COLUMN: Legendary San Dimas coach Gary Prestesater coached the Tribune boys all-stars like he was competing for a CIF title

TRIBUNE/STAR-NEWS ALL-STAR CLASSIC
Where: Damien High School
When: Friday
Time: Girls game 6 p.m., boys 8 p.m.
By Aram Tolegian, staff writer
It’s been a few years now since Gary Prestesater left the local spotlight.
From legendary athlete at Glendora High School to legendary basketball coach at San Dimas to legendary but brief program re-builder at West Covina, Prestesater has spent his entire life building himself into a local stalwart.
A probably forgotten chapter in the story of Prestesater’s athletic and coaching prowess came in 2006 when he was selected to be the head coach of the Tribune team in that spring’s Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic.
I say selected because to this day I’m not sure Prestesater ever officially accepted the assignment.
In fact, the phone call to get him to coach the game went something like this.

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Three league proposals on the table, which one do you think is best?

These are three of the proposals on the table for the May 13 vote that will decide Mt. SAC area league realignment for the 2014-15 season. Which one do you think is best?

PROPOSAL 1:
Baseline: Etiwanda, Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Chino Hills
Sierra: Ayala, Claremont, Glendora, Chino, Bonita, Diamond Bar
Hacienda: Los Altos, Diamond Ranch, Walnut, West Covina, South Hills, Charter Oak
Mt. Baldy: Chaffey, Colony, Don LUgo, Montclair, Ontario, Alta Loma
Valle Vista: Covina, Nogales, Northview, San Dimas, Wilson, Rowland
Montview: Duarte, Gladstone, Azusa, La Puente, Baldwin Park, Sierra Vista
Unnamed League: Garey, Pomona, Ganesha, Edgewood, Bassett, Workman

PROPOSAL 2
Baseline: Ayala, Etiwanda, Upland, Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga
Sierra: Colony, Bonita, Chino Hills, Claremont, Chino, Glendora
Hacienda: Charter Oak, Diamond Bar, South Hills, Los Altos, Rowland, Walnut, West Covina
Mt. Baldy: Chaffey Diamond Ranch, Ontario, Don Lugo, Alta Loma, Montclair
Valle Vista: Baldwin Park, Covina, Northview, Wilson, Nogales, San Dimas
Montview: Azusa, La Puente, Duarte, Sierra Vista, Gladstone
New unnamed league: Garey, Pomona, Bassett, Workman, Edgewood, Ganesha

PROPOSAL 3
Baseline: Chino Hills, Bonita, Etiwanda, Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland
Sierra: Ayala, Colony, Diamond Bar, Claremont, Chino, Glendora
Hacienda: Charter Oak, West Covina, Diamond Ranch, Los Altos, South Hills, Walnut
Mt. Baldy: Chaffey, Alta Loma, Ontario, Don Lugo, Montclair
Valle Vista: Wilson, Covina, Nogales, Northview, Rowland, San Dimas
Montview: Azusa, Baldwin Park, Duarte, Sierra Vista, Gladstone, La Puente
New unnamed league: Edgewood, Garey, Pomona, Bassett, Ganesha, Workman

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Baseball: Northview, San Dimas win to remain in tie for first in VVL; South Hills beats fast-falling Damien, 11-6; Amat beats La Salle, 7-3


Northview, Baldwin Park photo gallery
By Fred Robledo, staff writer
Northview can breathe a sigh of relief after overcoming a rocky start to defeat Baldwin Park and USC-bound lefty Bernardo Flores, 8-2, to remain in a first-place tie in the wild Valle Vista League title chase with San Dimas, though Baldwin Park and Nogales aren’t far back.
Baldwin Park jumped on top of Northview starter Niko Castaneda with four hits to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Castaneda settled down and the Vikings chipped away, scoring three runs in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead, and adding a couple more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to improve to 18-4 and 6-1.
The Vikings remained in a tie for first with San Dimas (17-6, 6-1), a 10-2 winner over Covina.
“We were just telling the kids it wasn’t the ideal start, being at home and being down 2-0, but Nico did a great job bouncing back,” Vikings coach Darren Murphy said.
Castaneda earned the victory with help from DJ Howard, who took over in the sixth after the Braves loaded the bases with one out. Northview led 6-2 at the time, but Howard got out of it, then closed the seventh to earn the save.
Baldwin Park, which dropped to 15-5 and 6-3, could have moved even with Northview in the loss column with a victory. The two teams meet again on Thursday at Baldwin Park.

Tuesday’s Baseball Results
Valle Vista League
Northview 8, Baldwin Park 2
San Dimas 10, Covina 10
Sierra League
South Hills 11, Damien 6
Ayala 16, Charter Oak 7
Del Rey League
Bishop Amat 7, La Salle 3

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All-Area Wrestling: Northview’s Bryan Salinas and Charter Oak coach Tim McCabe take top honors

ALL-AREA WRESTLING TEAM PHOTO GALLERY
ALL-AREA WRESTLING TEAM ONLINE


Wrestler of the Year: BRYAN SALINAS, Northview, Junior
Northview High School’s Bryan Salinas made the most out of a little this season.
The junior, who dispite missing most of the regular season to a knee injury, still managed to pull off a dominating season that included CIF-Southern Section and Masters titles and a top eight finish at the CIF State Wrestling championships.
For his efforts, Salinas is San Gabriel Valley Tribune Wrestler of the Year.
“I did what I could with my knee this year,” Salinas said. “It was hard for me, to miss that much time and get caught up with other people.
“But I’m happy with the way it wound up, to win CIF, win Masters. I was hoping for more at state, but I’m happy I placed.
It was a long road for Salinas, who didn’t compete until finishing second at 170 pounds in January at the 5 Counties Invitational, considered a state meet preview.
He then rolled during the postseason, winning at 170 in the league finals before scoring a CIF-SS Central Division crown and then a Masters title on back-to-back weekends to qualify for the state meet.
The Masters title, which saw him beat Riverside King’s Harlan Kistler, 7-3, was especially rewarding after finishing second the previous season.
“That felt good,” Salinas said. “I felt like where I should be. I felt like I was on pace.”
But it wasn’t to be. He won his first three matches at the state meet in Bakersfield, two by fall, before dropping a 5-2 setback to Jovan Villalobs, of Alisal (Salinas), in the quarterfinals.
Salinas battled his way to the seventh-place match but was forced to default due to re-injurying his knee.
“It wasn’t a very good feeling,” Salinas said. “It was disappointing. I wanted to go more, but my knee wouldn’t let me.
“It was hurting me that whole weekend, the whole season. I did everything possible.”
Now, he’s already looking toward next year, when they goal, as expected is the same.
“I want to go back and hopefully win state,” he said. “Then continue on to nationals.”

Coach of the Year: TIM MCCABE, Charter Oak
McCabe has slowly built a solid program in his four seasons at Charter Oak. He previously coached at Glendora, where his teams had good representation at the CIF-SS individual championships. Charter Oak, after showing steady progress the previous three seasons, were stout in 2013, winning the Sierra League dual title for the first time in his tenure before advancing to the quarterfinals of the Division I dual championships. He produced on CIF-SS champion in Eric Prevost (225) and qualified four competitors to the Masters Meet. Charter Oak finished seventh as a team in the Central Division.

FIRST TEAM
106 – VINCENT PARRA, Northview, Junior
The junior was one of the top competitors at 106 pounds in the CIF-Southern Section, qualifying for CIF State championships after winning a Central Division title and placing third at the Masters Meet. He also won a Valle Vista League title and was second at the 5 Counties Tournament in January.
113 – ERIC OCHOA, Northview, Senior
The senior, son of Northview coach David Ochoa, had his best season, winning a Valle Vista League title and his first section title, taking the 113 championship in the Central Division championships. He was third at CIF-SS Masters to qualify for the state meet, and won a 5 Counties title.
120 – FREDDIE HSIAO, Walnut, Senior
The senior was one of 10 area competitors to win a CIF-Southern Section indiviudual title. He was a surprise winner, taking the 120-pound class at the Central Division championships after yielding just six points en route to his title. He had one win by fall, with two shut outs before beating Northwood’s Kodsart Denaro, 3-2.
126 – KEVIN KELLY, South Hills, Junior
Kelly was the area’s top competitor at 126. He won a Sierra League title and was second at the CIF-Southern Section Central Division championships, losing to Bloomington’s Johnny Foster. He advanced to the quarterfinals at Masters before losing in the consolation fourth round.
132 – THOMAS TELLO, Glendora, Senior
Tello, the top area wrestler at 132, had a solid season, placing at divisionals and Masters to be one of 11 area competitors to advance to the CIF State championships. He was second at the Inland Division Championships and was fourth at Masters. Tello, who went 1-2 at the state meet, was one of two Tartans at Masters.
138 – MICHAEL SILL, Walnut, Senior
Sill, a two-time state qualifier, was at his best late, placing at divisionals, Masters and the state championships, where he was one of two area competitors to finish among the top eight, taking fifth at 138 pounds. He was also third at the CIF-SS Central Division championships and eighth at Masters.
145 – RICKY PADILLA, Northview, Sophomore
Padilla was one of seven Vikings to advance to the CIF State championships. The sophomore won a CIF-Southern Section Central Division title at 145 and was fourth at the CIF-SS Masters Meet. Padilla, ranked in the state top 20 most of the season, also was second at the 5 Counties Invitational in January.
152 – SETH MORALES, Bonia, Junior
Morales was the top competitor at 152 pounds. He won a Hacienda League title before placing third at the CIF-Southern Section Central Division championships. He made the podium after following up a loss in the second round with six consecutive victories. He also was first at the Montclair Tournament.
160 – STEVEN LOPEZ, Northview, Senior
Lopez was the top area competitor at 160. He finished the season at No. 18 in the state after being one of the seven Vikings to qualify for the CIF State championships. He won a Valle Vista League title before winning a Central Division title and eighth at the Masters Meet. He went 2-2 at the state meet.
170 – GARRICK GURNEY, Chino Hills, Senior
Gurney is the top competitor at 170. He was the third Husky to qualify for the CIF State championships in the past two seasons. He won a Sierra League title and was fourth at the CIF-SS Central Division championships. He was fifth at Masters before finishing one round short of placing at the state meet.
182 – NATHAN RODRIGUEZ, Diamond Bar, Senior
Rodriguez is the top competitor at 182. He was one of 10 area athletes to win a CIF-SS division title, placing first at the Central Division championships. He placed seventh at the Masters Meet to become one of 11 area competitors to qualify for the state meet, although he was forced to default.
195 – ERIC PREVOST, Charter Oak, Junior
Prevost was the top competitor at 195. He keyed the Chargers run to their first Sierra League dual championship. Individually, he won a Sierra League title and a CIF-SS Central Division championship. He went 2-2 at the Masters meet. Prevost’s 2013 resume also included a tournament championship at Bob Bellot Invitational at Montclair High School.
225 – KEANDRE JOHNSON, Diamond Bar, Junior
Johnson was the top competitor at 225. He was part of Diamond Bar’s one-two tandem with Nathan Rodriguez. The junior advanced to the semifinals at the CIF-SS Central Division championships before taking third. He was two rounds short of qualifing for the state meet after losing in the second round. He also won a Hacienda League title.
285 – MARCO VALDIVIA, South Hills, Sernior
The top heavyweight in the area. Valdivia was one of 10 area champions at the CIF-SS Central Division finals. He won a Sierra League title before living up to his No. 1 seed by beating Righetti’s Dante Gamble for the Central Division title. He also helped the Huskies advance to the CIF-SS Division I dual championships quarterfinals.

SECOND TEAM
106: Josh Martinez (Rowland), Sr.
113: Jose Lozano (Covina), Sr.
120: John Rivera (Northview), Jr.
126: Joseph Alexander (Charter Oak), Jr.
132: Tony Arellano (Northview), Sr.
138: Daniel Valles (Northview), Sr.
145: Nicolas Viramontes (Bishop Amat), Sr.
152: Matt Chavez
(South Hills), Jr.
160: Greg Lawton (Rowland), Sr.
170: Bradley Ojala
(West Covina, Sr.
182: Josh Ebiner
(Bishop Amat), Sr.
195: Matt Carrillo (Diamond Bar), Sr.
225: James Rivera (Arroyo), Sr.
285: Ryan Padilla (Glendora), Jr.

HONORABLE MENTION
Arroyo: Luis Hernandez (285)
Ayala: Stephen Schapp (195)
Bishop Amat: Carlos Garcia (195)
Charter Oak: Joey Castrorena (132); Diego Cortez (152); David Apodaca (285)
Chino Hills: Nathan Aragon (160)
Damien: Patrick Sanchez (285)
Northview: Anthony Martinez (182)
Rowland: Bruno Flores (126); Mario Lopez (138)
San Dimas: David Gonzalez (106)
South El Monte: Eduardo Yebras (120)
West Covina: Robert Montoya (182)

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Girls Water Polo All-Area: Los Altos’ Stephanie Contreras and coach Chris Coleman lead the way

ALL-AREA GIRLS WATER POLO PHOTO GALLERY
ALL-AREA GIRLS WATER POLO ONLINE

Player of the Year: STEPHANIE CONTRERAS, Los Altos, Senior
Stephanie Contreras began her girls water polo career as a virtual unknown. She leaves it as the most-prolic scorer in the CIF-Southern Section.
The senior scored 141 goals this season to finish with a CIF-SS record of 639 goals for a career en route to leading the Conquerors to the division semifinals for the second time in four seasons.
For her efforts, Contreras is 2013 San Gabriel Valley Tribune Girls Water Polo Player of the Year.
“It was a pretty good season,” said Contreras, whose team lost to eventual champion Troy in the Divison 4 semfinals. “It was a sad moment losing (to Troy). It was a pretty close game.
“But breaking the record was a good moment and something I can look back on.”
It was the second milestone for the senior, who set the single-season record her freshman season, scoring 188 while leading the Conquerors to the Division 6 finals, losing to Walnut, 11-6.
She added the career mark to her resume this season, scoring 141 in 31 games to finish with 639. Contreras eclipsed La Salle’s Kara-Leigh Huse’s mark of 607 with four goals in a 9-8 victory over Temescal Canyon on Feb. 2.
“It was kind of crazy, because after I (set the record) I had to come out of the pool,” Contreras said. “Everyone was hugging me. We had a pretty good turnout, so it was good.
“The single season was out of the blue just before playoffs they told me I had a a shot at the record. I was like, ‘OK, I can score all these goals.’ But this was more of a build up. It definitely (felt) better.”
Contreras then helped the Conquerors finished strong, taking a share of second-place in the Hacienda League with Walnut before advancing to the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals with wins over Rio Mesa and South Pasadena. Their season ended with the 7-6 loss to Troy.
The senior was Hacienda League MVP and first team All-CIF-SS Division 4. She said her college choices include Stanford and Arizona State.

Coach of the Year: CHRIS COLEMAN, Los Altos
Coleman, who just completed his seventh year at Los Altos, has built the Conquerors into one of the top programs in the area, guiding Los Altos to the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 finals in 2010 and the Division 4 semifinals this season. He has 141 wins in seven years at Los Altos and one season at Nipomo. The Conquerors, who finished second in the Hacienda League to Bonita, were 22-9 this season en route to advancing to the semifinals, losing 7-6 to Troy.

FIRST TEAM
SAMMY SANCHEZ, La Puente, Senior
It’s not often that a player is selected MVP of their league without leading her team to the league championship. Sanchez is the exception. She earned MVP of the league, leading the Warriors to share of second-place before losing in the first round of the Division 7 playoffs. La Puente finished 6-10.
JESSICA YBARRA, Ayala, Junior
Ybarra enjoyed a solid season, helping the Bulldogs to a Sierra League title and the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinals. She was MVP of the Sierra League after leading Ayala to an 8-0 league mark and a 26-5 overall record. The junior also earned first team All-Division 3.
RACHEL STOCK, St. Lucy’s, Senior
Stock has been one of the top goalies each of the past two seasons, following up last season’s All-Area second team honor with a first-team award this season. She keyed St. Lucy’s run to a second-place finish in the Sierra League and a 16-13 record. Stock was first team All-Sierra League.
MIA RYCRAW, Walnut, Senior
Rycraw earned her second first-team All-Area selection. She helped the Mustangs to a share of second-place in the Hacienda League and a 17-7 record. She was first team All-CIF-Southern Section Division 4 and first team All-Sierra League.
ROSE TAKEUCHI, Los Altos, Senior
Takeuchi was a key factor in the Conquerors winning 22 games and advancing to the Division 4 semifinals. She ranked among the area leaders with 320 saves, 46 steals and eight assists. She was first team All-Hacienda League and first team All-CIF-SS Division 4.
NATALIE RIVAS, Bonita, Junior
The junior was one of the top scorers in the area and played a big part in Bonita ranked No. 1 in Division 4 most of the season before winning the Hacienda League title and advancing to the divisional semifinals. She was first team All-Hacienda League and first team All-CIF-SS Division 4.
SAMANTHA SNOW, Bonita, Junior
Snow was half of the Bearcats’ dynamic duo that also featured Natalie Rivas. She ranked among the area leaders in scoring and helped Bonita to a 24-8 record and the Hacienda League title. She was first team All-CIF-SS Division 4 and first team All-Hacienda League.

SECOND TEAM
Erin McCarthy, St. Lucy’s, Sr.
Brittany Seaman, St. Lucy’s, Sr.
Angela Gomez, Bonita, Sr.
Erin Gonzalez, Bonita, So.
Erica Venegas, Los Altos, Sr.
Brea Cook, Glendora, Sr.
Kimberly Covert, Ayala, Sr.

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Baseball Rankings: Bonita doing it with pitching again, only it’s Parker Merritt, not Justin Garza, leading the way

Here’s this week’s baseball rankings
1. Bonita (19-2-1) – What you have to admire about the ‘Cats is they graduate Justin Garza, one of the best high school pitchers in Valley history and come back with a staff that boasts a 1.48 ERA for the season. And how about undefeated Parker Merritt (5-0, 0.70), he doesn’t get enough credit. He was 8-1 last year and is 13-1 over two seasons. If there has been anyone better or more consistent over the past two seasons, I haven’t seen him.
2. South Hills (15-5) – The Huskies have a comfortable two game lead in the Sierra League, but as everyone knows, there’s nothing comfortable about the Sierra. The Huskies have a home-and-away against Damien, and a slip up could put them right back in a league fight.
3. Northview (17-4) – The Vikings and San Dimas are tied for the Valle Vista League lead at 5-1 with Baldwin Park making a hard push at 6-2. But the Vikings have the toughest finishing schedule with two games each against Baldwin Park this week, followed by Nogales and San Dimas. Safe to say, there are no gimmies in the final six.
4. Diamond Bar (16-3) – I normally can’t stand leagues that play home-and-away schedules, but in the Hacienda’s case, it’s working out perfectly. The Brahmas are 5-1 in league, one game back of Bonita and spend the next four games facing Walnut and Rowland, all easy wins on paper. That could set up a dramatic winner-take-all in the final week with two against the ‘Cats.
5. Glendora (14-6) – The Tartans are 6-3 in the Baseline and only a game back of league leader Los Osos, 7-2. The Tartans need to take care of business this week against struggling Rancho Cucamonga. If they do, it appears the final week could come down to the home-and-away against Los Osos.
6. San Dimas (16-6) – The Saints are looking good in the Valle Vista and have a big week against Covina. If the Saints win both, they’re in the drivers seat for the VVL title. But they finish the season with two against Northview, which is another case where the home-and-away could set up a dramatic finale.
7. Baldwin Park (15-4) – The Braves are the biggest surprise in the VVL, just a 1/2 game back of league leaders Northview and San Dimas with a home-and-away against Northview. Baldwin Park finishes the season against Wilson, which is probably two more wins. If they get a split or sweep against Northview, that could be good enough to earn them a piece of the league title when all is said and done.
8. Nogales (16-4) – At 3-3 in league, the Nobles are on the outside looking in at fourth place in the VVL after losing on Friday to Baldwin Park, 3-1. But the Nobles have a favorable schedule on their side. Other than two games against Northview, they should pick up four wins with home-and-aways against Pomona and Wilson.
9. Chino Hills (13-7) – The Huskies are tied with Claremont for second in the Sierra with 5-4 records, two games back of 7-2 South Hills.
10. Bishop Amat (10-10) – The Lancers have won four straight and are making a final push to get in the playoffs. Forget a league title, that’s between undefeated Cathedral and Serra, both 4-0. The Lancers and St. Paul are both 2-2, fighting for the third playoff spot. Amat plays two key games against La Salle this week, followed by two tough ones against Cathedral. But the question remains, are they good enough to get to the postseason, and if they get there, are they good enough to do any damage? At this point, I say no way. You’re what you’re, 10-10.

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