The Championship game of the Raven Tipoff Classic in San Diego, CA featured the University City Centurions versus the Newport Harbor Sailors in an exciting rematch from earlier in the tournament. During the previous meeting the Centurions won in overtime on a fade away buzzer beater by Jordan Johnson that brought the crowd to their feet.

Early championship game action showed that both teams are still in early season form and looking to work out some kinks before the start of league play. There were many turnovers and passes that sailed out of bounds in the first two quarters of play. Though much of the scoring went back and forth, the Centurions led 24-21 over the Sailors at halftime.

Newport Harbor head coach, Larry Hirst, must have said something inspirational to his team during halftime because the Sailors came out firing on all cylinders, going on a 7-2 run to start the half and forcing the Centurions to take a quick timeout. A few minutes into the quarter Jordan Johnson drove down the middle for a layup, but went down hard on his back and was called for a charge. The star from the previous meeting was taken out of the game to be looked at by a medical trainer for the majority of the third quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, when the game clock was practically dead even with the shot clock, the Sailors made a costly turnover. With seven ticks left on the clock, the Centurions managed to get the ball to Alex Catton who nailed a 3 point shot that put them within four.

Newport Harbor played the fourth quarter with a ridiculous amount of energy on both sides of the ball. Taking the lead after halftime gave the Sailors momentum and they never looked back, resulting in a 68-55 victory over the Centurions. Chad Seeber had a number of steals and good defensive stops to give the Sailors extra possessions. Chris Anderson was a force offensively, scoring in double digits for the final quarter and lead all scorers with 19 points.

Notable Performances:

University City: Cerone Ramcharan 17pts, Joe Gordon 10pts

Newport Harbor: Chris Anderson 19pts, Ethan Ayers 15pts, Chad Seeber 13pts

Positions: RB / LB Height: 5’10” Weight: 200 Class: 2010 School: Mission Hills High School San Marcos, CA

Chad Dobbins and the Mission Hills Grizzlies ran their way into the semifinals of the CIF San Diego DII playoffs last Friday with a dominating 35-7 victory over Grossmont. The 5’11 200 lb senior running back set a career high with 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 13 carries. Dobbins has gone somewhat under the radar this season as his grind it out style doesn’t receive the same exposure as the flashy style of a Ricky Seale. Dobbins told the North County Times, “I don’t usually have those big, flashy runs like Ricky does. I’m one of those running backs who chips away. Today, maybe I turned that around.” And turned it around is exactly what he did with touchdown runs of 76, 54 and 32 yards. With his stellar performance, Dobbins eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the season. Dobbins may need a little more of the flash he showed against Grossmont as his Grizzlies take on the #1 ranked, undefeated Oceanside Pirates in a semi-final showdown this Friday night.

Check out Chad’s SportsForce profile here

Scouting report courtesy of SportsForce – Home for college Sports Recruiting Videos, Tips, Tools and Premium Services – www.sportsforceonline.com

SportsForce athlete Oscar Sanay has accepted an athletic scholarship to Cal State Bakersfield to continue his baseball career with them. Oscar, who plays short stop and second base for Bonita Vista High School and club for the Bonita Vista Legends, had a few key factors which helped him decide on CSU Bakersfield. Oscar was able to secure a scholarship that would allow him to play at CSU and move away from home. Oscar was also equally impressed with the level of education CSU Bakersfield can provide as well as the playing time he will see with their baseball team.

Oscar, who was originally leaning towards attending another university became aware that he would have a better chance to grow as a player at CSU Bakersfield. Oscar shared with SportsForce that what he is most looking forward to in college is a chance be around others who love the game as much as he does well as get a great education for whatever the future may hold.

“The most thing I’m looking forward to in playing at CSU Bakersfield is getting better. Not just getting better about baseball, but being more educated,” Oscar told us.

We wish Oscar the best of luck at CSU Bakersfield and hope to be hearing more great things from him in the future. Visit Oscar’s full SportsForce profile and check him out in action below.

Former Student Athlete of the Week, Natalie Hagglund, helped lead the LCC Girls Volleyball team to victory over No. 1 ranked Torrey Pines. The San Diego Union-Tribune writes of the match,

In a thrilling back-and-forth battle between two of the state’s top programs, the Avocado League rivals did not disappoint in the San Diego Section Division I finals.

In the end, No. 2 La Costa Canyon took the 25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 26-24 victory over the top-seeded Falcons at Cathedral Catholic last night, earning the Mavericks a sixth consecutive section title before a near-capacity crowd.

Just two weeks earlier, La Costa Canyon (28-5) fell to Torrey Pines (25-9) in the final match of the regular season, resulting in the league title being shared by the two schools and the higher seed in the playoffs going to the Falcons.

But the Mavericks managed to finish ahead in the tightly contested match, getting a stunning performance from big-match veterans Kendall Polan and Natalie Hagglund as well as underclassmen such as sophomore Natalie Bausback and junior Karsta Lowe.

Hagglund had a match-high 10 kills, while Bausback and Lowe each added nine.

See video below of Natalie in action at the California Challenge:

Full article here

See Natalie’s full SportsForce profile here

Many SportsForce athletes have been receiving local recognition and one continues to receive national press coverage as Dillon Baxter continues his quest to be the national player of the year for high school football. With the high school fall sports season wrapping up, national signing day is inching closer we are looking forward to more amazing athletic performances throughout the play offs.

Dillon Baxter is receiving constant attention as he moves forward in a phenomenal season breaking records along the way. This has caused many people to draw comparisons between Dillon and a few other football players from San Diego. MaxPreps took on the subject comparing Dillon to Helix High School Alum, Reggie Bush:

Visit Dillon Baxter’s SportsForce profile HERE

Baxter has had an outstanding season, punctuated by his performance Friday night against Lincoln. The 6-foot, 205-pounder, who lines up at quarterback for Mission Bay, threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 268 yards and two scores. He also intercepted a pass on defense.

For the season, Baxter has amassed 781 passing yards and 1,090 rushing yards. He’s even kicked three PATs.

Baxter has good speed, excellent balance and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, all characteristics that have folks in the San Diego buzzing about the area’s next great rusher.

In a September matchup with Paloma Valley, Baxter rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as Mission Bay won 38-15. Paloma Valley head coach Bert Esposito was highly complementary of Baxter after the game.

“That’s the best high school football player I’ve ever seen, and I saw Reggie Bush at this age,” Esposito told North County Times afterward. “But this kid’s phenomenal.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune published November’s Athletes of the Month. Two former SportsForce Athletes of the Week received honors, Lauren Birks for Girls Volleyball and Kenny Stills for Football. The Union-Tribune writes of Lauren:

Lauren Birks, La Jolla Country Day

Helping the Torreys to a glittering 27-1 season record, Birks, a junior outside hitter, was credited with a team-leading 287 kills on 478 attempts. Showing her all-around ability, Birks compiled 230 digs and 39 service aces.

Visit Lauren Birk’s SportsForce profile HERE

While Kenny had another month of stand out performances,

Kenny Stills, La Costa Canyon

Stills, a senior, led the Mavericks to a 4-0 record in October. For the month, Stills caught 23 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass and ran for 26 yards on four carries. On defense, he picked off one pass and recovered a fumble.

Visit Kenny Stills’ SportsForce profile HERE

Positions: RB / DB Height: 5′ 7″ Weight: 150 Class: 2010

Point Loma High School San Diego, CA

Despite his small stature, Point Loma running back Stephan Jackson continues to come up big for the Pointers this season. He rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on only 7 carries to help propel his team over conference rival Serra last Friday. Jackson is averaging nearly 8 yards per carry this season and has 363 total yards from scrimmage. Jackson looks to continue his stellar play this season when the Pointers take on the Hoover Cardinals in a battle of 5-3 teams this Friday night.

Visit Stephan’s full SportsForce profile HERE

This past weekend, Ricky Seale broke the San Diego CIF rushing record that has been standing since Demetrius Sumler (2002-05) set it. Seale surpassed the 5,650 yard record by 161 yards. 619Sports.net writes:

“Seale electrified the boisterous home crowd in Escondido by eclipsing the section rushing record on the game’s first series, scampering 28 yards for a touchdown. That gave him 50 yards for the game and 5,651 yards for his career, one more than Demetrius Sumler of Cathedral Catholic. But while Seale kept the 5th ranked Cougars (6-1-1, 1-1-1 Avocado) close, once running 10 straight times on a drive out of the wildcat formation, eventually he wore down. After carrying 26 times for 178 yards in the first half, Seale was held to just 34 yards in the second half by the athletic “Gang Green” defense of LCC.”

Another San Diego football star who has been garnering lots of attention is La Costa Canyon wide reciver, Kenny Stills. The question now stands where Kenny will play after high school. 619Sports.net caught up with Kenny to see what schools top the list:

“I’m looking at Florida and Oklahoma, and if I can stand the cold weather, I could go to Michigan,” said Stills, who plans on making his official announcement on December 1st.

However things could change:

“If Stills delays his decision, that would be good news for two more schools who have popped up on his radar screen. Stills told 619 Sports he’s been offered a scholarship by the University of Miami, a school that has a tradition of developing NFL wide receivers.”

Stills’ Miami trip isn’t scheduled until December 11th-13th, so the Hurricanes have to hope Kenny is still undecided by that point. Stills also said the only way he will be at school for the spring semester (he’s on target to graduate in December) would be if he is trying to qualify academically for Stanford.”

Kenny is also very grounded when it comes to his recruiting decision

“’I know this body still needs to fill out, and my education is really important to me. You need something to fall back on after football is over.’”

Visit 619Sports.net for both full articles.

Position: Outside hitter Height: 5’8″ Class: 2010 School: USC commit

Natalie Hagglund is a standout outside hitter for the No. 2 ranked La Costa Canyon Mavericks. Hagglund played a huge part in the team’s defeat of No. 1 ranked Torrey Pines this week. All hopes for redemption by Torrey Pines were quickly dashed as the Mavericks, lead by Hagglund were defeated in 3 matches. Hagglund had a team high 10 kills for the La Costa Canyon.

The Mavericks are the six time defending section champions, and have defeated Torrey Pines in ten consecutive meetings, but with Torrey Pines ranked No. 1 this year, it was though this may be their year to reverse that. Hagglund and the Mavericks thought different, “I think we’re better than they thought,” said Hagglund told the NC Times. “That first game took all their momentum away in an instant. They’ve been waiting almost a year to get us again in their gym.”

Natalie Hagglund was also the sole nominee from La Costa Canyon to the All Tournament Team at the California Challenge, where the Mavericks finished in 5^th place.

Learn more about Natatlie at her SportsForce profile.

Full match write up at North County Times

SportsForce began coverage of a new sport this week: Field Hockey. We can’t deny the popularity of this sport and want to offer our athletes and audience all access. We recently covered the Scripps Ranch vs. Cathedral Catholic, check out the highlights below.

Though Field Hockey is now high on the SportsForce radar, there are still limited opportunities for Division I play in our home state of California. The North County Times recently covered the lack of opportunities and the start up Division I program at UC Davis. The program has in-state athletes, and more specifically, athletes from San Diego and North County flocking to it.

The North County Times writes:

“…when Vianney Campos was named head coach and put in charge of starting a program at UC Davis, there was no doubt about her first recruiting stop.

‘I played at Eastlake, so I knew where to go to get players,’ Campos said.

When the recruiting process was over, Campos had 27 players for her first-year program —- 15 from San Diego, including 11 from North County.”

The article explains the increased level of play on the West Coast in recent years and in increase in talent,

“Since 2002, 72 field hockey players from North County high schools have gone on to play in college.

‘There are so many more opportunities now than when we all played a decade ago,’ said Kelli Gannon, now the head coach at San Pasqual. ‘When we played, you had to go east if you wanted to play collegiately.’

‘The West Coast teams have become very competitive over the last few years, and that’s good for the West Coast kids.'”

The creation of UC Davis’s program brings the number of Division I field hockey programs to four in the state. Though as the NC Times reports, there are other level of opportunities in the state,

“Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, USC and UC San Diego have club programs. Cal Poly is said to be considering adding field hockey to its varsity roster.”

You can read the full article here.

SportsForce athlete, Alysha Isaacson recently committed to the University of Dayton to play softball for the Flyers. Alysha went on an official visit to the school in September and decided to commit after “falling in love with it” according to her mother. The signing period for softball starts November 11th and Alysha will officially sign with Dayton then. Alysha currently plays club ball for Case Batbusters and High School for Hilltop High School. Visit Alysha’s profile on the SportsForce site to see what helped to propel the recruiting process.