The new year of Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheons kicked off Monday with the presentation of the Presidio Sports All-City Football Team.
Twenty-six players from seven football programs in the area were selected to the elite squad. Bishop Diego seniors AV Bennett and Matt Shotwell were the offensive and defensive MVPs.
Bennett amassed 1,726 total yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Shotwell, the repeat defensive MVP, led the Cardinals’ defense with 124 solo tackles and 52 assists. The pair helped Bishop Diego win the Tri-Valley League title, post a 12-1 record and advance to the CIF Division 3 semifinals.
The entire team can be seen here.
Here are the coaches’ reports from the press luncheon:
PREP BASKETBALL
Dos Pueblos boys: Assistant coach John Slavin said juniors Dylan Shugart and Thomas Jimenez have been solid performers. Shugart has worked his way into starting spot.
“He’s playing so well he’s firmly entrenched himself into the starting lineup,” said Slavin.
He said Jimenez is one of the “big guards” on a guard-dominated team. “He has to do a lot of rebounding for us and play in the post.”
The Chargers are home this week for non-league games against Moorpark and Canyon Country.
Carpinteria girls: Assistant coach Weldon Nomura said the Warriors are excited about starting league play.
“We’re not setting the world on fire, but league starts Thursday and I guarantee you by then we’ll start making some noise because we are the defending champs,” he said.
Veterans Annalisa DeAlba, Kristina Noble and Monique Sanchez are three reasons Nomura is fired up about the Warriors as the enter Frontier League action.
San Marcos girls: Coach Chris Hantgin’s young squad got tested during the Tournament of Champions. “It’s been a eye opener for them,” he said. “They competed well. I’m impressed with their progress so far. ‘I’m really encouraged about the future and I’m looking forward to the rest of season.”
Milan McGary, a transfer from Dos Pueblos, is eligible to play and will be welcomed addition to the squad.
Hantgin said Jackie Hernandez is one of the best athletes on the squad.
The Royals play at Carpinteria on Tuesday and host Channel Islands on Friday.
Bishop Diego boys: The Cardinals lost sophomore forward John Harris for the season with a knee injury, said Jeff Burich, reporting for coach Jeff Koval. Burich also introduced AV Bennett and Mike Agnoli.
The Cardinals (3-11) play at San Marcos on Tuesday before opening Tri-Valley League play at Carpinteria.
Bishop Diego girls: “Things are looking up and the kids are getting more experience,” said Burich, whose team is 6-8.
The Cardinals finished 2015 by reaching the final of the Avalon Tournament on Catalina Islands. It was their fourth final in five years. “They exceeded my expectations,” said Burich.
He lauded the play of Ann Bentajado, who recently returned to action after suffering a serious injury to her pinkie finger in the season opener.
Andrea Castellanos filled in for Bentajado and played well, Burich said. She made a key basket during a win at the Avalon Tournament.
PREP SOCCER
Santa Barbara girls: Assistant coach Kaci Mexico introduced three-year starters Bailey Wolf and Julie Pitney.
The Dons open Channel League play this week against perennial power Buena on Tuesday and crosstown rival San Marcos on Thursday.
San Marcos boys: Coach Daniel Torres said he’s lowered the expectations of his team after the non-league schedule.
“I think I got ahead of myself,” he admitted. “It’s a very young team. We have nine sophomores and three freshmen on varsity. In terms of experience, we’re basically a JV team playing at the varsity level.”
Freshmen Michael Palmer and Ricardo Bibiano have worked their way into the starting lineup. Bibiano was called up the day before the Marina Tournament in December.
“I told him, ‘We’re leaving at 5:45 in the morning so show up,’ and he did, and played the first half of the first game. The rest is history,” Torres said. “He played in every game at Marina and scored a goal.”
The Royals open Channel League play this week with games against Ventura on Tuesday and Santa Barbara on Thursday. They haven’t won a league game since February of 2012.
The Santa Barbara game has special significance for Torres. “I played at Santa Barbara and I played for Todd Heil, so coaching against him is going to be very special,” he said.
Santa Barbara boys: The Dons enter Channel League play this week with a 13-4-1 record. They finished 2015 with four wins and a championship at the Buena Tournament.
“It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been able to finish off winter break with a couple of victories,” assistant coach Alfredo Martinez said. “Hopefully, this will be able to pick us up for league this week.”
The Dons play Buena at home on Tuesday and at San Marcos on Thursday.
Martinez said injuries have kept veterans Peter Ruiz and Paulie Santana off the field, but they’re still involved in team activities.
“These gentlemen represent what we always speak about and that is nosotros — us,” said Martinez. “They are the epitome of what that is.”
San Marcos girls: Coach Edwin Portillo praised the play of freshman goalkeeper Addie Furrer and senior midfielder Melanie Miller. Miller scored two goals during the Royals’ tournament in December and Furrer came up with some big saves in a first-round win.
San Marcos is at Ventura on Tuesday for its Channel League opener.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
UCSB: The Gauchos just returned from Chicago, where they lost against last year’s national runner-up Lewis and defeated defending national champion Loyola of Chicago.
This weekend, they’ll host their Asics Invitational against Quincy, NJIT and Sacred Heart. Coach Rick McLaughlin is three wins away from his 100th.
Former players Cullen Irons and Vince Devany, members of UCSB’s 2011 NCAA runner-up squad, are McLaughlin’s assistants.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCSB men: The Gauchos enter Big West play on a four-game win streak. They’ve gone from averaging 65 points to over 85 in their last three games.
“It seems like the vision coach Williams has for our team is starting to get clearer every day,” assistant coach Brandon Veltri said. “Our kids are really playing unselfishly; they’re really moving the basketball and finding a rhythm, which is good timing as we enter conference play.”
The Gauchos play at Hawaii in the conference opener on Saturday.
“They’re probably the most athletic and most talented team in the league. It will be a good test to see where were at,” said Veltri.
Westmont women: The second-ranked Warriors are expected to move into the No. 1 spot when the NAIA rankings come out on Tuesday. They beat previously top-ranked Vanguard in early December.
Westmont is at Biola on Tuesday.
Westmont men: With school still out, Westmont coach John Moore was able to bring athletes to the luncheon. He introduced Hayden Anderson, Kyle Gordon and Sam Benz before going into the “beat Biola, beat-beat Biola” chant.
He said Anderson, a former high school football standout, brings toughness and tenacity to the court. He called Gordon one of the team’s best shooters and said Benz does so many things on the floor that are under appreciated.
The Warriors have won seven of their last eight and are 12-3 going into the Biola game.
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