The Bishop Amat baseball won the CIF-Southern Section Division V baseball title for the second consecutive season, beating St. Paul 6-2 at U.C. Riverside. Amat becomes just the fifth area team to score back-to-back CIF-SS titles, joining Bishop Amat teams in 1968-69 and 2001-02, Edgewood in 1976-77 and South Hills in 1997-98.

lLIVE BLOGGING
9:14: Paez gets Sanchez for his seventh strike out. But Flores follows with an infield single. One out to go as Oddo grounds out to second with Flores taking second. It's up to Gonzales....he singles in back of second. Reyes grabs it and fires back and nearly gets pinch-runner Raymon Zazueta, who turned too wide, at third. . Gonzales takes second on the play. Adrian Montecinos pinch hits. He's down 0-2...Paez balks home Zazueta...back to Montecinos....little chopper to Reyes, who guns him down...Amat wins...and the dogpile ensues.
Final: Bishop Amat 6, St. Paul 2
9:00: Vinnie Pentaleo bats for Herrera and grounds out. Mistone is then hit by a pitch and Reyes unloads with a booming home run to center field as new center fielder William Thomas throws his glove in disgust. Bobby Santoyo replaces Encinas. Murakami singles. McClanahan strikes out to end it.
Top of 7: Bishop Amat 6, St. Paul 1
8:48: Wilson goes down swinging. Carrillo then hits a little roller up third, but Mistone fields it and nips him at first. We go to the seventh after Encinas hits a little tapper that Paez fields and throws him out.
End of 6: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
8:41: Seymour flies out to right and Rodriguez follows with a walk, which brings up the big guy - Fox, who proves he's human and hits into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Top of 6: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
8:36: Oddo strikes out, but Gonzales ends the no-hit bid with a line-drive single to center. Chico pops to right field. Ball follows with an infield single. Lets see what the Swordsmen can do with this....Chico pops to right field. Seymour makes a running catch, then guns down Gonzales, who for some reason was trying to advance while down by three.
End of 5: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
8:21: Encinas gets Reyes and Bergara before Murakami singles. But McClanahan pops out.
Top of 5: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
8:14: No-hitter through four as St. Paul goes down 1..2.....3
End of 4: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
8:10: Seymour grounds out to second, but Rodriguez follows with a single to left field. That brings up Fox, and we have some more fun as he lines a shot to center. Ball comes up too quick and the ball goes over his head for an RBI triple. Fox, though, doesn't settle for the triple and keeps on coming and his easily tagged out about 10 feet from the plate. Herrera walks. Mistone looks at strike three.
Top of 4: Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1
7:56: Chico grounds out, Wilson strikes out and Carrillo flys out as Paez has yet to yield a hit through three innings.
End of three: Bishop Amat 3, St. Paul 1
7:50: Mistone grounds out to shortstop. Reyes follows with a single to left field, but is forced at second on a fielder's choice after a ground ball to third by Bergara. Then its more fun as Murakami lifts a fly to left-center field. Ryan Ball is there, but is bumped by left fielder Sanchez and the ball drops for an RBI double. McClanahan then strikes out to end the inning.
Top of 3: Bishop Amat 3, St. Paul 1
7:37: St. Paul goes down, 1..2..3 as Nick Oddo flys out, Tim Gonzales grounds out and Ryan Ball looks at strike three.
End of 2: Bishop Amat 2, St. Paul 1
7:31: Brian Seymour and Mike Rodriguez both groundout to second. Then Foxy does it again, singles and follows with a stolen base. But Encinas strikes out Justin Herrera to end it.
Top of 2: Bishop Amat 2, St. Paul 1
7:24: Andrew Chico grounds out and Chris Wilson strikes out. But Amat's Paul Paez walks Chris Carrillo and Encinas and then the fun starts as Evan Sanchez pops up, but catcher Jerry McClanahan drops it, allowing Carrillo to score and Encinas to take third. Paez then wiggles out by getting Casey Flores on a fly to center.
End of 1: Bishop Amat 2, St. Paul 1
7:06 p.m.: Here we go....and it doesn't take long. Jordan Fox hits Gabe Encinas' first offering for a bloop double. He's sacficied to third and scores on an error. Tommy Reyes then has an RBI grounder to make it 2-0. Encinas gets out of the jam, getting a pair of groundouts.
Top of 1: Bishop Amat 2, St. Paul 0

Read Steve Ramirez's story by clicking on the thread

RIVERSIDE - There was nothing extraordinary about Bishop Amat High School's 6-2 victory over rival St. Paul in Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Toyota Division V championship game at UC Riverside.
But there was about the accomplishment.
Bishop Amat, getting three hits apiece from seniors Jordan Fox and Keith Murakami and a solid pitching effort from sophomore Paul Paez, recorded its second consecutive divisional title to join the Lancers teams of 1968-69 and 2001-02, Edgewood in '76-77 and South Hills in '97-98 as the only area teams to win back-to-back division titles.
"The team that throws the best strikes, plays the best catch and puts the ball in play the best, has the best chance to win," said Bishop Amat coach Andy Nieto, whose Lancers won their 17th consecutive game to finish 27-4. "There are those who put too much credence on divisions I, II, III or V. Of course, (the teams in those divisions) may have a bigger talent pool, but it doesn't change the formula of the game. The formula is easy.
"What these kids have done in two years is phenomenal. They haven't lost a Division V game in two years. They are 34-0 in Division V games. So for these guys to do what they've done in two years is truly amazing and I'm proud of them."
There was nothing special about the way Bishop Amat accomplished it, either. It was just typical Bishop Amat baseball, which combines good pitching and defense with offensive pressure that usually makes the opponent crack.
And St. Paul obliged.
The Lancers, who outscored their playoff opponents 46-9, showed it from the start.
Fox, who was hitting almost .600 coming into the game, hit Gabe Encinas' first pitch for a bloop double. He then scored after left fielder Justin Herrera placed a perfect sacrifice bunt up the first-base line. But Casey Flores went for the play at third, and his throw glanced off Chris Wilson for an error and a 1-0 advantage. The Lancers increased the lead to 2-0 on an RBI groundout by Tommy Reyes.
"I was just trying to get the rally started any way I could," said Fox, who went 3 for 4 with a double, triple, RBI and a run scored.
"If it's a hit, good. I just wanted to get us going."
St. Paul (22-12-1), which lost for the fourth time to its Del Rey League rival, didn't cave - at least not at first.
The Swordsmen, taking advantage of a walk and a two-base fielding error, made it 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.
But the Lancers again forced the issue, this time in the third after Reyes singled with one out. Nick Bergara hit into a force but Murakami, who went 3 for 3, hit a deep fly into the gap in center field.
Ryan Ball raced over to make the play, but he bumped into left fielder Evan Sanchez and dropped the ball for an RBI double and a 3-1 lead.
The Lancers then made it 4-1 in the fourth after center fielder Mark Rodriguez singled with one out. Fox then hit a line drive to center field. Ball misjudged it and came in before the ball sailed over his head for an easy triple that scored Rodriguez. Fox tried for an inside-the-park homer, but was tagged at the plate on a relay throw by Andrew Chico.
"That's just part of our game," Nieto said. "We try to just maximize our outs and put pressure on the defense, regardless of who they are.
"We like to make them have to think on their feet, and we did that."
Reyes then capped the effort with a two-run home run to center to make it 6-1 in the seventh.
The rest was up to Paez, who despite being a sophomore has been the Lancers' ace all season. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before designated hitter Tim Gonzalez ended it with a line single to center with one out. Ball then got an infield hit.
But Chico, with Amat leading 4-1, then lifted a shallow fly into right field. Brian Seymour made a nice running catch for the second out, then threw out Gonzalez, who attempted to tag up.
Bishop Amat's sophomore left-hander, who has been dominant during the playoffs, then retired St. Paul in order in the sixth.
"I didn't care about the no-hitter," said Paez, who also had seven strikeouts. "I just wanted to help us win and get my first championship."
St. Paul made it 6-2 in the seventh following singles by Flores and Gonzalez and a balk before pinch-hitter Adrian Montiecinas grounded out to end the game.
"It's such an accomplishment to win back-to-back," Fox said. "It's like I said, it just shows we've had depth throughout the school (during these two years). We just keep having new people coming up (to the team) and we just keep winning."
steve.ramirez@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2296

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (102)

CIF-SS Division IV championship
Final: Ocean View 8, Bishop Amat 3

Bishop Amat High School senior pitcher Amy Lwin didn't have to explain how painful it was, it was painfully obvious. The Lancers were six outs away from something special when something disastrous happened.
Ocean View High School rallied with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to turn a two-run deficit into an 8-3 victory in Saturday's CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine. After CIF championship losses in 1993 and '94, the Lancers were hoping to win the school's first softball title, but that will have to come another day after the Lancers finished the season 22-9.
"It hurts," Lancers coach Walt Martin said. "But we've got a tough bunch of girls and they'll get over it."
After allowing just four hits through five innings and getting out of a tough jam in the fifth, Lwin couldn't handle Sara Craig's bouncer back to the mound to start the sixth, putting the Seahawks' lead runner aboard. Nichole Adams followed with a single to right, then Brenna Klein singled to center, scoring Adams to cut the Lancers' lead to 2-1.
With runners on first and second, Holli Floetker hit what appeared to be a double-play ball right at third, but that was mishandled for an error to load the bases.
Brandice Cutspec made them pay, hitting a grand slam to center for a 5-2 lead, and they added three more runs after Lwin left the game.
"To lose it like that hurts, it hurts a lot," Lwin said. "Especially when you're the pitcher who gives up a grand slam. That just took the wind right out of me."

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Read today's game story about Northview's first title in 37-years, and also read about Diamond Ranch, who nearly played a perfect game as well.

Final Score: Northview 1, Diamond Ranch 0
Northview's 37-year drought ended on Friday in a 1-0 victory over Diamond Ranch to claim the CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship at Dodger Stadium, giving the top-ranked Vikings their first title since 1971. It was the Vikings' 12th straight win, finishing the season 26-4.
"I've always been a Northview guy, I went to Northview and it's always extra special when you win at your alma mater," said Northview coach Darren Murphy. "When I became head coach all I wanted was for Northview to win a championship. We've had some good teams and we've been close, but we could never get here and win it. I'm going to enjoy this for a long time."
And how fitting that in a season defined by pitching and defense, the Vikings' big three of Aaron Elias, Eddie Pedroza and closer Marc Andrade all got a turn, and one-by-one, they combined to give the Vikings their 12th shutout of the season.
"It wasn't just us, it was everyone behind us on the field and in the dugout," Elias said. "This is a memory than none of us are ever going to forget."

LIVE BLOGGING
6:15: Bottom of 7th: Marc Andrade pitching for Northview. Joel Lincon line-out to second. Derek Goodwin fly-out to right. Russel Allan ground out, game over. Northview mobs field.

6:10: Top of 7th: Shane Fraijo fly-out to right. Ruben Ramirez fly-out to center. Bernie Juarez, struck out.

6:00: Bottom of 6th: Jesse Gonzalez ground out, Mike Vinnitsky single to right-center. Nick Greene, infield single up the middle, first and second, one out. Northview coach Darren Murphy goes to the mound, but stays with Pedroza. Jericho Kelsey grounder to the right of Shane Fraijo at second. Fraijo makes a great play, gets Kelsey at first, runners on second and third, two outs. Kyle Lengel slap up the middle, shortstop Rich Pedroza grabs it over second, gets the out at first.

5:45: Top of 6th: Kevin Jones fly-out. Rich Pedroza single to right. Robert Williams fly out. Marc Andre single to left, Pedroza to third on the play. R.J. Arnold ground out to second.

5:40: Bottom of 5th: Vikings Sophomore Eddie Pedroza takes over for Elias, who gave up three hits in four shutout innings. Joel Licon leads off with a walk. Derek Goodwin bunt back to Pedroza, who gets the double play 1-6-3. Russell Allan two-out single to center. Joe Carillo grounds out.

5:35: Top of 5th: R.J. Arnold leads with poke-single to right. DRanch pitcher Lanuza throws over first trying to get Arnold, who goes all the way to third. Shane Fraijo grounder to second, great play by Jesse Gonzalez, who gets Fraijo and holds Arnold at third. Ruben Ramirez single to center, scores Arnold. Bernie Juarez ground out, Ramirez to second. Gabe Jaramillo fly out. Northview 1, Diamond Ranch 0

5:29: Bottom of 4th: Nick Greene leads off with single to left. Jericho Kelsey fly-out to center. Kyle Lengyel grounds into 4-6-3 double play.

5:20: Top of 4th: Kevin Jones single to right. Rich Pedroza sac-bunt, Jones to second. Robert Williams fly-out to left, two outs. Marc Andrade fly-out. DRanch starter Gus Lanuza only has allowed two hits through four innings.

5:13: Bottom of 3rd: Joe Carillo grounds out. Jesse Gonzalez fly out. Mike Vinnitsky fly out to center.

5:08: Top of 3rd: Ruben Ramirez gets Vikes first hit to center. But Bernie Juarez grounds into 6-4-3 double play. Gabe Jaramillo grounds out to third.

5:05: Bottom of 2nd: Joel Licon ground out. Derek Goodwin strikeout. Russell Allan bloop out to short.

4:55: Top of 2nd: Marc Andrade fly out to right. RJ Arnold fly-out to right. Shane Fraijo fly out.

4:45: Bottom of 1st: Pitching for Northview, Aaron Elias (10-0). DRanch's Jesse Gonzalez opens with a single to left and Mike Vinnitsky follows with bloop single to center. Runners on first and second. Nick Greene strikes out. Jericho Kelsey's SAC-ground out moves the runners to second and third, two outs. Kyle Lengyel strikes out.

4:38: Top of 1st, Northview goes down in order, fly-out, ground-out, ground out.

4:30: The game is on, pitching for Diamond Ranch, Guz Lanuza (6-4).

Posted by Fred Robledo at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (69)

UPDATES
Bad News: El Modena 5, Glendora 0 in the first. Tartans give up two home runs.
2nd UpdateThe Tartans score a couple runs, but give up two more, trailing 7-2 after two innings.
3rd update: My man John Honell tells me the Tartans settled down after the first, but still trail 7-3 in the fourth inning.
4th update: It's getting worse folks, Tartans trail 9-3 in bottom of the fifth.
5th update: The dream ends as El Modena scores a 12-4 victory. Still, it was a good ride for the Tartans.

What: CIF-SS Division II championship
Where: Deanna Manning Stadium, Irvine
Who: Glendora (19-9) vs. El Modena (25-8-2)
When: 6:30 p.m.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

It wasn't meant to be for South Hills, who had a fair share of calls not go their way.

CIF-Southern Section Division III championship
Final Score: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 4, South Hills 2

LIVE BLOGGING
4:45: South Hills goes up 1-0 in 1st following leadoff single by Danny Roddy and consecutive walks to Tyler Buffington, Cody Doyle and Thadd McAlpin.
We're having slight computer problems, so updates may be slow.
5:20: South goes up 2-0 in the second on a one-out triple by Mike Martinez and a RBI fly by Roddy.
5:40: Notre Dame puts its firs two on in the 3rd, but Klena sandwiches a strikeout between two fly outs to get out of in to preserve the 2-0 lead.
5:50: Roddy comes up with runners on first and second and two outs. But he grounds into a force play to end the threat. South Hills still up, 2-0.
6:13: It all falls apart. Casey Ryan leads off with a single and Kyle Dugan walks. Trevor Gee then singles to right to score Ryan. But the ball gets by RF Cameron Deen, allowing the tying run to score, while Gee takes third. Nikolas Rodarte then follows with a sac fly for a 3-2 lead.
6:21: Here come the Huskies. McAlpin doubles. Miles Bevel pinch runs. He is caught in a rundown for the second out, then Martinez grounds out to end the theft.
6:39: South Hills gets the third out of the sixth. But its overruled, and ND turns in to another run for 4-2 lead after 6.
7:16: South Hills comes up empty in the seventh, Notre Dame wins, 4-2.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (59)

The Diamond Bar Tennis team wins the CIF-SS Division II title in dramatic fashion. They finish 9-9 on sets against Palm Desert, but win it in games, 83-74 to avenge last year's title loss.

Rowland wasn't as fortunate, losing the Division IV title to Cerritos, 10-8

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The San Gabriel Valley North-South senior all-star softball game is on Wednesday, June 4 at Mt. San Antonio College at 6 p.m. The North practices Monday (5-7 p.m.) at Northview while the South Practices Tuesday (5-7 p.m.) at Bishop Amat. Admission for Wednesday's game is $5/adults, $3/students and children.
To view rosters of both teams, click thread

North Team
Head coach, Jeff Butler (Northview)
Brittney Gallegos, Charter Oak
Brittany Subia, Charter Oak
Amanda Herrera, Charter Oak
Hannah Fraijo, Northview
Brianna Rodriguez, Ganesha
Mayra Topete, Ganesha
Irene Conde, Ganesha
Lexi Long, Monrovia
Tarra Smith, Covina
Jill Hunstmann, Covina
Jessich Ulrich, Covina
Christina Mairzayan, Bonita
Talia Ferrari, Glendora
Kylie Landeros, Glendora
Danielle Soda, Glendora
Guadalupe Contreas, Duarte
Amanda Carda, Duarte
Samantha Sloniker, San Dimas
Cynthia Baerpich, San Dimas
Ryane Walsh, San Dimas
Michelle Mounts, St. Lucy's
Caitlan Swan, St. Lucy's
Jennifer Charca, St. Lucy's
Lauren Median, Arroyo
Rosie Garcia, Arroyo
Christina Torres, Arroyo
Lisa Limon, Arroyo
Jackie Mancinas, Arroyo

South Team
Head coach, Walt Martin (Bishop Amat)
Diana Pyan, South El Monte
Ariel Saavedra, South El Monte
Mica Lopez-Del Haro, Rowland
Brandi Gandara, Rowland
Erin Ogawa, Wilson
Cierra Garcia, Diamond Bar
Emily Kuper, Diamond Bar
Prejel Dai're, West Covina
Nichole Fox, Nogales
Maria Pereda, Nogales
Betty Rosales, Nogales
Amy Lwin, Bishop Amat
Jessica Traxler, Bishop Amat
Veronica Gonzalez, La Puente
Sara Gonzalez, Walnut
Christina Ramirez, Walnut
Maura Aguilar, South Hills
Sara Quintero, South Hills
Amber Lopez, Los Altos
Christine Alaniz, Rosemead
Anna Pardo, Rosemead
Amanda Leija, Mountain View
Audrey Rodriguez, Mountain View

Posted by Fred Robledo at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

For all championship games Thursday-Saturday, tickets are $8/adults, $5/children under 13 and students with ID. I believe you can buy pre-sale tickets at the schools, or just buy them at the gate. Can anyone remember a year like this in the San Gabriel Valley? I've talked to Tribune prep legend Steve Hunt, Stevie R., John Honell and nobody can seem to remember ever having six teams playing for championships, four in baseball, two in softball. Maybe it's just me taking over the prep seat and spreading all the good karma. Whatever, the SGV is "where winning" happens.

Above: This was just a sprinkle of the 750-1000 fans at Northview on Tuesday.

LIVE BLOGGING: If you can't make the games, we will do live blogging with inning-by-inning updates from Dodger Stadium and UC Riverside.

MEN OF HONOR: It's a safe bet to assume the player and coach of the year will come from one of these four baseball teams.

Baseball
Thursday's Div. III championship at Dodger Stadium
South Hills vs. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m.
Friday's Div. IV championship at Dodger Stadium
Northview vs. Diamond Ranch, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday's Div. V championship at UC Riverside
Bishop Amat vs. St. Paul, 7 p.m.

Softball
Friday's Div. II championship at Deanna Manning Stadium, Irvine
Glendora vs. El Modena, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday's Div. IV championship at Deanna Manning Stadium, Irvine
Bishop Amat vs. Ocean View, 12:30 p.m.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Northview: Aaron Elias threw six shutout innings, allowed two hits and Marc Andrade closed as the Vikings cruised 5-0 over Savanna to advance to the Div. IV championship on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

South Hills: Don't know all the details but except they won 6-2 over Elsinore, sending the Huskies to Thursday's championship at Dodger Stadium.

Diamond Ranch: Another big upset, Diamond Ranch knocks off No. 2 Patriot, 5-3, and will face Northview in championship on Friday.

Bishop Amat: Bishop Amat destoyed Bishop Montgomery 17-8, and will play for its second straight Division V crown on Saturday night at UC Riverside.

SGV ALL-STAR GAME: The San Gabriel Valley All-Star baseball game is on Sunday at Mt. SAC at 6 p.m. Batting practice starts at 4 p.m. Click the thread for rosters.

Full coverage from Tuesday's four semifinal games. The Trib comes through again!
Tuesday's semifinals
Division III
South Hills 6, Elsinore 2 -- Huskies looking for first title since 1998
Division IV
Northview 5, Savanna 0 - Gunning for first title in 37-years on Friday.
Diamond Ranch 5, Patriot 3 -- I said a Miramonte League team would be in the final, right?
Division V
Bishop Amat 17, Bishop Montgomery 8 -- Defending a title isn't supposed to be this easy.

BLUE TEAM
Coaches - Tom Quinley (Charter Oak), John Knott (Bonita), Mike Regan (San Dimas) & Darren Murphy (Northview)
Players
Brett Bennett, Bonita
EJ Reyes, Bonita
Matt Ayers, Charter Oak
Matt Winkler, Charter Oak
Tyler Garkow, Charter Oak
Tyler Pill, Covina
Victor Valenzuela, Covina
Stefan Jarrin, Gabrielino
Matt Izumida, Gabrielino
Daniel Lopez, Gladstone
James Janclaes, Glendora
Michael Edwards, Glendora
Kevin Roundtree, Glendora
Ryan Doeppel, La Salle
Michael Palffy, La Salle
David Magallon, Los Altos
Irving Carrales, Nogales
Mark Andrade, Northview
Aaron Elias, Northview
Robert Williams, Northview
Jordan Leyland, San Dimas
Chris Drossel, San Dimas
Omar Rodriguez, San Dimas
Dimitri DeLaFuente, South Hills
Tyler Buffington, South Hills
Dan Roddy, South Hills
Jose Huerta, West Covina

Red Team
Coaches - Mark Rigney (Azusa), Mack Paciorek (San Marino), Mark Gabbard (Western Christian) and Dave Moore (Monrovia)

Players
Noe Ramirez, Alhambra
Rob Olivarez, Alhambra
Brett Milan, Azusa
James Salas, Baldwin Park
Andrew Mistone, Bishop Amat
Jordan Fox, Bishop Amat
Keith Murakami, Bishop Amat
Tommy Reyes, Bishop Amat
Danny Persuati, Damien
Darren Dworak, Damien
Michael Farham, Duarte
Ryan Daniels, Duarte
Scott Wong, Keppel
Michael Cuevas, La Puente
Curtis Cowell, Monrovia
Vince Vega, Monrovia
Chris Franco, Montebello
Joe Stephen, Pasadena
Nick Wilson, San Marino
Miguel Lopez, Sierra Vista
Andrew Barrera, South El Monte
John Ademson, South Pasadena
Kyle Wong, St. Francis
Ramiro Carreon, St. Francis
Brian Dearth, Temple City
John Delia, Walnut
Mark Reynoso, Western Christian

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)

Glendora: I just go word that Glendora knocked off defending champion Pacifica, 3-1, to advance to the the Division II championship on Friday or Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine. Unbelievable win Tartans.

Bishop Amat: The Lady Lancers are going to play for their first title in school history after knocking off Downey, 7-4, in the Division IV champoinship.

San Dimas: Give it up to the wild-card Saints, taking the top seed to the 15th inning before finally losing in the Division V semifinals, 3-1, to Torrance.

Tuesday's semifinals
Division II
Glendora 3, Pacifica 1 -- Tartans a game away from Cinderella finish.
Division IV
Bishop Amat 7, Downey 4 -- Lancers hoping for first softball title in school history.
Division V
Torrance 3, San Dimas 1, 15 innings -- Saints resilient till the end. Great year girls.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Didn't have time to work on football this week, too many teams left in baseball and softball. But here are the playoff groupings for 2008-10, which many have asked for. Just click on the thread.

Question: If these pairings were in effect last season, would either Muir or Pasadena be sporting a championship trophy?

FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GROUPINGS - 2008-2010
PAC-5 DIVISION
15 ENTRIES
Moore (4 entries), Serra (2 entries), South Coast, Sunset, Trinity
INLAND DIVISION
15 ENTRIES
Big 8 (4 entries), Citrus Belt (4 entries), Inland Valley (4 entries), Southwestern
WESTERN DIVISON
15 ENTRIES
Bay, Golden (4 entries), Mission (2 entries), Ocean, San Gabriel Valley
NORTHERN DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Channel, Foothill, Marmonte (4 entries), Pac-7, Pacific View
CENTRAL DIVISION
15 ENTRIES
Baseline, Mt. Baldy, San Andreas, Sierra, Sunbelt
SOUTHWEST DIVISION
15 ENTRIES
Century, Empire, Freeway, Orange, Sea View
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Almont, Del Rio, Miramonte, Pacific (4 entries), San Antonio
EASTERN DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Desert Sky, Desert Valley, Mojave River, Mountain Pass (4 entries), Sunkist
SOUTHERN DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Garden Grove, Golden West, Orange Coast, Pacific Coast, Suburban (4 entries)
NORTHWEST DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Camino Real, Del Rey, Los Padres (4 entries), Pioneer, Tri-Valley
MID-VALLEY DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Mission Valley, Montview (4 entries), Olympic, Rio Hondo, Valle Vista
EAST VALLEY DIVISION
16 ENTRIES
Academy (2 entries), Alpha, Christian (2 entries), De Anza, Frontier, High Desert
NORTHEAST DIVISION
15 ENTRIES
Big Sky (2 entries), Desert Mountain, Prep, San Joaquin (4 entries), Santa Fe

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)

I've been doing this for nearly 15 years and can never remember having this many teams left on semifinal Tuesday. Normally I spend this holiday working on a feature of a particular player of the one or two teams left, but this is ridiculous. Ridiculously great that is. Keep it going now, lets dominate the CIF championships with valley teams this weekend.

Tuesday's semifinals
Baseball
Division III
South Hills (22-5) at Elsinore (17-11), 3:15 p.m.
Division IV
Anaheim Savanna (23-6) at Northview (24-4), 3:15 p.m.
Diamond Ranch (16-11) at Riverside Patriot (27-2), 3:15 p.m.
Division V
Bishop Montgomery (18-10-1) vs. Bishop Amat (25-4) at East L.A. College, 3:15 p.m.

Softball
Division II
Glendora (18-9) at Garden Grove Pacifica (22-10), 3:15 p.m.
Division IV
Bishop Amat (21-8) at Downey (22-7-1), 3:15 p.m.
Division V
Torrance (27-4) at San Dimas (20-9), 3:15 p.m.

Quick thoughts: Of all the teams here, the Glendora softball team is the biggest surprise. I do think Glendora and Bishop Amat have a great chance of reach the softball finals, but not sure about San Dimas, I'm afraid this is where it ends. Except for South Hills being on the road, I still like their chances to advance. Bishop Amat baseball is a slam dunk and Northview at home is going to get it done. Not sure if Diamond Ranch can keep this going so by my count, we should at least five teams playing in championships this weekend.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Saturday's Quarterfinals
Division IV
Northview 8, Bonita 4
Patriot 1, Charter Oak 0

Northview-Bonita Highlights: What can you say, last year it was a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that won it for Northview, and this time they rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third inning to win it 8-4 and advance to the semifinals for the second straight year. Obviously the game-changing moment came in the third with the Bearcats up 3-0. With Vikings runners on first and second and two outs, Marc Andrade hit a chopper back to pitcher Nico Calderaro, who threw over to first for the inning-ending out. The base umpire, however, called it off, ruling that Andrade fouled it off his foot, incensing Bearcats coach John Knott, who stormed out of the dugout to no avail.
When play resumed, Andrade smacked a double to right, scoring Kevin Jones. Then Ryan Arnold followed with a double, scoring two more to make it, 3-3. Shane Fraijo followed with the Vikings' third-straight double, scoring Arnold to give the Vikings a 4-3 lead.
Bonita never recovered, but Knott, in classy fashion, didn't make excuses. "That's baseball," Knott said. "You have to give Northview credit. They handle adversity well. They brought a ton of energy, ran the bases well and made swings when they needed to make swings.
"We got the start we wanted, but you have to be able to handle a little adversity, whether it's an umpire, a bad play on defense, that's baseball. Northview did a wonderful job capitalizing on our mistakes, and I give them credit for it."
After Bonita tied the score 4-4 in the third inning, Northview came back and took a 5-4 lead on Kevin Jones' RBI single that scored Gabe Jaramillo. But the back-breaker came later in the inning when Fraijo's two-out grounder to short was dropped at first for an error, allowing two more Vikings to score for a 7-4 lead. Sophomore Eddie Pedroza started for the Vikings, but Murphy turned to senior Aaron Elias in the fourth, and he pitched three shutout innings before handing over to Andrade to close out the seventh.
"The turning point was getting those runs (in the third) but when Elias came into pitch he stopped everything," Murphy said. "He brought their offense to a halt, which is hard to do."

Charter Oak Highlights: Matt Lollis hit a line-drive home run to lead off the second inning and two Patriot pitchers made it standout, turning away Charter Oak scoring chances in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Chargers Tyler Garkow was solid in the loss, giving up just three hits and striking out six.

Amat at East L.A.? Let me get this straight, Bishop Amat wins the home-field coin flip and opts for East L.A. College? Is this tradition now since they did the same thing last year. Are they supersticious? What's wrong with APU, Mt. SAC or a handful of high schools nearby? Something in the SGV would do. Hey, whatever works, works, I get it. Just don't like it.

Baseball
Tuesday's semifinals
Division III
South Hills at Elsinore
Notre Dame at Quartz Hill
Division IV
Savanna at Northview, 3:15 p.m.
Patriot vs. Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
Bishop Amat vs. Bishop Montgomery at East L.A. College, 3:15 p.m.
Paraclete at St. Paul, 3:15 p.m.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (66)

Live Blogging
Bishop Amat 15, San Marino 1 .... Paez six innings, two hits, struck out eight
South Hills 2, La Serna 1... De La Fuente two-run homer in 6th, the journey continues
Diamond Ranch 6, St. Joseph's 1 ... Third place team from the Miramonte in semifinals

Postponements: Here's the deal, I will update throughout the day when I learn of game cancellations, location changes. South Hills had a meeting at 9:30 and as of now has decided to play their game at La Serna. Just talked to Bonita coach John Knott and Northview's Darren Murphy, who have agreed to postpone today's game and reschedule for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Charter Oak coach Tom Quinley said they have postponed their game against Patriot, and will reschedule for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Bishop Amat is hoping to play, Nieto drove by there this morning and said the San Marino field, one of the newest and best around, looked great. Amat may actually drive there and let the umps make the decision. Diamond Ranch is on as of right now (Noon). AD Jim Weiss said they didn't get much rain, and that St. Joseph's is on their way.

What's at stake: The concerning part for all the coaches is that there is rain in the forecast for Saturday too, and you're not allowed to play on Sunday. If games somehow get pushed back to Monday with a Tuesday semifinal, the pitching is going to get all screwed up for our Valley teams.

Quarterfinal schedule updated
Division III
South Hills 2, La Serna 1 -- This must feel good at a school where everyone says they don't play anyone, especially me.
Division IV
Northview at Bonita -- postponed until Saturday, 3:15 p.m.
Patriot at Charter Oak -- postponed until Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
St. Joseph's at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m. -- On as of now.
Division V
Bishop Amat 15, San Marino 1 -- Is this just too easy or what?

Posted by Fred Robledo at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)

Semi-bound: Wow, who would have thought Glendora and Bishop Amat would be in the semifinals this season, especially in the difficult divisions they compete in. Should make for a great Tuesday along with San Dimas in a semifinal too.

Saturday's quarterfinal games
Division II
Glendora 3, Vista Murrieta 2
Division IV
Bishop Amat 1, Alemany 0
Division VI
Calvary Murrieta 1, South El Monte 0

Tuesday's semifinals
Division II
Glendora vs. Garden Grove Pacifica
Kennedy at El Modena
Division IV
Ocean View at Pomona Catholic
Bishop Amat-Alemany winner vs. Downey
Division V
Torrance-Whittier Christian winner vs. San Dimas
North Torrance at El Segundo
Division VI
Riverside at Paraclete
South El Monte-Calvary Murrieta winner vs. Woodcrest Christian

THEY DID IT: Those we're not going anywhere San Dimas High softballers pulled it out against San Jacinto, scoring two runs in the seventh inning to take a 2-0 lead, then had to battle out of a 2-1, bases loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the seventh, and dit it. Going to be corny here because the Saints do go marching on straight to Tuesday's CIF-SS Division V semifinal. You tell em coach, "That was the most exciting 20 minutes I've ever seen," Don Pollard said on the rather loud busride home.

Friday Update: Friday's Glendora High School game against Vista Murrieta has been postponed again. They have rescheduled for Saturday at 3:15 p.m. at Glendora. San Dimas is on their way to play San Jacinto High at Desert Hot Springs High School, whose field is in better shape. San Dimas-San Jacinto will resume their 0-0 game in the top of the seventh, Saints have a runner on first, no outs. Bishop Amat is playing Saturday at 1 p.m. at home. South El Monte was on their way to Calvary Murrieta for a Div. VI quarterfinal game, but that was postponed at 2:15 p.m. They have rescheduled for Saturday at 3:15 p.m.

Crazy thunderstorms and hail cancelled several games on Thursday. The Bishop Amat-Alemany softball game has been rescheduled for Saturday at Bishop Amat at 1 p.m. It was an act of God for the Alemany girls, who have prom tonight. Soon as they heard it was canceled, they started getting ready in the Amat gym. Also, just got an update that the Glendora-Vista Murrieta game was halted in the second inning, and then postponed. I've also just learned the Vista Murrieta-South El Monte game was canceled and rescheduled for Friday. Stevie R., reports that it's all sunny in North Torrance, so the Northview game is on as scheduled. San Dimas High School was on the road against San Jacinto High for its Div. V quarterfinal, but the game was halted in the seventh inning in a 0-0 game. "It started pouring," Saints coach Don Pollard said. "They delayed it and we tried to restart it, but we couldn't get it in." When it resumes this afternoon, San Dimas has a runner on first with no outs in the top of the seventh.

Northview story: Click thread to read Stevie R's story on the Vikings' 2-1 loss to North Torrance in 11 innings.

Here's my story for Friday on the Northview game:

TORRANCE - There will be no CIF-Southern Section divisional title for the Northview High School softball team.
But the Vikings died hard.
Northview withstood two scoring chances by North Torrance in extra innings - including a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the ninth - before finally succumbing on an RBI single by Alexis Vernon in the 11th that pushed the host Saxons into the semifinals with a 2-1 victory in a Division V quarterfinal game.
North Torrance improved to 22-10 and will face El Segundo, which beat defending division champion Hesperia, in Tuesday's semifinals. Northview, which enjoyed one of its finest seasons, finished 21-7.
"We had plenty of chances," said Northview coach Jeff Butler, whose team wasted a lead-off double by pitcher Hannah Fraijo in the 10th. "We just couldn't get that key hit and we made (mistakes) that cost us.
"You can only go to the well so many times. They made the plays when they needed to and we just couldn't get it done there at the end."
Northview, which tied the score in the fifth on doubles by catcher Heather Harrison and right fielder Kaylan Rodriguez, did a good job of staving off elimination.
North Torrance, which got three hits from Vernon and two hits each from Amanda Wondergem and Bailee Haberman, was on the verge of winning in the eighth and ninth innings.
The Saxons, following a lead-off single by Samantha Availar, had the potential winning run on third base with one out in the eighth. But Fraijo, who had five strikeouts, held them off following a pair of groundouts.
North Torrance, getting a lead-off double by Haberman, then loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. But Fraijo again was up to the task. She struck out Alex Perez before getting Hayley Rodriguez on a popup and Availar on a groundout.
"Hannah pitched a great game," Butler said. "She made great pitches when she needed to make pitches. Even in the last inning when they scored, it wasn't her making mistakes. We made mistakes behind her.
"Hannah Fraijo is the premier pitcher in the Valley. For her to get out of a bases-loaded situation against these guys was just amazing. It was all her, just making great pitches."
But she couldn't overcome a Vikings miscue in the 11th.
The key break for the Saxons, who got a lead-off single from Haberman, occurred when second baseman Karolina Arteaga dropped a throw from Harrison on an attempted steal.
Valerie Rodriguez then bunted for a hit before Vernon won it with a line-drive single to center.
"It was a great season, maybe the best this school's ever had," Butler said. "The kids played hard. It was a great year for us. It's just a tough way to end it."
- Steve Ramirez

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)

Quarterfinal schedule updated with predictions
Friday's games
Division III
South Hills at La Serna, 3:15 p.m. (SHills, I'm finally a believer)
Division IV
Northview at Bonita, 3:15 p.m. (Northview, still Co-No. 1 with Amat)
Patriot at Charter Oak, 3:15 p.m. (Patriot, sorry fellas, this is where it ends)
St. Joseph's at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m. (DRanch, St. Joes has been lucky)
Division V
Bishop Amat at San Marino, 3:15 p.m. (BAmat, Titans out of pitching).

Second round impressions. The rematch is on! Bonita and Northview on Friday in a rematch of the "short heard around the San Gabriel Valley," which was the Vikings winning in last year's quarterfinal 5-4 on a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. Give it up to the Miramonte League, which is 6-0 in the playoffs compared to the Valle Vista, which is 3-2. That should settle the argument over which league is tougher. South Hills continues to prove that it belongs in the argument with the area's best teams, and is in a good position in the quarterfinals against La Serna, who knocked off top-ranked Crespi. Bishop Amat isn't scoring, but with back-to-back shutouts it doesn't really matter. Azusa and La Puente, fine seasons and congrats for doing the Montview proud.

Second round results
Tuesday's games
Division III
South Hills 3, Don Lugo 1
Division IV
Northview 9, Norte Vista 2
Bonita 5, Torrance 2
Diamond Ranch 7, San Dimas 6
Charter Oak 11, Cathedral City 7
Division V
Bishop Amat 5, La Puente 0
St. Paul 8, Azusa 6

Posted by Fred Robledo at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)

Quarterfinal schedule updated with predictions
Thursday's games
Division II
Vista Murrieta at Glendora, 3:15 p.m. (Glendora, why doubt Tarts now?)
Division IV
Alemany at Bishop Amat, 3:15 p.m. (Amat, Lancers win rematch)
Division V
San Dimas at San Jacinto, 3:15 p.m. (SDimas, My sleeper all along).
Northview at North Torrance, 3:15 p.m. (NTorrance, Those Pioneer teams are tough).
Division VI
South El Monte at Calvary Murrieta, 3:15 p.m., (Murrieta, It won 25-1 in 2nd round)

Second round impressions: Don't have all the scores yet, but obviously Bishop Amat has destroyed its first two opponents and Glendora pulled the shocker of the postseason, knocking off No. 2 Etiwanda in the second round. San Dimas is also moving on after an easy, 8-0 win over Schurr. And look what happened to our top team, Los Altos, getting outed in the second round. That hurts.

Tuesday's second round results
Division II
Glendora 1, Etiwanda 0
Division III
Paloma Valley 4, Los Altos 0
Division IV
Ocean View 3, Rowland 2
Bishop Amat 19, South Hills 0
Downey 9, Walnut 4
Division V
San Jacinto 2, Covina 1
San Dimas 8, Schurr 0
Northview 1, Village Christian 0, 9 innings
Division VI
South El Monte 2, Kern Valley 0

Posted by Fred Robledo at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)

2007 CIF champions: SGV 2, Orange County 0
Total teams left in 2008 playoffs: Orange County 18, SGV 16
Division I: Orange County 7, SGV 0
Division II: Orange County 5, SGV 0
Division III: Orange County 3, SGV 2
Division IV: SGV 5, Orange County 2
Division V: SGV 6, Orange County 0
Division VI: SGV 3, Orange County 1
Division VII: SGV 0, Orange County 0

What does this mean: I included the SGV teams from our area and the Star-News area, which still doesn't come close to the number of schools that compete in Orange County. We don't have anyone competing in Div. I and only the Sierra League competes in Div. II. The only brackets where there are almost an even amount of SGV and OC teams are in Div. III and IV and the SGV leads 7-5 in those two divisions combined. I don't care how great the O.C. thinks it is, I realize than in overall depth they outweigh us and they should with their huge population of schools and their demographic and financial advantages that come with living in the O.C. But I'll take our five best against their five best any day of the week and feel good about it.

If you put the SGV's top five against the OC Register's top five, it would look something like this ...

1. Orange Lutheran (20-4) vs. Bishop Amat (23-4)
2. Los Alamitos (22-3) vs. Northview (22-4)
3. Mater Dei (19-6) vs. Alhambra (23-4)
4. El Toro (19-6) vs. San Dimas (19-7)
5. Capistrano Valley (17-8) vs. South Hills (20-5)

Posted by Fred Robledo at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)

Quarterfinal outlook: This is nervous time for schools like Northview, Bonita and Charter Oak, who will be on the road where anything can happen. South Hills and Bishop Amat are locks, and I'm starting to believe that Azusa can sneak into the quarterfinals. In fact I'm picking Azusa because I wasn't that impressed with St. Paul when I watched them against Bishop Amat. Obviously the game of the day is San Dimas at Diamond Ranch, but when it's all over, I'm guessing we'll still have a few teams playing on Friday.

Northview plays Norte Vista next, and read what the Norte Vista coach told Barstow's Desert Dispatch about scouting Barstow last week prior to their 9-6 upset win over Barstow. He sounds like a lot of coaches around here.

Desert Dispatch -- Norte Vista's MaxPreps.com page wasn't left nearly blank out of laziness or computer illiteracy on the part of their coach. It was a strategic move by Norte Vista coach Ryan Simpson's to keep the opponents guessing.
"I know their coach stated in the interview with you guys that they researched the MaxPreps and they didn't haven't anything on us, well that's for a reason. I don't report those things for a reason so they don't stats on us."
Good luck scouting Northview, they do the same thing. I give the Vikes credit though, since my complaining about this, they've provided me with weekly stats, I just don't publish them. That's are pinky-promise agreement.

Second round games and predictions
Tuesday's games
Division III
Don Lugo at South Hills, 3:15 p.m. (South Hills
Division IV
Northview at Norte Vista, 3:15 p.m. (Northview)
Bonita at Torrance, 3:15 p.m. (Bonita)
San Dimas at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m. (San Dimas)
Charter Oak at Cathedral City, 3:15 p.m. (Cathedral City)
Division V
La Puente at Bishop Amat, 3:15 p.m. (Bishop Amat)
St. Paul at Azusa, 3:15 p.m. (Azusa).

BARSTOW DISPATCH
BARSTOW -- Norte Vista's MaxPreps.com page wasn't left nearly blank out of laziness or computer illiteracy on the part of their coach.
It was a strategic move by Norte Vista coach Ryan Simpson's to keep the opponents guessing.
"I know their coach stated in the interview with you guys that they researched the MaxPreps and they didn't haven't anything on us, well that's for a reason. I don't report those things for a reason so they don't stats on us."
Simpson apparently reads the Desert Dispatch as well.
Barstow coach Sean Sers went looking for information on the Braves on Monday, but found nothing, and relied on scouting reports from coaches who faced Norte Vista earlier in the season.
"Going with them offensively, I look at their feet, and I had had some scouting reports from other coaches that they played before," Sers said. "I went with some of those things, and with their swings, we tried to hit spots and change speeds."
Simpson took full advantage of Barstow's MaxPreps page, a high school sports web site which Sers has updated with complete hitting and pitching stats. He also read up on the Aztecs at www.desertdispatch.com. After reading Freezy Smalls was penciled in as Barstow starting pitcher, Simpsons' hitters only saw left-handed pitching in batting practice for the rest of the week.

Just how much time did Simpson spend scouting the Aztecs?

"I'd probably get fired from school if I said how much time I really spent," he said.
Sers said the lack of information on Norte Vista had no effect on the outcome of the game.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Quarterfinal outlook: I'm not surprised that San Dimas took the wild card route into the second round but I am surprised that the San Antonio is 3-0. Don't expect this to continue because it gets really difficult now. Here are my predictions and it doesn't look good. I'm thinking only four will be alive on Thursday.

Local matchup: Bishop Amat travels to South Hills in round two.

Second round games and predictions
Tuesday's games
Division II
Glendora at Etiwanda, 3:15 p.m. (Etiwanda)
Division III
Paloma Valley at Los Altos, 3:15 p.m. (Los Altos)
Division IV
Ocean View at Rowland, 3:15 p.m., (Ocean View)
Bishop Amat at South Hills, 3:15 p.m. (BAmat)
Downey at Walnut, 3:15 p.m. - (Downey)
Division V
San Jacinto at Covina, 3:15 p.m. (San Jacinto)
Schurr at San Dimas, 3:15 p.m. (San Dimas)
Northview at Village Christian, 3:15 p.m., (Northview)
Division VI
South El Monte at Kern Valley, 3:15 p.m. (Kern Valley)

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Instead of a top ten impact players list this week, our scouting guru put together a list of the top ten prospects in the San Gabriel Valley. This is a list of the top ten players that have the best chance of succeeding at the next level. I'm kind of busy with the baseball and softball playoffs, so the impact players list will come out next week.

Charter Oak quarterback Chris Allen expects a huge senior season after two years as a starter.

Fred's reaction: First of all, there's a full breakdown of each of these players by clicking the thread, and our scouring guru also talks about many others, so check it out. Now, I don't know how he could have a top ten list and leave off Tim Gilmore of Wilson. Tim would be in my top three, and Nico Barbone of San Dimas would also be a top ten impact player. I would also have to include Los Altos kicker Jeremy Brown, who could be a big-time kicker in college. Maybe this is why I'm not a scout, I don't know, I'll let you discuss it.

1. Sheldon Price, Bishop Amat, Jr, DB
2. Cameron Deen, South Hills, Jr, QB
3. Brent Seals, Bishop Amat, Jr, LB
4. Brandon Sermons, Diamond Ranch, Jr, DB/RB
5. Adam Muema, Charter Oak, So, RB
6. Ricky Johnson, West Covina, So, RB
7. Taylor Herrera, Damien, Jr, WR
8. Wayne Goss, South Hills, Jr, LB
9. Chris Allen, Charter Oak, Jr, QB
10(t). Isaiah Bowens, Bishop Amat, Jr, LB/WR
10(t) Miles Bevel, South Hills, So, FS

1. Sheldon Price - Defensive Back - Bishop Amat - It is a job of football scout to isolate the talent in a particular area and see if he fits in collegiate program. In the case of our top-rated prospect in the area, Price does fit as a UCLA impact player. Price has extremely long wingspan, great athletic ability and the ability to compete at a high level (i.e. Nike Camp at USC). Now that he committed to the school of his dreams, it will be interesting to see if he shows any improvement from his junior year to his senior year. If he shows dramatic film improvement, looks for USC to come in at the last minute and see if they can strong-arm this guy over to their school. Keep in mind that his father was player with the NY Jets and the defensive coordinator during that time was a guy by the name of Pete Carroll.

2. Cameron Deen - Quarterback - South Hills - Sometimes players that are participating in spring sports have a drop in stock because they haven't been playing in the sport that they are being recruited heavily in. In the case of Deen (who has been on the baseball team), that has not been the case. There is no player that colleges have been looking at more closely during the spring evaluation period that this player. Reports are circulating that offensive coordinators from Pac-10 schools have visited SH just to take a look at this guy. A large part for that was his outstanding performance at the Nike Camp where he competed very well against the best that Southern California threw at him. I would be shocked if this guy doesn't have an offer by the end of July. Let's just say that I not only think this guy can play on Saturday's but he can play on Sunday's as well. HC says that he has "it"...and he wouldn't get a disagreement from us. Looking for him to have a huge 2008.

3. Brent Seals - Linebacker - Bishop Amat -- I have good news and bad news on this player. The good news is that has everything you are looking for in a football player, speed, size, strength and...outstanding grades with out of the world test scores. Now for the bad news, Pac-10 schools are just not in love with this guy. Now, can he improve his stock with a solid spring and summer? Absolutely. If you are to ask me what this guy needs to do to improve his stock, my answer is simple: he needs to go to a Pac-10 football camp and perform solidly. There are too many stories replete with players that improved their stock with great performances at college summer camps. The one player that comes to mind was former Walnut offensive tackle Sean Sheller. Here is the reason why they are so good: they are real cheap and the prospect gets to work with some of the best coaches in the business. Right now, he grades out as a mid-level D-1A player. I like the player and wish him the best in chasing down a Pac-10 offer.

4. Brandon Sermons - Defensive Back - Diamond Ranch -- I had him graded a bit lower than Price, but with a nice upside. What caught my eye when viewing him at the Nike Camp was that he outworked Corona Santiago Internet phenom Sean Martin throughout the afternoon. I like him more at free-safety than cornerback and I'm looking for him to improve his stock when the season starts rolling. BA fans can only imagine what a secondary would like with Price and Sermons at the corners with Darian Johnson rolling in and out of games on a rotation basis. Oh well, it always good to dream isn't it? Look for a Pac-10 school to offer Sermons this week.

5. Adam Muema - Soph. - Running Back - Charter Oak -- I would have loved to have seen this guy at either a Nike Combine or Nike Camp. It would have improved his stock tremendously. At any case, this is the best running back in the area coming into the 2008 season. He has it all, size, speed, strength. The only question I have for this guy is if he can handle being "the guy" in 2008? That answer will come this fall and will go along way in determining whether this prospect in a middle of the road college recruit or a Pac-10 player.

6. Ricky Johnson - Soph. - Running Back - West Covina - Second best running back in the area and made huge improvements physically this spring. Ran a little track and turned in a personal best of 11.00 in the 100m in WC's dual meet against South Hills. This is a home run hitting running back that is going to have a huge year in 2008. It will be interesting on how the new OC at West Covina will be using this player in the upcoming season. He handled the position of being "the man" last year and is one great year away from being a Pac-10 player. Lots to like here...

7. Taylor Herrera - Wide Receiver - Daimen -- From a speed point of view, there is not much that separates this guy from Wilson running back Tim Gilmore. However, this is a guy that has a great upside and will be evaluated very closely once we get into September. Wide receiver that is built very nicely and fits in a spread offense as an outside receiver. Ran an electronic 200m in 21.5 at the Mt. Sac meet; there are lots to like here. The only part of his game that he needs to work on is the mental part of the game. To many times, we saw this guy drop passes that would have been caught be legitimate college receivers. It's what separates players that don't make it, to players that get looks by quality collegiate programs. The Damien-Bishop Amat game will go a long way in determining whether this guy is D-1 player or not.

8. Wayne Goss - Linebacker - South Hills - Now were getting into the heart of players that I have as "second-tier" prospects and this guy is a solid fit. Tough kid that has lived in the weight room and in the classroom (GPA 3.5). Brings a lot of value on recruiting boards because of his versatility as a multi-positional player as well as an impact special teams player. The two major knocks on this guy are his speed (he's a 4.7 guy on his best day) and he must take better angles when playing the WILL linebacker position. If a D-1AA program was able to sign Goss AND Seals, that coach needs a pay raise for a great recruiting job. Those are two guys that will rip off the heads of the opposition and are smart at the same time.

9. Chris Allen - Quarterback - Charter Oak -- I would love to make a strong case for this guy as a D-1 quarterback. After all, you have to be something special to lead your team to an appearance in the CIF finals 2 years ago and to the Semifinals last year. But, there were two things that give me great concern on this prospect. One, his showing at the Nike Camp was fair at best. He was measured at 6-0, 220, he came in out of shape and it showed. Second, I just don't know how fast this guy is. He has never attended a combine, so his speed has to be called into question. Usually, there is a buzz about a prospect in the area during this evaluation period (coaches are usually calling us asking for extra film on the player, etc.), but with Allen there has been no buzz at all. Hopefully, this guy will go to a camp and improve his stock.

10(t). Isaiah Bowens - Linebacker/Wide Receiver - Bishop Amat - The word coming out of the recruiting world during the spring evaluation period is "How can UCLA offer a kid like this?" And you know what, I was one of them. I just didn't see it when I saw his highlight tape and game film. I had one Pac-10 coach tell me recently that; "The highlight tape should take you to the game tape." When I viewed his highlight tape, it just didn't take me to the game tape. I thought he was more of a wide receiver prospect and not a defensive prospect. But, let me give you something to think about. And this thought came from another Pac-10 coach that didn't care for Bowens either. DeWayne Walker, a former Mt. SAC coach, once worked for Bill Belichick in New England and got exposed to the way Belichick evaluated players. The Patriots made a living out of drafting players that no one would even touch and getting the most out of them. This looks like a classic Belichick move here. Do I understand what UCLA is doing? You bet. Do I agree with them? Not really. To me, he looks like a boom or bust type here.

10(t) Miles Bevel - Soph. - Free Safety - South Hills -- Looking forward to seeing this guy play in 2008. Played baseball in spring and was used as a pinch runner for the majority of the season. Love the way he plays, he reminds me a lot of University of Tennessee Free Safety Jonathan Hefney. He can cover, catch, run, and tackle as well as any safety in Southern California. Let's see if he can handle being a two-way player in 2008. Lots to like here!

NOTABLES -- Quick thoughts on some of the top talent in the area: Charter Oak's Tyler Perri has a great upside to him and can definitely work himself to be a top D-1AA prospect. South Hills' Alex Barrios is in the same boat. Love to be the coach on the all-start team that had these guys on your defensive lines. Wilson's Tim Gilmore has the speed to be a top-flight running back, but a questionable offensive line make his evaluation very difficult. San Dimas's Nico Barbone could be a nice fullback at the next level, but there is not much of a market for a collegiate scholarship fullback. Just ask former St. Paul/Diamond Ranch Running Back Aubrey Haynes. Plus, the majority of league coaches have said that they think Barbone is a great high school football player. When you factor that in along with not showing up at any of the Nike events, film evaluation in 2008 becomes that much more important. Diamond Ranch's Bryan Bonilla had a nice Nike camp and their game against Colony in week 1 will go a long way in determining if he gets a strong look by D-1 schools. Teammate, Bryan Spirlin doesn't look like much without pads on, but he is a tough player. He is more of a between the tackles type of running, and there just isn't a market for those types of backs today. He is one to follow. Bishop Amat's Jesse Prieto looks like he has been living in the weight room, but he's a little undersized right now and needs serious senior film evaluation. Teammate Nick Lenhart has the makings of a decent QB, but he needs to work on his consistency. His TD-Int. ratio in 2007 was terrible. But has the biggest arm of any quarterback in the area. West Covina's Albert Cid and Glendora's Cody Tescher come into the season as the top lineman but both need to improve dramatically to improve on their college stock. Los Altos's Jeremy Brown comes into the season as the top-collegiate kicking prospect. Noted kicking guru Chris Sailer has Brown as a top-40 kicker in the nation. He has a big leg with a huge upside. SH's Geofrrey Vaughns and BA's Darian Johnson are sophomores that saw significant playing time in 2007 and will be watched closely in 2008. They also need to spend a few extra days in the weight room. South Hills' sophomore wide receiver Iffy Umodu could very well be the best athlete in 2008 season. He is a spitting' image of University of Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed and comes from a winning family pedigree. Good luck to all the DC's who have SH on their schedule in trying to stop this guy this year. Bishop Amat's sophomore Wide Receiver Jerry McClanahan had a nice year in 2007 and if he has a better year in 2008, he will be landing on a lot of recruiting boards at this time next year.

IN CLOSING -- I've been holding this in for the longest time and it's time to let it go. As many of you know, the rage question in the spring has been the quarterback comparison between Upland Josh Nunez and Los Osos's Richard Brehaut. Now, these are two top-flight quarterbacks that will do well in 2008. But, in my mind, Nunez (who will be offered by UCLA fairly soon) has a lot of boom or bust written all over him. First off, he will be expected to make an immediate impact when he goes to college, and that is a lot of pressure on a kid that is good, but he is not all that great. He is a pro-style quarterback that needs work on his lateral quickness. The upside in there, but it will be the heighten level of expectation that might very well break him down when he gets to college. Los Osos's Brehaut grades out a lot better than Nunez (remember we evaluate all the talent in the Inland Empire) and there are Pac-10 QB coaches that have told me that they think Brehaut is the best QB in Southern California period next to Mater Dei's Barkley. One last thing to consider in this debate, Brehaut outperformed Nunez last year when they meet late in year (you can view the game on vootage.com). I'll take Brehaut over Nunez...heck I can make an argument from taking Deen over Nunez...but that is a discussion for another day. I'll end all QB conversations with this thought, if you think these guys are good, go to a recruiting website and watch the tape of class of 2010 quarterback Jake Heaps from Skyline HS in Washington. All I can say is WOW

Posted by Fred Robledo at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (271)

The CIF-SS track finals converged at Mt. SAC on Saturday, and we have stories on how Diamond Bar did in Division I, along with Damien and others in Division II. Then of course there's Karynn Dunn doing her thing for Diamond Ranch in the the Division III finals, winning the long jump, triple jump and 100-meter low hurdles. For full results from Saturday, visit dyestat, the home of high school track results.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is a lot of teams on the verge of quarterfinal appearances. Congrats to all who made it this far, you're doing the SGV proud. I have no idea how we're going to cover all of you, so please, if you don't see a reporter at your game, call the games into the Trib so we can write something up. As far as which games we will cover, well, we've got four reporters and home games have priority. If you were me, which games would you cover?

CIF-SS Playoffs
Second Round
Baseball - Tuesday's games
Second Round
Division III
Don Lugo at South Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Division IV
Northview at Norte Vista, 3:15 p.m.
Bonita at Torrance, 3:15 p.m.
San Dimas at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m.
Charter Oak at Cathedral City, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
La Puente at Bishop Amat, 3:15 p.m.
St. Paul at Azusa, 3:15 p.m.
Monrovia at Paraclete, 3:15 p.m.

Softball - Tuesday's second round
Division II
Glendora at Etiwanda, 3:15 p.m.
Division III
Paloma Valley at Los Altos, 3:15 p.m.
Division IV
Ocean View at Rowland, 3:15 p.m.
Bishop Amat at South Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Downey at Walnut, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
San Jacinto at Covina, 3:15 p.m.
Schurr at San Dimas, 3:15 p.m.
Northview at Village Christian, 3:15 p.m.
Division VI
South El Monte at Kern Valley, 3:15 p.m.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

Friday's first round results
Division II
Santa Barbara 16, Damien 2 -- Spartans go down, and go down bigtime.
Division IV
Northview 8, Beverly Hills 2 -- Top-ranked Vikings did what they're supposed to do.
Diamond Ranch 3, Santa Monica 2 -- Okay, this sets up a game against San Dimas.
San Dimas 8, Granite Hills 2 -- I know this is so cliche, but the Saints go marching on.
Charter Oak 8, Victor Valley 1 -- Defending champs take care of business.
Cathedral City 8, Covina 5 -- Who would have thought they could score 5 and lose.

SHILLS, BONITA, AZUSA, AMAT WIN

Huskies celebrate Christian Ibarra's grand slam.
"When you face Loyola (last season), who goes on to win it, and face Paramount (two years ago), who is the No. 4 seed and goes to the semifinals, we've just haven't had great draws," South Hills coach Kevin Smith said. "But part of that has been our own fault. We felt pretty good about (Glenn). They played hard, they never gave up, never quit. But it's a playoff win, and we're really happy about it.

First round observations: We had a vote on how the Montview League teams would do and 39 percent said they would go 0-4 and only 22 percent said 2-2. With La Puente and Azusa winning the latter is true which is great for the league's respect. I hope we get more Montview bloggers because La Puente-Bishop Amat is going to be fun. Seriously, are the Lancers vulnerable. How do they barely squeak by Calvary something? Also, have to give it up for South Hills. I've been kind of hard on them because of their cupcake schedule, but if they keep this going in the playoffs, they've got my respect. It would be great to see the Hills win again when it matters. Then there's Bonita, who's looks great every time I see them, but Mali-who had a lot to do with it. I was sitting with Bearcats fans who think I'm in love with the Valle Vista. Yes, they're reading the blogs in La Verne, and love the fun-spirited trash talk. But as well as Bonita played, I had to explain the Valle Vista teams will go further than the Miramonte three. Why? Pitching, pitching, pitching.

Division III
South Hills 5, Glenn 1 -- Derek Klena threw a three-hitter and Ibarra hit a slam.
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 13, Nogales 3 -- Nobles get pounded in the first round.
Paramount 7, Rowland 0 -- Hey, 1-1 in the postseason isn't so bad.
Division IV
Bonita 7, Malibu 0 -- Not impressed with Mali-who? This was easy from start to finish.
Division V
Bishop Amat 3, Downey Calvary Chapel 0 -- And I thought this would be 15 or 16-0.
Monrovia 9, Sierra Vista 5 -- Not a bad result considering Cats are No. 2 seed.
La Puente 9, Ontario Christian 2 -- Wow, the battle for La Puente is on, Amat next!
Sultana 6, Duarte 1 -- Falcons bats failed them again. What else is new?
Azusa 8, Aquinas 5 -- Mark it down, that's one for the Montview league champs.
Mary Star 8, Arroyo 4 -- With Gabrielino losing, Mission Valley league 0-for-3.
Hesperia 9, South El Monte 1 -- Those Desert teams will do this to you.
Paraclete 5, Western Christian 2 -- Still a great season for Christian league champs.

Tuesday's Second Round
Division III
Don Lugo at South Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
La Puente at Bishop Amat, 3:15 p.m.
St. Paul at Azusa, 3:15 p.m.
Monrovia at Paraclete, 3:15 p.m.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (128)

It was about this time last year when South Hills was beaming with the news that Dorian Wells had enrolled from Bishop Amat, and of course Wells went on to earn Tribune player of the year honors following the Huskies' CIF semifinal run. Well, the news isn't as good this spring as coach Steve Bogan reported that soon-to-be senior running back Evan Heard is not expected to be with the Huskies when they start spring practice on Monday, and Bogan said that Heard likely will not be with the Huskies next fall, though he's remaining hopeful. "I've always got an open door policy," Bogan said. Heard is considering a move back to North Carolina, where he is from originally. But even if he remains at the school, he might not play football. "Evan has personal and family issues that he's dealing with," Bogan said. "My best hope for him is that he gets his life issues straightened out. That's more important that football." Without Heard the Huskies will look to SS/WR Miles Bevel, who had four carries as a sophomore but is looking like he will play a much more prominent role as a junior. "He's like a Dorian," Bogan said., "He's fast, quick and athletic so we'll need him to step up."

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Quick Oberservations: The Valle Vista league going 3-0 is a huge surprise. What a win by San Dimas, knocking off No. 3 Rim of the World. Hannah Fraijo knocks two homers and Covina handles Sierra Vista. Great job girls. Los Altos and Glendora both get easy wins. And South El Monte, a 7-1 winner, could make some noise in Division VI.

Friday's first-round games
Division II
Glendora 14, San Luis Obispo 0 -- Wow, do the Tartans have some swagger or what?
Division III
Los Altos 11, Arcadia 1 -- Conquerors pound out 21 hits in win. Patterson two-hitter
Highland at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m.
Division IV
St. Joseph at Rowland, 3:15 p.m.
South Hills 8, Estancia 3 -- Way to like, beat like, those O.C. girls. That's hot.
Coachella Valley at Bishop Amat, 3:15 p.m.
Aquinas at Walnut, 3:15 p.m.
Division V
Northview 18, Riverside Notre Dame 0 --Hannah Fraijo two homers, and struck out 11
Covina, 4, Sierra Vista 1 -- This is about what I expected, Colts just a little too much.
Azusa at El Segundo, 3:15 p.m.
San Dimas 4, Rim of the World 1 - What have I been saying about the Saints, Wow!
Division VI
South El Monte 7, Eastside Christian 0 -- Eagles could be a serious contender in D-6
Arroyo at Cantwell Sacred Heart, 3:15 p.m.

Hannah Fraijo not only struck out 11, but she banged two homers.

Posted by Steve Ramirez at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

The playoffs have started and already the SGV is 2-0. Shows what I know, I had them both going down. FYI, Bonita's home baseball game was moved to Thursday.
Division III
Rowland 9, Colony 7 -- Maybe the San Antonio is tougher than I thought.
Glenn 7, Costa Mesa 3 -- Glenn plays SHills.
Division IV
Beverly Hills 6, Lompoc Cabrillo 1 -- Northview gets the rich boys from 90210
Division V
Sierra Vista 7, Cantwell Sacred Heart 2 -- Always nice to beat a Whittier school.
Downey Calvary Chapel 6, Riverside 1 -- Amat finds out who it will whip on in round one.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)

There's no slowing down Glendora freshman Gretchen Jaques, who set a Masters Meet record in the 100-free and finished second in the 50 free. Walnut senior Vincent Pai finished in style too, winning the 100 breaststroke by a nail. Read all about it.

Posted by Fred Robledo at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Here's my latest after preps take. You can also find it here: Look who's in the top 10 now

How about Cal State SGV, er Fullerton.
The Cal State Fullerton baseball team, which has shown some San Gabriel Valley flavor for much of the past decade and beyond, has turned around what early appeared to be an average season and is suddenly on fire, rising from outside the Top 25 to inside the Top 10, dropping into the No. 8 slot in this week's Baseball America ranks.
It looks to be like another Omaha summer for the Titans.
And again the Titans have some SGV roots to thank. In the past it was such former area players as PJ Pilitterre of Bishop Amat, Dustin Miller and Danny Dorn of Diamond Bar, Brett Pill of Covina, Sergio Pedroza of Northview and Wes Roemer of Glendora.
Now Gary Brown, of Diamond Bar, is bringing that 626 flavor to the 714, being a steady .285 hitter with a speed persona on the base paths with 16 steals in 19 attempts. Brown has also shown some power, hitting five home runs with 24 RBIs.
He will be action when Fullerton hosts San Diego State in a nonconference series this weekend before closing the regular season against rival Long Beach State at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Posted by Steve Ramirez at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I was at Amat on Tuesday for a national letter of intent signing when those in the know told me that a player from Orange Lutheran, Damien and Rancho Cucamonga is transferring in to play football. They could already be there, but nobody is ready to name names. They've already landed Monrovia's 6-foot-3 freshman quarterback Josiah Thropay, who transferred to Amat a couple months ago. By the way, give it up to the Big Six Division I signees. In baseball Tommy Reyes and Jordan Fox both signed with UC Irvine, with Andrew Mistone signing with UC Riverside and Keith Murakami signing with the University of San Francisco. Lancers softball ace Amy Lwin signed with UC Riverside and sure-handed shortstop Jessica Traxler signed with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Congrats to all.

Read this press release from CIF on the schedule and format for the 2008 state football championships. CIF, which recently approved increasing its state football games to five divisions, has determined the format for the five games as well as the 2008 game schedule. The fiv