Claremont gets come from behind win over Tartans

The Claremont High School girls varsity volleyball team pulled off a stunning 3-2 upset victory over first place Glendora on Thursday evening at CHS.

The undefeated Tartans looked like they were headed to another easy victory when they won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-20, but a tenacious Claremont Wolfpack came fighting back, winning the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-21.

In the tiebreaker Glendora got an early lead of five points, but it was Claremont’s night as the Pack evened the score and then pulled ahead for the 16-14 win.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP 10.11.19

Girls tennis undefeated in first half of league

The girls varsity tennis team completed the first half of league with a 16-2 win over Bonita High School, advancing their record to 5-0. The Pack’s doubles team ruled the day as all three teams were undefeated. Senior Frances Hernandez won both of her singles matches, only dropping three games in two sets.

Last week the Pack defeated Colony High School, 17-1. Camille Movafagian and partner junior Caren Uribe didn’t lose a game in the three sets they played. Junior Gillian Magallanes and Hernandez each won two sets of singles.

In a rematch of a tightly contested battle on September 24, the Pack took on Ayala on the road Thursday after press time. CHS won the first match 11-7.

Pack football loses league opener

The Wolfpack’s record fell to 4-2, with a disappointing 41-14 loss to Ayala on Friday at CHS.

The Bulldogs came out strong, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, but the Pack kept them in sight with 14 points in the first half. Unfortunately, that was everything Claremont had, while Ayala came up with 20 more points before the final whistle.

The Bulldogs were able to limit what had recently become the Pack’s strong passing game, allowing junior quarterback Rickey Murillo only eight completions for 102 yards. However, Murillo did make the most of those eight connections including both Claremont touchdowns, a 52-yard and a 10-yard play to Ryan Campuzano.

Claremont’s running game was a bit better with a team total of 156 yards, including 56 yards from sophomore Adrian Amezquita and 58 from junior Justin Catchings. This Friday the Pack travels to Alta Loma for more league action.

Girls volleyball loses close match last week

The Pack lost a very close match to Alta Loma, 3-1, on Wednesday at CHS. The girls came out strong, winning the first set 26-24 only to lose the next three sets by close margins, (22-25, 22-25, 20-25.)

Claremont’s league record now stands at 3-4, 9-11 overall, which is good enough for a third place tie with Ayala. The Pack had a home match against first place Glendora on Thursday after press time.

Cross country has another strong showing

Claremont High School nearly swept the first and only Palomares League meet with the exception of the freshman-sophomore girls, who came in second to Ayala. JV and varsity boys took the top five positions, which gave them a perfect team score of 15. Girls JV were just one point off with a score of 16, and girls varsity were almost as good at 22.

The Pack raced in the inaugural Temecula Twilight meet at Galway Downs last Saturday. The varsity boys took third with a team score of 109 behind Woodbridge, 77 and Great Oak, 37. The varsity girls took fifth, however, junior Angie Gushue won the race and at 16:56 she is the first CHS runner to break 17 minutes this season. Senior Jaden Clark won the JV race at 15:28.

Next up, Claremont’s top 32 runners will compete in the Crystal Springs Invite.

P-P women’s soccer undefeated

The number eight Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team defeated Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent Occidental, 2-0, on Wednesday night at Jack Kemp Stadium in Los Angeles.

With the win, the Sagehens improved to 9-0-1 overall and 5-0 in SCIAC play to remain unbeaten on the season, according to Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) Athletics.

The Sagehens were led by seniors Brianna Lau and Bria VarnBuhler, who each netted a goal for the win. Senior goalkeeper Isa Berardo delivered the fourth solo shutout of the season with six saves.

The Sagehens got the first goal of the game in the 27th minute, as Lau scored in her second straight match. P-P struck again three minutes later after VarnBuhler came across the ball in the Occidental box and slotted it past the keeper.

The Tigers became very aggressive on offense to start the second half, as they tried to chip away at the Sagehens’ lead. Berardo came up huge with a few diving saves for the Sagehens, keeping the Tigers off of the board while the defense spoiled multiple scoring opportunities for Occidental.

 CMS men’s soccer has big win over La Verne

Five different players scored goals as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men’s soccer team ran over University of La Verne, 5-0, on Saturday evening to remain undefeated in SCIAC play, according to CMS Athletics.

With the win, CMS moves to 8-2-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the SCIAC, as well as 17-2-1 in league play over the past two years. One of those two losses was a 1-0 defeat at La Verne last year, but the Stags flipped the script to dominate and take their third road league win in three tries. La Verne came into the contest at 3-1 in league play, but now falls to 8-4 overall and 3-2 in the SCIAC. 

Sophomore Ethan Tyang got CMS started with a goal at the 11:11 mark to put the Stags in front early. Junior William Birchard then found the net at 30:31, giving CMS a 2-0 lead heading into the break. 

CMS quickly squashed any thoughts of a La Verne comeback by scoring two quick second-half goals, just over five minutes apart. Senior Cole Smith scored at just 6:49 and junior Daniel Rohde scored at the 57:27 mark. With 16:51 to play, junior Henry Kraham got the match’s final goal.

The Stags, who are in first place in the SCIAC, will return home Saturday when they face Pomona-Pitzer at 7 p.m.