Northview wins 1-0; First title since 1971

amat73 -- AHHHH YOU NAILED IT. WHERE HAS HE BEEN?????? SCUM-SUCKING WIMP HAS BEEN MISSING FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. FIGURES.

HEY CONGRATS TO AMAT AS WELL. IT'S A DRAG THE SEASON IS OVER - IT'S BEEN FUN JABBING WITH ALL OF YOU. WE ALL HAVE A SERIOUS FAN BASE. DON'T MESS

amat73 -- AHHHH YOU NAILED IT. WHERE HAS HE BEEN?????? SCUM-SUCKING WIMP HAS BEEN MISSING FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. FIGURES.

HEY CONGRATS TO AMAT AS WELL. IT'S A DRAG THE SEASON IS OVER - IT'S BEEN FUN JABBING WITH ALL OF YOU. WE ALL HAVE A SERIOUS FAN BASE. DON'T MESS

NVfan,
I believe the scum your talking about was dodger34 if Iam not mistaken . Just like any other barking blogger when proven wrong or the team the root against wins it all they crawl back under the rock they came out from . Can dish it out but can't take it . Great job by your ball club and they do deserve to be # 1 in the SGV.

where has Northview's favorite person to hate been the last few months? You know the one spouting all his crap about 1 and done, hitters can't hit, this team is nothing - wait until next year when the pitching will be even better. where is he now,would love to hear from him. can't seem to remember which name he was going under last.

Unbelievable performances all season long for the Northview Vikings. They are a complete package and play so well as a team. They appear to be so well coached and there is a whole respect thing going on and it sure is nice to see. Again, great job Northview, you have done the SGV proud.

I felt bad for St. Paul as the Raider nation showed their ugly faces again in Riverside.

that shouldnt have surprised no one

Way to step up, knapp
its good to hear thing as it is
i am beginning to like the guy, and i never even met him. men of strong character are few and far apart, and i would very muck like to meet this gentleman.

Thank God there is finally a team to root for with a coach who lets his players shine. Thank you coach Murphy for realizing that the kids win and lose games and that you can lead them to water, but they do it on their own. You have shown so much faith in your players and you don't play against weak competition nor do you find the need to argue every pitch or call with a clip board in your hand. Additionally, your fans can sometimes be obnoxious, but not to a point that we all haven't been at when watching our kids or brothers play. I was proud to see your fans root for your team and yet show respect for Diamond Ranch. Unlike the Amat fatties....errr fans who were so rude before, during and after the game..and their coach...as so many of us coaches watch in disgust...always seems to find a need to find his fat ass on the field to argue every call...even when his team is up five runs with just one out to go. Thank you Northview and D Ranch for playing hard and doing it the right way. I felt bad for St. Paul as the Raider nation showed their ugly faces again in Riverside.

GOOD JOB DIAMOND RANCH BOYS YOU SET FOUNDATION FOR THE BASEBALL PROGRAM.

Opinions are like a-holes, every one has one, but yours just stinks really bad." and i must admit mine falls into that catagory

To quote the great philosopher, Crying Towels for the Whiners "You comments are moronic." Really? Actually, I thought they were pretty good. Not only did I state how good our kids are on and off the field, I also made a statement regarding how bad parents treated their own coach after a loss. Besides, me actually thought that coaches did their job to hear, "Great job coach." Me actually thought that coaches spent half of all their practices in front of a mirror, as they practiced how to say thank you in various ways. In case you didn’t get that, that was sarcasm. Actually I think your comments are moronic, because no where in my post did I say what coaches expect to hear. I only commented on the treatment he received, which I have every right to do. Just because one's a coach, doesn't give other people to right to crap on him. I've never met the guy so I think it's pretty presumptuous (that means to take liberties) of you to assume what you think he expects. Commenting on the way people act versus what people expect are two entirely different things. I was only stating my opinion based on your opinion. Besides you know how the old saying goes, "Opinions are like a-holes, every one has one, but yours just stinks really bad."

NV alum. You comments are moronic. Coaching is a thankless job and most coaches go into it knowing this.Most coaches are coaching for the love of the game and for the kids not for some silly pat on the back.

If Verplancke was looking for a pat on the back then he should get into another career.I am sure he wasnt looking for that but this complaining by parents is a joke.Nothing worse on this blog than parents logging on here whining. Get out the crying towels

WOW!!!! Rough treatment for the DR coach who has done a lot for his program. I'm sure there are parents who appreciate DR's coach, they were just hurt they lost. Hopefully in the next few days, he will receive the treatment he deserves. "Whiner," your comments are ridiculous. The truth is the truth and if that's what really happened, that is a sad way to treat a coach that has worked his ass off to get his boys in a position they've never been in before. Great game and a great show of sportmanship shown by Diamond Ranch's team and staff. They have a hell of a team over there. As for our Vikings, we also have a great group of kids on our team. As good as they are on the field, I can honestly say that they are even better kids off the field and around campus. Murphy, the staff, and their parents are sure doing something right because I would be proud to be any one of these kids' parents. They are great for the baseball program, but even better for the school and their community. THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!
Northview Vikings Baseball
2008 CIF Champions....damn that sounds good.

stephanie are you related to coach Verplancke? you sound like a whiner to me

Congrats to the Vikings! Great year, great team, great coaching, great fans, great future, great memories -- ALL OF THIS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE..
NORTHVIEW VIKING CIF CHAMPS
Can we say --- OH YEAH!!

Congrats to the Vikings! Great year, great team, great coaching, great fans, great future, great memories -- ALL OF THIS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE..
NORTHVIEW VIKING CIF CHAMPS
Can we say --- OH YEAH!!

To all of Diamond Ranch baseball--YOU GUYS ROCK!!
Thank you, Stephanie Knapp for telling it like it is. Coach Verplancke is the best coach around for these boys. They bought into his system of working hard and never giving up. He is the epitome of a classy coach.
To those of you who put these boys down, you are such hypocrites. And, you are probably the parents who make the stupid comments like Ranch Pouty. Man, grow up.
I was at the game. The Northview parents and coaches came up to the players and coaches and fans in the parking lot and told us how impressed they were with the play of our boys. They also praised pitcher Gus Lanuza for holding the NV batters in check.
It was even amazing to hear the reactions of the fans and parents of the D-I game that followed as they asked for details on our game. They were impressed and saddened that errors played a role in the outcome.
Folks, if you want to know what it means to be a high school athlete, ask the kids. Leave all the crap you put on here out of the print.
Diamond Ranch and Northview both played stellar defense and their pitching was superb. Great job boys! Coaches, you are the best!! Stand tall and know that the real fans in this world are rooting for you and supporting you everyday in a POSITIVE way.

D R caught a nice phat wave, then drowned right at the end! They are pretty much a bunch of conceited whiners. Wallow in your failure to produce Final victory!

Fred - easy man - don't have a coronary over some blogging. You make your point - they made theirs. Wow give it a rest.

Knapp, thanks for your comments, well said. If everything you said was true, that's a shame because even in defeat, he never offered excuses, he congratulated Northview and showed a lot of class for someone who just suffered an emotional loss. And for the record, not only had Diamond Ranch never played for a title since it opened 11 years ago, but they had never even been to the playoffs before this season. I'd said your coach did a heck of a job.

My name is Stephanie Knapp and I am 29 years old. I am giving you that information because unlike many of the people posting blogs, I REFUSE to hide behind a screen-name!

This blog is intended for the PARENTS of the Diamond Ranch Panthers.

Earlier this evening I had the opportunity to attend the Division 4 CIF championship game at Dodger Stadium. I was thrilled to be there because I was excited to watch your sons play on a major league field for the CIF title and I was very proud of my good friend, Coach Joe Verplancke, for taking them there. It was a phenomenal game with 7 very intense innings. Unfortunately, as you all know, the Panthers lost 1-0 do to an error at first base. I feel bad for the first baseman and the disappointment he must feel even though he played a great game! My true disappointment wasn’t at the team’s loss… My disappointment was in the PARENTS of the players after the loss.

After the game was over I watched PARENT after PARENT walk up to the assistant coaches and congratulate them for doing such a good job and for playing such a good game. Not once did I see a PARENT walk up to Coach Verplancke and congratulate him or thank him for his time and/or effort for the game or the season. Here are some things you should know about your coach. Coach Verplancke works at least 3 to 5 hours a day on the baseball field after your kids go home so your boys can play games and host tournaments at their school. Your coach (with the help of his wife) spends hours at home planning fundraisers so you don’t have to dig deep in your pockets for your sons to play ball. Your coach will sit next to your son and help him with his homework so he is eligible to play sports. Your coach made sure that your sons had uniforms… Something they did not have in the past. Your coach helped teach your boys that it is not ok to break the law and flash body parts to other students. Coach Verplancke does not just help your kids… He is there for your kids!

Please answer this for me -- When was the last time the Diamond Ranch Panthers made it to playoffs or to the final game of the CIF playoffs? After doing a little bit of research I’ve found that only one team in your district has made it to the playoffs… That happened back in 1927 and the team did not make it to the final game. I’m telling you this because all I heard after the game were PARENTS complaining that Joe should have done this or should have done that. I heard PARENTS upset that their son did not get to play. One mother even had the audacity to tell her son that the coach didn’t know what he was doing. You were upset because your boys lost. Instead of chalking the loss up to an error, you crucified the coach who was the very person who took your kids to CIF. Talk about disappointment!

As I sat in the parking lot of the school and the bus pulled in I heard proud PARENTS honking their horns and clapping for their boys. I watched as each disappointed kid got off the bus and headed to family members and friends. I also watched a disappointed coach get off the bus and finish up with his responsbilities. Do you know what I didn’t hear or see? I didn’t see one PARENT talk to Coach Verplancke. I didn’t hear one “Congratulations” or one “Good game” offered; however, I did hear where everyone was going to go for dinner. I did hear the assistant coaches get asked if they would like to join different players for the meal. Where did you end up anyway -- BJ’s or Red Robbin? As the head coach slowly walked to his car, not one word was spoken to him. What do you teach your children when you act that way? Coach Verplancke did not lose the game for his team and he deserves respect! He does not deserve to be treated as badly as he was tonight and he definitely does not deserve to be defamed. If you want to say something about him, say it to his face. He’s a big boy and I think he can handle it. I would like to see any one of you try to coach a team as well as he did. I’m not disappointed that the Panthers lost, I’m disappointed in what some of you PARENTS lost. To be honest, I’m glad your boys didn’t win tonight because some of you PARENTS do not deserve the win!

You're absolutely right, I'm a front-running homer. When teams do well, we follow the story. Live blogging from the Northview-Diamond Ranch game produced 6,700 hits. Live blogging for South Hills was great too, around 5,600 hits. And for those who continue to say we play favorites, know that for the three baseball and two softball championships, we had two stories for each game, in addition to having a reporter at the state track championships Friday and Saturday. I would hardly call that biased reporting.

Tim L,

I guess if other teams had a homer like Fred J in their corner they would get some more coverage. Go suck your thumbs.

congrats Northview on your big win and happy 18th birthday to my son Aaron Elias. You got the best gift ever by ,playing,and winning at dodger stadium. This is a moment none of us will ever forget.

Before you bad mouth SH remember last year, your pain was deep.
Congratulations on winning, your defense and pitching are the mvp.

Great game and lots of respect for each others programs, too bad someone has to lose. This is how you want to see a championship game played. No excuses coming out of Diamond Ranch, Parents of both sides very good sports. "Hey South Hills you want to take notice just in case you get back there next year"

SO SO proud of the NORTHVIEW VIKINGS! What an amazing game, an amazing performance by both teams. This was one hard fought game and at the end one has to win and one has to "not win", NO losers in that particular game. Thanks to the Vikings & Coach Murphy for letting us experience and share this great victory with your team. What a great memory for this team and especially the Seniors - is there a better ending to a high school career?? Enjoy the ride Vikings, it is well-deserved.

CONGRATS NORTHVIEW!!

The Northview/Diamond Ranch game was an awesome, unbelievable game! The defensive plays that both teams made, just unbelievable. Between NV's infield and DR's outfield plays, and the phenominal pitching BOTH teams came to play ball. We, the fans, could not have asked for a better game. Northview has got a great group of kids this year, it is one of those "special" teams, led by great coaching and the fan support always blows me away. Way to go Northview! Well done.

Congrats to Northview, a program that's been knocking on the door for awhile now has it's own CIF Championship to hang it's hat on. I went through Max Preps and checked out their schedule and what an amazing year. 5-0 record against the Miramonte League, Glendora Tournament Champs with win over Amat in the finals, 14-1 record in league, the 38 scoreless innings streak, and just the thrills that the team gave all of us...what a ride culminating in a dogpile at Dodger Stadium!!! Thanks go out to Coach Murphy, his coaches, and the Viking Players.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NORTHVIEW VIKINGS.and coach darren murphy.what a great game it was.the great viking defence is what it's all about.I must salute diamond ranch for playing such a great game.what a classy team. after reciving the 2nd place award.for them to stand out there and applaud each viking as they got ther award just shows you.what an incredible bunch of young men from the miramonte league.we salute you .....

Congrats to Northview!! To all you haters crying about all the coverage Northview has been receiving go suck your thumbs!! c/o 99!

Fred,
Thanks for everything. This year has been great and the coverage and excitement around the valley have been great. DRanch played a hell of a game and that kid who played second for them was a stud. He made some graet plays on some hits that could have broke the game open. Someone posted earlier that Chater Oak and Us had great coaching. I couldn't agree with you more. Quinley and Murphy are great assets to thier programs and we should all be proud of them. Between us, South Hills, Covina, Charter Oak, Bonita, and San Dimas We definitely have the most talent per capita. Way to go to all the teams in the area, expecially to Murpy, his staff, his players, and their extremely awesone and talented athletic trainer. Thanks for one hell of a year.

p.s. Fred, keep up the great work you're doing over there!!!!!!!!

Nice job Fred - great coverage. Will you or Steve be covering Sunday's All Star Game????

First off - a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Northview on their Championship. They worked hard and deserve it. Secondly, to all of you whining about Fred, he does a great job and covers the teams and players that are hot (and even those that are not). I seem to remember earlier in the year people on here from Northview complaining about Fred and his coverage of a certain player from Covina they called "idol". The winning teams are obviously going to get more coverage as the year progresses. Just the way it is.

finally baseball is over lets get onto 2 football as the number 1 priority and congrats to NorthView on the championship

Was that Fernando Valenzuela as the Northview Athletic Trainer?

Good job Murph!

Congratulations Northviev
you've proven on the field
that your the top team in the valley this year, enjoy
your moment in the sun. From a Bulldog fan.

Fred thanks for the updates
and nevermind the crybabies, like you said, the teams having great seasons deserve the all the extra ink, this year its one set of teams & next year it could be someone else.

What a game. Incredible win for NV. Great job Fred in covering the game. Are you guys covering Sunday's All Star Game?

Runner up trophy for RANCH ROWDY! Couldn't pull the trigger when all the marbles were on the line? No punch in the Finale? DR can sport that runner up plaque in the girls restroom next year!

McCrimmon, is that you?

Fred, great job with the blog and the paper. It's been a great baseball season. I have a few observations about what distinguished this Northview team. Murphy is a great leader and small ball strategist. The kids love to play for that guy and they learn a winning attitude all through the program. Take a look at the pitching coach Kettle. Let's face it, Northview wins the close ballgames with it's ace Elias, the sophmore Pedroza and the beast #44 closing out the game Andrade. Those are three excellent high school arms but the key is the guy calling the game. MVP for the season is too close to call. Elias, Andrade, Williams and Richie Pedroza are my top four. MVP for the championship game I'm giving to R. Pedroza for his work at shortstop. Freijo had a couple of outstanding plays and Ramirez got two hits and the game winning RBI. Again it's tough to pick the winner. This victory reflects well on all the teams that gave Northview hell during the long season. We played so many close games that clearly proves the quality of our opposition.

See y'all next year!

The Division IV trophy is only moving a couple of miles west. From Charter Oak last year to Northview. Obviously the city of Covina has the best teams around in Charter Oak & Northview & the best coaches (Quinley & Murph). Congrats to both.

I do enjoy the updates, and if you look at the time you will see that I made that comment before the game started. I was just pointing out the fact that you come across as a Northview guy when you should be reporting as an unbiased observer. You did a great job keeping us informed but you are not shy about promoting the fact that you are a Northview fan. Obviously you were flustered by my comment because you didn't think to check your next post for gramatical errors. I know its loose "here in here" but you need to stay unbiased.

From a member of the '79 Vikings team that played at Angel Stadium; I want to congratulate this years team on a job well done.

FRED:

After tonight there is NO DOUBT who the number team is in the SGV!

The Northview Vikings… And they deserve it!

Coach Murphy, players, fans, parents and the entire school should be very proud of your team and the remarkable journey that you all took!

Enjoy the celebration and be safe tonight!

CONGRATULATIONS Northview,great game DRanch you made Miramonte league proud..

Fred J

Great job in keeping us informed. So many of us wanted to attend but could not make it. Thanks for doing what you do for us fans. And GREAT JOB VIKINGS - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!You made us all very proud.

Any considerations for AREA MVP, etc./ yet??

Way to go Vikings. Closer that I thought it would be, but a win is a win. Or in this case, a win is a championship. Good job.
Congratulations to DRanch for making it that far. You showed you belonged there and should be proud of yourselves.

congrats to northview and coach murphy.

Fred, Really enjoyed the live blogging, could not hit my refresh key fast enough. Congradulations to both teams for making it this far. DRanch.... next year Angel Stadium.....

And those weren't Northview games, those were Northview-Amat, Northview-Covina, Northview-San Dimas, it only seems impartial because Northveiw won most of them and is in the finals. Can't you figure that out.

OK Fred, we'll see.

Fred,

Please stop reporting about the best team in Div IV. We want to hear about Ganesa, Pomona, Ect........

Crybabies, I do what I've always done, cover the teams having the best seasons, and reward the best teams with the most postseason awards. This year will be no different.

Hey fans and Fred

Fred will give all the honors to the NV guys for all area stuff. You just watch. Yeah some are deserving but you wait and see, he'll overload for his roots, his favorite team. How unfair is it to everyone else. This was happening all year long. Look at all the NV coverage and pictures throughout the season. A lot of you mentioned that before, now I beleive he is so impartial.

Someone else made that comment, I just said it's more loose in here. If I state a fact in here, it's a fact. If I state an opinion, it's an opinion. Are these really your big concerns? Can't you just enjoy the updates.

Fred, so you're a journalist for the newspaper, but not on the blog? Does that mean we shouldn't trust the information you provide on here and it's all for laughs? Since this blog is provided by the newspaper, how is it that you're not still an unbiased journalist online? Just asking.

long time first time

Welcome to the 21st century. If you don't want your information real time then go turn off your computer and wait till the paper comes out tomorrow.

Thanks Fred... great job with the updates.

Good Luck Northview take it all the way!

I don't know where you've been but I've been making predictions all year pal. This is a blog, not a news story, we're a little more loose here in here. If you don't like it, find another place for live updates.

Hey Robledo,

Whatever happened to being an impartial journalist? I don't think you're supposed to be playing favorites or making predictions, especially when both teams are from the same area. You're not supposed to be on a bandwagon so get off it and just do your job.

One more question, are you going to join in on the dogpile IF Northview, I mean BRAVEVIEW, wins tonight? And I hope it wasn't you who came up with BRAVEVIEW.

By the way, these blogs resemble the Jerry Springer Show more than a public news forum. Some of you people are rediculous.

Good luck Northview....Well Deserved!You've worked hard as a team from the beginning and you've had great coaching.

Hope D'Ranch wins this game and finally shuts up this Northview team that has their players and parents bragging ever since that Sat. when they Beat Amat.

Good Luck Northview. Keep playing as a team and you should have no problems today.
Bring it home to the VVL.
You will never forget today either way.

GO VIKINGS GO !!!! PLAY YOUR BEST, STAY STRONG AND STAY UNITED!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS BRAVE-VIEW!

SEE YOU AT DODGER STADIUM!
OOOH YEEEAAAAH!

Braveview, I love it, they should dress up like Vikings warriors