Santa Clarita Sports Report: November 16, 2015

Santa Clarita High School Football

And then there was one.

Three Foothill League teams competed in the opening round of the West Valley Division playoffs Friday night, but only the Valencia Vikings emerged from the weekend still in contention for a CIF-SS championship.

Valencia (8-3) never trailed San Juan Hills, turning in a complete performance for a 38-28 home playoff win. At one point in the second half the Vikings led by as much as 17 points.

The win makes it six in a row for Valencia since losing at No. 1 Centennial, 59-7. Up next for the Vikings is a second round match-up with Chino Hills, whom defeated Los Alamitos to advance. Kickoff will be at 7:00PM Friday, November 20 at Chino Hills High School.

Saugus (6-5) scored the first three points of the game on a Louis Eusebi field goal, then proceeded to give up 24 unanswered points to the Upland Highlanders, who routed the Centurions, 45-10. The senior quarterback had 94 yards rushing and a 3rd quarter touchdown run in his final high school game.

It was a long ride back up the 5 North for the Hart Indians (7-4) after the Mission Viejo Diablos drubbed them, 49-14. The margin got as bad as 49-0 before the Diablos took their collective foot off the gas pedal.

Frustrating way to end the season for the Indians, losers of three straight after climbing to as high as No. 6 in the West Valley Division poll. They now look forward to 2016 and hopefully having quarterback Nick Moore healthy for his senior season.

Santa Clarita Christian (7-4) let an 18-14 halftime lead slip away, getting outscored 22-8 in the second half by Desert. Desert running back Spud Thompson had a career day, rushing for 319 yards on 28 carries.

Cardinals quarterback Tristan Miller threw for three touchdowns in the loss but was much too inaccurate (completed just 34% of his passes). Improvement in that area will be crucial for his development and senior season in 2016.

COC Football

It feels like a lifetime ago that the Cougars were ranked third in southern California. Canyons officially stumbled to the finish line after Saturday night’s 44-15 blitzing by Cerritos. The Falcons amassed over 600 yards of total offense, and the Cougars couldn’t keep up even with Devon Dunn back in the starting lineup at quarterback. They’ve leaned on their defense throughout the season, but the Falcons were just too much.

Valencia’s own Nick Jones had himself an excellent 2015 campaign. The former Vikings standout finished the regular season with 68 catches for 1240 yards and 6 touchdowns.

COC is eligible for a bowl bid and await scheduling.

Santa Clarita High School Volleyball

The Vikings continue to roll on through the Division 1A playoffs after a four-game victory Saturday over Aliso Niguel for the program’s first-ever trip to the CIF-SS Semi-Finals. Consistency has been the most impressive part of their phenomenal run so far. Players such as Rachel Perez, Emily Burns, and Kelsey Knudsen have been at the top of their games all season long.

From here on out this Valencia squad will be etching itself into the history books. Two more wins and its Division 1A supremacy. The big Semi-Final match is Tuesday against No.1 overall seed Rancho Cucamonga. Due to home/away playoff rules, the Vikings were awarded the home court advantage which will be massive for a game of this magnitude. First serve is at 7:00PM at Valencia HS.

The Master’s College

The Mustangs’ soccer team is awaiting word for where they will be placed in NAIA Nationals, after their double OT GSAC Tournament loss at Vanguard last Thursday. TMC may be involved in an opening round play-in game.

TMC women’s volleyball (20-10) finished the season with back-to-back wins against Hope International and at Westmont.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant (17 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds) stuffed the stat sheet Sunday night, and the Lakers (2-8) played their best 4th quarter of the season (outscoring the Pistons 31-19) to beat the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center, 97-85. The 20 year NBA veteran played 36 minutes and will more than likely sit out Monday’s game in Phoenix in the second of a back-to-back.

Second year guard Jordan Clarkson continues to develop in to a legitimate NBA scorer, shooting 50% from the field against Detroit while matching Bryant for the Lakers lead in scoring with 17 points.

It will be LA in Phoenix Monday night to take on the 5-4 Suns. Tip-off is at 6:00 PM PT.