BOYS' SOCCER: EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF FOR KNIGHT IN HESPERIA TOURNAMENT.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writer

The years of struggling against older, more experienced teams finally paid off for the Knight High boys' soccer team. The Hawks claimed the program's first varsity tournament championship on Saturday at the Hesperia tournament.

``We had a lot of talent throughout the years,'' coach Rick Myers said.

``It's just bringing it together. Now we're at the point where we definitely are going out to win every game.''

Many of the players are seniors who have been together since they were freshmen at the new school.

Goalkeeper Ricky Pittsinger is one of those players. Although he got banged up on a play in the semifinal and did not play during regulation of the final, he was back in goal for a shootout that clinched the title. Knight won three consecutive games on shootouts.

The Hawks clinched the title by edging Apple Valley 8-7 in penalty kicks after having played to a 1-1 tie. Earlier in the day, Knight beat Granite Hills 6-5 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie in the semifinal.

``It was a big weekend for us,'' Myers said. ``The guys really celebrated.''

Among others contributing to the Hawks' tournament success was Adam Acosta, who made seven saves as goalkeeper during the semifinal. Nery Lopez scored the winning goal in the final.

Junior Julio Lopez is the team's leading scorer.

Another champion: Paraclete won the Western Christian tournament with a 4-3 victory over Beckman of Irvine on Monday in San Bernardino.

The Spirits (5-3) scored three goals in the second half to overcome a 3-1 deficit. Spencer Ammerman scored the winning goal in the 75th minute for his first goal of the season.

Welcome aboard: Quartz Hill newcomer Facundo Gomez didn't waste any time making his presence known. Gomez scored twice Thursday in his debut with the Rebels, helping them to a 4-1 victory at Saugus.

Scoring machine: Palmdale graduated one of the most prolific scorers in program history, but the Falcons haven't had to look far to find a replacement for Jose Garay, who led last season's Golden League champions with a league-high 34 goals. Senior forward Christian Hernandez has stepped up to keep the Falcons' scoring spree going this season.

Hernandez scored four goals in a game twice last week, netting four goals in a Dec. 5 win over Paraclete and four more goals and an assist Thursday in a victory over Burroughs of Ridgcrest.

A week earlier, Hernandez's value to the team was evident though his absence. He missed a day of the Paso Robles tournament because he was taking the SAT, and Palmdale lost its only game of the tournament en route to a third-place finish.

In the rankings: The first Southern Section rankings of the season were released Monday and Antelope Valley teams were represented in more than one division. Palmdale is No. 4 in Div. I, and Mojave is No. 2 in Div. VI, where Rosamond is ranked seventh.

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