Page 4 December 26, 2013 Joe’s Sports Cougar Kickers Start Fast With Unbeaten Record By Joe Snyder Hawthorne High’s boys’ soccer team is off to one of its best starts ever with a 7-0 record after crushing host Gardena 10-0 on Dec. 17. The Cougars enter this season with very good depth and experience with 11 seniors on their 16-player roster. Senior Francisco Alvarez is having a good season. He scored four goals against the Panthers, who fell to 1-3-1. Senior Jeremiah Egujie, a transfer from Gardena Serra, added two goals. Another top player for the Cougars is Jason Santana, who was first-team all- Ocean League for Hawthorne, which placed third in league last season. Santana also had two goals against Gardena. Scoring one goal apiece for the Cougars were junior defender Bryan Larios and senior defender William Alvarado. Alvarado also had two assists. Currently, Hawthorne is ranked eighth in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV. The Cougars already recorded key victories over Centinela Valley High School District rivals Leuzinger and Lawndale, and also topped Southern Section ranked teams Lakewood Artesia and Long Beach Wilson. On Dec. 12 at Hawthorne, the Cougars topped Wilson 1-0 on an unassisted goal by Egujie. Hawthorne played in the always prestigious South Torrance Classic that began last Thursday and ran through Monday. The tournament will include several highly regarded squads from host South, defending Southern Section Division VI and Southern California Division III champion Animo Leadership from Inglewood, Bay League power Palos Verdes, Torrance, Redondo, West Torrance, Loyola, Santa Barbara, North Hollywood Harvard- Westlake, Long Beach Millikan, Corona, Ventura and Oxnard Channel Islands. “We’re looking forward to South,” Hawthorne head coach Yuri Najarro said. “We should be able to compete with these teams.” Najarro feels that the Cougars will be in the thick of the Ocean League race with Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. Hawthorne’s Jason Santana puts kick to ball as he is defended in last week’s non-league boys’ soccer action against Gardena. The Cougars rolled over the Panthers 10-0. Photo by Joe Snyder LEUZINGER OUTLASTS MORNINGSIDE Leuzinger High’s boys’ soccer team is off to a good start with a 4-1-1 record after edging host Morningside 3-2 on Dec. 17 in Inglewood. Keying the Olympians was returning first-team all-Bay Leaguer Jose Ortiz with two goals. Nelson Barcenas scored the game-winning goal for Leuzinger. The Olympians should be strong contenders in the very balanced Bay League after finishing fourth last season. Leuzinger made the Southern Section Division I playoffs, winning a wildcard game over Lakewood but falling in the first round. Morningside (4-2) had two goals by Abner Escobar. The Monarchs should contend for a Southern Section Division IV playoff spot from the Ocean League. Morningside begins league at Culver City on January 15 at 6 p.m. ANIMO BLANKS INGLEWOOD Defending CIF-Southern Section Division VI and Southern California Division III champion Animo Leadership High’s boys’ soccer team from Inglewood shut out host Inglewood 3-0 in a non-league match on Dec. 14. The Aztec-Eagles, who improved to 3-1-2, had one goal apiece from Ernesto Lopez, Alfredo Lugo and Eduardo Fuentes. Returning all-CIF goalkeeper Marlon Lemus recorded three saves. Animo also won at Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula 2-0 on Dec. 12. Eduardo Fuentes scored on a free kick and David Esparza added a 30- yard blast for goals for the Aztec Eagles. Esparza is a fourthyear varsity starting player for Animo. Lemus recorded six saves. Currently, Animo is the top-ranked team in Southern Section Division VI. LENNOX BLANKS SERRA Last season, the Lennox Academy boys’ soccer team captured the CIF-Southern Section Division VII title. This year, the Panthers are rebuilding some, but are still ranked ninth in Division VII. They continued from where they left off by shutting out Gardena Serra 4-0 in a non-league match on Dec. 13 at Moffett Elementary School in Lennox. The Panthers were led by Carlos Payeras with two goals. Ed Heeriberto and Michael Adeniyi each had one. HAWTHORNE FALLS TO ORANGEWOOD Hawthorne High’s boys’ basketball team lost in the first round of the Westminster Tournament to Orangewood Academy 76- 67 on Dec. 17. The Cougars, who fell to 2-5, were led by Marlon Towns with 18 points, including five three-point baskets. Markell Gray added 15 points. Following the Westminster Classic, which lasted through last Saturday, the Cougars will not play until a non-league game at St. Bernard in Playa del Rey on Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Hawthorne is at cross-town rival Leuzinger a day later at the same time. Hawthorne begins the Ocean League on Jan. 15 at home against Beverly Hills. INGLEWOOD LOSES AT PENINSULA Over the past two non-league games, Inglewood High’s boys’ basketball team saw a preview of the Bay League and the Sentinels ended up 0-2 after falling to host Peninsula High 62-58 on Dec. 17 in Rolling Hills Estates. Three days earlier at Inglewood, the Sents lost to Redondo 61-47. Inglewood will be in the Bay with both of those schools, along with Mira Costa, Palos Verdes and cross-town rival Morningside beginning in the fall. After making the semifinals of the CIFSouthern Section Division IAA playoffs and the Southern California Regional quarterfinals last season, Inglewood lost all five starters and most of its starters are underclassmen, including two sophomores, one freshman and one junior. Sophomore point guard Terrell Gomez and freshman Miles James lead the Sentinels. • Hawthorne Falls to El Segundo Photos by Shelley Kemp. www.ShelleyKempPhotography.com Kristina Brown releases the ball for a 3 joint attempt. El Segundo puts pressure on Cougar Captain Nutori Johnson. 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Lawndale 12_26_13
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