Northern Division top three teams hold strong

The top three teams in the CIF Southern Section Northern Division poll all had big wins.
The next seven teams were not as impressive.
Canyon, the No. 1 team in the Northern Division, easily beat Knight, 56-27. Cade Apsay is emerging as the top quarterback in the Northern Division. He threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns and added a 5-yard touchdown run against Knight of Lancaster.
Hart, the No. 2 team in the Northern Division, blew out La Palma Kennedy, 51-3. The preseason No. 1 team won its first game of the season after losing to Tesoro, 10-7, in the first week of the season.
Arroyo Grande posted an impressive, 34-14, win over Templeton.
San Luis Obispo won its first game of the season and, curiously moved up to No. 4. Probably because some of the other teams in the top 10 had some tough losses.
Palos Verdes lost to Central of Fresno, 25-22, has an 0-2 record and dropped to No. 8 in the Northern Division.
Valencia lost to Chaminade, 41-27, also has an 0-2 record and dropped to No. 9.
Eastside, at 3-0, is waiting in the wings if Valencia or Palos Verdes lose again.

Here is a look at the Northern Division:
NORTHERN DIVISION

1. Canyon/C.C. 3‐0
2. Hart 1‐1
3. Arroyo Grande 2‐1
4. San Luis Obispo 1‐2
5. Antelope Valley 2‐0
6. Palmdale 3‐0
7. West Torrance 2‐0
8. Palos Verdes 0‐2
9. Valencia/Valencia 0‐2
10. Righetti 1‐2

Future is bright for AVP

The Association of Volleyball Professionals made a successful, albeit quiet, return to the pro beach volleyball scene with two events in 2012.
Donald Sun, who bought the bankrupt AVP and organized events in Cincinnati and Santa Barbara, has some ambitious ideas for the future of the pro beach volleyball tour.
He wants to have as many as six events next year and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the AVP, which was formed in 1983.

“It was like the AVP never left,” said Sean Rosenthal, who with Jake Gibb won the AVP Championships in Santa Barbara on Sunday. “It was done really well with the stadium, with the fans, with the crowd, with the players and the management did a good job. We’re excited to have it back.”

Go to the Team USA website for more on the return of the AVP and the AVP Championships in Santa Barbara.

Photo: April Ross, left, and Jennifer Kessy, silver medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, won the women's title at the AVP Championships in Santa Barbara on Sunday. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

AVP returns to Santa Barbara

In a taste of things to come, the AVP beach volleyball tour made a stop in Santa Barbara, its last of two events for 2012.
Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb won the men's championship match sweeping the team of Brad Keenan and John Mayer in three sets, 21-16, 21-16, 21-18. Rosenthal and Gibb were the sixth seeded team in the AVP Championships at West Beach in Santa Barbara. Keenan and Mayer were seeded fourth.
Olympic silver medalists April Ross and Jennifer Kessy won the women's championship sweeping Kerri Walsh and Nicole Branagh.
Walsh won the gold medal with Misty May-Treanor at the Summer Olympics in London. May-Treanor retired from beach volleyball after the Olympics and Branagh joined Walsh as her new partner.
Donald Sun, the new owner of the AVP, said he wants to expand the pro beach volleyball tour schedule to at least four and possibly six events in 2013.

Photo: April Ross and Jennifer Kessy celebrate after winning the women's championship at the AVP Championships at West Beach in Santa Barbara. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

The Wolitarsky Watch

Canyon’s Drew Wolitarsky caught 11 passes for 184 yards  and a touchdown against Knight on Friday night. He is in pursuit of the state records for receptions and receiving yards set by Steve Smith.

Wolitarsky has 218 catches and 4,244 yards in his career at Canyon. Smith, who played high school football at Woodland Hills Taft and is a receiver with the St. Louis Rams, holds the state records with 271 catches and 4,545 yards.

Wolitarsky has 26 catches for 371 yards in three games this season. Canyon is off to a 3-0 start after beating Knight, 56-27.

Wolitarsky needs 54 catches and 302 yards to break Smith’s records. The Canyon senior is averaging 8.6 catches and 123.6 receiving yards per game.

Photo: Canyon's Drew Wolitarsky is in pursuit of Steve Smith's two receiving records. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

Delays at Dodger Stadium and the trade with the Red Sox

Sung to the tune of “Take Me Out To the Ball Game” with apologies to Jack Norworth:

Take me out to the ball game
Except on Vin Scully bobblehead night
Cuz if you run late
(Let’s face it, if you live in LA, who doesn’t run late?)
They’ll make you wait
Outside the gate for an hour
If your son scoots, scoots, scoots away from you
Security will make you stay
For it’s one, two, three innings you’ll miss
At the old ball game.

Suffice it to say, not a good time was had by all at Vin Scully bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium. Not only did the Dodgers lose to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-0, but it took nearly an hour to get into the stadium while Vin Scully bobbleheads were passed out at the gates.

Photo: Fans waited for about an hour to get into Dodger Stadium on Vin Scully bobblehead night. (Credit: Tim Haddock)

Five high school football players removed from team after hooker scandal

Talk about pay to play.
Five players from a high school football team in Maryland were removed from the team after reportedly hiring prostitutes after a game.
Here is the link to the story. The players are from DeMatha. The hotel is in North Carolina. The game was against Hillside. DeMatha won, as if that matters anymore.

Santa Margarita remains No. 1 in Pac-5 Division poll

Santa Margarita held on to the No. 1 spot in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll after a resounding 35-6 win over Jordan.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton threw two touchdown passes, rushed for two more touchdowns and paced his team to a blowout win.

Oaks Christian is showing no mercy. The Lions won for the second week in a row and maintained the No. 2 spot in the Pac-5 Division top 10.

Oaks Christian beat Granite Bay, 48-13, and knocked off another powerhouse team from Northern California. Oaks Christian has outscored its opponents, 88-13, having shut out Del Oro, 40-0, in Week Zero.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame traveled to Ireland and won its first game of the season. The Knights beat Hamilton from Chandler, Ariz., 27-15. Every team in the Pac-5 Division has at least one win. Notre Dame, at No. 8, is the only team with a loss.

Here is a look at the Pac-5 Division top 10:

PAC‐5 DIVISION

1. Santa Margarita 2‐0

2. Oaks Christian 2‐0

3. Westlake 2‐0

4. Tesoro 2‐0

5. Alemany 2‐0

6. San Clemente 2‐0

7. Mission Viejo 2‐0

8. Notre Dame/S.O. 1‐1

9. Mater Dei 1‐0

10. St. Bonaventure 2‐0