by André Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com
With Claremont High School Sports spanning the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, there’s a lot to recap as we reach the end of 2022.
Winter sports programs of the year on CHS and Webb included title winners.
Claremont High School’s girls’ soccer team clinched the Palomares League title after a 1-0 win at Alta Loma, sealing a perfect 10-0 league run. The team fell to Villa Park 1-0 in the second round of the CIF-South Section Division I post-season tournament.
The CHS men’s soccer team placed second in the Palomares League before losing to Riverside Polytechnic High, 3-1, in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division IV tournament.
CHS senior striker Roman Robles finishes for a chance during the Liga Palomares championship game against Alta Loma on Oct. Claremont lost to the Braves in the final 17-10. COURIER photo/Andrew Alonzo.
The Wolfpack women’s basketball team bounced back in style last season. After several years of finishing fourth and fifth in the Palomares League, Claremont clinched the league title with a 56-34 win at Ayala. Later in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3AA playoff tournament, the team suffered a second round loss at home against Cerritos 52-46.
Coach Chilavo Anderson told COURIER at the end of the season: “I have no doubt that we are the team to beat next year.” Flash forward to the present and he’s right: Claremont is currently on an 11-game winning streak following their 39-22 victory in Corona del Mar on Dec. 16.
In March, the Webb School’s women’s soccer program made history: the Gauls brought home the Division V CIF-Southern California Regional title and the Division VI CIF-Southern Section title – the school’s first CIF titles – after winning Arrowhead Christian Academy, 3-2, at home twice a week. Webb finished the season with a perfect 20-0 record and the San Joaquin League title.
The Webb Schools Girls’ Soccer team celebrates with hugs and cheers after defeating Arrowhead Christian in the Division VI CIF-Southern Section championship game on Saturday, February 26th. the title. COURIER photo/Andrew Alonzo.
In April, Claremont High’s baseball team finished Palomares League play in fifth place with a 5-10 league record, 11-15 overall. The Wolfpack softball team finished fourth with a 6-9 record, 11-10 overall.
In May, the CHS men’s tennis team won its seventh consecutive Liga Palomares title with an easy home victory over Alta Loma 17-1. The team posted a perfect 10-0 league record and for the first time competed in the CIF-SS Open Division team tournament. The Pack lost in Corona del Mar 10–8 in the first round, ending a 17–2 season.
CHS men’s golf also won the Palomares League title in May.
On May 27, CHS junior Benjamin Schulz, who has only one arm, took home gold as state champion in the men’s 400 meter dash at the Ambulatorial Athletics Division Pará CIF-State Championships with a time of 1:01.68.
The pre-season action began between August and September.
In September, the CHS and Webb football programs began their respective seasons. By the end of October, CHS were champions of the San Antonio League, while Webb finished fifth in Manzanita League play.
Webb finished 2–4 in the league, 2–5 overall.
Claremont’s stellar season came to an end on 11 November with a 12-7 second round defeat at home to Mayfair in the CIF-SS Division VII playoff tournament. Claremont finished with a perfect 3-0 league record, 8-3 overall.
The Webb and Claremont women’s golf teams have both had solid years. The Wolfpack were runners-up in the Liga Palomares, while the Gauls took home the Liga San Joaquin title. On October 31, CHS Girls ranked 15th out of 20 schools in the CIF-SS Division I Team Championship. Webb placed third in the CIF-SS Division IV Team Championship.
November Claremont Men’s Water Polo team was runner-up for the Palomares League title, and Webb brought home his first Mountain View League title since 2016. Each played in the postseason but left early.
Cross-country boys and girls also ended their seasons in November. At CHS, the women’s program won an incredible ninth straight Palomares League title. The Webb men’s team also won a title this year in the San Joaquin League. The CHS women’s team placed second in the Division II CIF-SS qualifiers, fifth in the finals, and 12th in the state championship. The men’s Pack team qualified for the Division II CIF-SS qualifiers and placed sixth. Webb’s men’s team raced in the CIF-SS Division V qualifiers, placing second, and in the finals, finishing 13th. After earning San Joaquin League MVP, Webb’s freshman Nicole Samson won the CIF-SS Division V playoffs before moving on to the Finals, where she finished ninth. She ended her season with a 390th-place finish out of a field of 198 at the state championships.
As fall sports ended, basketball, football, water polo and mixed wrestling increased.
In early December, COURIER started a new feature by naming its Male and Female Athletes of the Year at Claremont High and Webb. The inaugural CHS cohort featured senior soccer player Caden Campuzano and junior cross-country captain Denise Jie Yi Chen. Webb’s winners were sophomore water polo player Scott Wishek and freshman cross-country runner Nicole Samson.
Wrapping up 2022, the community found that the CHS men’s soccer program was left in good hands following the departure of longtime varsity head coach Fred Bruce-Oliver. So far, Eddie Flores has kept the Wolfpack undefeated through his first seven games in charge, which have included a 3-0 home win over rivals Riverside Polytechnic High School on Dec. 9.
Webb Women’s Soccer has held onto its wins and is currently 8-0 to start the season. The team recently broke the CIF-SS record for most consecutive wins by a women’s program. The team is currently on a 28-game winning streak following a Dec. 15 win over Glendora 3-0.
From seasoned teams led by seniors chasing a title to young teams looking to make a name for themselves in the coming months and years, there’s a lot to look forward to in high school sports in 2023 and beyond.
