CHS boys soccer prepares for semifinals

The Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team is now another step closer to the CIF Southern Section championship as the Wolfpack shut out Foothill in a Division 2 quarterfinal match on Friday, 2-0. Russell Donaldson scored Claremont's first goal at the 39th minute and Troy Ford recorded a goal at the 79th minute.

The Pack will host Martin Luther King in a CIF semifinal match at CHS Stadium on Tuesday at 3 p.m. If Claremont wins, the team will qualify for the championship round.

The COURIER has been closely tracking the Wolfpack's progress through the playoffs and will be in attendance for tomorrow's match. Look for full coverage of tomorrow's game in an upcoming edition of the COURIER.

Meanwhile, enjoy watching Donaldson's goal courtesy of YouTube and also found on the CHS Boys Soccer website at ClaremontSoccer.com.

SCIAC Tournament Semifinals begin today

The men and women's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament begins tonight with the prize being a berth to the Division III playoffs.

Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, La Verne and Cal Lutheran will compete in the SCIAC Tournament semifinals while Occidental, Redlands, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and La Verne make up the women's pool. The winners of tonight's games will advanced to the SCIAC Tournament championship tomorrow.

Both the Pomona-Pitzer men and women's basketball teams did not qualify for the tournament. The men's team finished 9-16 (4-10 in SCIAC) while the women's team posted a 4-21 overall record (2-12 in SCIAC).

Check below for tonight's tournament schedule:

Men's SCIAC Tournament Semifinals
(4) Cal Lutheran (14-11, 8-6) @ (1) Redlands (14-11, 11-3), 7:30 p.m.
(3) La Verne (14-11, 8-6) @ (2) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (15-9, 11-3), 7:30 p.m.

Women's SCIAC Tournament Semifinals
(4) La Verne (12-13, 9-5) @ (1) Occidental (17-8, 12-2), 5 p.m.
(3) Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (19-6, 9-5) @ (2) Redlands (16-9, 10-4), 5 p.m.

Directions to CHS Boys Soccer match

If you plan on attending the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer match today in Santa Ana, click HERE for directions that will take you from Claremont to Hillview High School, the site of today's CIF Division 2 quarterfinal match.

Claremont defeated Indio, 1-0, in last Friday's first round match and then advanced to the quarterfinals by triumphing over Valley View, 2-1, on Wednesday in a 2nd round encounter. CHS is in the quarterfinals for the first time in over a decade.

ClaremontSoccer.com is reporting that the stadium will not have seating so be sure to bring your own seats if you are attending today's game. Look for results either later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Wolfpack survives Eagles, head to quarterfinals

In what was a gruesome contest that featured Claremont's Hugo Lepe bleeding from the left side of his head after receiving an elbow from a Valley View player, the Wolfpack pulled out a tough 2-1 victory over the Eagles on Wednesday in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 second round match in order to advance to the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Cory Hodge scored Claremont's first goal in the 35th minute to put the Pack ahead at the half, 1-0. CHS increased its narrow lead at the 65th minute when Brennen Carter recorded the Wolfpack's 2nd goal.

Valley View's Alex Turkson sliced the lead to one in the 76th minute when he booted the ball past Claremont goalie Sam Newton. But the Wolfpack held strong for the last 4 minutes in order to clinch the victory.

Claremont will play Foothill High School in Santa Ana on Friday at 3 p.m. The game will be held at Hillview Continuation High School (19061 Foothill Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92705).

Look for full coverage of Wednesday's game in this Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

CHS Soccer kicks off CIF 2nd round today

The Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team returns to action today in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 second round home match against Valley View at CHS Stadium with a 3 p.m. start time. The Pack advanced to the 2nd round after triumphing over Indio in overtime, 1-0, last Friday.

Expect an update later on today and full coverage of today's game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. The CHS boys soccer is the only remaining team in CIF competition and will play the winner of Foothill/Sunny Hills in the quarterfinals if the team is victorious today.

CHS, Webb wrestlers give valiant effort in CIF Individual Championships

Claremont High School's Jonathan Ivey, along with Webb School's Lucas Pajac, Peter Liskanich and Steven Agajanian all competed in the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships last weekend. Ivey competed at the northern championship in San Luis Obispo while the 3 Webb grapples were in action at Colony High School.

Though none of the local wrestlers emerged past the 2nd round, their playoff appearances were the result of their hard work during the regular season. Congratulations to the CHS and Webb grapplers for their efforts. Check out the official results below:

CIF-SS Northern Individual Championship
Jonathan Ivey (Claremont) Results – 160 lbs
1st Rd: Def. Louie DeGuzman by fall, 2:00
2nd Rd: Lost to Joshua Newman (LB Wilson) by fall, 3:54
Consolation Rd. 1: Def. Wes Will (Morro Bay) by fall, 4:36
Consolation Rd: 2: Lost to Jacob Rodas (S. Maria) by decision, 7-1

CIF-SS Central Individual Championships
Lucas Pajac (Webb) Results – 119 lbs
1st Rd: Lost to Nelson Mitchell (Peninsula) by fall, 2:04

Peter Liskanich (Webb) Results – 152 lbs
1st Rd: Def. Christian Salas (Beaumont) by fall, 1:24
2nd Rd: Lost to Kyle Reese (San Clemente) by fall, 3:35

Steven Agajanian (Webb) Results – 160 lbs
1st Rd: Bye
2nd Rd: Lost to Antonio Rivera (Etiwanda) by fall, 5:08
Consolation Rd 1: Lost to Jordan Murphy (Laguna Hills) by fall, 1:46

CIF boys soccer advances to 2nd round

It took over 82 minutes but the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team become the only Claremont team to advance to the 2nd round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs when the Wolfpack defeated Indio in a Division 2 first round match at CHS Stadium on Friday, 1-0. The winning goal came just over 2 minutes in the first overtime period when Hugo Lepe's corner kick was fielded by Russell Donaldson and then passed off to Frankie Lozano for the score.

CHS won despite tough conditions as the teams had to endure the afternoon rain. Expect full coverage from Friday's game in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER. The Pack will now host Valley View on Wednesday at CHS Stadium. A start time has yet to be announced.

Claremont Alumni Classic

Spring time is not yet here but the Claremont High School baseball team will be kicking off its 2011 season tomorrow (Saturday) with opening ceremonies, home run derby and an alumni game at Claremont High School. According to the CHS Baseball website, all of the festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and will include a barbecue and introductions for all of this year's players on the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams.

Last season, CHS finished 9-17 overall and 4-12 in the Baseline League. This season will be the Pack's first in the Sierra League. Claremont first game will be on March 10th at El Rancho.

Claremont teams eliminated, CHS boys soccer plays today

Both the Claremont High School varsity girls basketball teams and girls soccer teams were eliminated from postseason play yesterday. The Wolfpack girls basketball suffered a 76-27 thrashing at the hands of Serra while the CHS girls soccer team dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Quartz Hill. Congratulations to both teams for making the playoffs.

The CHS varsity boys soccer team has had to wait over a week to rebound from its first loss of the season to Damien on Wednesday, February 9th, 2-1. Claremont hosts Indio today at CHS Stadium at 3:15 p.m. The COURIER will be there to continue its CIF playoff coverage and expect a full story for Wednesday's paper.

Don't forget that wrestlers from CHS (Jonathan Ivey) and Webb (Peter Liskanich, Steve Agajanian, Lucas Pajac) will be competing in the CIF Individual Wrestling Finals on today and possibly tomorrow if they advance. Check below for all local CIF action happening today.

Friday, Feb. 18
Division 2 Boys Soccer: Indio @ Claremont, 3:15 p.m.
Individual Wrestling Championships: Peter Liskanich, Steve Agajanian, Lucas Pajac @ Colony HS, 11 a.m.
Individual Wrestling Championships: Jonathan Ivey (CHS) @ San Luis Obispo, TBA

Trojans defeat Wolfpack, plus other CIF news

Things were looking up for the Claremont High School varsity boys basketball team against La Verne Lutheran in last night's CIF Southern Section Division 3AA when the Pack jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the game's opening minutes.

But the Trojans implemented a press that led to a 19-0 run for La Verne Lutheran from the 2nd quarter into the early part of the 2nd half, eventually resulting in a La Verne Lutheran 66-48 win. Jackson Reeder led CHS with 10 points and Kyle Maloof contributed 9 points and 6 rebounds.

In other CIF action on Wednesday, St. Bernard defeated Webb in a Division 5A Boys Basketball first round matchup, 83-52. The Webb varsity boys soccer team was also eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 5-0 loss to Tahquitz in a Division 6 wild card match.

Look for full coverage of the Claremont/La Verne Lutheran game along with scores from other CIF playoff contests in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. Below is the schedule of games for today and visit www.cifss.org for playoff brackets.

Thursday, Feb. 17
Division 3AA Girls Basketball First Round: Claremont @ Serra, 7 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round: Claremont @ Quartz Hill, TBA

Wolfpack to try and stop offensive powerhouse Trojans

The Claremont High School varsity boys basketball team will have its hands full when it plays La Verne Lutheran tonight in a CIF Southern Section first round game. The Trojans are coming off an incredible regular season that featured an 18-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 finish in league play.

La Verne Lutheran averaged 79.4 points per contest and held its opponents to 41.3 points per game. The Trojans also scored 80 or more points on 10 occasions and scored 100 or more points 4 times.

Tonight's game begins at 7 p.m. at La Verne Lutheran. Expect an update on the blog tomorrow morning and full coverage of the game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Carter moves from CHS to Stanford record books

Stanford University freshman and 2010 Claremont High School graduate Kori Carter is already starting to make her mark in Cardinal track & field history.

Carter set a new school record in the 60-meter hurdles at last weekend's New Mexico Invitational that saw her cross the finish line at 8.33 in a prelim heat—9 seconds faster than the previous record time. The Stanford hurdler did not improve on her time in the finals for the event.

Stanford has nearly a month left in its indoor track season before moving to the outdoor season at University of California, Berkeley on March 5th. Carter is currently competing in hurdle races, her specialty during her high school years that led to state championships in the 100-meter hurdles (2009 & 2010) and the 300-meter hurdles (2008-2010).

Congratulations to Carter on the great start to her college track & field career.

Both CHS and Vivian Webb water polo teams eliminated

The Claremont High School and Vivian Webb School varsity girls water polo teams both ended their seasons yesterday.

CHS dropped a heartbreaker to Whittier in a CIF Southern Section Division 3 wild card match, 9-7, while the Gauls came up short at Torrance in a Division 6 first round contest, 9-4. Both Claremont and Vivian Webb qualified for the playoffs through At-Large bids.

Check out the CIF games scheduled for today below:

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Division 3AA Boys Basketball First Round: Claremont @ La Verne Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Division 5A Boys Basketball First Round: Webb @ St. Bernard, 7 p.m.
Division 6A Boys Soccer First Round: Webb @ Tahquitz, TBA

For more information, visit www.cifss.org.

Thomas inks contract with Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy left back Ryan Thomas agreed to terms with the Galaxy and signed his first contract with the team on Monday at the team's preseason camp in Arizona. Thomas played 4 years for Claremont High School and spent the last 4 years at Stanford University.

Talking to Thomas last weekend, I was impressed with his humility and his ability to be down to earth even though he is at an exciting time in his life at the pro level. He is definitely looking forward to having his hometown Claremonters came to the Home Depot Center to cheer him on this season.

Look out for a full feature story on Thomas in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER. Congratulations to the entire Thomas family.

CIF pairings released

The CIF Southern Section playoff pairings have been released and listed below are the games/matches that are scheduled for Claremont High School and the Webb Schools this week:

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Division 6 Girls Water Polo First Rd: Vivian Webb @ Torrance (@ Mira Costa HS), 4:15 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Water Polo Wild Card: Claremont @ Whittier, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 16
Division 3AA Boys Basketball First Round: Claremont @ La Verne Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Division 5A Boys Basketball First Round: Webb @ St. Bernard, 7 p.m.
Division 6A Boys Soccer First Round: Webb @ Tahquitz, TBA

Thursday, Feb. 17
Division 3AA Girls Basketball First Round: Claremont @ Serra, 7 p.m.
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round: Claremont @ Quartz Hill, TBA

Friday, Feb. 18
Division 2 Boys Soccer: Indio @ Claremont, TBA
Individual Wrestling Championships: Jonathan Ivey (CHS) @ San Luis Obispo, TBA

For more information, visit the CIF-SS website HERE.

Thomas drafted to L.A. Galaxy

Congratulations to former Claremont High School boys soccer standout Ryan Thomas, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Supplemental Draft on January 18th. Thomas was selected 16th in the supplemental portion of the draft and 70th overall.

A senior at Stanford University, Thomas had been a 2nd Team All Pac-10 selection for the 2010 season. According to the GoStanford.com website, he will forgo the rest of his senior year in order to play with the Galaxy this season. Yet the ClaremontSoccer.com website is reporting that Thomas has completed all his requirements and will graduate with the Stanford Class of 2011.

The COURIER is currently in contact with Thomas so expect an article soon about the CHS graduate's awesome achievement.

Damien tops Claremont in season finale, 2-1

After going 21 games without suffering a defeat, the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the 2010-11 season with a 2-1 setback at Damien on Wednesday.

The Wolfpack (16-1-5, 8-1-1) fell behind early when Damien's Keyran Kellty scored at the 25th minute. CHS responded 11 minutes later when Denes Kantor fielded a pass from Brennen Carter and put the ball into the goal. The Spartans added another goal early in the 2nd half.

Claremont and Damien will share the Sierra League title as a result of Wednesday's outcome but the Spartans will have a higher seed in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Look for full coverage of Wednesday's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Sierra League Showdown

The Claremont and Damien High School boys soccer teams will have one more go tomorrow evening in La Verne to decide the winner of the Sierra League.

The Wolfpack (16-0-5, 8-0-1) defeated South Hills, 5-2, in order to remain undefeated on the season. Meanwhile, the Spartans are 10-3-6, 7-1-1 after suffering a 1-0 loss to Chino Hills on February 2nd. When Claremont and Damien last played on January 26th, the 2 teams were undefeated in league play and played to a 0-0 tie after 2 overtime periods.

If Claremont defeats and ties Damien, the Pack will be the 2011 Sierra League champions. If the Wolfpack loses, then Damien would be tied with Claremont in the league standings and also hold the tiebreaker over the Pack.

Expect full coverage of tomorrow's game in Saturday's edition of the COURIER and an update here on the blog following the match.

CHS girls water polo rebounds to topple top CIF team

The Claremont High School girls water polo team did not let Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Charter Oak deter them from their playoff hopes. Instead, the Wolfpack came back last night and defeated a top ranked CIF Southern Section team.

CHS decided to shake up the CIF Division III Top 10 poll by handing No. 5 Ayala an 11-8 defeat in Chino Hills on Thursday. The win avenged a one point defeat to the Bulldogs earlier in the season and may help the Pack return to the Top 10 list themselves.

Lauren Mitchell, Piper Moore and Jordan Carmody each scored 3 goals to lead the Wolfpack. Jackie Monroe contributed 3 steals and 3 assists while goalie Emilie Lacy finished with 5 steals and 7 blocks.

Claremont will next host St. Lucy's at home this coming Thursday at 4:15 p.m.

Kessler, Tuliaupupu make signings official

Daniel Kessler (left) and Brandon Tuliaupupu (right)

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler and defensive lineman Brandon Tuliaupupu will be taking their talents to the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) Conference starting this fall.

The 2 CHS seniors signed their letters of intent as part of National Signing Day with Kessler headed to the University of Utah and Tuliaupupu staying local at UCLA. Kessler signed with the Utes as a priority walk-on to assure him a spot on the 2011 roster while Tuliaupupu will become a Bruin on a full athletic scholarship.

"These are kids that we will miss big time and not just necessarily because of their athletic skill," said CHS ASB Advisor Jack Harper.

Look for more coverage of National Signing Day in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

It's that time of year again

Baseball fever is almost ready to sweep Claremont once again in 2011.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags baseball team opened the 2011 season yesterday in a home game against Azusa Pacific University. The Cougars shut out the Stags, 5-0.

C-M-S will host its Alumni Game this Saturday (11 a.m.) before returning to regular action at Master's College next Tuesday (2:30 p.m.). Pomona-Pitzer will kick off the new season on Friday and Saturday in a 3-game series against Pacific University (Oregon). Friday's game is at 2 p.m. while Saturday's games will begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Claremont High School will get in on the action with its alumni game taking place on February 19th. For more information on the game and opening ceremonies, visit the CHS baseball website at www.claremonthighbaseball.com.

Keep on the lookout for scores and other baseball coverage in the COURIER over the next several months.

Knights get the better of CHS faculty for 2nd straight year

Though this year's game between the Hollywood Knights and Claremont High School faculty was much closer than the 2010 version, the result was still the same. The Knights defeated the CHS faculty, 74-67.

The real winners of the celebrity game was the CHS boys basketball team, who received all proceeds from the event. No official tally has been given as to how much the team raised.

Claremont High School Principal Brett O'Connor, who played as a member of the CHS Faculty team on Saturday, said that attendance was down from last year but was grateful that the Knights made the trek to Claremont for the 2nd consecutive year.

CHS returns to action at Charter Oak on Wednesday with the tip-off at 6:30 p.m.

CHS Cheer halfway towards fundraising goal

While tomorrow's COURIER will feature coverage of Sunday's Claremont Toyota/Claremont Educational Foundation Prius Raffle, another story coming out of the event is Claremont High School's cheer program raising $1200 towards its $3900 price tag to compete in next month's nationals. Both the junior varsity and varsity levels will be vying for the national crown.

The cheer program sold the most tickets (144) of any booster or school group during the 4-month raffle and as a result received $720. Being the top seller earned the group another $500 surprise at the event.

"We have to raise $3900 so we're excited to receive this," CHS Cheer advisor Roni Franco said. "I didn't know that we sold that many but I know that my girls are glad."

Congratulations to the cheer program for their accomplishment and best of hopes that they raise the amount needed for next month's event.