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 Steve Ramirez
twitter.com/SteveRRamirez
BALDWIN PARK – The race for the Montview League softball title will likely be a shared championship.
Sierra Vista High School saw to that Tuesday.
Franki Caudillo had three hits and an RBI and was steady in the circle to lead the host Dons to a 6-1 victory over Duarte.
Caudillo tossed a five-hitter and struck out seven for Sierra Vista, which improved 16-4 overall and 12-1 in league play.
Duarte, which beat the Dons, 2-0, on April 11, slipped to 17-4 and 12-1.
Both teams finish the regular season against Azusa and Bassett, respectively, on Thursday. The Aztecs and Olympians began the week tied for fourth with 6-6 league records.
“It was a big game today,” Sierra Vista coach Jerry Osegura said. “The girls really stepped it up. The first time around (Duarte) got us. It put a bad taste in our mouth and the girls worked hard all week.
“We knew today was a different day, and the girls got ‘em.”
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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

Damien High School was the top boys volleyball team in the Hacienda League this season.
The Spartans hope to continue that success when they open the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 playoffs tonight.
Damien, which which went 13-1 in league play en route to a 20-9 overall record, hosts St. Anthony at 7 p.m.
The Spartans are led by senior outside hitter Kevin Alfaro, who has 164 kills, and junior middle blocker Eric Leggio, who has 106. Junior setter Bobby White has 342 assists.
St. Anthony (12-11), which finished third in the Santa Fe League, counters with junior outside hitter Ky’ronn Forbes, who has 65 kills.
The Spartans are one of three local teams who will will be in the Division 4 playoffs.
West Covina (18-7) and Diamond Ranch (14-8), which finished second and third behind Damien in the Hacienda League, will face road matches tonight.
The Bulldogs are at Sage Hill (9-10), the No. 2 team from the Academy League, with the Panthers at Orange League champion Katella (15-11). Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
The second round and quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The semifinals are May 15 with the finals slated for Santiago Canyon College on May 18.

Wilson was the lone area team to be seeded, receiving the No. 2 slot in Division 4 when the CIF-SS released its Boys Tennis playoff pairings on Monday.
The Wildcats (17-1), who went 10-0 in the Valle Vista League, will open the playoffs at home on Wednesday against either San Gabriel or Godinez, who meet in the wild-card round today.
Overall, 18 area schools will be in the playoffs, which begins today with wild-card matches. The first round is slated for Wednesday, with the second and quarterfinal rounds scheduled for Friday and Monday, respectively. The semifinals are May 15, with the finals at Claremont Club on May 17.
All matches before the finals are scheduled for 3 p.m.
Eight area teams have wild-card matches today, including traditional powers Walnut (12-3) and South Hills (14-3), who are in Division 2. The Mustangs host Flintridge Prep (8-7), while the Huskies are at home against Golden Valley (8-8).
Other noted first-round matches include Ayala (9-9) at Diamond Bar (11-6) in Division 2 and El Monte (10-6) at Duarte (12-4) in Division 5.

CIF-SS BOYS TENNIS SCHEDULE
DIVISION 2
WILD CARD — Tuesday
Flintridge Prep (8-7) at Walnut (12-3)
Golden Valley (8-8) at South Hills (14-3)
Pacifica/Oxnard (9-7) at Bonita (7-6)
FIRST ROUND — Wednesday
Oxnard-West Ranch at Rowland (25-0)
Palm Springs (15-5) at Claremont (12-2)
Ayala (9-9) at Diamond Bar (11-6)
DIVISION 3
WILD CARD — Tuesday
Glendora (10-9) at Norwalk (12-6)
DIVISION 4
WILD CARD — Tuesday
Montebello (9-8) at Covina (11-4)
San Dimas (13-5) at Loara (7-10)
FIRST ROUND — Wednesday
San Gabriel-Godinez at Wilson (17-1)
DIVISION 5
WILD CARD – Tuesday
Arroyo (6-10) at El Rancho (13-7)
Sierra Vista (6-6) at St. Monica (8-3)
FIRST ROUND — Wednesday
El Monte (10-6) at Duarte (12-4)
Ganesha (11-6) at Rosemead (11-4)

By Steve Ramirez
Staff Writer
LA PUENTE – Bishop Amat High School was hoping to lock up second place in the Del Rey League Friday.
Cathedral had other ideas.
The visiting Phantoms, taking advantage of back-to-back Lancer errors in the sixth and a solid effort on the mound from Brian Duenas, took over the No. 2 slot with a 5-0 victory over Bishop Amat in a Del Rey League baseball game.
Duenas tossed a four-hitter and struck out four for Cathedral, which improved to 14-13 overall and 6-2 in league play. The Phantoms also received two-run singles from Henry Martinez and Chris Recendis.
Bishop Amat, which had its seven-game winning streak snapped, slipped to 14-11 and 5-3.
The Lancers, despite the setback, are still in good position to finish in second, with Cathedral facing first-place Serra twice next week while Bishop Amat gets a home and home series against last-place Bishop Montgomery.
But for now, the Lancers will reflect on their miscues on Friday.
“The bottom line is that we were trading punches, locked in a 0-0 game and we broke down on defense,” Bishop Amat coach Andy Nieto said. “We couldn’t get an out on a bunt, hit a batter … We broke down. Their pitcher did a good job. He threw strikes and they made the plays on defense.
“You can’t expect to win when you make three errors in one inning. It was 0-0 going into (the sixth) and we didn’t play championship defense. That was the difference in the game.”
Continue reading →

By Steve Ramirez
steve.ramirez@sgvn.com
DIAMOND BAR – Heat is normally not conducive to top performances in track and field.
Thursday was the exception.
Temperature which soared near 100 degrees did little to stop the efforts of area athletes competing at the Hacienda League finals at Diamond Bar High School’s Holmes Memorial Stadium.
Bonita High School’s Marissa Scott broke the stadium marks in the 800 and 1,600 as seven stadium records fell and 10 athletes won two events each.
Also setting stadium records were Diamond Bar’s Udodiri Okwandu in the girls 200; Bonita’s Mackenzie Landa in the 3,200, Rowland’s David Galvez in the 800 and 1,600 and Los Altos’ Mark Huizar in the 3,200.
The other double winners were Bonita’s Nikki Wheatley in the long jump and triple jump and Devin Rutherford in the 200 and 400; Los Altos’ Gabriel Aceves in the 110 and 300 hurdles; Rowland’s Devin Thompson in the long jump and triple jump and Desdrith Mejia in the 100 and 300 hurdles; Walnut’s Andres Shen in the shot put and discus and Carolyn Nguyen in the discus and pole vault and Okawandu, who also won the 100.
Scott lowered the stadium record by winning the 800 in two minutes, 18.95 seconds and the 1,600 in 5:02.97.
“It went really well,” Scott said. “That was my goal today. I wanted to make sure I just ran my races and I felt pretty good that if I did that, I would come out with wins in both (events).”
Landa lived up to the billing as one of the state’s top distance runners, easily beating the field to win the 3,200 in record time at 11:06.88.
“I just she ran a gutsy, determined race, especially in this heat,” Bonita coach Lonny Carr said. “She’s not a real physical girl, but she trains very, very hard. It was a nice pace. I think she tried really hard to go under 11. It backfired a little bit in this heat and eventually got to her. But it’s a league record and looks very good for CIF.”
Galvez also wasn’t fazed by the heat, winning his two distance events in record time. He won the 800 in 1:57.72 and the 1,600 in 4:21.63.
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“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.

By Steve Ramirez
Staff Writer
EL MONTE – Arroyo High School might eventually wrap up the Mission Valley League baseball title, but Mountain View will go down fighting.
The Vikings showed their moxie Wednesday.
Richard Ward singled home Luis Aguilar in the seventh inning to complete a two-out rally and Mountain View stayed alive for a league championship with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Knights.
Mountain View improved to 9-12 overall and 7-5 in league play. Arroyo’s lead is now two games after the Knights fell to 10-8 and 9-3.
“If they would have won, they would have won the league (title),” Mountain View coach Angel Lopez said. “We still need help from other teams, but at least we took care of our own game.
“We did a great job today. We scored that run (in the seventh inning) with two outs. These guys didn’t give up. It really shows the resilience of our team.”
Continue reading →

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

By Steve Ramirez
steve.ramirez@sgvn.com
DUARTE – It was put up or shut up for the Duarte High School baseball team.
The Falcons had to win, or say goodbye to their Montview League title hopes.
Catcher Sergio Garcia and pitcher Joel Ortega kept those aspirations alive Tuesday.
Garcia and Ortega each had RBIs in the sixth to break a score-less tie and Ortega pitched a solid six innings to lead Duarte to a 3-1 victory over Sierra Vista in a key Montview League game at Montgomery Field.
The Falcons improved to 11-11 overall and 8-3 in league play. Drew Valdez, who relieved Ortega, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to earn the save.
Oscar Huerta had an RBI for Sierra Vista, which slipped to 14-5 and 8-3.
“This was big,” Duarte coach Brian Grimm said. “If we lose, we go down two games with three to play. It’s a big win.”
Continue reading →

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 →

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.