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Tonight should be a big night for the Bay League in a variety of sports, starting with girls volleyball where Mira Costa and Redondo will renew their rivalry tonight at 7 p.m. at Mira Costa. Redondo finally got over the hump with a league title last season, but expect the Mustangs to be out for revenge. With both teams off to a 3-0 start in league play this will go a long way toward deciding the league champion.

   Many of you likely saw the weekend story about recent Serra graduate Marqise Lee being named Cal-Hi Sports' Boys State Athlete of the Year. 

http://www.dailybreeze.com/preps/ci_18588902

   Columnist Mike Waldner also touched on Lee in a column this morning about Lee and his former Serra/current USC teammates George Farmer and Robert Woods.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_18606191

   To put in perspective the elite list Lee just joined (and Woods joined the year before), here's the all-time Cal-Hi list, which includes retroactive selections for athletes before the 1978-79 school year.

   El Segundo's Scott McGregor is also on there, but so are the likes of Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, John Elway, Jason Kidd, Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, Darryl Strawberry and C.C. Sabathia among a host of others.  Any way you slice it, some pretty elite company for a pair of Cavaliers who appear to have bright futures at USC and beyond.

   Here's the list ...

ALL-TIME BOYS STATE 
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR 
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports) 

2010-11 - Marqise Lee, Gardena Serra (football, basketball, track) 
2009-10 - Robert Woods, Gardena Serra (football, track) 
2008-09 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (football, baseball) 
2007-08 - German Fernandez, Riverbank (cross country, track) 
2006-07 - Mike Stanton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (football, basketball, baseball) 
2005-06 - Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (basketball, volleyball) 
2004-05 - Drew Shiller, Burlingame (football, basketball, baseball) 
2003-04 - Kenny O'Neal, Oakland Skyline (football, track) 
2002-03 - Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft (football, basketball, track) 
2001-02 - Aaron Piersol, Newport Beach Newport Harbor (swimming) 
2000-01 - Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh (football, basketball, track) 
1999-00 - D.J. Williams, Concord De La Salle (football, track) 
1998-99 - Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly (football, volleyball) 
1997-98 - C.C. Sabathia, Vallejo (football, basketball, baseball) 
1996-97 - Ken-Yon Rambo, Long Beach Poly (football, track) 
1995-96 - Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North (football, basketball) 
1994-95 - Eric Guerrero, San Jose Independence (wrestling) 
1993-94 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West (football, baseball) 
1992-93 - Calvin Harrison, Salinas North Salinas (track, basketball) 
1991-92 - Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph (basketball, baseball) 
1990-91 - Rob Johnson, El Toro (football, basketball, baseball) 
1989-90 - Ryan Hancock, Cupertino Monta Vista (football, baseball) 
1988-89 - Lorenzo Neal, Lemoore (football, wrestling) 
1987-88 - Adam Keefe, Irvine Woodbridge (basketball, volleyball) 
1986-87 - LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei (water polo, basketball, track) 
1985-86 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline (football, baseball) 
1984-85 - George Porter, Lompoc Cabrillo (basketball, track) 
1983-84 - John Williams, L. A. Crenshaw (basketball) 
1982-83 - Mike Smith, Hacienda Heights Los Altos (football, basketball, volleyball) 
1981-82 - Jim McCullough, Hemet (football, wrestling) 
1980-81 - Kevin Willhite, Rancho Cordova (football, track) 
1979-80 - Darryl Strawberry, L.A. Crenshaw (basketball, baseball) 
1978-79 - John Elway, Granada Hills (football, baseball) 
1977-78 - Jesse Vasallo, Mission Viejo (swimming) 
1976-77 - Brian Goodell, Mission Viejo (swimming) 
1975-76 - Greg Louganis, El Cajon Valhalla & Santa Ana (diving) 
1974-75 - Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove (basketball) 
1973-74 - Tim Shaw, Long Beach Wilson (water polo, swimming) 
1972-73 - Lonnie Shelton, Bakersfield Foothill (football, track) 
1971-72 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo (baseball) 
1970-71 - Anthony Davis, San Fernando (football, baseball) 
1969-70 - James McAlister, Pasadena Blair (football, track) 
1968-69 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson (football, baseball) 
1967-68 - Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming) 
1966-67 - Mickey Cureton, Compton Centennial (football) 
1965-66 - Tim Danielson, Chula Vista (track) 
1964-65 - Paul Wilson, Downey Warren (track) 
1963-64 - Don Schollander, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming) 
1962-63 - Tommie Smith, Lemoore (football, basketball, track) 
1961-62 - Forrest Beaty, Glendale Hoover (track) 
1960-61 - Ulis Williams, Compton (track) 
1959-60 - Dennis Ralston, Bakersfield (tennis) 
1958-59 - Dale Story, Orange (track) 
1957-58 - Willie Davis, L. A. Roosevelt (basketball, baseball, track) 
1956-57 - Bill Kilmer, Azusa Citrus (football, basketball, baseball) 
1955-56 - Fred Lacour, S.F. St. Ignatius (basketball) 
1954-55 - Dick Bass, Vallejo (football) 
1953-54 - Don Bowden, San Jose Lincoln (track) 
1952-53 - Ronnie Knox, Santa Monica (football) 
1951-52 - Marty Keough, Pomona (football, basketball, baseball) 
1950-51 - Charlie Powell, San Diego (football, baseball) 
1949-50 - Lang Stanley, L.A. Jefferson (track) 
1948-49 - John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (football, basketball, track) 
1947-48 - Bob Mathias, Tulare (football, track) 
1946-47 - Bill McColl, San Diego Hoover (football, basketball, baseball) 
1945-46 - George Stanich, Sacramento (basketball, baseball, track) 
1944-45 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland (football, baseball) 
1943-44 - Bill Sharman, Porterville (football, basketball, baseball) 
1942-43 - Glenn Davis, La Verne Bonita (football, baseball) 
1941-42 - Irv Noren, Pasadena (basketball, baseball) 
1940-41 - Tommie Fears, Los Angeles Manual Arts (football) 
1939-40 - Howie Dallmar, San Francisco Lowell (basketball, baseball) 
1938-39 - Jim Jurkovich, Fresno (football, track) 
1937-38 - Frankie Albert, Glendale (football, baseball, tennis) 
1936-37 - Jackie Robinson, Pasadena Muir (football, basketball, baseball) 
1935-36 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont (pro baseball) 
1934-35 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover (baseball) 
1933-34 - Hank Luisetti, San Francisco Galileo (basketball) 
1932-33 - Don Budge, Oakland University (tennis) 
1931-32 - Corney Johnson, Los Angeles (track) 
1930-31 - Frank Sobrero, Oakland (football, basketball, baseball) 

Note: List continues back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Almanac. All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis

Mira Costa sophomore Maegan Manasse continues to amaze this season. Manasse took an undefeated record into the Bay League Championships, then won the singles title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Redondo's Elle Taylor in the final.
Manasse, who also had wins over Peninsula's Jasmine Hosseini and Victoria Tam in the tournament, improved to 57-0 on the season heading into the postseason.
"Nobody at the Kramer Club could remember the last time a girl accomplished that feat in the Bay League," Mira Costa coach Joe Ciasulli said "It takes a very special player to go through an entire season without one blemish on her record."
Manasse leads the way as Mira Costa, which finished tied for second in the Bay League with Palos Verdes, gets ready for the CIF Southern Section Division I team playoffs, which starts next week.
Manasse could also be a huge factor in singles in the CIF-SS Individuals, which starts Nov. 19.

 

CAMS might be a small Carson-based school known for its academics more than its athletic achievements, but its doubles team of Larry Pang and Attila Lassu enjoyed a great milestone.

Pang and Lassu posted a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Brentwood's Chris Lord and Jackson Isaacs to win the Olympic League doubles title Thursday for the first time in CAMS history, according to Coach Larent Lassu. Lord and Isaacs made the CIF semifinals last season.

Here is a picture after winning their doubles title today -- thanks for dressing up guys!

From wild-card team to contender, the South Torrance girls tennis team posted a dramatic 76-70 victory on games after tying previously unbeaten Whittier, 9-9, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

South trailed, 9-7, heading into the final two sets, including a 69-64 deficit on games, so South needed two lopsided victories to draw even and win on games.

Esther Kim posted a convincing 6-0 victory over top singles player Jessica Guerrero, and freshman Gracie Davis sealed it with a 6-1 win over No. 2 singles player Gabby Juarez.

"Esther Kim was huge for us, and Gracie Davis found a way to battle it out and get a big win for us," South coach Kevin May said. "We stuck it out today. I think the tough competition in the Pioneer League helped prepare us for this match."

Kim and Davis swept their three singles sets for South, which plays  the Cerritos-Templeton winner on Saturday.

Whittier, the Del Rio League champ, finishes at 15-1.

It had a surreal feeling to it.

The first-round L.A. City Invitational match between Narbonne and Franklin came down to the last match.

It was so dark, only one court was lit, and that was from a street light right outside the school.

Yet Narbonne senior Lily Kurosaki dug down for a 3-6, 6-4, 12-10 victory that came down to a 10-point tiebreaker instead of a third set.

Narbonne, the ninth seed, advances to play at No. 1 Venice on Wednesday, but there was no mistaking the magnitude of the match as Narbonne won its first playoff match in nearly a decade.

And it was a particularly sweet result for Kurosaki, who had been nagged by a shoulder injury throughout the year.

"Lily's our senior, and it was a big-time match, so for her to come out and win like that was something special," Coach Darrall Odell said. "It meant a lot to everyone, and it was exciting."

From Dave Thorpe:

Has Peninsula's girls tennis team really closed the gap on Palos Verdes like Thursday's 9-9 (76-69) loss at Peninsula would suggest?

Perhaps. Jenna Glimp has become a solid No. 1 singles player and the team's doubles units are sublime.

But Palos Verdes coach Danny Moscovici would suggest that his team wasn't exactly at full strength. Moscovici had to play singles star Brooke Schweyer, pictured, in doubles because of a minor leg injury, which potentially could have taken away a set or two for Palos Verdes. Also, Palos Verdes was without Austin Ruth, who is expected back soon from an ankle injury.

"She's a force in doubles," Moscovici said.

As good as Schweyer was in doubles with partner Charlotte Newell (they swept), Movcovici said the team is better served with Schweyer in singles.

"The best spot for Brooke is in singles," he said. "When she feels better, that's where she'll be. Taking her out of singles puts more pressure on Kathryn Webb."

Not that it mattered much against Peninsula. Webb swept her sets, and Palos Verdes remains in the driver's seat for a second straight league title.

We've added a searchable data base to the Daily Breeze Web site that you can use to keep up with area history. There are hundreds of former South Bay athletes entered, and it's a list we know will expand substantially when all of you begin contributing the names and histories of those we may have missed.  It's probably weighted toward more recent graduates in the early stages, largely because those people have been easier to keep tabs on in recent years.

The more you contribute or help plug the gaps, the more accurate the information can be and the more up to date we can keep all of you when it comes to who's gone on to which college, etc. If you know of a Banning High linebacker from the 1960s who went on to play some college or pro ball, go ahead and add his name to the list.  Did we miss a South Bay-bred volleyball standout who played collegiately and/or overseas, a former cross country runner who went on to great things?  Fill us in.

We want your feedback -- you'll see there's an option for you to contribute names of former South Bay standouts who should be added to the list.  We want this to become a robust list of area history, a place you can turn to see who has starred for your alma mater over the years or perhaps see what became of a former classmate you lost track of.

Here's the link to the database, also available through a button on the prep portion of the Breeze Web site. Thanks again.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/southbayathletes

Palos Verdes has established itself as the South Bay's top team so far this year, racing to a 3-0 start with quality wins over Harvard-Westlake, Campbell Hall, and Wednesday's 13-5 win over CAMS.

Kathryn Webb and Brooke Schweyer are simply electric in singles, and the No. 1 doubles team of Alex Scotten, pictured on the right, and Charlotte Newell is quite formidable as well.

The scary part? Palos Verdes isn't even playing at full strength yet. Tiffany Jue and Austin Ruth have both been sidelined by injuries and are expected to return soon.

"So far, so good for the preseason," PV coach Danny Moscovici said. "We're still looking to get better and better as the season goes along. When (Jue and Ruth) join the team, we should be fully healthy and in full force."

Come on South Bay fans, let's hear it. Is PV the team to beat in the South Bay? Can they be stopped?

Narbonne's timing couldn't have been any better.

The Gauchos hired Mat Paz as their new girls tennis coach, and he was with the team during its season opener on Thursday against Westchester.

Narbonne was forced to scramble to find a new girls tennis coach after Darryl O'Dell was released from his duties during the first week of school.

"Our new coach fits the needs of our school much better," Narbonne athletic director Melissa Miller said.

In the end, Narbonne may have gotten exactly what it wanted, but the Gauchos certainly took it down to the wire.