The anticipated Alpha League football game between San Clemente High and Mission Viejo High was canceled on Friday, Oct. 16, due to the Norte Fire impacting San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. The cancellation comes as San Clemente High's girls tennis team secured an unbeaten South Coast League championship, and the flag football team advanced in the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs after a first-round victory.
The Orange County Football Conference ruled the highly anticipated clash between the undefeated Tritons (7-0, 2-0 Alpha League) and the Diablos (6-1, 2-0 Alpha League) a non-contest on Monday, confirming it will not be rescheduled. OCFC President Ray Elliott and Alpha League Coordinator Rich Boyce issued a joint statement, explaining that a suitable makeup date could not be found, leading to the game's cancellation. This decision, made in consultation with CIF Commissioner Mike West, Assistant Commissioner Joe Hoggatt, Superintendents, Principals, and Athletic Directors for both schools and school districts, ensures the cancellation will not affect CIF-SS postseason rankings. CalPreps will rate both teams on a nine-game schedule. Should both teams complete their league play undefeated at 4-0, they will share the Alpha League championship. Prior to the cancellation, San Clemente was ranked No. 4 and Mission Viejo No. 5 in the Orange County Register’s latest OC Top 25. Looking ahead, San Clemente will travel to San Juan Hills High (7-1, 3-0 Alpha League), ranked No. 12 in the OC Top 25, on Friday, Oct. 23. The Stallions enter this matchup on a six-game winning streak. Former San Clemente quarterback Eiler King has started seven games for San Juan Hills this season, throwing for 1,599 yards, 24 touchdowns, and no interceptions. King missed last week's game against Yorba Linda High due to an injury, with senior backup Parker Armstrong stepping in to lead the Stallions to a 14-10 victory. The Tritons, who have secured back-to-back league shutouts, will conclude their league schedule by hosting Edison High on Friday, Oct. 30.
Under head coach Gary Greenberg, the San Clemente High girls varsity tennis team achieved an undefeated record in South Coast League play, clinching another championship. The team now awaits its seeding for the CIF-SS playoffs.
The San Clemente flag football team earned its spot in the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs by finishing second in the Sea View League, behind Tesoro High. The Tritons concluded their regular season with a dominant 40-0 shutout victory over Dana Hills High. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, San Clemente (10-9, 6-2) traveled to Foothill High (15-8, 6-2 in the North Hills League) for the first round of the playoffs, securing a 20-0 win to advance to the next round.
San Clemente's cross country teams delivered strong performances at the Orange County Championships, held Oct. 16-17 at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado. In the three-mile Sweepstakes races, the boys team placed third with 106 points, while the girls team finished second with 99 points, trailing only JSerra Catholic High. Senior Yohan Anderson was a leader for the boys, taking second place with a time of 14:19.1. Senior Mattheus Dos Santos followed in fifth with 14:35.3, with Magnus Johansson, Gabriel Chantaca, Gabriel Sech, Carson Randall, and Gabriel Chuc also contributing. For the girls, Maddyn Ortiz secured a top-10 finish at 17:01.1, and Mia Kim placed 14th with 17:29.7. Emma Harvey, Taylor Ball, Addison Carey, Caroline Jones, and Morgan Ball completed the San Clemente lineup. The Tritons are scheduled to compete next at the 78th annual Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 23-24. The CIF-SS prelims are set for Nov. 13-14, with the CIF-SS Finals on Nov. 21 at Mt. SAC, and the CIF State Championships in Fresno on Nov. 28.
The San Clemente boys water polo team concluded its South Coast League play by finishing second in the league standings, with an overall record of 13-14 and a league record of 5-3. Their final league game on Monday resulted in a 14-13 loss to Beckman High, which finished as the league champions (17-7 overall, 7-0 league). Prior to this loss, the Tritons had won three consecutive games against Poway High, Royal High, and St. Mark’s High.
San Clemente’s girls volleyball team faced challenges in the South Coast League, finishing in last place with only one league victory. Their sole league win was a sweep of Dana Hills High on Sept. 22. Despite an overall regular season record of 12-21, the team earned most of its victories during tournament competition.
