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.