It was a great year in sports for parents, athletes, teams, coaches, players and fans from Southwest Riverside County and whether it was from the littlest baseball players to the oldest of Water Skiers, Taekwondo national championships, skydivers or pole dancing seniors, the Valley News Sports Department tried not to miss a beat… or kick… score or cheer.
Here are some of the highlights from 2015 featuring what we believe were some of the top stories from The Valley News.
January
As the New Year began, the winter sports seasons for the local area athletes was just getting underway. January played host to sports like basketball, wrestling, water polo and soccer to name a few.
Great Oak’s cross country head coach, Doug Soles, was recognized as the California Cross Country Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. In 2014, Soles led the Great Oak Girl’s Cross Country team to their third straight CIF Championship, their fourth State title, and sent seven girls to compete in the Nike Cross Nationals.
Dorothy McElhinney Middle School’s Varsity team took first place overall in the Middle School Volleyball league for the third straight year, followed by Vail Ranch Middle school as the runner-up. McElhinney’s JV team would also win their division, ahead of runner-up Shivela. The JV-2 title would go to Bella Vista Middle School.
Great Oak graduate Eli Lingos joined the Arizona State University baseball team for the 2015 season. Lingos pitched in 19 innings with ASU, the most amongst all freshman pitchers.
Great Oak boys’ soccer finished in second place at the Citrus Hill Tournament. After defeating three teams by a combined score of 10-3, they would fall in the finals to Riverside King, 2-1.
Vista Murrieta’s Sydney Romero was selected for the 2015 USA Softball Junior Women’s National team. Romero, a University of Oklahoma infielder, was one of 17 players from across the nation selected for the team and she helped the team compete in the World Cup of Softball and the ISF Junior Women’s World Championships, where they won two Gold medals.
Aydan Bowers of Vista Murrieta broke the school record for most goals in a season with his 13th goal of the season on Jan. 23, Vista’s first ever win over Murrieta Valley. Bowers would go on to commit to San Francisco State University soccer where he played in 14 games.
The Great Oak Girls Frosh/Soph Soccer team finished second in the Santiago Shark Cup. The girls team consisting of freshman and sophomores would outscore their opponents 14-3 before falling to Santiago High School in the finals, 1-0.
Arsenal FC South’s GU11 team captured a San Diego President’s Cup Championship win thanks to strong performances from several girls who had multiple goals. Jordan Florence would be named the tournament MVP with her three-goal performance in the finals win over FC Sol.
Linfield Lions head football coach Dechon Burns was selected to join former NFL linebacker and Hall of Famer Mike Singletary as a member of Singletary’s coaching staff in the 90th East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 27. The East-West game is a college All-Star game that includes hundreds of players that go on to play in the NFL.
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February
Temecula skydiver Tramaine Barnett won a gold medal at the Collegiate Skydiving Championships. Barnett, competing with fellow students from the U.S. Air Force Academy, won gold on the four-way formation event with his team, the Air Force Mayhem.
Murrieta Mesa varsity baseball took first place in the MLK Baseball Tournament in Tahquitz in early February. They dominated all opponents, outscoring them 23-1 before an 8-5 victory over Paraclete High School in the finals.
TVHS finished second in the Temecula Valley Basketball Showcase, falling to Tahquitz by a score of 55-52. Other Southwestern teams to earn wins in the tournament were Great Oak and Vista Murrieta.
Local gymnast Annie Hilton, 14, was featured on Gatorade’s “Win from Within” campaign, featuring athletes with a driving force behind their love of sports. Hilton suffered an injury in 2014 that exposed a serious underlying spinal injury that prevented her from moving for months. Defying all odds, Hilton recovered to compete in national championships once again, earning herself a spot with Gatorade’s campaign.
Great Oak, Rancho Christian and Elsinore boys’ basketball teams finished the 2014-15 seasons with league titles. Great Oak completed an undefeated league season on their way to a Southwestern League title. Rancho Christian finished atop the South Valley league with a 9-1 record against opponents. Elsinore would follow suit, also finishing with a 9-1 record over their Sunbelt League opponents.
California Lutheran, California Military, Vista Murrieta and Lakeside High School girls’ basketball teams captured league titles. With 10-0 records, Vista Murrieta walked away with a Southwestern League title and Lakeside with a Sunbelt League title. California Lutheran would take the Arrowhead League title with a 9-3 record, and California Military (7-1) in the South Valley League.
Jeremy McCullough was named head coach of the Chaparral Pumas varsity football team after a four-year run from Ryan Tukua. In his first season as the Pumas head coach, the team finished 3-7 overall and 1-4 in league.
Murrieta Mesa girls’ soccer finished as Southwestern League Champs following a 7-2-1 record in league. The Rams clinched the title with a 1-0 win over Chaparral High School. They finished one game ahead of Chaparral, 2014’s champs.
Temecula Resident Jerry Kenan was honored at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA tour for his contributions to the tournament. Kenan won the Volunteer Challenge, presenting a $10,000 check to The Century Club of San Diego, Inc.
For the 27th straight season, TVHS Wrestling won a league title, the most previous 17 coming in the Southwestern League. In SWL League Individual Finals, both TV and Vista Murrieta would finish with five champions in their respective weight classes. Great Oak would finish with two and both Murrieta Mesa and Chaparral with one.
The Citrus Belt Area Athletic Directors Association inducted CIF SS Executive Board member Jim Perry into their Hall of Fame. Darius Mott, Murrieta Valley High School Athletic Director was named 2015 Rookie AD of the Year, managing 47 different teams on MV’s campus.
Helen Hunt Jackson Elementary School got a visit from NFL player Datone Jones in late February while visiting his family in Temecula. Jones, currently with the Packers, played college football at UCLA, and responded to letters from students at the school who wanted him to visit.
The Temecula Warriors 10-and-Under Hockey team won gold at the Western Inline Hockey Association’s tournament, winning their final game 6-2 over the Corona Bulldogs. Andrew Williams of the Warriors took home the tournament’s top scorer award and goalie Robert Michaelsen won top goaltender.
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March
Vista Murrieta alumni Joven Afenir broke the University of Kansas record for most consecutive hits, with seven. During that stretch he also set the Jayhawks record for most consecutive times on base, with nine. Afenir, now a junior at Kansas, hit .293 last season with two homers and 23 RBIs.
Eight different local wrestlers qualified for state in 2015. From Temecula Valley: Christian Mateos and Joshy Cortez; Vista Murrieta: Jacob Cooper and Rachaun Wagstaff; Chaparral – Garrett Strang; Elsinore – Kenneth Kirk; and Temescal Canyon – Todd Stafford and Dave Eubanks.
Chaparral High School and Calvary Murrieta added new athletic directors in early March of 2015. After a long tenure at Valley View High School, where he was Varsity Football Head Coach and Varsity Baseball Assistant Coach, Chaparral was lucky to hire David Reisinger as their new Athletics Director. Calvary Murrieta also added an experienced member to their athletics team, naming Jeff Nichols their new AD. Nichols previously coached at Calvary for 10 years before taking a two-year hiatus with Linfield High School.
The Rancho Christian Eagles boys’ basketball team made it to their first CIF SS Division 5AA Finals for the first time in school history. A couple of clutch free throws sent the Eagles over Capistrano Valley, as they made their way to their first ever Championship round. Unfortunately, they would lose in the finals to St. Bernard, 60-56. The Eagles would then go on to play in State, where they would fall in the second-round to Price High School.
Great Oak basketball fell in the CIF Division 1AA Finals to Village Christian, 79-61. Despite a stellar run that brought them to the finals, the team couldn’t pull out that one last win. The game was held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, normally home of the Ducks. It was the first time in Great Oak basketball history that a team had made the finals.
Former Murrieta Mesa High School golfer Ian Mackenzie took home a championship at the Palmer Flight in Golf Channel Tour Tournament. Mackenzie attended Murrieta Mesa for just his freshman year, where he played on the varsity golf team before transferring to Fallbrook High.
The Temescal Canyon Girls Soccer team won the CIF Division 6 Championships with a 2-1 victory of Paloma Valley. After failing to defeat Paloma in their first two matchups of the 2015 season, Temescal Canyon was finally able to strike gold, earning their first ever CIF Championship.
Linfield Christian’s Taylor Bush signed his intent to play at Westmont College in late March. Bush, a shortstop by trade, picked Westmont over several other colleges to join his brother who also plays with the team.
The National Football Foundation honored 20 local students for their abilities to excel in both the academics field and on the football field. Their names, now enshrined in the College Hall of Fame’s High School Scholar-Athlete Section, were closely scrutinized by a selection committee to determine the most eligible candidates. Of the 20 students, nine came from local leagues like the Southwester, Sunbelt and Sun Valley.
Former Temecula Valley Golden Bear Tammy Kim, qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 2015. Kim, a 2012 graduate from TV, now a senior at Harding University, helped her team secure NCAA II All-Central Region honors, while winning the Lone Star Conference Title. Kim specializes in the second leg of the 400-meter distance medley relay.
The Vista Murrieta girls’ basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Division 1 championships, before being downed by Serra High School, 71-56. Serra would go on to win the Regional finals though, meaning the girls lost to the best team.
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April
19 different local players were named to their All CIF-SS Teams in early April. Four athletes from Temescal Canyon; three from Paloma Valley; two from Vista Murrieta, Murrieta Valley, California Lutheran and Santa Rosa Academy; and one from Lakeside and Calvary Murrieta. Temescal Canyon also had Marissa Everett named as the Player of the Year and their coach David Cox won Coach of the Year.
Five different local boys’ basketball players were named to the All-CIF Southern Section teams for the 2015 season: Latrelle Franklin and Torin Webb from Great Oak, Preston Beverly from Elsinore High and Trace Redfield and Jamal Brower from Rancho Christian. Rancho Christian’s head coach Ray Barefield was also named the CIF Division 5A Coach of the Year.
Murrieta Valley High School and Temecula Middle School hockey teams were crowned champions at the Temecula Valley Inline Hockey Association school league. The Nighthawks would sweep a best-of-three series over defending champions in Temecula Valley, while the Bobcats won their second straight middle school division.
The Chaparral High School baseball team took home gold at the Lions Tournament in San Diego in late April. To earn the championship, the Pumas had to take down both top teams in the tournament, eventually defeating No. 1 La Costa Canyon in extra innings. Austin Herrera was named as the tournament’s MVP.
Two local travel-baseball teams took home tournament wins in April. The 12U Temecula Toreros won their third straight tournament participated in, taking a Championship win in the AAU Spring Training Spectacular. The 12U Temecula Heat were also crowned champs at the USSSA Spring Baseball in the Desert Tournament, where they went 6-0, taking the title over 130 other teams.
Local runner Rick Bingham completed his 30th straight Los Angeles Marathon. Bingham, who competed in the original LA Marathon in 1986, is considered to be a Legacy Runner for his tenure with the marathon.
Murrieta Mesa senior Nathan Smith signed an early commit to join USC for the 2016-17 season on a full scholarship. Smith, 6’7” and 275 pounds, just finished his senior season with Mesa and is preparing for his first go at the NCAA. He chose the Trojans over 30 other Division 1 schools that offered him full-scholarships, including Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Arizona State and Tennessee.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, Lexia Smith from Temecula competed in and won the Scholastic Equestrian League Jumper Challenge at Showpark of Del Mar. With four clean rounds to clinch the top spot, Smith took home a champion neck ribbon and cooler and has her sights set on the next team event this month.
On Wednesday, April 15, which is the day that Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, the Murrieta Mesa Baseball program took in a game courtesy of Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, at Dodger Stadium. One-hundred people were able to attend as a gift from Robinson for last year’s Civil Rights game.
On April 30 the Ambassador League held its fourth Track and Field meet of the season at Vista Murrieta High School and Linfield Christian once again scored highest across the board, taking first overall with the girls’ scores and second place overall for the boys. With the Linfield Christian Girls placing 1st, they clinched the league championship title, beating Arrowhead by 78.5 points.
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May
On Friday, May 1, students, faculty and family members gathered in the front office of Great Oak High School to witness Head Football Coach Robbie Robinson accept his award as the ‘Semper Fi Coach of the Year’.
Three local Lady Nighthawk Water Polo players were selected to the women’s USA National teams on May 4. Randi Reinhardt and Christina Reyes were selected to the USA National Cadet team and teammate Tara Prentice was selected to the Youth team.
California Lutheran found a new Athletic Director and head football coach in Tim Treder, who took over for Dave Peter after he moved on to Arizona Lutheran.
The Linfield Lions Golf team, fresh off of an undefeated season and winning the Ambassador League title, had six golfers place in the top 15 at the Ambassador League Finals, which were played at Tukwet Golf Club in Beaumont on Thursday, May 7.
Cal-Hi named its All-State teams and two of Vista Murrieta’s Lady Bronco Basketball players were selected to the underclass teams. Jaelyn Brown, the 6-foot, 1-inch junior forward, one of the top recruits in the nation, was selected to the First team and shooting guard and also another top recruit for the Broncos, Brittany Reed, was selected to the Second team.
Calvary Murrieta Christian High School was honored on April 22 at the Anaheim Angels Stadium with their Varsity Boys’ Volleyball team being announced as CIF-SS Team Academic Champion for 2015. The team’s grade-point average of 3.79 was the highest in the enrollment category of 1499 or less.
The Great Oak Boys’ Golf team clinched the Southwestern League title with a win over the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks. The Wolfpack were 21-3-1 overall and 10-0 league and averaged their lowest team scores since 2007, when current PGA professional and Murrieta resident, Rickie Fowler, was a senior. The win gave Great Oak their second consecutive league championship, marking the ninth consecutive year in which they have either won or shared the title.
The Citrus Belt Area Athletic Directors Association (CBAADA) held its annual breakfast at California Baptist University on Tuesday, May 12, honoring the Most Outstanding Athletes from each of its 87 member schools throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Among the scholarship recipients were Kristina Alvarado from Chaparral who went on to Williams College in Massachusetts, Claire Garland from Paloma Valley, who is attending El Camino College, Harrison Morgan from Vista Murrieta and Logan Gallagher from Temescal Canyon who is now attending Cal State University at Long Beach. Twenty-four Valley athletes were selected as Outstanding Athlete of the Year from their respective schools. On Tuesday, May 19, Forty-two local valley coaches were also honored by the CBAADA for the 47 league championships throughout the valley as well as one who was recognized for a CIF Championship. Among local Valley winners were Temecula Valley’s wrestling coach Arnold Alpert who recorded his 27th consecutive league win, 21 of those with co-coach Lyndon Campbell. The two also notched their 17th consecutive CIF-Southern Section Dual Meet Championship. Five other coaches were recognized for fifteen or more league wins.
The Chaparral Senior Girls Powder Puff Football Team beat Great Oak and host Temecula Valley in back-to-back games to win the 2015 Sugar Bowl City Championship and bring home the Mayor’s Cup on Friday, May 15.
Marv Sargent of Temecula rolled his sixth perfect game of the 2015 season at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships. The 56-year-old right-hander owns 12 PBA regional titles and connected on 12 consecutive strikes between games of 189 and 196 for a 685 singles series at the El Paso Convention Center.
This year’s CIF Southern Section Track and Field Finals were held Saturday, May 23 at Cerritos College and the Vista Murrieta Boys dominated, led by the nation’s fastest 200m sprinter, Michael Norman, who took first in the 200m and anchored the 4 x 100m team to the second-fastest time in the country this year. Great Oak’s distance runners helped the girls’ team take a second to the perennial winner, Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits. Destiny Collins took firsts in the 1600m and 3200m runs; her 4:43.69 mark in the 1600m set a new county record. Vista Murrieta’s Lovie Burleson was first in the long jump and second in the triple jump. Teammate Amanda Van Buren placed second in both sprints (100m, 200m). In Division 4, the Linfield Christian Boys team, which was present for the first time in the finals, finished ninth and was led by Lorenzo Burns’ performances in the 100m, 200m, and triple jump; he set PRs (personal records) and school records in the two sprint events and qualified as an alternate for Masters in the triple jump.
The Temecula Valley Hawks Soccer Club sent 10 teams to the Poway Memorial Day Tournament and ended up with five champions and one finalist when everything was said and done.
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June
After six seasons as Temecula Valley’s head baseball coach, Tony Nobiensky announced he would be stepping down and taking his 22 years of experience to Rancho Christian as the new head coach of the Eagles program for the 2016 season. The news came just days after the Bears lost to No. 1 ranked JSerra in the first round of the 2015 CIF-SS playoffs, along with Murrieta Valley and Vista Murrieta, who also lost in the first round. Nobiensky is one of the most successful baseball coaches in the area and is the only head coach to win a CIF title in the program’s history, leaving behind a 105-57-1 overall record. He took the Bears to five playoff appearances, two SWL titles and two CIF-SS title game appearances.
Dakota Collins, a former Temecula Valley Hawks Soccer Club player and Great Oak High School alumni, in his second season as a professional soccer player with the NK Hask, a Croatian football club from Zagreb, won his first European Championship, helping his team take the Croatia ZNS-a Cup.
William “Bill” Bree, retired again. Bree had been called out of retirement to start up and run the athletics program at Murrieta Mesa High School when it opened in 2009. Bree had successfully done that previously at Golden West High School in Visalia where he served for 25 years. Bree has been recognized state-wide and nationally and has been very involved in the California Interscholastic Federation.
Linfield’s four-year varsity starting shortstop, Taylor Bush, was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 36th round of the 2015 Major league Baseball Amateur draft along with former Great Oak standout, Austin Bailey, who was drafted out of the University of San Diego in round 21 by the Kansas City Royals.
Ray Moore, Athletic Director at Vista Murrieta High School for the past nine years, retired after an illustrious career that included 32 years as a high school athletic director and 42 years in education.
Veteran Bronco teacher and Coach, Kurt Ruth was announced as the Broncos new girls’ head basketball coach. Ruth has been a successful head basketball coach for nine seasons, (two years at Gahr /Cerritos and seven years at Vista Murrieta) and has 40 seasons of coaching experience at all levels, in multiple sports, garnishing two CIF Championships, two CIF Finalists, and twenty-one Varsity League Championships, qualified for the CIF Playoffs twenty-one times and has been named the Daily Breeze Coach-of-the-Year twice in baseball.
The Murrieta Colony Men’s Golf Club awarded $750 scholarships to three Murrieta Valley Unified School District senior student athletes at a luncheon held on Wednesday, June 17. Award recipients this year were, Juliana Hanson of Murrieta Mesa High School, now at Loyola Marymount University, Alexis Marshall of Vista Murrieta who is attending Cal State Monterey Bay and Steven Oakes, also from Vista Murrieta, now attending Cal State San Marcos.
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July
Michael Norman of Vista Murrieta was named the Gatorade Boy’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year for his performance during the 2014-15 school year. Norman, now a senior, broke pretty much every possible record along the way, all while keeping a humble demeanor. He joins a group of just 275 other phenomenal athletes who have won the award, including the likes of Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter and Emmitt Smith.
Temecula’s Lindsey Gelinas won the Girls 18 Singles championship at the 30th annual Fallbrook Junior Open Tournament which was held July 6-10 at the Fallbrook Tennis Club.
Temecula Valley Girls Softball All-Stars did work in their respective divisions, with seven different age levels finishing in the Top 3 of their brackets. The eight-and-under, ten-and-under and twelve-and-under girls brought home Silver, while the other eight-and-under, ten-and under, twelve-and-under and fourteen-and-under teams took Gold, with the 12U team earning an Eastern District Championship.
Destiny Collins of Great Oak participated for the U.S. National Youth Team in Colombia as a part of the IAAF World Youth Championships, where she finished 16th overall. She became just the first U.S. girl to run the 3,000 meters at the World Youth Championships since 1999.
Three Temecula Valley Little League All-Star teams won their respective District 28 Championships, sending themselves to the Section 9 play-offs. The 9 and10-year-old team, the 10-11-year-old team and the 11 and 12-year-old teams all found themselves successful in earning their D.28 titles.
2015 Linfield graduate, Jackie Crowther, returned to the world spotlight over the summer as a part of the Women’s U-20 Mexican National Soccer team. Crowther, who has dual citizenship and is on scholarship at Baylor University, also played in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the Mexican National team.
PONY All Star teams from Southwest Riverside County had one of the most successful summers ever for the local PONY Baseball organizations, which stands for “Protect our Nation’s Youth.” Through the final week of July, Temecula had brought home the most championships banners for their league with eight. Menifee brought home two, Murrieta won seven and French Valley, who is the newest league to the area, established in 2010, brought back their first two banners in the league’s history.
Carson McKinney, 12, and Kelsie Whitmore, 17, both of Temecula, won gold medals this past summer while playing for Team USA Baseball. McKinney was selected to play for the 12-and-under team, which played in Taiwan for the WBSC (World Baseball Softball Confederation) games and Whitmore, who is no stranger to playing for USA Baseball, made the women’s national team for the second year in a row, where her team traveled to Canada to play in the Pan-Am games.
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August
Local youth football coach Eddie Rangel passed away in late July. Rangel was a veteran of the Army, where he devoted eight years of his life to the country. Rangel was also a loving father, son, husband and friend, and while he wasn’t sharing his time with his family, he was helping coach his son’s football teams.
Christina Drob, of Temecula, won the World Championships in the Bikini Division of the Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association’s World Championships in Dubai, UAE. She now holds the top two current global Professional Bikini Athlete Titles, adding this one to the Natural Olympia Pro Bikini Champion title she earned earlier in 2015.
Isaiah Bright of Rancho Elementary School made waves when he was named to compete in the USA Track and Field Southern California Association Junior Olympics in the 800 meter, long jump and mini-javelin. Bright, just eight-years old, is also a member of the Temecula Rangers Track and Field club. With his performance in the USATF Junior Olympics, Bright advanced to the Regional Junior Olympics in both long jump and mini-javelin and then the National Junior Olympics, where he placed third in the nation.
Arsenal’s FC 13U Girls team won the San Diego Surf Cup over dozens of other teams from around the nation. Led by head coach Randy Brown, the Arsenal Girls 13U team consists of players from all over Southern California, ranging from Temecula to Fullerton and even two girls from Hawaii.
Dozens of new coaches were named to fill vacancies in local high schools. Temecula Valley added a new Assistant Principal of Athletics in Scott Corso, as well as hiring a new head varsity baseball coach (Daniel Franklin) and varsity softball coach (Todd Hollins). Great Oak hired Mike Adras as their new athletic director. Murrieta Valley hired a new head basketball coach for their girls’ team in Tessa Mullinix, as well as hiring a new wrestling coach, Daniel Kingman. The MV football team also added a bunch of assistant coaches; offensive coordinator Pete Duffy, defensive coordinator Stan Hunt, offensive line coach Andre Smith, running backs coaches Terelius Wright and Quincy Wimbish, Sr., receivers coach Shawn Sams, linebacker coach Sean Cue and defensive back coach Willie Newton. Rancho Christian hired Jake Fey as their new AD and hired Joe Weinmann as their new head coach for the Girls’ Basketball program.
Several different youth golfers placed in the Valley Junior Golf Association Tournament. Hunter Newlin of Canyon Lake took first overall, followed by Noah Woolsey of Murrieta and Parker Whitehead of Temecula. 25 other local youth golfers, ranging from the ages of 7 to 18 competed as well.
Greta Pontarelli, 64, won her fifth World Pole Sport medal in the World Pole Sports Championships in London. Pontarelli, a Temecula native, was the World Masters Champion in 2013 and 2014. Among those titles she has won countless others on her way to five world competition medals and three world titles.
Three Temecula Valley Inline Hockey Association teams took medals at the Junior Olympics, led by the 8U Warriors silver medal. Both the 10U Warriors and 12U Warriors would earn bronze as well. The 16U team, which was formed to compete in the tournament didn’t place.
Carol Brooks, a dance teacher at Chaparral High School, won gold in the slalom event at the Water Ski National Championships in Florida in mid-August.
The Murrieta Bronco 11U PONY League team earned a World Series victory with a 5-3 victory over Mexico in the finals, played in Virginia, claiming the PONY League Bronco 11U Championship. The boys would lose only one game throughout, to Mexico, the entire tournament as they took the title, getting their revenge and a win.
Temecula residents and freestyle motocross team, Metal Mulisha Fitz Army, were named to the Top 24 contestants and moved on to the live showings of NBC’s hit reality-competition series, “America’s Got Talent.” They would be chosen as a Wild Card, but were eliminated in the semifinals.
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September
The spring high school sports season got underway, which was comprised of volleyball, girls’ tennis, cross country, boys’ water polo, girls’ golf and of course it meant football season begins, the staples of all high school campuses got to put their programs to the test.
The Murrieta Mesa Rams Football team’s first game of the season took place in Hawaii. The Rams lit up the scoreboard against St. Francis, downing the Saints 39-0. The team also enjoyed a Luau and did some sightseeing before they headed back home.
Paloma Valley High School became only the second K-12 campus in the country to have the opportunity to display the “Big Flag,” which has made appearances in several NFL and MLB games. The enormous 100-by-50-yard flag was stretched across the high school football field in a salute to military personnel on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror strikes.
Former Chaparral High School graduate, Mitch Glasmann, who is currently the Western New Mexico University quarterback, was named as one of the HERO Sports Division II Football Studs of the Week for August 30 through September 5. Glasmann opened his senior season by completing 27 of his 35 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 70-14 home win over Arizona Christian.
Ten children, five from the Bridgeforth family of Menifee, went back to school in mid-August with brand new clothes, Angels Baseball gear, and photos and memories they will keep forever courtesy of leaders at Pechanga Resort & Casino and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
On Sept. 11, Vista Murrieta High School’s marching band-the Golden Alliance-debuted its new marching uniforms during the pre-game and halftime performances of the home football game against Santiago High School. The new uniforms were made possible by a grant from MVUSD and represent the new era of the VMHS marching band tradition.
Great Oak defensive back, James Nool fractured his neck making a tackle during the Wolfpack’s Week Two game against Rancho Verde on Friday, Sept. 11. The Defensive Back was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for treatment where scans of his neck indicated that he fractured three of his vertebrae, two in the neck and one in the upper back, but surgery was not needed and Nool was expected to make a full recovery.
Temecula and Murrieta based ATA franchise; Giordano’s Martial Arts, hosted the first tournament for Region 103A of the American Taekwondo Association which took place on Saturday, Sept. 19. Hundreds of students from clubs around Southern California met at the Temecula Valley High School gym to compete in different events within their age groups. Local Murrieta and Temecula students were able to bring back awards to their club’s honor wall.
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October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month meant the girls’ volleyball teams from all over the valley once again rallied together in the “Play for the Cure” program. This was the eight year that the program existed.
Temecula Valley’s girls’ varsity tennis team defeated Murrieta Valley, bringing the Nighthawks seven-year undefeated league streak to an end. A hungry Temecula Valley Golden Bears team beat the defending champs, 10-8, during their Oct. 6 league match.
On Oct.7 Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 949, which requires the California Interscholastic Federation to develop guidelines, procedures, and safety standards which will add competition cheerleading as an interscholastic sport.
The Temecula Valley Woman’s Club Bridge Committee (Scholarship Support) teamed up with the Valley Junior Golf Association (VJGA) to sponsor an essay contest “Why I like Golf,” which was aimed at junior golfers age eight to twelve years old. First place with a $125 scholarship was Jordyn Parr. Second place went to Kaylan Labasanm, who was awarded a $65 scholarship. Runners up earned $50 in scholarships, which included Katelyn Parr, Hayden Love Wilson and Elina Kuang.
The girls’ varsity volleyball team from Chaparral knocked off the Wolfpack, who were playing without an injured Bailee Huizenga, in 5-sets to break Great Oak’s 27-game SWL win streak, shocking them on their home courts.
The 36th Annual Mt. Carmel/Movin Shoes Cross Country Invitational was held on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Morley Field in Balboa Park and Chaparral, Temecula Valley and Vista Murrieta all participated, with the Puma’s taking 15th overall (1:26:17.30 total time), the Broncos were 24th (1:26:58.55 total time) and Temecula Valley’s Golden Bears came in at 58th (1:32:39.68 total time). Paloma Valley, from the Sunbelt League, took 21st with a total time of 1:26:43.40.
Two top Bronco basketball players decided early where they will be going to play next year. Jaelyn Brown, who was last year’s No. 2 player in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Terrific 25 for the 2016 class, recently committed to Cal Berkeley and Nasrin Ulel, who averaged 10.6 points-per-game last season, committed to Cal State Fullerton.
On Oct. 16, which was also senior night, the Murrieta Mesa Rams seniors led the way to the school’s first ever home league football victory, 31-14, over Temecula Valley in Week 7. The Rams would pick up their second ever league win, in the same season, on Nov. 6 over Chaparral, 45-21.
The Temecula Valley Girls Cross Country team finished in second place in the Inland Empire Challenge on Oct. 17 thanks to strong performances from Olivia Rivera, who finished third overall with a 19:08.8 time and Emily O’Hara, who finished in fifth with a time of 19.33.4.
The Great Oak Cross Country teams established their dominance over the rest of the Southwestern League teams, sweeping their second straight league meet on Oct. 14 and then once again did something that no other team in history has done at the 68th annual Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational in Walnut on Saturday, Oct. 24, by winning Sweeps, making them the first team ever to achieve the accomplishment two years in a row.
The Southwestern League girls’ varsity tennis championships got underway at the Murrieta Tennis Club on Thursday, Oct. 29, pitting the top female players from around the valley against each other in a win or go home single elimination tournament. Jovana Kuljanin claimed the 2015 Southwestern League Singles Championship. Temecula Valley’s Lindsey Gelinas was the runner up and both moved on to the CIF playoffs with freshman alternate Jordan Buck of Chaparral. On the doubles side of the courts, Murrieta Valley’s #1 team of Alana Andrews and Faith Pearson claimed the 2015 Southwestern League Doubles Championship.
Two USTA Southern California Section teams from Temecula competed in the 2015 USTA Junior Team Tennis 18U National Championships, which were held at the Cayce Tennis Center in Cayce, S.C. on Oct. 22-25. The ACES Foundation team, coached by Hector Arellano, competed in the Advanced division and placed 12th after losing to the Caribbean (Guaynabo) team, 41-35. The Guzman Champs team, coached by Alison Guzman, competed against 15 other Intermediate teams, placing 15th after defeating Texas (Ace-N-Slackers), 60-14.
Current Temecula FC soccer club player and former Chaparral High School standout, Santiago (Santi) Warren, was offered a professional tryout with Scottish First Division team Airdrie FC. Santi traveled from California to Glasgow Scotland for his two-week trial with the renowned Scottish League, One side. Santi showed promise and was invited back next summer for another tryout.
November
The CIF-SS Girls Tennis playoffs were in full swing during the early weeks of November and the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks, the No. 1 seed from the Southwestern League, were the only local team to make it all the way to the CIF-SS Finals. It would be Murrieta Valley’s third straight year, this year taking on Arcadia High School in the Division II finals at the Claremont Club in Claremont, Calif., where they lost 13-5.
In true Great Oak fashion, the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams once again proved why they are best in the Southwestern League by sweeping their third straight league meet on Nov. 5. at the Diamond Valley Lake course in Hemet. With the win, the Wolfpack boys captured their 3rd straight league title, while the girls raced their way to their 8th consecutive SWL title.
After ten exciting weeks of high school football, the best teams moved on to the playoffs. The Southwestern League saw its three top teams move on; Vista Murrieta, Murrieta Valley and Great Oak. Vista made their 10th straight appearance in the CIF-SS playoffs, following yet another undefeated Southwestern League season. The Sunbelt League was represented in the first round of the playoffs in the Inland Division by Heritage, Elsinore and Paloma Valley. Linfield Christian found their way to the playoffs for the ninth straight year, this time in the CIF Northwest Division bracket. In the eight-man leagues, Cornerstone Christian and California Lutheran advanced as well.
A total of thirteen volleyball teams took on the challenge of fighting for a CIF-SS Volleyball Championship. In the Southwestern League, Great Oak took the #1 seed out of league and #2 seed overall in Division 1AA, with Chaparral and Murrieta Valley representing the 2 and 3 seeds from the SWL. Temecula Valley, who battled to stay in the top 3 all season, got an At-Large bid. Elsinore was the #1 seed out of the Sunbelt League and took the #1 seed overall for Division 3AA, while Heritage and Paloma Valley locked up the #2 and #3 seeds out of league. In Division 5AA five teams locally advanced, which include Hamilton, Temecula Prep, Calvary Murrieta, California Lutheran and Rancho Christian. Cornerstone Christian represents the final local team that advanced to the post season in Division 5 A. There were no teams that made it to the finals, but many fought deep into the playoffs.
Lake Elsinore resident Andy Malchiodi won a gold medal at the 2015 U.S. Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships. The competition took place at Skydive Arizona, outside of Phoenix. Malchiodi’s team, Flite Shop, took the gold in the 2-way mixed formation skydiving event.
The Calvary Murrieta Warriors (11-1), saw their 11-game win streak and undefeated football season halted with a 28-10 loss to Crean Lutheran in the playoffs. The Warriors led 10-7 at the half, but failed to score again, as Crean scored 21 fourth quarter points to move on to the semis.
The Temecula Youth Baseball League (TYB) crowned their middle school champions after a very exciting fall season. James L. Day Middle School won the Bronco Division by defeating Bella Vista in the Finals and was the second team in the leagues history to go undefeated, 19-0. In the Pony Division, Vail Ranch Middle School defeated returning city champs, James L. Day Middle School.
Forza For All’s local Middle School Volleyball league, which is in its second year, ran under the direction of Program Director, Christina Pulver, also crowned their 2015 MSL Champions, which included first place, Vail Ranch Middle School, and second place, Temecula Middle School at the Varsity level. At the Junior Varsity level, first place went to James L. Day Middle School and second place went to Dorothy McElhinney. In the JV+ Division, first place went to Dorothy McElhinney’s JV2 team, while Vail Ranch’s JV2 took home second place. A full list of Forza For All All-Stars can be found online.
Vail Ranch Middle School won Team Titles at Cross Country Invitational. Individuals from Vail Ranch accounted for 34 awards, 13 top 10 finishers, 3 second place finishers and a 1st place finisher, Gabriel Abbes, with the fastest time of the day for the 8th grade boys (10:41.8).
The Southwestern League Girls Golf finals took place at the Hemet Golf Club where 36 girls competed in the tournament, six from each school. Vista Murrieta’s Alli Kim emerged victorious in the qualifying round shooting one-under par at 70. She was followed by Great Oak’s Steffi Ahn, who shot 74 on the day. Serena Chon of Murrieta Valley, who finished with a score of 80 the first day, placed first after shooting 74, three shots over par. She finished just one stroke ahead of Alli Kim. Kim was named the Southwestern League Champ with a combined score of 145.
Three local high school football teams readied themselves to battle it out in the 2015 CIF-SS Ford Football Championships. Linfield, Vista Murrieta and Heritage all advanced to their perspective divisional championship games, which were played the first week in December.
Chaparral High School senior Jack Donnelly, a two-time U.S.A. Water Polo Academic All-American, scored 182 goals during the 2015 season, shattering the previous Southwestern League record of 177 goals, which was set in 2012 by former teammate Michael Gleason.
During the Thanksgiving break, and just one week after winning the CIF-SS Finals, the nationally ranked girls and boys cross country teams from Great Oak earned Division 1 titles Saturday, Nov. 28, at the CIF-State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.
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December
None of the three local high school football teams won in the 2015 CIF-SS Ford Football Championships. Linfield fell to Notre Dame 14-6, Vista Murrieta lost to Mission Viejo, for the second straight year, 21-14, and Heritage lost to Citrus Hill, 29-10.
The high school winter sports season officially began and one of the top boys’ basketball tournaments in the valley, the Big Daddy tournament, saw local schools like Lakeside, Murrieta Valley, Temescal Canyon, Perris Citrus Hill, Hemet Tahquitz and Perris High School all participate. Rancho Verde defeated Citrus Hill, 56-36, in the championship game. Mustang Senior Dominick Pickett earned the tournament’s MVP honors with a 17-point performance in the final game.
For the first time in school history, the Great Oak boys’ cross country team won a National Championship. The girls team would finish close behind them in overall rankings, placing third in the nation. Competing in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 5, the Wolfpack cruised to a 49-point victory over their competitors to solidify their No. 1 ranking for good. Led by Spencer Dodds, who finished 15th overall, Great Oak had five of their runners finish in the Top 100 giving them a total score of 114, eventually putting them ahead of second place America Fork from Utah, who finished with 163 points. Last year’s runners up, the Great Oak girls team was invited to NXN again, but couldn’t improve on their performance, finishing third overall, still making their way to the podium at the end of it all.
The Murrieta Valley Nighthawks boys’ basketball program held their 23rd annual Murrieta Valley Nighthawks Classic, which played host to a series of teams from Dec. 7 through the 12th and came to a close as expected with pre-tournament favorites Great Oak and Rancho Verde competing for the championship. Rancho Verde won in what would be the lowest scoring game in either school’s history, 28-22. The Mustangs’ Dominick Pickett was again named the Tournament MVP.
Murrieta Mesa, Great Oak, Temecula Valley and Chaparral’s baseball teams battled in the Desert Challenge tournament during the second week of December. Murrieta Mesa outscored their opponents 23-7, with a flawless 4-0 record. Six foot six inch left hander, Nate Stilinovich, shut down Hemet, last season’s Division 5 CIF-SS Champions, throwing a no-hitter en route to Murrieta Mesa’s 2-0 first game victory. Vista Murrieta fought hard for a 3-1 overall tournament record, and Great Oak and Chaparral would also go 3-1, proving that this upcoming season could go any which way, if pre-season play has anything to do with the outlook. Tournament host, Palm Desert, took home the title this year with a 5-2 win over Corona.
Former Vista Murrieta standout and current USC junior, outside linebacker Su’a Cravens, announced via Twitter on Dec. 16, that he would forgo his final season of eligibility and make himself available for the 2016 NFL Draft. Cravens is projected to be a mid-first round pick.
The Temecula Valley Inline Hockey Association (TVIHA) wrapped up their fall recreation season, which was one of their most successful to date, with a record 182 players and 22 teams. Winners were the 8U Penguins, the 10U Penguins, the 12U Sharks, the 14U Kings and in the inaugural 17U division, the top seeded Ducks defeated the second seeded Lightning in a thriller.
Vista Murrieta placed fifth in the 2015 Hawk’s Nest Wrestling Tournament, while Temescal Canyon was 10th and Murrieta Mesa Finished 14th out of the 63 Teams in the Event held at Citrus Hills.
The Temecula Valley Boys basketball team improved to 10-1 overall when they defeated Fontana Kaiser 67-62 to win the Inland Empire Classic Boys Basketball Tournament. The Golden Bears beat Upland 75-68 in the opening round, took out Oak Hills 72-58 in the second round and then beat Colony and Tahquitz before facing the Cats in the Final. The Golden Bears turned around and defeated Elsinore in the Jared Mandville Memorial Showcase, 76-70. The game was dedicated to the memory of Perris Basketball Coach Jared Mandville who passed away from cancer last month. Proceeds, in excess of $1,500 from the game were presented to his widow Dawn and his two children. Mandville would have turned 40 in December.
The Valley News Sports Department is excited to bring our readers even more action in 2016. Have a safe and prosperous new year and we will see you on the fields, or on the courts, or maybe in the water, or even in the hills, wherever your sports take you, we hope to be there! Email your sports tips, highlights and scores to sports@reedermedia.com.
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