Photo courtesy Eric Danielson The La Cañada High School varsity football team was placed in Division 14, the lowest in CIF.
The CIF Southern Section recently released its new playoff divisions for football, girls’ volleyball, boys’ water polo and girls’ tennis, affecting several local programs.
CIF uses a formula to develop a ranking that is based on regular season record, strength of schedule and playoff performances the past two seasons. The La Cañada High School varsity football program has struggled to win games the last few seasons, placing the team in Division 14, which includes 70 squads. St. Francis was moved down to Division 3 this year. Continue reading “New Fall Playoff Divisions Affect Local Programs”
Photos courtesy Kevin Morris Mayfield Senior runner Audrey Suarez had a memorable year and became the first Cub to win a CIF State championship.
The CIF State Track and Field Championships at the end of May are usually the conclusion of the spring season for runners after a grueling month that includes league races, CIF Southern Section finals and the Masters Meet.
For Audrey Suarez, it didn’t end until June 16. Continue reading “Mayfield Senior Standout Running Toward Her Goals”
Photos courtesy Eric Danielson Ryan Graves, who was named the Rio Hondo League’s most valuable player, made the All-CIF Division 3 first team.
Baseball, softball and boys’ volleyball players from La Cañada High School, Flintridge Prep and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy were recognized by the CIF Southern Section as it released the All-League lists last Friday.
Two members of the LCHS varsity baseball team were among those listed by CIF. Senior ace Ryan Graves, who will be playing at San Jose State in the fall, and standout Connor Buchanan, who committed to USC, made the All-CIF-SS Division 3 first-team.
Graves, the Rio Hondo League’s most valuable player, finished the season with an 8-3 record and an earned run average of 1.89. He struck out 64 hitters in 70 1/3 innings of work and was just as good in the batter’s box, hitting .424 and driving in 16 runs.
Buchanan was a leader on the mound and on offense. He posted an ERA of 0.76 and fanned 60 batters in 46 1/3 innings. He won three games and recorded five saves for the Spartans. Buchanan also hit .299, scored a team-high 33 runs, 24 RBI and belted eight home runs. Continue reading “Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Honors”
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson Flintridge Prep senior Spencer Harris made the All-CIF Division 6 boys’ soccer first team after helping the Rebels win a Prep League title.
The CIF Southern Section released its All-CIF honors list on Monday and it included athletes from Flintridge Prep, Polytechnic, La Salle, Maranatha, Westridge, Flintridge Sacred Heart and St. Francis.
Five Rebels were recognized by CIF-SS in three winter sports. Flintridge Prep junior Kaitlyn Chen made the Division 2A girls’ basketball first team after averaging 18.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game. Boys’ soccer standouts Silas Chavez and Spencer Harris made the Division 6 first team, and Makenna Dominguez and Mikaela Celeste earned sports on the Division 2 girls’ soccer first team. Dominguez scored 36 goals and recorded 35 assists in 23 matches, and Celeste scored 28 and finished with a team-high 43 assists.
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson Sophie Markarem earned a spot on the Division 5 girls’ soccer first team after helping Westridge reach the CIF-SS title match.
Three Panthers were among those listed by CIF in boys’ soccer and girls’ water polo. Alexander Walsh helped the Poly boys’ soccer team finish its season with an overall record of 11-7-3, earning him a spot on the Division 6 first team. Talie Wilmans and Caroline Kelleher both made the All-CIF Division 6 girls’ water polo first team after leading the Panthers to a Prep League championship. Wilmans scored 122 goals, averaging nearly six per match, and recorded 59 assists and 81 steals. Kelleher was second on the team in scoring with 90 goals and finished with 40 steals. Continue reading “Local Athletes, Coach Recognized by CIF-SS”
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson FSHA junior Lauren Bolte created opportunities for her team in the Tologs’ 1-0 loss to Oak Hills of Hesperia last Saturday.
The Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy varsity girls’ soccer team fell short of capturing its second CIF Southern Section title in the program’s history, falling to visiting Oak Hills of Hesperia, 1-0, in the Division 3 championship at St. Francis High School last Saturday. The lone goal of the match came in the 21st minute when freshman Kolo Suliafu held off a defender and chipped the ball into the back of the net after receiving a long pass from her sister, Tupou. The Bulldogs (22-2-2 overall record) backed off their attack in the second half and switched to a 4-4-2 formation after opening with a 4-3-3. Continue reading “Flintridge Sacred Heart Edged in Final”
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson N-Dea Goodwin constantly pressured the defense of Fountain Valley Los Amigos but couldn’t score in regulation and overtime. The Tigers fell to the Lobos, 4-1, in a penalty kick shootout.
The Westridge varsity girls’ soccer team did everything it could to win a CIF Southern Section title. The Tigers controlled the ball, generated more scoring opportunities than and completely shut down Los Amigos of Fountain Valley at Garden Grove High School last Friday. However, they couldn’t get that final touch to get the ball into the back of the net in regulation or overtime, allowing the Lobos to defeat Westridge, 4-1, in the Division 5 championship. “I just feel like we couldn’t put it in the back of the net,” said Westridge head coach Tulio Marroquin. “It was going to be a game of long balls, and we knew that coming into it. It was going to be a physical match. Credit to them, they knew what to do and did it well. We had every chance from every angle and just couldn’t find the back of the net.” Continue reading “Westridge Denied in Shootout, 4-1”
Photo courtesy San Marino Athletics The San Marino High School varsity boys’ wrestling team placed second in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division Wrestling Championships last Saturday. Koa Ruiz, Luka Wick, Kurt Trumbull, Caleb Trumbull, Beau Perez, Raul Jimenez, Josh Trumbull and Devyn Che qualified for the Masters Meet.
The San Marino High School varsity boys’ wrestling team recently proved it is no longer in rebuilding mode after claiming its first Rio Hondo League crown since 2016, and the program reestablished itself as one of the best in the CIF Southern Section last weekend by placing second in the Southern Division Wrestling Championships at Brea Olinda High School. Eight Titans placed among the top five and qualified for this weekend’s CIF-SS Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. San Marino tallied 212 points to take home the runner-up plaque. Villa Park finished with 256.5 points to win the Southern Division championship. Continue reading “Titans Win Four CIF Individual Titles, Place Second in Southern Division”
The CIF Southern Section released its remaining All-CIF winter selections on Monday, recognizing the best basketball and soccer players in each division. Athletes from Flintridge Prep, Polytechnic, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Maranatha, La Salle and St. Monica Academy were among those listed by CIF. Continue reading “Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Accolades”
Photos courtesy Eric Danielson La Cañada’s Tess Oakley-Stilson (white jersey) was named the Rio Hondo League MVP and earned a spot on the All-CIF Division 2A second team.
The CIF Southern Section released its remaining All-CIF winter selections on Monday, recognizing the best basketball and soccer players in each division. Athletes from La Cañada High School, Flintridge Prep and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy were among those listed.
The lone Spartan to be honored was senior Tess Oakley-Stilson, who made the All-CIF Division 2A second team in girls’ basketball. Oakley-Stilson, who was also named the Rio Hondo League’s Most Valuable Player, was a consistent performer for La Cañada and averaged 14 points, five rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.1 steals per contest. The senior guard stepped up in the postseason, scoring 25 points in the Spartans’ win over La Verne Bonita and 19 points in a second-round loss at Newbury Park.
Oakley-Stilson helped La Cañada finish its season with a 23-5 record, including a perfect 10-0 record in Rio Hondo League play to bring home the program’s third straight league crown. Continue reading “Local Athletes Earn All-CIF Accolades”
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson Sofia Gonzalez netted 10 points in the Rebels’ semifinal victory over Oxford Academy. Flintridge Prep will take on Beverly Hills in the title game.
The Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ basketball team is headed back to a CIF Southern Section championship following a 45-40 victory over host Oxford Academy of Cypress in a Division 3A semifinal last Saturday.
The Rebels overcame a 10-point deficit in the first quarter and dominated in the second half to come away with a big win and clinch their second championship berth in the past three years. Flintridge Prep will travel to Ontario to face No. 1 seed Beverly Hills at Colony High School this Saturday at 6 p.m.
Prep co-head coach Kevin Kiyomura credits the girls’ willingness to learn and adapt on the fly.
“The maturation process went a lot quicker than we had anticipated,” said Kiyomura, who guided the Rebels to a CIF-SS championship in 2016. “They basically just said what do we need to do, and they’re doing everything exactly the way we’re telling them to do it. The best thing is that they’re doing it together and for each other. They’re reaping the benefits of playing that way.”
Kaitlyn Chen led the Rebels (24-5 overall record) with 20 points, and Sofia Gonzalez added 10 points. Alex Kyriakakis netted seven points, and Maddy Manning and Andie Kim finished with four points each.
