Photo coverage of the Vista de Valle/Oakmont football game

In today's COURIER, I provided a bit of coverage from the Vista del Valle Elementary vs Oakmont Outdoor School flag football game last week. Though Vista pulled out a 28-7 win, the contest was just the first of 3 sporting events of friendly competition the 2 schools will take part in this year.

Vista del Valle Principal David Stewart and his wife, Oakmont Principal Stacey Stewart are to be commended for coming up with an idea to help unify the 2 Claremont Unified School District schools and also emphasize the importance of academic responsibility and behavioral accountability. Attendance has been up at the 2 schools with Vista and Oakmont also competing in attendance challenges on a monthly basis.

Thanks to Oakmont for providing the photo above and the photos below that captured some of the best moments of last Wednesday's game:

CHS Girls Soccer wins San Dimas Tournament

While the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team is currently striving for a back-to-back CIF Southern Section championship, the CHS varsity girls soccer team has been making some noise of their own to begin the 2011-12 season.

Scoring 9 goals in 4 games within the San Dimas Tournament last weekend, Claremont shut out Maranatha, 3-0, Glendora, 3-0 and Alta Loma, 1-0, before blanking Diamond Bar in the championship match, 2-0. The 4 wins improved the undefeated Wolfpack to 5-0-1 on the season.

Claremont will return to action tomorrow afternoon at Alta Loma at 3:15 p.m. Click HERE to input your address and get directions to Alta Loma High School.

New coach on the block

Former Upland Christian head baseball coach Geoff Ranney is now the head coach of the CHS baseball program. On Wednesday, I had a chance to spend some time with the new coach and CHS Class of 1991 alum. From what I've heard, it looks like there could be some good times ahead for the Wolfpack baseball team.

CHS has gone through 5-year postseason drought as the last time the Pack made the playoffs was in 2006. The last 20-win season for Claremont was in 2005. Over the past 9 years, Claremont has had 6 different coaches at the helm, counting Coach Ranney. The new coach is hoping to bring some stability to the program.

Coach Ranney guided Upland Christian to a CIF Southern Section championship in 2007 and to a runner-up finish in CIF in 2008. Check out tomorrow's COURIER for the full story.

CHS boys soccer doesn't miss a step

With a 3-2 victory over Rancho Cucamonga yesterday in the first round of the Rancho Cucamonga Tournament, the Claremont High School Wolfpack boys soccer team is picking up right where the team left off when it captured the CIF Southern Section Division II championship last year.

The boys team has a senior heavy roster this year with Stephen Barba, Denes Kantor, Sam Newton, Ismael Rodriguez, Michael Lozano and several others representing players who are returners this season. Barba currently leads CHS in goals with 2 this season.

CHS looks as if the team has plenty of potential but will do well to use the regular season as a platform for the postseason. Being the defending CIF-SS champ, many teams will bring a greater effort against the Pack. Claremont must be ready to play at 100 percent every time the squad takes the field.

For the full story on Wednesday's match, check out this Saturday's COURIER. Also check below for YouTube highlights courtesy of www.claremontsoccer.com.

Claremonters doing big things away from town

Congratulations to former Claremont High School basketball standouts Brandi Brown and Dave Rice as the 2 made history this past Friday and Saturday.

Brown scored her 1000th point in her collegiate career in a win against Loyola Marymount on Friday. The junior on the Youngstown State University women's basketball team has narrowly missed scoring the point on Nov. 21 but reached the milestone by converting a free throw early in Friday's contest in Los Angeles.

In his first year as the head coach of UNLV, Coach Rice picked up the biggest win his career last Saturday as the Runnin' Rebels upset No.1 ranked North Carolina in the championship game of a tournament held in Las Vegas. The win knocked the Tarheels off the mountaintop and improved UNLV to 7-0 on the season.

Be sure to check out tomorrow's COURIER for the full stories on both Brown and Rice's recent accomplishments. Until then, below are YouTube clips featuring both of Claremont's own:

It's crunch time for Claremont High sports

This week was the final week of the regular season for several Claremont High School sports (cross country, girls tennis, girls volleyball, boys water polo). With the exception of football, CHS now has the CIF playoffs to look forward to with Monday being the stay that CIF will release playoff brackets.

This week featured many great highlights with Drew Spinosa and Megan Huang becoming the Sierra League doubles tennis champions and the Frosh/Soph and junior varsity boys cross country teams placing first at the Sierra League Finals. But the varsity girls cross country team stands out due to finishing 2nd at the Sierra League Finals to complete a solid season.

For the past 2 years, a lot of the attention has been on the CHS varsity boys cross country team (and rightfully so) due to finishing in the top 5 in 2009 and 2010. But this year, the girls team has emerged as a highly competitive group and after finishing in 3rd place at the first Sierra League meet, they improved each time the league teams competed against each other. And Megan Renken became the Sierra League champion, beating out all the runners on a very strong Ayala team. The girls have much to be proud of this year and I look forward to seeing what they can do in CIF.

The COURIER will keep an eye on all of the upcoming playoff action. For more thoughts on this year's CHS teams, click HERE.

They're only just getting started

The Claremont High School varsity girls tennis team is on a roll. With a 10-0 record overall and an 8-0 Sierra League record going into today's match against Charter Oak, we could very well be seeing the female rendition of the championship success enjoyed by the CHS varsity boys tennis team in 2009 and 2010.

Interestingly enough, the CHS girls squad has the exact same head coach that the boys team had during its back-to-back years in Tom Spinosa. From there, just as the boys team was led by a Spinosa (Clarke Spinosa) and a Liu (Frank Liu), the varsity girls team is led by their sisters, Drew Spinosa and Cindy Liu. And like their brothers, they are quite good.

Just as the boys team had an incredibly deep team that featured the likes of Trevor James, Carter Hafif, Scott Donaldson and Alan Leahy, the girls team contains Ryley Settles, Chelsea Edirsuriya and Hailey Kayatta. Yet another similarity.

Are we perhaps looking at a girls tennis mini-dynasty in the making at CHS? It's certainly possible.

CHS boys water polo is a contender

What a difference a year can make.

The Claremont High School varsity boys water polo team avenged a pair of defeats suffered at the hands of Ayala last year with a 14-11 win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday.

"It felt so good to beat Ayala," said Stephen Zetterberg. "Last year, I remember that they beat us twice by one goal. But we really won this one and it shows the great heart that we have as a team this year."

Claremont rode the backs of Luke Miller (6 goals), Jonah Dowd (5 goals) and freshman goalie Steven Cable, who recorded several saves and deflections for the Pack in the victory. Remy Ertaud (2 goals) and Zetterberg scored Claremont's other 3 goals.

Personally observing the team, Claremont has made huge strides from 2010. Although the team is younger with just a few seniors, the Wolfpack's underclassmen (led by Cagle) have been playing solid at the varsity level. Along with defeating Ayala for the first time in 3 tries, CHS also played competitive against Damien last week in a match that was decided by just 5 points. Last year's Claremont team lost to the Spartans by 15.

Coach Melissa McKown has gotten her team in prime position to make some noise this year. Like the CHS varsity girls volleyball team, only mistakes will be able to prevent the Wolfpack from advancing a few rounds into CIF this year.

In case you missed it...

Claremont High School head football coach Mike Collins was featured in a segment on the ABC 7 Sports Zone show last Saturday due to being selected as a 2011 ABC 7 - NFL Coach of the Week. Check out the video below to see what was televised on Saturday:



Congratulations to Coach Collins and the entire CHS football program. The 4-1 Wolfpack will host Damien tomorrow tonight to open Sierra League Play at 7 p.m.

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?

Claremont finds biggest advantage in running sports

As the 2011 cross-country season is ready to begin for the Claremont High School, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, one thing is for certain. Claremont athletes know how to run.

Last season, the CHS boys cross-country team placed 3rd in the state, the Webb boys competed in the state championships and both C-M-S and Pomona-Pitzer sent runners to the NCAA championships. Running isn't just what many Claremont athletes do, it is also what they excel at.

It's interesting because each community has its niche. Claremont excels in sports that require endurance such as cross-country, soccer, swimming and track. The city is not where you would find a collection of bulk and mass among athletes. Perhaps that could be attributed to the health consciousness of the Claremont and the city environment.

Heading east to Upland and Rancho Cucamonga, you'll find football programs that are broadcasted on television. Heading further east to Etiwanda, Fontana and Corona, you'll find a region of highly competitive basketball teams. It is interesting how each area has a sport that they excel at above others.

Claremont certainly can excel in football, basketball, baseball and the other sports. Last year's CHS football team made the CIF playoffs, Pomona-Pitzer continued adding wins to its strong baseball program, and C-M-S has fielded a strong lacrosse program over the past few seasons. But running has been consistent during my 5 years at the COURIER.

It'll be September in just 2 days. And that means that we'll be seeing a lot of running Claremont and perhaps some more accolades to talk about by December. What do you think?

CMS partners with Campus Team Store for team apparel

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletic department has joined forces with Campus Team Store to create an online store featuring a wide range of athletic apparel and accessories.

The department made the announcement earlier this month as shoppers will have access to more than 1200 customizable products with hundreds of design options. Proceeds from each sale will go to the department.

Both CMS and Campus Team Store worked together to create the available designs at the team stores. CMS currently has a separate Stags and Athenas site based on the preference of Stags or Athenas. Pomona College also has a store to support the Sagehens.

"We have a winning tradition and wanted to partner with someone that could give our fans the best apparel options for every sport we offer," said Mike Sutton, director of CMS Athletics.

My personal favorite from what I've seen so far:

Pitching perfection

Former Claremont High School graduate and current Cleveland Indians minor league pitcher Justin Germano became the first Columbus Clipper player in team history to throw a perfect game last night against the Syracuse Chiefs.

The hurler threw 95 pitches (69 strikes) en route to leading his team to a 3-0 shutout on Wednesday and is now just the 5th player to record a perfect game in International League history. Germano racked up 7 strikeouts in the contest with the last one ending the game when the Chiefs' Corey Brown watched the final pitch zoom by.

Germano made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2004 and started 23 games for the team in 2007. Earlier this season, the 28-year-old made 9 appearances for the Indians before being sent to the Triple-A level Columbus Clippers in mid-May. He has since lowered his earned run average (ERA) from 5.68 when he played for the Indians to an impressive 2.42 ERA to date with the Clippers.

Congratulations to Germano for his historic performance and check below for a pair of videos showing the final out of last night's game and also the team celebration.

Claremont 14U Faspitch takes on fundraising challenge

After qualifying for the America Softball Association Fastpitch Western National Tournament nearly 2 weeks ago, the Claremont 14-and-Under All-Star team is faced with another challenge before the August event.

The team is holding a series of fundraisers to cover the cost of attending the tournament in Spokane, Washington from August 1-7. The next fundraiser is a yard sale that will take place this Saturday at 1532 Lafayette Road in Claremont from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It was the support of the Claremont community that allowed the 10U, 12U and 14U teams to participate in last year's Western Nationals. The 14U is inviting the community to participate in Saturday's yard sale and also will accept donated items to sale.

For more information on the upcoming event, contact team representative Wendy McCord at (909) 938-0536.

Wolfpack wins consolation prize in passing tourney

(Photo courtesy of Claremont HS Football)

The Claremont Wolfpack football team defeated Summit High School (Fontana) on Saturday to win the consolation award of the 17th Annual Claremont Varsity Passing Tournament.

Hosted by Claremont, the passing tournament is a 7-on-7 competition during the summer that allows more than 20 teams to test their pass offense and defense against other schools from the Inland Empire, Los Angeles area and Orange County. Etiwanda won the tournament this year by defeating Villa Park in the championship game.

After winning the tournament in 2009, Claremont improved from a 2-8 record in 2008 to a 5-5 record that fall. The Pack went 7-3 in 2010 and reached the playoffs for the first time in several years.

Claremont will open the 2011 season at home against Ontario on September 5th at 7:30 p.m.

Claremont pitchers drafted by Mariners

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer athletic departments had reason to celebrate as Stags pitcher Alex Sunderland (pictured top) and Sagehens hurler David Colvin (pictured bottom) were both drafted by Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners during the 2011 MLB First Year Player draft earlier this month.

Colvin was selected in the 27th round and became the 5th Pomona-Pitzer player to be drafted by an MLB team since 2003. His record as a Sagehen was 35-7 and he was named First Team All-SCIAC, Pomona-Pitzer's Most Valuable Athlete and Second Team All-West Region during his collegiate stint. He will report to the Pulaski Martines of the Appalachian League.

Sunderland was the 1143rd player selected in the draft's 38th round. His career record with the stags with 20-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 233 innings. Sunderland's 1.000 fielding percentage during the 2011 season led to his selection to the ABCA/Rawlings West Region Gold Glove Team while his 9-1 record in 2010 led to First Team All-SCIAC and Third Team ABCA/Rawlings All-West honors.

Congratulations to both players as their hard work has paid off.

Lim smashes way to Division III title

(photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis sophomore Kristin Lim has made history for the Athenas tennis program.

The sophomore from Honolulu captured the NCAA Division III women's singles title by defeating University of Chicago's Kendra Higgins in the finals, 6-1, 6-3 at Pomona-Pitzer's Pauley Tennis Complex last weekend. Lim's road to the finals included defeating Carleton College's Kathryn Schmidt (6-4, 6-2), Emory University's Jordan Wylie (6-2, 6-3), Middlebury College's Victoria Aiello (6-3, 6-1) and Tufts University's Julia Browne (6-1, 6-3). The C-M-S player did not lose a set in her 5 postseason matches.

Lim completes an impressive season that saw her earn 34 victories and lose only 3 times. She was also successful in doubles with partner Crystal Lim this season as the duo tallied 31 victories before losing to Division III champions Jordan Brewer-Gabby Devlin in the semifinals.

Congratulations to Lim on her memorable season.

Claremont, Webb compete in CIF-SS Track & Field Finals

The athletes of Claremont High School and the Webb Schools took to the track again last Saturday in order to try and qualify for the upcoming CIF State Meet in Clovis this June. While the qualifiers for the state meet have not been officially posted, check out the local results from the CIF Southern Section Finals at Cerritos College.


CIF-SS Division 2 Finals - Claremont Results

BOYS
3200m: Paul Ross, 9:03.85 (2nd)
4x400m Relay: Claremont (Jones-Wilborn/Kuramata/Cleghorne/Aiken), 3:23.28 (8th)
Triple Jump: Klyvens Delaunay, 49-0.75 (2nd)

GIRLS
100m: Brittany Brown, 11.98 (3rd)
200m: Mariella McCormack, 25.27 (7th)
400m: McCormack, 58.72 (6th)
1600m: Merin Arft, 5:06.10 (6th)
4x400m Relay: Claremont (Chen/Brown/Sanin/McCormack), 3:52.85 (2nd)
Long Jump: Briana Holmes, 16-10.25 (5th)
Discus Throw: Raegan Henderson, 112-1 (9th)


CIF-SS Division 4 Finals - Webb Results

BOYS
Pole Vault: Bailey Stockdale, 12-9 (5th)
Triple Jump: Andy Lee, 41-11.50 (7th)

GIRLS
100m: Amary Berry, 12.11 (4th)
4x100m Relay: Webb (Zheng/Wensley/Gronna/Berry), 49.87 (5th)
High Jump: Lindsey Weissman, 5-2 (5th)
Long Jump: Miya Wensley, 16-3.25 (7th)
Triple Jump: Wensley, 35-2 (7th)

No. 1 Palm Desert advances past Wolfpack

The Claremont High School varsity boys tennis team will not win a 3rd consecutive CIF Southern Section title in 2011.

Running into CIF-SS Division II seed Palm Desert on Friday, the Wolfpack struggled in the 2nd round against the Aztecs and eventually fell in defeat in a CIF-SS second round match, 15-3. Palm Desert scored an automatic 9 points by sweeping all doubles sets.

After winning back-to-back CIF-SS Division III championships in 2009 and 2010, CHS switched from the Baseline League to the Sierra League this season. Claremont won the Sierra League championship and advanced as a high seed in the Division II playoffs this postseason. Unlike its last two championship seasons, CHS did not have Clarke Spinosa, Torsten Keil-Long, Frank Liu, Scott Donaldson or David Standerfer on the roster this year due to the players graduating in 2009 and 2010.

Congratulations to the CHS boys tennis team for its efforts throughout the season.

Webb athletes competing at Carpinteria HS tomorrow

Sixteen athletes from the Webb Schools will take part in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 Track & Field Preliminaries tomorrow at Carpinteria High School. Below is a list of the competitors and the events they will be competing in:

BOYS
100m Hurdles: TJ Fenton (40th seed), Zack Zanft (41st seed)
300m Hurdles: Lance Morton (40th seed)
High Jump: Nick Pankratz (11th seed)
Pole Vault: Bailey Stockdale (4th seed), Louis Otter (15th seed)
Long Jump: Andy Lee (13th seed)
Triple Jump: Andy Lee (6th seed)

GIRLS
100m: Amary Berry (3rd seed)
200m: Amary Berry (6th seed)
100m Hurdles: Amary Berry (2nd seed)
300m Hurdles: Ivie Tokunboh (12th seed)
4x100m Relay: Alicia Zheng-Miya Wensley-Laura Groma-Amara Berry (7th seed)
4x400m Relay: Alicia Zheng-Nancy Cheng-Lauren Shue-Ivie Tokunboh (17th seed)
High Jump: Lindsey Weissman (5th seed)
Pole Vault: Megan Fu (19th seed)
Long Jump: Miya Wensley (3rd seed), Lindsey Weissman (17th seed)
Triple Jump: Miya Wensley (5th seed)
Shot Put: Lindsey Weissman (37th seed)
Discus Throw: Lindsey Weissman (11th seed), Barbara Smith (20th seed)

CHS CIF Update

Claremont High School's varsity boys tennis team is still alive, the varsity boys volleyball team endured a 2nd round elimination and the swimming and track & field teams will be competing this weekend.

With a 12-6 win over Flintridge Prep in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 play on Wednesday, the Pack will play No.1 seeded Palm Desert today in a 2nd round match at home at 3 p.m. More about Wednesday's match can be found in Saturday's COURIER.

The Wolfpack boys volleyball team had a strong start this week by sweeping Village Christian in the opening round of CIF-SS Division 2, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21. But Temple City ended Claremont's season in 4 games on Thursday night in the 2nd round by scores of 15-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-20.

Members of the CHS swim teams will compete today at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach in the CIF-SS Division 2 Swimming and Diving Championships. The prelims take place today and the finals will conclude tomorrow. For full results click HERE.

More than 15 of Claremont's track & field athletes will participate in the CIF-SS Division 2 Prelims at Moorpark High School on Saturday. The qualifiers from the prelims will compete in the CIF-SS finals on May 21st. Click HERE for a full performance list for tomorrow's prelims.

Keep looking for CIF updates throughout the weekend on the blog.

Pack sweeps Village Christian in 3 games

Round one of the CIF Southern Section Division III Boys Volleyball playoffs is in the books for Claremont.

The Wolfpack made short work of Village Christian on Tuesday night in Sun Valley by sweeping the Crusaders, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21. With the victory, Claremont advances to a 2nd round match at home against Temple City on Thursday at 7 p.m.

CHS could be headed for yet another showdown with Burbank Burroughs if both teams are victorious in the next 2 rounds of play. Burroughs won this year's Pacific League championship, ending a 5-year run by Claremont.

Look for another update following tomorrow night's match.

Metoyer done for season

Claremont High School runner AK Metoyer will not be able to return to the track for the CIF Southern Section meet after suffering a hip fracture at last Thursday's Sierra League Finals.

According to Metoyer, the fracture occurred when he was in the homestretch of the 800-meters race. Check out Wednesday's COURIER for the update.

Claremont qualifies many in Sierra League prelims

The Claremont High School track & field team had many runners and fielders qualify for Thursday's Sierra League Finals at the Sierra League Prelims on Monday. Scroll down below for all the varsity boys and girls qualifiers and their respective events:

CHS Varsity Boys Qualifiers
100m:
Michael Aiken, 11.05 (1st—Heat 2)

200m:
Aiken, 21.91 (1st—Heat 1)

400m:
Khayree Jones-Wilborn, 50.32 (1st—Heat 2)
Tanner Kuramata, 50.82 (1st—Heat 3)
Jacob Rancharan, 52.37 (2nd—Heat 1)
Cameron Blunt, 52.67 (2nd—Heat 2)

800m:
AK Metoyer, 1:59.09, (1st)Jacob Eagleton, 2:05.21 (5th)

1600m:
Paul Ross, 4:27.68 (1st)
Henry Falotico, 4:32.92 (3rd)
Colin Domonoske, 4:33.21 (4th)
Aric Crowell, 4:36.76 (7th)

100m Hurdles:
William Wu, 16.26 (1st—Heat 2)
Salim Cleghorne, 16.65 (2nd—Heat 2)

300m Hurdles:
Cleghorne, 40.97 (1st—Heat 1)

Long Jump:
Klyvens Delauany, 19-7.50 (1st)

Triple Jump:
Delaunay, 45-7,50 (1st)
Jones-Wilborn, 41-3.50 (5th)

Shot Put:
Noah Winnick, 40-9.50 (8th)
Austin Rose, 40-8 (9th)

Discus Throw:
Winnick, 119-7 (9th)


CHS Varsity Girls Qualifiers
100m:
Brittany Brown, 12:47 (2nd—Heat 2);

200m:
Mariella McCormack, 25.90 (1st—Heat 1)
Brown, 26.60 (2nd—Heat 2)
Kimberly Chen, 26.16 (2nd—Heat 1)

400m:
Chen, 58.48 (1st—Heat 2)
McCormack (1st—Heat 1)
Briana Holmes, 1:03.90 (5th—Heat 1)

800m:
Bailey Sanin, 2:27.19 (2nd)
Allison Spivack, 2:30.82 (5th)
Megan Renken, 2:34.56 (8th)
Kaylee Jorgensen, 2:35.25 (9th)
Danha Hernandez, 2:36.60 (12th)

100m Hurdles:
Bailey Sanin, 16.52 (2nd—Heat 2)
Maddy Keyser, 16.85 (2nd—Heat 1)

300m Hurdles:
Leandra Escobar, 51.45 (2nd—Heat 1)
Maureen Murphy, 53.13, (4th—Heat 2)

Long Jump:
Holmes, 15-7.50 (1st)

Shot Put:
Aubrey Fry, 34-4.50 (1st)
Kashawnia Thomas, 31-1 (3rd)
Raegan Henderson, 30-7 (4th)
Victoria Jeffries, 27-4.75 (9th)

Discus Throw:
Thomas, 93-0 (2nd)
Henderson, 86-9 (5th)
Jeffries, 84-10 (6th)
Fry, 82-7 (7th)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer update

This past weekend, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's tennis and softball teams claimed the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships in both sports while the Pomona-Pitzer women's tennis team also obtained SCIAC glory.

Both the men and women's SCIAC tennis championships took place over the weekend. The Stags bested the Sagehens in the men's final, 8-1. Pomona-Pitzer gained a measure of revenge in the women's final by defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 6-3.

The C-M-S softball team won its 2nd consecutive SCIAC title by defeating Whittier twice over the weekend by scores of 15-3 and 8-6. The win also allows the Athenas to host Whittier in the first round of the SCIAC Championships on Friday.

Congratulations to the 3 teams for their efforts this year.

Claremonters fare well in Boston Marathon

Claremont High School teachers Brian Cooper and Jose Ancona both competed in Monday's 2011 Boston Marathon that featured 26,907 total runners.

Mr. Cooper crossed the finish line at 2 hours and 41 minutes for 256th place and Mr. Ancona became the 6607th runner to finish at 3 hours and 26 minutes at the world's longest running annual marathon. The course is approximately 26.22 miles.

Congratulations to the Claremont High teachers for a well run race.

'Claremont Cuties' an inspiration

It was last summer that a woman named Julia Previch had a vision that would revolutionize the lives of 5 girls who attend Danbury Elementary School. Her vision came to life in front of hundreds of people at Claremont High School on April 9th.

The Claremont Cuties debuted on April 9th in a cheer competition at Claremont High School to a standing ovation by the audience and applause from the other cheerleaders in attendance. Dressed in black "Girls Rock" shirts with pink shirts and white pom poms, the girls performed their routine to Katy Perry's hit song "Fireworks."

Coach Previch—a Claremont High School graduate and former member of the CHS drill team—informed me that this program has led to practical improvements in the 5 students. The group will perform again in the Claremont 4th of July parade.

Check out Wednesday's COURIER for the full story on this fascinating group.

A little Pee-Wee focus

With the Claremont Unified School District on spring break this week, our sports feature will focus on 3-6 year olds getting their first experience with the sport of tennis. The Pee-Wee Tennis Clinic is offered through the City of Claremont and takes place on Tuesday and Thursdays at Cahuilla Park. Click HERE for more information.

Look for the story in Saturday's edition of the COURIER and a return to CHS sports coverage next week.

Defending NCAA Division Rugby champs searching for first win in Division I

The Claremont Colleges Rugby team has been experiencing growing pains in College Premier competition this season.

After capturing the Division II championship last spring, the Dragons received a promotion to Division I but have yet to defeat a D1 opponent after 8 games this season. Claremont's 24-10 defeat to UCLA last Saturday drops the Dragons to 0-4 in the Pacific League.

Claremont will next travel south to lay at San Diego State at noon this Saturday.

CHS graduate David Rice now at helm for UNLV men's basketball

Claremont High School graduate and member of the 1990 University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) men's basketball national championship team Dave Rice was announced as the new head coach for the Runnin' Rebels yesterday at a special press conference.

The appointment is Coach Rice's first head coach position after serving as assistant coach at the high school, junior college and NCAA Division I level for the past 19 years. The last 2 decades have included stints at Claremont High School, Chaffey College, UNLV, Utah State and Brigham Young University (Utah).

Congratulations to Coach Rice and look for the full story in Wednesday's issue of the COURIER. Until then, click HERE to view the entire press conference.

CHS Dance Team to perform on KTLA

Just a few weeks off of an impressive showing at the USA Spirit Dance-Drill Nationals, the 2011 Kick champion Claremont High School Dance Team will be performing on KTLA (Channel 5) this Tuesday.

The dance team was invited to be a guest on KTLA's morning news show and will start taping teasers at 8:15 a.m. The group is tentatively scheduled to perform at 9:45 a.m. and some of the team members will also be interviewed by the KTLA news team.

Congratulations once again to the CHS Dance Team for its accomplishments this season.

CHS Dance Team & Wolfgang make headlines at Nationals

Congratulations to the Claremont High School Dance Team and the Wolfgang Hip-Hop Team for their success at last weekend's USA Spirit Dance/Drill Nationals at the Anaheim Arena.

The CHS Dance Team reclaimed its championship glory by winning the national title in the Championship Kick category for the 3rd time in 4 years with a point total of 93.2. CHS finished 5th in the Officer category last year.

Though the Wolfgang did not capture its 2nd consecutive Small Hip-Hop title, the squad took 2nd place in the Championship Large Hip-Hop category, 3rd place in Open Small Hip-Hop and 4th place in Championship Medium Hip-Hop. With the growth of the program this year, the Wolfgang was able to compete in multiple events.

Check out Saturday's COURIER for the full story about last weekend's nationals and to celebrate the accomplishments of all CHS Dance Team and Wolfgang participants. Until then, check below for some videos highlighting the teams' performances in Anaheim last weekend from Varsity.com.


CHS Dance Team Kick Performance (1st place)


Wolfgang Large Hip-Hop Performance (2nd place)


Wolfgang Medium Hip-Hop Performance (4th place)

CHS Soccer team receives several honors

Though the 2010-11 season has officially ended for the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team, it did not stop the Wolfpack from being recognized beyond the postseason.

On top of winning this year's CIF Southern Section Division II championship, CHS coach Fred Bruce Oliver was recently named CIF Southern Section Division II Coach of the Year and Cory Hodge was selected as the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year. Hodge and teammate Troy Ford were also named to the CIF Southern Section Division II All-First Team.

Congratulations once again to CHS for an unforgettable season. Check below for a YouTube video from YouTube user "synergem":

Brown, Williams make impact at their respective schools

Youngstown State University's Brandi Brown and Azusa Pacific University's Amber Williams are continuing their success on the basketball court from their Claremont High School days and bringing even more to the collegiate game.

Brown finished completed her sophomore season with the Penguins and led her team in both points (19.9) and rebounds (9.2) per contest. Her totals ranked her 15th in scoring and 49th in rebounding among NCAA Division I women's basketball players. Brown's 939 points in the last 2 seasons are the most ever by a Youngstown State player in school history.

Williams finished her junior season with the Cougars on a high note as Azusa Pacific captured its first ever NAIA women's basketball championship last night with a 65-59 win over 2-time defending champion Union University (Tenn.). The former CHS standout provided a spark off the bench for APU as she pulled down a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game and averaged 6.5 points.

Check out some YouTube coverage of both Brown and Williams below:

Youngstown State highlights (Brandi Brown #42)


Azusa Pacific highlights (Amber Williams #44 and first player in the video)

Bearcats bring Broncos' season to a halt

The fact that the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight this past season is cause enough for celebration among the Bronco community. But Cal Poly Pomona was overcome by a stronger Northwest Missouri State team in the NCAA quarterfinal as the Bearcats bested the Broncos in St. Joseph, Missouri by a 78-65 score.

Sarah Semenero (19 points), Reyana Colson (15 points), Megan Ford (14 points) and Charlene Popoff (10 points) all scored in double figures for Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos suffered from first half shooting woes with its 27 percent shooting percentage landing the team in a 39-22 hole at the half. While Cal Poly Pomona responded in the 2nd half by shooting 44 percent and outscoring Northwest Missouri State, 43-39, it was too little to late for the Broncos.

Congratulations to the Broncos (28-5) on an outstanding season under interim coach Danelle Bishop and hopefully this is only the beginning of much more to come.

Cal Poly Pomona women's team 3 victories from NCAA championship

The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team is in a similar predicament that their men's counterparts were in last season with their appearance in this year's NCAA Division II Elite Eight.

The Broncos will be in action tonight against Northwest Missouri State with the winner advancing to the semifinals of the Division II tournament. Cal Poly Pomona enters the contest with an impressive 28-4 record.

NCAA Division II All-American Reyana Colson has led the Broncos this season by recording 21.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. Her other accolades include becoming the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player, the NCAA Division II West Region's Most Valuable Player and the West Region Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Look for an update on the blog tomorrow of the Broncos' progress.

Chino Hills drops CHS to first loss

After winning its first 4 games and capturing the Glendora Tournament, the Claremont High School varsity baseball team fell to Chino Hills in the Sierra League opener at Wolfpack Park on Thursday, 5-0.

Claremont mustered 4 hits in the contest but could not put together a rally to get back into the game. The Pack also committed 3 errors.

Yet Claremont's first loss is just one chapter in what will be a 2-month long regular season. CHS coach Steve Jackson still expects the Wolfpack to have a strong season but also pointed out that consistent hitting is to key to his team's success.

“We’re a small ball type of team,” Coach Jackson said. “We’re not going to be hitting a lot of balls out of the park so we need to be able to get on base.”

Check out tomorrow's COURIER for a full recap of Thursday's game. The CHS baseball team will be in action tomorrow at Don Lugo at 11 a.m.

CHS baseball, softball off to raging start

The Claremont High School baseball and softball teams are showing signs of promise in 2011.

The Wolfpack baseball team recently captured the Glendora Tournament championship last weekend with a 14-1 win over Ayala in the tournament final. In its first 4 games, CHS is averaging nearly 8 runs a game while holding its opponents to just one run per contest. The Pack will host Chino Hills at home tomorrow at 3:15 p.m.

By defeating Arroyo and Schurr yesterday, the CHS softball team has improved to 6-0 in the early season. The Pack was undefeated in the Upland Tournament last week and won both of its games in the Arroyo Tournament this week. Claremont will next battle Chino Hills at Cahuilla Park tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

The COURIER will be in attendance at tomorrow's CHS baseball game. Look for coverage of the game as well as box scores from other CHS sports in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

Wolfpack's dream season ends

Congratulations to the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team for an incredible season. The Wolfpack's chances at the Southern California Regionals title were eliminated on Wednesday as Oak Hills edged out CHS in the semifinals, 1-0.

Oak Hills senior Chazz Cameron scored the game's only goal at the 25th minute of play. The Wolfpack came close to tying the game in the 52nd minute but the goal was waived off by officials due to the goalie having possession of the ball before it was kicked out of his hands.

Wednesday's contest was a highly physical match, particularly after the 60th minute. Within the last 20 minutes, Brennen Carter had his jersey grabbed by an Oak Hills player at least 3 times, Troy Ford was thrown to the ground and Cory Hodge was tapped on the top of his head by another Cougars player.

“We needed a break here and there and our guys were tired,” Coach Bruce-Oliver pointed out. “I thought that the CIF finals was physical but this match was pretty physical. But I’m very impressed with Oak Hills and they are a very good team.”

Even though the Pack didn't win the Southern California Regionals, CHS has plenty to be proud of. Claremont captured its first CIF (Division 2) Southern Section championship in 17 years, posted an impressive 22-2-5 record, was selected as the No. 1 seed for the regionals and was at one time ranked No. 7 in the nation by ESPN Rise.

It was a lot of fun following the Pack this season. Look for more coverage in Saturday's edition of the COURIER.

C-M-S qualifies highest number of swimmers for NCAA in program history

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swim program will have 16 swimmers competing in the NCAA Championships from March 23-26 at the University of Tennessee. The 8 male swimmers (Stags) and 8 female swimmers (Athenas) accounts for the highest total C-M-S has ever sent to the NCAA Championships.

The Athenas finished in 5th place at last year's NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history. Led by SCIAC Swimmer of the Year Michele Kee, the female swimmers will look to improve on last year's historical effort. The Athenas have won 9 consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championships.

Vincent Pai will lead a very strong Stags team at this year's championship. The Stags won its 4th straight SCIAC title this season and will have 3 swimmers competing in at least 3 individual events at the championships later this month.

Here's the list of qualifiers and the events they will compete in:

STAGS (men's team)
Vincent Pai (100 & 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley)
Blake Weber (200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke)
Nick Ostreim (200-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke)
Austin Hallet (200-yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke)
Jordan Lieberman (100 & 200-yard butterfly)
Sean Fitzgerald (50-yard freestyle)
Devin Bowers (400-yard medley relay, 200 & 400-yard freestyle relay)
Jeff McNerney (400-yard medley relay)

ATHENAS (women's team)
Michele Kee (200-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard freestyle)
Katie Bilotti (100-yard butterfly, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke)
Tessa Dover (100 & 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley)
Helen Liu (50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly)
Jenni Rinker (50-yard freestyle, 100 & 200-yard backstroke)
Elsa Cheng (100-yard butterfly, 100 & 200-yard backstroke)
Emma Jones (100-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke)

RELAY TEAMS
Men's 200-yard medley
Men's 400-yard medley
Men's 200-yard freestyle
Men's 400-yard freestyle
Women's 200-yard medley
Women's 400-yard medley
Women's 200-yard freestyle
Women's 400-yard freestyle

The good times keep rolling for CHS soccer

Claremont High School's Hugo Lepe emerged as the Wolfpack's latest hero on Monday as the CHS midfielder scored game-winning goal to lift the Pack past Coronado in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regionals, 1-0. Added just a few years ago, the Southern California Regionals are the continuation of postseason after the CIF sectionals.

The final play of the game began with Brennen Carter's corner throw being sent back to midfield courtesy of Cory Hodge's header. Troy Ford gained control of the ball at midfield and kicked the ball to within 15 yards of the goal. Hodge then recorded another header that set up Lepe's left-footed goal that sailed over the Cougars goalie.

Adding yet another win to its already unforgettable and most successful season in history, Claremont (22-1-5) advances to the semifinals to play host to Oak Hills tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. The match will take place at CHS Stadium. If CHS is victorious in tomorrow's match, the Wolfpack will play in the regional final at Warren High School in Downey (7:30 p.m.)

Coverage of Monday's game and last Saturday's CIF Southern Section final will be in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER and look for coverage of tomorrow's match in Saturday's edition. Keep tuned in to the COURIER website for up to date information.

Wolfpack capture CIF-SS championship, host regionals today

Congratulations to the Claremont High School varsity boys soccer team, who won the Division 2 CIF Southern Section championship on Saturday by outlasting Capistrano Valley, 3-2, in overtime at Mission Viejo High School.

Cory Hodge's heroics came through once again for CHS, as his goal in the 6th minute of overtime was the game-winner. The goal was assisted by Brennen Carter.

Carter and Stephen Barba also had goals for the Wolfpack in Saturday's contest. Claremont's championship is the team's first since 1994.

The season isn't over yet for the Wolfpack as Claremont will host Coronado in the first round of the Southern California Regionals today at CHS Stadium with a 4 p.m. start. Look for coverage of today's match, as well as Saturday's victory, in Wednesday's edition of the COURIER.

Claremont needs just one more win

Cory Hodge's game-winning goal at the 97th minute on Tuesday advanced the Claremont High School boys soccer team to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship match against Capistrano Valley.

The date and time for the championship match was announced earlier this morning as the Wolfpack (20-1-5) will travel to Mission Viejo High School to play the Cougars this Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. start time. Tickets are $9 for general admission and $5 for students with I.D. and children under 13 years of age.

Claremont hasn't enjoyed this much success in the CIF playoffs since the team won the championship in 1994. Coach Fred Bruce-Oliver has said that his team has surpassed his expectations and believes that the level of soccer has changed over the past 17 years.

“My first reaction is that for the longest time, I thought this would never happen again,” said CHS coach Fred Bruce-Oliver. “The level of the game is so high now and there is no team this is dominating anywhere around here. The top team changes from year to year and this was our year."

Look for more coverage of Tuesday's match in Saturday's edition of the COURIER. Check out the game winning goal courtesy of "synergem" on YouTube. Go Pack!

C-M-S news update

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men and women's basketball teams were both defeated in the SCIAC Tournament finals last Saturday, bringing to an end solid seasons for both teams.

The Stags (16-10) triumphed over La Verne in Friday's semifinal, 68-62, but fell to Redlands in Saturday's championship game, 63-54. Likewise the Athenas (20-7) won its semifinal contest by a 52-46 margin over Redlands on Friday but suffered a 55-49 defeat at the hands of Occidental in the tournament final.

In other C-M-S news, former University of Chicago defensive coordinator Kyle Sweeney was announced as the Stags new head football coach last week. Coach Sweeney formerly coached at MacMurray College (2007-08), Endicott College (2002-06), Occidental College (2001-02) and Illinois Wesleyan University (2000-01). His official start date is tomorrow.

Look for more comments regarding Sweeney's hire in tomorrow's edition of the COURIER.

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.