A look at the numbers...

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler is set on making his senior season his best season. And the numbers do not lie.

Leading the Wolfpack to a 4-1 record, Kessler has completed 99 of 143 passes (69 percent) for 1513 yards (302 passing yards per game) to go along with 16 touchdown throws (3 TDs per game) and just 5 interceptions (one INT per game). The senior currently has a quarterback rating of 127.

Yet Kessler has had plenty of help in the receiver area this season. Leading CHS receiver Tanner Kuramata has 39 catches for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns at the midway point of the season. Aaron Dockery has been another big play receiver for the Pack with 27 catches for 503 yards and 5 TDs.

Claremont is just one win away from tying last season's total. The rest of the team's games will be against Sierra League opponents, starting with Chino Hills at home on Oct. 15th.

Check below for a comparison of Kessler's numbers this year compared to last year.

2009: 166-237 (70 %), 2419 yards, 24 TDs, 7 INTs, 124.0 QB rating

2010 (5 games): 99-143 (69.2%), 1513 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs, 127.0 QB rating

If Kessler were to repeat the same success he's had through the first 5 games of the season, his final statistics for the 2010 season could look like this:

Projected 2010: 198-286, 3026 yards, 32 TDs, 10 INT, 127.0 QB rating

Pomona-Pitzer's Freese up for national award

Photo courtesy of the SCIAC website

Pomona-Pitzer cross country standout Alicia Freese has been chosen by the National Collegiate Athletic Association as one of 30 top honorees for the NCAA's Women of the Year award according to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) website.

The senior is one of 10 Division III nominees and in now in the running for the 3 finalists positions from each NCAA division that will comprise a 9-member panel for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The award honors female student-athletes who display excellence in athletics, academics, community service and leadership. The winner will be announced on October 17th at an awards dinner in Indianapolis.

Freese has earned 2 All-American honors in cross-country and placed 2nd and 5th in the 10k and 5k respectively at last spring's NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships. She is the record holder at Pomona-Pitzer for cross country and track and field distance events. The International Relations major added another notch to her responsibilities this season by filling in as women's cross country coach in the absence of head coach Kirk Reynolds.

Congratulations to Freese for her outstanding accomplishment.

40 Year SCIAC Anniversary

1970 team photo courtesy of C-M-S Athletics

It's been 40 years since C-M-S Stags football team won its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship in 1970. Claremont McKenna College (then Claremont Men's College) 1971 graduate Harry Wright wrote a memoir on the Claremont McKenna College website that is worth a read HERE.

Although the Stags finished 8-1 in conference play, it was Cal Lutheran who was selected as the SCIAC's playoff representative that year. C-M-S' (then Claremont-Mudd) lone loss was to Pomona-Pitzer.

This season, the Stags have jumped out to a 3-0 record with wins over Lewis & Clark College, Pacific University (Ore.) and La Verne. C-M-S has outscored its opponents by a 122-44 margin. The team's showdown with Pomona-Pitzer will take place on November 13th.

The Stags are the only undefeated SCIAC team for the 2010 season and share a similar 1-0 conference record with Cal Lutheran and Occidental. Could this season be the Stags' return to glory on its 40th anniversary?

Young CHS volleyball squad takes loss as learning experience

Coming off a CIF season in 2009, the Claremont High School varsity girls volleyball team has an even tougher road in 2010.

Losing 7 seniors, the young squad was swept by Bonita on Tuesday in a nonleague battle, 25-13, 25-16, 25-20. The loss drops the Wolfpack to 4-3 on the season.

Several hitting errors and inconsistent ball handling factored into Claremont's home loss yesterday. Junior Taylor Scott hopes the defeat will ignite the Pack's competitive spirit over the remainder of the season.

"I think games like this give us motivation," Scott said. "Now we're going to work really hard over the next 2 weeks to be prepared for our next match."

This Saturday's COURIER will feature a more in-depth look at Tuesday's match as well as provide results and scores of other Claremont sporting events.

Kessler big in CHS football's first win

Claremont High School quarterback Daniel Kessler was on the mark in Friday's 31-14 win over Cajon.

The senior threw for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Wolfpack (1-0) put on an impressive showing before its home crowd. Receiver Tanner Kuramata was Kessler's favorite target with 9 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.

The Pack will play at Bonita next Friday in a nonleague showdown at 7 p.m. Bonita (1-0) defeated San Dimas last night, 41-20, to reclaim the Smudgepot trophy.

Biszantz Family Tennis Center honored for excellence

(photo courtesy of CMS Athletics)

Claremont McKenna College's Biszantz Family Tennis Center will be honored by the United States Tennis Association with a USTA Facility Award on Monday at a special ceremony in New York City.

The Biszantz Family Tennis Center was one of 7 centers recognized by USTA for excellence in the construction or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country.

"The Biszantz Family Tennis Cente rhas gone above and beyond to create a superior tennis experience for their patrons and community at large," said Kurt Kamperman, USTA chief executive of community tennis. "We are proud to honor each of their achievements and applaud their devotion to the sport."

A state-of-the-art training and competitions center, the Biszantz Family Tennis Center was renovated in 2009 and opened for match play late that year. The center features 12 fully-lit courts to be used for competition, permanent seating for each court, an observation deck, players' lounge, locker room, medical services and intramural grass playing field. The Claremont Architectural Commission awarded the center with an Excellence in Design Award in the New Construction and Sustainable Landscaping category.

Along with the award, the Biszantz Family Tennis Center will also be getting an all-weather sign that can be mounted at the facility. The center also receives a one-year free membership to USTA.

Pomona-Pitzer men's soccer kicks off sports season for Claremont Colleges

The Pomona-Pitzer men's soccer team opened its 2010-11 season at home on Wednesday against Division II opponent Cal State San Marcos. Due to 2 circus-like goals by the Cougars in the 2nd half, Claremont fell prey to Cal State San Marcos in the end, 2-0.

The match was the first sporting event to take place at the Claremont Colleges for the 2010-11 year. Pomona-Pitzer is the defending Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champion and also has the 2009 SCIAC Player of the Year as a returnee in Eben Perkins.

Check out Saturday's COURIER for coverage of Wednesday's game and keep looking for the Sagehens' progress in the COURIER's scoreboard feature all season long.