Sports

As Oaks Christian High’s football team struggled through an 0-5 start, the worst in school history, the Lions formulated a rallying cry: “We’re going to fail forward.” Oaks Christian head coach Charles Collins explained that the slogan meant the Lions needed “to embrace adversity” and shake off the doldrums with renewed vigor and fire. The Lions responded by winning seven […]

It’s taken 30 years, but the Warriors are back on top. Westlake High’s girls’ tennis team defeated Peninsula 9-9 (72- 68 on games) Nov. 12 at the Claremont Club for the CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship, its sixth crown in program history and first since 1991. “It was very exciting. It came right down to counting the games—that probably aged […]

The Lions exceeded all expectations, even their own. Oaks Christian High’s girls’ volleyball team didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2018. The squad made a wild card playoff cameo in 2019. Last season consisted of a single practice and zero matches. Entering this fall, the Lions were the International Team of Mystery. Six freshmen littered a roster that featured only […]

And then there were two . . . Only two local high school football teams—Oaks Christian and Camarillo—are still standing after the first week of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. Oaks Christian defeated Pacifica 41-33 in a Division 5 opener at home, while Camarillo’s defense held off a charging Millikan 17-14 in a Division 6 test at the friendly confines last […]

THE SUN ALSO RISES—Emma Sun, a singles standout for the Westlake High girls’tennis team, pumps her first during the Warriors’ 15-3 win against Woodbridge in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Open Division postseason tournament on Nov. 3 at WHS. Westlake played University of Irvine on Wednesday in the semifinals, but a final score was not available at press […]

Lucia Scalamandre can often be found at the Calabasas Library, her nose buried in a book. On Saturday night, Scalamandre will set aside “The Rosie Effect,” the novel she’s currently reading. She’s a little busy that night— she will try to help her team win a CIF-Southern Section high school volleyball championship. Scalamandre, a senior middle blocker, leads Oaks Christian […]

The CIF-Southern Section high school football playoffs kick off Friday, but many critics have expressed frustration over the new format. Postseason brackets and divisions, based on power rankings, were released on Halloween. All league champs qualified for the playoffs, but some teams with winning records did not earn atlarge berths, notably 7-3 Agoura. Five of the top six teams in […]

A KICK IN THE HEAD—The Sporting FC U-18 boys’soccer team, which includes players from Westlake, Agoura, Oak Park, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Camarillo, won the Coast Soccer League Premier League Championship on Oct. 30 in Irvine. Sporting FC defeated Oxnard United FC 3-1 in the title match. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Evan Reyes, coach Jon […]