Editors Note: I wanted to launch an end-of-week column that highlights some of the news and notes over the past seven days. It will focus on programs, athletes, schools and coaches in the coverage zone, but every now and then, it will stretch outside of the area.
News and Notes:
CJ Bellamy (pictured above), the son of longtime Northview wrestling coach, Bobby Bellamy, had a monster game to start his junior season, including eight 3-point baskets. Bellamy scored 21 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, as Roosevelt earned an 80-71 road victory at Colony on Friday. Bellamy went off for four 3-pointers in the third quarter and he scored 14 of the Mustangs’ 20 third-quarter points.
St. Francis dedicated Saturday’s 63-26 victory over Crespi to the late-great Jim Bonds. It was the Golden Knights first home game since his passing. Jack Jacobs threw three TD passes to Evan Jernegan and rushed for two more, and Max Garrison (pictured above) rushed for 170 yards and had TD runs of 27 & 13 yards. St. Francis rebounded from a poor showing the week before, and they finish the shortened season this Saturday when they host St. Paul.
Ayala, and Andrew Aguilar (pictured above) handed Glendora a 35-0 thumping in Friday’s showdown of unbeatens. Bryan Wilson, the Bulldogs freshman quarterback, played like a senior. He completed 11 of 12 passes for 200 yards, including TD passes to Chandler Carthan and Marcus Monroe.
Jacob Badawi and Elijah Crockett had short TD runs in the victory. The Ayala defense held Glendora to approximately 60 yards of total offense. Speaking of Ayala, their junior kicker, Deniz Koseoglu, who broke his leg after getting hit late after a punt, is back home and resting after surgery to fix his broken leg. The sound and visual of that play was haunting, so to know he’s home and well is a relief to everyone.
Ellie Chen (pictured above) is off to a great start. The La Salle sophomore has led the Lancers to a pair of blowout victories in the first week of the season. Chen scored 16 and 21 points, in victories over San Marino and FSHA, respectively. Her younger sister, Audrey, looks to be a stud in the making as well.
Damien basketball is off to an 11-0 start after its 78-45 victory over La Canada. The Spartans have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 824-531. Damien’s stud is Malik Thomas (pictured above), but the Spartans feature a balanced offensive attack and get production from RJ Smith, Jimmy Oladokun, Chris Nickelberry, Spivey Word and others.
The Palomares League baseball hierarchy all got off to strong starts in league play this past week.
Glendora (5-2, 1-0) defeated Colony 13-2, behind six scoreless inning on the mound from Jeff Isenhart. Isenhart also homered and doubled in the win. Bonita (4-1, 1-0) shut out Claremont, 9-0. Jordan Sheridan (pictured above) went 3-for-4, with a home run, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. And Ayala (7-1, 1-0) pounded Alta Loma, 18-2. Andreas Pasillas and Bryan Yang teamed up on the mound to silence the Braves’ bats. GHS will get tested big time this week, as they host Bonita on Wednesday and then travel to Ayala on Friday.
Northview baseball picked up a signature victory on Thursday. The Vikings trailed 4-0 at Etiwanda, and against one of the SGV’s best hitting programs. But Dean Curley and Nick Peoples homered in a 14-7 victory. On Saturday, Northview ace Ethan Galindo (pictured above) kept Pasadena in check and the Vikings claimed a 10-1 victory. Galindo went six strong innings, allowing just one run and striking out six.
San Dimas seniors stepped up big in the Saints 35-0 victory over rival Northview on Friday night. Ryan Bulick & running back Jacob Buccola (pictured above) have led the offense to a perfect 4-0 mark with just one game to play. On Friday, Buccola scored four times and Bulick connected with Brandon Kalmar on a 38-yard TD pass. San Dimas has outscored Garden Grove, Claremont, Los Altos and now Northview by a combined margin of 192-25.
Pasadena and quarterback Dante Coronel (pictured above) remained perfect after Thursday’s 47-20 victory over Crescenta Valley. The Bulldogs now have victories over Burbank, Burroughs, Arcadia and CV by a combined scored of 166-60. PHS has the opportunity to defeat crosstown rival, Muir, for the first time in ages, and a win would secure Pasadena a Pacific League championship. The Mustangs and Bulldogs have a 4 p.m. Friday kickoff at the Rose Bowl. Mekhi Fox had four TD’s this week and can take over a game on his own.
Boys Basketball: Damien has earned itself a spot in the Sunny Hills Basketball Tournament. After victories over Troy (80-41), Ontario Christian (68-39), Villa Park (70-42), the Spartans faced La Habra in a semifinal round contest. The writing was on the wall early, as DHS outscored LHHS, 17-0, in the first quarter, and they would cruise […]
Girls Athlete of the Week: What a week it was for the West Covina High School girls water polo program. The Bulldogs played four games in five days. WCHS defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) before falling on Friday, 14-6, at the hands of St. Lucy’s. Over that stretch, WCHS junior Deneli […]
Pictured L-R: Nate Penunuri & Nate Curtis Boys Athletes of the Week: Noah Penunuri and Nate Curtis, the 2023 Football Players of the Year for this site, are up to their old tricks in 2024. During much of the regular season, the Kares blew opponents out, and that meant Penunuri and Curtis saw limited touches, […]
Photos and game info from Ryan Tomey Football: St. Francis’ quest for a CIF-SS Division 6 championship was thwarted by their visitors from Murrieta Mesa. The Rams found themselves in an 11-point hole in the first quarter at Jim Bonds Stadium. However, MMHS was able to edge SFHS, 31-28, after outscoring the Golden Knights, 28-14, […]
Thanks to Harry Joe for the game info and stats Football: It might sound like a broken record. However, to borrow lyrics from the great Canadian rock band, Rush, “a fact’s a fact from Nome to Rome.” And the fact is that Rio Hondo Prep used their recipe for success in yet another CIF-SS playoff […]
Photos by Carlo Montalbo (@Carlo.Montalbo on Instagram) Football: After the past two wins, you couldn’t blame Glendora or their fans if they believe in destiny. The Tartans opened with a 31-7 blowout victory at Agoura in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs. However, over the past two weeks, the Tartans have dug […]
Football: CIF-SS Semifinal Round Scores: Division 1: Mater Dei 36, Centennial Corona 7 St. John Bosco 20, Orange Lutheran 17 Division 2: Murrieta Valley 55, Oaks Christian 52 Newbury Park 20, Yorba Linda 14 Division 3: Edison 42, Vista Murrieta 14 Simi Valley 28, Loyola 25 Division 4: St. Bonaventure 20, Apple Valley 13 Pacifica […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina is one victory away today from having a four-win week. The Bulldogs have defeated La Mirada (15-13), Pasadena (10-5) and Cerritos (15-4) on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Deneli Salazar continued her dominant week with eight goals. Meagan Harris chipped in with three goals. Marisa Lemus had quite the game […]
Girls Basketball: La Salle improved to 2-0 after its 52-26 victory at Keppel. The Lancers pulled away in the second quarter after outscoring the Aztecs, 15-0. Aislin Tamez Torres had a game-high 18 points. Casey Higgins chipped in with 14 points. Kaden Cortes and Julianne Tan provided six points apiece in Thursday’s win. Alyssa Canizal […]
