CIF tennis: ’Cats can’t steal enough

It sounded easy enough on paper. Steal a few wins in singles, do most of the damage in doubles, and West Ranch boys tennis would move on in the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs. Against the No. 3 seed Santa Monica and its loaded singles lineup, that proved to be too tall an order for the Wildcats, who lost 13-5 in the second round on Friday at West Ranch High School. "Our singles are good," ...

CIF volleyball: Hart unable to knock off top seed

Hart boys volleyball would have had to play nearly perfect to beat the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs.

CIF volleyball: The giant rolls

When it comes to playoffs, teams often have to face unfamiliar opponents, which makes in-game adjustments paramount.

Foothill baseball: ’Cats quell threats

Damage control was the name of the game for West Ranch baseball. It's a formula the Wildcats, who have already wrapped up third place in the Foothill League, hope to carry into the playoffs next week. On Wednesday, the Wildcats' pitching staff held off multiple Saugus threats in a 5-3 win on Wednesday at West Ranch High School. Saugus brought the go-ahead run to the plate twice in the game after falling behind 4-0, but ...

CIF tennis: New strategy lifts Wildcats

West Ranch boys tennis, sporting different doubles teams than usual, focused on hitting solid serves and high-percentage shots in Wednesday's CIF-Southern Section Division II first-round playoff match.

CIF volleyball: Tough draw strikes Grizzlies

Golden Valley boys volleyball coach Jeff Cody didn't spend too much time being frustrated.

CIF volleyball: Calm and moving on

The scene of Valencia boys volleyball players doing handstands and playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" during a break in the action told the story.

Prep tennis: Thirsting with pride

Competing in Foothill League tennis at the varsity level is no picnic. Like any other sport, it requires countless hours of practice and repetition. It takes both physical skill and mental toughness. Saugus senior Sagie Mofsowitz possesses all these qualities - enough to have earned him a spot as a starting singles player on the team. And yet, at age 17 and with roughly five years of experience at the sport, Mofsowitz doesn't consider himself ...

Prep baseball: Knights ahead of the curve

It was a battle between two upstart programs, but only Trinity Classical Academy baseball is competing for a playoff spot.

Foothill League baseball: Canyon takes second series

This is starting to look routine for Canyon baseball. Nothing flashy, grind-it-out pitching, situational hitting and alert baserunning. The Cowboys did just enough of all three to get past Golden Valley 3-1 in Friday's rubber match of the season series between the teams at Golden Valley High School. "We've had to battle every game," said Canyon senior Kyle Pressman. "It's our offense that's let us down in the past. The pitching usually keeps us in ...

Foothill tennis: Recaptured crown

Jason Ferlianto had plenty of reasons for wanting to win the Foothill League boys tennis singles championship.

Foothill volleyball: Indians get the advantage

Last time Golden Valley and Hart boys volleyball met on the court, it was over quickly. But last time, the teams weren't fighting for second place in the Foothill League. Hart had to battle a passionate crowd to rally for a 3-2 victory in Thursday's league finale at Golden Valley High School. The Indians (24-7, 8-2) won by scores of 20-25, 29-27, 25-14, 23-25 and 15-9, securing outright second place in the league standings. When ...

Foothill League boys tennis prelims: Straight expectations

Not everyone was playing in their usual spots at the Foothill League boys tennis prelims. That didn't change the fact that the top four seeds advanced as expected to the semifinals in both singles and doubles play on Wednesday at the Paseo Club. The league's top two teams for the regular season, Valencia and West Ranch, make up the majority of the field which will compete in today's final rounds. Last year's singles champion, Valencia's ...

Foothill volleyball: The first phase

One goal down, two to go. Coming into the season, Valencia boys volleyball wanted to win the Foothill League first and foremost. It did that by finishing off league second-place Hart 3-0 on Tuesday at Hart High School, clinching an outright League title. With scores of 25-20, 25-20 and 25-23, the Vikings (18-7, 9-0) have now won at least a share of 11 straight titles and have stretched their state-record league win streak to 101 ...

Foothill League baseball: When life throws a curve

Scott Kerrigan wasn't supposed to be sitting in the dugout the whole season. Not this season. Not his senior year. Not the year he was supposed to impress scouts and light up radar guns and prove why he is Saugus' undisputed ace. But sometimes that's how baseball is. Sometimes that's how life is. The Saugus pitcher knows that more than anyone now, given the blow he was dealt just weeks before the start of this ...

Day 1 TMC's day at NAIA nationals highlighted by 10K

In his first crack at a national championship this spring, The Master's College senior John Gilbertson came up a few seconds short. Gilbertson took third place in the 10,000-meter final on the opening day of the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday in Marion, Ind. His time of 30 minutes, 25.89 seconds was less than 30 seconds slower than Spring Arbor's Nathan Martin, who won the title. This was Gilbertson's first time competing ...

Canyon track's Jeremy Kimmer: A master of one

TMC baseball's A.J. Work: Homeward Bound

When A.J. Work last left Idaho as a high school baseball player, he was just a wide-eyed kid trying to figure out how he was going to compete with the "big boys."

West Ranch softball makes first quarterfinal

West Ranch Wildcat Julia Lombardi hit the ball into center field for what appeared to the final out of the softball team's season.

Golden Valley's Nolan Del Valle commits to UC Irvine

One of the best runners in Golden Valley High School history just finished his four-year career at the school.

Pair of Golden Valley coaches step down

Scott Drootin didn't guide the Golden Valley Grizzlies baseball team to any championships, but he built up the program in many other ways.

'Cowboy Round-Up’ passing tournament a success

When Canyon High football head coach Rich Gutierrez thought of the idea of hosting a passing tournament in the spring, his goal was to get some top level football programs involved.

CIF track and field finals: Onward they move

Was it the traditional display of dominance for the Foothill League? Not exactly.

COC's Tim White wins state triple jump title

One year later, Tim White wasn't going to let anyone get in his way of a state championship.

Golden Valley's Azaria Hill: Athlete in her blood

Clusters of runners whiz by every couple of minutes.

Valencia can't handle Harvard-Westlake in Division I playoffs

Foothill League announces all-league boys volleyball

Einstein baseball is in and out

In its first playoff appearance in team history, Albert Einstein Academy baseball didn't get any breaks.

Valencia baseball wins CIF-SS Division I wild card

The bats may be coming around just in time for Valencia Vikings baseball. Patient and effective hitting put Valencia in front early and an A.J. Balta grand slam put the game out of reach as the Vikings beat the Westlake Warriors 11-2 on Tuesday in a CIF-Southern Section Division I wild-card matchup at Valencia High School. "We saw the pitches we wanted and we hit them," said Balta, who started for the first time in ...

Valencia tennis caps it off in the quarters

One break of serve here, another tough bounce there, and that was enough to prevent the Valencia Vikings boys tennis team from moving on in the postseason.