October 2011 Archives

There is plenty of mid-season recruiting action in the Baseline League, which had its second player of the week make a verbal commitment to a Pac-12 school. On Thursday it was Los Osos offensive tackle Dylan La Frenz committing to Arizona State, according to Los Osos head coach Tom Martinez. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound senior also had offers from Arizona and Florida International.

On Friday, Upland defensive end/fullback Christian Powell received an offer from Washington, to whom Upland teammate Joe Mathis committed on Wednesday. Powell now has three offers, including Nebraska and Arkansas State, but has not made a commitment. Nebraska offered the 5-11, 250-pound senior on Oct. 15 as a fullback. Arkansas State offered him as a defensive end, where he has collected 55 tackles and nine sacks this season. Washington is interested in him playing both positions. Powell is also receiving interest from Texas A&M.

1. (1) Upland (8-0)
2. (2) Rancho Cucamonga (7-1)
3. (3) Summit (7-1)
4. (4) Colony (8-1)
5. (6) Carter (8-0)
6. (7) Chino Hills (5-3)
7. (5) Damien (6-2)
8. (9) Los Osos (6-2)
9. (NR) Kaiser (6-2)
10. (NR) San Dimas (6-2)
Dropped out: No. 8 Rialto (6-2), No. 10 Etiwanda (4-4).
Just missed the cut: Rialto (6-2), Etiwanda (4-4), Chino (6-2), Pomona (5-3), Ontario Christian (5-2-1).

Ambassador League
Ontario Christian 45, Linfield Christian 20
Western Christian 42, Arrowhead Christian 20
Aquinas 48, Calvary Murrieta 0
Baseline League
Rancho Cucamonga 30, Etiwanda 27
Upland 49, Glendora 3
Los Osos 27, Alta Loma 14 (Thursday)
Citrus Belt League
Redlands East Valley 34, Eisenhower 13
Miller 42, Fontana 0
Yucaipa 23, Redlands 6
Hacienda League
Diamond Bar 35, Rowland Heights Rowland 19
Bonita 50, Walnut 17
Mountain Valley League
Riverside Notre Dame 16, Jurupa Valley 13
Mt. Baldy League
Colony 24, Chino 16
Ontario 23, Montclair 7
San Andreas League
Carter 16, Rialto 7
Cajon 31, Colton 13
Sierra League
Chino Hills 28, Damien 27
Ayala 49, West Covina South Hills 48
Covina Charter Oak 49, Claremont 12
Sunkist League
Summit 63, Bloomington 0
Kaiser 56, Riverside Patriot 28
Riverside Norte Vista 16, Jurupa Valley 13
Valle Vista League
San Dimas 48, Baldwin Park 14
Covina 42, Wilson 0

Don Lugo head football coach Rick Martin was placed on administrative leave after a non-football related tussle with a student in physical education class on Oct. 20, multiple sources confirmed to the Daily Bulletin.

Assistant coach Ernie Vasquez is the interim coach, according to Chino Valley Unified School District director of communication Julie Gobin. Vasquez took over prior to the Conquistadores' 31-9 victory over Ontario on Oct. 21. It is unknown when or if Martin will return to the Don Lugo sidelines or to his teaching job at the school.

The rematch of last year's Mt. Baldy League championship game appears to be for the same stakes. Both Colony (7-1, 4-0), the No. 6 team in the CIF-SS Central Division, and fourth-ranked defending league champion Chino (6-1, 3-0) are yet to lose a league game.

Suspension of disbelief: There is never a good time to lose players to suspension but this is easily the worst time of the season for Chino to have lost 16 players to a one-game suspension, including four starters after an altercation during last week's 58-6 win over Garey. Among those not suspended for leaving the bench area are tailback Xavier Browne and quarterback Sean Molles, Chino coach Matt McCain confirmed.

"We're not going to make excuses," McCain said. "We're down a few starters but we're going to go out there and do our best. This gives some guys a chance to step up."

Thursday, Oct. 27 Predictions
BASELINE LEAGUE
Los Osos 27, Alta Loma 10

Friday, Oct. 28 Predictions
AMBASSADOR LEAGUE
Western Christian 21, Arrowhead Christian 20
Ontario Christian 32, Linfield Christian 21
BASELINE LEAGUE
Rancho Cucamonga 31, Etiwanda 24
Upland 38, Glendora 21
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Miller 37, Fontana 12
Redlands East Valley 31, Eisenhower 7
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Bonita 26, Walnut 21
Diamond Bar 33, Rowland Heights Rowland 24
MONTVIEW LEAGUE
Baldwin Park Sierra Vista 37, Ganesha 14
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Colony 28, Chino 17
Montclair 19, Ontario 10
PREP LEAGUE
Pasadena Poly 31, Webb 13
SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE
Carter 26, Rialto 21
SIERRA LEAGUE
Chino Hills 34, Damien 31
Covina Charter Oak 38, Claremont 21
West Covina South Hills 36, Ayala 27
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Summit 28, Bloomington 14
Kaiser 42, Riverside Patriot 6
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
San Dimas 37, Baldwin Park 7

Ten Garey football players were suspended after an altercation before halftime of last Friday's 58-6 loss to Chino, leaving the team without enough players to field a team for tonight's homecoming game against Don Lugo. Sixteen of Chino's players were suspended but the Cowboys will play their game at Colony Friday night.

The Garey freshman team will play the Don Lugo freshman team tonight in place of the varsity game seeing as the 27-man varsity roster is depleted by 10 suspensions, most of which are due to players leaving the bench area, and four players unavailable due to injury.

"It was a little chippy but not that bad," Garey coach Leonard Hudson said. "Two kids ended up going at it and it ended up getting pretty ugly. Then it was just inexperience for the guys who left the bench. I don' t think they had played enough football to know not to do that.

"We just don't have enough this week, not to be competitive at least. I'm not going to put those kids in jeopardy and get somebody else hurt."

A season after making the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, Garey has fallen upon hard times. The Vikings are winless this year, numbers in the program have dropped and Hudson is not pleased with the level of support for the football program from the Garey administration.

"It's been a battle all year long and we haven't gotten any support from the administration," Hudson said. "You look at a school like Pomona. We all have the same budget problems but even they are able to do things that we're not able to do."

A "pushing match" at the end of the second quarter of Chino's 58-6 win over Garey on Friday led to several Chino players leaving the bench area, which is a violation of CIF rules and resulted in the suspension of 16 players including four starters for the upcoming game with Colony for first place in the Mt. Baldy League. Chino head football coach Matt McCain declined to name the players suspended but confirmed neither tailback Xavier Browne, who has rushed for 1,100 yards, nor quarterback Sean Molles were among those suspended.

"There were three minutes left in the second quarter and we had our substitutes in," McCain said. "One of our guys got in a pushing match with one of theirs and some more guys joined in. Some players left the bench area and that's against CIF rules. We continued to play after that without incident and shook hands afterwards."

Upland junior defensive end Joe Mathis received a scholarship offer from Washington Monday night and immediately issued a verbal commitment to the Huskies, according to the Upland coaching staff. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Mathis, who also had an offer from Indiana, has 43 tackles and four sacks on the season for an undefeated Upland team ranked No. 3 in the CIF-SS Inland Division.

It has been a good couple of weeks for the Highlanders football team, who defeated defending Baseline League champion Rancho Cucamonga on Friday to preserve their perfect record. Last week it was Christian Powell, who plays defensive end opposite Mathis, who received a scholarship offer from Nebraska.

INLAND DIVISION
1. Corona Centennial (Big VIII) 6-1
2. x-Vista Murrieta (Southwestern) 2-5
3. Upland (Baseline) 7-0
4. Redlands East Valley (Citrus Belt) 7-0
5. Charter Oak (Sierra) 6-1
6. Rancho Cucamonga (Baseline) 6-1
7. J.W. North (Big VIII) 6-1
8. Yucaipa (Citrus Belt) 7-0
9. Damien (Sierra) 6-1
10. Chino Hills (Sierra) 4-3
Others: Murrieta Valley (6-1), y-Corona Santiago (5-2), y-Los Osos (5-2), y-Etiwanda (4-3), Norco (4-3).
y - Includes forfeit win.
x - Includes five forfeit losses.

According to a press release issued Monday by the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, the undefeated Vista Murrieta football team will have to forfeit five wins this season, two of which came at the expense of Los Osos and Etiwanda. According to patch.com a player who transferred from Georgia as a sophomore in 2009 was discovered to have been in his ninth semester of high school.

Vista Murrieta, the No. 2 seed in the Inland Division last season, was 7-0 at the time of the discovery, 2-0 in the Southwestern League. It will give Los Osos and Etiwanda one more victory each but Vista Murrieta will not have to forfeit either of its league wins. The violation was discovered when the student was being aided with a college application. The name of the player in question has not been released, but according to the press release he was unaware a ninth semester effected his athletic eligibility.

"This student's former school supplied incorrect data. Neither the student nor our school violated any CIF Rule," Vista Murrieta Athletic Director Ray Moore told students and parents Monday, according to patch.com. "In fact, we followed all the rules and regulations."

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Damien senior Chris Reyes verbally committed Monday night to play basketball at St. Mary's next season. The 6-foot-7 Reyes, who averaged 17.7 points and 10.3 rebounds last season, will join a program that has reached the NCAA tournament three times since 2005 including a run to the sweet 16 two years ago. The school is located in the Bay area.

Reyes, a first-team all-Valley selection the last two seasons, led Damien to a 26-4 record last season, a Sierra League championship and helped the Spartans advance to the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 3A playoffs where they lost by three to eventual champion Harvard-Westlake.

1. (1) Upland (7-0)
2. (2) Rancho Cucamonga (6-1)
3. (4) Summit (6-1)
4. (5) Colony (7-1)
5. (7) Damien (6-1)
6. (8) Carter (7-0)
7. (9) Chino Hills (4-3)
8. (10) Rialto (6-1)
9. (NR) Los Osos (5-2)
10. (3) Etiwanda (4-3)
Dropped out: No. 6 San Dimas
Just missed the cut: Chino (6-1), San Dimas (5-2), Kaiser (5-2), Pomona (5-3), Ontario Christian (4-2-1).

Ambassador League
Ontario Christian 33, Aquinas 16
Linfield Christian 31, Arrowhead Christian 0
Baseline League
Upland 31, Rancho Cucamonga 17
Los Osos 27, Etiwanda 20
Glendora 20, Alta Loma 16 (Thursday)
Citrus Belt League
Redlands East Valley 21, Redlands 14 (OT)
Miller 23, Eisenhower 20
Yucaipa 34, Fontana 9
Hacienda League
Diamond Bar 26, Walnut 22
Diamond Ranch 20, Rowland Heights Rowland 0
Bonita 35, Hacienda Heights Los Altos 28
Mountain Valley League
Rubidoux 41, Jurupa Hills 14
Citrus Valley 33, Rim of the World 26
Mt. Baldy League
Colony 35, Chaffey 8
Chino 58, Garey 6
Don Lugo 31, Ontario 9
San Andreas League
Rialto 27, Cajon 25
Carter 46, Pacific 0
San Gorgonio 28, Arroyo Valley 6
Colton 56, San Bernardino 8
Sierra League
Covina Charter Oak 62, Ayala 34
Chino Hills 35, Claremont 16
Damien 47, West Covina South Hills 36
Sunkist League
Kaiser 13, Jurupa Valley 6
Summit 51, Riverside Patriot 0
Riverside Norte Vista 42, Bloomington 35
Valle Vista League
Covina 39, San Dimas 21
Pomona 43, La Puente Nogales 15

Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer

Whether it's Friday night or 2011 in question, the same blanket statement applies to the Upland High School football team. It can't be stopped.

The latest triumph for a Highlanders team ranked fourth in the state was a 31-17 victory over defending Baseline League champion Rancho Cucamonga, which had won the last four meetings between the premier Inland Valley programs.

The Highlanders (7-0, 2-0), ranked No. 3 in the CIF-SS Inland Division, two spots ahead of the Cougars, punted just twice Friday night in a battle of undefeated teams that featured a Rancho Cucamonga defense that had allowed 43 points this season entering the game. Upland rolled up 381 yards of offense, scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and scored three of the final four times it had the ball.

"They've got an offense that does a lot of tricky things, shifts and different things to throw you off," Rancho Cucamonga coach Nick Baiz said. "We were hoping they would line up and try to smash us from the beginning, like they did at the end of the game."

Friday, Oct. 21 Predictions
AMBASSADOR LEAGUE
Ontario Christian 24, Aquinas 21
Calvary Murrieta 34, Western Christian 10
BASELINE LEAGUE
Rancho Cucamonga 31, Upland 28
Etiwanda 34, Los Osos 27
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Miller 28, Eisenhower 27
Yucaipa 41, Fontana 6
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Bonita 23, Hacienda Heights Los Altos 21
Diamond Ranch 21, Rowland Heights Rowland 12
Diamond Bar 33, Walnut 31
MOUNTAIN VALLEY LEAGUE
Rubidoux 38, Jurupa Hills 26
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Colony 28, Chaffey 21
Chino 30, Garey 0
Don Lugo 34, Ontario 14

The Daily Bulletin's top two teams and two of the top five in the CIF-SS Inland Division meet tonight when No. 1 Upland (6-0) hosts No. 2 Rancho Cucamonga (6-0) in a titanic Baseline League contest. Upland is ranked fourth in the state, according to calpreps.com, and Rancho Cucamonga 25th in the state.

Drive for five: Most have been waiting all season for the game between the highest rated teams in the area's most potent league, but Upland has been waiting three years. The Highlanders have lost their last four meetings to Rancho Cucamonga, which has won the Baseline League two of the last three years. Upland even lost its matchup with the Cougars in 2009, the year the Highlanders went on to win the CIF-SS Central Division championship.

The last two meetings have been decided by a combined total of seven points buts it's the prior two meetings that have left the worst taste in Upland's mouth. Rancho Cucamonga defeated Upland twice in 2008, once for the league title and once for the CIF title.

"I'd say this is pretty big in that they've gotten the better of us the last four times," Upland coach Tim Salter said. "We've played right with them the last two years but we haven't sealed the deal on anything. I'd like to finish one."

INLAND DIVISION
1. Corona Centennial(Big VIII) 5-1
2. Vista Murrieta (Southwestern) 6-0
3. Upland (Baseline) 6-0
4. Redlands East Valley (Citrus Belt) 6-0
5. Rancho Cucamonga (Baseline) 6-0
6. Charter Oak (Sierra) 5-1
7. North (Big VIII) 5-1
8. Norco (Big VIII) 4-2
9. Yucaipa (Citrus Belt) 6-0
10. Damien (Sierra) 5-1
Others: Murrieta Valley (5-1), Chino Hills (3-3), Etiwanda (3-3), Corona Santiago (3-3).

1. (1) Upland (6-0)
2. (2) Rancho Cucamonga (6-0)
3. (3) Etiwanda (3-3)
4. (4) Summit (5-1)
5. (5) Colony (5-1)
6. (6) San Dimas (5-1)
7. (7) Damien (5-1)
8. (8) Carter (6-0)
9. (10) Chino Hills (3-3)
10. (NR) Rialto (5-1)
Dropped out: No. 9 Diamond Ranch (3-4).
Just missed the cut: Chino (5-1), Los Osos (3-3).

Upland's Christian Powell, who has already received one offer to play defensive end in college, received his first as a fullback on Saturday. The 5-foot-11, 250-pound senior had an offer from Arkansas State but Nebraska has given him his first chance to play offense in college.

Powell, a preseason first-team All-Valley defensive end, already has a team-leading nine sacks and 50 tackles through six games after collecting 63 tackles and 7.5 sacks last season. Upland head coach Tim Salter called Powell the best fullback in the area... apparently Nebraska agrees.

Ambassador League
Aquinas 57, Western Christian 7
Ontario Christian 42, Arrowhead Christian 8
Baseline League
Upland 24, Etiwanda 17
Rancho Cucamonga 41, Alta Loma 17
Los Osos 20, Glendora 7
Citrus Belt League
REV 21, Miller 13
Yucaipa 24, Eisenhower 21
Redlands 52, Fontana 0
Sierra League
Chino Hills 40, Ayala 17
Covina Charter Oak 63, West Covina South Hills 28
Damien 31, Claremont 10
San Andreas League
Colton 27, Arroyo Valley 20
Carter 28, San Gorgonio 25
Rialto 45, San Bernardino 7
Cajon 49, Pacific 7
Mt. Baldy League
Chaffey 20, Ontario 13
Don Lugo 48, Montclair 17
Valle Vista League
Pomona 49, Baldwin Park 14
San Dimas 48, Hacienda Heights Wilson 10

Upland (5-0), ranked third in the CIF-SS Inland Division, wastes no time getting in the thick of things upon entering Baseline League play. Tonight the Highlanders face No. 9 Etiwanda (3-2) before a titanic meeting next week with No. 5 Rancho Cucamonga, the defending league champion.

Zero-and-zero: In a league with a nonleague slate chock full of titanic matchups, Upland's performance this far stands above the rest. The Highlanders polished off its preseason with a 54-27 win over a ranked Norco team before topping themselves with a 38-23 victory over a previously undefeated Los Angeles Loyola team that is a championship contender in the only division in Southern California arguably more difficult than the Inland Division.

Etiwanda narrowly lost to that same Norco team and the Eagles gave No. 2 Vista Murrieta more than they bargained for in a game Etiwanda lost on a last-second field goal.

The Baseline League isn't just playing for a league title this season.

It's never lacked drama, but the prevailing opinion last season was the dramatics would end in league.

Based on last season's impressive playoff performance in its return to the CIF-SS Inland Division and this season's nonleague success against division teams, competition within the Baseline League will be more meaningful to the rest of Southern California than it has in some time.

Two teams enter league play undefeated and a third is ranked in the Inland Division top 10. This in a division in which the league managed a single collective playoff victory the last two seasons it was a member, 2006 and 2007.

Defending champion Rancho Cucamonga (5-0), which wasn't eliminated from the playoffs last season until double overtime in the semifinals, doesn't appear to have dropped off this season having allowed a total of 26 points against a respectable nonleague slate.

Friday, Oct. 14 predictions
AMBASSADOR LEAGUE
Ontario Christian 37, Arrowhead Christian 12
Aquinas 45, Western Christian 6
BASELINE LEAGUE
Rancho Cucamonga 44, Alta Loma 7
Los Osos 33, Glendora 28
Upland 28, Etiwanda 24
CITRUS BELT LEAGUE
Redlands East Valley 38, Miller 6
Yucaipa 31, Eisenhower 12
Redlands 33, Fontana 10
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Diamond Ranch 31, Hacienda Heights Los Altos 14
West Covina 31, Bonita 17
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Chaffey 27, Ontario 10
SAN ANDREAS LEAGUE
San Gorgonio 24, Carter 20
Rialto 44, San Bernardino 7
SIERRA LEAGUE
Chino Hills 34, Ayala 31
Damien 31, Claremont 27
SUNKIST LEAGUE
Kaiser 21, Bloomington 7
Summit 35, Riverside Norte Vista 10
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Pomona 24, Baldwin Park 6
San Dimas 34, Hacienda Heights Wilson 0

The name of the league wasn't the only unfamiliar thing last season for the Ontario Christian and Aquinas high school football teams. After the schools played each other for a league championship six consecutive years, Ontario Christian was on the outside looking in at the new-look Ambassador League title race last season.

Aquinas, however, ended the season in a position it knows all too well. Coming off its fourth consecutive league title, the Falcons (4-1) enter league play tonight with the best record of any league team.

Five games into what it hopes will be a return to league title contention, an Ontario Christian team coming off a third-place finish that left it out of the playoffs last season is has shown plenty of signs under first-year head coach Scott Hurst that it is ready to return to familiarity.

"I believe we've played the toughest schedule of any team in the league through five games," Hurst said. "But I still think Aquinas is the team to beat. Until somebody knocks them off, they're the champions."

The Covina Charter Oak High School football program built its reputation winning CIF-SS Southeast Division championships and Miramonte League titles.

Last season the Chargers found themselves in a different league, in more than one sense.

After 19 consecutive league victories and two straight CIF titles, Charter Oak needed overtime in its final regular-season game just to qualify for the postseason, where it made a swift 28-7 first-round exit. Again this season it's the Chargers who are the recipient of all the buzz. The next five weeks will determine whether it's warranted.

"It was obviously a step up for them last year," Damien coach Greg Gano said. "The Sierra League is tougher than the league they came from, but they've got the best quarterback around. How he goes, they go."

It would take an extraordinary set of occurrences for the 10-time defending Sunkist League champion Kaiser High School football team not to be considered the favorite when league play begins Friday.

Try these on for size:

There's the 52-7 loss on Kaiser's resume. And the 34-7 defeat it suffered a week later.
There's the fact that Summit, which finished second in league last season thanks to a 19-7 comeback win by Kaiser, is not only coming off an appearance in the CIF-SS Eastern Division championship game last year but is currently ranked No. 1 in the division. Kaiser (3-2) does enter league play with a winning record, but its three victories have come at the expense of teams with a combined 4-11 record.

"They've won the league championship however many thousands of years in a row, and they've probably done it plenty of times when they had a losing record coming into league," Summit coach Tony Barile said. "I don't think anything of their preseason."

The Sierra League volleyball teams aren't making it easy on the CIF-SS voters. As of Monday, Ayala rose to the No. 10 spot in Division 2AA to give the league three teams in the top 10. Tuesday, two of those teams lost. If that wasn't enough, it created a four-way tie for second place behind defending CIF champion St. Lucy's, which is ranked No. 1.

No. 3 Chino Hills, which shared the league title with St. Lucy's last season and faced it in the 2010 CIF-SS championship match, fell to West Covina South Hills on Tuesday. Ayala, which had already beaten South Hills, lost to Claremont on Tuesday. That left Ayala, South Hills, Chino Hills and Claremont all tied for second place with a 2-2 league mark.

"I think we probably have the best league in the area," Claremont coach Chris Duarte-McDermott said. "Put us all in another league and we'd probably all be challenging for league titles. It's going to be a dogfight to get out of league but whoever gets out is going to be well prepared for CIF."

St. Lucy's may be two games up in the standings, but it took a five-game match and then some for the Regents to outlast Chino Hills when they met for the first time this season last week.

Area volleyball is on the rise as seven teams have now ascended into the CIF-SS rankings this week. In addition to mainstays St. Lucy's (No. 1, Division 2AA), Chino Hills (No. 3, D2AA), Bonita (No. 3 D2A), Diamond Bar (No. 4 D2A) and San Dimas (No. 6 D3A), two new teams worked their way into the top 10 of their respective divisions this week.

Ontario Christian was elevated to No. 7 in D3A thanks to a week that began with a win over the third-place team in the Ambassador League. Ayala entered D2AA rankings at No. 10 aided by a win over West Covina South Hills last week.

DIVISION 1-AA
1. Los Alamitos
2. Edison
3. Dos Pueblos
4. Newport Harbor
5. Mira Costa
6. Santa Margarita
7. Thousand Oaks
8. Orange Lutheran
9. Mater Dei
10. Redondo Union
Others: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Huntington Beach.

INLAND DIVISION
1. Corona Centennial (Big VIII) 4-1
2. Vista Murrieta (Southwestern) 5-0
3. Upland (Baseline) 5-0
4. Redlands East Valley (Citrus Belt) 5-0
5. Rancho Cucamonga (Baseline) 5-0
6. Charter Oak (Sierra) 4-1
7. North (Big VIII) 4-1
8. Norco (Big VIII) 3-2
9. Etiwanda (Baseline) 3-2
10. Yucaipa (Citrus Belt) 5-0
Others: Damien (4-1), Claremont (4-1), Murrieta Valley (4-1), Temecula Valley (4-1), Murrieta Mesa (4-1, Corona Santiago (3-2), South Hills (3-2).

The Diamond Ranch High School football team's approach has made it easier to dismiss it as a contender. Never one for pristine win-loss records thanks to difficult nonleague schedules, the Panthers were cast in the role of surprise team when they reached the CIF championship game in 2008. Until they did it again in 2009... finishing each season with a 7-7 record.

The only surprise last season was when Diamond Ranch didn't make its typical postseason run. After an 0-3 start to the 2010 season, Diamond Ranch suffered two lopsided losses to end the year before exiting the playoffs in the opening round for the first time since 2002. As it turned out, the three teams that defeated the Panthers at the end of last season all reached the semifinals in the Southeast Division.

So when Diamond Ranch's losing streak stretched into this season when the Panthers suffered their sixth consecutive defeat three weeks ago, it was easy to think their championship-game days were behind them.

1. (1) Upland (5-0)
2. (2) Rancho Cucamonga (5-0)
3. (3) Etiwanda (3-2)
4. (4) Summit (4-1)
5. (6) Colony (5-1)
6. (7) San Dimas (4-1)
7. (8) Damien (4-1)
8. (9) Carter (5-0)
9. (NR) Diamond Ranch (3-3)
10. (10) Chino Hills (2-3)
Dropped out: No. 5 Los Osos (2-3)
Just missed the cut: Rialto (4-1), Chino (5-1), Los Osos (2-3), Kaiser (3-2).

Thursday, Oct. 6 Scores
Ambassador League
Calabasas Viewpoint 21, Western Christian 14
Valle Vista League
San Dimas 42, La Puente Nogales 6
Nonleague
West Covina South Hills 31, Los Osos 28
Etiwanda 50, Eisenhower 7

Friday, Oct. 7 Scores
Hacienda League
Diamond Ranch 31, DIamond Bar 19
West Covina 48, Walnut 10
Hacienda Heights Los Altos 28, Rowland Heights Rowland 12
Mt. Baldy League
Chino 29, Chaffey 22
Colony 27, Don Lugo 7
Montclair 20, Garey 6
San Andreas League
Carter 40, Colton 0
Rialto 40, Arroyo Valley 0
Cajon 20, San Gorgonio 16
Pacific 24, San Bernardino 7
Valle Vista League
Pomona 45, Covina Northview 14
Covina 26, Baldwin Park 18
Nonleague
Redlands East Valley 10, Mission Viejo 7
Damien 41, San Juan Capistrano JSerra 39
Summit 49, Murrieta Mesa 0
Kaiser 45, Hesperia 10
Pico Rivera El Rancho 35, Fontana 0
Jurupa Valley 15, Perris 6

If the natural rivalry of these neighbors wasn't enough, Diamond Ranch (2-3, 1-0) taking down Bonita last week only adds fuel to tonight's matchup against Diamond Bar (2-3, 0-1) that has major playoff implications.

41-0: Neither of these teams has forgotten the beating Diamond Ranch dealt Diamond Bar last season's league opener. The 41-0 victory for the Panthers can't be far from either team's mind.

After years of trying to schedule Diamond Bar to no avail, Diamond Ranch head coach Roddy Layton got his wish when both teams were moved into the Hacienda League last season, requiring them to play. The Panthers wasted no time dismantling a Diamond Bar team that was undefeated at the time after winning its first four games of the season.

GLENDORA - Of the five times Sean Douglas thought his team had lost Thursday night, the St. Lucy's Priory volleyball coach was the most certain when his libero, Arianna Sifuentes, dove over her team's bench to save a ball with St. Lucy's trailing 20-19 in the fifth game.

Of the five times Douglas thought his team had won, the only time he was certain came two points later, when Veronica LaPierre's kill bounced off the hands of a Chino Hills blocker out of bounds to put an end to No. 1 St. Lucy's five-game marathon of a victory over their Sierra League foe in a rematch of last season's CIF-SS championship match.

After defeating the third-ranked Huskies 25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 22-20, St. Lucy's has beaten Chino Hills in the last three meetings between the Inland Valley volleyball giants. The Regents (12-3, 3-0) outlasted Chino Hills (14-3, 2-1) in their final regular-season meeting last year to split and earn a share of the Sierra League title, only for the two to meet again in the CIF-SS Division 2AA final, where St. Lucy's prevailed again. If their first meeting this season was any indication, this year could be even more intense.

Thursday, Oct. 6 predictions
AMBASSADOR LEAGUE
Calabasas Viewpoint 38, Western Christian 7
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
San Dimas 44, La Puente Nogales 13
NONLEAGUE
Los Osos 27, West Covina South Hills 20
Etiwanda 41, Eisenhower 17

Friday, Oct. 7 predictions
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Diamond Ranch 24, Diamond Bar 21
MT. BALDY LEAGUE
Chino 21, Chaffey 13
Colony 27, Don Lugo 17
Montclair 20, Garey 10
PREP LEAGUE
Webb 28, La Canada Flintridge Prep 14
VALLE VISTA LEAGUE
Pomona 21, Covina Northview 13
NONLEAGUE
Damien 31, San Juan Capistrano JSerra 20
Summit 31, Murrieta Mesa 17
Kaiser 24, Hesperia 6
Laguna Beach 44, Jurupa Hills 21
El Rancho Pico Rivera 34, Fontana 12

Rancho Cucamonga softball player Katee Aguirre verbally committed to defending College World Series champion Arizona State during her official visit to the campus Sept. 24, according to Rancho Cucamonga coach Mike Lindensmith.

The senior catcher, a three-time first-team all-Baseline League selection who stands 6-foot-3, had a scholarship offer from Western Kentucky but when Arizona State offered during her visit to Tempe, Ariz., it was an easy decision.

"That's where she wanted to go all along," Lindensmith said. "She doesn't quite get the recognition in our league because we haven't been doing as well lately, but we've always known what type of kid she is."

INLAND DIVISION
1. Corona Centennial (Big VIII) 3-1
2. Vista Murrieta (Southwestern) 4-0
3. Upland (Baseline) 5-0
4. Rancho Cucamonga (Baseline) 5-0
5. North (Big VIII) 4-0
6. Redlands East Valley (Citrus Belt) 4-0
7. Norco (Big VIII) 3-1
8. Charter Oak (Sierra) 4-1
9. Etiwanda (Baseline) 2-2
10. Yucaipa (Citrus Belt) 5-0
Others: Murrieta Mesa (4-0), Claremont (4-1), Damien (3-1), Chino Hills (2-3).

1. (2) Upland (5-0)
2. (1) Rancho Cucamonga (5-0)
3. (3) Etiwanda (2-2)
4. (4) Summit (3-1)
5. (5) Los Osos (2-2)
6. (6) Colony (4-1)
7. (9) San Dimas (3-1)
8. (10) Damien (3-1)
9. (NR) Carter (4-0)
10. (7) Chino Hills (2-3)
Dropped out: No. 8 Claremont (4-1).
Just missed the cut: Chino (4-1), Rialto (4-0), Diamond Ranch (2-3).