Latest news with #Division6
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Mount Greylock girls kick it into gear to win Division 6 track championship on last event
'Just knowing the situation, I was really, really scared at first,' Apotsos said. 'But once I got the baton, I was like, 'OK, I run 400 a lot, it's just one lap.' So I just gave it my all and tried to hold on.' Advertisement Senior Katherine Goss led the way for Mount Greylock, placing second in the triple jump (36 feet, 3¾ inches) and 100-meter hurdles (15.66 seconds), and third in the 400 hurdles (1:06.58). While the Mounties' lone victory came in the 4x800 relay (10:10.38), the team scored in 11 of 19 events. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We had to scratch and claw for every last one of those points,' said coach Brian Gill. 'We know Kathrine Goss is going to kill it. She had a great meet. But you got to have that rest of that quality depth come through also.' Ayer-Shirley nosed out Cohassset to win the Division 6 boys' title, the first for the program since 2018. Matty Wasserman On the boys' side, Ayer-Shirley racked up 71 points to secure their first team title since 2018, with Cohasset (68 points) second. The Panthers were led by senior Cole New, who set a meet record in his 800-meter triumph (1:55.38) and placed second in the 400 (49.63). Senior Thomas Bergin added a javelin victory (155-8), and Ayer-Shirley picked up top-three finishes from both the 4x400 (3:29.82) and 4x800 relays (8:25.82). Advertisement Those final relay points proved crucial after Cohasset seniors Will McLoughlin (23-2) and Nathan Askjaer (22-7) went 1-2 in the long jump — the meet's final field event — nearly stealing victory. 'Going back months now, to our team breakfast before the season even started, we knew this year was our shot,' said Ayer-Shirley coach Chris Donovan. 'We knew it was going to be us and Cohasset, and they're a heck of a team, so we were tracking them for weeks. And it then came down to very, very final events. It took everything.' ▪ Randolph junior Mekhi White struggled in Friday's 200-meter dash, placing 28th with a season-worst time of 24.65. But White, also the Globe's Division 8 Athlete of the Year in football, was eager to redeem himself on Sunday — and he made the most of his opportunity. In a duel with Dearborn STEM Academy senior Rick Barros in the 100 final, White got an excellent jump and blazed to victory in 11.23 seconds. 'Not even placing into the finals on Friday gave me motivation and something to think about going into today,' White said. 'The expectations are always high, and I set them high for myself. So I never want to do bad like that, and it makes [his Sunday performance] feel especially good.' ▪ Despite Hamilton-Wenham falling just short, Generals senior Georgia Wilson had a standout weekend, setting meet records in the triple jump (37-0) and 100 hurdles (15.49), and taking second in the long jump (17-8). Advertisement Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep baseball: West Ranch defeats Mater Dei to capture Southern Section Division 2 title
It was a night when gnats came out by the hundreds at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field. Fans swatted them away. Players endured. 'In my ears, on my eyes,' said West Ranch pitcher Hunter Manning of the insect invasion. 'You have to keep going.' After 101 pitches in the Southern Section Division 2 championship game Saturday night, Manning celebrated by catching a pop fly for the final out with runners on second and third to close out a 2-1 win over Mater Dei and finish his senior season with a 10-0 pitching record as he heads off to UC Irvine. It was the final game for coach Ryan Lindgreen, who is stepping down to devote more time to his three young children. Like last season when Hart coach Jim Ozella ended his coaching career with a Division 2 championship, Lindgreen got to celebrate the same way. West Ranch has decided not to play in next week's Southern California regionals. Errors got Mater Dei in trouble from the beginning, when a dropped fly ball off a hit by leadoff batter Landon Hu led to a West Ranch run in the first inning. Then a throwing error on a ground ball set up an RBI single by Ryan Oh in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. Manning was in control for much of the game. He retired the first nine batters in order and finished with six strikeouts and no walks. But a one out error in the seventh gave Mater Dei an opening as Manning began to tire. Bradley Beaudreau singled and Brady Guth hit an RBI single to make it 2-1. After a fly out, Mater Dei had the tying and winning runs at second and third. On a 3-and-1 count to CJ Ciampa, Manning caught a pop up between home and first, launching the West Ranch celebratory dogpile. This team had two no-hitters in the playoffs and a walk-off hit from Ty Diaz in the semifinals to come away with the first championship in school history. Manning also gets bragging rights in the family. His uncle, Pat, was a top player at Mater Dei in 1999 and teammate of Mater Dei coach Richard Mercado. Glendora 2, San Dimas 0: Aaron Jacobsen delivered two doubles and the pitching duo of Tanner Gable and Brayden Johnson combined for the shutout in the Division 3 championship game. Johnson threw the final 3⅔ innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and no walks. Santiago Garza had three hits. Estancia 4, Pasadena Marshall 3: A three-run triple by Jake Humphries in the bottom of the seventh inning wiped out a 3-1 deficit and gave Estancia the Division 6 championship.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Jake rakes walk-off as Estancia baseball wins second CIF championship
FULLERTON — The Estancia High baseball team has held tightly onto the belief all season that hard work could mean eventual success. It started with the first game of the season, a 15-3 loss to Woodbridge that veteran coach Nate Goellrich called 'ugly, putting it nicely.' 'We went down the line after the game and I told the guys that was going to define our year,' Goellrich said. 'We can either work to get better, or it was just going to be a lost year. To their credit, man, they worked hard.' Like the season itself, the most important game of the campaign also didn't start well. Estancia gave up three runs in the top of the first inning to Pasadena Marshall on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship game. Undeterred, senior starting pitcher Vaughn McCrea and junior reliever Lincoln Silva shut out Marshall the rest of the way. In the bottom of the seventh, things set up for senior Jake Humphries to be the hero. The only remaining player from the program's first CIF title team in 2022 delivered, stroking a bases-loaded triple to deep right field to score three and help Estancia earn a 4-3 victory. 'This title means everything,' Humphries said. 'This team had so much perseverance. We had a good season, but man, we got kicked down so many times. But it's about how many times we got right back up. It's amazing.' Marshall (20-7-1), which shares the Eagle mascot with Estancia, jumped out to the lead in the opening frame. The designated visitors scored three unearned runs after Trevor Lam reached on a one-out infield error. Nate Callaway's double brought him home, then a single by Ben Muro scored two more runs. Estancia (20-13) answered with a run in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a two-out rally. Carlos Hauser drew a full-count walk, then No. 9 hitter Athan Perez followed with a single to right. The lineup flipped and leadoff hitter Miles Dodge roped a double to right-center to bring home Perez. That was all Estancia would get off Marshall ace pitcher and senior left-hander Caleb Thatcher. He threw 5 ⅔ innings, allowing the lone run on four hits. He walked four and struck out 10. The score stayed the same until the bottom of the seventh. McCrea, bound for Lewis and Clark University in Oregon, kept Marshall at bay for the rest of the game until departing with two outs in the top of that frame. 'It was just a journey,' McCrea said of the season. 'We were projected to finish last in league and we just won CIF. It's a big switch-up from what everybody thought.' Silva allowed a double to left to Callaway in the seventh, but a Marshall pinch-runner was easily out at home, with Estancia junior catcher Sawyer Atkinson supplying the tag. Goellrich joked that Silva was a 'super vulture' in the playoffs, earning three wins in each game that McCrea started, also including the opening 10-8 win over Alhambra and a walk-off, nine inning 4-3 win over Pacifica Christian in the Division 6 quarterfinals. The CIF quarterfinals, semifinals and title game all ended with the same 4-3 score and Estancia on top. On Saturday, Estancia immediately put pressure on Marshall in the bottom of the seventh. No. 2 hitter Jacob Ramirez led off with a single to right and Atkinson walked. Cleanup hitter Nico Viramontes, who had previously been hit by a pitch twice in the game, poked a single to shallow right-center to load the bases with nobody out. Callaway, the Marshall relief pitcher, quickly got to an 0-and-2 count on Humphries. But Humphries battled back with the walk-off triple over the right-fielder's head on a 2-and-2 count four pitches later. The ball rolled to the base of the wall. 'I knew the wind was blowing out all game, and I saw him running in and I thought this might have a chance,' said Humphries, who also had the walk-off hit against Pacifica Christian. 'I was screaming, 'Get over his head,' and what do you know, it went over his head. Having the boys rally was amazing.' Viramontes slid across the plate with the winning run, setting off a wild celebration. Estancia had clinched the title in dramatic fashion, as it did when it edged Anaheim 2-1 in 11 innings for the Division 6 crown in 2022. 'It's been amazing,' said Viramontes, who is also 9-0 on the mound. 'I don't think I could ask for any better ride than this. We fought hard for this, and I feel like we deserve it by the way we played. This group of guys is special. We never back down to anyone … I feel like when we have pressure on us is when we're most powerful, and we just showed it right there.' Dodge finished with a pair of hits for Estancia, which earned its second CIF title in four years in Goellrich's second stint as head coach. He was also head coach from 2011-2017, before returning in 2021, turning a fifth-place in league team from the year before into the program's first CIF titlist. Now Estancia has doubled up. Goellrich said each championship was special in its own right, and that he's proud that Estancia did it with neighborhood kids. 'We've got the private schools around us that try to take our best players, and we've got the public schools that act like private schools that try to take our best players,' Goellrich said. 'My first stint as head coach and now, I want people that want to be here. These guys are here, and we work hard with what we've got. We've got a successful program, and that's all we can ask for. 'If you don't want to win CIF championships, then don't come to Estancia, right?' Estancia will now compete in the CIF State Southern California Regional Playoffs, which begins with games on Tuesday, June 3. When the Eagles won their first CIF Southern Section title in 2022, they also earned a regional crown. 'We've got our banquet [Sunday], practice Monday and we'll get ready for Tuesday,' Goellrich said.
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Estancia baseball walks off against Pacifica Christian, advances to CIF semifinals
Estancia High baseball senior Jake Humphries is the last remaining player on the roster from the Eagles' 2022 CIF championship team. Humphries was a bench guy as a freshman on that squad; his older brother Tyler playing a bigger role. Still, there is something to be said for having that kind of experience when making one last run. When he saw a 2-and-0 hanging curveball in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, Humphries knew exactly what to do with it. 'You've got runners at the corners,' he said after the game. 'All you've got to do is just poke something, get something to the outfield, allow your team to have a fighting chance really.' Humphries laced a single over the shortstop and into the outfield, scoring junior teammate Sawyer Atkinson from third base and starting a wild celebration on the Estancia baseball diamond. The Eagles had rallied for a 4-3 win over next-door neighbor Pacifica Christian Orange County in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs. Estancia (18-13) will stay at home to face Rancho Mirage in a Division 6 semifinal game on Tuesday. The team graduated a senior-laden squad a year ago, and Humphries is one of just four seniors this year, but Estancia again finds itself in the final four. 'We're not going to rebuild,' said Eagles coach Nate Goellrich, whose team finished second in the Coast League. 'People were saying that around us, but we were just saying that we were retooling all year. So for us to qualify for playoffs and now being in the semifinals, credit to the seniors, credit to the kids for just buying in. Our expectation is that we're going to win, and we've been fortunate to do that so far.' Pacifica Christian (14-12), in just its fourth varsity year, has also gotten used to winning. The Tritons made the Division 8 title game a year ago. They were close to knocking out the Eagles on Friday. The visitors took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, with Taisen Morishita, Blake Hayes and Scout Escobedo all crossing the plate. Morishita scored on a wild pitch, while John Coopman's sacrifice fly and a single to center by Luke Miller plated the other runs. Tritons starting pitcher Jon Stone was cruising, but Estancia answered with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth, as Atkinson and Nico Viramontes both walked to lead off the inning and came around to score. Jon Stone went four innings for Pacifica Christian, allowing just one hit, and he was followed by Josiah Miller and Carter Canada on the mound. 'Josiah hasn't pitched in weeks, and he came out and battled for us,' said first-year Pacifica Christian head coach Beau Amaral, a former Huntington Beach High and UCLA standout who played six seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization. 'I was really proud of him for that. Carter coming in, he's a freshman. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. It's not the outcome we wanted, but they battled.' Amaral's father Rich went to Estancia before a 10-year career in Major League Baseball. He had his Estancia jersey retired and currently works as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. 'He couldn't make it today,' Beau Amaral said. 'He's out in North Carolina right now.' Dad's alma mater ended up with the victory. Down to its last out, Estancia evened the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, with Atkinson's two-out double off the left-field wall scoring Athan Perez. Goellrich said as Atkinson goes, so Estancia's offense goes. 'I thought it was out,' the Eagles junior said of the seventh-inning smash. 'I was seeing the ball well all day long, I just was having trouble sitting back on my back leg. I was kind of lunging forward. The pitcher had some [velocity] on him, so I was just thinking sit back and drive from there.' The clutch hit set the stage for the ninth inning heroics for Estancia. Senior pitcher Vaughn McCrea went eight innings for the Eagles before junior Lincoln Silva got the win in relief, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Humphries said he's glad Estancia will be back at home Tuesday for the semifinals. 'We grew up our whole life in Costa Mesa, and we didn't transfer out or go to any special school,' he said of himself and his teammates. 'We stayed at our hometown school, and it's really cool to see everyone who watched us from T-ball all the way up just stay in the same environment. I feel like it's just a really cool thing to see the community come together.' Fountain Valley 5, Torrance 2: Senior Logan Hunt pitched five shutout innings for the Barons in Friday's Division 2 playoff quarterfinal game on the road. Tyler Peshke, Drake Robinson and Josh Grack each had a pair of hits for Fountain Valley (18-13), which took a 5-0 lead into the seventh inning. Anthony Zamora and Isaac Lomeli each drove in a run. Fountain Valley will play at Mater Dei in a Division 2 semifinal game Tuesday. The Barons will be attempting to advance to their first CIF title game since 1996. Glendora 2, Costa Mesa 1: The Mustangs' season ended in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 playoffs Friday at Costa Mesa High. Pitchers Troy Simmonds and Will Morales combined to yield no earned runs for Costa Mesa, while Wylan Rottschafer was one for three with a double and run batted in. Golden West League champion Costa Mesa finished the season 24-7, the 24 wins representing a single-season program record.
