Bell Jeff Sports

Guard Win Stokes Rivalry!

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:24:39 +0000

WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Whether or not a rivalry grows between the Antelope Valley High and Bellarmine-Jefferson girls’ basketball teams remains to be seen, especially since the schools are no longer in the same division.

If one does develop, however, then it could be surmised the Antelopes will look for revenge, once again, after Bell-Jeff held on for a 43-36 victory in the Oaks Christian Shootout on Saturday afternoon.

The victory was the second in three games for Bell-Jeff (16-6) over Antelope Valley (12-7) in 11 months, as the Guards, sixth-ranked in Division IV-AA, eliminated the Antelopes, 77-73, in the quarterfinals of last year’s Division III-A playoffs.

Antelope Valley, ranked fifth in Division III-AA, exacted payback this season in a 53-39 victory on Nov. 30.

“This was our third time against them and it was fun again,” Bell-Jeff Coach Jaclyn Johnson said. “As either a player or coach, all you can ask for is to play good competition and that’s what Antelope Valley brings every time.”

The Antelopes trailed by 17 points early in the third and were down, 33-19, at the close of the same quarter.

Yet, Antelope Valley opened the fourth with a three-pointer from Crystal Brown, assisted by Angel Bailey, followed by a three-point play from Fresno State-bound guard Destini Price, who was fouled while converting a layup.

Price’s subsequent free throw brought Antelope Valley within 33-25 with 6:57 remaining.

While Bell-Jeff countered with a quick inside basket from San Jose State-signed Jasmine Smith, who was assisted by Rishonda Napier, the Antelopes pulled within 35-30 with 4:39 remaining.

The Antelopes’ surge proved unsustainable, though, as the Guards scored the next two buckets on an offensive put back from Smith and a scoop shot from senior forward Averie Guzman.

Smith later iced the game with a layup with 30 seconds left that pushed the Guards ahead, 43-34.

“Everyone gets involved. We don’t rely on one player or we wouldn’t be doing as [well] as we are,” said Guzman, who finished with eight points and two steals.

The Guards took a 23-13 advantage into the half thanks to team play.

Six Bell-Jeff players contributed at least one point in the first half, while only three Antelopes did the same.

Bell-Jeff committed five turnovers in the first quarter, but only one in the second, while Antelope Valley finished with 11 turnovers in the half.

Bell-Jeff led, 7-5, after one quarter, but surrendered its advantage to open the second on a three-pointer from Keiona Mathews.

The Guards, however, won the remainder of the quarter, 14-5, including scoring the last nine points after Antelope Valley led, 13-12, with 4:57 remaining.

Bell-Jeff responded with a two-footer from Guzman followed by a three-pointer from Napier to go up, 17-13.

Bell-Jeff closed the half with layups from Tiffany Ho and Smith and a free throw from Karina Moreno.

“Antelope Valley is a good team and I’m just glad we got the win this time,” said Napier, who was just named a McDonald’s All-American nominee.

Smith led Bell-Jeff with 13 points and Napier added 12 points.

Mathews paced all scorers with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Price scored 11 and Bailey chipped in nine.

by Andrew Camps

Local Gets All-American Nomination!

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:40:13 +0000

BURBANK- Bell-Jeff’s Napier nominated for McDonald’s All-American. Rishonda Napier has been an integral part of the success of the Bellarmine-Jefferson High’s girls’ basketball program the last four years.

During her tenure, the senior guard has earned local, regional and state awards. However, the latest of Napier’s accolades comes on a national level.

Napier has been nominated as a McDonald’s All-American candidate.

For the past three and a half decades, McDonald’s has recognized the finest high school basketball players in the nation with its All-American teams. Past All-Americans includeMichael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Candace Parker and many other athletes who have gone on to success in the NBA and WNBA.

Napier is among only 18 girls nominated from California and is the first female in the history of Bell-Jeff to be considered for the award.

“That’s the single greatest basketball achievement of my life and I feel so proud and so blessed,” Napier said of the nomination. “It’s just changed my mindset a lot and made me want to work harder.”

Napier said the recognition definitely took her by surprise.

“I was very surprised. I was shocked. I had no idea,” she said

The final list of 24 girls’ and 24 boys’ All-Americans will be announced on ESPNU on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. The All-Americans will be invited to Chicago to play in the annual McDonald’s All-American basketball game on March 28 at the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls.

Napier is a four-year starter for the Guards. Along with earning All-State, All-CIF Southern Section, all-league and All-Area accolades, she has also helped Bell-Jeff win three straight Santa Cruz League championships, as well as Southern Section and state titles in 2009.

Jeff Tully

Guards Survive Thriller!

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:18:33 +0000

BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — It was nothing short of a dogfight Thursday evening when the Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls’ basketball team took on a tough St. Anthony squad in a crucial Santa Cruz League game.

Both teams took turns holding the lead throughout four quarters — with 13 lead changes and nine ties in the second and third quarters alone — with the Guards and the Saints not being able to take more than a five-point lead.

But despite falling behind with less than two minutes left, Bell-Jeff maintained its composure, took advantage of some missed St. Anthony free throws in the final seconds and received a big rebound to earn a 64-60 victory at home.

The Guards (14-6, 3-0 in league), ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA, expected nothing less than a hard-fought battle from the Saints (10-8, 2-1), the No. 10 team in the division. St. Anthony, which has been the league runner-up the last two seasons, has quality wins this season against competitive teams and possesses an accomplished player in 6-foot-3 junior Kendall Cooper.

In addition, the Saints had beaten their first two league opponents by an average of 67.5 points.

“We knew it was going to be tough,” Bell-Jeff Coach Jaclyn Johnson said. “They have a good team and [Cooper] is a fabulous player. We knew that they were going to pound the ball into her down low and try and beat us inside. If they were going to beat us they were going to have to do it from the outside.”

Bell-Jeff had plenty of motivation going into Thursday’s game. The Guards are trying to win their sixth straight Santa Fe League championship this season and haven’t lost a league contest since Jan. 12, 2008, falling to St. Mary’s Academy, 59-54. The win against St. Anthony was their 32nd straight league triumph.

The Guards received a spirited performance from senior center Jasmine Smith. Along with scoring a game-high 26 points, Smith was also a beast on the boards, grabbing 19 rebounds.

“My coach told me that I have to get any rebound that comes my way, I was going to have to box out and I was going to have to get my teammates the ball whenever I could,” Smith said. “I just wanted to do my part to help the team win.”

The Guards also received a boost from senior guard Rishonda Napier, who had 21 points.

Napier had a big bucket with 51 seconds left to give the Guards a late lead, then calmly sank two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

St. Anthony was able to take a 60-58 lead with 1:33 left in the contest when sophomore Sierra Skiba scored on a driving layup.

But Bell-Jeff answered and tied the score at 60 when senior Kiah Jones scored under the basket and was fouled. Jones missed the free-throw attempt, but Bell-Jeff’s smallest player, 5-2 Tiffany Kho, skied in to grab the rebound. She got the ball to Napier who made good on a pull-up jumper at the top of the free-throw line to put Bell-Jeff in front, 62-60.

“That rebound by Tiffany was humongous,” Johnson said. “That was such a big play for us.”

The Guards then gave the Saints a break when St. Anthony senior Raquel Johnson was fouled with 12.6 seconds left. But she missed both attempts and Bell-Jeff got the rebound, forcing the Saints to foul Napier, who took care of the rest.

Cooper ended the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Johnson added 15.

Cooper hurt the Guards early, scoring eight points and tallying six rebounds and two steals in the first quarter. However, The Guards clamped down on her in the second and third quarters, limiting the junior to four points.

Bell-Jeff trailed, 14-12, after one quarter and fell behind, 27-25, at the half. The hosts also trailed by one after three quarters, 47-46.

“We showed some poise, but not great poise,” Jaclyn Johnson said. “We are going to have to play better against them the next time at their place.”

The rematch will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at St. Anthony.

BY JEFF TULLY, jeff.tully@latimes.com photos by: Tim Berger Staff Photographer

Pioneers Win Cross Town Clash!

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:02:13 +0000

PROVIDENCE HIGH — Rivals Bellarmine-Jefferson High and Providence took the court in the final game of an all-day tournament benefiting a good cause Saturday at Providence High School.

The game proved worthy of main-event status, as the Guards and the Pioneers ended a successful day that raised $850 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with a thrilling see-saw battle — something that ought to be expected any time the two private schools face each other.

In the end, the host Pioneers, led by Marcus Lovett Jr., edged the Guards, 77-71, in a high-scoring affair that featured four lead changes.

“Records don’t matter when these two teams play,” said Pioneers Coach and event director Earnest Baskerville, whose team improved to 14-3. “Most of these guys went to middle school together and we’re the only two Catholic schools in Burbank, so there’s a sense of pride.”

Providence looked to be in total control of the game early, jumping out to a 15-2 lead midway through the first quarter. The Guards, however, turned up the defense and improved their shooting as they fought back and cut into the lead.

The Guards (6-11) made of their 10 of their 14 field-goal attempts in the second quarter while the defense double-teamed Lovett Jr. and forced his teammates to make plays. The freshman guard still scored 13 first-half points, but nine came from the charity stripe.

“I couldn’t be happier in the game plan,” Guards Coach Julian Andrade said. “We played it to perfection. Unfortunately, we didn’t take care of the ball on offense.”

Will Morales’ three-pointer with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter gave the Guards their first lead of the game, 30-28. Turnovers in the waning seconds of the half allowed Providence to retake the lead and go into the half with a slight advantage, 39-37.

In what looked to be a run away for the Pioneers was now set up for an intriguing second half.

Bell-Jeff continued its hot shooting in the third quarter, making four of its first six attempts to take a 46-41 lead — its biggest of the game.

However, Providence took a lead that would not be relinquished again soon after and finished the quarter on a 17-2 run. Lovett Jr., Patrick Gonzalez and Christian Ware-Berry accounted for 19 of the team’s 21 third-quarter points.

For the game, the trio scored 64 points combined. Lovett, Jr. led all scorers with 30 points despite being double-teamed and being the focus of Bell-Jeff’s defense.

“I was open a lot, so I was able to find teammates inside,” said Gonzalez, who finished with 16 points. “It made the game a lot easier for me, and I made the game easier for my teammates.”

The Guards came within one point of the lead with just over a minute remaining in the contest on a Marcus Nadal jumper. But Ware-Berry extended the lead to three on the ensuing possession. Then, with 39 seconds remaining, the Guards had two good looks with potential game-tying three-pointers, but missed both tries.

Lovett Jr. iced the game with four free throws down the stretch.

“You can do one of three things: you can either fight, compete or give up,” Baskerville said. “Both teams fought tonight. We were just able to land more punches.”

Morales led the Guards with 20 points in the losing effort—15 of which came in the first half.

BY EMIN AVAKIAN, Special to the Leader

Guards Right Ship!

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:11:34 +0000

BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — Girls’ basketball: Bell-Jeff uses big third-quarter push to gain 66-43 home victory.

The Bellarmine-Jefferson High and Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball teams struggled mightily with their shooting during the first half of their nonleague game Tuesday.

A barrage of attempts from the field continually missed their mark and converted free throws were hard to come by for both the Guards and Trailblazers during the first two quarters.

Luckily for Bell-Jeff, it finally began to sink its shots in the third quarter, thanks to a fine shooting burst from senior Rishonda Napier. A scoring spurt in the opening minutes of the third gave the Guards the momentum they needed to eventually earn a 66-43 victory at home.

In the first half, Bell-Jeff and Sierra Canyon converted just 17 of 68 shot attempts from the field and made three of 19 attempts from the free-throw line.

“Our shooting was atrocious in that first half,” said Bell-Jeff Coach Jaclyn Johnson, whose squad improved to 9-7. “I don’t think it was about not playing well, we were playing well. We were executing, we were playing how we wanted to play, we were getting the looks we wanted and a lot of them were layups. We just weren’t making our shots.”

After leading, 25-17, at the half, the Guards’ offense began to click in the early portion of the third quarter. Bell-Jeff — No. 7 in Division IVAA — made five of its first nine field-goal attempts to began the stanza. With 2:46 remaining in the quarter, Bell-Jeff increased its lead to 47-21 after a basket by Miriah Bankhead that helped fuel a 22-4 run.

Napier, a two-time All-CIF Southern Section selection, led the charge during that run. The guard tallied 11 of her game-high 24 points in the third and had three three-pointers on the night.

“After those first two quarters we decided that we weren’t going to put our heads down when we missed our shots because we’re not the type of team that is going to miss forever,” Napier said. “We just kept taking our shots and eventually they started to fall.”

The push in the third quarter helped the Guards take a 51-27 advantage into the final quarter.

Bell-Jeff also received a solid game from senior Jasmine Smith, who tallied 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

Sierra Canyon (9-6) — No. 15 in Division IVAA — was paced by Kennedy Burke with 18 points.

Jeff Tully

Guards End Tourney, Year On Upswing!

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:30:40 +0000

BURBANK — Bell-Jeff High girls use stifling defense to bury Monroe, 64-30. Balanced scoring on one end and relentless defense on the other resulted in a relatively easy win for the Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls’ basketball team in a consolation game of the 2011 West Coast Holiday Festival.

Rishonda Napier led the way for the Guards, as her 14 first-half points single-handedly matched the output of the Monroe Vikings, who struggled against the Bell-Jeff defense all night in a 64-30 victory for the host Guards.

Napier, one of five seniors on the squad, is looking to repeat last season’s success under second-year Coach Jaclyn Johnson’s tutelage. The Guards, however, have stumbled out to eight wins in 14 games.

“We’ve really only been together four games as a team,” Johnson said. “It’s all about the end of February, so we have a long ways to go.”

In the meantime, the team’s final game of December saw little resistance from the Mustangs, who were missing two starters. After two quarters of play, the Guards made 12 of 26 field-goal attempts, while holding Monroe to five-of-26 shooting to take a 20-point halftime lead.

Both teams struggled from the field early. Eventually, the Guards heated up and went on an 18-0 run that extended a 6-4 temporarily tightly contested game to a 24-4 lead midway through the second quarter.

The defense didn’t let up in the third quarter, holding the Mustangs to three points while pulling away with a 50-17 advantage with eight minutes remaining.

“Our defensive intensity is what we work on,” Johnson said. “We play against teams that can score, so we need to cut into what they can do.”

For the game, the Guards held the Mustangs to nine field goals. Co-Captains Ayisat Afolabi and Jecenia Trinidad accounted for 25 of the team’s 30 points.

“We had good looks, just couldn’t make our shots,” Mustangs Coach Quincy Brooks said. “They’re a really tough team as it is. When the ball doesn’t go down, it makes it almost impossible.”

Napier finished with a game-high 18 points on four three-pointers and was complemented well by Jasmine Smith’s 10 and Kiah Jones’ nine. Karina Moreno added eight points.

“We have a target, and we’re on our way,” said Johnson, who coached the Guards to an undefeated league campaign last season and reached the semifinals of the CIF Division 3-A playoffs. “We’re off to a late start, but the goal is still there.”

Bell-Jeff will begin Santa Fe League play Jan. 10 at home against St. Genevieve.

By Emin Avakian, Special to The Leader

Locals Learn From Loss!

admin — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:11:43 +0000

BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON HIGH — Bell-Jeff battles back but loses in own tourney to Sylmar, 81-69. The players from the Bellarmine-Jefferson High boys’ basketball team might think there wasn’t much they could take away from Friday’s game against Sylmar.’

However, their coach thinks otherwise.

In a third-place game of their own Bell-Jeff Holiday Classic, the Guards had trouble taking care of the ball, didn’t shoot well in the first three quarters and were unable to stop the Spartans on offense. However, despite being down by as many as 21 points in the second half, Bell-Jeff battled back.

The Guards cut the lead to 10 points late in the fourth quarter and eventually lost by a dozen, 81-69.

Bell-Jeff Coach Julian Andrade said the fact that his team didn’t fold after trailing by 21 points is something positive the Guards (4-7) can take away from the game.

“We were down by 20, and it could have probably been 40 if we just give up,” said Andrade, whose squad lost in the semifinals Wednesday to Gardena, 56-50. “I think that could be a turning point in our season. Understanding that the way we played in the fourth, that’s the way we’ve got to play. We are going to make mistakes, but we have to get up and fight back from those mistakes.

“We really have to match the intensity level of some of these other schools. Talent wise, I think we are talented enough; I just don’t think mentally that we’re able to give it our all when it comes to our intensity.”

Sylmar (6-7) definitely had an advantage in the game when it came to outside shooting. While the Spartans made six three-pointers, the Guards were only able to convert one.

The turning point of the game came in the second quarter after the teams played evenly for the most part in the first quarter, as Sylmar enjoyed an 18-15 lead.

In the second, however, Bell-Jeff was outscored, 23-8, and was able to convert just two of nine shots from the field. The Guards were also plagued by eight turnovers.

“Those turnovers killed us,” Andrade said. “They were also able to make their shots from the outside.”

The poor second quarter by the Guards allowed the Spartans to take a 41-23 advantage at the half.

The Guards couldn’t stop Sylmar’s Travis Moore and Larry Williams, who had 16 points each.

Bell-Jeff only lost a little ground in the third quarter, as it was outscored, 18-16, and trailed, 59-39, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Guards received a boost in the second half by Adam Gupilan. Gupilan, who came off the bench, was scoreless in he first half but tallied all of his 14 points in the final two quarters.

Bell-Jeff was paced by Jalen Henry, who had 17 points. Teammate Elijah Reed added 16 points and Marcus Nadal had 10.

In the fourth quarter, the Guards were able to cut the lead to 10 with 51 seconds left on their lone three-pointer of the contest.

by Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com

2011-2012 Boys’ Basketball Preview!

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:06:07 +0000

TOP 10 TEAMS

1. Harvard-Westlake

2. Crespi

3. Alemany

4. Taft

5. Calabasas

6. Royal

7. Crescenta Valley

8. El Camino Real

9. Oaks Christian

10. Village Christian

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Valencia, West Ranch, La Canada, Campbell Hall, Sierra Canyon, Chaminade, Notre Dame, Burbank, Chatsworth, Renaissance Academy, Cleveland, Oak Park, Canyon, Moorpark

TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chass Bryan, Oaks Christian, Sr., Guard

Has offers from UC Davis and Cal Poly

Marqueze Coleman, Alemany, Sr., Guard

Headed to Nevada

Zena Edosomwan, Harvard-Westlake, Sr., Forward

Has multiple Pac-12 offers

Kennedy Edwards, Notre Dame, Sr., Forward

Much-improved post threat for Knights

Max Guercy, Alemany, Sr., Guard

Speedy, quick on perimeter with good range

Josh Hearlihy, Harvard-Westlake, Sr., Guard

Versatile threat on his way to Utah

Cole Huff, Campbell Hall, Sr., Forward

Signed with Nevada

Ron Lee, Oak Park, Jr., Guard

Eagles floor leader also an underrated scorer

Jaron Martin, Chaminade, Jr., Guard

A diminutive scoring machine

Christian Misi, Crescenta Valley, Sr., Forward

A load to deal with for Falcons

London Perrantes, Crespi, Jr., Guard

Has offer from San Francisco

Brandon Perry, Taft, Sr., Forward

Committed to Cal State Northridge

Gor Plavchyan, Grant, Sr., Forward

Hard-charging, bruising post player

Jahmel Taylor, Sierra Canyon, Jr., Guard

Can score in bunches

Ryan Wright, Palmdale, Sr., Guard

Exceptional athlete from Golden League

GAMES TO WATCH

Monday-Saturday: Burbank tournament, Campbell Hall tournament, Pasadena tournament, Redondo Union tournament

Tuesday-Saturday: Simi Valley tournament

Dec. 5-10: Beverly Hills tournament, Canyon tournament, Crescenta Valley tournament, Moorpark tournament, Santa Monica tournament, Westchester tournament

Dec. 13: Calabasas at Royal

Dec. 16-22: San Fernando Valley Invitational

Dec. 26-29: Chaminade tournament, La Salle tournament

Dec. 26-30: Torrey Pines tournament

Dec. 27-30: Hart tournament, Oaks Christian tournament

Jan. 6: Loyola at Alemany

Jan. 7: El Camino Real showcase, Providence showcase

Jan. 11: Taft at El Camino Real, Crespi at Alemany

Jan. 13: Harvard-Westlake vs. Loyola at Roybal Learning Center, Crescenta Valley at Pasadena, Valencia at Canyon

Jan. 14: Oaks Christian vs. Village Christian at Taft

Jan. 20: Harvard-Westlake at Crespi

Jan. 21: Alemany at Harvard-Westlake, Providence showcase

Jan. 23: Crespi at Loyola

Jan. 28: Fairfax showcase, Oaks Christian showcase

Feb. 3: Harvard-Westlake vs. Loyola at Valley College

Feb. 4: Alemany showcase, Mater Dei showcase

OTHERS TO WATCH

SENIORS

Coley Apsay, Canyon, Guard

Michael Avery, Crespi, Guard

Jonathan Bell, Notre Dame, Guard

Jack Borenstein, Viewpoint, Guard

Julian Brooks, Sierra Canyon, Forward

Jessy Cantinol, Renaissance Academy, Forward

Emerson Castaneda, St. Francis, Guard

Josh Caton, West Ranch, Forward

Josh Cohan, Calabasas, Forward

Michael Coleman, Alemany, Guard

Darrell Dansby, La Cañada, Guard

Zach Davis, Valencia, Guard

Amonte Dees, Cleveland, Guard

Davis Dragovich, Crescenta Valley, Forward

Andrew Estes, Birmingham, Guard

Terrell Funchess, Chatsworth, Guard

Zack Gardea, St. Francis, Guard

Jeremy Gatewood, Saugus, Guard

Jason Ghilarducci, Oaks Christian, Forward

James Glass, Valencia, Forward

Patrick Gonzalez, Providence, Guard

Kory Hamane, Flintridge Prep, Guard

Troy Hammel, Valencia, Guard

Austin Hawk, Simi Valley, Guard

Josh Horosny, Granada Hills, Guard

Jesse Howell, Sierra Canyon, Forward

Chase Isaacs, Agoura, Guard

Steven Jones, Taft, Guard

Clay Kasdorf, Canyon, Guard

Spencer Levy, Calabasas, Guard

Teddy Linn, Reseda, Guard

Jake Maulhardt, Camarillo, Forward

Zach Miller, Chaminade, Guard

Jason Moore, Cleveland, Guard

Steven Mopsikoff, Highland, Guard

Austin Pope, Burbank, Forward

J.R. Powell, Royal, Guard

Elijah Reed, Bell-Jeff, Guard

Wade Rodriguez, Golden Valley, Guard

Michael Roletti, Oaks Christian, Guard

Justin Rubia, Crespi, Guard

Jordan Russell, Moorpark, Guard

Mitchell Sagely, Moorpark, Guard

Marquis Salmon, Village Christian, Forward

D.J. Saul, Simi Valley, Guard

Montel Shirley, Chatsworth, Guard

Jay Srinivasan, La Cañada, Guard

T.C. Toomey, Hart, Center

J.R. Williams, Cleveland, Guard

By Jacob H. Pollon, Special to the Daily News

Bell-Jeff Chooses New Football Coach!

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:57:19 +0000

BURBANK - Less than a month after the departure of former coach, Guards tab Burbank High graduate David Machuca to help ‘restore the glory. Bellarmine-Jefferson High wasted little time replacing its football coach. In fact, less than a month after former coach Rolando Aguirre stepped down, a new coach has taken his place.

David Machuca, 27, a 2002 Burbank High graduate who most recently served as an assistant at Chaminade, has been picked to help revive the Guards’ program.

Bell-Jeff Principal John Matheus said it was imperative that the school find a replacement for Aguirre in as little time as possible.

“It was important for us to fill the position quickly,” Matheus said. “We had a search committee here at Bell-Jeff and we had about 25 applications. From those we narrowed it down to about six interviews, and this young man came out on top.”

Matheus added that Bell-Jeff was dedicated to bringing in an individual to turn around a program that has had its share of struggles the past few years.

“We’re really happy to have him,” Matheus said. “We are ready to continue to what I call ‘restore the glory’ here and we want to move ahead in football and build a successful program.”

Machuca is familiar with the football culture in the city. Along with playing for the Burbank Vikings Youth Tackle Football program, he also competed for the Bulldogs.

Machuca, who will also be a teacher at the school, said taking the Bell-Jeff was a prospect he couldn’t pass up.

“I’m just excited about the opportunity that I’ve been given at Bell-Jeff,” said Machuca, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard for four years after graduating from Burbank. “I am bringing over a few coaches from Chaminade and we’re young, we’re hungry and we are ready to help turn around this program.

“Burbank and Burroughs have done great jobs with their programs the past few years and I think the city of Burbank is just bursting at the seams with football talent.”

Machuca said his three-year tenure at Chaminade under Coach Ed Croson was invaluable. The past two seasons, the Eagles have been able to advance to the CIF Southern Section Western Division semifinals.

This past season, Chaminade went 10-3, placed second in the Mission League behind Gardena Serra and advanced to the division final four, losing for the second straight year to Arroyo Grande, 45-36.

The Eagles went 11-2 in 2010.

“Coach Croson has been a great mentor to me,” said Machuca, who was an assistant for three years. “When we got to Chaminade they were in rebuilding mode and we were able to turn the program around.”

Bell-Jeff has struggled the past two seasons, finishing last in the Santa Fe League both years. The Guards went 2-8 this past season and were 5-15 the past two years.

Under Aguirre, who finished with a 69-68 record in 13 years as head coach, Bell-Jeff proved it could be a successful program. In just his second season as coach in 2000, the Guards won a share of the Santa Fe League championship. It was the program’s first title in 46 years.

Bell-Jeff also captured undisputed championships in 2004 and 2007, as the teams finished with 9-2 records both seasons.

Machuca, who is in the process of assembling his coaching staff and who said he will meet with Bell-Jeff players Wednesday, said he sees no reason why the Guards can’t return to being a winning program.

“The objective is pretty simple with my staff and we’ve been talking about it the last couple of days,” Machuca said. “We want to get the student involvement and we want to bring the alumni back out to the football games and be proud of what’s going on with the program.”

Jeff Tully/LA Times

Pair Earns All-CIF Accolades!

admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:09:47 +0000

BURBANK - It’s hard to tell where Jocelyn Cervantes ranks statistically among the best players in the history of the Bellarmine-Jefferson High girls’ volleyball program.

“The record keeping from years past wasn’t very good,” Bell-Jeff Coach Miguel Segura said. “I don’t have numbers for records and things like that. But I’ll keep looking.”

Even without historical comparisons, Segura admits that Cervantes is definitely among the best athletes to ever compete for the Guards.

That claim was substantiated when the senior outside hitter was named this week to her third All-CIF Southern Section team, as Cervantes was a first-team selection in Division IVA.

Also winning All-CIF accolades was Burroughs senior outside hitter Megan Stephenson, who earned first-team accolades in Division IIA.

Cervantes, who earned her second straight Santa Cruz Player-of-the-Year honor, had to overcome the struggle of having to rely on a new setter this season. The setter had trouble providing quality sets for the senior early in the campaign. Watch jocelyn cervantes execute kill shot!

“Her and her setter started getting things together toward the end of the season,” Segura said of Cervantes. “She had some struggles and it was hard for her early on. But she never gave up, battled to get through it, kept playing and put the team on her back.”

Cervantes ended what turned out to be a fine four-year career for the Guards. This past season, she tallied 295 kills, 51 aces, 173 digs and 18 blocks. In her four years at Bell-Jeff, Cervantes tallied 1,026 kills and 217 aces.

During her tenure, Bell-Jeff won four straight league titles, posted a 66-25-2 record, advanced to the playoff quarterfinals twice, the semifinals once and the Division IV-A championship in 2009.

“We’re really, really proud of what she’s done at Bell-Jeff,” Segura said. “She has been a star for us for these four years. She is definitely one of the best who has ever played here.”

WATCH this AMAZING SHOT from Jocelyn!!

Bell-Jeff (14-7-2) advanced to the CIF Division IV-A quarterfinals, losing to No. 1-seeded Hemet, 21-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-14,15-8.

Stephenson was Burroughs’ go-to player all season, as the senior was voted the Pacific League’s Player of the Year.

The Indians (19-4) had a successful season with Stephenson leading the way. Burroughs went undefeated in the Pacific League at 14-0, winning its first crown in four years.

“Whenever we needed a point or we needed a big play we went to Megan,” Burroughs Coach Edwin Real said. “And she usually came through.”

Stephenson had 337 kills and averaged 16 kills at match. In addition, she tallied 117 digs and 27 aces.

Jeff Tully