Carter hires baseball, girls volleyball, girls golf, boys basketball coaches

Carter High has hired four new coaches for the upcoming school year, athletic director Kennard Kapono announced.
For fall sports, Gary Hanson has been hired as the new girls golf coach, having coached baseball at both Carter and Rialto. Fred Nash, a former head coach at Rubidoux and Arroyo Valley, is the school’s new girls volleyball coach. Gilbert Berry III, a former head coach at Yucca Valley, is the new boys basketball coach, and Joe Rosalez, is the new baseball coach.
Baseball has been the most successful of the four sports, earning a share of the Citrus Belt League title last spring, before coach Samuel Lopez left in June to be the head coach at Bonita. Lopez had led Carter to a league title three times in five seasons as a head coach and compiled a 98-40 record.
Rosalez has bounced around in recent years as an off-campus coach, but he is on-campus at Carter. He was the head coach at San Gabriel Gabrielino three years ago, then the head coach two years ago at Miller, when his team went 8-15.
He wasn’t a teacher at Miller, so last year he went to Ridgecrest Burroughs where he got his first teaching job and served as an assistant coach. He teaches health at Carter.
“In all honesty, I was enjoying my first summer as a teacher, spending time with friends and family,” Rosalez said. “But this opportunity caught my eye. It’s what I wanted.”
Rosalez said in addition to facing Carter on the field as Miller’s head coach in 2015, he also had a good experience with Carter players. Both programs were selling Christmas trees and Miller’s players had to pick up their trees from Carter.
When Rosalez and other Miller people came to Carter, the Carter players offered help to load Miller’s trees onto their trucks. And that was without anyone from either team prompting them to do so.
“That’s a testament to what these kids are like,” Rosalez said. “They offered help and that says a lot about them. I’m very big on community.”
Rosalez said he is not worried about continuing Carter’s winning baseball tradition “with the type of kid we have here and the ability level we have here.”

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

How/why Citrus Belt baseball tie is broken different than softball

Thursday, we learned the three-way tie for fourth place in the Citrus Belt League softball standings would be broken by runs allowed among the three teams, since Cajon, Redlands and Citrus Valley all went 1-1 against each other, and Redlands won that tiebreaker.

There will also be a tie in the Citrus Belt League baseball standings, but there are some big differences. It will only be two teams and it will either be a tie for first or second. And the tie will not be broken by runs allowed. Let me explain.

Going into today, Carter, Redlands East Valley and Yucaipa are in a three-way tie for first, Carter plays fourth-place Redlands and REV and Yucaipa play each other. If Carter wins, Carter ties with the REV-Yucaipa winner for first. If Carter loses, Carter ties with the REV-Yucaipa loser for second.

If Carter finishes tied with REV, then Carter wins the tiebreaker, because Carter swept the two games with REV in the opening week of league. If Carter ties with Yucaipa, the teams split head-to-head, so you would go to runs allowed. But each team won a one-run game, Yucaipa by an 8-7 score, Carter by a 2-1 score in 8 innings, So each team allowed 9 runs. The next tiebreaker for baseball or softball is a coin flip, which I’m guessing would be held Friday night.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

VIDEOS: Carter’s Kenny Clark is taken by Green Bay Packers in NFL draft

4 videos below from Carter HS/UCLA product Kenny Clark’s draft party.

First, having already received the phone call from the Green Bay Packers, Kenny, friends and family wait to hear the pick announced:

Below, he talks about whether he expected to go in the first round and whether he was surprised to be picked by the Packers.

Continue reading “VIDEOS: Carter’s Kenny Clark is taken by Green Bay Packers in NFL draft” »

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Carter safety Marcus Strong verbally commits to Washington State

Marcus Strong of Rialto Carter High School confirmed that he has verbally committed to play football at Washington State University.

Strong had offers from San Jose and PAC-12 rivals such as Oregon State and Washington but felt that the Cougars were the best fit for him.

“I think my speed can fit in very well with a good and upcoming program like Washington State,” Strong said. “I have a good connection with the coaching staff and that is what matters the most.”

Strong believes he still has a few things he wants to address as he prepares for the next step in his career.

“I have to put on some muscle and I have to build up some more speed to compete (against the best in the PAC-12),” he said. “But I those task will be easy for me.”

Strong proved to be a dual sport athlete, playing in the outfield for his high school baseball team.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Our list of athletes signing this week

BASEBALL

  • Isaiah Davis, Carter – Fresno State
  • Brett Vansant, Redlands East Valley – Western Kentucky
  • Reggie Lawson, Victor Valley – Arizona State

GIRLS BASKETBALL

  • Kayla Washington, Cajon – Washington State

SOFTBALL

  • Pamala Baber, Carter – Texas-El Paso
  • Marissa Jauregui, Grand Terrace – UC Davis
  • Danielle Rico, Grand Terrace – Eastern Michigan
  • Jocelyn Betancourt, Grand Terrace – Cal St. Bakersfield
  • Melanie Olmos, Grand Terrace – Oklahoma
  • Riley Plogger, Redlands East Valley – Utah State
  • Stephanie Ruelas, Redlands East Valley – Concordia
  • Mallory Cross, Yucaipa –  Texas-El Paso
  • Kayla Martin, Yucaipa – Kansas Wesleyan
  • Kelly Martinez, Yucaipa – Utah
  • Zoe Richard, Citrus Valley – Cal State Fullerton
  • Olivia Olvera, Citrus Valley – La Sierra

SWIMMING

  • Emily Longfellow, Redlands East Valley -University of Houston
  • Melissa Pepper, Redlands – West Virginia
  • Nicole Proctor, Redlands – UC Santa Barbara

VOLLEYBALL

  • Janell Walley, Yucaipa – Boise State
TRACK AND FIELD
  • Alisha Edwards, Redlands HS – UCLA

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Lokeni Toailoa receives Under Armour All-American jersey


Courtesy photo
Carter coach Alex Pierce (left) and linebacker Lokeni Toailoa at Toailoa’s jersey presentation for the Under Armour All-American game this week.

As previously reported, UCLA-bound senior Lokeni Toailoa was presented with his jersey for the Under Armour All-American Game in a ceremony at the high school.

“It was great,” coach Alex Pierce said. “As far as I know, he’s the first one from Rialto to get this. It’s quite an honor.”

It’s probably good for the Lions to get that out of the way now. Carter has a bye this week and then next week faces defending state Division II champion Redlands East Valley in the Citrus Belt League opener after getting blown out last year, 45-14. Distractions aren’t a big problem on a bye week, but on REV week, it certainly doesn’t help.

Toailoa’s 2015 season is just now getting underway for Carter (3-0). He missed most of a Week 0 win over Los Osos after he was ejected after a skirmish with an opposing player, then had to serve a one-game suspension in Week 1 vs. Rialto. Last week he was able to play more, recording seven total tackles (five solo), including two tackles for a loss in a rout of Riverside North. He also had two carries for 17 yards and a touchdown on offense.

 

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Carter’s Lokeni Toailoa to be presented with Under Armour All-American jersey

Carter 4 players photo

Carter’s Lokeni Toailoa (2nd from the right in the above photo by Will Lester), currently ranked 10th among inside linebacker recruits in the country among the class of 2016, will be part of a ceremony next week at the school.

It will take place next Tuesday, Sept. 15 at noon at the school, where he will be presented with his jersey for the Under Armor All-America Game, which will be played on Jan. 2 and televised on ESPN2.

Yes, on the surface the reason they’re doing this ceremony is to honor one of the top high school football players in the country.
But to me, there are two other reasons for the event:
1. Publicize the game in the local community to increase viewership on TV.
2. Lock the player into the game. I’m guessing it’s less likely (although not impossible) for a player to change his mind about playing in a game if he’s been presented with a jersey in advance.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

UCLA commit Lokeni Toailoa sets example on Twitter following ejection

What Carter High linebacker and UCLA commit Lokeni Toailoa did with his Twitter account should serve as an example for fellow athletes to follow.

IMG_9909.JPG

Carter High linebacker Lokeni Toailoa, third player located on the right, is committed to UCLA.

Following a call by the referee that led to the ejection of Toailoa in Friday’s game against Los Osos, which will cause him to miss Carter’s upcoming game against city-rival Rialto High, the four-star linebacker decided to remove his Twitter page.

Whether any highly recruited athlete will admit it or not, they are always under the microscope and face constant pressure because of their status and talent.

By removing oneself from a social media platform like Twitter, Toailoa avoided all drama that can come from social media users, while at the same time allowing him as a player to reflect on the situation and move forward.

Anytime I have spoken with Lokeni, he has been nothing but respectful.

While it was a bit shocking to hear he was ejected from a game, I think the way he went about handling his business off the field, with what I am assuming is a brief stint away from the website, was done honorably.

This generation’s high school athletes do not realize just how easy it is to lose a scholarship or interest from a college because of their actions. In a case like this, being poked at and responding in a particular way could be enough to lose it all.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email

Could Leni Toailoa go to UCLA too?

Two Toailoas to UCLA?
Well-decorated Carter linebacker Lokeni Toailoa has already committed to UCLA. Now, his brother, Leni could be joining him there. Leni, recruited as a defensive back, received a scholarship offer to join Lokeni at UCLA this week. The brothers are both seniors at Carter, although Lokeni is older.
According to coach Alex Pierce, Leni is considering the offer, even though he had already given a verbal commitment to San Jose State back in March.

Share this

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email