In competitive sports it takes great planning and some luck to reach peak performance right as playoffs begin. The Claremont High School boys water polo team did just that by ending Palomares League play with a six-game winning streak. It was capped off with a decisive 12-6 win over visiting Flintridge Prep Rebels, in the first round of CIF competition.
The only downside to peaking late is Claremont fell just shy of catching first place Alta Loma—despite defeating the Braves—and must settle for second place in league.
Last Wednesday CHS freshman Kelly Xu shot a three over par 75 for a seventh place finish in the CIF individual qualifier at Western Hills Country Club. Kelly’s performance was good enough to earn a berth for the finals this Thursday at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard. Senior Sally Wang was also at the qualifying tournament but missed the cut with her score of 88 shots.
In a highly anticipated second meeting between Claremont and Ayala Ruben High School, the CHS girls tennis team earned a hard fought, 10-8 victory and a Palomares League title last week in Chino Hills.
The performance of the afternoon came from sophomore doubles partners Jahday Drewery and Salma Mohideen, who won two out of their three matches. This included a win over two of Ayala’s singles players, who played number three doubles in an effort to strengthen Ayala’s line-up, according to Coach Kathy Settles.
Freshman Maddie Coles, 14, had the run of her young racing career on Saturday, coming in sixth place in the prestigious Eastern States Girls Championship cross country race during the Manhattan High School Invitational in New York City.
Her time of 14:44 over the short 2.5-mile course anchored the Pack’s attack, leading the girls to a first place team title at Van Cortland Park.
The Claremont High School girls cross country team has earned a number one national ranking from the High School Harrier, one of three news websites that rank competitive cross country.
The rank was awarded following the girls breakout victory in last week’s Stanford Invite.
We have all the other sports covered too with our complete sports round-up inside.
Woe to the Claremont water polo fan who showed up late to Tuesday’s game against Bonita, as the scoreboard at the La Verne Aquatics Center clearly showed the Bearcats ahead 15-1, with mere minutes left.
Talk about home pool advantage—apparently Bonita starts home games with 10 points already on the board! However, the scoreboard was, in fact, broken and should have read 11-5 in favor of Claremont.
Claremont High School’s boys and girls varsity teams won the Seeded Race team title in the Stanford Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, September 29 on Stanford University’s golf course in Palo Alto.
Registration for Claremont Youth Basketball is open until October 15 for students in grades 1 through 12. They offer three levels of competition. The CYB league, which begins in December, is open to boys and girls in third to eighth grade, while first and second grade students have a skills clinic beginning in January. This year CYB has added a three-on-three league for high school students called CYB3.
Enter freshman Kelly Xu, Claremont’s latest golf phenom. Xu has the calm confidence, and an amazingly strong drive, that are consistent with a much more experienced player. On Tuesday she did not disappoint, shooting an impressive one over par 37 on the front nine holes, leading the Pack to a narrow 234-238 victory over visiting Wilson High School.
Claremont freshman Jacque Pearsall returns a shot on Tuesday during the Pack’s 15-3 win over Alta Loma in both team’s Palomares League opening game. A day later Pearsall won two of her three sets to help seal a 9-9 tie with defending CIF champion Redlands High School. The Terriers were declared the winner by tallying games, 83-80. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont cross country varsity and junior varsity teams swept the annual Cool Breeze Invitational on Friday in Pasadena. The event, which is an early gauge of strength for the upcoming season, is sponsored by CHS.
On Monday, CIF Southern Section officials released the cross country rankings and Claremont boys and girls varsity teams are on top of the list.
Claremont girls tennis coach Kathy Settles was anxious to get her team practicing on Tuesday at Claremont High School, but first she had to clean the courts. Using a hand held blower, Coach Settles cleared the area of debris that could result in a slip and a season ending injury for one of her players.
Win or lose, Friday night was bound to be big for Cole Weaver. The Claremont High School senior had ascended to starting quarterback following the departure of Reggie Retzlaff, who decamped to be a third string QB for Corona’s Centennial High. So after preparing all summer, Weaver had to face Claremont’s rival Damien in his, and the Pack’s, football season opener.
Claremont sophomore Tristan Miller can’t get past a trio of Damien defenders on Friday during varsity football action in La Verne. Claremont struggled to put together a cohesive offense while failing to shut down Spartan running back Jermaine Barner leading to a decisive 42-7 victory for Damien. The annual rivalry between the two teams was also the Pack’s season opener. More in our next edition COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
