Foothill League boys tennis: Valencia too strong up top

When it came down to a couple of sets, the boys tennis team with more firepower at the top of the lineup held the advantage.

Prep tennis: A friendly match

Everyone knows it's a part of sports. It's that awkward moment between athletes when they have to shake hands or display some sort of respect for one another right after competing. Emotions can run high. Tempers can flare. Most times it's a quick, obligatory exchange before the athletes or coaches go their separate ways. But not with West Ranch junior tennis player Baron Von Kessler. He's become known for being one of the most competitive ...

Around the SCV: Hart soccer coach steps down

When Fausto Arana took over the Hart boys soccer program in 2008, he knew it would take a couple of years to create a winning team.

All-SCV Boys Soccer POY Uriel Rodriguez: Dual Returns

It wasn't just Hart that had a comeback season. Uriel Rodriguez did too, and it was no coincidence. Hart finished dead last in the Foothill League a year ago and Rodriguez didn't even play. The senior returned for a final season with the Indians and ended up leading his team to its best finish in nearly 30 years. Turns out it was a good decision to play after deciding to sit out his junior year ...

Valencia's Broc Oppler: Never down and out

His ability alone is impressive to watch on the court. He brings a certain level of passion to the game that isn't often attained at this level of volleyball. For Valencia outside hitter Broc Oppler, it isn't just about putting the ball down for a kill. It's about the power, the celebration and the impact it has on the game. Already, the 18-year-old senior has racked up a team-high 32 kills in two league games. ...

COC notebook: The grind begins early

The dog days of the spring season are here. This is where the character of teams are tested, but this week, COC sports appeared to have passed. As baseball slowly crawls back into contention in the Western State Conference after a rough start to the season, softball maintains a strong showing on its side. The track and field teams got into the mix as well with commendable showings in the second conference meet of the ...

Around the SCV: G.V. football wins in class

Golden Valley is trying to boost its football program in every possible way. That includes academics. One of the team's captains in 2010, senior linebacker Sean Tate, received the award for most improved GPA at the National Football Foundation banquet for the San Fernando Valley Chapter in Studio City on Tuesday. Early in his senior year, Tate checked in with a 3.83 GPA, far above his sophomore-year mark of 1.83. His schoolwork took a turn ...

Foothill League baseball: Vikings outshoot Cents

Valencia baseball wanted to make sure it didn't see a drop-off performance after a dramatic nine-inning win on Wednesday.

Foothill golf: ’Cats top the field

Last week, the golf course wasn't even playable due to damage from heavy rain. This week, the course was just plain difficult. The conditions weren't enough to bother West Ranch's depth, as it once again came out victorious with a team score of 393 in the second Foothill League boys golf match of the season on Thursday at Valencia Country Club. Thursday's match was originally scheduled for March 21, but was postponed due to rain. ...

Foothill League boys volleyball: Scared straight

Valencia boys volleyball knows it has a target on its back against Foothill League opponents.

Foothill League baseball: Grizzlies even it out

In the past two games, Golden Valley baseball has committed itself to taking a more relaxed, free-swinging approach offensively.

Foothill League boys volleyball: On the level

Golden Valley boys volleyball has come a long way in a few weeks. Since the beginning of the season, the team has devoted much of its energy into staying level-headed in adverse situations. The experienced group took another step in that process, overcoming early errors to beat Saugus 3-0 in Tuesday's Foothill League opener for both teams at Golden Valley High School. The Grizzlies won the games 25-22, 25-19 and 25-17, but trailed for much ...

Foothill League boys volleyball preview: Vikings seek history

Seven returning seniors. Ten straight Foothill League championships. A combined 19 feet of height between its three front row players. While all those figures are impressive in their own right for the 2011 Valencia volleyball squad, no number stands out more than its current league winning streak - 92. The Vikings are just four matches short of tying the state record for consecutive league wins, 96, accomplished by Loyola High of Los Angeles from 1999-2006. ...

Foothill League boys volleyball: The hard way out

It would have been easy for J.J. Mosolf to forego his junior year of volleyball. Then again, taking the easy way out was never his style. It probably never will be. And for that reason, the Hart senior is headed to the University of Hawaii to play volleyball next year. Were it not for Mosolf's outright determination to recover from major knee surgery prior to the 2010 season, the 18-year-old may not have received as ...

Foothill League baseball: Grizzlies grind it out

This time around, Golden Valley baseball wasn't going to give in. Not even after falling behind by five runs. After being shut out in its first two Foothill League games, the Grizzlies fired back with an 8-7 comeback victory over Saugus on Saturday at Saugus. The Centurions jumped on Golden Valley starter Scotty Barlow for five runs in the first inning, which prompted the senior to pull his team aside and kick them into gear. ...

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.