By Steve Breazeale
Tritons Claim CIF-SS Title, Stave Off Bell 3-1 in SoCal Regional
On March 2 the San Clemente boys soccer team defeated Servite 1-0 to claim the CIF-SS Division 1 title. Junior Alek Cucuk scored the deciding goal.
The Tritons then hosted Bell High in the first round of the CIF SoCal Regional on March 5.
The Tritons held a commanding 2-0 lead at the half but gave up a free-kick goal to the Eagles in the 60th minute that made things 2-1. Bell continued to press the issue on offense and created good opportunities to score off throw-ins and set pieces.
With limited opportunities coming their way, the Tritons benefited from a Bell defensive miscue when a long clearance from San Clemente senior defender Connor Tobia bounced off an Eagle defender’s head and into his own goal to make it 3-1.
The Eagles’ own goal provided the Tritons with some breathing room and helped them advance to the second round, which will be played at home on March 7 against La Costa Canyon at 5:30 p.m.
For a full game story on the Tritons win over Bell visit www.sanclementetimes.com.
Aceves, Ryan Compete at CIF State Tournament
Ash Ryan competed in the 195 pound weight class at the CIF State Wrestling Tournament on March 1 in Bakersfield and lost in the consolation round. Fellow teammate Austin Aceves lost in the consolation round as well.
Tritons Open Season With Win Over Former Coach
The San Clemente boys lacrosse team opened the season with an emotional 12-8 win over St. Margaret’s and former coach Glen Miles on February 27.
Tritons (1-1) senior midfielder Jordan Riggs set the pace with 10 clears, four ground balls, three goals and one assist. Senior goalie Thomas Ahola had 16 saves, while Peyton Garrett (four goals), Robbie Burns (three goals), Jack Renard (one goal, two assists) and Austin Streeter (one goal, two assists) rounded out the scoring for the Tritons.
San Clemente’s first-year coach Mike Hutnick then took his team to face perennial powerhouse Foothill on March 2, where the team struggled to find their rhythm from the start and fell 14-4.
Junior midfielder Collin Zines scored two goals and tallied one assist to pace the Tritons.
Next Game: 3/12 at Capistrano Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Tritons Baseball Off to Blistering Start
Solid hitting and efficient pitching has led the San Clemente baseball team to a 6-1 start to their 2013 campaign.
The team picked up an early 2-0 win over Trabuco Hills on February 23 and followed that up with back-to-back wins over El Rancho and Paramount in the Paramount Tournament from November 23 to November 25.
The Tritons then exploded for 23 hits, 13 runs batted in and one home run in an 18-0 win over Norwalk on November 27.
A 2-1, 10-inning victory over Santa Margarita followed, as did a 4-3 win over El Dorado in the Loara Tournament. The team suffered its first loss on March 5, when they were defeated by Los Alamitos 8-4.
Senior Cody Maples is hitting .538 in the early going and has two home runs. Sophomore catcher Lucas Herbert appears to have adjusted nicely after transferring from Georgia in the offseason and is hitting .476 and leads the team with seven runs batted in.
Senior left hander Garrett O’Toole (2-0) has been effective and has yet to yield a run in seven innings pitched.
Next Game: 3/7 vs. Vista Murrieta, 3 p.m.
Boys Golf Tees Off
The San Clemente boys golf team fired off back to back scores of 215 in a double header then shot a solid 193 on March 5 and now stand at 1-2 overall.
The team’s first match of the year resulted in a close 215-211 loss to Newport Harbor on February 28. Sammy Schwartz was the low man after carding a 41.
The Tritons played Aliso Niguel in the second match of a double header and again shot 215, only this time with a different result as they beat the Wolverines 215-220 at El Niguel Country Club.
San Clemente then shot a collective 193 against Corona Del Mar at the Newport Beach Country Club on March 5 but were bested 185-193. Reese Wahlin shot a 36, Schwartz a 37, Matt DePalma turned in a 39 and Ryan Garred shot a 41.
Next Match: 3/7 vs. Dana Hills at Monarch Beach, 2:30 p.m.
Boys and Girls Swim Set to Open Season
Both the boys and girls San Clemente swim teams will open their season at the Capo Relays at Capistrano Valley from March 7 to March 9.
Next Meet: 3/11 at El Toro, 3:15 p.m.
Softball Set for Special Night
The San Clemente softball team is off to an 0-3 start to their season but will look to bounce back on March 8 when they host Trabuco Hills. The night is dubbed the “San Clemente Girls Softball Night” and is geared to help gain support for the sport in the community, according to head coach Paul Hill.
The night will be a special one for Hill, who has deep ties to the Mustang softball program.
Hill was the junior varsity head coach at Trabuco Hills for three seasons before taking on the job at San Clemente. His daughter, Emily Hall-Hill, plays second base and leads off for the Mustangs.
Girls Lacrosse Heads to LA Shootout
A 17-8 loss to rival Dana Hills, a 17-2 loss to visiting Capistrano Valley and a close 16-13 loss to Laguna Hills have the San Clemente girls lacrosse team sitting at 0-3.
The team will now head to Laguna Hills to compete in the LA Shootout Tournament on March 9, where they will face Temecula Valley and Glendale at 8 a.m. and 1:20 p.m., respectively.
Boys Volleyball Begins Tough Stretch
Head coach Ken Goldstone has put together a tough non-league schedule for the San Clemente boys volleyball team and they began their season with a 3-0 win over visiting Long Beach Poly on February 26.
The tough test continued with a match against Edison on March 5 where the Tritons came away with a three-set victory. Lucas Yoder led the way with 15 kills while AJ Hammer tallied 12. Jack Yoder had 35 assists, three blocks and four aces in the win.
The team is now set to travel to Poway to play in the Best of the West Tournament from March 8 to March 9. They will play Thousand Oaks and La Costa Canyon as part of pool play.
Track and Field Heads to El Toro
Freshman Cali Hoye broke the San Clemente freshman high jump record when she cleared the 5-foot mark at a non-scoring preseason meet at Huntington on February 28. Junior Melissa Eisele and senior Madison Huffman both posted a time of 5:16 in the 1600-meter run.
Boys team scores were not available at press time.
Next Meet: 3/7 vs. El Toro, 2:45 p.m.
Boys Tennis Upsets Irvine
The Tritons boys tennis team beat a talented Irvine team 12-6 on February 28 then went on to handle Mater Dei 16-2 on March 4. The Tritons (2-0) now travel to play Fountain Valley on March 7.
Discussion about this post