Sierra League Cluster Meet allows Claremont to see big picture

The first of 3 Sierra League cross country meets is in the bag. And while the Claremont High School cross country team is currently dissecting the positives and negatives of Tuesday's meet, the occasion afforded the Wolfpack the opportunity to see just what it will take to obtain the league crown.

Without Paul Ross, Henry Falotico, Colin Domonoske and AK Metoyer on this year's team, the varsity boys team will have a tough road to travel to repeat its 3rd place standing in the state from last year. The group finished in 5th place overall.

The CHS girls teams are showing constant improvement with the junior varsity girls taking 2nd place and the varsity girls unit placing 3rd. Ayala took first in both races, making the Bulldogs the team to beat going forward.

Chatting with Claremont coach Rob Lander after the meet, the 2 words he used were "competitive" and "fun." While the coach applauds his team's effort and sees room for improvement, he also believes the challenges his runners will face will ultimately make them better runners.

"The Sierra League is really competitive from top to bottom and it's going to be exciting this year," Coach Lander said. "Our boys finished 3rd last year in CIF and Ayala and Damien are ranked teams. The Ayala and South Hills girls teams are both ranked and our girls are hoping they can get a ranking too. It's fun."

The CHS frosh-soph boys team had the best performance on the day for Claremont, taking first place overall and having 5 of its 7 runners finish in the Top 10 individually. Freshman Adam Johnson led the way by finishing in 2nd with a time of 17:36.3.

The CHS JV boys team earned 2nd place in their respective race with Anthony Modyman crossing the finish line at 17:55.7 for 5th place. Look out for the full article in Saturday's issue of the COURIER and check out the web update HERE.

Coach Collins is the backbone to CHS football program

CHS head football coach Mike Collins

Players come and go. But it is the coaches who were there before and will remain there after the players move on.

After losing several seniors from last year's playoff contending team, CHS head football coach Mike Collins has suddenly guided the Wolfpack to a 3-0 record in 2011. Should we be surprised? Not at all.

When we discuss what is referred to as Claremont's "glory days" in football, it was Coach Collins who was at the helm of those teams that dominated the Baseline League. The fact of the matter is that Coach Collins is a great coach and he has a great staff that supports his vision.

Any great coach at any level will identify years that his or her team struggled and have gone through the experience of having to rebuild their program. Coach Collins experienced this during the latter part of the previous decade. But with 3 wins already under Claremont's belt in 2011, all the Pack has to do to reach the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year is remain consistent.

Some of us may be shocked that Claremont can rack up 46 points without Daniel Kessler at quarterback, Tyler Kuramata at receiver and Brandon Tuliaupupu on the defensive line. But while some of the players are different, the coach is the same and it looks like the CHS program is continuing on an upward swing.

Football season is now in session

While the Claremont High School and Webb School football teams both began their 2011 seasons like week, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer teams will get into the act this Saturday.

CHS came back to defeat Kennedy, 24-20, to enter tomorrow's rivalry clash against Bonita with a 1-0 record. The 2 teams have split their last 2 games and Friday's game will definitely give either team bragging rights for another year. Sometimes, a game with simply pride on the line can turn out to be one of the better games of the year. The contest begins at CHS at 7 p.m.

The "Era of Fenton" got off to a good start last Saturday as Webb defeated Lucerne Valley in its home opener, 41-20. Word on the street has it that Coach Ray Fenton is the man to turn the Gaul football program into a winner. Webb will have a chance to go 2-0 on Friday at Laguna Beach.

After posting a 7-2 record last year under interim coach Steve Retzlaff, the Stags will now have new coach Kyle Sweeney at the helm as C-M-S begins its season at Lewis & Clark College on Saturday. Sweeney has 2 years of head coaching experience and has been a defensive specialist throughout the rest of his coaching career. With many returning from last year, if C-M-S sticks to its smashmouth style, its opponents will be feeling the bruises throughout the season.

Unlike C-M-S, Pomona-Pitzer coach Roger Caron has been at the helm of the Sagehens since 1994. The Hens lost key playmakers Jacob Caron and Robert Maki, who were seniors last year. The 2011 season will allow other players to step up and shine. Pomona-Pitzer's offensive line will be a determining factor of the Hens' success or lack of success this year. The Hens play at Whitworth on Saturday.

Which of the 4 Claremont football teams do you think will advance to the postseason this year?