Page 4 November 22, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD By Gregg McMullin The 2017-18 El Segundo High School’s boys soccer team had a magical season that included a CIF championship and a Southern California Regional championship. The soccer championships were the first for the school. The CIF championship banner joins an impressive number of other titles for other sports, including the 1963 basketball championship. Along with success comes the challenge of playing in a higher division. The Eagles won the CIF Southern Section Division 5 championship and were rewarded by moving up two rungs to Division 3 – which is one of the most competitive in the CIF Southern Section. Head coach Andrew Kelley, who was named Coach of the Year, says the move up should be a challenge. However, believes his team will do fine. Kelley is referring to a team roster that returns all but three seniors who have graduated and only one of those was a starter. Though the Eagles return nearly everyone, there is one player who could be sidelined for a number of weeks due to an injury sustained playing football. Junior defender Christophe Charles, the reigning CIF Player of the Year, has an injury that could keep him out of action until January. Kelley is adamant when he says last season’s James Amerault returns as one of the South Bay’s top goalkeepers. Photo by Gregg McMullin. The Lady Eagles placed third at the Cross Country CIF Finals. Photo by Marcos Bolanos. success wasn’t predicated on one superstar leading the team, but rather on a team concept. “We didn’t have one guy leading us. We relied on everyone doing their job and making the guy next to him better,” he said. According to Kelley, the team needs to continue to focus and keep its composure in order to remain successful. This was a defensive-minded unit last year. Now with an attack-minded offense, this season will present more scoring opportunities. “We will be an exciting team to watch,” Kelley said. The Eagles will need to find a replacement for Charles on the back line. Kelley has been auditioning players to find the perfect fit, but in his words there isn’t a perfect scenario. He does believe that with so many good athletes on the 23-player roster, a replacement can be found. “We might have to alter the lineup, but this is a team of unselfish players who play for one goal -- to win,” he said. The offense will be exciting to watch as the Eagles stretch the field. Forward Jack Finders was one of the Eagles’ top scorers throughout last year’s playoffs. Malcolm Holtzmann-Cisse returns at forward and has a knack to getting open close inside. Abraham Hernandez, Denis Vezina and Andre Hernandez give the Eagles depth at forward. Midfielder Casey Lund was a key component last season with his ball-handling skills. With his versatility, he could move into a defensive spot. Others at the midfield position include Caden Schepps and Alejandro Martinez, who are both coming off a season when they were injured. Seth Thompson, Matt Sautter, Dante Bower and Sam Twigg each add their experience and speed to an important part of the offense. On defense Logan Pismopulous, Kamini Ewing and Nate Salazar help shore up the back line, though others could fill in. James Amerault returns in goal and was one of the South Bay’s top keepers a season ago. Nate Abroms will back up Amerault, but should see plenty of action. The outlook for this year’s team, according to Kelley, is another solid season. Can they repeat as a CIF champion? Only time will tell, but they certainly have the players and coaching to be competitive. Kelley would like to do something the team didn’t accomplish last season and that’s to win the Ocean League. The Eagles have a demanding schedule, but should be competitive. They open their season by hosting Torrance on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and play at Bay League favorite Redondo on Thursday. El Segundo returns to play its last home game of 2018 on December 4, when it will host Pioneer League favorite West Torrance at 3 p.m. Girls Cross Country Third in CIF The Lady Eagles had a great showing at the CIF-Southern Section Cross Country championship meet. El Segundo placed third and will qualify for the State championship meet for the third consecutive year. Nikki Fulcomer ran perhaps her best race of the year and that helped propel her team to the podium. James Matlosz, Gabby Lee, Sophia Zago, Tyler Matlosz, Letina Daniel and Erin Rifkin each ran a calculated race and joined Fulcomer on the podium. The Lady Eagles will journey to Fresno on Saturday to run in the CIF State Cross Country championship meet. The boys team finished out of position to advance to the state meet. Junior standout Arend Verfaillie finished just short of qualifying as an individual even with his time. Verfaillie ran 15:52, which is second only to former Eagle standout Gavin Glynn’s school record. Girls Basketball Starts The Lady Eagles started their season by splitting their first two games with a win against South Torrance, 44-31, and a loss to Palos Verdes. The victory against South Torrance started the coaching era of John Peterson. He takes over for Randy Kiehm, who stepped down when he took on a new job. El Segundo took care of the Spartans with outside shooting and good defense in a different style of play. Malia Hue gave her team a 16-8 lead with a long three-pointer. When the Spartans cut into the lead Kristin Tsubaki, got open for a three-pointer and a 21-17 lead. Freshman guard Bo Takehara drained one from long distance to provide a 28-19 halftime lead. In the second half, Storey Noble’s threepointer gave El Segundo a 36-23 advantage and the largest lead of the game. The play was set up with crisp and precise passing before Noble sank one of the team’s 10 three-pointers in the game. When the Spartans would make a run, the Lady Eagles came up with a three-pointer. Hanna Chang and Reese Jones did just that in the fourth quarter. Jones led all scorers with 14 points. Jordan Peterson and Noble each had six points, while Kayla Smith-Petty had eight rebounds. Boys Basketball Gets Season Going in Tournament The Eagles started their season off by playing in the Battle of Rosecrans Tournament. The Eagles went 2-3 in the tournament and faced four teams that should be playoff-bound come February. El Segundo lost a close one to Beckman and a heartbreaker to Norwalk, both top CIF-SS 3AA Division teams. Convincing wins over Foothill and Glenn gives Eagle head coach David March confidence that the team will do well this season. The Eagles play in the El Monte Thanksgiving Tournament this week and will face South Pasadena and Nogales in the early rounds. The Eagles will play their only home game before January on Friday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. • Eagles Boys Soccer Team Preview Malcolm Holtzmann-Cisse (on left) seen here battling Hesperia’s Emmanuel Benitez in the CIF State final, will help lead an exciting El Segundo offense. Photo by Gregg McMullin. Arend Verfaillie ran an impressive race in the Cross Country CIF finals. Photo by Marcos Bolanos. Nikki Fulcomer and James Matlosz led their team to a CIF-Southern Section Cross Country third place finish. Photo by Marcos Bolanos. El Segundo Herald* • Hawthorne Press Tribune* Inglewood Daily News* • Lawndale News* El Segundo Office • 500 Center St. • El Segundo • CA • 90245 Phone: (310) 322-1830 • Fax: (310) 322-2787 • www.heraldpublications.com *Our papers are legally recognized and adjudicated newspapers of general circulation Staff and Departments Editor-in-Chief: Heidi Maerker Classifieds: Clara Nilles • class@heraldpublications.com DBA: Debbie Waite • dba@heraldpublications.com • For Fictitious Business Name (DBAs) filings Graphic Design: Michael Gonzales • ads@heraldpublications.com Legals: Debbie Waite • legalnotices@heraldpublications.com Letters to the Editor: letters@heraldpublications.com Marketing: Debbie Waite • marketing@heraldpublications.com Press Releases: pr@heraldpublications.com For press releases, Herald In travel photos and general photos Real Estate: Clara Nilles • graphics@heraldpublications.com • For new realtors, contracts, ads Website contact: web@heraldpublications.com For comments or announcements (weddings, engagements, obituaries) Contributing Writers: Haleemon Anderson, Derrick Deane,TerriAnn Ferren, Greg McMullin, Duane Plank, Adam Serrao, Brian Simon, Cristian Vasquez
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