Claremont High School football player Nathan Gonzalez cools off during a break from practice on Tuesday at CHS. The Pack’s first game will be next Thursday with a pre-season scrimmage against Burbank at CHS. The regular season begins on September 6 with a home game against Glendora. Check out our complete football photo gallery. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
A runner stands poised in preparation for the hand-off. He is running the last leg of a relay and once his teammate arrives, the team’s fate lies in his hands. As he whispers a soft prayer, the hand-off is made. His heart slams hard in his chest as he bolts forward to complete the last leg of the 400-meter dash to take home a second-place finish. He is only 10 years old.
Alex Sotolongo brought home a silver medal for his team, the Bay Cities Unleashed, at the 2013 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships held in Greensboro, North Carolina last month.
The Claremont High School Cross Country Wolfpack ran for charity with their 24-hour relay event last Friday and Saturday.
The relay is held annually for the team to bond before the new season starts in September and also has the team involved with fundraising efforts. This year, cross country captains Adam Michno, Daniel Ross, Merian Arft, Andrea Flores, Megan Renken and Kylee Jorgensen selected the Foothill Family Shelter as the charity of choice.
“We selected Foothill Family Shelter because they were relatively easy to donate to,” Adam said. “They’re a good family shelter and get people to stay in shape and get their lives together.”
Claremont American catcher Tayler Luna keeps his eye on Glendora American base runner Shane Mion as he heads for home plate on Tuesday during the ages 8 and 9 Little League All Stars tournament at College Park in Claremont. The Claremont team fought back from a 10-point deficit in the middle of the game to get within 7 points but eventually lost 15-6. Check out our complete game coverage with schedules of tournament games. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff.
The USTA Southern California Sectional Tournament provided the stage for 2 of Claremont’s young tennis stars to play against some of the strongest competition in the country. Raquel Pedraza and Toby Miclat, both teenagers, each played for the honor of getting one step closer to qualifying for the famed U.S. Open.
At the Claremont Club on Monday, Pedraza, above, fell to Elizabeth Lumpkin in the first round of the ladies singles bracket, 3-6, 2-6. The next day, Miclat and her partner Alex Kitto were defeated 1-6, 6-2, 3-6 by Lumpkin and Konstantin Lazarov in mixed doubles.
COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Officers from local, county, state, federal and military agencies carried the “Flame of Hope” throughout southern California, winding its way through Claremont on Wednesday as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, leading up to the Special Olympics his weekend.
With a formal Claremont Police Department escort, 14 employees from the Claremont PD, 3 participants from Cal Poly Pomona and 5 athletes and staffers from the Special Olympics made their way through Claremont Wednesday, handing off the torch at Wheeler Avenue in La Verne.
Claremont’s top 4 tennis players competed at the University of Redlands last weekend to determine the Division II individual champions in doubles and singles. Cameron and Konrad Lorek took the court as partners, and Andrew and Alan Leahy took aim at the top singles players in the Southland.
A tough day concluded for Claremont athletes when the day’s top Wolfpack performer Alan Leahy fell in the third round of play to Austin Rapp of Rancho Mirage.
Claremont High School senior Alan Leahy returns a shot from Redlands’ Patrick Cachapero on Thursday during the second round CIF Southern Section 3013 Boys Individual Tennis Regionals in Redlands. Leahy easily defeated Cachapero but lost to Palm Desert High’s Austin Rapp, 6-2, 7-6. Leahy’s brother Andrew lost his second round match as did the CHS doubles team of Cameron and Konrad Lorek. More in our next edition COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Claremont High School senior Jeremy Giles celebrates as he crosses home after ripping a homerun over the centerfield fence in the 6th inning of the Pack’s wild card playoff game against the Upland High School Scots on Tuesday in Upland. Led by the pitching of sophomore Tyler Witt, the Wolfpack narrowly defeated the Scots, 5-4, and will advance to the regular CIF playoff bracket. See our complete story. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Claremont swimmers finished 3rd in the Sierra League after a strong end-of-season surge. In all, 10 athletes will go to CIF. Those swimmers include the girls 200 medley relay team of Mary Hanna, Morgan Stockham, Samantha Duran, and Melissa Oei. For the boys, Jacob Altree, Jack Mammone, Ben Jardine, Luke Miller, Dylan Tarazona and Thomas Randles all qualified.
Check out the other sports inside.
Claremont High School’s Eran Beechor makes a diving save with Jared Butz on Tuesday during the Pack’s first round CIF playoff game against Quartz Hill. The Wolfpack easily defeated the Rebels 3-0 to advance in the CIF tournament. Check out our complete coverage with slideshow. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
BASEBALL
The Wolfpack batted their way to a 10-1 shellacking of Charter Oak on Tuesday. Josh Chua and Nick Costello each had 3 RBI, while Tyler Witt threw a complete, 3-hit game. With 3 games to go in the regular season, Claremont needs to win out to retain the #2 spot in the Sierra League.
More sports coverage inside.
CHS senior Brittany Brown has really stretched her legs this year, metaphorically and literally. The all-around track standout has lit up the opposition in almost every 100-meter dash this season. At the Sierra League preliminaries last weekend, Ms. Brown took yet another first place, finishing the 100 in 12.58 seconds and putting fear into the rest of the league’s runners. Later on that day, Ms. Brown missed out on winning the 200-meter race by 44 hundredths of a second.
Three Burroughs High School players stretch to keep the ball alive after a shot was blocked by Claremont High School’s Donovan Robinson and Stephen Zetterberg on Tuesday during their conference match at CHS. Despite strong play, and winning the first game, the pack lost 3-1. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
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