Around the TRAC: Clovis softball remains undefeated; CN relay team races to No. 1 in state; Cougars, Eagles fall in state basketball playoffs

Undefeated Clovis softball wins Las Vegas Kick-Off Classic

The Clovis softball team won the Las Vegas Kick-Off Classic in dominating fashion, beating Bishop Manogue 9-1 in the championship game behind senior pitcher Danielle Lung. The Cougars are 10-0 and currently ranked No. 9 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. (Courtesy of Clovis Softball)

The Clovis softball girls continued their amazing start to the season by winning the Las Vegas Kick-Off Classic in dominating fashion, whipping Bishop Manogue 9-1 in a game shortened to five innings behind stout pitching from senior Danielle Lung and home runs from Jenna Scorborough and Jordyn Martinez.

Clovis (10-0) breezed through the first four games of the tournament beating Foothill 8-3, Damonte Ranch 8-0, Bishop Gorman 8-2 and West 6-3 before the championship game. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 9 by Cal-Hi Sports and are sure to move up quickly.

“I like the fact that we earned a chance to practice championship atmosphere,” Clovis coach Mike Noel said about playing in the championship game. “Anytime you’re playing in a championship, it’s going to add to the feeling of getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

In the semi-final win over West of Salt Lake City (preseason ranked No. 25 in the nation), Lung was dominant, striking out 15 in the complete game win. The Cougars broke it open in the third inning when Ashley Kincaid doubled in Tori Mueller followed by an RBI double from Martinez and a single by Grace Henson for a 4-0 lead.

When a softball team has a shut-down pitcher like Lung, a Fresno State signee, combined with a dangerous offense, it’s deadly, and this year’s team certainly is; the Cougars have outscored opponents 81-16 on the season.

Check these stats out: Emily Puente is hitting .586 with 13 runs, 19 RBI, 3 2B, 5 HR, Mueller is hitting .464 with 8 RBI, Elaine Caballero .440 with 8 runs and 4 SBs, Scarborough .417 with 8 RBI, Kincaid .400 with 14 runs and 10 RBI and Martinez .364 with 8 runs, 10 RBI.

Noel says that Lung has taken her pitching to another level, a scary thought to be sure, all under the tutelage of Coach Ralph Salazar or “Coach Pops” as he’s affectionately known.

Lung emerged on the Valley softball scene as a freshman, throwing a no-hitter in the 2-0 Valley championship win over Central.

“We are playing so well right now because of the great talent this team has,” said Lung, who has a record of 8-0 to go along with a 1.04 ERA and 89 K in 47 innings. “We spend so much time and effort working hard; this is definitely the most talented team I’ve played with at Clovis High.”

Under coach Noel, the mentality has always been the same for Clovis over the years.

“The girls know we can’t just show up and win, so it has to be more than just that,” continues Noel, who was recently enshrined in the Clovis West Hall of Fame where he starred in football and baseball in the 1980s. “It goes back to that feeling of ‘oneness.’ It takes everyone, whether you’re playing shortstop and batting third in the lineup or warming up the left fielder, you’re an important part of what we’re doing. We believe that.”

Clovis, the defending D-I Valley champ, hosts the Easter Softball Classic March 26-27, then travels to the Whittier Christian Tournament April 4 before league starts on April 10.

Clovis North boys 4x100m relay team No. 1 in state

The Clovis North boys 4x100m relay team has a California-best time of 41.54. The team is made up of senior Kurt Kobzeff, sophomore Caleb Foster, senior Christian Wood and junior Naythn Scruggs. (Courtesy of Clovis North Track & Field)

Don’t sleep on the Clovis North boys track team this season, especially their very impressive 4x100m boys relay team that’s posted some pretty impressive times this early season.

During the Redondo Nike Track Festival on March 9-10, the 4x100m relay team consisting of senior Kurt Kobzeff, sophomore Caleb Foster, senior Christian Wood and junior Naythn Scruggs ran a 41.54, good for the No. 1 time in California. The time also set a school record.

“We’ve been training with each other since the beginning of last summer,” Wood told Milesplit after the race. “We’ve set our mind that we’ve wanted to be the best in the state.”

Foster, the younger brother of current University of Oregon track and field star and Bronco grad Rhesa Foster, also broke two school records in the long jump and in the 110m high hurdles (14.81).

The boys team finished in second place with 93½ points out of 82 total schools who participated in the meet. Great Oak finished in first with 107.

“The kids have been working hard across the board,” Clovis North coach Rich Brazil said. “We are really excited about how the season has progressed so far, the kids are doing great things and are really hungry.”

Clovis West girls fall to Windward in CIF SoCal Open championship

Clovis West’s quest for a second straight CIF basketball state championship reached the Open Southern California Regional Championship against No. 1 Windward, but the resilient Golden Eagles bowed out 61-50 to the Wolverines on March 17 at Long Beach State.

Clovis West (32-4), seeded No. 2, held strong until halftime against Windward (27-3) from Los Angeles, only down 27-26. However, the wheels fell off after the Golden Eagles didn’t hit a field goal for the first seven minutes of the third quarter, falling behind 45-31 entering the fourth.

Clovis West had trouble defending Charisma Osborne, a 5-foot-9 guard who holds multiple D-I college offers from the Pac-12, as the junior scored 22 points in the game, nine rebounds and four steals.

“We played tight in the third quarter and they forced some turnovers that led to easy buckets,” head coach Craig Campbell said. “We finally contained Osborne a bit and a couple of their role players hit big shots. That was a dagger because that’s usually a big quarter for us.”

Clovis West actually outscored the Wildcats, the defending D-I state champs, in the second and fourth quarters.

Maddie Campbell, the daughter of Coach Campbell, scored 18 points in the game and Aari Sanders collected 15 points and eight rebounds.

This year’s team was not supposed to advance this far after graduating five players who went on to play Division I college basketball and finished No. 1 in the nation. Despite having a starting lineup with only one senior (Makayla Warren), three juniors (Campbell, Aari Sanders, Champney Pulliam) and a freshman (Nikki Tom), the Golden Eagles went 10-0 in league and won their sixth straight D-I Valley title.

“What this group accomplished this year was nothing short of remarkable,” Campbell said. “With all we lost from last year and every player stepping into enormously different roles, it was truly an amazing season. We are so proud of the kids and and their growth and equally applaud the efforts and commitment of our staff in the group effort of molding this young and inexperienced team into a champion.”

Clovis girls lose in D-III NorCal final, CN falls in Open SoCal first round

The Clovis girls basketball team seen here at Sacramento State before their state playoff game, lost in the CIF Northern California Regional D-III championship game 59-54 to West Campus High School. The Cougars ended the season 22-13. (Courtesy of Clovis girls basketball)

The magical run for the Clovis girls basketball team came to an end when the No. 7 Cougars lost a hard-fought game versus No. 5 West Campus High School 59-54 in the CIF NorCal D-III championship game.

In the end it was the first quarter that doomed the Cougars who found themselves down 17-8. They would essentially play the Warriors, the defending CIF D-IV champs, even the rest of the way.

The team was led in points by sophomore Avery Evans (16), junior Jasmine Heu (13), senior Taylor Correa (12) and senior Liane Matsunaga (9).

The game ended a surprise, but welcome, rise in the CIF Division III bracket for Clovis who ended the season at 22-13 overall and 5-5 in the rugged TRAC. Clovis West and Clovis North from the TRAC were placed in the CIF Open Division, the top playoff division in the state regardless of school size. The Cougars were placed in D-III even though they lost in the semi-finals to Clovis West in the Central Section D-I bracket, a move that the CIF has the power to do to fill in brackets according to ability.

And speaking of Clovis North, the Broncos were placed in the CIF SoCal Open Division bracket, the same as Clovis West, as the No. 6 seed and traveled to No. 3 Harvard-Westlake to open the playoffs on March 9 and fell 56-44 in Sherman Oaks.

The two teams met on Dec. 23 with Harvard-Westlake winning the first matchup 60-55.

Clovis North (26-6) allowed Harvard-Westlake to open the game on a 12-0 run, a deficit they would fight through admirably, finishing the second quarter on an 11-2 run. The Broncos would then take a 31-30 lead on sophomore Rowan Hein’s basket with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

However, Harvard-Westlake (26-6), would hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter, and the momentum continued into the fourth quarter. The Wolverines of the Mission League would hold on and advance to play No. 2 Clovis West where they would lose on a last-second 3-pointer by Champney Pulliam.

The Broncos return four starters next season with sophomore Hein, leading scorer Savannah Tucker, and juniors Taylor Pilot and Grace Webb.

Paul Meadors is a man of many talents. He is a elementary school teacher, Junior High athletic director, and basketball coach in Traver, CA, in addition to serving as the Sports Editor for the Clovis Roundup. He is also the author of the humorous book “Letters to eBay,” and he has recorded a piano album of his own compositions titled “Surviving the Storm.” He lives in Fresno with wife Lori and daughters Georgie, Alex and Ruthie.