Girls wrestling is one of those exciting sports that is hardly recognized by the high school powers that be.
Nonetheless, El Centro’s Central Union High senior Katarina Perez captured the girls CIF Southern title for the fourth time in as many tries.
Perez competed in the 122-pound weight class. With the win she has two CIF Northern titles and two CIF Southern titles in her high school career.
"Now that I have four titles, I think this is the best one for me, mostly because it’s my last one," Perez told The Imperial Valley Press. "I had a close finals match and had to dig deep and find a way to win, and just overall I have worked harder than I ever had this year. I just pushed myself, so it feels good to win this one."
Perez qualifies for the girls state tournament in Hanford on Saturday and is hoping to claim her third state title.
"It’s a tough tournament, so I need to wrestle more aggressive to end my high school career with a bang and give myself an early birthday present," Perez told The Imperial Valley Press.
Perez has been wrestling for 10 years, and now that her high school career is nearing an end she is ready for the challenges that await her at the collegiate level.
"I’m proud of the way I’ve been able to grow as a wrestler in high school, from being able to wrestle with the boys and hold my own to winning a few state titles," Perez said. "Right now I have my eyes set on Lindenwood University (in Missouri). They have a good and new women’s program and I’m familiar with the coach already. I’m ready to go and help the program and meet new people and have new experiences."
Scholarships: Ramona runner picks Army; Helix’s Linton changes mind
Ramona High running back Ryan Morgan has committed to the United States Military Academy (Army). Morgan rushed for 1,622 yards and 17 TDs as a senior as the Bulldogs finished 8-3. Army went 5-7 last season to post its highest victory total in 13 years.
A letterwinner in track, Morgan was the Valley League champion in the 400 meters and the runner-up in the 200 as a junior. Army wants him to focus on football.
"It's a pitch-out offense, and they said they would pitch it to me on the outside," Morgan told the North County Times. "They told me I'm good at making people miss, and that's what I'm going to try to do."
Meanwhile, La Mesa Helix receiver Sean Linton has renounced his scholarship to UNLV to accept a football ride to San Jose State. Linton made his move after the Rebels’ football coaching staff was canned. As a senior, Linton caught 38 passes for 636 yards and five touchdowns.
Basketball: Hudson making splash in Escondido
Escondido senior point guard Joe Hudson scored a career-high 40 points – including four 3-pointers – in a 69-64 upset of then-No.1 Torrey Pines. The 6-foot-1 sharpshooter is averaging 25.4 points per game. He has also landed 72 three-pointers and maintains 80-percent shooting accuracy in 85 attempts.
Granite Hills unknown making a name for himself
El Cajon Granite Hills senior guard Andre Lewis scored 37 points as the Eagles pulled a fly-by on Valhalla. Lewis is producing 28.8 points per outing, twice hitting the 40-point mark. The 5-foot-11 Lewis also averages 8.1 assists and 4.5 steals per game for the 15-4 Eagles.
Knights believe in the long range
Basketball has hardly been a prime-time sport at North San Diego County’s San Marcos High. But the Knights are exciting their fans with 3-pointers this season. Through the season's first 20 games, the Knights (16-4) have cashed in 211 buckets from beyond the arc and are on pace to break the CIF-SDS record of 289 set by Vista in 1992.
Other top performances
— Junior Drew Kitchens of La Costa Canyon rang up 47 points in three wins, including 22 against Maranatha Christian when he netted 11 of 14 shots.
— Grossmont forward Anthony Bowden, a 6-2 senior, crashed the boards for 20 rebounds in the Foothillers 64-61 win over La Mesa Helix.
— Nicole Leonard of Canyon Crest, a 5-11 senior guard, scored 34 points and pulled down 30 rebounds as the Ravens posted a three-game sweep giving them nine wins in the their last 10 games.
— Amber Biernacki of Vista Calvary Christian had a nifty week, scoring 24 points and blocking seven shots against Escondido Adventist and added 26 points against Escondido Charter.
— Senior 189-pounder Nacer Arabshahi of Oceanside won the Gregorian Award (most falls) at the San Clemente Rotary Tournament as he recorded four pins and was a consolation wrestling champion.
— Maranatha Christian 6-8 center Chen Cai, who is averaging 28.1 ppg, dropped in 25 points in a 64-45 loss to La Costa Canyon and had 30 points and 16 rebounds in a 79-52 victory over Chula Vista High Tech High.
— Westview’s Peter Rubis scored 30 points in a 58-57 victory over San Marcos and 26 points in a 63-42 victory over Ramona.
Coming attractions
Spring Valley Mount Miguel (18-1) travels to No. 1-ranked La Jolla Country Day (15-3) in a key CIF-SDS girls basketball encounter Saturday at 5 p.m. The Matadors, ranked No. 2, have lost only to Bishop Gorman, 72-60, a couple of week ago in Las Vegas. The Torreys have been beaten by Modesto Christian (59-53), Carondelet (59-50) and Fullerton Troy (48-38).
Dickens dealings
Foothills Christian is caught in a predicament. The Knights, who are ranked No. 2 in the county with a 17-4 record, have been assigned to the Citrus South League by CIF commissioner Dennis Ackerman.
File photo by Kirt Winter
Troy Leaf, Foothills Christian
Never has there been a bigger mismatch than this. The problem here is Foothills Christian is obligated to play in a league in order to be eligible to compete for championships in the CIF-SDS, as well as Southern California and state championships.
So why are the Knights in this league? The Citrus South is one of the weakest circuits in the San Diego Section.
The Knights have won the last two Citrus South League championships without breaking a sweat. It shouldn’t be any different this year. But there seems to be a new trend where some of the teams in the league are simply going to forfeit rather than play the Knights. Who does that benefit? Nobody.
If the across-the-board forfeits in the Citrus South come to fruition, which have been rumored, the Knights will be without competition. Bottom line here is, Foothills Christian should not be in this league in the first place. At the bare minimum the Knights should be competing in the Central League, where there would never be a forfeit.
The CIF-SDS doesn’t seem to know what to do with Foothills Christian.
Here’s an idea – make the Knights independent. Let the Knights find their own games. And if they have a record worthy of the playoffs, which is almost a certainty this year, it shouldn’t be a problem. Although the CIF-SDS disdains teams playing as independents, they might be stuck in this case. Keeping them in the Citrus South is a joke. If you took all the teams in that league and made an all-star team, it would be more logical to face Foothills Christian on every league date.
If the CIF-SDS is not going to move Foothills Christian to a higher league it must figure out a way to avoid weekly forfeits that benefit nobody. Leaving Foothills Christian in the Citrus South League is certainly not the answer.