Let it all 'fall' down.....(Men's sports fall semester wrap-up)

This fall semester, there were teams who exceeded expectations and experienced letdowns. Other teams kept streaks alive and others broke them. While some teams had a resurgence, for others it was the "same old, same old" season. Let's take a look at some of them.

Cross Country;

Though the team itself did well, there was one sprinter who stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Daniel Clifford-Sorenson not only established himself as the best runner on the team, but also as one of the best in the state, placing first in five tournaments. He placed fourth in the state match, thus earning a spot on the All-American team.

As a team, it had several good tournaments including the Fresno Invitational and Crystal Springs Invitational. The team placed first in both invitationals, respectively.

With several returning athletes, including Clifford-Sorenson, planning to come back next fall, this team could make a possible run at the state title.



Wrestling:

Being the only school to send 12 athletes to the state championship, the wrestling team definitley made its presence known this season.

Though only one of those twelve would win his respective match and move to the final round, the fact that those players made it says enough about the stellar season that the wrestling team had.

The team placed fourth in the state with 101.5 points.

Carlos Alaniz, 133-pounder, dominated once again, winning the state title in the 133-pound division. Two others, 285-pounder Brandon Doran and 125-pounder Jason Carrillo also competed for a state title in their weight classes. However both lost.

Though the season was an overall good one, the wrestling team still never got over the hump of defeating Santa Ana in the regular season and playoffs.
In order for Cerritos to be more of a contender for the state title in '07 it must dethrone the Dons.


*For a season wrap-up of men's soccer, visit the previous entry .


Football:

The team's 3-7 season was really no different than others. It was inconsistent and lost close games. This makes it the third straight losing season for Coach Mo and the other players.

Cerritos' football team reminds me of the Raiders . Once upon a time, both were respectable teams now are just a "shell" of its old past. Season after season, both start out with so much promise. But you can never build your hopes up too high because you know in the end, you're going to be let down and the team will give you three and four win seasons.

Despite its up and down season, the team did have a few highlights. As always, the team had a bunch of players make the all-conference team. It also had some high scoring games, including one against West L.A. in Sept. when it scored 50 points against the Oilers.


Water Polo:

The team's conference arch-rival Long Beach ended not only its nine game winning streak in Sept., but it would also end its entire season with a 13-5 defeat in the second round of the regional playoffs. The Vikings went on to win the state title.

The Sept. loss seemed to take out confidence from the team. From that point on, it would go on to become inconsistent. It interchanged wins and losses, losing three straight in an Oct. tournament at Citrus College .

Though it finished 19-11, this season was a dissapointment for the team, considering consecutive appearances in the state championship the two previous years.

*The next entry will be a season wrap-up of women's fall semester sports.