Local high school teams performing well in busy spring

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The COVID-19 pandemic forced several high school sports to delay their seasons until the spring, so it’s become a very busy time on local campuses – and several teams are performing very well.

One of the standouts so far is the Paloma Valley High School girls basketball team. Last year, the CIF-SS champion Wildcats were preparing to play for the state championship when the coronavirus shut down the final game. Today, with several new players to surround some key returners, Paloma Valley is 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the Ivy League, ranked No. 2 in CIF-SS Division 2A.

Senior forward Sydney Woodley is averaging 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Mya Pierfax is averaging 12.4 points per game, while senior forward Trinitee Bradley is averaging 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Wildcats play at home against Valley View tonight at 6:30.

Meanwhile, the Paloma Valley boys volleyball team is 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the Ivy League, headed to another league championship. Senior Jeffrey Hanmer leads the team with 75 kills and junior Jared Crabbe has 61. Hanmer has a team-leading 17 blocks and senior Zachary Banuelos has 67 digs.

The Wildcats boys wrestling team has won four straight matches after losing its first two of the season. They will host Temescal Canyon Wednesday with a chance to clinch their fourth straight league championship. The girls team, although low in number of athletes, are still in the running for their league championship.

In girls soccer, the Wildcats are 8-3-1 overall and 8-0 in Inland League play.

Several teams at Heritage High also are performing very well. The Patriots baseball team is 10-3 overall and 8-0 in Sunbelt League play heading into today’s 3:15 p.m. home game against Valley View. Senior Randy McClain is batting .393 with a home run and 5 RBI. Sophomore Josh Martinez is batting .333 with a team-high 12 RBI. Senior pitcher Nathaniel Helton is 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA.

In softball, Heritage is 9-2 overall, 1-1 in Sunbelt League play and ranked No. 3 in Div. 4. Junior Ashley Aldama is hitting .588 with a team-high 21 RBI and a team-high six home runs. Sophomore Tara Skinner is hitting .452, is tied with Aldama for the team lead with 21 RBI, and has five homers.

The Patriots boys basketball team is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in Sunbelt League play. The girls soccer team is 10-3-2 overall, 5-0-2 in Sunbelt League play, and is ranked No. 6 in Div. 6. Senior Miarosa Gyllenswan leads the team with 14 goals and freshman Sydney Montgomery has 10.

The Santa Rosa Academy softball team is 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the South Valley League. Freshman Faith Krueger is hitting .667 with 13 RBI. Freshman Jordan Krueger is batting .476.

The Rangers’ baseball team is 2-0 in the South Valley League and 3-3 overall. Senior Kenneth Raines is batting .524 with 6 RBI. Junior Joseph Gomez is hitting .429 with 8 RBI.