Joel and Geoff Star Beyond the Arc

JOEL LEADS PAC-10

Despite relinquishing his starting spot and becoming Washington's sixth man JOEL SMITH (pictured) boasts an enviable distinction. He ranks among the PAC-10 conference leaders in 3-point accuracy. In fact the junior guard is at the top.

SMITH ranks No. 1 at 50 percent (19-38). His marquee night came in November when he hit all four of his 3-point attempts against Long Beach State (Nov. 26). Teammate senior Ryan Appleby is No. 7 at 43.5 percent (30-69).

The Huskies, 2-3 in conference and 11-7 overall, visit Arizona State Thursday and Arizona on Saturday.

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WILD WILD WILD WILD WEST

As the University of Mary enters the second half of Northern Sun Conference NCAA Div. II action junior point guard GEOFF WEST has put together a strong ten-game stretch for the Marauders. He is the only U-Mary player to reach double figures in scoring in each of the games. During this stretch, West is averaging 13.8 points per game, shooting 55.3 per cent on treys and 73.7 per cent on free throws.

For the year, West is averaging 11.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He is shooting 44.2 per cent from the field and 49.3 per cent on three pointers. West is fifth in the NSIC in shooting from behind the arc. He is seventh in the NSIC in three-pointers made per game, averaging 2.06.

Despite its sixth-place standing, U-Mary is second in three-point shooting among Northern Sun teams and sixth in NCAA Division II, hitting 43.2 per cent from beyond the arc. The Marauders are fourth in the Northern Sun in treys per game (7.61). The team's record however is just 3-6 in conference, 6-12 overall. They visit Upper Iowa Friday and #2-ranked Winona State on Saturday.

"At Least No One Drowned," says Davis

"Well, at least no one drowned! " was the response LHS Athletic Director Jesse Davis received in response to a query yesterday. It also summed up the the day in Brave athletics.


The Girls water polo program was in action at the COLAC against a pair of Cabrillo squads that were larger, faster, stronger, more physical, more experienced, and were better in almost any adjective you care to name. The results were predictable- a 16 to 4 loss by the varsity and a 14-0 swamping for the JV. Lompoc was also dealing with the dismissal of two veteran players from the team for disciplinary reasons, but Head Coach John McNutt was pleased with the way the team came together later in the game - outscoring the Conqs 3-2 in the fourth quarter. He was also philosophical about the loss- " No one wants to win more than I do, but the idea is to play hard the entire game, get better, and have fun doing it". Brooke Crouse had two goals for the Braves, and seven different Conqs scored on varsity, ten in the JV game.


The varsity game also experienced a surreal moment in the fourth period when the center strip of the pool was deluged by a burst of torrential rain through the opened roof panels. The panels were open to try to prevent the creation of fog and heat build up in the building. Center director Jeff Storie reports that the city has received and is evaluating bids to install an air handling system in the facility. He hopes to have it operational this fall.


Erika Elenes Lompoc's sophomore goalie had a very good game for the varsity

The boys soccer games at LHS had to be reshuffled due to the rain. Since the JV field was "under water" according to Davis, both games were played at Huyck Stadium. The playing surface at Huyck was in great shape, although the track and surrounding areas were a morass. A few fans "Braved" the weather to watch the JV lose 2-1, followed by a 4-1 loss by the varsity - both to Santa Ynez. The varsity had lost five players from the team over the weekend and had called up two from JV. The girls varsity lost on the road to the Pirates 2-0.

The depleted grapplers were at Morro Bay. Only 7 of the 14 weight divisions actually had matches - Lompoc winning three. ----- el stato

Steven Morehart LHS Football MVP

Steven Morehart


STEVEN MOREHART was named 2007 Lompoc High football MVP recently.

The Lompoc High School Varsity Football Awards were presented by Master of Ceremonies (and Head Coach) Robin Luken at a dinner Tuesday evening. The winners were:

Phil Barrett Most Valuable Player Award -- Steven Morehart

Brian Vargas (#14) Offensive Players of the Year --

Daryl Aguilar (# 5 ) & Bobby Collins (#23 )

Defensive Players of the Year --

Steven Morehart (81) & Gilberto Rios (50)

Hit Man Award -- Jake Morehart

Jim Surch Courage Award -- Aaron Snyder

Johnny Gray Scout Team Award-- Matt Kronick

Brice Fabing (#81) Kick Team Award -- Brandon Alonzo

Tom Dean Blocker of the Year -- Adam Leach

Mikey Terrones (#52) Spirit Award -- Favi Vargas

Spark Plug Award -- Gilbert Cornejo

Lifter of the Year -- Sahid Torres

Scholar Athlete -- Masson Blow

Captains Awards -- Masson Blow, Steven Morehart, & Daryl Aguilar

---- el stato

Roxanne Rentschler Sets CHS Scoring Mark

There was a super profile of Cabrillo hoops star ROXANNE RENTSCHLER by Brad Memberto in today’s Lompoc Record/Santa Maria Times--

In a basketball game against Santa Maria on Jan. 4, Cabrillo guard Roxanne Rentschler scored her 1,000th career point. She became the all-time leading girls scorer in school history.

But two things were more important to her that night - one, her team won; two, she set the school record for assists in a game.

This is a girl that is a team player, who just happened to score a lot of points.“I'll tell you two facts about the game against Santa Maria that tell you what you need to know about Roxanne Rentschler,” said her coach, MARK TASCH.

“That same night she set the school record for assists in one game by dealing 11. She hit five-of-six 3-point shots, but was in the gym at 6 a.m. the next morning working on her shooting - that's Roxanne.”

It is the work ethic that Rentschler (5-7) brings to the court that has led to her success. Each year her stats improve and that comes from all the extra hours in the gym. Since averaging about eight points a game as a freshman on the varsity squad, Rentschler's scoring has improved. She was the leading scorer for the past three years, averaging 11.6 as a sophomore, 10.6 in her junior year and a solid 14.6 so far in her senior year. As a sophomore she led the team with 49 assists; this year she already has 107. And on a team that has some big players under the basket, she is third on the squad in rebounds at 6.4.

As Rentschler's all-around game has improved, so has the Conquistadores total wins. From 3-20 her freshman year, the team improved to 11-13 her sophomore year, 16-10 her junior year and now the Conqs have 11 wins this season.

“It was obvious at the beginning that she had skills beyond her age,” said JESSE DAVIS, the current athletic director at Lompoc High and Rentschler's varsity coach when she was a freshman. “She had great vision and made very good passes,” he continued.

Coming into high school, basketball was not the only sport this competitor played. Rentschler played soccer and volleyball as well. But she stuck to only basketball after her sophomore year.

“I played soccer until the 10th grade and volleyball for two years, but my junior year I wanted to get serious about basketball and play all year,” Rentschler explained. “I wanted to play to win, not just play.”

Rentschler has always loved the game of basketball. She started playing at age 6, with her dad as the coach of her team. Her parents have been by her side for the entire time.

“My parents have been so supportive of me, they would do anything for me,” Rentschler said. “They would drive me to tournaments as far as Oregon - we've been all over the place.“They buy me basketball shooting tapes and stuff,” she continued. “They push me, but not too much, they know how much I love it.”

Her father David works at Vandenberg Air Force Base and her mother Susan is a retired teacher. Both are dedicated to her successes on and off the court. “My dad will wake up in the morning and rebound for me,” Rentschler said. “I'm really thankful for all they do.”

With her family support system, the close relationship with her head coach and her work ethic, Rentschler has succeeded and presented a model for future athletes - female and male - to follow.“For four years hers has been the name that people have associated with Cabrillo girls basketball,” Tasch said. “She has always represented us as we would wish, playing hard, playing unselfishly and never ever quitting.”

Playing unselfishly has always been a benchmark of Rentschler's game. “I love the games with the whole team contributing, when everyone's doing well,” she explained, “when you get pass, pass, basket.” Team has always been the focus of her game, as evidenced in her comments about the other record she broke in the Santa Maria game. “I liked the 11 assists, it's one of my strong things that I do, Rentschler said. “The 1,000 points, now that's cool, but anyone can shoot a lot, but an assist helps get your teammates up.”

“She's very unselfish with a basketball,” explained Tasch. “I don't think I've ever seen her pass up a person that is open. She reminds me of Marcus Jenkins a bit,” he continued, comparing Rentschler to one of his star players from his years as the boys coach. “If we won and Marcus had two points, it was fine with Marcus. If we lost and he had 35, it wasn't fine with him. Roxie's much the same way.”

Rentschler has worked on her entire game throughout the years and her shooting has really improved, especially her 3-point shooting as of late. She has become an all-around threat, something that has not been lost on Coach Tasch. “I am proudest of how Roxanne has worked to develop a complete game,” said Tasch. “When you check the Los Padres League on MaxPreps you'll find her at or near the top in scoring, assisting, 3-point shooting and rebounding. And she has become a very good on-the-ball defender.”

“He's pushed me to be the best I can be,” Rentschler said about Tasch. “Make smart decisions. Everybody has different goals. If I want to go to the next level, I can't go out at night and the next morning be ready to shoot.”

Another indication of her dedication to the game can be found in her senior project. Rentschler read several books on sports psychology and wrote a paper on the subject. “I wrote it last semester, so it was during pre-season,” she explained. “I learned a lot of ways to prepare for a game.”

Rentschler recently signed a national letter-of-intent to attend Division II powerhouse Sonoma State next fall.“I'm excited, that's the school I wanted to go to,” Rentschler said. “I will get to play with girls that are just like me. They really want to win and are really dedicated. The school is very nice, it's really pretty up there,” she continued. “And I watched the team practice and play.”

She said that she was going to major in business, but wasn't sure what her life after basketball would include. “A teacher maybe?” she said. “I like English. I like reading a lot and writing.” And how about coaching? “It would be kind of fun, I could try,” Rentschler answered with a smile. “I'd have to work on my patience - but you never know.”

For now it's complete the current basketball season with a strong finish. “I don't want to end the season thinking I could of done more,” Rentschler stated. “So I need to always work my hardest.”

“The program and I will miss her tremendously,” Tasch said, “but at the same time, I'm thrilled that her hard work and determination will be rewarded by being able to play at the next level.

“If work ethic, determination and desire to win have anything to do with success,” he continued, “we will be hearing great things.”And Rentschler has appreciated her time at Cabrillo and will miss the camaraderie of her teammates and schoolmates.“Going to the football games, the team dinners, we have a good bond - I love my team,” she said. “I learned a lot from my coaches and my teachers here.“It's a good school,” she concluded. “I'm happy I came to Cabrillo.”

And the school is happy she did too.

UW Wins Second; Marauders Fall to Northern State

JOEL

In Seattle Saturday JOEL SMITH's Washington Huskies won their second straight PAC-10 contest after starting the season with three defeats. They downed Oregon State 83-74. Joel was first reserve off the bench. He played ten minutes but did not score while freshman point guard Venoy Overton dished seven assists and freshman center Mathew Bryan-Amaning tallied 12. Both seem to be making a place for themselves. All-American Jon Brockman again led UW with 26 points. The Huskies visit Arizona State Thursday, Arizona Saturday.


GEOFF & JASON

Aberdeen, SD – The University of Mary battled down to the wire, but Saturday night belonged to Northern State and its head coach Don Meyer. The 87-78 win by the 12th-ranked Wolves earned Meyer his 879th victory, tying Dean Smith for second place on the all-time NCAA wins list.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Marauders closed to within four points at 74-70. A chance to further cut into that lead fell short though, as U-Mary committed a turnover that led to five straight points for NSU.

Hardnosed play in the first half and a 12-2 run helped generate as much as a five-point lead for the Marauders. Northern State would fight back and eventually grab a 48-39 lead at intermission.

Jordan Wilhelm paced the Marauders with a career-high 21 points. Eric Erdmann scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half. GEOFF WEST added 12 points and five assists before fouling out late in the game. U-Mary’s leading three-point shooter was limited to one attempt beyond the arc but found other ways to score. He connected on 4-of-8 from inside the arc and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He also contributed five assists, two rebounds and a steal in 32 minutes. JASON WEST played his customary eight minutes as his brother's relief.

The Marauders fall to 6-11 overall and 3-6 in the NSIC. Northern State improves to 17-1 and 8-1 in the Northern Sun. The M's next take the court at Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa on Friday, and in Winona, Minnesota at Winona State on Saturday.

Joel #2 in Treys; Burtley Transfers; Ornelas to 3B

GEOFF & JASON

Grand Forks, ND – Tate Kick and GEOFF WEST each scored 14 points for the University of Mary but it wasn't enough as the University of North Dakota defeated the Marauders 84-70 Tuesday night.

With U-Mary down by just two at intermission with the score 32-30, UND erupted for 52 points in the second half .

West continued his outstanding outside shooting, connecting on 4-of-6 three point attempts as he tallied 14 points. He added two assists.

The defeat snapped a two-game win streak for the Marauders. Saturday night they face a major challenge when they travel to Aberdeen, South Dakota to tackled conference leader Northern State. The Wolves are 16-1 and lead the Northern Sun at 7-1. They are ranked No. 12 in NCAA Div. II. The Marauders are 3-5 in conference, 6-11 overall.

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JOEL

In Seattle at the University of Washington Junior JOEL SMITH ranked No. 2 in the Pac-10 at 51.4 percent (19-37) on three-point shots entering Thursday night’s game vs. Oregon. In that game which Washington won 78-70 for its first PAC-10 victory in three tries, Smith went 0-for-1 from beyond the arc. He scored two points and brought down two rebounds in 11 minutes after entering the game as the Huskies’ sixth man. The Huskies host Oregon State Saturday.

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ANTHONY

Lizard Breath AL HUNT reports that ANTHONY BURTLEY has transferred from Lewis-Clark State in Idaho, where he was red-shirted, to University of Mary There he will join the West Brothers. University of Mary is in NCAA Division II while Lewis-Clark plays in the NAIA.

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College baseball

ORNELAS TO THIRD BASE

Hunt also reports that BEN ORNELAS (pictured above) is in the running for the third base job at Lewis-Clark State, the NAIA champions. This is a change for Ben. He played center field at Cypress College the past two years. Also on the team, in fact named an NAIA pre-season All-American, is pitcher MATT FITTS. Fitts is the son of 1982 Lompoc High grad Matt Fitts. The link is former Lompocan GUS KNICKREHM, who is assistant to head coach Ed Cheff. Hunt also reports the news which appeared here months ago, that Ornelas’ roommate, ISAAC SIMMONS, has decided to retire from baseball to concentrate on academics.

Comments from College

A Compendium from the College Avenue Carousel:

• The Lompoc Girls Soccer teams both recorded victories over Santa Maria on Tuesday (Jan 15) -- the varsity jumped out to a 6-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 10-0 final. The JV, on the other hand, started off slowly, dropping to a 1-0 deficit before exploding late in the game for a 5-1 win. Scoring for the varsity Braves were Lindsey Eckersley (2), Stephanie Miranda (2), Sameeha Husayn, Elicity Fabing, Lily Zuniga (from 25-30 yards out), 'Sonny' Estrada, Veronica Villareal, and Teresa Carreno ; Jennifer Justice (3), Brittany Fabing, & Sonia Pantoja scored for the junior varsity.






Spectators help the JV Girls Celebrate




The Girls will host a fundraiser BBQ & Bake sale in the Walgreens parking lot on north 'H' st this Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm .






The recently renamed Lompoc Tsunami Aquatics will be holding an event this weekend (the 19th & 21st) to raise money to pay for practice facility lane fees. The group hopes to raise part of the $6,000 annual cost with a " Lap-A-Thon", with individual swimmers securing pledges for laps swum. Donations and pledges are always welcome. Lompoc Aquatic Center director (and Tsunami coach) also announced that there will be additional open swim hours this coming Monday (the 21st).






The LHS Wrestling squad meanwhile recorded a narrow 42-40 win on the road at Santa Maria. The JV result was lopsided once again partially due to forfeits at 9 weights. Lompoc won one of the five contested JV matches.






On Wednesday, the Cabrillo Girls Water Polo team defeated an over matched Santa Maria squad eighteen to four. Rachel Nelson had five goals; Celeste Sazzani, Cloe Huggins, Jessica Carreon, and Maggie Carrol each had two goals. The Saints only have eight girls in the program - all sophomores except for senior goalie Liz Lashbaugh (who had six first half saves). Hence there was no junior varsity action.





The Entire Santa Maria girls water polo program


Unfortunately, due to technical problems (progress has been made), the pictures with this post, the report on last nights basketball contests, & the LHS Girls hoops update scheduled for today have been temporarily delayed . -- the s

Busy Night at LHS

It was a busy night at LHS - Adult Ed classes, Drama Club rehearsals, Master Chorale practice, youth basketball workouts, and the LHS football awards dinner. The hottest action, however, was at Paisola Pavilion where the girls basketball team hosted Santa Ynez in a tough, bruising, very physical game.

It was an intense, sloppy, up and down the court (until all the foul shooting began), exciting, entertaining mess of a game. The all out defensive pressure by both squads led to numerous steals, lost balls, held-balls, missed shots, blocks, and fouls. Both squads were in the double-bonus in both halves, surpassing the rarely achieved fifty foul (51) mark for the game. Neither took advantage of the situation. Santa Ynez hit 47% (17-36) of their free throws with Lompoc only slightly a less anemic 51% (19-37). Mixed in with all that were some impressive offensive performances, scoring spurts, clutch shots, and incredible plays on a night when nothing came easy.

The game followed a repeated pattern - the Braves taking a lead, but then having the Pirates reel them back in by the end of the period. Lompoc dominated the first part of the opening stanza, but was only able to go up 6-0 before Annie Frederickson broke the SY scoring drought with 4:17 left. After the pirates pulled even at 6 all (at 2:05), back-to-back buckets by Cameron Lizzaragga pushed Lompoc to a 10-6 lead, but the quarter ended with the Braves clinging to a 10-9 advantage.

In the second quarter, both teams surpassed the first quarter total - each side scoring 21 points for a 31-30 halftime differential. Lompoc did lead in the team foul department 14 to 12. Underscoring the importance of the Braves improved depth, no one individual had more than three fouls. Earlier in the season primary post players Chelsea Cassulo & Courtney Stumpo had to carry much of load by themselves, but the return of Ashley Cromp from injury and the improved play of Lizzaragga, Bree Taylor, and others have definitely helped this squad.

Jozza Ray looked like she was going to take over the game early in the third period, when she outraced everyone on the court several times for lay-ups to stake Lompoc to a seven point lead. But Santa Ynez was able to stop the bleeding, and the game resumed its regular pace. On this occasion, and multiple others in the second half, the Braves had opportunities to pull away but were thwarted by clutch shots, often three-pointers, by the Pirates. Lompoc was able to slowly rebuild its margin 48-42 before the start of the 4th, but at the cost of key players picking up their 4th fouls.

In final period the mounting foul total began to exact its toll as both Cassulo (7:39) and Stumpo (6:10) picked up their bench tickets. Lompoc led 53-47 at that point. Tremendous defense by the subs, dribble penetration by Ray, and continued superb defense & ball control by Denee Lane allowed the Braves to extend the lead to nine (62-53) with 3:43 left. The Pirates, as expected, closed the gap, Lompoc hit a three to open it back up, Santa Ynez hit a three to close it. Down the stretch, the Braves got fine performances Lauren Lopes (until she fouled out with 30 seconds left), Betty Sullivan, and Dyesha Peavy enabling them to hold on to a 4-6 point lead. Santa Ynez, already in the double bonus began fouling to stop the clock at the 47 second mark, and Lompoc was able to take advantage. Using a combination of made FT's (most by Jozza Ray), rebounding, and forced turnovers the Braves closed out the Pirates 68-59.

Scoring: Lompoc - Ray (27), Lizzaragga (12), Lane (11), Cassulo (8), Lopes (5), Cromp (3), Stumpo (2). SY [leaders] - Whitney Moir & Chelsea Hewitt (13), Hailey King (10), Annie Frederickson (9).

JV and Frosh [See the Mid-Season Report on Thursday]

The evening started with wins by both of the LHS lower division squads. The freshmen overcame a 14 point deficit in the middle of the first quarter to win 52-33. Trailing 18-10 at the end of the first, they outscored the Pirates 14-4, 8-7, and 20-4 in the next three to win going away. The win moves their season mark to 5-6 (2-2 in the LPL). Lompoc scorers were Kayla Barnes & Chyane Fabing (17 each), Taima Broadhead with 11, Sami Martin (5), and Carrie Esparza (2).

The JV girls received balanced scoring from Stephany Baca (8), Rashonne Ray (6), Shandee Berryman & Claudia Aguirre (5 each), Kayla Fajardo (4), to defeat Santa Ynez 32 to 20. Also scoring for the Braves were Casey Stumpo (2) and Kayla Stearns (2). ---- the statmeister

Flower Queen to Co-Host Lompoc Locker Room

MIRANDA RICH, Queen of the Lompoc Flower Festival, will join Lompoc Locker Room--the TV Show as a co-host, it was announced today.


Rich was a cross county runner at Cabrillo High before graduating last year and served as assistant coach in the recent girls cross country season. She is a fulltime student at Allan Hancock College majoring in public communications and already has experience in television on Youth Network TV.


"I am very excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work on these shows," Rich said. "It is the kind of experience a young person only wishes for and I am so thankful to have such a supportive community helping me pursue my career in broadcasting and television. I have met some amazing people and look forward to working more on the shows and practice talking on TV. I think it will be a lot of fun and I know it will prepare me for the future!"

JOHN McREYNOLDS, producer of the show, expressed delight. "Miranda is a super addition," he said. "She brings the youth and enthusiasm we've lacked. We need to see a little less of the old bald guy with dark glasses."

A resident of Lompoc for the past 10 years Rich is a member of the Lompoc Youth Commission, a Girl Scout leader to a young daisy troop, and dances with the Garcia Dance Studio. Her Flower Festival candidacy was sponsored by the Lompoc Rotary club.


She will make her first appearance on Monday, January 28 with co-host MIKE "The Statmeister" LONEY.

Joel Shines on Defense; Geoff's Assists Pace M's

JOEL SHINES ON DEFENSE

JOEL SMITH came off the bench again on Saturday for the University of Washington, but once again he outplayed his replacement in the starting lineup.

Thursday against UCLA it was Justin Dentmon who took Smith’s guard spot. Saturday at USC it was Venoy Overton. Smith ended up with more minutes and more points each time but UW still lost. Saturday the score was 66-51.

Smith played 21 minutes and collected six points, two rebounds, an assist, two blocks and a steal. Overton in 19 minutes scored three points, snagged one rebound, made one assist and one steal. He also turned the ball over four times to Joel’s two.

On defense, Joel sparkled. He drew USC’s superfrosh O.J. Mayo. Here’s what the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta noticed with 10:55 to play--

HUSKIES TAKE FIRST LEAD --- With O.J. Mayo out for a minute or two, UW shifted to a zone and finally was able to take the lead on a three-pointer by Joel Smith, who’s playing one of his better games of late when you throw in his defense on Mayo. It's 41-40 UW.

Smith and his mates held Mayo to 4-for-13 from the field though he ended up with 15 points.
The Huskies are now 0-3 in Pac-10 play. They host Oregon on Thursday.

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WEST ASSISTS GIVE MARAUDERS WEEKEND SWEEP

Bemidji, MN – Two clutch shots from Eric Erdmann – one at the end of regulation and the other at the end of overtime - lifted the University of Mary to a 71-69 overtime win at Bemidji State
Saturday. The win gave the Marauders their first weekend sweep of the year.

With one second left in overtime, Erdmann scored on a lay up under the basket off a pass from GEOFF WEST to give the Marauders a two point lead. BSU couldn’t convert a desperation shot from half court to seal the U-Mary win.

Erdmann’s overtime winner was a mirror image of his basket that forced the extra session. After the Beavers hit 1-of-2 free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining in regulation to go up 59-57, the Marauders pushed the ball quickly down court. Erdmann, again off a feed from West, nailed the lay up from right under the basket as time expired to force overtime.

In an intense back and forth game featuring and incredible 15 lead changes and 17 ties, the largest lead held by either team was a six-point BSU lead. Trailing Bemidji State 33-29 at intermission, the Marauders opened the second half with a 10-2 run to grab a 39-35 lead.

West led the Marauders with 12 points, dished four assists and made three steals. The victory improves the Marauders' record to 6-10 overall and 3-5 in the Northern Sun. After starting the weekend in 10th place, wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota, Crookston has lifted U-Mary into seventh place. BSU falls to 5-11 overall and 2-5 in the NSIC.