March 2011 Archives

The Daily Bulletin is requesting that coaches and athletic directors submit baseball and softball statistics to run weekly in the newspaper starting next week. The paper will be running county leaders in batting average, RBIs and strikeouts. E-mail the following information to clay.fowler@inlandnewspapers.com or to sports@inlandnewspapers.com.

The Bulletin will also be running the top track times in the county starting in mid-April, so please send your school's top track performances to the e-mail addresses listed above.

Eleven games into the season, the Etiwanda softball is playing like it is on a mission to avenge a first-round playoff loss that ended a 2010 season that was otherwise stellar.
The Eagles, who are currently 11-0, shot up to No. 4 in the nation in the espnrise.com rankings after not being ranked in the top 50 last week and are No. 9 on maxpreps.com.

Etiwanda is ranked No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 1 behind only Temecula Valley, the team responsible for knocking the top-seeded Eagles out of the playoffs last season. Last year, Temecula Valley entered the postseason as the fourth-place team from the Southwestern League whereas Etiwanda was a No. 1 seed and defending CIF champion. Temecula Valley proved its 3-2 playoff win over Etiwanda was no fluke as it advanced all the way to the championship game before losing to the team that finished second in the Baseline league to Etiwanda, Upland.

So far this season Etiwanda has had an impressive showing in the revered Faster to 1st tournament with shutout victories over two nationally ranked opponents. The four-time defending Baseline League champion Eagles opened league play with a 6-0 win over Glendora and will take on defending CIF champ Upland today.

La Verne Lutheran's boys basketball team is back in the state finals for the second straight year. After winning the Division V title last year, they're in for the Division III title this year after downing La Canada 57-47 on Saturday at the Galen Center.

Lutheran outscored the Spartans 35-22 in the second half as Grant Jerrett scored 22 points with eight rebounds and Bruce English added 13 points and eight rebounds.
They will play at 2:45 p.m. at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Saturday.

It'll be an all-Inland Valley affair for the championship game of the Jurupa Valley Tournament in softball on Saturday night as Etiwanda will face Chino. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Big League Dreams in Mira Loma.
On Thursday, Etiwanda (6-0) routed Corona Santiago 13-4 in a semifinal game that was limited to four innings because of the time limit.
Alyssa Calderon was 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, while Missy Taukieaho went 2-for-2 with a home run, a triple and three RBIs for Etiwanda. Taukieaho (3-0) also got the win as a pitcher, allowing four runs on five hits.
Etiwanda led 2-1 after an inning, but the Eagles erupted for seven runs in the top of the second to take control.

In a game too late for publication in Friday's paper, Los Osos' baseball team downed Damien 7-1 in the semifinals of the Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament at Bonita High School on Thursday night.
Los Osos (4-0) will face Baseline League rival Alta Loma in the championship game on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Bonita.
Three Los Osos pitchers (Andrew Vasquez, Tyler Rowe and Stephen Lyne) combined to strike out 15 batters, while at the plate, Blake James was 2-for-5 with a double and a run, Jared Mitchell was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Isaiah Delsi was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs.

Colony linebacker Robert Wagner received a scholarship offer on Wednesday from Arizona, the first offer for the junior, according to Colony head football coach Matt Bechtel. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound inside linebacker collected 64 tackles, two sacks and an interception last season for the Titans. Wagner also had seven receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown as a tight end but the junior is being recruited to play defense in college.

"He'll probably get several more offers," Bechtel said. "Washington is interested and so is USC."

New Mexico point guard Kendall Williams, a Los Osos High School gradute, didn't take long to make an impact in college. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound true freshman was named the Mountain West Conference freshman of the Year after averaging 11 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals for the Lobos.

Williams, who was also named all-conference honerable mention, was the top freshman scorer in the Mountain West and averaged 3.7 assists and a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play, both of which ranked the sixth-best in conference. His 31 minutes a game were tied with two others for the most on the Lobos, who meet Colorado State Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament.

Los Osos sophomore Jon Solano and Etiwanda junior J.J. Everard were the only 2 Inland Valley wrestlers who made it to Day 2 of the CIF State Championships.
They made the final 12, but had to win their first match Saturday to clinch a top-eight medal.

Solano trailed 7-1 after two periods, and a late rally came up short in a 9-7 loss. Everard lost 5-1 in his first match Saturday.
It marked the third straight year the Inland Valley failed to produce a state placer.
The last Inland Valley placers came in 2008 and they were San Dimas' Angel Garcia (second, 125), and Ontario's Oscar Navarette (eighth, 215).
Here's how Inland Valley wrestlers fared:
103: Anthony Soto, Colony (2-2), Christian Martin, Chino Hills (1-2)
119: Timmy Maldonado, Los Osos (0-2)
125: Gilbert Gomez, Colony (1-2)
130: Michael Rodriguez, Alta Loma (1-2)
135: Jacob Leon, Alta Loma (2-2)
140: Eli Mack, Alta Loma (2-2)
160: Jon Solano, Los Osos (2-2)
171: Brody Goens, Chino Hills (2-2)
189: Anthony Flores, Kaiser (2-2)
215: J.J. Everard, Etiwanda (3-2)
Hwt: Brian Ryu, Diamond Bar (2-2)
The good news is that 10 of the 12 are underclassmen, who will have a chance next year to do it again.

It's been three years since Ontario's Oscar Navarette and San Dimas' Angel Garcia produced the Inland Valley last placers at the CIF State Championships.

After the first day of the 2011 championships, two Inland Valley wrestlers remain alive to break that drought.

But Los Osos' Jon Solano (160) and Etiwanda's J.J. Everard (215) will have to win their first matches this morning to make it into the top eight and break that drought. Check back on this blog Saturday for updates on Solano and Everard.

Solano is trying to be his school's first ever state placer, while Etiwanda hasn't had a state placer since 1994.

Chino Hills (two wrestlers), Colony (two) and Kaiser (one) each were looking to produce their school's first state placers, but came up short. Solano's teammate, Timmy Maldonado, also was elminated on Day 1. Alta Loma brought three wrestlers, believed to be the most in school history, but all three went out on Day 1.
Diamond Bar's Brian Ryu, competing at state for the second time, also went out on Day 1.
Although Glendora is not part of the Inland Valley, the Tartans compete in the Baseline League. And Glendora's Haydn Scharbrough (145) is competing in today's semifinals.

The Rialto High School girls basketball team milked every last tenth of a second out of its dream season.

Janae Sharpe's runner in the lane creeped over the front of the rim as time expired to give the Knights a 55-53 victory over Ventura Buena and the CIF-SS Division 2AA title, the first championship in school history.

After a back-and-forth fourth quarter, a fitting end to a game with wild momentum swings, No. 1 seed Rialto had the last say as Sharpe scored the last of her 23 to bring her team back from a three-point deficit with two minutes to play.

"I had to get to the rim," Sharpe said. "I looked for the pass or the shot and I got the shot. Since the playoffs began I've been wanting that ring and now we finally have it."

With 12 wrestlers from the Inland Valley competing at state, here's a look at their brackets.
Reminder: Check back on this blog throughout Friday and Saturday for updates

103
Christian Martin, Chino Hills (unranked)
Wrestles a first-round match, but doesn't face a wrestler ranked in top 20 until third round (No. 3 wrestler)
Anthony Soto, Colony (No. 12)
Wrestles in the 2nd round, but has to face No. 6 Brandon Rodriguez of Clovis West there. If he gets past that No. 1 Emilio Saavedra of Pitman awaits in the third round
119
Timmy Maldonado, Los Osos (unranked)
Wrestles No. 4 Javier Gasca of Central in the 2nd round, then could face No. 5 wrestler in the third round
125
Gilbert Gomez, Colony (unranked)
Wrestles No. 3 Vince Rodriguez of Clovis North in the first round.
130
Michael Rodriguez, Alta Loma (unranked)
Wrestles No. 13 Oscar Lizarraga of Brawley in the second round. Could face No. 10 or 16 wrestler in the third round
135
Jacob Leon, Alta Loma (No. 11)
Wrestles in the first round, doesn't have to face another ranked wrestler until the third round (No. 7). Highest ranked wrestler to get to the semis is No. 4.
140
Eli Mack, Alta Loma (No. 15)
Wrestles in the first round. First ranked wrestler he could face is No. 2 Nick Cano of St. Francis in the third round.
160
Jon Solano, Los Osos (No. 7)
Wrestles in the second round, and faces No. 19 Roman Flores of San Diego Hilltop. Only other ranked wrestler in his section to the quarterfinals is No. 11.
171
Brody Goens, Chino Hills (unranked)
Wrestles No. 6 Trent Noon of Oakdale in the first round. If he wins, he could have easy second round against L.A. Section champ, but No. 8 seed looms in the thrid round.
189
Anthony Flores, Kaiser (No. 15)
Wrestles No. 6 Jesus Ambriz of Rancho Buena Vista in the second round. Ambriz is highest ranked wrestler in Flores' way to the semifinals.
215
J.J. Everard, Etiwanda (No. 14)
Has first-round bye, could face No. 5 wrestler in the second round and No. 9 in the third round.
Heavyweight
Brian Ryu, Diamond Bar (No. 16)
Wrestles unranked wrestler in the first round, could face No. 12 wrestler in second round and No. 4 in the third round.