Dos Pueblos checked another goal off its list after beating Mission Prep in last Friday’s CIF-Southern Section Division 10 first-round football playoff game.
The 29-16 win was DP’s first postseason win since 2001.
“We’re proud to get that first victory, it’s been a goal of mine since I took the job,” said fourth-year coach Nate Mendoza at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
The next goal on DP’s list is have a practice on Thanksgiving Day. That will happen if the Chargers beat St. Anthony’s in the quarterfinals on Friday in Long Beach.
“We made a goal early on in the year we wanted to practice on Thanksgiving morning, which would mean we’d be in the semifinals,” Mendoza said. “That is our goal, that’s been our main goal all year, and we’re very excited to have that possibility happen.”
Mendoza introduced three players who played key roles in the Chargers’ playoff win over Mission Prep: receiver Cyrus Wallace, running back Irvin Miguel and safety Anthony Meza.
Wallace, the Athlete of the Week, had a monster game, catching a school-record 17 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Besides being a terrific receiver, Mendoza said Wallace does a great job blocking.
“What makes him a great team player is he blocks very well out on the perimeter. We all like the stats but we appreciate the way he blocks.”
Mendoza said Miguel’s running is going to be key on Friday night against St. Anthony’s
“We’re really going to depend on him Friday night. We feel we have an advantage to possibly run the football against an athletic team and Ervin is going to have a big role in that,” he said.
The coach called Meza “one of the toughest kids I’ve coached. He takes on big fullbacks in the backfield and also covers guys in man coverage. He’s a special athlete for us, a hybrid defender.”
SBCC: Coach Moropoulos was starting to come around on Sunday morning after Saturday’s loss to L.A. Valley in the American Pacific League championship game when he got a phone fall that really lifted his spirits.
“I get a call from the SCFA and they say, ‘Coach, you want to go bowling?’ And I’m a lousy bowler, but the fact of the matter is he’s talking about a bowl game. He said, ‘Would you like to host Moorpark in the first Beach Bowl at La Playa Stadium this Saturday at 1.’ I said, absolutely.”
Moropoulos sees it as deserving reward for his young team after a seven-win season.
“We’re going to Moorpark all they can handle and play as hard as we can because it’s a reward for our young guys. And I’m proud of them,” he said.
Carpinteria: Coach Ben Hallock introduced tackle Josh Morales and defensive end/fullback Alfredo Zamarippa. He said Morales was a great asset to the team the whole season and Zamarippa found his niche at the defensive end spot after playing several other positions.
Hallock was moved that Zamarippa signed up to become a U.S. Marine.
“I know he’s looking forward to serving,” an emotional Hallock said. “I’ll keep him in my heart. What he’s done in sports and school will serve him well.”
WATER POLO
SBCC: Coach Chuckie Roth expressed his appreciation for leading scorer and Athlete of the Week Kendra Carr. “Her moral values, honesty and work ethic are really at the core of who she is as a person. Because of people like Kendra, we’re able to perform in the water.”
He said when four-year college coaches ask him about the position Carr plays, he replies, “Shooter. I’ve done this thing for 20-some odd years and I’ve never called anybody a shooter. The girl is a shooter, she likes to score and she’s really good at what she does.”
Carr and the Vaqueros head to their first State Final Four this weekend at Las Positas College in Livermore. They open against Sierra on Friday.
San Marcos Girls: The Royals just started official workouts for the winter season. Roth brought returning starter sophomore Fiona Kuesis and freshmen Riley Christian and Megan Musick. Christian, one of three goalies on the roster, “is one of the hardest working girls in the program,” said Roth.
He said he called Musick M&M for Megan Musick but has since changed the meaning of M&M to “Mini Muscle” after watching her train in the weight room. “She’s going to make big plays happen this year.”
He’s looking at Kuesis “to fill big shoes this year.” She’s coming off an All-American season in swimming.
Dos Pueblos: First-year coach Connor Levoff said the Chargers are focused on “getting a great fitness base and building our legs, and making sure we’re able to maintain ourselves through a season than can run all the way to the end of February, which is really, really long when you mix in the breaks Thanksgiving and Christmas present.”
He introduced senior leaders Amelia Meckelborg and Toni Shackelford. He said Meckelborg is always pushing herself to get better and is well respected by her teammates.
He said Shackelford has a knack of stepping up in big games. “She’s won dozens of games for me at the club level. She’s done a phenomenal job of developing herself into a well-rounded, dangerous player.” She signed last week with UC Irvine.
Santa Barbara Girls: Junior Grace Raisin and senior Kai McGeoy are two strong returnees for coach Mark Walsh. Raisin has started at center she was a freshman “and has gotten better and better every year,” Walsh said “She is on the USA Water Polo National Youth Team.
A strong and fast swimmer, McGeoy made herself into a great player and committed to Princeton. “These players are great examples of our program,” said Walsh.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
San Marcos: Assistant coach Aaron Solis said the Royals will depend a lot on seniors Sierra Hearron and Kaitlynn Miller. The athletic Hearron can play anywhere and Miller is like a coach on the floor
WESTMONT SPORTS
Athletic Director Ron Smith said the men’s and women’s cross country teams received at-large berths to the NAIA Nationals on Saturday.
The women’s soccer team also received an at-large berth and will host Carroll College of Montana in a first-round national tournament game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Thorrington Field.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Westmont women: The improvement of Aysia Shellmire during her career “is one of the things I’m most proud about as a coach,” said Kirsten Moore of the returning All-American.
The coach also returns All-American Lauren McCoy and three-year starting point guard Cora Chan. She said Chan often flies under the radar until you see her stats at the end of a game. “She’s super smart,” Moore said. “She was No. 2 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio last year.”
No. 2-ranked Westmont plays host to Bethesda on Friday before heading to Jackson, Tenn., for games against the No. 1 and 4 teams in the NAIA.
Westmont men: The Warriors are averaging 96 points a game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the 3-point arc, and two players are making over 75 percent of their shots from behind the arc.
The thing coach John Moore really likes about the team is its unselfishness.
“I’m encouraged by this team because we have group that really cares deep about what it means to be unselfish,” Moore said. “That’s one themes we have as a team — how important it is to be tough and smart, but the real foundational point is being unselfish.”
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