High Desert Sports Pass

DP Sports Podcast #34

May 16th, 2012, 9:08 pm by Matthew Peters

Excelsior lost to Lone Pine in the wild-card round of the playoffs Tuesday. The Golden Eagles came away with not just a win but also a snake in the infield. Will local teams come away with a win, snake or both in the first round?

The CIF-Southern Section baseball and softball playoffs kicked off Tuesday with wild-card round games. The first round gets under way Thursday.

So it was time for us to do a playoff podcast. We take a trip through the brackets in both baseball and softball and give you our picks. As always, let us know what you think in the comments.

Table of Contents:

Baseball playoffs [1:28]

Softball playoffs [12:36]

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Posted in: Playoffs • Podcast • Apple Valley • Barstow • Granite Hills • Oak Hills • Riverside Prep • University Prep • Victor Valley | Post a Comment »

Baseball and Softball Playoff Capsules

May 15th, 2012, 12:02 am by Matthew Peters

Playoff time has arrived on the diamond. Wild-card play begins today for baseball and softball, and the first round follows on Thursday and Friday. Here’s a quick look at all the local playoff teams.

Baseball
• RANKED TEAMS: Div. 5 — Oak Hills, No. 9.

• LAST YEAR’S TOP POSTSEASON PERFORMER: Oak Hills won the Div. 5 championship.

• LOCAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Granite Hills, Oak Hills, Academy for Academic Excellence, Riverside Prep.

• WHICH DIVISION?: Div. 4 — Desert Sky League; Div. 5 — Mojave River League; Div. 6 — Agape League and Desert Mountain League; Div. 7 — Cross Valley League.

• WILD-CARD GAMES: Div. 4 — Victor Valley at Laguna Beach. Div. 5 — Sultana at Gladstone. Div. 6 — Lone Pine at Excelsior.

• FIRST-ROUND GAMES: Div. 4 — Burroughs at Bishop Amat; Indio or Covina at Granite Hills. Div. 5 — Desert Hot Springs or Beaumont at Oak Hills; Serrano at Templeton; Apple Valley at Shadow Hills. Div. 6 — Victor Valley Christian at California Lutheran; Bloomington Christian at Academy for Academic Excellence. Div. 7 — Nuview Bridge at Riverside Prep; Academy of Careers and Exploration at Big Pine.

Div. 4 and 6 first-round games are played Thursday. Div. 5 and 7 first-round games are played Friday. All games are schedule to start at 3:15 p.m.

• FIVE IMPACT PLAYERS: Logan Griffin, Oak Hills; Taylor Wetzel, Granite Hills; Soloman Bates, Victor Valley; Gerardo Velazquez, Academy for Academic Excellence; Alex Ruiz, Riverside Prep.

• NOTABLE: Granite Hills has been eliminated in second round each of the last three seasons. Cougars coach Tyler Scurlock has said he thinks this group has what it takes to finally get past the second round. Oak Hills returns its entire starting infield from last year’s championship team. Apple Valley is making its first playoff appearance in nine years.

• SLEEPER TEAMS: Apple Valley went 6-2 down the stretch, has two starters with an ERA under 3.09 and stole 79 bases.

• OUR TAKE: The entire High Desert got stuck with some pretty tough draws this postseason. The league champions will be challenged to advance past the second round and will likely be knocked out in the quarterfinals. Everyone else is unlikely to get out of the first round.

Softball
• RANKED TEAMS: Div. 7 — University Prep, No. 10.

• LAST YEAR’S TOP POSTSEASON PERFORMER: Only Barstow, University Prep and Victor Valley Christian won a game last year, and they each lost in the second round.

• LOCAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Barstow, Oak Hills, Academy for Academic Excellence, University Prep.

• WHICH DIVISION?: Div. 4 — Mojave River League; Div. 5 — Desert Sky League; Div. 6 — Agape League and Desert Mountain League; Div. 7 — Cross Valley League.

• WILD-CARD GAMES: Div. 4 — Western Christian at Serrano. Div. 5 — Silverado at Laguna Beach; Alhambra at Burroughs. Div. 6 — Excelsior at Rosamond; Mayfield at Silver Valley; Hesperia Christian at Bishop Conaty-Loretto. Div. 7 — Academy of Careers and Exploration at Cal Lutheran.

• FIRST-ROUND GAMES: Div. 4 — Palm Desert at Oak Hills; Apple Valley at Rancho Alamitos. Div. 5 — Victor Valley at Immaculate Heart; La Puente or Magnolia at Barstow. Div. 6 — California Military Institute or Marshall at Academy for Academic Excellence; Victor Valley Christian at Rim of the World. Div. 7 — Crossroads at University Prep.
All first-round games will be played Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

• FIVE IMPACT PLAYERS: Taylor Purdy, Barstow; Stephanie Bergmann, Oak Hills; Kailey Barton, Apple Valley; Jackie Belcher, Victor Valley; Melyssa Bellamy, Serrano.

• NOTABLE: MRL champion Oak Hills and second-place Apple Valley played very well against ranked Div. 4 teams. Apple Valley led top-ranked Aquinas until the Falcons scored three runs in the top of the seventh to win a Palm Springs Invitational game 6-5. Oak Hills beat second-ranked La Quinta 14-9 in the Redlands Tournament.

• SLEEPER TEAMS: It’s tough to call a second-place team like Victor Valley a sleeper, but after beginning the season 11-3 overall and 4-0 in the DSL, the Jackrabbits went 3-5 in their final eight league games. Serrano finished third in the MRL, but could win a couple of playoff games.

• OUR TAKE: Barstow, Apple Valley and Oak Hills each have the talent and playoff experience for at least one of them make it past the second round. Matchups will determine the rest.

Posted in: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Faceoff: Which spring sports team had the best regular season?

May 14th, 2012, 11:46 pm by Matthew Peters

With the playoffs about to begin we decided to take a look back and think about which team had the best regular season. C.J. Daft argued it was the Oak Hills softball team that managed to win the Mojave River League title for a second straight season despite injuries. Kyle Glaser said it was the Granite Hills swimming team which dominated its local competition and then had a solid showing at the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 meet.

So who did you think had the best season?

While we’re at it, who do you think will have the best postseason?

Posted in: Faceoff • Faceoff • Granite Hills • Oak Hills • prep softball • prep swimming • regular season | Post a Comment »

Locals at CIF Track Prelims

May 11th, 2012, 11:34 pm by Kyle Glaser

The CIF-Southern Section Track and Field Prelims will take place on Saturday, and a lot of local athletes will be running.

Here is the full list of local athletes who will compete in the prelims. The Division I meet will take place at Trabuco Hill, Division 2 at Moorpark, Division 3 at Estancia and Division 4 at Carpinteria.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: CIF-SS • Ashlie Curenton • CIF • CIF-SS • Jaelen Spencer • Preliminaries • silverado • Track and Field | Post a Comment »

Alumni Report: Former D’backs compete in NCAA sand volleyball championship

May 8th, 2012, 12:17 am by Kyle Glaser

Three former Serrano volleyball players made history at the end of April as Caitlin Ledoux, Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Taeler Davis all competed in the inaugural AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championships.

Caitlin Ledoux

The event was held in Gulf Shores, Ala., from April 27-29 with four teams qualifying, including Long Beach State, where Ledoux and Aigner-Swesey play, and College of Charleston, where Davis plays.

Long Beach State finished second and College of Charleston finished fourth in the team championships, and Ledoux went on to compete in the pairs championship.

Ledoux teamed with Tara Roenicke and advanced all the way to the finals before they fell to the Pepperdine duo of Summer Ross and Caitlin Racich. Ledoux was named an All-American for her efforts, her second All-American honor this year.

Baseball
• Jason Vargas (Apple Valley) was seventh in the American League in innings pitched (43 2-3) through Sunday’s games. He’s 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA in seven starts as the Seattle Mariners’ No. 2 starter.

• Aaron Sanchez (Barstow) is off to a great start for the Lansing Lugnuts, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez is 3-0 and hasn’t allowed a run all season. In 15 innings, he has struck out 20 and walked eight, and opponents are batting only .106 against him.

• Cody Puckett (Hesperia) is the starting left fielder for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He’s batting .282 with an .814 OPS and has two home runs and 13 RBIs.

• Cody Lavalli (Granite Hills) led Cuesta College to a share of a conference championship and a berth in the California Junior College state playoffs. The sophomore hit .354/.450/.600 with a team-leading four home runs and 37 RBIs.

Football
• Dionza Bradford (Serrano) has left UNLV after rushing for 615 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last year. UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Bradford left the program for “personal reasons.”

• Ayele Forde (Silverado) ran for 74 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the Oregon spring game, the most rushing yards among all Ducks running backs.

Men’s Track and Field
• Daniel Rosales (Apple Valley) finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to help UCLA beat No. 6 USC in the annual rivalry meet.

• Nick Osborne (Victor Valley Christian), finished 10th in the 1,500 meters for UC Irvine at the Steve Scott Invitational.

• Nick Kelley (Granite Hills) competed unattached and finished fifth in the 5,000 meters at the Steve Scott Invitational.

• Cody Jordan (Granite Hills) finished 18th in the 800 meters for UC Riverside at the Steve Scott Invitational.

• Bryan Luther (Silverado) ran a leg on Cal State Fullerton’s 4×100 relay team that took second at the UCSD Triton Invitational.

• Karl Gehrke (Serrano) finished second in the shot put for Northern Arizona in a double dual against Arizona State and Arizona.

Women’s Track and Field
• Kauren Tarver (Serrano) won the 3,000 meter steeplechase for Arizona State in a double dual against Arizona and Northern Arizona.

• Shawna Fermin (Silverado) ran a PR and the ninth-fastest time in Washington State history in the 200 with a time of 23.93 at the Mt. SAC Relays, then won the 200 in a dual against rival Washington.

• Diana Medina-Mitchell (Serrano) ran a 16:15.24 in the 5,000 meters at the Mt. SAC relays, a mark that ranks 39th in the NCAA this year. That time is a personal record and she also set a PR in the 1,500.

: Caitlin Ledoux

Posted in: Alumni • Aaron Sanchez • Apple Valley • Ayele Forde • Cody Lavalli • Daniel Rosales • Dionza Bradford • Granite Hills • Serrano • Shawna Fermin • silverado | Post a Comment »

Faceoff: Which spring sports team has had the most impressive turnaround

May 8th, 2012, 12:12 am by Matthew Peters

With the regular season wrapping up this week, we’ve had a chance to assess some pretty good turnaround stories this season. Which one was the best?

C.J. Daft argued in favor or the Victor Valley softball team, which is currently locked in a three-way tie for second place in the Desert Sky League, in this week’s Faceoff. Kyle Glaser said it was the Apple Valley baseball team that recently clinched its first playoff berth in nine years.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments?

Posted in: Faceoff • Apple Valley • Faceoff • Victor Valley | Post a Comment »

Faceoff: What sporting event would you bring to the High Desert?

May 1st, 2012, 12:01 am by Matthew Peters

This week we are asking you to get creative again for our Faceoff question.

We started to think about what sporting events would be fun to bring to the High Desert. Just like the video above, jokingly, tries to bring the Summer Olympics to Barstow, we wanted to know what could be an interesting fit in the H.D.

Matt Peters said he’d like to see a PGA Tour event land in our back yard while Kyle Glaser longed for a high-profile high school baseball tournament like the annual Lions Tournament held each year in April in San Diego Country.

Let us know what you want to bring to the area in the comments below.

Posted in: Faceoff • Barstow • High Desert • Olympics • PGA | 1 Comment »

Former Maverick Brandon Weeden drafted by Cleveland Browns

April 26th, 2012, 11:58 pm by Kyle Glaser

Six years ago, Brandon Weeden gave up on his baseball career in part because of his frustration with the minor league baseball lifestyle and his general distaste for Stater Bros. Stadium and the city of Adelanto.

Now, the former High Desert Mavericks pitcher will have a chance at an NFL career after being drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.

Former High Desert Mavericks pitcher Brandon Weeden became a record-setting quarterback at Oklahoma State and was drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night.

“I can’t say I was surprised. I was hoping,” Weeden told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “[After] going through the baseball draft, you’ve got to just kind of fly by the seat of your pants. When I got that phone call [from the Browns] it was special. One of the best moments of my life.”

Weeden was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2002, was traded to the Dodgers as part of the Kevin Brown deal and made his way to the Kansas City Royals organization, which was affiliated with the Mavericks in 2006.

He went 6-5 with a 6.03 ERA as a reliever in his only season in High Desert, the last season of his career.

Weeden told Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver that Adelanto was not exactly his favorite place, and his stint with the Mavericks was the final straw.

“Sometimes there were less than 100 people at the games,” Weeden recalled to Silver. “I was miserable. The town sucked. I couldn’t get anybody out. The wind blew out, about 45 miles an hour, every night. In the bullpen, which was in left field, guys would throw up their jackets and they would blow out to where the leftfielder played. I had a five-something ERA and I was giving up broken-bat homers. I was like, ‘I’m over it.’ ”

After retiring from baseball, Weeden enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2007, became the starting quarterback before the 2010 season and became the most prolific and decorated quarterback in school history.

Now, the 28-year old Weeden has a chance to join a long list of players who never made it out of the minor leagues in baseball but went on to NFL careers, including Hall of Fame quarterbacks Sammy Baugh and John Elway and 1,000 yard rushers Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson.

Posted in: Alumni • Baseball • Mavericks • Brandon Weeden • Cleveland Browns • football • High Desert Mavericks • Oklahoma State • pitcher | 1 Comment »

Morris to walk on at Harding University

April 25th, 2012, 11:51 pm by C.J. Daft

VICTORVILLE • Victor Valley Christian senior standout athlete Cassie Morris has chosen to pursue volleyball in college.

She will walk on at NCAA Division II Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. It’s the same university that her parents Duane and Renee Morris attended.

While Morris wanted to continue playing volleyball in college, she became interested in attending the school first when she attended a church camp and learned more about the university from an information booth. Her mother Renee said she’ll receive some academic scholarship money.

Cassie Morris said that new Bisons coach Meredith Rosenbaum had recruited her as the coach at York College, but she didn’t pursue it. She was offered a spot as a walk-on with Harding, but to ensure her spot she flew out to Arkansas for a live tryout with the team.

Morris’ club coach Jackson Wong, who is also the Victor Valley High coach, said he can’t remember a Victor Valley Christian volleyball player moving on from the school to a collegiate program as high as Division II.

She plans to major in psychology.

Morris also played basketball and softball in high school, but turned her focus to volleyball her senior year.

Posted in: Prep Volleyball • Cassie Morris • College Volleyball • Victor Valley Christian | Post a Comment »

Ayele Forde getting attention during spring ball

April 24th, 2012, 11:59 pm by Matthew Peters

The odds have long been stacked against Ayele Forde. He wasn’t highly recruited as running back out of Silverado but managed walk on at Oregon. Two years into his stay at Oregon, Forde, who will be a sophomore in terms of eligibility, is starting to get a lot attention and could have big opportunity next season.

With star back LaMichael James bolting for the NFL Draft, Forde could be in line for some significant playing time this season. Forde had 176 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries in five games his freshman season.

The Ducks have just two scholarship running backs on the roster. Forde and walk-on running back Kenny Bassett are both fighting for playing time during spring practices. The Oregon media has latched on to Forde and Bassett’s unique stories.

Oregon’s spring game is set for Saturday and can be watched online at ESPN3. It’ll be interesting to see how many carries Forde gets.

Posted in: Alumni • Prep Football • Ayele Forde • Oregon • Oregon Ducks • silverado | 1 Comment »