Prep boys basketball: ’Cats can’t quite close

DANA POINT - In so many cases, a team is a reflection of its leaders. In West Ranch Wildcats basketball, you have the coolest, calmest player in the Santa Clarita Valley in senior guard Kevin Harris. No wonder a Dana Hills 12-point, fourth quarter lead disappeared on Friday night. But with the ball in his hands with less than 10 seconds to play and with a chance to put the Wildcats ahead, not even Harris ...

Prep girls hoops: Canyon advances to CIF quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season

No Santa Clarita Valley winter sports team can say what Canyon girls basketball can. Four years, four playoff quarterfinal appearances. The Canyon Cowboys pulled off the accomplishment by defeating the Kaiser Cats in Fontana 74-40 on Wednesday in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA playoffs. Canyon (24-4) now plays at third-seeded Lynwood in Saturday's quarterfinal. "I think our kids have always pushed themselves," said Canyon head coach Chuck Johns on why his ...

Prep girls hoops: Valencia falls against state 20th ranked team

This Valencia Vikings girls basketball game had so much going for it. Leadership, inside players, outside players, depth and a co-Foothill League championship going into the postseason. Yet Valencia had something very big going against it in the postseason - a series of roadblocks. The Vikings never got to the second one as the first one - the Centennial of Corona Huskies - defeated Valencia 60-41 Wednesday in Corona in the second round of the ...

Prep boys soccer: Valencia’s best season in team history ends at the hands of Temescal Canyon

The Valencia Vikings boys soccer team was defeated by the Valencia Vikings - or in a more clearer terms, the Temescal Canyon soccer team playing Valencia style soccer.

Prep boys basketball: Wildcats come alive in fourth

Nothing was going right. A missed layup here, a turnover there, a missed dunk there and a technical foul. Soon, the West Ranch boys basketball team's 13-point halftime lead disappeared. Then a 3-pointer here, a dunk there and grit everywhere in the fourth quarter led the Wildcats to a 63-53 win against Huntington Beach on Tuesday night at Huntington Beach High in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IA playoffs. Now the Wildcats ...

Prep boys basketball: Vikings feel playoff pain

This one was a little more emotional than most postgame goodbyes. Valencia players, filed one by one, made their way out of the team room and thanked head coach Rocket Collins, most with tears in their eyes. One prominent Viking couldn't talk. The Valencia Vikings lost 64-52 Tuesday night in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IA playoffs at Valencia High to the Aliso Niguel Wolverines. The emotion stemmed from so much. Valencia ...

COC baseball preview: Nice to see you again

It's 2011. The Valencia High baseball lineup card features four guys who are considered vital to the team. It's 2013. The College of the Canyons baseball lineup card is supposed to feature four Valencia High graduates who are considered vital to the team. "It's interesting. Playing high school baseball, it gets competitive. Especially playing Valencia. Everyone wants to beat Valencia. That's the team to beat," said West Ranch graduate and COC No. 1 starter Steven ...

Prep girls basketball: Viking response

Valencia Vikings power forward Sandra Ikeora was in the doghouse early at Valencia High Saturday night in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IAA playoffs.

Prep boys hoops: Hart’s end of the road

TORRANCE - For Hart Indians boys basketball, it's wait till next year. Hart was simply outsized and was relegated to a jump-shooting team in its 64-55 loss to West Torrance High on Friday in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IIIAAA playoffs at West High. With most of its team expected to return next season, including star guards Lewis Stallworth and Myles Franklin, and two undefeated lower level teams, the Foothill League's second-place ...

Prep boys hoops: Arriving in time

The Valencia Vikings boys basketball team started the Foothill League season fast, then spun out to a 2-5 record in its last seven games.

Prep girls soccer: The game tilts to SCCS

Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals girls soccer senior Colette Blake said the first half of her team's game with Rolling Hills Prep of San Pedro on Thursday felt like it was being played on a tilt.

Prep sports: G.V. lists coach jobs

Although the jobs have been listed on the William S. Hart Union High School District website, it doesn't mean that Golden Valley's current boys basketball and boys soccer coaches won't return next season to guide their respective teams.

Prep boys basketball: Not this time

Quite the opening act. But not the way the Hart Indians basketball team would have liked it. The Indians survived - barely - and defeated the North Torrance Saxons 86-83 on Wednesday in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IIIAAA playoffs at Hart High. The game was too much like Indians' 62-61 loss that cost them the Foothill League championship last Friday - a game in which they led early and lost the ...

Prep sports: Foothill’s other game

There was a game being played in the gymnasium. Two teams going at it with a goal to win. There were blowouts, close games and classics this season. That doesn't even include what happened on the court. The game was the one being played between the Foothill League's student sections. In a twice-a-week game of one-upsmanship, the six Foothill schools prided themselves on almost a fictional Foothill League title - the title of ...

Prep girls hoops: Valencia gets its share of Foothill title

No way the West Ranch Wildcats were going to keep up. Not with pressure, piled on top of smothering pressure by the Valencia Vikings girls basketball team. That was the mind-set of a determined Valencia team that defeated West Ranch at West Ranch High on Friday 71-52. With the victory, the Vikings (20-7 overall, 9-1 Foothill League) split the Foothill League championship with Canyon. It marks the first title for Valencia since 2005. "Finally," said ...

Hart baseball misses out on playoffs for first time since 1986

Golden Valley tennis sees school-best run come to end

The most successful boys tennis season in Golden Valley High history ended Wednesday with the Grizzlies losing 16-2 to La Canada High in La Canada in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Hart tennis clutches up to move on

The Hart Indians boys tennis team is still alive in the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs and it can thank two unlikely heroes.

Saugus' Dylan Freyre: Raised on baseball

Mother's Day is Sunday and Dylan Freyre will go camping with his mother, Stacy, to celebrate.

West Ranch's Slauson chooses CSUN

West Ranch outfielder Tony Slauson verbally committed to Cal State Northridge earlier this month, according to Wildcats head coach Casey Burrill.

Foothill goes three up, three down in golf playoffs

With so many strong teams in the field, not much was expected from the Foothill League's three teams in the CIF-Northern Team Divisional at Soule Park Golf Club in Ojai.

Hart baseball upsets West Ranch to sweep season series

Something didn't feel quite right about the Hart Indians being up six runs on the West Ranch Wildcats on Friday at West Ranch High.

Vikings in win-win situations at Foothill tennis finals

Foothill League tennis elite true to form

The Foothill League boys tennis prelims is usually an event of little surprise.

Hart's win causes Foothill fluctuation

This Foothill League continues to be the wackiest in one respect and the most competitive in another respect in recent memory.

West Ranch baseball's Tony Slauson has made a name for himself on varsity

It was the bottom of the seventh inning.

Golden Valley tennis still has hope for playoffs

There's hope at Golden Valley.

West Ranch locks up Foothill League title

West Ranch boys golfer Joey Downey would have really had to have a blow-up round on Wednesday at TPC Valencia in the sixth and final Foothill League match to not win the league's Most Valuable Player.

No longer in question as West Ranch golf locks in on title

Decisions, decisions, decisions and decisions.

Valencia tennis dominant in claiming 8th straight title

The Hart Indians had to do something to stop the oncoming locomotive that is Valencia Vikings boys tennis.