Campbell named Ayala girls basketball coach

Ayala didn’t waste much time replacing the retired Mel Sims, as it promoted newly-hired assistant coach Amy Campbell to take the head job last week.

Campbell, 29, has been a jack of all trades in the Chino Valley Unified School District, serving as the head coach for the Chino High girls basketball team, an assistant coach for Ayala’s CIF-championship winning softball team and a teacher at Magnolia Junior High School. She’s happy that she only has to wear one hat this upcoming year.

“I just got hired as a social studies teacher, so I’ll be able to stay on this campus,” Campbell said. “I’ve been willing to teach or coach anywhere where I’m needed, but it will be great to just wear red and black.”

Campbell was hired initially to be the coach-in-waiting to Sims, 69, who has constructed Ayala into one of the elite programs in Southern California, taking over after a year or two under Sims’ tutelage. But Sims’ retirement accelerated the timetable, though he will consult with Campbell on the side while she gets her feet wet.

“We were going to have Amy gradually take over the program from Mel, but Mel’s daughter is going to be a senior next year and plays soccer,” Ayala athletic director Steve Martin said. “Basketball and soccer season run at the same time, so Mel decided to step down. Once he did, Amy was our No. 1 target.”

Campbell was offered the job after the Bulldogs defeated Bonita in the CIF-SS Division 3 softball semifinals. Martin came up to her after the game while she was in celebration mode and she eagerly accepted.

More than a week later, the eagerness hasn’t faded.

“I’m ready to go,” Campbell said. “We start Monday and I can’t wait to get this thing started. I’m hoping to continue the great things Mel brought here and add a few wrinkles of my own.”

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Murphy agrees to terms with Blue Jays

Redlands East Valley pitcher Griffin Murphy, the 61st pick in this week’s Major League Baseball draft, has agreed in principle to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The second-round pick said that he agreed to a signing bonus worth $800,000, which is the value that he was looking for prior to the draft.

“I’m really excited right now,” said Murphy, who will forgo a scholarship to the University of San Diego to sign. “This is a dream come true and I can’t believe that I’m about to play professional baseball. They came up from the number that the pick was slotted to get and met the number we wanted.”

Murphy indicated that the bonus number slotted for the 61st pick was $600,000. There is plenty to be done before he joins the Blue Jays’ organization though. The paperwork for signing the contract will be delayed some due to exchange rate and other issues that come from the Blue Jays’ location in Canada.

“I probably won’t start with the organization until early July,” Murphy said. “I just can’t wait to go and play ball.”

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Cesar Aguilar plans on signing

This didn’t make it into my MLB draft day 2 story. Thanks to colleague T.J. Berka for the info and quotes.

Miller High pitcher Cesar Aguilar was drafted in the 14th round by St. Louis.

“It feels good to be drafted. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” he said.
“I didn’t really know when I’d be drafted, so I wasn’t that worried about it. I figured I would be drafted, but I wasn’t sure when.”

“I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little kid. Every time I went to a major league game or a minor league game, I imagined playing on the field.”

He plans on signing Thursday and will leave Friday. He received a $60,000 signing bonus.

“It’s not bad for an 18-year old kid in high school. I’ll just save it, There’s really nothing I need to buy right now,” he said.

Other top county players to go in Day 2: REV LHP Griffin Murphy (Toronto, 2nd), Upland RHP Scott Frazier (Philadelphia, 5th), ex-REV RHP Tyler Shreve (Toronto, 10th), Rancho Cucamonga Austin Reed RHP (Chicago Cubs, 12th).

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Blackmon, Ekpre-Olomu make Rivals 250

The first football recruiting rankings that Rivals.com will make for the 2011 recruiting class have been gradually released this past week, with two county players vaulting into the site’s Top 250 with four-star ratings.

Summit wide receiver Devon Blackmon was ranked No. 41 by the site. Blackmon, who plays a variety of positions for the SkyHawks and finished eighth in the state in the 110-meter hurdles at the state track and field meet this past weekend, has been offered by a who’s who of college football. Some of Blackmon’s 20-plus offers include USC, UCLA, Oregon, Florida, Alabama and North Carolina.

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, a defensive back/wide receiver for Chino Hills, was ranked No. 146. The two-time all-Sun first-team DB has been offered by Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Washington State, Utah, San Diego State and Idaho thus far.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

All-Citrus Belt League softball team

Congratulations to Jessica Garcia from Redlands, who won MVP honors and is the Terriers’ all-time hits leader.

MVP: Jessica Garcia, Sr., C, Redlands

First Team
Marshean August, Eisenhower
Sara Pineda, Eisenhower
Christina Castro, Fontana
Nicole Soltis, Fontana
Diauna Nelson, Miller
Narissa Garcia, Redlands
Marlee Rettig, Redlands
Michelle Solomon, Redlands
Amanda Weis, Redlands
Jenna Jaquish, REV
Savannah Jaquish, REV
Amy Nece, REV
Cassidy Bingham, Yucaipa
Courtney Brown, Yucaipa
Ashley Huff, Yucaipa
Mackenzie Maxwell, Yucaipa
Leann Lopez, REV

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

All-Mt. Baldy baseball and softball teams

Here we go. Congratulations to softball co-MVPs Sabrina Gamboa of Ontario and Abrinna Lockett of Colony and baseball MVP Vincent Velasquez of Garey.

SOFTBALL

NAME SCHOOL GRADE

BELINDA REEN DON LUGO 10
JESSICA GUILLEN DON LUGO 11
JORDON SAUCEDA COLONY
NICOLE PIERES COLONY 11
SABRINA CAVANAUGH COLONY 12
CHRISTIANA COOK COLONY 12
BIANA GARCIA GAREY 11
STACEE CUTHBERT CHAFFEY 12
JAYNA LOY CHAFFEY 12
CELINA FELIX MONTCLAIR 10
PRICSILLA ANDA ONTARIO 12
VIVAN YOUNG ONTARIO 12
NITA VASQUEZ ONTARIO 12
KELANI TSUHA ONTARIO 12
MVP SABRINA GAMBOA ONTARIO 10
MVP ABRINNA LOCKETT COLONY 11

BASEBALL

NAME SCHOOL GRADE

KEVIN LARA DON LUGO 12
ALEX MANCILLAS DON LUGO 12
JEFF MILLER DON LUGO 12
SCOTT MAKORAN DON LUGO 12
DANNY MATURINO GAREY 12
JOSH ORTEGA GAREY 12
THOMAS MICHEL GAREY 11
OSCAR GOMEZ MONTCLAIR 12
EDDIE RAMIREZ MONTCLAIR 12
ANDREW JACQUEZ ONTARIO 11
JOEY PUZIN COLONY 12
KYLE ZOSKY COLONY 10
ANDREW MACKENZIE COLONY 12
AARON BERNAL COLONY 10
MVP VINCENT VELASQUEZ GAREY 12

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

All-San Andreas League baseball team

San Gorgonio pitcher/shortstop Adam Quintana won MVP to the shock of no one.

MVP ADAM QUINTANA 12 SAN GORGONIO

FIRST TEAM
1 LOU VILLARREAL (P) 12 COLTON
2 TYLER RAHIER 11 CAJON
3 JOSH MORENO (IF) 12 ARROYO VALLEY
4 JEFF RICKER (IF) 12 CAJON
5 JOSEPH AVILA (IF) 11 COLTON
6 ANDY CROWLEY (OF) 11 SAN GORGONIO
7 JAMES RODRIGUEZ (OF) 12 CAJON
8 DANIEL GOMEZ (OF) 11 ARROYO VALLEY
9 TANNER CLARK (UT) 12 CAJON

SECOND TEAM
1 BRET SANDATE (P) 12 SAN GORGONIO
2 AARON RODRIGUEZ 12 COLTON
3 AARON CISNEROS (IF) 10 SAN BERNARDINO
4 JUAN ROCHA (IF) 11 SAN GORGONIO
5 JOSEPH ROMERO (IF) 11 COLTON
6 ANDREW CONTRERAS (OF) 9 COLTON
7 JEFF MELLEN (OF) 12 CAJON
8 CALEB CACHO (OF) 12 SAN GORGONIO
9 JARROD CANNON (UT) 12 CAJON

HONORABLE MENTION
HON EDGARDO FONSECA 12 ARROYO VALLEY
HON RUBEN RIOS 11 CAJON
HON ZACH FYFE 12 COLTON
HON JOHNNY BROWN 12 PACIFIC
HON MARIO GARCIA 10 SAN BERNARDINO
HON RICKY ELIAS 11 SAN GORGONIO

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email