before hosting a big game with SAL co-leader Cajon next Wednesday.

When San Bernardino senior defensive back Aarein Booker went on his official visit to San Diego State this past weekend, he wasn't necessarily thinking about committing. But after spending an entire day on the campus, he knew that he wanted to be an Aztec.
"I was thinking about everything right before I went to bed," Booker said. "When I woke up, I knew what I wanted to do."
Booker, a 6-foot, 180-pound jack of all trades for the Cardinals this season, gave his verbal commitment to San Diego State Sunday morning, becoming the first Division I-A football recruit out of San Bernardino since Paul Philipp committed to Arizona in 2001.
"This is a big deal for us," San Bernardino coach Nick Monica said. "For Aarein to be the first D-I guy we've had in eight years is a pretty big deal for us, especially since we were 2-8 this year."
The Cardinals may have struggled on the field, but none of the blame could be placed on Booker. Along with playing cornerback for San Bernardino, Booker ran for 1,058 yards and even served time at quarterback.
San Diego State is looking at Booker, who is also an accomplished sprinter on the Cardinals' track team, to play at corner. After talking to the Aztec defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator and former New Mexico head coach Rocky Long, Booker was pretty excited about his new role.
"I loved the defense they ran and I loved all the players I talked to," Booker said. "I really feel like I connected with the players and coaches and I really enjoyed the campus."
The trip also included breakfast at the beach on Sunday morning, something his other main suitor, Division I-AA Idaho State, couldn't offer. Booker was planning an official trip to Idaho State this upcoming weekend, but canceled it after committing.

The second in my series is the San Andreas League, which is simple up top but has the potential to be a complete mess on the bottom if some upsets happen.

1. Cajon (8-1, 4-0): Clinched the No. 1 seed out of the San Andreas League in the Central Division playoffs by virtue of its league-opening win over San Gorgonio. Looking to move up in seeding.

2. San Gorgonio (5-4, 3-1): Clinched the No. 2 seed out of the San Andreas League by virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreakers over Colton, Arroyo Valley and San Bernardino.

3. Colton (5-3-1, 2-2): Can clinch the No. 3 seed with a victory Friday at Arroyo Valley. If the Yellowjackets lose, they can still qualify if San Bernardino upsets Cajon. In that case, there'd be a three-way tie for third where head-to-head cancels out, leaving a three-way coin flip for one spot. The Yellowjackets could conceiveably grab an at-large bid, but that is more likely to go to the Baseline League, namely the Los Osos-Etiwanda loser.

4. Arroyo Valley (4-5, 1-3): Would clinch the No. 3 seed with a victory over Colton Friday and a San Bernardino loss. If it wins and San Bernardino wins, the Hawks would be in a three-way flip with Colton and San Bernardino for the last spot. If Arroyo Valley, San Bernardino and Pacific win, the Hawks would get the playoff berth, as it would win a four-way tiebreaker with Colton, San Berdoo and Pacific. In that situation, Colton and Arroyo Valley would be 2-1 in head-to-head while the Cardinals and Pirates would be 1-2, with Arroyo advancing by virtue of beating Colton. I think I've just gone crosseyed writing that.

5. San Bernardino (2-7, 1-3): The Cardinals need a win over Cajon Friday and an Arroyo Valley win over Colton. In that case, the Cardinals, Yellowjackets and Hawks would have a three-way flip for the final playoff spot.

6. Pacific (1-8, 1-3): The Pirates have been eliminated from playoff contention, as there isn't a tiebreaker that favors them.