By Steve Breazeale
For in-game updates, scores, news and more for all of the San Clemente High School fall sports programs, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports.
Tritons Tennis Earns Historic Win Over Rival Dolphins
On Oct. 1, the San Clemente girls tennis team accomplished something that no Triton team had done in program history. San Clemente travelled to Dana Hills and defeated the Dolphins on their home court in a league match.
San Clemente and Dana Hills split the South Coast League championship last season. The Tritons have claimed the title before but have never won a match on the road against Dana Hills, according to Tritons head coach John Stephens.
Convincing wins over Tesoro, Capistrano Valley and Aliso Niguel preceded the Tritons’ showdown with the Dolphins. San Clemente’s 12-6 victory over Dana Hills put them at 4-0 in the league standings with one more round of league play to come.
The Tritons got a huge boost from the back end of their doubles pairs to defeat the Dolphins. San Clemente held a 7-5 set advantage heading into the third and final round and won five of six sets to seal the win. The late push by the Tritons included key doubles wins by Jasmine Safavieh and Taylor Bonghi and Stephi Neilson and Brooklyn Hulse.
San Clemente’s Lindsay Hung and Sami Nielson earned crucial first and second set wins, respectively, over Courtney Swift, the Dolphins top singles player.
Football Preps For League Opener
Following a loss to Tesoro in the final nonleague game of the season, the San Clemente High School football team will open Sea View League play on the road against Capistrano Valley on Oct. 9.
The Cougars (4-2) have lost to two quality teams, San Juan Hills and El Toro, and have four wins over slightly lesser competition.
Capistrano Valley’s senior running back Tyler Waggoner is putting together a solid season. Waggoner has rushed for over 100 yards in four games but the Cougars’ top opposition faced this year, San Juan Hills and El Toro, held him to 90 and 23 yards, respectively.
Cougars’ junior quarterback Kevin Brown has thrown for 943 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. His favorite target appears to be senior receiver Mitchell Nickovich, who has reeled in 23 passes for 321 yards and six touchdowns.
The Cougar defense has recorded 38 total sacks, led by senior defensive tackle Alex Bale’s team-high nine. The Cougars defense boasts seven players with at least three sacks through six games this season. The Cougars prolific defensive front battling against the veteran Triton offensive line, which includes the likes of Tucker Scott and Donte Harrington, should be a key matchup to watch on Oct. 9.
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