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.