Today’s Sierra
Charter Oak at Damien, 3:30 p.m.
Chino Hills at South Hills, 3:30 p.m.
SIERRA SCENARIO: The Sierra League baseball wraps up today with South Hills (19-6, 11-3) already having clinched the league title going away. All that’s left is sorting out the remaining playoff spots for Division 2. South Hills is hosting Chino Hills (15-10, 7-7), who are currently tied for third with Damien (15-10, 7-7), who will host Charter Oak (9-13, 4-10), whose season is over after today. Second place Claremont (13-11, 8-7) is already finished, a half-game ahead of Damien and Chino Hills. Ayala (16-11, 6-9) can do no better than fifth. Based on last year, four Sierra League teams made the D-2 playoffs, with only South Hills getting a first-round game. Second, third and fourth in the Sierra all played wild cards, which is likely again, so safe to say, no matter what happens, Claremont, Chino Hills and Damien are probably in. Ayala has a decent overall record, but not sure a fifth team from the Sierra gets in.

Today’s Hacienda
Diamond Bar at Bonita, 3:15 p.m.
Rowland at West Covina, 3:15 p.m.
Walnut at Diamond Ranch, 3:15 p.m.
HACIENDA SCENARIO: Bonita (24-3-1, 11-0) wrapped up the league title by defeating second-place Diamond Bar (19-5, 8-3) earlier in the week. They meet again today at Bonita. Diamond Bar needs to win to finish second by itself, otherwise it will finish in a tie for second with Los Altos (16-9, 8-4), who is already finished. Only question is will fourth-place West Covina (14-12-1, 4-7) earn an wild-card game. West Covina finishes with Rowland at home.

Baseline Today
Glendora at Los Osos, 3:15 p.m.
Etiwanda at Upland, 3:15 p.m.
Alta Loma at Rancho Cucamonga, 3:15 p.m.
BASELINE SCENARIO: Los Osos (19-5, 12-2) won the league title with a 9-0 no-hitter over second-place Glendora (17-8, 9-5) on Tuesday. They will meet again at Los Osos today, but the order of finish already has been determined for the top two spots. Etiwanda (12-12-1, 7-7) needs to beat (15-9, 6-8) to finish third.

MONTVIEW SCENARIO - La Puente wrapped up the Montview Leauge title with a 2-0 win over Workman on Thursday. Ramon Melendez had an RBI sacrifice bunt in the second inning and Anthony Eurchette hit a sacrifice fly to score the other run in the third for the lone runs. Ethan Etchebarren had 11 strikeouts and scattered four hits and three walks as the Warriors finished 13-8 and 11-2 to fend off Sierra Vista (17-5, 11-3) and Duarte (13-12, 10-4), who finished second and third, respectively.

MISSION VALLEY SCENARIO – All finished with Arroyo (13-8, 12-3) capturing the MVL league title with El Monte (12-11, 10-5) second and Mountain View (10-14, 8-7) third.

VALLE VISTA SCENARIO – In case you missed it, San Dimas (22-6, 11-1) swept Northview (20-8, 8-4) this week to capture the league title outright. Extremely impressive considering the quality this year. Baldwin Park (20-5, 9-3) winds up finishing second with Northview third and Nogales (21-7, 7-5) fourth. All four teams are expected to make the playoffs.

DEL REY SCENARIO: Serra (23-5, 10-0) won the league title and helped Bishop Amat (16-11, 7-3) finish second by sweeping Cathedral (14-15, 6-4) this week to move the Lancers past Cathedral. In one of the worst scheduling fiasco’s I can think of, Amat is traveling to Palm Desert for a non-league game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Now, why would you do that with the playoffs starting next week? In Amat’s defense, the schedule was made early in the season figuring they would have a long layoff down the stretch, but rain forced the Lancers to play win twice this week against Bishop Mongtgomery.

Four area softball teams have a shot of advancing past the second round of CIF, Bishop Amat, San Dimas, Chino Hills, Bonita, that’s it.

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) May 10, 2013

FOR THE EAST AND WEST ROSTERS, CLICK THREAD

The East vs. West Hall of Fame All-Star football game is scheduled for Friday, May 17 at West Covina High School at 7 p.m. The East coach is Gladstone’s Albert Sanchez, who just retired after the Gladiators’ best-season ever and the West Coach is El Monte’s BBQ food king Joel Sanchez. The all-star game is normally in the middle of June when school is out and all spring sports are finished, so the date is unique and somewhat of a risk for player participation and fans. Some football players are still playing baseball or competing in track. The first-round of CIF baseball playoff games also are on Friday and the CIF-SS track finals are the following night at Mt. SAC. But West Covina football coach and host Mike Maggiore thinks the early date will still attract a large crowd, and there are more than enough players already committed. “There are probably more people willing to come watch during the school season than after school gets out,” Maggiore said. “For the players, it’s a great way to end their high school years. They’ve got a football game then graduation, it kind of goes hand and hand. We think it’s a nice way to send them out.”

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DIVISION 3 PRELIM RESULTS
DIVISION 4 PRELIM RESULTS
CIF-SS SWIM FINALS at the Riverside Aquatics Complex
Results posted immediately after races found here
DIVISION 3 SWIM FINALS, TONIGHT, 5 P.M.
DIVISION 4 SWIM FINALS, FRIDAY, 5 P.M.
DIVISION 2 SWIM FINALS, SATURDAY, 10 A.M.
DIVISION 1 SWIM FINALS, SATURDAY, 5 P.M.

Above: St. Lucy’s senior Sammie Keehn hopes to do well in Saturday’s girls 100 butterfly at the Division 2 finals

By Keith Lair Staff Writer
Keppel High School’s move may very well be La Serna’s gain.
When the CIF-Southern Section swim finals get underway tonight at the Riverside City College Aquatics Center, the Aztecs can no longer beat up on their fellow CIF-SS Division 3 opponents. Keppel has won the last three girls and last two boys titles.
But the Aztecs and the Almont League has been bumped up to a higher division, Division 2. That opens the door for the La Serna girls, who finished second last year. The Lancers and the Del Rio League did not change divisions.
“It’s going to be so much tougher,” Keppel coach Ish Perez said. “We’re going against kids so much faster and from bigger club (teams). It will be quite a challenge.”
Also having a tougher time repeating will be La Salle, which won the girls Division 4 title by 1 points last year. The Lancers move into Division 3.
The four CIF-SS divisions finals swim tonight through Saturday night in the 10-lane complex. Division 3 got the jump on the competition with prelims on Wednesday afternoon with the finals scheduled for tonight at 5. The Division 4 finals are Friday at 5 p.m. and the Division 2 finals are Saturday at 10 a.m. and the Division 1 finals Saturday at 5 p.m.
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That’s called a game face, Bonita’s Liza Liddell: Bonita, Diamond Bar photo galery

By Steve Ramirez
twitter.com/SteveRRamirez
DIAMOND BAR – Bonita High School didn’t want to leave the race for the Hacienda League softball title to a winner-take-all scenario against second-place Diamond Bar on Friday.
The Bearcats, thanks to pitcher Bianca Cockrell and a first-inning error, won’t have to.
Cockrell was solid in the circle and Bonita took advantage of the early miscue to wrap up the league title with a 5-1 victory over Diamond Bar on Wednesday.
Cockrell allowed one hit through the first five innings before finishing with a five-hitter for the Bearcats, who improved to 21-6 overall and 11-0 in league play. Bonita, which shared the league crown with Diamond Bar in 2011, also received three hits from Berlyn Benavides.
Diamond Bar, getting an RBI from Dani Wilson, slipped to 12-13 and 8-3. The teams wrap up the regular season at Las Flores Park in La Verne on Friday.
“Diamond Bar is such a good team, we didn’t want to take anything for granted,” Bonita coach Ken Carlson said. “Bianca has been throwing some remarkable games and our offense has taken the pressure off of her. We wanted to take care of business here today and turn our focus to being 12-0 and get a good (CIF-Southern Section playoff) seeding.”
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Los Osos’ Chris Kohler throws no hitter and clinches Baseline League title 9-0 over Glendora

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) May 9, 2013

By Brian Reed-Baiotto
BONITA WINS — Parker Merritt might not be a vocal guy, but the Bonita High senior’s play does plenty of talking.
Merritt threw his sixth complete game of the year to not only lead Bonita to a 4-1 victory Wednesday at Diamond Bar, the Bearcats claimed their fifth straight Hacienda League title and have won 27 consecutive league games.
Merritt (8-0) continued his mastery of the strike zone, as the Bearcats ace had just one three-ball count and has just one walk on the season in 64 innings pitched.
He surrendered six hits and struck out five to improve to 16-1 over the past two seasons and took advantage of a four-run third inning to beat Diamond Bar’s Zeph Walters.
“Parker has come in and replaced a guy (Justin Garza) who is one of the best players in San Gabriel Valley baseball history as our ace and as good as he’s been, you won’t hear him say a word about it,” Bonita coach John Knott said. “He’s a quiet, hard-working and humble kid who just goes out there and gets the job done each time he takes the mound.”
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Junior High Spring Football Camp
Open to 7th & 8th Graders beginning this Wednesday & Thursday from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm for four weeks for a total of 10 practices. Gain a competitive edge and get a head start and learn for your future in high school football. Wear athletic shirt & shorts, and football cleats. $15 per practice or $100 for all ten practices Print PDF of registration flyer from school website under Boy’s Sports & Football Call Coach Steve Hagerty @ 626-962-2495, ext. 6001 or email shagerty@bishopamat.org with questions

Third Annual Alumni Flag Football Game
Saturday, May 11th 2 p.m.
All former players are invited to put their cleats and jersey back on one more time and run around Kiefer Stadium. The Odd graduation years will compete against the Even graduation years. Players are asked to contact Coach Hagerty at 626-962-2495, ext. 6001 to register for the game. Tickets ($7 adults/$3 children) are being sold for the game in the front office and athletic office for those who want to attend.

By Keith Lair Staff Writer
A blizzard in Desert Hot Springs?
After Monday’s CIF-Southern Section golf divisional tournaments, that is what Diamond Bar High School coach Ty Watkins hopes will happen on Thursday.
“Some of our kids say they play better in those conditions,” Watkins said of treacherous conditions. “They seem to like to play well in those type of conditions.”
The Brahmas played well in a pouring rain on Monday, winning the Western Division tournament at Sierra La Verne Country Club.
“The kids played fantastic in horrible conditions,” he said.
But the chances of rain and snow are extremely unlikely for the CIF-SS finals, and CIF-SCGA State regional qualifier on Thursday morning at Mission Lakes Country Club in Desert Hot Springs. With sun forecast for the rest of the week, it’s likely about all the Brahmas can root for would be unpredictable Santa Ana winds.

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By John Honell
San Dimas clinched the Valle Vista League baseball championship and probably improved its seeding for the upcoming CIF-Southern Section Division 4 playoffs that begin next week.

The Saints got a two-run walk-off home run by Elias Orona in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 3-2 win over Northview on Tuesday in a game that finished under the lights.

The junior’s line drive over the left-field fence brought home Daniel Milwee, who had walked ahead of him.

“I thought it was going out,” Orona said. “The excitement got to me right away. I was running out of the box and I tried to soak it in this time. It was a high fastball but I got on top of it.”

“That was a great stroke,” Saints coach Mike Regan said. “That was a huge at bat by Milwee (to get a walk) and Eli was the guy we wanted up in that spot. Winning the title feels good.”

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STORY: The Serra League football proposal passed at Tuesday’s Catholic Athletic Association meeting, which puts Bishop Amat and Damien in the same league and both in the Pac-5. What are your thoughts?

Serra football proposal that passed and will begin in 2014.
League 1: Alemany, St. Bonaventure, Chaminade, Crespi, Oaks Christian.
League 2: Bishop Amat, Damien, Loyola, Notre Dame, Serra.
League 3: Cathedral, Harvard-Westlake, St. Francis, St. Paul
League 4: Bishop Montgomery, Cantwell-Sacred Heart, La Salle, Salesian, St. Bernard, Verbum Dei.
League 5: Bell-Jeff, Bosco Tech, Mary Star, St. Anthony, St. Genevieve, St. Monica.

TWEETS ON TODAY’S VOTE

The new league will only make Damien better and become more attractive as a football school. They need to embrace it, not complain about it.

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) May 7, 2013

Damien only private school near the hotbed of Inland Empire. Imagine the sell-job, come to beautiful La Verne and compete against the best

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) May 7, 2013

Hold everything Serra’s proposal passes … still bad for Damien as Sparty would be in a Pac-5 league with Amat, Loyola, ND, and Serra.

— Aram Tolegian (@aramtolegian) May 7, 2013

@sgvnsports Realistically Damien might not win a league game for a few years. #pac5

— Larry D. (@ldeethekang) May 7, 2013

@aramtolegian @sgvnsports What exactly is Damien looking/hoping for? Why don’t they want to compete with the big boys?

— Stephen Spiewak (@Spiewak) May 7, 2013

So I used the opportunity of being in Alhambra for the CAA releaguing to hit Pepes on the way home. #partylikeasportswriter

— Aram Tolegian (@aramtolegian) May 7, 2013

The final proposals came down to the Serra and St. Bonaventure proposals. Serra won over the St. Bonaventure, listed below.
League 1: Crespi, Damien, Notre Dame, Oaks Christian, St. Bonaventure.
League 2: Alemany, Bishop Amat, Chaminade, Loyola, Serra.
League 3: Cathedral, Harvard-Westlake, St. Francis, St. Paul
League 4: Bishop Montgomery, Cantwell-Sacred Heart, La Salle, Salesian, St. Bernard, Verbum Dei.
League 5: Bell-Jeff, Bosco Tech, Mary Star, St. Anthony, St. Genevieve, St. Monica.

Valle Vista League
Northview (20-6, 8-2) at San Dimas (20-6, 9-1), 4:30 p.m. – Vikings need to win to force decisive game for league title
Pomona at Covina, 3:15 p.m.
Nogales at Wilson, 3:15 p.m. – Nobles will make the playoffs as a Division 4 fourth-place wild card team.

Sierra League
Damien (13-10, 6-7) at Charter Oak (9-12, 4-9), 3:30 p.m. – Damien fighting to get in playoffs
Chino Hills (14-10, 6-7) at South Hills (19-5, 11-2), 3:30 p.m. – South Hills league champs
Claremont at Ayala, 3:30 p.m.

Mission Valley League
Arroyo (11-8, 10-3) at Rosemead (7-13, 6-7), 3:15 p.m. – Can clinch title outright today.
Mountain View (10-12, 8-5) at El Monte (10-11, 8-5), 3:15 p.m. – Winner finishes second in MVL
South El Monte (9-12, 6-7) at Gabrielino (1-19, 1-12), 3:15 p.m.

CIF-Southern Section Polls
Division 2: 1. San Clemente, 2. Redlands East Valley, 3. Cypress, 4. Temecula Valley, 5. Los Osos, 6. South Hills, 7. Redlands, 8. Oxnard, 9. Aliso Niguel, 10. Righetti, 11. La Mirada, Others, La Mirada, Glendora.
Fred’s thoughts: Isn’t quite like Sierra League football teams competing in the Inland football playoffs, but Division 2 is much tougher than anything Bonita, Northview, Bishop Amat, San Dimas and other Valley top teams will face in the postseason. South Hills is arguably the areas top team, but it doesn’t have a great shot at a title.

Division 3: 1. Bonita, 2. Serra, 3. Gahr, 4. Palm Desert, 5. Quartz Hill, 6. Loara, 7. Paloma Valley, 8. Diamond Bar, 9. Carter, 10. Paramount, Others, Mira Costa, Bishop Amat.
Fred’s Thoughts: Bishop Amat losing 8-0 to Cathedral at home snapped its eight-game win streak but more importantly, showed the Lancers can’t be counted on to win a big game when it has too. The Lancers dropped from the top ten and if it enters as a third place team, will likely draw a league champion in the first round. Bonita and Serra are the two best teams in the Division. The Bearcats have the pitching to go deep, but they also have a lineup that could struggle against a top pitcher in the postseason.

Division 4: 1. Oaks Christian, 2. Kaiser, 3. Laguna Beach, 4. Northview, 5. Sonora, 6. San Dimas, 7. Baldwin Park, 8. Montclair, 9. Don Lugo, 10. Ramona, others, Nogales, Monrovia, La Serna.
Fred’s Thoughts: San Dimas must feel under-appreciated when it leads Northview by two games in the Valle Vista with virtually the same overall record, yet is listed behind the Vikings in the polls. I would argue that the Valle Vista is the toughest league in this division, all four teams, including Nogales, are capable of going on a deep playoff run because of solid pitching. But first thing’s first, and that’s settling the Valle Vista League title this week.

All Baseball coaches in the East and West San Gabriel Valley need to nominate senior players for the annual San Gabriel Valley All-Star game on June 3 at Mt. San Antonio College. Nogales assistant coach Don Montanez is accepting nominations that can be faxed to him. The form is below, call Don directly if you have any questions, 909-730-1632. There were several teams last year that forgot to nominate players, so players of those teams should nudge their coaches along. FILL OUT THE FORM.

Player Nomination Form

Player _______________________________ School___________________________________
Primary Position _________ Secondary Position ______________________________________
Height ______________ Weight ______________ Uniform Number_______________________
Parents/ Guardian_______________________________________________________________
Home Address _________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________ Zip _______________ Phone ____________________
GPA (cumulative as of last semester) ________________________________________________
Bats _________________________ Throws ___________________________
ERA _________ W _____ L _____ K’s _____ Avg. _____ AB _____ H _____ HR _____ RBI ______
Years on Varsity ________________________________________________________________
Player Email Address_____________________________________________________________
Coach’s Comments ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Head Coach ____________________________________________________________________
Coach’s Email _____________________________Phone _______________________________
Return by fax to (626) 965-4587 Nogales High School: cc. Don Montanez
**All submissions are due by noon 5/13/2013

“The last three years they’re telling us to bring home that banner and it seems every year we choke in the semifinals, so hopefully this is the year we’ve straightened things out and figure out how to get it done.” – Bishop Amat catcher Lexi Gonzalez on preparing for the playoffs.

By Fred J. Robledo
If Bishop Amat catcher Lexi Gonzalez really turned on one, she might cause an accident on Orange Avenue.
Even when she doesn’t get all of it, it’s still enough to circle the bases.
The Oregon State-bound Gonzalez belted her fifth homer in the third inning, a two-run shot that was more than enough to help the Lancers to their third straight Del Rey League title, beating rival St. Paul 6-0 behind a complete game shutout from pitcher Sabrina Anguiano.
“I think she hit that off the hands,” Amat coach Jesse Mendez said. “She’s hit one to the street (in practice). But that’s her, she’s so consistent. They walked her the next time up to get to Amanda (Sanchez), who has six homers. That’s respect.”
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Thursday’s Baseball Games
Sierra League
Ayala (15-9, 5-7) at South Hills (18-5, 10-2), 3:30 p.m.
Damien (12-10, 5-7) at Chino Hills (14-9, 6-6), 3:30 p.m.
Claremont (12-9, 7-5) at Charter Oak (7-12, 3-9), 3:30 p.m.
Valle Vista League
Northview (19-6, 7-2) at Nogales (19-5, 5-4), 3:15 p.m.
Pomona (6-11, 0-9) at San Dimas (19-6, 8-1), 3:15 p.m.
Baldwin Park (19-5, 8-3) at Wilson (6-11, 2-7), 3:15 p.m.
Montview League
La Puente (10-9, 9-2) at Azusa (5-9, 5-4), 3:15 p.m.
Duarte (11-11, 8-3) at Sierra Vista (14-5, 8-3), 3:15 p.m.
Bassett (5-9, 3-7) at Ganesha (0-14, 0-7), 3:15 p.m.
Workman (2-14, 1-9) at Gladstone (12-8, 6-5), 3:15 p.m.

CENTERFIELD: What everyone should have on blast during pre-game … much better than that country stuff at South Hills.

HERE’S THE BEST BASEBALL SONG

CIF Track & Field League Finals Today
Hacienda League – at Diamond Bar
Sierra League – at Chino Hills
Valle Vista League – at San Dimas
Montview League – at Duarte
Del Rey League – at Monrovia

By Keith Lair, staff writer
Personal bests, school records, invitational medals and accolades can be thrown aside.
They will not mean very much if track and field athletes do not perform well this weekend. That’s because the road to the CIF State meet begins tonight with league championships for nearly every Valley athlete.
Only winners in each event will earn automatic berths into the CIF-Southern Section postseason meets. The other athletes must reach a pre-set qualifying standard this weekend to earn berths.
“Either you win or you hit a qualifying mark,” California High School coach Armando Padilla said. “That’s the goal.”
There will be nine league meets today and seven meets on Friday. Most have running events starting at 6 p.m.
“It’s who will qualify for CIF,” Arcadia coach Chris Schultz said. “That’s the key. In our league, third place should qualify, but we will not have a lot of at-large entries.”

Victories in the recent Arcadia Invitational and
Mt. SAC Relays will not mean much to South Pasadena High School’s Claire Kieffer-Wright if the reigning state high jump champion somehow does not do well in Friday’s Rio Hondo League meet.
Kieffer-Wright’s 6-foot jump at Mt. SAC is the top-ranked mark in the state. Seven other area athletes and two teams are ranked in the state’s top 25.
Bonita’s Dominique Wheatley is ranked fifth in the triple jump, South Pasadena’s Laura Anuakpado is fifth in the 400 meters, South Hills’ Josh Webster is fifth in the triple jump,
La Salle’s Daniel De La Torre is sixth, Santa Fe’s Kevin Ramirez and Bonita’s Mackenzie Landa is 15th – all in the 3,200 – Bishop Amat’s Darren Andrews and Phillip Johnson are 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 100, Monrovia’s girls 4×100 team is 12th and South Pasadena girls 4×400 relay team is ranked 13th.
South Pasadena is the reigning CIF-SS Division 3 girls champion and returns most of its athletes from that team.
League meets today include the Del Rey at Monrovia High, the Del Rio at
La Mirada, the Hacienda at Diamond Bar, the Mission at Occidental College, the Montview at Duarte, the Olympic at Heritage Christian, the Prep at Claremont College, the Sierra at Chino Hills and the Valle Vista at San Dimas.
Friday’s meets are the Almont at San Gabriel, Baseline at Los Osos, Horizon at Caltech, Mission Valley at Rosemead, Pacific at Arcadia, Rio Hondo at South Pasadena and Suburban at
La Mirada.
The four divisional CIF-SS preliminary meets are May 11, with the all-division CIF-SS finals May 18 at
Mt. SAC and the CIF-SS Masters Meet on May 24 at Cerritos College. The State meet is back at Clovis Memorial Stadium May 31 to June 1.
Several area athletes are just off top state marks, including California’s Raiven Ellis in the triple jump and Samuel Bautista in the 1,600. Ellis is among the top 10 jumpers in the CIF-SS Division 1.
“Division 1 is tough,” Padilla said. “It is definitely loaded.”
Divisions are aligned by school enrollment size.

MAXPREPS’ TRIBUNE SUPER 35 BASEBALL RANKINGS
1. Bonita, 21-3-1
2. South Hills, 17-5
3. San Dimas, 18-6
4. Northview, 18-6
5. Diamond Bar, 17-4
6. Chino Hills, 14-8
7. Glendora, 16-6
8. Bishop Amat, 13-10
9. Claremont, 11-9
10. Ayala, 14-8
11. Nogales, 19-4
12. Damien, 11-10
13. Baldwin Park, 16-5
14. Los Altos, 13-9
15. West Covina, 13-8-1
The Rest
16. Charter Oak (7-11), 17. Covina (9-15), 18. Diamond Ranch (7-15), 19. Walnut (11-14), 20. Sierra Vista (14-4), 21. Wilson (6-10), 22. Rowland (5-12), 23, La Puente (9-9), 24, Gladstone (11-8), 25. Pomona (6-10), 26, Arroyo (9-7), 27. Duarte (10-11), 28. El Monte (8-10), 29. Mountain View (8-11), 30. South El Monte (8-10), 31, Azusa (5-8), 32, Bassett (5-9), 33. Rosemead (6-12), 34. Workman (2-13), 35. Ganesha (0-14).

NOTE: There are several teams with incomplete records which affect the rankings. Isn’t that something, not only are gathering stats a problem, but some teams aren’t even posting game scores.

Picking an MVP and a first team will be extremely difficult with so many teams not posting stats. Look at the San Gabriel Valley leaderboard, there are far too many missing names from top schools. I guess it is what it is, transparency has been replaced by teams choosing to hide players, stats, etc, etc. We’ll probably have to rely on coaches input more than ever, but the names listed below have priority with me, at least I can follow along how they’re doing during the season. There are no surprises that way. What’s impressive in all the stats is the pitching. If there’s anything to take away from this small sample, it’s that power’s down and pitching is the story this season. Just looking over the list, two candidates stand out, Baldwin Park’s Ben Fonseca who is 7-1 on the mound with a .480 average, and Bonita’s Parker Merritt, 7-0 with a 0.61 ERA.

Above: I know South Hills pitcher Adrian De Horta is a candidate, but who knows what his stats are. Speaking of stats, so how many home runs does Florida home run derby champ David Denson actually have? These are the kind of stats that should be shared with the community. I imagine South Hills shared Jason Giambi’s stats back in the day, so why not today?

Top Hitters
1. Frankie Ramos, Rowland .519
2. John Correa, Mountain View, .500
3. Jeremy Giles, Claremont .484
4. Bryan Menendez, Bishop Amat .480
5. Josh Martinez, Mountain View, .478
6. Elias Orona, San Dimas .475
9. Ben Fonseca, Baldwin Park .471
10. Robert Longtree, Ayala .467
Home Run Leaders
4 – Steven San Miguel, Rosemead, Nick Costello, Claremont 4HR
3 – Eric Flores, Glendora, Anthony Rabito, Ayala, Garrett Ouellette, Glendora, Dominic Hilo, Baldwin Park, 3
RBI Leaders
35 – Anthony Rabito, Ayala
32 – Logan Murratalla, San Dimas
30 – Nick Costello, Claremont
26 – Eric Flores, Glendora
23 – Zeph Walters, Diamond Bar
22 – John Correa, Mountain View
21 – Jacob Blunt, Bonita; Bernardo Flores, Baldwin Park

TOP PITCHERS
1. Parker Merritt, Bonita, 7-0, 0.61 ERA
2. Zeph Walters, Diamond Bar, 8-1, 0.95 ERA
3. Ryan Viramontes, West Covina, 2-2, 0.95 ERA
4. Ben Fonseca, 7-1, 0.99 ERA
5. Erick Gutierrez, Sierra Vista, 5-1, 1.17 ERA
6. Chad Hockin, Bonita, 5-0, 1.40 ERA
7. Jon Reid, Bonita, 6-1, 1.45 ERA
8. Jimmy Lambert, San Dimas, 7-1, 1.48 ERA
9. Bailey Falter, Chino Hills, 5-3, 1.59 ERA
10. Andrew Luna, Sierra Vista, 3-2, 1.69 ERA

Northview coach Darren Murphy: “The goal is to be on the busride home Thursday with a shot to win this thing rather than needing help or hoping somebody loses. But you know Nogales is going to be ready. They’re going to rally them up and he (Nogales coach John Romano) will use every rally tactic he can.”

Nogales coach John Romano: “We’re in fourth, we’re 19-5 and we’re going to play Thursday. We’ve got the same team that won 22 games in a row last year and was the league champs. There is no magic here. We were beaten, we lost and they outplayed us. That’s the bottom line, there’s no sugar-coating it.”

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Northview all but ended what little chance Nogales had of defending its Valle Vista League title with a 7-0 shutout over the Nobles on Tuesday at Northview.
Vikings pitcher Niko Castaneda deserves most of the credit for out-dueling Nogales’ reigning league MVP pitcher Erik Gonzales, pitching a complete game and scattering five hits.
Castadena didn’t do it alone, Northview turned three double plays to improve to 19-6 and 7-2.
The Vikings, ranked fourth in Division 4, remain a game back of sixth-ranked San Dimas (19-6, 8-1), which defeated Pomona 5-0 behind a perfect game from Jimmy Lambert, who also had nine strikeouts.
Northview finishes league next week with two games against San Dimas that could decide the league title if the Vikings can defeat Nogales again on Thursday.
The Nobles are 19-5 overall, but a disappointing 5-4 in league to fall to fourth in the VVL behind Baldwin Park (18-5, 7-3).
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CIF RANKINGS
Division 2: 1. Cypress, 2. Redlands East Valley, 3. Temecula Valley, 4. San Clemente, 5. Los Osos, 6. South Hills, 7. Redlands, 8. Oxnard, 9. Dos Pueblos, 10. Aliso Niguel, 11. Glendora, 12. La Mirada.
Division 3: 1. Bonita, 2. Serra, 3. Gahr, 4. Palm Desert, 5. Quartz Hill, 6. Loara, 7. Paloma Valley, 8. Warren, 9. Diamond Bar, 10. Bishop Amat.
Division 4: 1. Oaks Christian, 2. Kaiser, 3. Laguna Beach, 4. Northview, 5. Sonora, 6. San Dimas, 7. Baldwin Park, 8. Montclair, 9. Nogales, 10. Don Lugo.

Here’s this week’s area baseball rankings
1. Bonita (21-2-1) – It’s going so good for the Bearcats that Sam Stavang threw a no-hitter and struck out 10 in a 9-0 shutout over Los Altos to improve the ‘Cats to 8-0 in the Hacienda. However, over the weekend Bonita suffered a 4-1 loss to Oaks Christian, ranked 11th in the state by Maxpreps.
2. South Hills (17-5) – The Huskies turned what was thought to be a close Sierra League title race into a three-game lead with four to play. The Huskies finish with two games against Ayala and Chino Hills, but it would take a mammoth collapse for the Huskies not to take the Sierra again.
3. Glendora (16-6) – The Tartans are still a game back of Los Osos, who it will face twice next week. That means it can’t afford to stumble with a pair against Etiwanda (11-10-1) this week.
4. San Dimas (18-6) – The Saints are in the Valle Vista drivers seat with a game lead over Northview and two easy games this week against Pomona while the Vikings play twice against Nogales. But the Saints have to finish the job next week with two against Northview, so all is not locked up yet.
5. Northview (18-6) – The Vikings’ 3-0 loss to Baldwin Park leaves them in a tough spot with two weeks to go and two games apiece against Nogales and San Dimas. But even if they totally screw up and somehow fall to fourth, it appears four teams from the VVL will make the playoffs. But nobody wants to go the wild card route.
6. Baldwin Park (18-5) – The Braves are in a great spot with only two games left in the VVL against Wilson, both games they should win to finish 9-3 in league, which is good for at least third and maybe better depending on how Northview, Nogales and San Dimas fare against each other over the final two weeks.
7. Nogales (19-4) – Nogales has the beautiful overall record on paper, but the Nobles are fourth in league and need to show they’re the real deal in the home stretch.
8. Diamond Bar (17-4) – The Brahmas suffered an unexplainable 2-0 loss to Walnut that dropped it to 6-2 in league, two games back of Bonita. That means the Brahmas likely have to win out, including beating Bonita twice next week to have a shot at sharing the title. Good luck with that.
9. Bishop Amat (13-10) – The Lancers have quietly won seven straight, including a nice non-league 4-2 win over La Mirada over the weekend. Amat, 4-2 in league, faces Cathedraol, 5-1, and in second, twice this week. If the Lancers sweep, then maybe they will be someone to reckon with in the playoffs.
10. Chino Hills (14-8) – The Huskies are tied with Claremont for second in the Sierra with 6-5 records, three games back of 9-2 South Hills.

CIF RANKINGS
Division 2: 1. Mission Viejo, 2. Moorpark, 3. Chino, 4. Lakewood, 5. Millikan, 6. Chino Hills, 7. Mayfair, 8. Royal, 9. Ayala, 10. Beckman.
Division 3: 1. Highland, 2. Burbank, 3. Bishop Amat, 4. Righetti, 5. Alemany, 6. La Serna, 7. California, 8. Torrance, 9. Colton, 10. North Torrance.
Division 5: 1. Citrus Valley, 2. Downey Calvary Chapel, 3. Nipomo, 4. Lakewood, 5. Millikan, 6. San Dimas, 7. Ridgecrest Burroughs, 8. Aquinas, 9. Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, 10. Silverado.

This week’s softball rankings:
1. Bishop Amat (18-4) – Amat can shut the door on the Del Rey League title with a win over St. Paul at home Thursday. They’ve been the areas best team from start to finish, but the CIF playoffs is where they need to show their stuff.
2. Ayala (15-4) – The Bulldogs are tied for first with Chino Hills and host the Huskies today in what should ultimately decide the league title. Who knew Ayala would be this good?
3. South Hills (15-5) – When you think of what the Huskies went through early in the season in losing coach Scott Fisch, who still hasn’t returned from administrative leave, this is one of the best stories in softball. The Huskies are 4-2 in league and control their own destiny finishing next week with Ayala and Chino Hills.
4. Chino Hills (19-7) – With Patricia Parks in the circle, everyone thought this would be the areas best team, but it hasn’t worked out the way. They suffered a shocking loss to South Hills and are now tied for first in the Sierra with Ayala, both 5-1 in league.
5. Bonita (18-6) – After Bonita finishes whipping on Walnut this week, the Hacienda League title will come down to two games in the final week against Diamond Bar, 7-1. Diamond Bar should beat up on Rowland too, so everything is set up for what should be championship week next week.
6. Charter Oak (17-6) – The Chargers are fourth and need a win over South Hills today for a chance at finishing third. Not sure if they’re a wild-card candidate if they finish fourth, but a big game regardless.
7. San Dimas (16-8) – The Saints are 9-0 in the Valle Vista and can clinch it outright next week against Northview. The Saints and Vikings are far-and-away the two best teams.
8. Northview (15-5) – The Vikings are 7-1 in the Valle Vista and have been solid most of the season. As long as they take care of all the games in between, they should face the Saints in the league finale for a piece of the title.
9. Duarte (15-3) – Duarte is dominating the Montview, 10-0 in league with nobody to challenge them. What the Falcons should do is challenge themselves next, and enter stronger tournaments next season.
10. South El Monte (13-4) – The Eagles are 11-0 in the Mission Valley and have done so easily. It must get tiring blowing away the competition like this. Then again, maybe not.

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
Exactly which side of the Valley plays the best high school basketball will be decided today when the 10th Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic is contested at Damien High School.
The girls game will be played at 6 p.m. followed by the boys at 8. Each game pits the top senior talent from the east and west sides of the Valley.

Fans are urged to arrive early to avoid a parking crush and traffic delays.
The Star-News will be looking to add to its lead in both series with the boys owning a 5-4 series edge and the girls leading 6-3.
“Anytime you’re competing, you’re trying to win,” said Flintridge Prep coach Garrett Ohara, who will coach the Star-News boys team. “We also think the best way for us to play well is to play together. And if we do that, then I think that will give us a good shot to win.”
The Star-News headliner is Pasadena’s Andre Spight, who was the Star-News Player of the Year this season. But there’s plenty more scoring power than just Spight on the squad, especially from the outside.
The Temple City tandem of Eric Olivas and Felix Awujo are dangerous from outside, as is Maranatha’s Jeremy Major. The Star-News has good size, too, with Pasadena’s Raymond Jackson, Maranatha’s Michael DeMeester and Flintridge Prep’s Kareem Ismail down low.
The Tribune will counter with a team that features several of this past season’s top scorers on the east side of the Valley. Arroyo’s Primitivo Gomez is hoping to showcase himself after leading the Knights with 25 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.

Covina’s Mike Peters can be a scoring force. So can Damien’s Jared Dizon.
Being able to play an up-and-down pace with ample athleticism on the team has Tribune coach Matt Dunn of Damien thinking his team could cause the Star-News some matchup problems.
“I think our strength is that it’s a really versatile group,” Dunn said. “We have a lot of guys between 6-foot and 6-3, and that should make for a fun game.”
So often in this series the winning team has been the one that’s played as a cohesive unit, which is something Ohara was stressing in practice this week.
“There’s an opportunity for some people who would want to showcase themselves and I think we’re going to curtail that a little bit,” Ohara said. “Playing together is huge for us. It’s about sharing the ball, effort and not settling for any shot when we can get a better shot.
“I think it will come down to how they cooperate. It’s about 15 guys and not about one guy.”

There will be a 3-point contest at halftime of each game. In the boys game, the Tribune will be represented by Dizon, Jordan Stokes (San Dimas) and Joseph Dionisio (Rowland). The Star-News sharpshooters will be Olivas, Awujo and Spight.
In the girls game, a battle of size against speed should ensue, with the Tribune team possessing a bevy of strong post players and the Star-News heavy with guards.
The Tribune is led by dynamic scorer Imari Brown of Duarte and the inside presence of Bishop Amat’s Mauriana Clayton and Leeah Powell.
The Star-News will counter with Keppel’s Alyson Lock, who was the Star-News Player of the Year and will play at Loyola Marymount next season.
The Star-News’ guards corps is led by Arcadia’s Melody Chang and Keppel’s Samantha Lee. Forwards Kayla Pounds (Blair) and Rosemead’s Melody Gauthier can score from anywhere on the floor.
The Tribune team is coached by Amat’s Richard Wiard while the Star-News is coached by Keppel’s Joe Kikuchi.
The Star-News 3-point contest shooters will be Gauthier, Lee and Chang. The Tribune was to determine its shooters in Thursday night’s practice.

ALL-STAR ROSTERS
TRIBUNE BOYS
Primitivo Gomez, Arroyo
Osnar Garcia, Workman
Mike Peters, Covina
Jared Dizon, Damien
Korey Hackett, Claremont
Nnadi Udengwu, Diamond Ranch
Skyler Williams, La Verne Lutheran
Jordan Stokes, San Dimas
Danny Johnson, Northview
Chris Arzadon, Rowland
Keith Cavanaugh, Damien
Joseph Cook, Bishop Amat
Joseph Dionisio, Rowland
Ryan Ramirez, Bonita
Jeriko Santos, South Hills
STAR-NEWS BOYS
Spencer Briglio, Keppel, Andre Spight, Pasadena, Raymond Jackson, Pasadena, Taturs Mayberry, Muir, Evan Bynum, Muir
Kareem Ismail, Flintridge Prep, Eric Oilvas, Temple City, Felix Awujo, Temple City, Jeremy Major, Maranatha, Michael DeMeester, Maranatha, Tyler Shimamoto, Gabrielino, Jasper Hwang, San Marino, Aarom Cosme, Alhambra, Jack Anderson, La Canada, Ryan Wiley, Rio Hondo Prep

TRIBUNE GIRLS
Yewande Alabi, Diamond Bar
Amanda Britt, West Covina
Imari Brown, Duarte
Kelli Calton, Wilson
Mauriana Clayton, Bishop Amat
Aileen Giang, El Monte
Jasmine Hamori, Los Altos
Tai Lark, Diamond Ranch
Jessica Lupercio, Arroyo
Imani Payton, South Hills
Leeah Powell, Bishop Amat
Kristi Sakamoto, Ayala
Stephanie Vana, Bonita
Jennifer Vasquez, Bishop Amat
Megan Ward, Northview
STAR-NEWS GIRLS
Julissa Aguirre, Arcadia, Melody Chang, Arcadia, Emma Wong, San Marino, Leigh Kunitake, San Marino, Alyson Lock, Keppel, Lesley Tan, Keppel, Samantha Lee, Keppel, Carina So, Keppel, Syndey Hua, Rosemead, Melody Gauthier, Rosemead, Dariel Johnson, Pasadena, Kayla Pounds, Blair, Amber Partida, South Pasadena, Lili Lim, Westridge, Ari Tagdis, San Gabriel

South Hills in playoffs, Damien on life support: South Hills clinched a playoff spot in the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs with a 4-0 win over Damien on Thursday.
“Anytime you can beat a team as well-coached as Damien, it’s a good win,” Huskies coach Kevin Smith said. “But we’re in first place and we want to win out and get the best possible seed we can because that’s huge.”
The Huskies (17-5, 9-2) got a two-hitter from senior Adrian De Horta, who shut out the Spartans for the second time this season.

Duarte 4, La Puente 3: Anthony Baroni is one of Duarte High School’s top hitters, but he bats No. 9 in the order.
On Thursday, the senior left fielder did not have any hits. But the way he hit the ball put the Falcons back in the Montview League race.
“It’s almost a little tease batting ninth,” Baroni said.
He laid down a fifth-inning bunt that led to a throwing error to ignite a Falcons rally. Then he hit bases-loaded sacrifice fly an inning later to propel the Falcons to a 4-3 victory over visiting La Puente for a split of the week series.

Thursday’s Results
Del Rey League
Bishop Amat 2, La Salle 1
Valle Vista League
Balwin Park 3, Northview 0
San Dimas 4, Covina 1
Nogales 15. Pomona 0
League Standings: San Dimas 7-1, Northview 6-2, Baldwin Park 6-3, Nogales 5-3, Covina 3-7, Wilson 2-6, Pomona 0-8

Sierra League
South Hills 4, Damien 0
Claremont 6, Chino Hills 3
Ayala 8, Charter Oak 1
League Standings: South Hills 9-2, Chino Hills 6-5, Claremont 6-5, Ayala 5-7, Damien 4-7, Charter Oak 3-8

Montview League
Duarte 4, La Puente 3
Azusa at Gladstone, 3:15 p.m.
Sierra Vista 6, Bassett 1
Ganesha at Workman, 3:15 p.m.

What: Tenth annual Tribune/Star-News All-Star Boys/Girls All-Star Classic
Where: Damien High School
When: Friday
Time: Girls, 6 p.m., Boys, 8 p.m.

“An hour into practice, I started calling (college) coaches I know telling them they better be over here on Friday night to see this kid. He’s really good, but nobody ever gets to see those kids.” – Damien and Tribune boys coach Matt Dunn on Arroyo’s Primitivo Gomez.

Got a feeling the Tribune boys/girls are going to sweep the Star-News at Friday’s All-Star Classic. Not just a feeling, guarantee it.

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) April 24, 2013

Damien’s Matt Dunn coaching the Boys and Bishop Amat’s Richard Wiard coaching the girls is a sweep waiting to happen #TRIBUNESWEEP

— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) April 24, 2013

By Aram Tolegian Staff Writer
Perhaps the best kept secret in the San Gabriel Valley when it comes to boys high school basketball is Arroyo’s Primitivo Gomez.

Gomez, who will play for the Tribune all-stars in Friday’s 10th Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic, may be ready to get the word out in a big way in his final prep game on Friday night.
And there should be an audience of next-level coaches there to watch it.
“An hour into practice, I started calling (college) coaches I know telling them they better be over here on Friday night to see this kid,” said Damien coach Matt Dunn, who will coach the Tribune team. “He’s really good, but nobody ever gets to see those kids.”
The boys all-star game is set for 8 p.m. at Damien High while the girls game is at 6 p.m., also at Damien.
Gomez, a 6-foot-5 combo forward/guard, led Arroyo to a 20-win season and the Mission Valley League championship. He averaged 25.7 points per game and 10.7 rebounds.
The Star-News has had no shortage of eye-opening players in practice, either. Star-News Player of the Year Andre Spight has shined, scoring from just about anywhere on the floor. Spight will play at UTEP next season, so he’s not in need of any late-stage scouting.
But there are several other talents who have turned heads at Star-News practice, according to Flintridge Prep coach Garrett Ohara, who will coach the west-side all-stars.
“Spight is so good on the ball, he’s such a threat on the perimeter and getting to the basket, but we have several guys flying under the radar here who can get after it,” Ohara said. “Tyler Shimamoto (Gabrielino) and Felix Awujo (Temple City), this was the first time I got to see them.
“They have such great defensive tenacity, so we’re going to commit to defending well. This isn’t going to be an NBA All-Star Game.”
Shootout expected
It’s no secret that 3-point shooting was the catalyst of Temple City’s breakout season this winter. The Rams won the Rio Hondo League behind sharpshooters like Eric Olivas and Felix Awujo. Olivas hit 114 3-pointers this season and Awujo added 44. Both will be in the 3-point shooting contest at halftime of the boys game along with Spight.
The Tribune team will be represented in the 3-point shooting contest by Jared Dizon (Damien), Jordan Stokes (San Dimas) and Joseph Dionisio (Rowland).
Secret weapon
Dunn has pulled former legendary Northview coach Ron Rice out of retirement to help him coach the Tribune all-stars.
Rice retired this winter after 41 years. And if the game’s close, Dunn said he knows who he’s going to turn to.
“The most important piece of the puzzle is that we have a legend on the sideline,” Dunn said. “He’s fully prepared. I told him that if we’ve got a tied game with seven seconds to go, he’s going to have to draw up the game-winner.”
FOR ROSTERS ON BOTH TEAMS, CLICK THREAD

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South Hills softball coach Scott Fisch normally handles the San Gabriel Valley all-star softball game, but with Fisch on administrative leave at the school, Bishop Amat coach Jesse Mendez has stepped up and offered to continue the event. Mt. SAC has hosted the game in recent years, but because of cost, the game might be moved to Citrus. As of now, date and location are to be determined, but most likely the game will be played on the Sunday or Monday following the CIF softball finals on June 1. Area coaches interested in nominating seniors need to contact Mendez at jmendez@bishopamat.org