By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Northview High School issued a press release on Tuesday crafted by the “Northview administrative team” to announce that the school promoted junior varsity boys basketball coach Eric Johnson to take over the Vikings varsity program, succeeding legendary coach Ron Rice, who retired after 41 years and who started teaching at Northview in 1969.
The letter was released by athletic director David Ochoa, who along with principal Dr. Josie Paredes, made the decision.
Johnson graduated from Northview in 2007 and competed for San Francisco State University. Most recently, he has been the junior varsity coach the past two seasons. Johnson is not a full-time teacher, he’s a substitute working on his teaching certification.
It was a surprising decision considering Ron Rice’s son Brian Rice, his top assistant for more than a decade and the head of the social studies department at Northview, also had applied to succeed his father and continue the Rice legacy at the school.
Those were also Ron Rice’s sentiments, who admitted his disappointment last week when Ochoa confirmed the school had decided not to promote Brian Rice because of philosophical differences, a decision that Ochoa and Paredes, a first-year principal at the school, agreed on.
Continue reading →

Full baseball pairings are posted on the CIFSS.ORG Website. We will post the results as soon as we get them.

CIF-Southern Section Baseball Playoffs
Division 2
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Pioneer Valley at Arcadia; B: Yorba Linda at Beckman, C: Buena at Rio Mesa; D: Etiwanda at Mayfair: E: Chino Hills at Righetti; F: Great Oak at Yucaipa; G: Laguna Hills at Glendora; H: Bellflower at Irvine; I: San Luis Obispo at Burbank Burroughs; J: San Juan Hills at Pacifica, K: Oxnard Pacifica at Damien: L: Pasadena at Santa Barbara; M: Claremont at Upland; N: Cajon at Burbank; O: Kennedy at Norwalk
Friday’s First Round
Upper Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Redlands East Valley
WC B at Vista Murrieta
WC C at South Hills
WC D at San Clemente
WC E at Oxnard
WC F at Crescenta Valley
WC G at Dos Pueblos
WC H at No. 4 Cypress
Bottom Bracket
WC I at No. 3 Los Osos
WC J at Northwood
WC K at La Mirada
WC L at Reldands
WC M at Aliso Niguel
Camarillo at Placentia Valencia
WC N at Arroyo Grande
WC O at No. 2 Temecula Valley

Division 3
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Xavier Prep at Cathedral; B: Peninsula at Lancaster; C: Hawthorne at Temecula Canyon; D: Downey at Rialto; E: Highland at Beverly Hills; F: St. Paul at Rancho Alamitos; G: Redondo Union at Segerstrom; H: Cathedral City at Warren; I: Palm Springs at West Covina
Thursday’s First Round
Upper Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Bonita
Culver City at Elsinore
Westminster at Paramount
WC B at Carter
WC C at Quartz Hill
Los Altos at Mira Costa
Garden Grove Santiago at Bishop Amat
WC D at No. 4 Palm Desert
Bottom Half
WC E at No. 3 Gahr
San Gorgonio at La Quinta
West Torrance at Diamond Bar
WC F at Loara
WC G at Paloma Valley
WC H at Garden Grove
Knight at Santa Monica
WC I at No. 2 Serra

Division 4
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Fullerton at San Marino; B: Garey at Fontana; C: Estancia at Montebello; D: Northview at Ridgecrest Burroughs; E: Summit at Bell Gardens; F: Barstow at California; G: St. Bonaventure at Torrance; H: Victor Valley at Montclair; I: North Torrance at La Habra; J: Anaheim at El Rancho; K: Godinez at Bishop Diego; L: Chaffey at El Segundo; M: Nogales at Norte Vista
Friday’s First Round
Top Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Oaks Christian
WC B at Savanna
WC C at South Torrance
WC D at Ramona
WC E at Sonora
WC F at La Canada
SA Calvary Chapel at Chino
WC G at No. 4 San Dimas
Bottom Bracket
WC H at No. 3 Laguna Beach
La Sierra at Monrovia
WC I at La Serna
Century at Baldwin Park
WC J at Don Lugo
WC K at Alhambra
WC L at Granite Hills
WC M at Kaiser

Division 5
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Village Christian at Riverside Notre Dame; B: Lompoc at Cantwell Sacred Heart; C: Arrowhead Christian at Beaumont; D: San Jacinto at Apple Valley: E: Gladstone at Cerritos Valley Christian; F: Campbell Hall at Lompoc Cabrillo; G: Western Christian at Desert Hot Springs
Thursday’s First Round
Upper Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Paraclete
El Monte at La Puente
Hesperia at Woodcrest Christian
WC B at Tahquita
Calvary Murrieta at Shadow Hills
St. Bernard at Santa Ynez
Duarte at Maranatha
WC C at No. 4 Citrus Valley
Bottom Bracket
WC D at No. 3 Ontario Christian
Brentwood at Arroyo
Jurupa Hills at Big Bear
WC E at Templeton
WC F at Mary Star
Whittier Christian at Hemet
Mountain View at Sierra Vista
WC G at Oak Hills

BREAKING NEWS: The San Gabriel Valley softball all-star game will be at Diamond Bar, Monday June 3 at 5 p.m. Coaches should get nominations to jmendez@bishopamat.org ASAP.

For a complete list of the CIF-SS Softball pairings, visit the CIF Website

Division 2
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Aliso Niguel at Diamond Bar; B: Ayala at La Mirada; C: Cajon at Millikan; D: Simi Valley at Montclair; E: Tesoro at Northwood; F: La Reina at Cerritos; G: Los Altos at Thousand Oaks; H: Agoura at South Hills; I: Long Beach Poly at Dana Hills; J: Chaffey at Laguna Hills: K: Norwalk at Oaks Christian.
Thursday’s First Round
Top Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Mission Viejo
WC B at Don Lugo
WC C at Nordoff
Woodbridge at Royal
WC D at Chino Hills
Capistrano Valley at Yucaipa
WC E at Bonita
WC F at Lakewood
Bottom Half
WC G at Chino
Oak Park at Trabuco Hills
WC H at Beckman
WC I at Mayfair
WC J at Redlands East valley
West Covina at Charter Oak
El Toro at Long Beach Wilson
WC K at Moopark

DIVISION 3
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Downey at Santa Fe, B: San Gorgonio at Arcadia; C: Fontana at St. Paul; D: Arroyo Grande at Peninsula; E: Quartz Hill at Chaminade; F: Crescenta Valley at La Salle; G: El Segundo at Troy: H: West Torrance at Lancaster; I: Burbank Burrough at Arroyo Valley; J: Knight at Kaiser; K: El Rancho at Pioneer Valley.
Thursday’s First Round
Top Bracket
WC A at No. 1 Highland
WC B at La Habra
WC C at Alemany
WC D at North Torrance
Paramount at California
WE E at Redondo Union
Grand Terrace at Carter
WC F at No. 4 Rightetti
Bottom Half
WC G at No. 3 Bishop Amat
WC H at La Serna
Paso Robles at Harvard Westlake
WC I at Colton
WC J at Warren
Mira Costa at Torrance
Rialo at Sunny Hills
WC K at No. 2 Burbank

Division 4
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Coachella Valley at Los Amigos; B: Palm Springs at Hesperia, C: Ventura at San Marino; D: Bevely Hills at Ocean View; E: Serrano at Jurupa Valley; F: West Valley at Indio; G: La Quinta at Whittier Christian; H: Westminster at Cerritos Valley Christian; I: Apple Valley at Temescal Canyon; J: Gabrielino at Culver City
Thursday’s First Round
Top Half
WC A at No. 1 Segerstrom
WC B at Santa Monica
WC C at South El Monte
La Sierra at Paloma Valley
WC D at Rancho Alamitos
La Quinta at Beaumont
WC E at Maranatha
Monrovia at No. 4 Dos Pueblos
Bottom Half
Hawthorne at No. 3 Loara
Arroyo at Patriot
WC F at Oak Hills
WC G at Heritage
WC H at Hemet
WC I at Palm Desert
Garden Grove at Temple City
WC J at No. 2 Buena

Division 5
Tuesday’s Wild Card
A: Covina at Victor Valley; B: Estancia at Calvary Murrieta, C: Morro Bay at Ramona Convey, D: Archer School for Girls at La Puente; E: Barstow at Marshall; F: Woodcrest Christian at Laguna Beach; G: Wilson at Banning; H: Azusa at Lompoc
Thursday’s First Round
Top Half
WC A at No. 1 Citrus Valley
WC B at Sierra Vista
Montebello at Paraclete
WC C at Savanna
WC D at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Alhambra at San Dimas
Silverado at Ontario Christian
Immaculate Heart at No. 4 Nipomo
Bottom Half
WC E at No. 3 Lompoc Cabrillo
WC F at Schurr
Katella at Northview
Duarte at Jurupa Hills
WC G at Aquinas
Anaheim at Ridgecrest Burroughs
Godinez at Malborough
WC H at No. 2 Calvery Chapel Downey

To view all the proposals, click here

Breaking News: Proposal H won after heated discussions at Monday’s Mt. SAC re-league meeting that starts for the 2014-15 sports season. The big winner is Charter Oak, which moves from to the Sierra to the Hacienda League. Prop H granted some relief for Glendora, which moves from the Baseline to the Sierra while Chino Hills leaves the Sierra for the Baseline. Bonita, South Hills and Diamond Bar may not like the move to the Sierra, but without Damien, Chino Hills (and Charter Oak in football), it’s not that bad of a league. In fact it looks fair. The big question becomes, will the Sierra stay in the Inland Division for football? Probably not, at the end of the day, look for the Sierra to get relief in football. Big loser is Rowland, which was hoping to get relief from the Hacienda to the Valle Vista. Leaving Rowland in the Hacienda is a lose-lose all the way around. Another big loser is Chino Hills and Ayala, which will find it much tougher in all sports in the Baseline. Baldwin Park also must stay in the Valle Vista after pleading to move to the Montview and thank goodness, Edgewood is back in 2014. What are your thoughts on how it all went down?

Mt. SAC Area League realignment for the 2014-15 season
Proposal H wins
League 1 (Baseline): Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Ayala
League 2 (Sierra): Bonita, Chino, Claremont, Diamond Bar, Glendora, South Hills
League 3 (Hacienda): Charter Oak, Diamond Ranch, Los Altos, Rowland, Walnut, West Covina
League 4 (Mt. Baldy): Alta Loma, Chaffey, Colony, Don Lugo, Montclair, Ontario
League 5 (Valle Vista): Baldwin Park, Covina, Nogales, Northview, San Dimas, Wilson
League 6 (Montview): Azusa, Duarte, Gladstone, Sierra Vista, Workman
League 7 (Robledo League): Bassett, Edgewood, Ganesha, Garey, La Puente, Pomona

Continue reading →

Aram reports that Antonio “Noodles” Hull, who transferred from West Covina to Diamond Bar, has been declared ineligible until Nov. 9. Read more on In the Huddle

CIF-SS DIVISION 2 SWIMMING FINALS RESULTS
Division 2 Swimming Finals photo gallery

By Keith Lair
RIVERSIDE – If the Riverside City College swimming pool had been open for practice Nicole Gautreau, her Glendora High School teammates and coaches all would have plunged in.
Going for a dunk is a tradition for winning a CIF-Southern Section team championship, but certainly not for an individual title.
After Gautreau scored a surprising victory in the 500-yard freestyle in the CIF-SS Division 2 finals on Saturday morning at Riverside, the poolside celebration came close to a swimathon, if the boys 500 free was not next to start.
“I honestly did not think I would win,” Gautreau said. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Continue reading →

By Fred J. Robledo, staff writer
When it comes to Northview High School basketball, the big curiosity is when the school will finally name the gym or floor after the house that legendary boys basketball coach Ron Rice built, not who would take over following his more than four decades at the school.
Naturally, most assumed, it would be his son Brian, his longtime assistant for more than a decade and also a social studies teacher at the school.
But in what is sure to be one of the most controversial decisions in years, Northview athletic director David Ochoa and first-year principal Dr. Josie Paredes have decided not to promote Brian Rice as the boys varsity basketball coach, according to Ochoa.
Instead, Ochoa explained, Paredes is expected to name a walk-on coach to replace Ron Rice, who retired this season after 44 years while grooming his son to take over.
Ochoa, also in charge of the wrestling program, would not comment on the reasoning behind the decision but acknowledged he supported his principal’s decision. Ochoa also said he expected the new coach to be named soon. Messages have been left for Paredes and Brian Rice seeking comment, but were not returned.
“I’ve been here 24 years and I’m behind her (Paredes) decision,” Ochoa said. “I think she’s a good person, and it wasn’t an easy decision for her, but it’s her decision. There’s just a difference in philosophy.”
At the Tribune/Star-News all-star classic at Damien a couple weeks ago, Ron Rice said he was disappointed the school decided to fly the position instead of naming his son the next coach.
“Mark Sims, the principal before (Paredes), said it was cut and dry Brian would be the coach when I left,” Ron Rice said. “Those were his wishes. He told me to coach as long as I liked and when you’re ready to make the switch, make the switch. It always seemed like the natural thing to do. He’s here, he teaches here and he’s been doing this with me for a long time.”
Ron Rice, who began teaching at the school in 1969 and became the head coach in 1971, retired this season after nearly 600 victories and winning the league title seven of the past ten years. He is not only one of the most decorated coaches in Valley history, he’s one of the most respected too.
“After 44 great years, to have this (decision) in my mind tarnishes it a bit,” Ron Rice said. “Obviously, it bothers me.”
It’s a difficult decision to understand given Ron Rice’s legacy, longevity and commitment to the school, that his son will likely be passed over for a walk-on coach.
“I’m in an awkward position being his dad,” Ron Rice said. “I didn’t get a whole lot of input and wasn’t asked a whole lot (about hiring the next coach).
“It’s obviously known what my wishes were and it’s been something Brian’s been looking forward to for a long time since he began teaching at Northview. He’s been part of this school forever, he started as our ball-boy, so, yeah, it’s hard for me to understand why they would do this.”

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.”

Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

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.”
Continue reading →

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.”
Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

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.”

Continue reading →

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.”
Continue reading →

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).
Continue reading →