By Steve Breazeale
For in-game updates, scores, news and more for all of the San Clemente High School spring sports programs, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports.
Boys Lacrosse Continues Hot Run Through League
The San Clemente boys lacrosse team surged to a 17-6 South Coast League victory over Trabuco Hills behind a strong second-quarter performance on April 14. It was the Tritons fifth straight league victory.
San Clemente (9-8, 5-0) trailed the Mustangs 2-1 after the first quarter, but scored five unanswered goals in the second to take a 6-2 lead into the half. The San Clemente offense continued to hum in the second half and capped the game off with a seven-goal performance in the fourth quarter.
Nine different Tritons scored in the win. Matt Keany, Josh Sanchez, Branden Wilson and David Howren all scored three goals. Senior goalie Austin Boyer made 11 saves in three quarters and was replaced by Harrison Webb in the fourth.
San Clemente will travel to play league rival Tesoro on April 21. The Tritons narrowly edged the Titans 7-6 in the teams’ first meeting on March 30.
Baseball Drops Back-to-Back Games with Mustangs
Trabuco Hills was able to leapfrog past the San Clemente baseball team last week by pulling off a pair of Sea View League victories.
On April 13, the Mustangs erased an 8-3 deficit by scoring five runs in the sixth inning. San Clemente starting pitcher Andre Pallante held Trabuco Hills to just two runs through five innings but the Mustangs got to the Tritons bullpen late. Trabuco Hills scored once in extra innings to secure a 9-8 win.
Trabuco Hills wrapped up the season series against the Tritons following a 4-3 win on April 15. The Mustangs’ offense recorded six hits and four runs in four innings against San Clemente starter Michael McGreevy in a 4-3 victory.
The losses to Trabuco Hills put San Clemente in solo third place in the league standings. The Mustangs jumped into the No. 2 spot and San Juan Hills sits in first place.
San Clemente (12-6-1, 3-3 league) lost to Tesoro 8-5 in a Coast View Conference crossover game on April 18. The Tritons will play a crossover double header against Dana Hills at home on April 21.
Sears Lands Offer From UCLA, Texas A&M
San Clemente quarterback Jack Sears landed two big offers from UCLA and Texas A&M this week.
The Bruins offered Sears after watching him practice on April 19. The Texas A&M offer came on April 20.
Sears’ list of collegiate offers now stands at 17 and head coach Jaime Ortiz said he expects more to flood in over the next few weeks.
The spring observation period has yielded Sears plenty of offers, and Ortiz said San Diego State University, Northwestern and Cal were all in attendance at the Tritons’ practice on April 19 to watch the rising quarterback. Sears already holds offers from both Northwestern and San Diego State.
Sears had a breakout junior season for the Tritons in 2015, throwing for 2,697 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also rushed for 862 yards and nine scores and led San Clemente to the CIF-SS Southwest Division title game.
Volleyball Sweeps Trabuco Hills
The San Clemente boys volleyball team swept visiting Trabuco Hills in three sets on April 14 to move into a tie for first place in the South Coast League. The Tritons won the match 25-23, 25-21, 25-22.
San Clemente (15-7, 4-1) is tied with Tesoro at the top of the league standings.
San Clemente has been playing without a few key players in the lineup due to injuries, but has got a huge boost from up and down its roster. Kyle Merrill, who has emerged as one of the team’s leading offensive players in recent weeks, recorded a team-high 15 kills against the Mustangs. Jess Hunt had nine kills and Dillon Waikle had eight. Waikle also had nine blocks.
San Clemente will travel to play fourth-place Dana Hills on April 21.
Tritons Tennis Dominant in Title Defense
The San Clemente boys tennis team captured its sixth consecutive South Coast League championship in dominant fashion this season. The Tritons (13-2, 7-0) went through league play undefeated, led by a strong mix of singles and doubles players.
Junior Michael Bott finished the league season undefeated in singles competition and Claremont Makenna-bound senior Jay Yeam lost only one match.
The doubles duo of Chris Torcaso and Tony Gregory did not lose a match in league all season and compiled a perfect 17-0 record.
Bott was scheduled to compete in the prestigious Ojai Invitational April 20-22. The doubles team of Yeam and Caden Spencer will also compete in Ojai.
Golf Stays in First With Win Over Chargers
The San Clemente boys golf team extended its win streak to four matches on April 19 after defeating El Toro 196-228 in a South Coast League match at Shorecliffs Golf Club.
Christian Wentzel earned medalist honors for San Clemente (9-1, 6-1) after carding a 37 (+2) on the front nine.
The Tritons made a major move in the league standings last week that started with a 192-192 sixth-man scorecard tiebreaker win over Dana Hills on April 11. San Clemente then swept Tesoro in back-to-back matches.
San Clemente and Dana Hills are currently tied atop the standings with one match left to play. The Tritons will host El Toro on April 21. The league finals tournament is scheduled to take place April 25-26.
Softball Shuts Out Opposition
The San Clemente softball team recorded back-to-back shutout victories over Sea View League opponents Tesoro and Trabuco Hills on April 14 and April 19, respectively.
The wins got the Tritons (8-8-1, 2-0) off to an undefeated start to league play. San Clemente will host San Juan Hills on April 21.
Girls Lacrosse Takes Down Diablos
The San Clemente girls lacrosse team defeated Mission Viejo 11-4 on April 19 in a nonleague match. The win ended an eight-game losing skid for the Tritons (5-9, 0-5).
San Clemente will host Tesoro on April 21.
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