Girls tennis has promising start; football, water polo stay hot

Girls tennis has promising start in non-conference play

The Wolfpack are coming off of a 17-1 beatdown of Charter Oak following Tuesday’s non-conference action. Claremont won all of its single sets, with its lone loss coming during a doubles set.

“I believe our one loss was attributed to unforced errors on our part,” Head Coach Lilibeth Katigbak said. “One of our goals is to maintain consistency throughout our matches in everything from serves to volleys to groundstrokes.”

Aside from its self-inflicted damage in doubles, Claremont was near flawless. Juniors Megan Huang and Hailey Kayatta spearheaded the Wolfpacks’ singles efforts, attributing mightily to their undefeated day on the court.

Sophomores Katie Chen and Dorothy Kang continue to lead the team’s doubles attack while freshmen Evelyn and Lelia Kennedy make up Claremont’s second doubles team. Based on what she has seen after two matches this season, Coach Katigbak said she is happy with the work her team is putting in and how they are applying what they learn in practice to the games.

“We are still looking for improvement in our doubles play, and that is expected since we are a fairly young varsity team, with only three varsity returning players who are all playing singles,” Coach Katigbak said. “We are definitely going to work on building our spirit and morale and overall play as we grow as a team.”

After an undefeated season last year,  standout player Drew Spinosa has opted not to play tennis this season.

Results from yesterday’s matchup against Ayala will be published in next week’s edition. Claremont will compete against South Hills and St. Lucy’s next week.

 

FOOTBALL

After topping Northwood for its first victory of the year, 40-14, the Claremont High School football jumped from No. 506 to No. 440 in the state rankings this week, the largest improvement of any team in the Sierra League.

The Wolfpack saw the return of their promising senior quarterback Craig Myers, who was sidelined for the past two weeks after suffering an injury in the season opener against Glendora. Myers completed 7 of 11 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Claremont to its first victory of the season.  Senior running back Cecil Fleming continued to be a force on the ground, as he racked up 143 yards and one touchdown. Fleming now has 561 yards and 7 touchdowns through four games. The Wolfpack defense was stingy all night and did a solid job of shutting down Northwood’s offense, forcing four interceptions and holding all rushers and receivers to under 100 yards.

Claremont will host El Toro tonight at 7 p.m. in the team’s final non-conference game of the season.

 

WATER POLO

The Claremont boys water polo team is off to a blistering start in 2013, leaving little doubt that the team can compete with the reigning 10-time defending Sierra League champions, Damien. The Wolfpack are 7-1 thus far in preseason action, with their lone loss coming to CIF No. 4-ranked Laguna Beach. Up to this point in the season, Claremont has outscored its opponents 114-53. Junior 2-meter and co-captain Adam Ward has accounted for 33 of those goals, while senior Brian Fox and sophomore Jonathan Wong have contributed their fair share of goals to aid Claremont’s hot start.

The No. 10-ranked Wolfpack won the Los Altos Conqueror Classic tournament title two weeks ago and remain in top shape as they prepare to compete in their final pre-league match at the Villa Park Classic tournament this weekend.

Prior to Claremont opening league play on October 8, the CHS Water Polo Boosters will be host a fundraising dinner at Taylor Hall on Sunday, October 6. For information, visit www.CHSaquatics.org. 

 

CROSS COUNTRY

The CHS cross country team won all five of its divisions Tuesday in its first Sierra League match of the season. On the women’s side, freshman Annie Boos won the varsity race while senior Merin Arft finished just behind her to claim second. The Wolfpack had four other girls finish inside the top 10, including sophomore Kiana Cavanaugh, who finished fourth. Head coach Rob Lander is proud of the way his team has been running together and noted how comfortable his runners are becoming as the season goes on.

“We definitely are racing more as a team,” Coach Lander said. “We put a huge emphasis in pack racing, and our athletes are buying into this philosophy.”

The men tried to echo the efforts of Claremont’s women runners by placing four runners inside the top 10. Junior Jonah Ross and senior Anthony Ceccarelli finished second and fourth, respectively, in the varsity race to earn spots inside the top 5. Junior Mike Lowrie finished seventh and senior Bryce Kasamoto finished ninth.

Claremont will compete this Saturday in a non-conference matchup.

 

VOLLEYBALL

Prior to its first Sierra League game against Ayala yesterday, Claremont High School volleyball sat at 4-3 on the season. Its victories have come against non-conference opponents Hesperia, Upland, San Dimas and Serrano. They have fallen short to ML King, Bonita and Glendora. The Wolfpack have three senior captains leading the way for them this season: Middle blocker Janie Feldsher, setter Annalyese Fausel and libero Gina Valvo. Head coach Allan Comerford likes what he is seeing from his team on both ends of the court, but as always, there is room for improvement.

“After five games, I’ve seen them improve dramatically with the offense and running combinations,” Coach Comerford said. “We need to work on staying strong in talking and having fun on the court.”

Results from yesterday’s conference matchup against Ayala will be posted in next week’s issue. Claremont will take on South Hills and St. Lucy’s next week.

 

GOLF

The Wolfpack (2-2) defeated Ayala 262-230 in league play on Tuesday and currently sit at third place in the Sierra League. Captain Kennedy Bingham is playing the best golf of her high school career, according to head coach Octavio Hernandez. She is averaging five over par and has been the medalist in two of Claremont’s first four events this season. Freshmen Nicole Curti and Vanessa Lopez have proven they are going to be key contributors all season long, as they have impacted every match thus far. Coach Hernandez was impressed with his team’s performance given their unfamiliarity with the playing course.

“I am proud of their teamwork,” Coach Hernandez said. “They helped each other greatly on a very difficult course. It was the first time that four of the six girls played the course.”

Coach Lander said the team is developing extremely well and is performing well under pressure, despite having a young group. Results from yesterday’s matchup against Charter Oak will be posted in next week’s issue. Claremont will face-off against St. Lucy’s and Chino Hills next week.

—Bryan Stauffer

 

CHS baseball to hold fundraising golf tournament

The Claremont High School baseball team will host its 11th annual golf tournament, dinner and auction on Friday, Nov. 1 the at San Dimas Canyon Golf Course. The entry fee is $150 per person or $500 per foursome. Discounts are available to those who register before October 15.

Registration will open at 10 a.m. and the shotgun start will kick-off at noon. Awards will be given out to the tournament’s top three competitors. The tournament will also feature a longest drive contest, a putting contest and a hole-in-one prize, making this is an event that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. following the conclusion of the tournament and the silent auction. If you are interested in signing up or becoming a sponsor for the tournament, visit www.leaguelineup.com/claremonthighbaseball and complete the appropriate form.

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