The Preps Box » Home of San Luis Obispo County high school sports

By Nick Wilson
nwilson@thetribunenews.com

The PAC 7 League baseball race is getting interesting.

Five teams are fighting for playoff positions at the top of the league. They are Righetti High (10-4), Arroyo Grande (7-3-1), San Luis Obispo (8-4), Atascadero (5-5-1), and Pioneer Valley (6-7-2).

It should be a fun final stretch of the season.

Two of the key series to watch in coming days are Atascadero versus San Luis Obispo next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday as well as Atascadero against Arroyo Grande May 7, May 8, and May 10.

Some of the key players in the league include Kyle Brown, Garrett Ball, and Chris Davidson of Arroyo Grande; Garrett Giovannelli, Nick Hill, Sinjin Todd, and Joey Benadiba at SLO High; Joe Johnson, Corbin Meikle, and Zac Austin of Atascadero.

All have had standout seasons thus far and figure to play big roles for their teams as the playoff picture clears.

Of course, I’m sure there will be other heroes in big games and we’ll do our best to highlight their play.

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Arroyo Grande High, CIF-Southern Section, Nipomo High, Templeton High

Apr 04

Templeton baseball/Nipomo softball showing small schools can play

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For most of the year, Templeton and Nipomo have looked up to the big boys and girls in the county in local sports.

When it comes to football, volleyball, basketball, and other fall and winter sports, those two have a tough time competing against the Arroyo Grandes and Atascaderos of the world.

And that’s understandable considering the PAC 7 schools are more than twice as big in student enrollment.

But this year in baseball, watch out for the Eagles, who are nearly perfect, losing only once so far this season in their 10-1 campaign (3-0 LPL). And already, Templeton has beaten San Luis Obispo and Atascadero and placed third in the Atascadero Easter Tournament this week.

The Eagles’ stars include senior Michael Frigon who’s hitting close to .600 thus far. Tyrus Yamagata and Andy Garretson both are hitting over .400 and Garretson is posting a 2.15 ERA in six appearances. Freshman Mac Lardner is 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA to lead the staff.

As for Nipomo, will they be beaten this season? Not if Courtney Cuzick has anything to say about it. The senior pitcher, heading to Penn next year, has won eight of the Titans 10 games and struck out 99 batters while posting a 0.52 ERA. Nipomo is 10-0 on the season. Junior Ashley Ruiz is batting .448 with a home run and 10 RBI and Dystiny Fryckman is at .467 with a homer and 5 RBI.

Nipomo’s victims this season have included Arroyo Grande, Atascadero twice, and Paso Robles.

It’s cool to see a little role reversal in terms of local dominance, and to see the underdogs’ bark get a little bit louder.

Tags: Andy Garretson, Ashley Ruiz, Courtney Cuzick, Dystiny Fryckman, Mac Lardner, Michael Frigon, Nipomo softball, Templeton baseball, Templeton High, Tyrus Yamagata

Mar 14

Five Cities AYSO Crushing Vipers team is venomous in thirst for state title

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Five Cities

I typically write about high school sports but a local girls AYSO team called the Crushing Vipers in the under 12 age division deserves some mention this week.

The team of 11 is made up of players from the Five Cities and their overall record is 25-1-1 this season.

They’re heading to the state finals in Davis on Saturday where they’re among the Final Four.

To get there, they’ve gone 14-0 in tournament play, beating teams from Visalia, Malibu, Bakersfield and Santa Ynez.

No team from the Five Cities area (Region 83) has advanced this far in more than a decade.

The Vipers, coached by Sheri Aguilera, include Kate Anselm, Amara Johnson, Kayla Stennett, Alana Johnson, Kaitlyn Aguilar, Helena Bolle, Olivia Sommer, Emma Johnson, Mikayla Quam, Keriann Aguilera and Carina Womack.

Congrats to the team’s success and good luck this weekend.

From top left to right Kate Anselm, Amara Johnson, Kayla Stennett, Coach Sheri Aguilera, Alana Johnson, Kaitlyn Aguilar, Helena Bolle.
Bottom Olivia Sommer, Emma Johnson, Mikayla Quam, Keriann Aguilera, Carina Womack.

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Mission Prep, Uncategorized

Mar 07

Michael Jackson’s daughter appeared at Mission Prep game; Mitch Kupchak at later game

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Kind of an interesting development took place that I was unaware of at the Mission Prep CIF-Southern Section final against Buckley on Saturday.

At Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson, the king of Pop, was cheerleading for Buckley, which beat the Royals 54-46 in the section title game.

Jackson has cool black hair and seemed to be having a great time if you read this blog:

I was at the game but unaware of the situation.

Buckley also has another cheerleader that impressed everyone who can do some tremendous eye-popping hand springs, including one after another after another after another.

Mission could face Buckley in the semifinals of the state basketball tournament if both teams continue to advance in the Div. 5 postseason.

So, if that happens come watch the Royals and a fascinating cheer team for Buckley. I’ll keep you posted.

Lakers’ general manager Mitch Kupchak was at his son’s game Saturday as well after Mission Prep played. His son, Maxwell Kupchak, is a 6-6 sophomore for Brentwood, which lost to Pacific Hills in its final.

You get down to the LA area and you might see some stars, I guess.

Tags: Brentwood, Buckley, Maxwell Kupchak, Mission Prep, Mitch Kupchack, Pacific Hills, Paris Jackson

Arroyo Grande High, CIF-Southern Section, High School basketball, Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo High

Feb 22

Three local teams still standing in playoff basketball

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Three local teams remain in the CIF-Southern Section basketball playoff picture. Their matchups this weekend are the following:

• Canyon (21-9) at Arroyo Grande (21-8) – The Comanches (third-ranked team) will play the Eagles (11th ranked team) at 7 p.m. Friday in Arroyo Grande in the quarterfinals of CIF-SS Division 2A. Players to watch include JoJo Ballestero who averages 18 for Canyon (Anaheim) and Matt Willkomm who averages about 17 for the Eagles. Both teams have had fairly comfortable margins of victory thus far in playoffs.

• Mission Prep (22-7) at Flintridge Prep (22-5) – The Royals (3rd ranked team) will travel to La Canada (L.A.) to play the second-ranked Rebels at 7 p.m. Friday. Flintridge beat Mission 61-47 in January. Their star, Robert Cartwright, 6-2 junior guard, averages 22 points and six rebounds. Mission has had a balanced scoring attack of late; Andy Rowley had 20 in their first postseason game and Quinton Adlesh had 16 in a nail-biter against Saddleback Valley Christian on Tuesday.

• Chaminade (25-3) at San Luis Obispo (18-10) – The Eagles (top team in division) will face the Tigers on Saturday at 6 p.m. in San Luis Obispo. The Eagles’ 5-11 senior forward Mi’Chael Wright drops 13 points and grabs 10 boards per game. The Tigers not only have made significant strides during this season, they’ve improved from a 1-23 record two years ago and a 9-16 mark last year. They’re led by senior Erica Chandler (13 points, 5 boards per game) and junior Jessica Judge (8 points, 8 rebounds).

Each of the three county teams has stepped up in big games in the playoffs and seem to be peaking at just the right time. All three also seem to emphasize defense.

San Luis Obispo’s coach Dan Monroe likes to follow the motto that “your team might not always have a great offensive night, but you can always have a great defensive effort.”

By keeping teams to an average of about 37 points per game, the Tigers’ identity is a strong defense.

Monroe said he hopes to see a large crowd “come out and support the team” on Saturday that has played so hard this year to get to where they are – just one game away from the finals.

I’ve noticed a great concerted effort to take care of the ball on the part of the Tigers, who turned the ball over much more frequently in a mid-season game against Atascadero than they have of late.

As for Mission and AG, good coaching and good senior leadership appear to have gotten those two teams past the first two rounds.

Connor Woolpert and Andy Rowley, along with bruisers Tyler Baty and Michael Cardwell, have locked down teams on defense and have come up with clutch plays on the offensive end. Quinton Adlesh may be the best sophomore in the county for the Royals.

I’ve thought that Arroyo Grande has had a very promising team that had some hiccups in PAC 7 League play, dropping to the fourth place position at 7-5. But they were right there with the top teams in the league and easily could have done better.

Willkomm is a steady force for the Eagles and a really fun player to watch. Just like his quarterback play in football, he has a knack for making the right decisions on the court and reading the flow of the game.

DeSean Scott, who scored 13 in a first round playoff game, is a defensive presence at 6-4 and a high leaper who will serve them well in plugging the paint. Scott can go stretches without scoring much and sometimes I think he needs the ball more for the Eagles to get good looks down low.

But the Eagles can light it up from the 3-point line, especially when Cobe Williams and Willkomm get hot together. They’re a team that doesn’t shy away from an open shot and that confidence under pressure can really get them back into games quickly and build big leads when they’re firing on all cylinders.

Tags: Andy Rowley, Arroyo Grande High, Canyon, Chaminade, CIF-Southern Section playoffs, Cobe Williams, Connor Woolpert, DeSean Scott, Erica Chandler, Flintridge Prep, high school basketball, Jessica Judge, Matt Willkomm, Michael Cardwell, Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo High, Tyler Baty

Feb 15

Interview with Dave Winfield

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Former San Diego Padre and baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield was at a recent Templeton High CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA game.

Sound odd? Well, not so much considering his 6-foot-9 son, David Winfield Jr., plays on the Harvard-Westlake basketball team.

Winfield Jr. scored a game-high 16 points against the Eagles and has verbally committed to the University of Pennsylvania to play basketball.

Templeton lost 75-46 but played a good second half. They won eight straight but ran into a powerhouse of a team from Studio City.

Anyway, I caught up with Dave in the stands and he graciously granted me some time and cracked a few jokes. He was having fun!

Here’s the YouTube link of the interview (captured on an iPhone). Sorry for the shaky camera work. Hopefully it’s not too Blair Witch Project.

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Feb 15

3 Mission Prep players ink National Letters of Intent Thursday

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Nick Wilson
nwilson@thetribunenews.com

Three local players from Mission Prep inked their letters of national intent on Thursday (Feb. 14).

Anthony Bosshardt signed to play baseball at Claremont McKenna, Andrew DeSesa officially will play football at Brown University while Michael Cardwell will play football at Missouri University of Science and Technology on a partial scholarship.

Bosshardt, a pitcher, said that he loved the campus and that his best pitch, a fastball, is one he plans to use at the next level. Claremont is a Division III school in athletics.

“It’s a great academic school,” Bosshardt said. “I’ll be able to take classes at each of the fiv e (neighboring colleges) connected to Claremont.”

Bosshardt posted stellar numbers last year as a junior, striking out 53 batters in 43 innings and a 1.94 ERA.

At 6-3, 183 pounds, he has a very compact motion and generates a lot of velocity for a pitcher of his size, with tailing movement at the end of his pitch. The movement on his ball will help jam right-handed batters as a right-handed thrower.

DeSesa said that he’s working out seven days per week and has joined a Facebook group with 18 other players who are starting at Brown next year.

The 6-3, 230 pound linebacker expects to make the switch to defensive end at Brown. He says he’ll head off in June to the college to get an early start on training, though he’s not required to be in Providence, R.I. until August.

“The incoming freshmen are all pumped up about the season,” DeSesa said. “We’ve talked about winning league four straight years.”

Cardwell said he plans to study aeronautical engineering and possibly work for a company like Boeing after college. Thus Missouri S and T was the perfect fit because he’ll also play football.

The college is paying for his out-of-state tuition and giving him $3,000 as part of his scholarship deal.

Cardwell wanted to have a great senior season but never expected to rack up 1,300 yards at running back.

He expects to play running back in college, return punts and participate in special teams.

“It’s very exciting,” Cardwell said. “I haven’t seen the campus yet, but they’re planning to fly me out for free so I can do a visit.”

No word yet on Royals football stars Tyler Baty and Andrew DaRosa but coaches say they’re working to attract college attention and finding the right fit for them. More to come on that.

Tags: Andrew DeSesa, Anthony Bosshardt, Brown University, Claremont McKenna, Michael Cardwell, Mission Prep football, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Feb 09

Longtime Morro Bay soccer coach Roger Ludin retires

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By Nick Wilson
nwilson@thetribunenews.com

Longtime Morro Bay soccer coach Roger Ludin has coached his last game.

Ludin coached a combined 24 years at Morro Bay – 17 of them as the boys coach and seven of them as a girls coach.

The 68-year-old retired Cal Poly physics and mechanical engineering professor, affectionately known as “Doc” because he has a PhD in physics, coached his last game on Thursday.

Ludin has been through good times and bad in terms of success on the field.

He has coached a boys’ team to a CIF championship in the mid-1990s as a head coach and another team in 1989 as an assistant.

Ludin also has seen difficult seasons like this one (his girls’ team won only two games).

But either way, he has reinforced an attitude of “positivity” and high spirits, and deterred players and fans from lambasting the referees in frustration with perceived bad calls.

Ludin started out as a junior varsity coach at Morro Bay after moving up the ranks to coach the boys varsity.

He took four years off between coaching the boys and girls teams as he worked through a knee surgery and two hip replacements.

Ludin, a former multi-sport athlete and soccer player himself in high school in New York, who was named the coach of his wrestling team as a senior, thought he might be done but asked to come back to coach the girls’ team.

“The kids were just so great to work with,” Ludin said. “That’s what kept me coming back every year.”

Sometimes he’d take teams out to the beach to kick the soccer ball around on the sand. He said the Morro Bay administration was always supportive of him and his ideas.

His goal was to get his players in the best possible condition so they would not only perform to the best of their abilities but avoid injury.

He said it was a touching moment for one of his players – Michelle Cordova — who broke an ankle late in the season to get to start the game against Cabrillo High by kicking the ball off, though she was on crutches.

Then the other team kicked the ball out of bounds as the senior left the field.

“That was a nice moment for her and her family,” Ludin said. “She’s a positive, great kid.”

Ludin said he believes soccer will become more of an influential sport in America as future generations continue to play the game and improve the country’s level in the sport.

Some of his female players have been down to Carson to the Home Depot Center to see the U.S. Women’s National team play.

The exposure to the top level of the sport helps as well to encourage interest in the game as it struggles for the spotlight against more popular sports such as basketball, baseball and football.

Ludin said he still plans to volunteer with some Morro Bay sports, including track and field where he times events, but that over the holidays he made the decision that it was time to slow down.

“I still enjoy coaching,” Ludin said. “But a little voice was telling me it was time and I’ve learned it’s best to listen to that voice.”

Ludin said he still plans to volunteer with some Morro Bay sports, including track and field where he times events, but that over the holidays he made the decision that it was time to slow down.
“I still enjoy coaching,” Ludin said. “But a little voice was telling me it was time and I’ve learned it’s best to listen to that voice.”

Tags: Michelle Cordova, Morro Bay soccer, Roger Ludin

Feb 08

Morro Bay girls basketball on roll; Hannah Gilbert unstoppable force

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High School basketball

The Morro Bay High girls basketball team went 12-0 in the Los Padres League to claim a second consecutive undefeated league title.

The Pirates overpowered their opponents so convincingly that no team came within 25 points of them in a league game.

They figure to do well in playoffs with an ideal combination of players. Morro Bay has the best post player in girls basketball on the Central Coast in Hannah Gilbert.

Gilbert averages 18 points and nine rebounds per game. In addition to her size at 6-3, she has tremendous touch around the basket.

Really, Gilbert is playing out of her league and has been doing so for much of her high school career.

She’ll finally have some competition in terms of size and skill when she plays next year at Cal Poly. And should the Pirates advance deep into the playoffs, she may counter some opposing players of her caliber as well.

In addition to Gilbert, Morro Bay has the fastest point guard in the county. Sierra Schwellenbach averages 10 points, five assists and three rebounds per game.

Schwellenbach hounds opponents with her ball pressure, averaging nearly four steals per contest.

Several times this year, she stole the ball from opponents and streaked down the court for easy layups. Nobody seemed to be able to catch her as hard as they tried.

And then the Pirates have a large cast of players who make valuable contributions in their respective roles under Coach Cary Nerelli who really is a master at getting his team to minimize turnovers and move the ball.

Jerrica Crosby provides another post presence as a power forward and one of the taller girls in the LPL this season. She averages five rebounds per game.

Guards Kara Schmidt and Nikki Machado combine for about 11 points per game and the team averages 50 percent shooting from shots inside the 3-point line while knocking down 32 percent of shots from behind the arc.

At 19-3, Morro Bay currently is ranked eighth in Division 4AA behind seven private schools from the L.A. area.

Early in the season, the Pirates tested themselves against two Division 2 teams from Bakersfield with very respectable talent in their holiday tournament – Garces and Ridgeview.

They lost by nine to Garces and by two to Ridgeview, putting Morro Bay right there with them. Garces is now 22-2 and Ridgeview is 21-3.

Garces is ranked second in the division and Ridgeview is the top-ranked squad, according to www.maxpreps.com.

I don’t want to jinx anything. But this figures to be a promising playoff run ahead for Morro Bay.

Hannah Gilbert had her season-high of 28 points against Lompoc on Wednesday in her LPL finale and seems to be peaking at just the right time.

Hannah seems like a very pleasant person to be around and has a lot of fun playing basketball. I just wouldn’t want to have to face her on the court.

Tags: Cary Nerelli, Division 2., Division 4AA, Garces High, Hannah Gilbert, Jerrica Croby, Kara Schmidt, Morro Bay Girls basketball, Nikki Machado, Ridgeview High, Sierra Schwellenbach

Jan 30

Playoff picture starting to become clear for local girls/boys basketball teams

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Several local teams are winding down their seasons in boys and girls basketball.

And the CIF-Southern Section playoff picture is starting to come into focus, though some teams will determine their fates in games over the next two weeks. Four local teams in boys basketball appear primed to qualify.

Atascadero High is in second place and Arroyo Grande High is in fourth in the PAC 7. The top four squads in high school leagues that have seven teams go to playoffs.

Arroyo Grande has a record of 4-4 in league and the two teams tied for fifth (SLO High and Paso Robles) are 2-6.

In the Los Padres League, which also has seven teams, Templeton High is in third place at 5-3, ahead of Lompoc at 4-4. Morro Bay is knocking on the door in fifth at 3-5 and could get in with a strong finish and some luck with other teams dropping down. The Pirates have three games left.

Mission Prep is a freelance team that has been performing extraordinarily well this season, particularly after temporarily losing Connor Woolpert, their 6-5 center, at mid-season with a shoulder injury.

The Royals are 16-7 and they’ve beaten Righetti High and St. Joseph — two top teams in the county. Righetti is undefeated in league at 8-0 and St. Joseph is 5-2 (placing them first and third in league respectively).

Woolpert has returned to the lineup but missed a string of games, including the matchup against Righetti, which Mission Prep won, fueled by a strong game from guard Andy Rowley.

Mission Prep would need to win 80 percent of their games to automatically qualify for the postseason. The Royals have three games left and so that’s impossible to achieve the 80 percent mark. But they still can be considered for an at-large berth.

The Royals are currently ranked fifth in Division 5AA and they’ve played a tough schedule, beating two of the best teams in the county in Righetti and St. Joseph. And they lost by 15 points to Bishop Montgomery in the Mission Prep Classic tournament, currently the second ranked team in the state.

The girls’ teams in the playoff hunt include three teams from the Los Padres League. Morro Bay is 9-0, Templeton is 7-1, and Nipomo is 5-3, making those teams the first, second and third place teams in the league.

Morro Bay is a powerhouse that could make a deep playoff run this year, the final season for Cal Poly bound senior Hannah Gilbert, who’s 6-3 and extremely skilled in her low post game. Gilbert’s coach, Cary Nerelli, thinks she can make a strong contribution right away as a freshman at Cal Poly.

In the PAC 7, San Luis Obispo is playing well in third at 5-3 led by standouts Jessica Judge and Erica Chandler. The Tigers are the sixth ranked team in Division 3A, the highest ranked girls’ team from the county in the CIF polls.

Atascadero is in fourth at 3-4 and Paso Robles is fifth at 3-5.

The next stretch of games will decide the fate of some teams and serve as a playoff warmup for others (Morro Bay and Templeton girls).

The Pirates and Eagles should have a playoff environment of sorts when they face off at Morro Bay at the Pirates’ gym on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch. Morro Bay handily won their first matchup against Templeton.

Tags: Andy Rowley, Arroyo Grande High, Atascadero High, Connor Woolpert, Hannah Gilbert, high school basketball, Mission Prep, Righetti High, San Luis Obispo High, St. Joseph