Young and Wise

The explanation as to why he loves the game is hard to come by. Simply, Trevor Wiseman just likes to hear the ripping sound as a basketball travels through a net.

Boys of winter: Who will rise?

For years, Foothill League boys basketball has had a definitive upper tier. But the talent seems to be spread across the league this season, and because of the parity, 2009 could be a different from the past.

The Detour

The road to a Foothill League championship in girls basketball has gone through Newhall Avenue. Hart High has won seven straight titles, including a share of the crown last year with Saugus.

The Roadblock

Hart High head basketball coach Zach Koebel goes one-on-one with a select few of his players at practice. Megan Ford, now a center at Cal Poly Pomona, was one of his favorites last year in his first season leading the Indians.

The last team standing

Talk to any coach and they will tell you the same thing. Whoever finishes as the league champions will have been the last team standing.

Whatever it takes

As Erin Ortega goes, so does Saugus. In her fourth year on the Centurions' varsity squad, the senior has done whatever it takes for the team to be successful. It is because of that attitude that she will spend her second consecutive season as a team captain. "They follow her lead, and that is good because she never lets down," says head coach Lisa Rollo. And 2009 is no different. Coming into the season, Ortega ...

Defense wins championships

If you don't recognize Foothill League boys soccer this season, you're not alone. Graduation losses, stylistic overhauls and new head coaches are rampant in the Santa Clarita Valley this season, and amid all the change, defense remains a stabilizing element of success. That's how first-year West Ranch coach Mo Burgess sees it. "Our team goal is to shut somebody out to zero shots in a game," he said. "It's not just a shutout. We want ...

That old cliché

In soccer, defense is a thankless position. There's no goal-scoring glitz like there is for strikers. Defenders aren't the fulcrum of the entire team like the midfield. If you make a mistake, it's amplified. But if you do your job, it's often underappreciated.

Final tune-up

A year ago, West Ranch jumped right into league play after the long holiday layoff, and the rust showed.

Momentum for league

Teams are going to key on a couple of Valencia girls basketball varsity veterans this season.

Around the SCV

Former Indian named Player of Week Hart High graduate Megan Ford was named Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of December 29 - January 3. Ford, a freshman center at NCAA Division II Cal Poly Pomona, averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds in a pair of games during the week. On Jan. 3 she scored 22 points, making 10-of-16 shots, and pulled down 10 rebounds in ...

Valencia’s glass is half-full

Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks boys head soccer coach Patrick Thompson put the breaks on any good-feeling Valencia got after the Vikings defeated the Knights 2-0 at Dr. Paul A. Priesz Stadium Wednesday.

COC finds some stability

At the start of the season, College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach Greg Herrick was confident his team could duplicate its Western State Conference success from last season.

Now it really counts

Whether you're describing Saugus' performance Wednesday or its season as a whole, one thing's for sure.

Re-start and stop

The College of the Canyons' Justin Smith scored a game high 25 points, but the sophomore forward's effort weren't enough as the Cougars lost 92-84 to Citrus College (17-3, 1-0) on Wednesday night at College of the Canyons in the Western State Conference opener.

All-Santa Clarita Valley Boys Track and Field: Canyon's Jeremy Kimmer

Jeremy Kimmer once said he wished he was allowed to compete in more than the maximum of four events allowed during Foothill League dual meets.

All-Santa Clarita Valley Girls Track and Field: Golden Valley's Azaria Hill

The advancement of girls distance runners in the Santa Clarita Valley are well documented (See Saugus girls cross country and seven straight state titles).

Saugus' Austin Davenport gets Division I football offer

Saugus High senior linebacker Austin Davenport was offered a football scholarship by NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision) school New Mexico State, Centurions head coach Jason Bornn told The Signal on Monday.

All-Santa Clarita Valley Boys Volleyball: Tanner Skabelund

Years from now, it won't be possible to look back at the last two years of West Ranch boys volleyball without thinking of Tanner Skabelund.

Hart football stands atop 7-on-7 tourney

The athletic fields at Hart High School played home to yet another spring passing tournament on Saturday, and the host Indians continued to prove that they are very difficult to beat in 7-on-7 play.

All-Santa Clarita Valley tennis: Sam Rebele and David Myers

The 2012 All-Santa Clarita Valley Boys Doubles Team of the Year could have very easily been the 2013 award winner.

All-Santa Clarita Valley boys tennis: Valencia's Chad LeDuff

Given Valencia's dominance over the rest of the Foothill League in recent years, the team's best singles player should naturally be honored.

All-Santa Clarita Valley Boys Swim: Hart's Matt Johnson

Hart High swimmer Matt Johnson isn't the biggest kid on the deck.

All-Santa Clarita Valley Girls Swim: Saugus' Abbey Weitzeil

The Santa Clarita Valley has long had a reputation as an area with great athletic promise.

7-on-7 tournament takes on 11-man look

A battle at the line is a rare sight at a seven-on-seven passing league tournament. But leave it to the Herrington brothers to make it happen.

All-CIF-Southern Section teams announced

Three Foothill League softball teams saw their best players honored on Thursday with the release of the All CIF-Southern Section Division I team, while four local baseball players were named to Division VII teams and two made it in Division I.

West Ranch's Michelle Kim: Wildcat sheds her shell

Editor's note: This is the sixth and final in a series of stories in which The Signal recognizes high school athletes whose greatest achievements go well beyond the playing field.

Valencia football's Davis Pitner: Finding his way on the line

Saugus' Charles Dulac: A message of acceptance

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories in which The Signal recognizes high school athletes whose greatest achievements go well beyond the playing field.

Hart's Kailie Kennedy: Listening to those in need

The summer heat on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona is intense.