2003 SPORTS: 12 SCHOOL TEAMS EXCELLED THIS YEAR REGION DID WELL IN CHAMPIONSHIPS.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer In what was certainly one of the most successful years in recent memory, regional high schools did the area proud in 2003. A record 12 local teams qualified for the Southern Section championships, including Div. II Hart, which made it to the finals for the sixth consecutive year. In Div. III, Palmdale qualified for a football final for the first time in the school's 53-year history. ``I think it's quite a milestone,'' coach Jeff Williams For the poker player, see . For the physician, see . For the astronaut, see . Jeff Williams (born June 6, 1972 in Canberra) is an Australian-born, left-handed pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. said. Palmdale's opponent, perennial power Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, made a return to the championship game for the second year in a row after finishing 14-0 to win the title in 2002. In Div. IV, Westlake also returned to the championship game for a rematch with St. Bonaventure of Ventura. The Div. XI and Div. XII finals featured regional teams facing one another in rematches from the regular season, as Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Oak Park both qualified for the Div. XI championship, while Bible Bowl rivals L.A. Baptist of North Hills and Village Christian of Sun Valley went head to head in the Div. XII final. Other section football finalists included Div. XIII Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge, and eight-man entry Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Christian. Plus, Loyola of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , which plays home games in Glendale, qualified for the prestigious Div. I final. ``The Valley had a lot of teams. The level of play was way up this year,'' Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons said. ``Usually, if there's that many teams from the area, it's Orange County or the Inland Empire In·land Empire A region of the northwest United States between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, comprising eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Farming, lumbering, and mining are important to the area. . I think this year was by far the most ever from the Valley area.'' The region found success in other major sports, as well. In baseball, Chatsworth won the City Section title, while Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. won the Southern Section Div. II title and Crespi of Encino won the Div. III title. Plus, a milestone was achieved in the annual Daily News Bernie Milligan All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games when nine East pitchers combined on the event's first-ever no-hitter. The most successful individual athlete might have been Valencia resident Allyson Felix Allyson Felix (born November 18, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States in the 200 meters. Felix, born and raised in southern California, is also a devout Christian and is the daughter of an ordained from L.A. Baptist. She was among the nation's fastest girls' sprinters, breaking several records held by Olympian Marion Jones. After devouring the competition at the section and state level, Felix qualified for the World Championships in Paris. She was named Cal-Hi Sports athlete of the year Athlete of the Year
In basketball, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, led by Bryce Taylor, was the winningest boys' program, while Hart, led by Ashlee Trebilcock, was the top girls' program. In wrestling, Daniel Valencia of Camarillo finished second in the State Championships in Stockton, one of the top performances in regional history. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Allyson Felix Cal-Hi Sports athlete of year (2) Top sprinter Allyson Felix, a Valencia resident who attends L.A. Baptist, qualified for the World Championships in Paris. |
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