Track and field: League championships rundown

In case you've missed it, there has been a track-and-field palooza going on all over the Southland the last few days. Here's a quick rundown of some of the more notable performances to come out of the plethora of league championship meets in the SF Valley/North region:

• ALPHA LEAGUE -- Plenty of high Spirits as Paraclete dominated the meet. Melanise Chapman won in the 100 and 200 meters and freshman teammate Melissa Bauer finished first in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Click here for complete results.

• CHANNEL LEAGUE -- Lyndsay Pearson is one of the most well-rounded athletes in the region. The San Marcos senior won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and also took first in the triple jump. Dos Pueblos freshman Nicholas Scarvelis won the discus and the shotput. Results

Baseball: South Hills calls coaching audible, or did it?

Is South Hills football Coach Steve Bogan is coaching the school's baseball team? Is he still coaching the football team? Is he really the new baseball coach?

It seems that Fred Robledo of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune accidentally started a ruckus on his blog this week with a seemingly innocent post asking whether Bogan was in the dugout this week. The comments have ranged from comical, to informative to down right nasty, with most of the negativity directed at South Hills Coach Kevin Smith and Robledo.

Softball: It's not quite a dynasty at Gahr but it's close

Some dynasties last for decades or even centuries. Some are smaller and exist for a few years.

What's happening at Gahr is not yet dynastic but it's getting there. Gahr has clinched at least a share of the San Gabriel Valley League title and most likely will win it outright for the second consecutive year.  The Gladiators (15-11, 8-0) have a two-game lead over Downey with two games left. They are also a combined 18-0 in league in the last two seasons.

If next year is anything like the previous two, then you can officially call Gahr a dynasty.

-- Anthony Stitt

Volleyball: How long has it been since Torrance last wore a crown?

Let's play a quick game of "Guess the Year." Here are your three clues ...

1. The winter Olympics were held in Calgary.

2. Some guy named Kirk Gibson hit a pretty big World Series home run for the Dodgers.

3. Torrance boys' volleyball won its last league title before winning one this week.

For the answer, click this link right here...

Baseball: Moorpark keeps itself in the postseason hunt

Westlake Coach Zach Miller warned me months ago that anything could happen in the Marmonte League, and that's exactly what happened in Moorpark's spirit-rousing, 3-1 victory over the Warriors on Friday afternoon.

OK, so a victory over the Warriors isn't too shocking -- after all, the Musketeers did beat Westlake, 8-3, in Round 1. But when you consider the Musketeers had lost their last three games, including a head-scratcher against Agoura on Wednesday, I was convinced the Warriors would take this contest and establish themselves as the favorite for the league's final playoff berth.

Wes Wright had other things in mind though. The Cal State Northridge-bound right-hander put up his best performance of the season, holding the hit-happy Warriors to five hits over a complete-game effort. Wright assisted his cause with a couple of hits, and teammates Mike Moris and Tanner Moe also got the bats going against the Simi Valley slayers.

Baseball: It has been a while, but Mayfair has returned

Eleven years is a long time -- a really long time for a monsoon to return. Well, that's how long it has taken for the Mayfair Monsoons to return to the top of the standings and win a Suburban League title. Yes, the last time was 1997.

Let me think back, what was I doing in 1997? Probably watching "Titanic" for the 19th time and playing with my Teletubbies. And so I digress. Sorry.

Back to baseball, it was Mayfair's Garrett Carpenter who won the clinching game a couple of days back -- a 6-1 victory over Glenn -- and he improved his record to 9-0.

Baseball: Arcadia's Rutherford to the rescue, again

Junior Bryce Rutherford, who was moved up to the varsity team last year and become its top pitcher, hit a two-run double in the eighth inning that was the difference in Arcadia's 6-4 victory over Burbank Burroughs on Friday.

Arcadia (14-9, 10-2) remained tied for first place in the Pacific League with Crescenta Valley (15-5, 10-2), which beat Muir, 6-0.

Burroughs Coach Tom Crowther said Rutherford, who pitched six innings to start the game, "did everything" for Arcadia. "Nobody else did much," he added

Baseball: It's another come-from-behind win for SO Notre Dame

When it comes to handling pressure, no baseball team is having better success of late than top-ranked Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

The Knights (22-2, 10-0) came away Friday with an 8-7 victory over Chaminade in eight innings. They needed to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, getting pinch-hit singles from Chris Gray and Cameron Fishman. Then Notre Dame won it in the eighth on an RBI single by Ranny Lowe.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame defeated Chaminade, 5-2, in 10 innings. A week ago, Notre Dame rallied for a 7-6 victory over Alemany.

"It's pretty amazing to be 10-0 with our league," Coach Tom Dill said of Mission League play.

It sets up a Tuesday showdown for the league title with Encino Crespi (9-1) at 7 p.m. at Birmingham. These two neighborhood rivals get fired up for average games, but this one is huge. If Crespi wins, the title will come down to a Thursday game at Valley College.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Baseball: Valencia freshman Lopes meeting expectations

Living up to sky-high expectations can be tough for any athlete -- especially if his name is being associated with the 2011 amateur baseball draft on a somewhat regular basis.

So I'm sure Valencia freshman shortstop Christian Lopes has gotten used to all the talk surrounding his anticipated rise to the top of Southland baseball. The transition to high school ball hasn't always been easy for the 2006 National Baseball Youth Player of the Year, but based on his performances in the last few games, I think it's pretty safe to say this kid is destined for stardom.

Lopes hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in Valencia's 9-6 victory over West Ranch on Friday. He also hit a homer against the Wildcats on Wednesday, and has hits in seven of his last eight games. As a result, Lopes has eight homers on the season and has upped his batting average to .405.

Lacrosse: Foothill heads into title game for second year in a row

There's no sense in being the top-seeded team if you're not going to play like it, and on Friday night in front of an estimated crowd of 1,500, Foothill played like it.

The Knights had a monster start and were never really threatened as they defeated third-seeded St. Margaret's, 11-4, to win the Orange County title at Trabuco Hills.

Riley Hales scored four goals and the game's most valuable player, John Duddridge, scored three and had two assists as Foothill earned a place in the Southern Section's "unofficial" championship game on May 9, also at Trabuco Hills. It will play against a North Division representative that is still to be determined. Those playoffs begin Saturday.

"We knew it was a big game, had to come out strong and take it to them," said Hales, one of 25 seniors graduating from the Foothill program. "We had to penetrate their zone and get inside."