Carter, Lantz qualify for state meet

Claremont High School's Kori Carter and Webb School's Andrew Lantz will be the only 2 competitors from Claremont when the CIF State Track & Field Meet takes place starting this Friday.

The preliminary round of the state meet will be held on Friday followed by the the final round on Saturday to decide who is the best in California in all events.

Carter's 3^rd place finish in the 100 meter hurdles (13.95) and the 300 meter hurdles (43.20) at last Saturday's CIF Southern Section Masters Meet secured her spot in both events for this weekend's state meet. By competing the 800 meter run in 1:53.11 (7^th place), Lantz also qualified for the same event for this Friday's prelims.

CHS edges Lakewood in battle of undefeated teams

It was a grueling affair at yesterday's CIF Southern Section Division III Boys Tennis semifinal but Claremont would not be denied. In the battle of 2 undefeated teams, CHS defeated Lakewood 83-70 in games after the 2 squads played to a 9-9 tie.

The Wolfpack (18-0) trailed 7-5 going into the final round before Clarke Spinosa and the doubles teams of Carter Hafif/Andrew Lieu and David Standerfer/Pranay Yeturo all posted wins to force the 9-9 tie. Claremont with without Trevor James, who was away on a family vacation.

The stage is now set for the CIF-SS Division III Boys Tennis Championship, which will take place next Wednesday at the Claremont Club with a 12:30 p.m. start time. CHS will play Placentia Valencia in the final.

Claremont boys tennis part of CIF's remaining quartet

The Claremont High School boys tennis team is one of 4 teams who will be competing today for a chance to advance to the CIF Southern Section Division III Boys Tennis Finals today.

The Wolfpack will host Lakewood in one of the CIF-SS semifinal matches while Placentia Valencia will travel to Oaks Christian for the other semifinal encounter. Both matches begin today at 3 p.m.

CHS has been on a roll throughout the 2010, remaining flawless in competition with a 17-0 record to date. The Pack are the defending CIF-SS Division III champion. If Claremont wins today, the Wolfpack will play in the CIF-SS Division III championship next Wednesday at the Claremont Club.

Look for an update of today's match on the blog later tonight and also results from last weekend's CIF-SS Track & Field Finals in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER.

Claremont boys volleyball gives valiant effort

While the Claremont High School boys volleyball team went further than it has ever gone in school history, Westlake High School made sure to cut the Wolfpack's journey short on Tuesday night.

A 5-game CIF-SS Division II semifinal thriller at Claremont High School saw the Warriors narrowly escape with a tough win to end CHS' greatest boys volleyball season, 16-25, 25-10, 19-25, 33-31, 15-11. Geoff Powell led the way for the Pack with 29 kills. Look for more coverage of the playoff match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

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In other CIF news, Claremont boys tennis trounced La Quinta, 15-3, to advance to CIF-SS Division III semifinals. CHS will host Lakewood at home next Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Also look for updated coverage of the CIF-SS Masters Meet in Saturday's COURIER. Sam Jardine place 6th in the 500-yard freestyle at 4:35.64 and 7th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:42.85.

Championship dreams within reach

Photo special to the COURIER

After upstaging Valencia on Saturday night, the CHS boys volleyball team embarked on uncharted territory by qualifying for a CIF-SS Division II semifinal match. The Wolfpack returns home on Tuesday night to host Westlake High School in a semifinal clash at 7 p.m. at Claremont High School.

We'll have results of Claremont's historic first boys volleyball playoff semifinal on the blog this Wednesday.

Claremont teams advance to next round of playoffs

It was a successful 2 days for Claremont teams in the latest CIF Southern Section playoff competitions, ensuring that that Claremont will stay alive for another week of postseason action.

The Claremont High School boys tennis team advanced to the CIF-SS Division II quarterfinals on Friday night, continuing its undefeated season (16-0) with a 13-5 win at South Torrance. CHS will play at La Quinta on Tuesday in the quarterfinal match.

Claremont's Kori Carter (Girls 100h, 300h, 100m), Scott Jordan (Boys 200m, 400m), Brittany Brown (Girls 100m), Bailey Sanin (Girls 800m), Paul Ross (Boys 3200m), Katja Whitham (Girls Pole Vault), Klyvens Delaunay (Boys Triple Jump) and the girls 4x400 relay team all qualified for the CIF-SS Division II Track & Field Finals due to their strong performances at Saturday's preliminaries at Moorpark High School. Amara Berry (Girls 100h) and Andrew Lantz (800m) were the only 2 Webb competitors to qualify for the CIF-SS Division IV Finals on Saturday.

Look for more coverage of the 2 track meets in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER. The CIF-SS finals will take place next Saturday at Cerritos College.

The CIF-SS Division II Swimming Championships also took place on Saturday at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach. Claremont finished strong with the girls team placing 11th overall and the boys team taking 18th. More details of Saturday's meet will be available in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER.

The Wolfpack's drive to the CIF-SS Division II Boys Volleyball championship is still in full effect after Claremont bested Valencia in 4 games on Saturday, 25-22, 14-25, 25-23, 25-22. The win propelled CHS into the semifinals as the Pack will play Westlake on Tuesday.

Continue visiting the blog throughout the week our CIF playoff coverage.

Wolfpack volleyball stays in championship hunt, overcomes Crusaders

The Claremont High School boys volleyball team can at least rest until Saturday after defeating Village Christian in the 2nd round of the CIF Division II playoffs to advance to the quarterfinals against Valencia.

The Pack started strong by winning the first 2 games of the match (25-22, 25-17) before dropping the next game in a 26-24 thriller. CHS finally clinched the match in the 4th game, beating the Crusaders by a 25-22 tally. Geoff Powell led the Wolfpack with 22 kills.

With the Wolfpack's victory, here's how the playoff schedule shapes up over the next couple of days:

TODAY'S CIF PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. III Boys Tennis 2nd Round: Claremont @ South Torrance, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY'S CIF PLAYOFF EVENTS
CIF Div. II Swimming @ Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, 4 p.m. (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. II Boys Volleyball Quarterfinals: Claremont @ Valencia, 6 p.m.
CIF Div. II Track & Field Prelims @ Moorpark High School, TBA (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. IV Track & FIeld Prelims @ Carpinteria High School, TBA (featuring Webb)

For more information and playoff brackets, visit the CIF website at www.cifss.org. Stay tuned for more CIF updates this weekend.

Wolfpack continues on, Gauls end season

The results of yesterday's CIF Division II and Division III boys tennis action yielded different results for the Claremont High School and Webb School squads.

After earning an At-Large bid into the Division II playoffs, the Gauls dominated Indio to claim a 14-4 win a wild card match on Tuesday. But San Marino proved to be too much for Webb on Wednesday, ending the Gauls' season with a 15-3 win.

In Division III action, the Wolfpack continued extended its undefeated overall record this season (15-0) with a 16-2 thrashing of Vista Murrieta at home on Wednesday. A full recap on Wednesday's match will be in this Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Here's the playoff schedule for the rest of the week:

TONIGHT'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. II Second Round: CHS Boys Volleyball @ Village Christian, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. III Second Round: CHS Boys Tennis @ South Torrance, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY'S PLAYOFF EVENTS
CIF Div. II Swimming Prelims @ Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, 4 p.m. (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. II Track & Field Prelims @ Moorpark High School, TBA (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. IV Track & Field Prelims @ Carpinteria High School, TBA (featuring Webb)

Keep coming back to the blog for daily CIF updates.

Claremont teams stay alive in CIF playoffs

The Webb boys tennis team and the Claremont High School boys volleyball team both passed their first tests yesterday in CIF playoff action.

The Gauls trampled Indio in a CIF Division II Boys Tennis playoff match, 14-4, to advance to a first round encounter at San Marino today at 3 p.m. Webb entered the playoffs through an At-Large bid and will seek to prolong its season against the Rio Hondo League's top team.

After dropping its final match of the regular season to Burbank Burroughs last week, CHS returned to form on Tuesday night by sweeping first round opponent, Adolfo Camarillo, at home. Led by Geoff Powell's 18 kills, the Wolfpack won 25-20, 25-14, 25-16. Claremont will now host Village Christian on Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Here's an updated playoff schedule for the rest of the week:

WEDNESDAY'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. II First Round: Webb Boys Tennis @ San Marino, 3 p.m.
CIF Div. III First Round: Vista Murrieta @ CHS Boys Tennis, 3 p.m.

THURSDAY'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. II Second Round: CHS Boys Volleyball @ Village Christian, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY'S PLAYOFF EVENTS
CIF Div. II Swimming Prelims @ Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, 4 p.m. (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. II Track & Field Prelims @ Moorpark High School, TBA (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. IV Track & Field Prelims @ Carpinteria High School, TBA (featuring Webb)

Keep checking back to the blog throughout the week for updates on all of the Claremont playoff action.

CIF Update for Claremont High School & Webb Schools

CIF pairings have been released for boys tennis, track & field, swimming and boys volleyball over the weekend and we have an updated schedule of the playoff matchups that will be taking place for Claremont High School and the Webb Schools:

TODAY'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. II Wildcard: Webb Boys Tennis @ Indio, 3 p.m.
CIF Div. II First Round: Adolfo Camarillo @ CHS Boys Volleyball, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY'S PLAYOFF MATCHES
CIF Div. III First Round: Winner Wild Card A @ CHS Boys Tennis, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY'S PLAYOFF EVENTS
CIF Div. II Swimming Prelims @ Belmont Plaza Pool, Long Beach, 4 p.m. (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. II Track & Field Prelims @ Moorpark High School, TBA (featuring CHS)
CIF Div. IV Track & Field Prelims @ Carpinteria High School, TBA (featuring Webb)

And now, a few more updates of Claremont teams:

CHS boys golfer Matt Fairris will be the only Claremont representative competing in the CIF Individual Golf Playoffs at Desert Hot Springs next Monday. The Wolfpack had qualified 5 players for the Baseline League Finals that included Fairris, Jeff Hong, Brett Giannos, Brian Carroll and Adelbert Wang.

In CIF Central Division team play yesterday, the Claremont golf team finished in a tie for 15th place with Upland with a score of 438. Only the top 3 teams advance to the next round.

The Webb co-ed badminton team made strong strides in just its 2nd season as a program in 2010. The Gauls defeated Baldwin Park in the first round of the CIF Division II playoffs last week but fell in the quarterfinals to number one seed, Cerritos. Webb finished with season with a record of 10-7, 7-3.

Keep checking the blog throughout the week for CIF updates and feel free to post your thoughts on the playoffs.

Spinosa wins league title...again!

Photo from the CHS Tennis website

Claremont High School senior Clarke Spinosa has cemented his place as one of the Baseline League's all-time best boys tennis players after the singles ace defeated teammate Alan Leahy in straight sets (6-0, 6-2) to win his 4th consecutive Baseline League championship on Wednesday.

The Baseline League final has been a Claremont affair since Spinosa was a freshman in 2007. From 2007-2009, Spinosa topped former CHS teammate Torsten Keil-Long to claim his other 3 titles.

Trevor James and Frank Liu teamed together to take home the Baseline League doubles championship on Wednesday. The defending CIF Southern Section champions from last year, the Wolfpack will defend their title starting next week in CIF play.

Stay tuned to the COURIER for Claremont's progress in the postsesson.

CIF Pairings to be announced this weekend

Several Claremont High School and Webb Schools teams will find out their postseason fate on Sunday when the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reveals its playoff pairings for spring sports. Bracket information will be available on the blog after the release.

League championship results will be included in Saturday's COURIER and will continue in Wednesday's issue.

Wolfpack clinch Pacific League championship for 5th consecutive season

The Claremont High School varsity boys volleyball team clinched its 5th straight Pacific League title after sweeping Crescenta Valley in 3 straight games in its final home match of the season on Tuesday by scores of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-16.

With the win, the Wolfpack now holds a 9-0 record in league play and can complete the season undefeated in Pacific League competition with a victory at Burbank Burroughs on Thursday.

Look for more coverage of the Wolfpack in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Congratulations to the 2010 National Champions

The Claremont Colleges Men's Rugby has finally experienced championship bliss. The Dragons defeated University of Miami Ohio last Friday in the Division II National Championship semifinal (36-34) before besting Temple University in the finals on Saturday, 25-19 to claim its first national title at Stanford University.

Nicholas Regas got Claremont on the board first in the championship match with a penalty kick and the Dragons never looked back as Lance Rutledge, Spencer Harrison, Andy Seagal and Brent Baltimore all converted tries. Regas also scored on a conversion.

More coverage of the Dragon's championship win will be featured in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER. Check out the videos below from Ustream.TV for championship action. Congratulations to the Dragons.