CHS girls soccer headed to the big game

Photo by Pam Garvin at www.chsgirlssoccer.org

Last year, the Claremont High School varsity girls soccer team could only watch as their male counterparts captured the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship. But the tables have turned this year and the girls squad will be playing Bishop Amat in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship Saturday at Mission Viejo High School at 5 p.m.

Claremont avenged a loss and a tie to St. Lucy's earlier in the season by defeating the Regents, 1-0, before an excited CHS crowd on Tuesday afternoon at CHS Stadium. Wolfpack midfielder Madison Stark scored the game's only goal early in the contest and the Claremont defense took care of the rest by holding St. Lucy's scoreless en route to its sixth straight shutout victory.

Tuesday's win was special for Claremont for several reasons. First, it propels them into the CIF championship match which I believe they will win. Second, it was over rival St. Lucy's, who handed the Wolfpack its only loss of the season. This means that CHS has now at least tied or beaten every team it has faced this season. And lastly, the win over the Regents shows how far the girls soccer program has come in recent years. It was just 3 years ago that the Pack didn't even qualify for the playoffs.

My colleague here at the COURIER, City Reporter Beth Hartnett, and I have kidded around for the past few days about Tuesday's match because she is a St. Lucy's alumna. Being true to her roots, she cheered when St. Lucy's defeated Claremont earlier in the season and nodded in approval when CHS could only play to a tie against the Regents in the second meeting. But it looks like the Wolfpack got the last laugh (sorry Beth, couldn't resist) and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Slow start leads to first round exit for Webb basketball

The Webb School varsity boys basketball team trailed early on Wednesday against Ribet Academy in a CIF Southern Section Division 5AA first round contest and never recovered, resulting in a 66-47 loss to the Fighting Frogs in Los Angeles.

The defeat marks the 2nd elimination of a Gauls team from the playoffs, following a 62-12 loss to Warren last Saturday in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 wrestling tournament. The Webb boys soccer team is still alive in the Division 6 boys soccer tournament and will play at Desert Mirage in a first round match tonight after a 6-0 triumph over Fairmont Prep on Tuesday.

The Claremont High School boys soccer team will also be in action tonight against Tustin at 5:30 p.m. at CHS Stadium. Check back tomorrow for more local CIF results.

Thursday, Feb. 16
Division 2 Boys Soccer First Round
Tustin @ CHS, 5:30 p.m.

Division 6 Boys Soccer First Round
Webb @ Desert Mirage, TBA

Friday, Feb. 17
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round
Bishop Montgomery @ CHS, TBA

Saturday, Feb. 18
Division 2A Girls Basketball First Round
CHS @ Saugus, 7 p.m.

Webb boys soccer advances to first round

The Webb Gauls varsity boys soccer team is still in contention for this year's CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship after shutting out Fairmont Prep, 6-0, in a wild card match on Tuesday night.

The Gauls took a 2-0 lead within the first 2 minutes of play and went on to take a 5-0 lead at the half. Webb was led by Joseph Rode and Austin Plyley, who each scored 2 goals for the Gauls, who only allowed one shot on goal from Fairmont Prep.

Webb will now play at Desert Mirage in a Division 6 first round match on Thursday. Check below for an updated CIF schedule.

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Division 5AA Boys Basketball First Round
Webb @ Ribet Academy, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16
Division 2 Boys Soccer First Round
Tustin @ CHS, 5:30 p.m.

Division 6 Boys Soccer First Round
Webb @ Desert Mirage, TBA

Friday, Feb. 17
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round
Winner of Bishop Montgomery/Atascadero @ CHS, TBA

Saturday, Feb. 18
Division 2A Girls Basketball First Round
CHS @ Saugus, 7 p.m.

Claremont CIF-SS Southern Section schedule

The CIF Southern Section playoffs involving Claremont teams kicked off last Saturday where the Webb wrestling team lost to Warren High School in the first round of the Division 6 playoff meet, 62-12. Warren went on to win the CIF-SS championship later that day.

This week's action involves the Claremont High School boys soccer, girls soccer and girls basketball teams, as well as the Webb boys soccer and boys basketball teams. Check for the full schedule below and expects updates throughout the week on the blog:

Tuesday, Feb. 14
Division 6 Boys Soccer Wild Card - Webb @ Fairmont Prep

Wednesday, Feb. 15
Division 5AA Boys Basketball First Round - Webb @ Ribet Academy, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16
Division 2 Boys Soccer First Round - Winner of Tustin/Palm Springs @ CHS, 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 17
Division 3 Girls Soccer First Round - Winner of Bishop Montgomery/Atascadero @ CHS, TBA

Saturday, Feb. 18
Division 2A Girls Basketball First Round - CHS @ Saugus, 7 p.m.

Check out Wednesday's COURIER for a full story on the recent CIF-SS playoff brackets.

CHS Wolfpack boys soccer vie for 7th league win

(#3 - Claremont High School soccer standout Denes Kantor)

The Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team will have the opportunity to improve to 7-0 in Sierra League play with a win over Chino Hills tonight.

The Wolfpack formerly defeated the Huskies, 2-1, in the 2 teams' last meeting on January 13 and is currently on a 6-game winning streak. Led by Denes Kantor (8 goals, 11 assists) and Daniel Kim (7 goals, 7 assists), Claremont has outscored its Sierra League opponents by a 20-2 margin in 6 matches.

I'm looking forward to seeing the soccer team in action again as the last time the COURIER provided coverage of the soccer squad was back in December. Look for a full story on tonight's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Weekly Sports Beat (1-27-12)

Another week, another Weekly Sports Beat. This week we will take a look at how the C-M-S men's basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the regular season, the women's version of the Sixth Street Showdown in C-M-S and Pomona Pitzer women's basketball and the improvement of the Claremont High School varsity wrestling team. Let's get to it:

-Last Saturday, the C-M-S men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Whittier, 88-85, to record its first loss of the 2011-12 season. The Stags then bounced back on Wednesday with a 75-64 victory over Occidental to capture its 16th win. C-M-S currently stands at 16-1 overall and will host Cal Lutheran at home tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

Landus' Note: An undefeated record is always a great accomplishments but sometimes it can be a heavy burden to carry. With the undefeated record no longer a factor, C-M-S can now focus on reaching the postseason and seeing what they can when they reach there. Coach Ken Scalmanini will have his team ready the rest of the way and I am sure the players will very much be looking forward to the Feb.4 rematch with Whittier. In sports, every team will eventually lose but it's always about how you bounce back after a loss.

-The Claremont High School varsity wrestling team suffered a 52-27 defeat at the hands of Ayala on Thursday. Parker Blakeslee (heavyweight class), Daniel Soto (170 lbs), Vicente Lopez (113 lbs), Malik Webster (132 lbs) and Alexander Merritt (160 lbs) were all victorious for the Wolfpack. Coach Gerald Escalante said that he has been pleased with the team's improvement from last year and looks forward to the years ahead. The full story on Thursday's wrestling meet will be in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Landus' Note: This year's team looked significantly more competitive than the CHS wrestling teams of the recent past. Lopez and Webster are 2 freshmen that people should keep an eye on going forward. Their victories against Ayala are big confidence boosters and the it will be interesting to watch the development of them and other returning grapplers by next season.

-The C-M-S men and women's swim teams continue to remain undefeated in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) meets this seasons as the 2 squads improved to 5-0 in conference meets last Saturday with the men's team defeating Occidental, 235-53, and the women's team taming the Tigers, 203-93. Vincent Pai led the way for the Stags with victories in the 100 (58.81) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:10.33) while teammates James Stevick, Brad Perfect, Jeff McNerney, Cameron Whiting and Austin Hallett were also multi-event winners. Michele Kee (50-yard free, 400-yard IM) and LillyBelle Deer (500 & 1650-yard free) led the way for the Athenas in last Saturday's meet as the 2 C-M-S teams will be in action tomorrow at Cal Lutheran.

Landus' Note: The swim program at C-M-S continues to be amazing. The Stags and Athenas only have 2 more meets to go to reach the SCIAC Championships with an undefeated conference record. To put it in perspective just how good C-M-S has been in the pool, the women's team has won the last 9 SCIAC championships while the men's team has won the last 4. We can call it a SCIAC dynasty.

-The Webb School's varsity boys basketball team is currently in 2nd place in the Prep League with a 10-5, 3-1 record. The Gauls' last few games have been against nonleague opponents but Webb will return to league play tonight at Flintridge Prep, who currently sits at the Prep League's top team with a 4-0 league record.

Landus' Note: This is a big game for Coach Rick Duque and company tonight in La Canada. If the Gauls can win tonight's game, Webb will move into a tie with Flintridge Prep for first place in the Prep League.

El Roble Cheer team wins state championship

Congratulations to the El Roble Intermediate School cheer team for winning the first place trophy in the junior high school division at the Cheer Pros State Cheer and Dance Championships held in Long Beach last weekend. The team will be moving on to the Best of the West Invitational to be held at the Long Beach Pyramid on March 11.

On Tuesday afternoon, I had a chance to spend about an hour with the El Roble group as they practiced on the routine they will showcase at the Best of the West event. Co-coaches Yolanda Gonzalez and Nicole Phillips have done a great job with the 25-member team and they are all looking forward to competing once again.

Look for a full story on the El Roble cheer team's most recent achievement in the upcoming Saturday edition of the COURIER.