About Steve Ramirez

Steve Ramirez has covered prep sports for San Gabriel Valley Newspapers since 1989.

Girls wrestling: Three area competitors take home second-place medals

No area girl was on the top of podium at the Girls CIF State wrestling championships Saturday, but the area did get four second-place finishes, while earning nine top-eight medals in Visalia.
The area medalists were West Covina’s Jennifer Lopez (116) and Yvette Garcia (160) and Baldwin Park’s McKayla Loza (189). The other top-eight placers were Diamond Ranch’s Trina Nguyen (101, sixth); Walnut’s Mia Dow (121, third); Sierra Vista’s Brianna Vilchis (126, eighth); Northview’s Mia Leon (143, third) and Deidra Valles (150, eighth); Bonita’s Natalie Romero (143, eighth).

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Northview wins another CIF-SS wrestling title


SANTA MARIA — It might be time to move the Northview High School wrestling team out of the CIF Southern Section Northern Division.The Vikings have been that dominant.
Northview, after easily winning the division last season with six individual champions, followed it up with four to score another division title Saturday at Santa Maria High School.
It was the Vikings’ sixth consecutive division title, and followed a Central Division dual title two weeks ago.
“It was the semifinals,” said Northview coach Bobby Bellamy of the Vikings going 8 for 8 in the round. “Our kids just really put it together. Everyone who wrestled, I felt, left every thing on the mat. They tried their hardest, and I couldn’t be more pleased with their effort, and the results. The kids got it done.”
Northview’s five champions were Eddie Flores (106 pounds), Richie Casillas (120), Andres Hooper (138), Steven Comstock (170) and Jackson La Serna (285). Flores and Casillas also won here last season.
Northview had eight competitors in the finals and will send nine to next week’s CIF-SS Masters Meet, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. The top five in each weight class qualified for next weekend. The CIF State championships are scheduled for March 4-5 at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield.
Also qualifying for Northview were Dominick Arellano (113, second), Gabriel Cortez (126, second), Ricky Marin (132, second) and Leo Sanchez (182, fifth).
The other area qualifiers were Rowland’s Daniel Galvan (113, second) and Christian Ramirez (132, fourth) and La Mirada’s Richard Romo (120, fifth), Carlos Reyes (132, fifth) and Manuel Romero (138, fourth).

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West Covina shines at CIF-SS Girls Wrestling championships


By Stephen Ramirez
steve.ramirez@langnews.com
@SteveRRamirez on Twitter
EASTVALE >>
West Covina High School has been one of the top girls wrestling programs in Southern California the past few seasons, and the Bulldogs lived up to that billing Saturday.
West Covina scored an event-high three individual champions for a strong fourth-place finish at the CIF Southern Section championships at Roosevelt High School.
Hillcrest won the team title, with Northview, led by 150-pound finalist Deidra Valles, third. The Vikings had five competitors among the top eight, with West Covina next at four.
Scoring titles for West Covina were Grecia Monasterio (111), Jennifer Lopez (116) and Yvette Garcia (160). Also scoring a title was Baldwin Park’s McKayla Loza, who beat Oak Hills’ Corey Burton in the 189 final. Other area finalists were Valles, Walnut’s Mia Dow (121) and Upland’s McKenna Hutchison (137).
All advance to the CIF State championships, scheduled for Visalia Convention Center on Feb. 26-27.
Other qualifiers were Walnut’s Justine Barredo (101, third), Lauren Cuellar (111, sixth), Jeselle Corpus (116, fourth) and Sarah Arellano (131, seventh); Diamond Ranch’s Trina Nguyen (101, fifth) and Tiffany Juarez (116, third); Rowland’s Grace Padilla (101, sixth); Northview’s Haven Driscoll (106, fifth), Julia Hooper (116, eighth), Julia Padilla (131, sixth) and Mia Leon (143, third); El Monte’s Brianne Penunuri (106, sixth); San Marino’s Claire Garcia (106, eighth); Barstow’s Elizabeth Wright (111, fourth); San Bernardino’s Andrea Contreras (111, eighth); Cajon’s Alicia Alba (121, fourth); Schurr’s Sarah Zaragoza (121, fifth); Bloomington’s Nicole Abea (121, eighth); Hesperia’s Suzy Chiquito (126, fourth); Chaffey’s Kimberly Espinoza (126, fifth) and Daisy Aguilar (170, sixth); Montclair’s Lesle Chicas (126, sixth); Sierra Vista’s Brianna Vilchis (126, eighth); Carter’s Michelle Camacho (143, fourth); Bonita’s Natalie Romero (143, sixth) and Alyssa Palmer (160, sixth); Gabrielino’s Jasmine Monroe (143, seventh); Chino’s Erika Aguila (150, seventh); Beaumont’s Kim Meza (160, sixth); San Dimas’ Jaylene Tiki Jaime (160, eighth); Baldwin Park’s Makayla Hernandez (170, fifth); Banning’s Aryana Ruth (235, fourth) and West Covina’s Janessa Munoz (235, eighth).
The big story, though, was the performance of West Covina’s winning trio, which was again led by Yvette Garcia, who scored four wins fall, including pinning Pioneer Valley’s Tiffany Santana at 3:31 in the 160 final. She’s had eight wins by fall the past two weekends. Her closest match was a 2-1 victory over Eastside’s Precious Bell in the semifinals.
“I really happy,” Garcia said. “I didn’t get to the finals last year. But it’s on my coaches for really pushing me.
“I dropped down a weight class (this season) and just tried to keep wrestling.”
Monasterio won at 111 after coming back from an early 2-0 deficit to win, 4-3.
“It’s unbelievable to win it,” Monasterio said. “Your whole season is striving to win it, and we you get it done, it’s a great feeling. We still have a long way to go, but it’s a great honor.”
Lopez had three wins by fall, including a pin at 2:41 over Coachella Valley’s Destiny Salinas in the 116 final. She came into to the meet ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS by The California Wrestler.
Baldwin Park’s Loza also had a comeback win. She came back from 3-2 and 4-3 deficits to beat Burton.

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CIF-SS Wrestling Duals: Northview wins for third consecutive season

Montclair's Bryan Cubillo, bottom, tries to break free of Northview's Ricky Marin, top, during their 132-pound weight class match in the semi-finals of Saturday's CIF-SS Central Division Dual Meet Wrestling Tournament at Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA Saturday, February 6, 2016. Northview went on to win the tournament.   (Photo by Mark Dustin for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

Montclair’s Bryan Cubillo, bottom, tries to break free of Northview’s Ricky Marin, top, during their 132-pound weight class match in the semi-finals of Saturday’s CIF-SS Central Division Dual Meet Wrestling Tournament at Alta Loma High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA Saturday, February 6, 2016. Northview went on to win the tournament.
(Photo by Mark Dustin for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> The CIF-SS Central Division Dual-Meet Wrestling Tournament progressed as expected, which was good news for Covina Northview and bad news for everyone else.The top-seeded Vikings rolled through the bracket, routing second-seeded upstart Riverside Hillcrest in the championship match 41-13 Saturday at Alta Loma High School.It was Northview’s third-straight CIF-SS Dual Meet title and fifth in the past six years.“All the credit goes to the kids,” Northview coach Bobby Bellamy said. “They were great.”Some years, Northview wrestles a team in the finals with which it is very familiar. That was not the case this time, with Hillcrest, a fledgling school which was in its first final.“I didn’t know much about them,” Bellamy admitted. “I didn’t even have much of a chance to scout them, but I had all the respect for them.”
— Pete Marshall

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Girls Wrestling: West Covina, Northview dominate regionals; Valley sends 93 to CIF-SS championships

The CIF Southern Section Central Divison girls wrestling regional was a battle between West Covina and Northview, with the Bulldogs edging the Vikings.
West Covina scored four individual titles, with Northing getting three. The Valley scored 10 of the 14 titles, with Walnut, Gabrielino and Baldwin Park all getting one champion each.
The winners for West Covina were Grecia Monasterio (111), Jennifer Lopez (116), Yvette Garcia (160) and Janessa Munoz (235). Northview’s champs were Alyssa Martinez (101), Haven Driscoll (106) and Julia Padilla (131).
The area’s other winners were Walnut’s Mia Dow (121), Baldwin Park’s McKayla Loza (189) and Gabrielino’s Jasmine Monroe (143).
The top eight qualifiers advance to next week’s CIF-SS championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Roosevelt High School in Eastvale.

CIF-SS REGIONALS
CENTRAL REGION
101

1. Alyssa Martinez (Northview); 2. Justine Barredo (Walnut); 3. Trina Nguyen (Diamond Ranch); 5. Grace Padilla (Rowland); 6. Alicia Barrera (Sierra Vista); 8. Amairani Villa (Nogales).
106
1. Haven Driscoll (Northview); 2. Victoria Orozco (Sierra Vista); 3. Brianne Penunuri (El Monte); 3. Cassidy Do (Gabrielino); 5. Claire Garcia (San Marino); 7. Samantha Ma (Baldwin Park).
111
1. Grecia Monasterio (West Covina); 2. Victoria Gutierrez (San Dimas); 3. Lauren Cuellar (Walnut), 5. Krystal Velazquez (Sierra Vista); 5. Cristal Reyes (El Monte), 7. Steph Mondragon (Rosemead), 7. Alejandra Maldonado (Schurr).
116
1. Jennifer Lopez (West Covina), 2. Tiffany Juarez (Diamond Ranch), 3. Jeselle Corpus (Walnut), 3. Hannah Macias (South El Monte), 5. Julia Hooper (Northview), 8. Bianca Arenas (San Dimas).
121
1. Mia Dow (Walnut), 2. Sarah Zaragoza (Schurr), 4. Ana Maria Hidalgo (Northview), 5. Yessenia Deangel (El Monte), 7. Mary Tuite (Monrovia), 8. Briana Santos (Nogales).
126
3. Clarissa Gaeta (West Covina), 4. Brianna Vilchis (Sierra Vista), 5. Casey Youn (Arroyo), 6. Jennifer Garcia (El Monte), 7. Melissa Sanchez (Walnut), 8. Alondra May (Rosemead).
131
1. Julia Padilla (Northview), 2. Kelly Jimenez (Rowland), 3. Sarah Arellano (Walnut), 5. Amanda Calvanico (San Dimas), 6. Marissa Arechiga (Santa Fe), 8. Bobbie Devery (Baldwin Park).
137
3. Alyssa Gomez (Walnut), 4. Nelly Mendoza (El Monte), 5. Denae Rojas (Whittier), 6. Rosie Bolanos (Bassett), 7. Jackie Alzate (West Covina), 8. Angelica Garcia (Northview).
143
1. Jasmine Monroe (Gabrielino), 2. Mia Leon (Northview), 3. Natalie Romero (Bonita), 4. Roxanna Barragon (California), 5. Valerie Alacron (Bassett), 6. Alex Garcia (El Monte), 7. Maricela Ramos (Walnut), 8. Mercedes Gamboa (Arroyo).
150
2. Mariah Ramirez (Walnut), 3. Deidra Valles (Northview), 5. Valerie Clark (Bassett), 6. Marleen Hernandez (Diamond Ranch), 7. Aylin Garcia (Arroyo), 8. Chasity Cortez (Rowland).
160
1. Yvette Garcia (West Covina), 2. Alyssa Palmer (Bonita), 3. Brianna Harrison (Walnut), 4. Jaylene Tiki Jaime (San Dimas), 5. Skye-Lynn Bojorquez (San Gabriel), 6. Carissa Clark (Bassett), 7. Anisa Garcia (Northview).
170
2. Serena Carillo (Northview), 3. Makayla Hernandez (Baldwin Park), 4. Sophie Garcia ( La Canada), 5. Breanna Estrada (El Monte), 6. Natalia Puig-Falcon (Walnut), 8. Andrea Montes (Azusa).
189
1. McKayla Loza (Baldwin Park), 2. Kayli Carruthers (San Dimas), 3. Talia Schroeder (Northview), 4. Angelica Avila (Azusa), 5. Jezabel Diaz (Gabrielino), 6. Adzareli Ramirez (El Monte), 7. Cheyenne Garcia (La Canada).
235
1. Janessa Munoz (West Covina), 2. Briena Lopez (El Monte), 4. Miranda Marquez (Northview), 5. Alyssa Sanchez (Baldwin Park), 6. Kayla Villaescusa (South Hills), 7. Allison Zamorano (California), 8. Veronica Hernandez (South El Monte).
NORTHERN REGIONAL
126

7. Savannah Meave (Bishop Amat)
170
4. Gillian Almanza (Bishop Amat)
189
4. Vivianna Garcia-Reveles (Bishop Amat)

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Girls Basketball: St. Paul stretches win streak over Bishop Amat to three games, wins, 40-33

Varsity basketball action between the Bishop Amat Lady Lancer and the St. Paul Swordsmen at St. Paul Thursday January 14, 2016. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)

Varsity basketball action between the Bishop Amat Lady Lancer and the St. Paul Swordsmen at St. Paul Thursday January 14, 2016. (Correspondent photo by Chris Burt/Sports)

GIRLS BASKETBALL
ST. PAUL 40, BISHOP AMAT 33

SANTA FE SPRINGS — After years of being dominated by Bishop Amat High School, the St. Paul girls basketball team is slowly turning the tables on the Lancers.Dating back to the 2004-05 season, Amat holds an 11-3 advantage over the Swordsmen.But the Swordsmen won their third consecutive game over the visiting Lancers, dating back to last season, with a 40-33, victory Thursday night in a Del Rey League game.
Bishop Amat had won the previous three meetings before being swept last season.
Leading the way for St. Paul (13-8, 1-1) was sophomore forward Valerie Godinez and junior forward Na’lon Smith with 11 points each.
The Lancers (5-12, 0-2) were led by sophomore guard Casie Santos (11 points) and junior forward Natalie Rodriguez (10 points).
St. Paul went on a 7-2 run to start the quarter and held a 22-13 lead at the half.
St. Paul built up its biggest lead of the game, 29-17, in the third quarter on a three-pointer by senior forward Adriana Gonzalez with 2:50 remaining.
St. Paul coach Robert Miller: “I’m not going to lie, but to win three in a row is nice. It’s a great rivalry no matter what, even when they had the better talent. They didn’t feel comfortable coming here to play. This is a very tough league and we’re happy to get the victory. We lost three in a row, so it was a nice win.”
St. Paul’s Valerie Godinez: “It feels great, actually, to beat them. This is a big win for us in league. We played hard (early), but kind of slacked off a bit, but started playing hard at the end of the quarter.”
Bishop Amat coach Antoine Adkins: “We come out scrappy, that’s how we are and we’ll give it everything we got. Our defense is what is keeping us in games, but our offense and we’re always in the lab trying to find something new.”
— John Sherrard

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Boys Basketball: Charter Oak preps for Hacienda League with win over El Rancho

El Rancho plays Charter Oak in their non-league boys basketball game at El Rancho high School on Wednesday January 6, 2016. Charter Oak beat El Rancho 59-46. (Photo by Keith Durflinger/Whittier Daily News)

El Rancho plays Charter Oak in their non-league boys basketball game at El Rancho high School on Wednesday January 6, 2016. Charter Oak beat El Rancho 59-46. (Photo by Keith Durflinger/Whittier Daily News)

BOYS BASKETBALL
CHARTER OAK 59, EL RANCHO 46


PICO RIVERA — PICO RIVERA >> Charter Oak High School’s boys basketball team knew it could play better after losing to El Rancho in December.The Chargers showed it Wednesday.William Vest scored 18 points and Michael Anyanwu had 16 as Charter Oak got ready for Hacienda League play with a 59-46 victory over the host Dons in a nonleague game.
DJ Munoz and Andres Flores had six points each for the Chargers, who improved to 7-5. Jacob Baltierra scored 11 points and Noah Losoya had 10 for El Rancho, which slipped to 9-6.
The key moments for Charter Oak came in the first half went it put together a 12-2 blitz en route to leading 27-11 at halftime. Vest scored 13 in the first half, including back-to-back 3-pointers as Charter Oak outscored El Rancho 20-9 in the second quarter.
The Chargers also held the Dons to three field goals during the first half, including zero in the first quarter.
Charter Oak’s Michael Anyanwu: “I feel confident after getting this win to a team who beat us the last time. We can play with most teams and we’ll be ready. It’s a great win. I’m proud of my teammates. We all played hard. We had a big lead by halftime. We came out rolling.”
Charter Oak coach Randy Thatcher: “Defensively, we switched things up from when we played them the first time. But the real problem for us has been offensively, putting the ball in the hoop. Tonight, we scored pretty consistently.”
— Stephen Ramirez

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