High school winter sports teams ready for new season

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Editor’s note: This season preview is based on responses from local coaches to a media request for information. Coaches wishing to provide additional information are asked to email doug.spoon@gmail.com. Scorekeepers are urged to report game results to the Menifee 24/7 Sports Page Facebook group. Please include key information, including leading scorers.

Given the chance for a full season following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, winter sports teams from local high schools are returning to action this week.

At Heritage High School, the girls soccer team is coming off a Sunbelt League championship season and second-round appearance in the CIF-SS playoffs. Here’s what Patriots coach Michael Mattison had to say about the Patriots, who opened the season with a 4-0 victory over West Valley on Tuesday.

“The Patriots are led by our three captains, Aneliz Melendez (senior midfielder), Makenna Suarez (junior forward) and Faith Kasper (junior defender). The Patriots also return experienced members such as Jadyn Lozano (junior goalie), Nicole Alley (senior midfielder), Kristin Haglund (senior defender), Etheya Estrada (junior defender), Alexis Tracy (junior midfielder), Tiare Chavarria (sophomore midfielder), Hannah Hill (sophomore midfielder), Alyssa Gomez (senior defender) and Brianna Godinez (junior midfielder).

“These veterans are joined by a large group of newcomers headlined by six freshmen. Those freshmen are Jazzy Villa, Danica Doskocil, Lexie Jimenez, Lea Rodriguez, Brisa Quiroz and Yahaira Sevillano. Other newcomers to the program are Ashley Gonzalez, Gizelle Pulido and Savannah Reveles. Mikayla Jacobs returns to the team after a year off.”

The Heritage boys soccer team opened the season Tuesday with a 5-1 loss to Jurupa Valley. The Patriots are coming off a season in which they posted a 5-2-1 league record and advanced to the CIF-SS playoffs.

Heritage’s boys basketball team opened the season with a 66-54 win over Jurupa Hills on Tuesday. Sophomore Aaron Contreras led the team in scoring with 14 points and in assists with 5 assists. Juniors Messiah McTeer and Jayden Anderson both added 10 points. The Patriots are hoping to build on a spring season in which they finished 6-6 overall and 4-4 in league play.

The Patriots girls basketball team opened the season with a 54-51 win over Fallbrook on Monday. Heritage is coming off a spring season in which they were 5-6 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Oscar Nunez is the new head coach of the Heritage wrestling program. He will be assisted by his son, a 2019 CIF champion at 220. The team will be led by team captains and seniors Cerridwyn Womack (138), Jazmine Harton (148), Aiden Smiley (152), and Damian Sanchez at heavyweight.

This year the Patriots wrestling program has 10 girls, the most Heritage has ever seen. They opened the season today against West Valley. On Dec. 2, Heritage will host Paloma Valley.

At Paloma Valley, coach Matt Dale has high hopes for the girls basketball team, which finished 13-5 overall and 7-0 in league play last spring – a year after posting a 34-3 record and advancing to the CIF State championship round. Here’s what Dale had to say about the Wildcats:

“Despite losing three seniors who helped us reach some amazing heights, I think we are going to have a strong team this year. Essynce Lewis, Christianna Hawkins, and Angeline Valdivia are all three-year varsity players who expect to take on larger roles, especially when it comes to scoring the ball.

“We have two junior transfers (Jada Tiggett, West Valley and Savannah Hatcher,Vista Murrieta) who should play a significant role for us. We will have to figure out our identity as a new group and hopefully we find ourselves in a place to win the Ivy League when the time comes. Because of our recent success, we have moved up to Div. 1 in the CIF-SS, so that presents a new, exciting challenge for us when playoffs begin in February.”

The Wildcats boys basketball team has a new coach in Spenser Nunes, who has high hopes in rebuilding a team that won only one game last year. Nunes scheduled a tough opener for his team in Corona Centennial, the 12th-ranked team in the country, and the Wildcats suffered a 103-30 loss on Tuesday. The hope is to show his players what tough competition is and what it takes to win, Nunes said.

“Taking over the program after winning six games in two years has meant a lot of change for this program,” Nunes said earlier this week. “We've spent a great deal of time changing the culture and habits of our players. We've relied on our three pillars of Discipline, Dependability, and Accountability to instill the changes necessary in our players and I believe they've done a great job of buying in.

“We are looking to be the most physical and intense effort team that any team plays this year. If we can do that, we are going to be able to compete in a lot of games. We have a tough nonleague schedule, highlighted by our opener against the No. 12 team in the country, Corona Centennial. That game is followed by two tough tournaments at Beaumont and Great Oak. The tough schedule will only help make us better as we get through the season.

“This program has only made the playoffs one time in its 26 years and we are looking to change that this year. Our main goal this year is to finish top three in league and make the playoffs.”

After a successful run as coach of the Paloma Valley girls soccer team, Carlos Alfaro takes over as coach of the boys team this season. He will work on rebuilding a team that didn’t win a game last season.

Liberty High teams will play JV competition this season as the Bison builds their athletic program. Andrew Ellis has moved over from Heritage High to take the coaching reins of the boys basketball team.

“We are excited to start the first season in Liberty boys basketball history,” Ellis said. “We will be led by freshmen Jaden Ortega, Jalen Tiggetts, and Isaiah Tiggetts.”