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.
Continue reading →

“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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By John Honell Correspondent
Bonita moved one step closer to its third consecutive Hacienda League baseball championship with a 4-0 win over host Los Altos on Wednesday.
The defending CIF-Southern Section Division 3 champion Bearcats (20-2-1, 7-0) won their 23rd consecutive league game, maintaining their one-game lead over Diamond Bar.
The Bearcats got a complete-game pitching performance from senior Parker Merritt and a two-run home run from shortstop Justin Row to get past a tough Conquerors team.

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Damien and Bishop Amat baseball are two of the biggest disappointments in the CIF-Southern Section this season. The Spartans, 11-9 overall and 4-6 in the Sierra League, boast UCLA bound pitchers Grant Hockin and Jonathan Olsen, but may miss the playoffs entirely. If the Spartans, ranked 9th in the CIF-SS preseason Division 2 poll, fall again to South Hills on Thursday, not only will their playoff hopes be on life support, they could find themselves finishing last if they continue to free fall. This is a team that was so highly thought of, online’s Perfect Game ranked Damien No. 23 in its preseason NATIONAL rankings. I can hear the conspiracy theorists now. Is Damien throwing in the towel to prove it should remain in the Sierra League. Of course not, but it would help with their position while they fight the move to an all private school league. Bishop Amat, ranked fourth in the preseason Division 4 poll and ranked fifth in the L.A. Times’ preseason Southern California Rankings, climbed over .500 to 11-10 with a 7-3 victory over La Salle on Tuesday. The Lancers are fighting St. Paul for third-place and the final playoff spot in the Del Rey. What happened to our private school baseball giants that have a combined record of 22-19? And what does this say to all the public school complainers that private school’s have an advantage that public school’s don’t? What it tells me is a free education is a pretty strong advantage as well.

UPDATE: Diamond Ranch vice principal and athletic director Candace Cayer contacted me via email with this response on James’ explanation that he was asked to resign: “As you know, I am unable to comment on a personnel matter. At this time, we are going in a different direction.” In addition, Cayer wrote they have not named a new coach and will fly the position in house. In other words, they’re hiring an on campus coach.

By Fred J. Robledo
One of the areas most highly regarded coaches, Diamond Ranch High School’s Mike James, said school officials gave him the option of resigning or being released in favoring of hiring an on-campus coach.
James, who teaches at nearby Walnut High School and who has led the Panthers to four CIF-Southern Section semifinals and three league titles during his six-year tenure, opted to resign this week.
Phones messages left for Diamond Ranch athletic director and vice principal Candace Cayer seeking an explanation were not returned.
“What it boils down to is that they want an on campus coach,” James said. “I’m really disappointed because I thought next year would be a really good year for us.
“We had all of our leaders coming back. It’s a strong group of kids … glue kids who work hard and do all the right things.”
James was not completely stunned by the decision. He says there is a teacher on campus who wants the job, but didn’t feel it was his position to mention his/her name.
He understands that in an ideal scenario, schools prefer an on campus coach, but he felt his resume and reputation as a coach should have allowed him to continue.
“I think they had the best of both worlds,” James said. “Obviously, you want to have someone that’s on campus, but if you don’t the next best thing is to have a credential teacher who is passionate and dedicated to the kids. I thought I was that.”
Bishop Amat girls basketball coach Richard Wiard is in a similar situation. Wiard is a teacher at Charter Oak High school, but has been a walk-on head coach at Bishop Amat for more than a decade, where he has won five CIF-Southern Section titles and two state titles.
Wiard has grown fond of James over the years, and was disappointed to learn what happened.
“You don’t find somebody better than Mike,” Wiard said. “You want what’s best for your kids, and I can’t believe they’ll find someone better. He’s dedicated to his kids, he’s been successful, and nobody’s ever had a bad word to say about him.
“I’ve done this a long time and what you want for your kids is the best possible coach and Mike James is the best coach for those kids.
“But who knows, maybe they have John Wooden on campus, I don’t know. But whoever it is, they’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill.”
James said he will not rush into another coaching position, but looks forward to the day he’s in charge again.
“I would be open to coaching next year, but I’m not going to just take any job,” James said. “I want to go somewhere where’s there’s a chance to build something to be successful.”
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Well, with the re-leaguing process in high gear and coming down the stretch. I thought I would put my two cents in, which is to do it strictly by geography. I talked to a local coach last week who said its just more fun to play schools you are in close proximity with, mainly because the kids know each other and get a kick out playing each other. I couldn’t agree more, so here is my re-leaguing proposal, which is based on pure geography. Now some school’s don’t have region partners, like Northview, South Hills and Covina, or Wilson and Los Altos, but I did try to keep them close to their general area, because I think that’s important. If that puts a team or program at a disadvantage, then do it the good, old American way — get back to work and get better.

My proposal:
1-Diamond Bar, Diamond Ranch, Rowland, Nogales, Wilson, Los Altos, Walnut
2-Covina, Northview, South Hills, West Covina, Edgewood, Charter Oak,
3-Glendora, San Dimas, Bonita, Azusa, Gladstone, Duarte
4-La Puente, Workman, Bassett, Sierra Vista, Baldwin Park
5-Ayala, Chino Hills, Chino, Don Lugo, Claremont,
6-Colony, Chaffey, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, Garey, Ganesha
7-Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Los Osos, Etiwanda, Alta Loma