Our tri-annual Athletes of the Year and All-Area Team series are about to start up again. Here is the list of when each story will run in the newspaper.
Tuesday, June 25: Boys Tennis
Wednesday, June 26: Golf
Thursday, June 27: Girls Track and Field
Friday, June 28: Boys Track and Field
Saturday, June 29: Softball
Sunday, June 30: Baseball
So who do you think the AOYs will be? Who are other prime candidates for the All-Area Team? Let us know in the comments.
Last week was the first week of playoffs in baseball and softball while track and field and golf were already at cruising altitude for the post season.
With so much playoff action going on, we wondered what was the biggest surprise about the week that was. C.J. Daft said it was how much success local softball teams had in the wild card and first rounds. Matthew Peters said it was Serrano high jumper Haley Brown’s burst into the CIF-Southern Section Masters meet.
What caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
There will be eight High Desert baseball and softball teams playing in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs Tuesday. Who will make it to the quarterfinals? Read on to find out what we think.
Baseball
Division 5
• Matchup: No. 2 Oak Hills (23-7) at Sierra Vista/Baldwin Park (18-5)
• Postseason Fared: Oak Hills beat Desert Hot Springs 7-0; Sierra Vista beat Mountain View 12-1
• Individual Standouts: Sierra Vista — Christian Novelo (.429 BA, .618 OBP, 26 RBI), P Andrew Luna (1.55 ERA, 58 2-3 IP, 50 K); Oak Hills — SS/P Tommy Anderson (.386 BA, .509 OBP, 34 R, 1.08 ERA, 52 IP, 30 K), 3B/2B Kyle Callahan (.415 BA, .524 OBP, .671 SLG, 26 R, 32 RBI), OF/P Logan Griffin (.382 BA, 457 OBP, .506 SLG, 23 R, 19 RBI, 0.40 ERA, 34 2-3 IP, 48 K), OF Jeff Dodds (.405 BA, .426 OBP, .571 SLG)
• Notable: No. 1 Paraclete was knocked out of the tournament in the first round, suffering a 4-3 loss to Village Christian.
• Our Take: The Bulldogs get their first true test of the postseason against a dangerous offense, but we think they’ll make it on to the second round.
Division 7
• Matchup: No. 3 Riverside Prep (18-2) at Rolling Hills Prep (12-7)
• Postseason Fared: Riverside Prep beat Pilgrim 26-1; Rolling Hills Prep beat Immanuel Christian 14-3
• Individual Standouts: Rolling Hills Prep — IF Richard Furgel (.526 BA, .617 OBP, .842 SLG, 14-14 SB-SBA), SS/P Justin Rumsey (2.26 ERA, 31 IP, 35 K, .373 BA, .457 OBP); Riverside Prep — P Kyle Moore (9-1, 0.76 ERA, 46 IP, 83 K), P/3B/SS Alex Ruiz (4-1, 0.60 ERA, 40 IP, 53 K, .434 BA, .551 OBP)
• Notable: Two years ago the two teams met in the first round with the Silver Knights winning 3-0.
• Our Take: The Silver Knights have never made it out of the second round. We think they will this year.
Softball
Division 4
• Matchup: No. 6 Heritage (20-8) at Oak Hills (17-8)
• Postseason Fared: Heritage beat Whittier Christian 11-2; Oak Hills beat West Valley 16-5
• Individual Standouts: Heritage — P Alexandra Blevin (1.22 ERA, 139 K, 37 BB, 126 1-3 IP), Briana Contreras (.343 BA, .806 SLG), Nichole Chilson (.495 BA, .681 SLG); Oak Hills — SS Stephanie Bergmann (.607 BA, .921 SLG.), Jacalyn Edwards (.424 BA, .667 SLG).
• Notable: This round where the Bulldogs have stalled in their previous three seasons.
• Our Take: Oak Hills will need to hit similarly to how it did in its first round game to win this one.
Division 5
• Matchup: Aquinas (22-2) at No. 10 Burroughs (21-6)
• Postseason Fared: Aquinas beat Banning 8-4; Burroughs beat Anaheim 7-0
• Individual Standouts: Aquinas — P Allie Hotetz (1.14 ERA, 92 IP, 82 K, 18 BB), Zoe Casas (.692 BA, .685 OBP, 1.090 SLG), Kylie Dazalla (.571 BA, .608 OBP, .957 SLG); Burroughs — P/1B/3B Becca Bell (.500 BA, .611 OBP, 1.191 SLG, 60 2-3 IP, 72 K, 27 BB), C/OF Taylor Sherritt (.474 BA, .506 OBP, .628 SLG), P/SS/3B Bailey Walters (.403 BA, .483 OBP, .623 SLG, 77 IP, 92 K, 18 BB)
• Notable: Bell has hit 14 home runs so far this year, including two in a game three times. The senior has signed with Cal State Northridge.
• Our Take: It’s a long trip to Ridgecrest for anybody.
• Matchup: No. 4 Nipomo (20-5) at Silverado (13-12)
• Postseason Fared: Nipomo beat Immaculate Heart 3-0; Silverado beat Ontario Christian 14-4
• Individual Standouts: Nipomo — P Courtney Cuzick (0.72 ERA, 164 1-3 IP, 261 K), Saundra Renner (.459 BA, .512 OBP, .568 SLG); Silverado — LF/CF Jordan Grant (.556 BA, .586 OBP, .679 SLG), 3B/SS Randi Dominguez (.485 BA, .520 OBP, .773 SLG), 1B/RF Angelica Nino (.373 BA, .422 OBP, .613 SLG)
• Notable: Nipomo’s Cuzick will attend Penn next year.
• Our Take: Putting the bat on the ball is tough against Cuzick. Reaching the second round will be difficult for the Hawks.
• Matchup: Schurr (15-13) at Barstow (19-11)
• Postseason Fared: Schurr beat Laguna Beach 25-0; Barstow beat Cabrillo 6-5
• Individual Standouts: Schurr — P/3B Byanka Diosdado (2.80 ERA, 85 IP, 86 K), SS Emily Sanchez (.437 BA, .559 OBP, .563 SLG), C/3B Cynthia Martinez (.425 BA, .462 OBP, .795 SLG), P Raeleen Fuentes (.385 BA, .440 OBP, .538 SLG); Barstow — CF Marissa Dado (.483 BA, .520 OBP, .708 SLG), U Miranda Peralta (.405 BA, .479 OBP, .608 SLG), 1B Teren Hedberg (.402 BA, .447 OBP, .524 SLG), OF Jordan Neal (.418 BA, .463 OBP, .673 SLG).
• Notable: The two teams met in the same round last year with Barstow winning 14-3.
• Our Take: The Desert Sky League was tough for a reason. We think Barstow advances.
Division 7
• Matchup: No. 1 University Prep (22-2) at Southlands Christian/Walnut (14-4)
• Postseason Fared: University Prep beat Hesperia Christian 14-1; Southlands Christian beat Immanuel Christian 7-1
• Individual Standouts: University Prep — P/IF Anissa Lopez (2.50 ERA, 92 1-3 IP, 124 K, .680 BA, .728 OBP, 1.333 SLG), IF Domonique Stewart (.568 BA, .590 OBP, .784 SLG), C/IF/OF Justice Borden (.560 BA, .629 OBP, .787 SLG); Southlands Christian — N/A.
• Notable: In 22 wins University Prep has outscored opponents 330-67. In two losses, the Jaguars were outscored 20-1.
• Our Take: The Jags probably won’t be a challenged for another round.
• Matchup: No. 2 Academy for Academic Excellence (16-4) at Pacifica Christian (13-3)
• Postseason Fared: AAE beat Noli Indian 22-0; Pacifica Christian beat Maricopa 5-3
• Individual Standouts: P/LF/U Cassie Williams (0.93 ERA, 67 2-3 IP, 149 K, .750 BA, .768 OBP, 1.317 SLG), SS/P/IB Alyssa Frederick (.500 BA, .603 OBP, .672 SLG), CF/C/U Rebekkah Keller (.468 BA, .593 OBP, .710 SLG), C/3B Victoria Edwards (.450 BA, .593 OBP, .650 SLG); Pacifica Christian — C/P/3B Emma Miller (.628 BA, .709 OBP, 1.047 SLG), P/3B Chandler Dolan (.607 BA, .609 OBP, .984 SLG).
• Notable: This is Pacifica Christian’s first season competing at the varsity level.
• Our Take: Williams is dealing right now. A hot pitcher is golden in the playoffs.
Serrano graduate and former San Diego State basketball player Jamaal Franklin attended the NBA Draft Combine last weekend in Chicago but was unable to participate in drills.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that he was wore a soft cast due to a sprained ankle.
While he was unable to play, Franklin interviewed with nine teams and was measured. Barefoot height: 6-foot-4. Weight with shoes: 6-5. Weight: 190.8 pounds. Wingspan: 6-111⁄4. Reach: 8-71⁄2. Body fat: 8.3 percent. Hand size: 81⁄2 inches long, 81⁄4 wide.
Baseball
• Jason Vargas (Apple Valley), a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, threw seven shutout innings and picked up a win against the White Sox on Sunday. He gave up just four hits while striking out six and walking three.
Softball
• B.B. Bates (Victor Valley), a UCLA senior, had five hits in a 3-2 13-inning loss to UAB in the NCAA Louisville Regional. Bates hit .374 with a .469 on-base percentage, a .863 slugging percentage, 25 home runs and 74 RBIs for the season. The Bruins finished the season with a 40-20 record.
• Melyssa Bellamy (Serrano), a freshman at Cal State San Marcos, hit .274 with a .294 OBP, a .372 SLG, eight doubles, one home run and 15 RBIs. The Cougars qualified to the NAIA Softball National Championship and open the tournament on Friday against fourth-seeded Oklahoma City.
• Taylor Purdy (Barstow), a San Jose State freshman, didn’t see any action as the Spartans lost 5-2 to Arizona State in the NCAA Tempe Regional to end the season. Purdy finished the season playing in 22 games, starting 20 of those, and batting .186 with a .314 on-base percentage.
Track and Field
• Bryan Luther (Silverado), a Cal State Fullerton senior, qualified to the NCAA West Regional Championships held May 23-25 in Austin, Texas, in the 200 meters with a personal best 21.34 seconds. He finished second in the 200, the 100 and the 4×100 relay at the Big West Conference Championships.
• Dustin Fay (Rim of the World), a UCLA redshirt sophomore, qualified to the NCAA West Regionals in the 10,000 meters.
• AJ Pulice (Apple Valley), a Cal State Fullerton senior, finished third in the Big West Conference Championship 800-meter final with a time of 1:51.74. He edged Silverado graduate Ezekiel Glass (1:52.47), a Cal State Northridge sophomore, who finished fourth.
• Jzanenette Lindstrom (Granite Hills), a UC Riverside senior, finished sixth in the 5,000 meters (17:52.94) and ninth in the 10,000 meters (37:21.19) at the Big West Conference Championships.
• Isaac Chavez (Barstow), a Chico State junior, will run at the NCAA Division II Championships starting Thursday at Colorado State-Pueblo in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He has already earned all-American honors in cross country and track and field.
• Danie Foxvog (Serrano) ran on the Mt. San Antonio College 4×400-meter relay team that finished second at the California Community College Athletic Association Championships on May 18.
• Meghan Hamlin (Serrano), a Cal State San Marcos freshman, was an all-conference cross country runner and competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:49.14) and has been part of the 4×800 relay team, which posted one of the fastest NAIA times this season at 9:32.65.
C.J. Daft can be reached at christiand@vvdailypress.com or at (760) 951-6275.
The baseball and softball playoffs start Tuesday while tennis and track and field have been in the postseason for a while.
For this week’s Faceoff, we decided to look back at the best spring sports playoff performances. C.J. Daft thought Hesperia’s Allison Clark had the best run while leading the Scorpions to a Division 5 title. Matthew Peters said it was Ashlie Curenton’s performance in track and field last year as she had two top 10 finishes at State.
What do you think? Is there one game or meet you remember a dominant performance? What about over the course of the playoffs? Let us know in the comments.
The postseason is upon us.
Boys tennis kicks off the playoffs with wild card matches Tuesday, swimming and track and field have prelims later this week and the brackets baseball and softball will be announced May 13.
So who has the best shot to keep playing deep into May or even early June? We debated that in this week’s Faceoff. C.J. Daft said it is the Oak Hills baseball team, which has been ranked No. 1 in CIF-Southern Section Division 5 for awhile now. Matthew Peters said it’s Sultana triple jumper Jaelen Spencer, who’s qualified for State each of his three years competing although he skipped the meet last year due to injuries.
What do you think? What teams will we still be talking about in a week or two?
Humboldt State freshman Fred Rosser, a former Silverado track and field standout, won the 400-meter hurdles at the CCCAA Championships on Saturday.
Rosser won the race in a time of 52.87 seconds. The provisional NCAA Division II qualifying time is 53.30.
According to Humboldt State’s athletic website, Rosser came into the race feeling ill, but he took the lead for good with about 70 meters to go.
Rosser also finished fifth in the 400 meters.
He’ll have a shot at an NCAA Division II title when the Championships are held March 23-25 in Pueblo, Colo.
Baseball
• Jason Vargas (Apple Valley) picked up his first win with the Los Angeles Angels on May 3 when he threw nine shutout innings. He dropped his season ERA to 3.72, and he’s struck out 20 and walked 14 in 38 2-3 innings.
• Aaron Sanchez (Barstow) is 1-1 with a 3.07 ERA, 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 29 1-3 innings playing for the Toronto Blue Jays Advanced Class A team. He’s started six games.
• Cody Puckett (Hesperia) is hitting .195 with the Birmingham Barons, the Chicago White Sox’s Double-A affiliate.
• Cody Lavalli (Granite Hills), a junior at Lewis-Clark State College, was named to the NAIA West’s All-Group team. Lavalli hit .392 with a team-high nine home runs and 49 RBIs, and was named the NAIA Wrest Region Player of the Week twice.
• Jacob Muir (Barstow), a Dickinson State senior, is hitting .313 with a .396 slugging percentage, one home run, 27 RBIs and 25 runs scored in 144 at-bats.
Pro Football
• Manase Foketi (Sultana) signed with the Denver Broncos after going unpicked in NFL Draft.
Golf
• BJ Doucett (Granite Hills), a UC Riverside senior, finished 46th at the Big West Championships with scores of 78, 84 and 78 for a total of 240, and the Highlanders came in eighth out of 10 teams.
Softball
• B.B. Bates (Victor Valley) leads UCLA in home runs (23), RBIs (70), slugging percentage (.906), on-base percentage (.472) and doubles (12). She leads the Pac-12 in home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.
Swimming
• Kyle McCurley (Granite Hills), a Chaffey College sophomore, qualified in three events at the CCCAA state championships held April 25-27. He placed seventh in the 1,650-yards freestyle, 12th in the 500 freestyle and 15th in the 200 freestyle.
Track and Field
• Isaac Chavez (Barstow), a Chico State junior, finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association 5,000 meter finals (14:59.99).
• AJ Pulice (Apple Valley), a Cal State Fullerton senior, ran a season-best time in the 800 meters (1:51.99) to finish fourth at the Steve Scott Invitational on April 28.
• Ashlie Curenton (Silverado) is redshirting this season for Cal State Northridge.
• Shawna Fermin (Silverado) helped Washington State beat Washington in a dual meet on April 27 by winning the 400 meters, coming in second in the 200 and running the anchor leg on the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams.
• Auzsane Crowe-Carter (Sultana), a UNLV sophomore, ran a leg on the Rebels’ 4×800 relay team that finished 10th at the Drake Relays on April 26. Crowe-Carter also finished 11th in the 800 with a personal-best time of 2:08.93.
C.J. Daft can be reached at christiand@vvdailypress.com or at 760-951-6275.
Apple Valley’s Ben Tolsma
League races are heating up in some sports and coming to a close in others. With that we decided to debate what is the best remaining league race.
C.J. Daft said it is the Mojave River League golf race with Apple Valley and Oak Hills battling back and forth. Matthew Peters said it is the regular season track finale between Serrano and Apple Valley that will determine the MRL champion.
So which race are you looking forward to watching? Let us know in the comments.
With Serrano graduate Jamaal Franklin leaving a year early for the NBA Draft and the possibility of Dominick Reyes and Manase Foketi being selected in the NFL Draft later this week, we thought it was a great time to go over the top 10 professional athletes from the last 15 years who have connections to the High Desert.
• Dan Henderson: Henderson (Victor Valley High) represented the United States in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and later became a big-time MMA fighter.
Henderson was already the Pride Fighting Championships welterweight champion when he beat Wanderlei Silva for the middleweight championship, becoming the first fighter in a major MMA organization to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
He’s also the last Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament, and holds a record of 29-9.
• Ty Davis: Davis, who grew up in Hesperia, was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame last year, and he’s dominated in off-road races as well.
He was a part of a winning Baja 1000 team from 1993-96, beat Jeremy McGrath for the 1990 Supercross 125cc West Region Championship, won the AMA Hare & Hound Championship three times and claimed the AMA Enduro National Championship twice.
• Steve Hengeveld: Hengeveld (Serrano High) has been one of the most successful off-road motorcyclists over the last 15 years. He was on the winning Baja 1000 team in top professional motorcycle in 2000 and from 2002-2007 with Honda.
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Houshmandzadeh (Barstow High) and Chad Johnson formed one of the best wide receiver pairs in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals for five seasons. During his 11-year career, Houshmandzadeh caught 627 passes for 7,237 yards and 44 touchdowns.
• Dino Ebel: Ebel (Barstow High) never reached the majors as a player, but he’s been the Angels third base coach for eight years and outfield coach for the last three.
Prior to getting the Major League gig with the Angels, he compiled a 531-496 record as a manager over eight minor league seasons.
• Mike Alessi: Alessi (Victorville) turned pro in 2004 at 16 and has become one of the top professional riders. He finished second in the AMA Motocross National in 2012 and 2007, and he also finished second during the 2006 AMA Motocross Lites National Series.
• Jason Vargas: Vargas (Apple Valley High) was traded to the Los Angeles Angels during the offseason, bringing him close to his High Desert roots. He’s playing for his fourth organization after being drafted out of Long Beach State in the second round by the Florida Marlins.
So far in three starts, Vargas has struggled to an 0-3 record with a 6.75 ERA. Last season with the Seattle Mariners, won a career-best 14 games and carried a 3.85 ERA (the second best of his career).
• Joe Stevenson: Stevenson (Silverado High) won the Ultimate Fighter Season 2. He then received the opportunity to fight for the UFC interim lightweight title, and BJ Penn beat him with a rear naked choke at 4:02 of the second round.
• Marcel Reece: Reece (Hesperia High) went undrafted out of the University of Washington in 1998, but the Raiders signed him and he spent nearly two full seasons on the practice squad as he converted from wide receiver to fullback.
Reece started 30 games during the last three seasons, and last year he set career highs in receiving yards (496), receptions (52) and rushing yards (271).
• Mark “The Beer Man” Johnson: Johnson (Barstow High), won the qualifying tournament for the Champions Tour in 2004 and had immediate success when he holed out from the 18th fairway on his way to winning the 2005 Toshiba Classic. He played full time on the tour from 2005-2007 and has earned $1,707, 645 with nine top 10 finishes.
Honorable Mention
• Bryan Baker (Granite Hills) was runner-up in two separate Bellator Fighting Championships.
• Mike Cinqmars (Apple Valley) helped pioneer freestyle motocross and he finished second to Travis Pastrana at the 1999 X Games.
• Chris Smith (Hesperia) pitched in the majors on and off with the Boston Red Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Jamel Richardson (Victor Valley College) has been a standout Canadian Football League wide receiver, earning the Grey Cup MVP in 2010.
• Roger Robinson (Apple Valley) set the NFL Europe record for most rushing yards in a season and most games with more than 100 rushing yards.
Up-and-Coming
• Aaron Sanchez (Barstow) is a highly ranked pitching prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
• Jared Garcia (University Prep) is starting to make a name for himself as a professional BMX racer.
Let us know who you think the best professional athletes from the High Desert are in the comments.
C.J. Daft can be reached at christiand@vvdailypress.com or at 760-951-6275.
Granite Hills’ Carter Cummins
At this point, most of the spring prep sports are in midseason or gearing up toward the postseason. This is a quick look at where the league races stand.
Baseball
League: Mojave River League
Standout Players: Tommy Anderson, Oak Hills; Kyle Callahan, Oak Hills; Blaise Dusing, Hesperia; Josh Gooding, Sultana; Michael Morris, Serrano.
Key Upcoming Games: Sultana at Hesperia, today, and Hesperia at Sultana, Thursday. If one of these teams wins both games, it will have second place all to itself.
Summary: Like the last two years, it’s been all about Oak Hills, but it’s been tougher for them. The Bulldogs beat Hesperia 6-0, but their other three league wins have been by two runs, including a come-from-behind victory in extra innings.
What to Expect: It might not be easy, but Oak Hills will win its third straight league title. From there, it’s a crapshoot. Hesperia and Sultana are 3-3 and Apple Valley and Serrano are 2-4.
League: Desert Sky League
Standout Players: Austin Crank, Barstow; Carter Cummins, Granite Hills; Brandon Lafler, Granite Hills; Reginald Lawson, Victor Valley; Ryan Sanford, Burroughs.
Key Upcoming Games: Barstow at Victor Valley, Wednesday and Friday. The Jackrabbits and Aztecs face off in a two-game series this week with both teams .500 in league play so far. Victor Valley is 2-2 while Barstow is 3-3.
Summary: In what seems like an annual event, Granite Hills is running away with the DSL title while the rest of the league fights for playoff spots.
What to Expect: If the Jackrabbits still had Bates brothers Roosevelt and Solomon, who transferred, they might give Granite Hills a run. Even without them, we still think the Jackrabbits have enough to rise above Barstow and Burroughs for second place.
Golf
League: Desert Sky League
Standout Players: Jarrett Brown, Burroughs; Mitchell Cummins, Granite Hills; Dawson Hughes, Barstow; Daryn Johnson, Burroughs; Tony Perine, Burroughs.
Key Upcoming Match: DSL Match No. 7, Thursday at China Lake Golf Course. Granite Hills beat Burroughs during the last league meet. Can the Cougars take another one?
Summary: It’s been off year for the Desert Sky League. Silverado canceled its golf team and every school but Burroughs has struggled to field a full team. The Burros already have the league title locked up and Brown leads the league in scoring average by eight strokes with a 78. Granite Hills is locked into second place with Barstow and Victor Valley trailing.
What to Expect: The DSL will probably struggle in the annual High Desert Cup, which pits the MRL and DSL against each other. It’ll take place May 2.
League: Mojave River League
Standout Players: Katrina Ellazar, Apple Valley; Samuel Mangiaterra, Oak Hills; Brett McMillan, Oak Hills; Naiche Pena, Oak Hills; Ben Tolsma, Apple Valley.
Key Upcoming Match: MRL Match No. 8, Thursday at Spring Valley Lake. Another chance for Apple Valley and Oak Hills to go at it.
Summary: Apple Valley and Oak Hills have had the most competitive league battle in the High Desert. The Sun Devils hold a two-point lead in the standings and are 4-2-1 against the Bulldogs thus far. Neither team has won by more than seven shots. Unless Oak Hills struggles in the next two matches, Apple Valley probably won’t be able to clinch the league title until the last match.
On the individual side, Ben Tolsma has continued where he left off last season when he earned the Daily Press Golf Athlete of the Year award. He’s won six of the seven league matches, and the one time he didn’t win he finished a shot back.
What to Expect: Ben Tolsma will win his second league MVP, and Apple Valley will hold off Oak Hills for a second league title in a row.
Softball
League: Desert Sky League
Standout Players: Becca Bell, Burroughs; Jordan Grant, Silverado; Jordan Neal, Barstow; Toni Nino, Silverado; Dana Thurstan, Silverado.
Key Upcoming Games: Silverado at Burroughs, April 24. The Hawks and Burros are currently first and second in the Desert Sky League. Silverado has a one-game lead, making this matchup key in the league race.
Summary: Barstow has won the league title three years running and is in the mix this year, but the DSL is much more open than before. Silverado currently leads the league with a 5-1 record followed by Burroughs (4-2) and then the Aztecs (3-2).
What to Expect: With about half the league season still to go anything is still possible, but we think Barstow’s title run will come to an end. The Aztecs completed their season series with Burroughs last week but still have two games against the Hawks coming up during the first week of May. Those could be crucial games for both squads.
League: Mojave River League
Standout Players: Melanie Alyea, Serrano; Stephanie Bergmann, Oak Hills; Jacalyn Edwards, Oak Hills; Dani Rozhon, Apple Valley; Sandra Vera, Hesperia.
Key Upcoming Game: Oak Hills at Hesperia, today. The teams are tied atop of the league at 4-1 and play today for the second time. Oak Hills beat Hesperia 11-0 in March. If the Bulldogs win this one, they’ll hold the tiebreaker over the Scorpions.
Summary: Oak Hills has stayed steady while the rest of the league has been in a bit of flux.
What to Expect: Oak Hills has won the league title two years running and seems to be in good position to do so again with a strong offense and defense. Hesperia is in a rebound year and we think it’ll make the playoffs. However, the race for second and third will come down to Hesperia, Serrano and Apple Valley, and someone’s getting left out.
Boys Tennis
League: Desert Sky League
Standout Players: Alla Alaghbri, Granite Hills; Nolan Earl, Barstow; Rishi Nanda, Granite Hills; Evan Pellegrini, Silverado; Miko Potes, Victor Valley.
Key Upcoming Match: Victor Valley at Granite Hills, Friday. The Cougars can take a step closer to an unbeaten league season with a win.
Summary: Granite Hills is on pace for its first league title in several years.
What to Expect: This one is easy. No one’s going to stop the Cougars this year. The biggest point of postseason interest is who will win the DSL singles title at league finals?
League: Mojave River League
Standout Players: Joey Adamiak, Hesperia; Sean Elliott, Sultana; Ivan Gutierrez, Oak Hills; Misseal Vasquez, Oak Hills.
Key Upcoming Match: Oak Hills at Sultana, April 23. Oak Hills can wrap up a undefeated league campaign in the season finale against Sultana.
Summary: Oak Hills coach Jim Kutch called it a rebuilding year, but the Bulldogs have easily swept through the league, running out to a 8-0 record. Sultana is a distant second at 5-3.
What to Expect: Same as the DSL, the race here is second through fifth place.
