Photos by Yen Benton
Football:
Just when it looked like West Covina was petering out towards the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs regrouped, worked their butts off, and earned themselves a spot in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 10 playoffs.
WCHS headed into San Antonio League play at 6-1, and narrowly edged winless Claremont, 12-7, in week eight.
The Bulldogs followed that up with a 41-40 loss to visiting Don Lugo, as Kalib Pacheco drove the Conquistadores 75 yards in 30 seconds for the game-winning score.
West Covina would finish out its regular season slate with a 35-6 victory over Chaffey and entered the playoffs at 8-2.
And they happen to have this guy leading the program named Mike Maggiore, who hasn’t won three CIF-SS titles by accident.
He’s been one of the SGV area’s elite coaches for longer than his players have been alive.
And on Friday, West Covina looked like a 9-2 program after a convincing 30-16 victory over Paloma Valley.
Zander Requena had a monster game for WCHS.
Requena carried the ball 35 times for 287 yards and three TD’s.
The Bulldogs took a 16-8 lead into their locker room, thanks to a pair of Requena TD’s and a 37-yard field goal by Donovan Romero.
In the third quarter, Miles Reid blocked punt and Ethan Mendez scored from one yard out to extend the WCHS lead to 23-8.
West Covina was eight yards away from another score, but they turned the ball over, and five plays later, Paloma Valley had pulled to within 23-16.
Requena and the offensive line came through with a dominant performance, and he put the game away with a 22-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs O-line played well, Daniel Carrillo had three sacks and pressured their quarterback all night, and Felipe Hernandez and Eddie Walker added to the pressure.
Sebastian Martinez had a pick to ice the game.
It was Sebastian’s third interception of the season.
Maggiore said that Isaiah Ruiz played well at linebacker, and that his assistant coaches, Jason Heilman and Brian Ybarra ‘did a good job of preparing our guys, and the players made plays and executed.’
Up next: The Bulldogs will battle Beckman next Friday in the second round.
The Patriots (9-2) picked up a 14-9 road win at Capistrano Valley Christian.
To view a photo gallery by Yen Benton, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook
Box Score:
PV: 0-8-0-8-(16)
WC: 6-10-7-7-(30)
Records: Paloma Valley (7-4); West Covina (9-2)
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 […]
Photo by Underrated Media Girls Basketball: Los Osos and Flintridge Prep met up Thursday night at the Bonita Tip-Off challenge. The win would earn a spot in Saturday’s title game. And it was the Wolves that secured a championship game appearance with a 52-45 victory over the Grizzlies. Maddie Smith had a game-high 19 points […]
Girls Water Polo: West Covina picked up their third victory of the 2024-25 season in four tries. After a 9-2 loss to San Dimas in the season opener, the Bulldogs have now defeated Monrovia (17-13), La Mirada (15-13) and Pasadena (10-5). Deneli Salazar led the charge with five goals and four steals, continuing her streak […]
Girls Basketball: It’s unusual for a game to be considered ‘over’ after eight minutes of play. However, politically correct or not, Glendora put Anaheim away with a 22-0 first quarter. The Tartans cruised to a 57-26 victory at the La Mirada Tournament. Reagan (“Ronnie”) Herrmann had a game-high 17 points. Kamryn Kuo led both teams […]
