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LOOKING BACK:
SMALL SCHOOLS:A leaner season for small schools
Number of playoff teams and All-Area selections down from recent years, as various small programs found it difficult to keep up with past success in 2008-09 school year.
By Gabriel Rizk
This is the fifth of eight consecutive editions in which the News-Press looks back at the area’s 2008-09 seasons, school by school, before looking ahead at the year to come.
While several programs showed improvement and/or reached the postseason, 2008-09 just didn’t boast the same type of overachieving success for the area’s small schools that previous recent years did.
Renaissance Academy, arguably the most decorated boys’ basketball program in area lore after extending a series of deep playoff runs with last season’s appearance in the CIF-State title game, failed to make the playoffs this season, while trying to rebuild with a nearly all-new roster.
Likewise, the Holy Family soccer team saw a more modest streak of playoff appearances come to an end and the Gaels basketball team came just one win away from making the postseason itself.
But there were some success stories, such as the girls’ basketball and boys’ volleyball teams from Glendale Adventist Academy, which both made the playoffs, and the Holy Family volleyball team that made a third-straight playoff appearance despite dealing with a midseason coaching change.
The good, the bad, the disappointments and the triumphs are relived as they happened here:
Sept. 16, 2008 — The Glendale Adventist girls’ volleyball team wins its first match of the season, sweeping Orangewood Academy to improve to 1-1, while the Holy Family volleyball team sweeps St. Genevieve for its first win of the campaign.
Oct. 2, 2008 — Behind nine kills and two aces from Tiare Smith, the Holy Family volleyball team extends its winning streak to three with a sweep of Sacred Heart of Jesus in its Horizon League opener.
Oct. 30, 2008 — One day after the resignation of first-year Coach Michael Godoy, the Holy Family volleyball team rallies to sweep San Gabriel Mission and clinch a playoff spot behind six kills and three aces from Smith.
“It was devastating for some of us,” Holy Family senior libero Racquel Valenzuela said. “Just for us not to have a coach toward the end of the season is a big deal for us.”
Ernest Siy and David Woo stepped in for Godoy for the remainder of the season.
Nov. 6, 2008 — The Glendale Adventist girls’ volleyball team loses its league and season finale, 3-0, to San Gabriel Academy to conclude its season at 2-12, 1-11 in league.
Nov. 11, 2008 — After finishing third in the Horizon League, the Holy Family volleyball team (8-10, 4-4) is eliminated in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs, 25-17, 25-17, 25-11, by La Sierra Academy.
“They went through so much this year,” Woo said. “At the end of the day, I was proud of the team.”
Racquel Valenzuela has 20 digs for the Gaels, Smith has nine kills and Michelle Siefert has 10 assists.
Smith and Valenzuela are later named to the All-Horizon League first team for volleyball. Clarisa Romero makes the second team.
Nov. 15, 2008 — Holy Family’s Gladys Hernandez places 60th in the first heat of the CIF Southern Section Division IV cross-country prelims.
Dec. 2, 2008 — Fresh off a run to the CIF-State Division V finals, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team opens its season with a narrow 47-46 win over Roosevelt in the Burbank Tip-Off Classic. Derrick Simms leads a largely all-new lineup with 18 points.
Dec. 4, 2008 — Jennifer Fisher scores 15 points to spark the Holy Family basketball team to a 42-20 win over L.A. Lutheran, the team’s first win of the season in two tries.
Dec. 5, 2009 — The Holy Family soccer team kicks off its season with a 4-3 nonleague win over Providence.
Dec. 8, 2008 — The Holy Family basketball team improves to 2-1 with 38-17 win over Glendale Adventist Academy.
Dec. 30, 2008 — Behind 12 points from Dushon Carter and seven points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks from Bryan Bourgeois, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team captures the San Gabriel High Tournament championship with a 54-45 win in an intracity showdown with Flintridge Prep.
“It’s the first time this season in which the guys are healthy and being able to play to their capabilities,” said Renaissance Coach Sid Cooke, whose team improved to 6-7 with the win. “We are starting to come around, and we will be OK. We are on our way to being a pretty good team.”
Jan. 6, 2009 — Behind 16 points from Fisher, the Holy Family basketball team wins its Horizon League opener, 45-40, over Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Jan. 13 — A shutout performance by the Gaels’ defense leads to a 4-0 nonleague win over Hillcrest Christian for the Holy Family soccer team.
Jan. 20 — The Holy Family soccer team ties Bishop Conaty-Loretto, 4-4, for its first point in the Horizon League.
Jan. 22 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ basketball team sweats out a 47-46 Westside League win at home over Highland Hall.
Jan. 24 — The Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team defeats Granite Hills, 50-45, in the prestigious War on the Floor showcase at Santa Monica City College to improve to 8-9.
Feb. 5 — A 38-22 win over New Community Jewish at home extends the Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ basketball team’s winning streak to three games.
Also on this day, the Holy Family soccer team’s season ends with a 4-1 league loss to Bishop Conaty-Loretto. The Gaels finish the year 2-12-1 with a an 0-6-1 mark in league and end a two-year streak of playoff appearances.
Monet Estrada and Rossy Gutierrez are later named to the All-Horizon League girls’ soccer second team.
Feb. 7 — After dropping three straight in league, the Holy Family basketball team extends its league winning streak to three games with a 40-35 win over Bishop-Conaty Loretto to improve to 4-3 for a second-place tie in league. Gayle Lachica and Shabby Talab each score 11 points.
Feb. 11 — With a chance to wrap up a playoff berth outright, the Holy Family girls’ basketball team loses to Alverno, 45-31, dropping into a tie for third place at 4-4 on the last day of the regular season, setting up a play-in game against Sacred Heart of Jesus for the league’s last playoff spot.
Feb. 12 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ basketball team falls to New Community Jewish, 57-28, in the final game of the regular season to close the year at 7-10 with a 7-7 mark in the Westside League for fifth place.
Feb. 13 — With an at-large playoff berth possibly on the line, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team ends its regular season with a 57-45 road win over Ribet Academy for its 10th win of the campaign.
Carter leads the way with 18 points and Simms sinks two key baskets late in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats pull away.
“Just finishing strong at the end of the year with all the things we went through is a plus for me,” Cooke said.
Also on this day, the Holy Family basketball team falls, 36-30, to Sacred Heart of Jesus in a play-in game for third place in the Horizon League and the right to go to the postseason.
“It’s a game of breaks, and some of them didn’t go our way,” said Siy, the Holy Family coach. “I told them before the fourth quarter that this is our season. I’m proud of the effort that we put in [this season].”
Adriana Quintero and Gayle Lachica are later named to the All-Horizon League girls’ basketball team, while Shabby Talab makes the second-team.
Feb. 15 — CIF Southern Section playoff pairings are released for boys’ basketball with a notable snub: The Renaissance Academy basketball team’s petition for an at-large berth is denied despite the Wildcats ending the season ranked 13th in Division V-AA and amassing 10 wins.
“I’ve never seen a ranked team not make [the playoffs], but that’s the politics we have to play,” said Cooke, who also said that CIF cited a filing error in the petition as grounds for denial. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re freelance that we don’t get the respect that other league members do, but I am surprised.”
The end of the 2008-09 season marked the end of a lengthy run of playoff appearances for Renaissance, including four consecutive appearances in the CIF semifinals and a run to the state championship game.
Feb. 19 — Despite 11 points from Michelle Eclar and eight from Clarissa David, the Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ basketball team suffers a 60-28 road loss to Thacher in the first round of the CIF Southern Section VI-AA playoffs.
“We were in it, but they just got a big lead in the end,” Glendale Adventist Coach Cherene Toscano said.
The Cougars finish the season 6-10 and 6-6 in league for fourth place.
March 6 — Freshman pitcher Rachel Turner allows two hits over five innings to lead the Holy Family softball team to an 8-3 win over Providence in its season opener.
“We’re still learning, we’ve got a young team,” said first-year Gaels Coach Greg Ziomek, who inherited a team that won just one game in 2008. “The young pitchers that we have, you can see they’ve got talent, but we’ve gotta develop it.”
March 14 — The Holy Family softball team continues its red-hot start to the season with a 3-2 win over Long Beach Cabrillo in the Downey Tournament that improves the Gaels’ record to 5-1.
April 7 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ volleyball team improves to 2-2 in Westside League play with a comeback 3-2 win over Armenian General Benevolent Union after losing the first two games.
Senior outside hitter Stuart Budge leads the way with 12 kills and six aces.
April 21 — With a 6-1 Horizon League win over Bishop Conaty-Loretto, the Holy Family softball team breaks an eight-game losing streak. Unfortunately for the Gaels, it’s one of only two games they win down the stretch to finish the year at 7-13 and 2-6 in league.
Freshman utility Elena Lomeli and senior catcher Adriana Quintero are later named to the All-Horizon League softball first team.
May 15 — After finishing the season 10-6 (9-5 in league), the Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ volleyball team makes the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs, where it is eliminated on the road in the first round, 3-2, by Fillmore.
“It was very exciting, it was an up-and-down match, but when [the Cougars] played well, they were on top of it,” first-year Glendale Adventist Coach Hugo Gomez said. “It was a dramatic improvement from the start to the end of the season. I’m really proud.”
While several programs showed improvement and/or reached the postseason, 2008-09 just didn’t boast the same type of overachieving success for the area’s small schools that previous recent years did.
Renaissance Academy, arguably the most decorated boys’ basketball program in area lore after extending a series of deep playoff runs with last season’s appearance in the CIF-State title game, failed to make the playoffs this season, while trying to rebuild with a nearly all-new roster.
Likewise, the Holy Family soccer team saw a more modest streak of playoff appearances come to an end and the Gaels basketball team came just one win away from making the postseason itself.
But there were some success stories, such as the girls’ basketball and boys’ volleyball teams from Glendale Adventist Academy, which both made the playoffs, and the Holy Family volleyball team that made a third-straight playoff appearance despite dealing with a midseason coaching change.
The good, the bad, the disappointments and the triumphs are relived as they happened here:
Sept. 16, 2008 — The Glendale Adventist girls’ volleyball team wins its first match of the season, sweeping Orangewood Academy to improve to 1-1, while the Holy Family volleyball team sweeps St. Genevieve for its first win of the campaign.
Oct. 2, 2008 — Behind nine kills and two aces from Tiare Smith, the Holy Family volleyball team extends its winning streak to three with a sweep of Sacred Heart of Jesus in its Horizon League opener.
Oct. 30, 2008 — One day after the resignation of first-year Coach Michael Godoy, the Holy Family volleyball team rallies to sweep San Gabriel Mission and clinch a playoff spot behind six kills and three aces from Smith.
“It was devastating for some of us,” Holy Family senior libero Racquel Valenzuela said. “Just for us not to have a coach toward the end of the season is a big deal for us.”
Ernest Siy and David Woo stepped in for Godoy for the remainder of the season.
Nov. 6, 2008 — The Glendale Adventist girls’ volleyball team loses its league and season finale, 3-0, to San Gabriel Academy to conclude its season at 2-12, 1-11 in league.
Nov. 11, 2008 — After finishing third in the Horizon League, the Holy Family volleyball team (8-10, 4-4) is eliminated in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs, 25-17, 25-17, 25-11, by La Sierra Academy.
“They went through so much this year,” Woo said. “At the end of the day, I was proud of the team.”
Racquel Valenzuela has 20 digs for the Gaels, Smith has nine kills and Michelle Siefert has 10 assists.
Smith and Valenzuela are later named to the All-Horizon League first team for volleyball. Clarisa Romero makes the second team.
Nov. 15, 2008 — Holy Family’s Gladys Hernandez places 60th in the first heat of the CIF Southern Section Division IV cross-country prelims.
Dec. 2, 2008 — Fresh off a run to the CIF-State Division V finals, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team opens its season with a narrow 47-46 win over Roosevelt in the Burbank Tip-Off Classic. Derrick Simms leads a largely all-new lineup with 18 points.
Dec. 4, 2008 — Jennifer Fisher scores 15 points to spark the Holy Family basketball team to a 42-20 win over L.A. Lutheran, the team’s first win of the season in two tries.
Dec. 5, 2009 — The Holy Family soccer team kicks off its season with a 4-3 nonleague win over Providence.
Dec. 8, 2008 — The Holy Family basketball team improves to 2-1 with 38-17 win over Glendale Adventist Academy.
Dec. 30, 2008 — Behind 12 points from Dushon Carter and seven points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks from Bryan Bourgeois, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team captures the San Gabriel High Tournament championship with a 54-45 win in an intracity showdown with Flintridge Prep.
“It’s the first time this season in which the guys are healthy and being able to play to their capabilities,” said Renaissance Coach Sid Cooke, whose team improved to 6-7 with the win. “We are starting to come around, and we will be OK. We are on our way to being a pretty good team.”
Jan. 6, 2009 — Behind 16 points from Fisher, the Holy Family basketball team wins its Horizon League opener, 45-40, over Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Jan. 13 — A shutout performance by the Gaels’ defense leads to a 4-0 nonleague win over Hillcrest Christian for the Holy Family soccer team.
Jan. 20 — The Holy Family soccer team ties Bishop Conaty-Loretto, 4-4, for its first point in the Horizon League.
Jan. 22 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ basketball team sweats out a 47-46 Westside League win at home over Highland Hall.
Jan. 24 — The Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team defeats Granite Hills, 50-45, in the prestigious War on the Floor showcase at Santa Monica City College to improve to 8-9.
Feb. 5 — A 38-22 win over New Community Jewish at home extends the Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ basketball team’s winning streak to three games.
Also on this day, the Holy Family soccer team’s season ends with a 4-1 league loss to Bishop Conaty-Loretto. The Gaels finish the year 2-12-1 with a an 0-6-1 mark in league and end a two-year streak of playoff appearances.
Monet Estrada and Rossy Gutierrez are later named to the All-Horizon League girls’ soccer second team.
Feb. 7 — After dropping three straight in league, the Holy Family basketball team extends its league winning streak to three games with a 40-35 win over Bishop-Conaty Loretto to improve to 4-3 for a second-place tie in league. Gayle Lachica and Shabby Talab each score 11 points.
Feb. 11 — With a chance to wrap up a playoff berth outright, the Holy Family girls’ basketball team loses to Alverno, 45-31, dropping into a tie for third place at 4-4 on the last day of the regular season, setting up a play-in game against Sacred Heart of Jesus for the league’s last playoff spot.
Feb. 12 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ basketball team falls to New Community Jewish, 57-28, in the final game of the regular season to close the year at 7-10 with a 7-7 mark in the Westside League for fifth place.
Feb. 13 — With an at-large playoff berth possibly on the line, the Renaissance Academy boys’ basketball team ends its regular season with a 57-45 road win over Ribet Academy for its 10th win of the campaign.
Carter leads the way with 18 points and Simms sinks two key baskets late in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats pull away.
“Just finishing strong at the end of the year with all the things we went through is a plus for me,” Cooke said.
Also on this day, the Holy Family basketball team falls, 36-30, to Sacred Heart of Jesus in a play-in game for third place in the Horizon League and the right to go to the postseason.
“It’s a game of breaks, and some of them didn’t go our way,” said Siy, the Holy Family coach. “I told them before the fourth quarter that this is our season. I’m proud of the effort that we put in [this season].”
Adriana Quintero and Gayle Lachica are later named to the All-Horizon League girls’ basketball team, while Shabby Talab makes the second-team.
Feb. 15 — CIF Southern Section playoff pairings are released for boys’ basketball with a notable snub: The Renaissance Academy basketball team’s petition for an at-large berth is denied despite the Wildcats ending the season ranked 13th in Division V-AA and amassing 10 wins.
“I’ve never seen a ranked team not make [the playoffs], but that’s the politics we have to play,” said Cooke, who also said that CIF cited a filing error in the petition as grounds for denial. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re freelance that we don’t get the respect that other league members do, but I am surprised.”
The end of the 2008-09 season marked the end of a lengthy run of playoff appearances for Renaissance, including four consecutive appearances in the CIF semifinals and a run to the state championship game.
Feb. 19 — Despite 11 points from Michelle Eclar and eight from Clarissa David, the Glendale Adventist Academy girls’ basketball team suffers a 60-28 road loss to Thacher in the first round of the CIF Southern Section VI-AA playoffs.
“We were in it, but they just got a big lead in the end,” Glendale Adventist Coach Cherene Toscano said.
The Cougars finish the season 6-10 and 6-6 in league for fourth place.
March 6 — Freshman pitcher Rachel Turner allows two hits over five innings to lead the Holy Family softball team to an 8-3 win over Providence in its season opener.
“We’re still learning, we’ve got a young team,” said first-year Gaels Coach Greg Ziomek, who inherited a team that won just one game in 2008. “The young pitchers that we have, you can see they’ve got talent, but we’ve gotta develop it.”
March 14 — The Holy Family softball team continues its red-hot start to the season with a 3-2 win over Long Beach Cabrillo in the Downey Tournament that improves the Gaels’ record to 5-1.
April 7 — The Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ volleyball team improves to 2-2 in Westside League play with a comeback 3-2 win over Armenian General Benevolent Union after losing the first two games.
Senior outside hitter Stuart Budge leads the way with 12 kills and six aces.
April 21 — With a 6-1 Horizon League win over Bishop Conaty-Loretto, the Holy Family softball team breaks an eight-game losing streak. Unfortunately for the Gaels, it’s one of only two games they win down the stretch to finish the year at 7-13 and 2-6 in league.
Freshman utility Elena Lomeli and senior catcher Adriana Quintero are later named to the All-Horizon League softball first team.
May 15 — After finishing the season 10-6 (9-5 in league), the Glendale Adventist Academy boys’ volleyball team makes the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs, where it is eliminated on the road in the first round, 3-2, by Fillmore.
“It was very exciting, it was an up-and-down match, but when [the Cougars] played well, they were on top of it,” first-year Glendale Adventist Coach Hugo Gomez said. “It was a dramatic improvement from the start to the end of the season. I’m really proud.”
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