Sign Up for Our Newsletter!
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guests are:
Originally broadcast on 9/28/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guests are:
Originally broadcast on 9/21/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
They’re dispersed at colleges from coast to coast, playing women’s volleyball at every level offered by the NCAA.
Some will try to lead their team to another national championship this fall, while others would be satisfied just to win more matches than they lose.
One thing these athletes will always have in common is their backgrounds. All prepared themselves for their college careers at Trinity League high schools.
The most familiar name over the last five years is likely Meghan McClure, a three-time Trinity League most valuable player at Santa Margarita from 2014-16.
McClure now stars for Stanford, which won its second national championship in three years last fall. Thanks to players like McClure, the Cardinal opened this season ranked No. 1 in the nation in all the major polls.
And then there are McClure’s teammates for three years at Santa Margarita, Gaby Barcelos and Haley Carmo. They elected to sign with Cal State Fullerton in hopes of breathing life into the struggling program.
Barcelos and Carmo helped Fullerton win six matches as freshmen last season, more than half of what the Titans totaled in the previous three seasons.
“They are really great learners of the game,” Fullerton coach Ashley Preston told the Daily Titan.
Sarah Ciszek graduated with Barcelos and Carmo and headed for Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. She was the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year and Setter of the Year last season.
Brittney Pinzon graduated from Rosary in 2017 and headed to the United States Merchant Marine Academy just outside New York City. As a freshman setter for the Mariners last season, she was second on the team with 333 assists.
Haylee Gasser graduated from JSerra in 2016 and is expected to be one of the top players for Seton Hall again this season. She led the Pirates in blocks last season and was third in kills.
Shannon Scully is set to return for her junior season at Pepperdine. She was one of three players to start all 31 matches last season, leading the Waves at 3.31 kills per set.
Rachel Ritchie was Scully’s teammate during their junior years at Mater Dei. She landed at Georgia after transferring back to San Juan Hills High School for her senior year.
Ritchie was first on the Bulldogs and ninth in the Southeastern Conference at 3.35 kills a set last season. She also led Georgia with 33 aces.
Ritchie initially signed with Loyola Marymount, but when Tom Black left LMU to take the head coaching job at Georgia, she eventually decided to follow him there.
“The second time recruiting her was harder than the first,” Black told the Georgia school newspaper, The Red & Black. “When she finally committed to us, it was a great day.”
A great opportunity to watch several former Trinity League players in action would be on Oct. 25, when Stanford visits UCLA in a Pac-12 match.
Not only does Stanford have McClure, but Natalie Berty is a freshman outside hitter for the Cardinal. She helped Mater Dei win the CIF-State Open Division title last season and won Trinity League MVP honors.
UCLA will be led by another one of McClure’s former teammates, setter Devon Chang, who was second on the team with 350 sets last season. Kelsey Campeau, a 2018 Mater Dei graduate, is a sophomore libero for the Bruins.
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guests include:
Originally broadcast on 9/14/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
On today’s episode, Bob is on location at Servite High School in Anaheim!
Today’s guest is:
Originally broadcast on 8/31/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Nobody seems to notice the kicker, punter or long snapper until they’re called upon to win the football game.
Or they cause something bad to happen.
Or both of the above.
It’s a wonder why anyone pursues this line of work.
But the Trinity League has churned out some pretty good ones in recent years, and several will occupy essential roles on big-time college teams this fall.
Let’s start with Sam Loy.
Loy, who graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in 2016, is expected to handle the punt and kickoff duties for the University of Arkansas this season.
He knows how slim the margin of success is for special team specialists like himself.
“It’s really important to be consistent,” Loy said. “If you don’t have that consistency, then it doesn’t matter how strong your leg is.”
Loy punted for Vanderbilt as a freshman and sophomore, earning second-team all-Southeastern Conference honors in 2016.
After his second season with the Commodores, he took his skills to a higher altitude and transferred to the University of Colorado. He sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules and then decided to return to the SEC after Colorado’s head coach was dismissed.
Now classified as walk-on, Loy wasn’t required to sit out another season.
“I missed the SEC,” Loy said. “The best teams, best players and the best fans. I jumped at the chance to come back. I am fortunate to have a chance to play in the Southeastern Conference again.”
Loy didn’t make the preseason Ray Guy Award watch list, which annually goes to the nation’s top collegiate punter at the end of the season, but another Trinity League graduate is on for a third straight year.
Ryan Stonehouse, a 2017 graduate of Mater Dei, is set to begin his third season as the starting punter at Colorado State, which happens to play at Arkansas on Sept. 14.
Stonehouse won the starting job as a freshman at Colorado State in 2017 and averaged 45.9 yards per punt, fifth-best in the country. He returned last season and bumped his average to 48.3, second-best in the nation and a school record.
Two former Mater Dei kickers might also make noise in the Pac-12 this season.
Chase McGrath is hoping to win back the starting job at USC after sustaining a torn ACL in the third game last season.
McGrath was a vital piece of the 2017 USC team that won the Pac-12 championship game. He also kicked the tying field goal with no time left against Texas to send the game into overtime, and then booted the game-winner in double-overtime.
McGrath faces some stiff competition this season, however. His replacement a year ago made 7-of-9 field goals while McGrath was injured.
After serving as Mater Dei’s kicker last season, Nick Lopez signed with California as a preferred walk-on. He’s also expected to compete for the No. 1 spot.
Servite graduate Asa Fuller is set to return as Fresno State’s kicker after making 14-of-22 field goal attempts last season, including two big ones in the Mountain West Conference championship game.
Kickers and punters know they’re often only as good as their long snappers, and Seth MacKellar is hoping to make his look good at Arizona this season.
MacKellar was an Under Armour All-American at JSerra last season, the first player from the school to earn that distinction at any position.
The fall sports season is right around the corner and it’s safe to say the Trinity League will be front and center once again.
“And it’s not just the football players who will steal the headlines.
“JSerra is expected to feature one of the top boys’ cross-country runners in the nation in senior Anthony Grover, the two-time defending CIF-State Division 4 champion.
“Grover struggled with fatigue issues throughout last season, a condition that peaked at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in December, when he collapsed about 500 yards from the finish line.
“He crawled for a short distance and then walked the remainder of the way, finishing last in the field.
“Grover took two months off before returning even stronger during the spring track and field season, finishing fourth in state in the 1,600 meters.
“The Mater Dei girls’ volleyball team enters the season as the defending CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF-State Open Division defending champion, though the Monarchs will need to replace a lot of talent and experience.
“Moving on to Stanford is outside hitter Natalie Berty, the CIF-SS Division I and OC Register player of the year last season. The Monarchs will also need to replace left-side hitter Mandalay Rennon, who led the team with 527 digs last season and was second with 47 service aces.
“The Monarchs welcome back one of the top high schools setters in the nation in senior Mia Tuaniga, who finished second on Mater Dei last season with 269 kills and first in aces (57) and assists (660).
“Tuaniga spent part of July as the primary setter for the Under-20 women’s U.S. national team at the FIVB World Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
“Mater Dei opens the season Aug. 22 against visiting Foothill.
“The Monarchs also went unbeaten during league play in boys’ water polo last season, but it was Servite who had the most postseason success, winning the CIF-SS Division 3 title with a 13-11 victory against Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, the program’s first section title since 2005.
“Mater Dei will need to replace its best player from last season, Warren Loth, who was the Trinity League most valuable player after scoring 84 goals, but Servite welcomes back its best player.
Guillermo Ocasio scored 131 goals as a junior last season, helping him earn Division 3 player of the year honors.
“The Monarchs hope to continue their success in the pool behind Brian Anderson, a late replacement as head coach after Milos Skaljac resigned a couple weeks into last season. Skaljac had replaced Chris Segesman, who resigned as coach in December of 2017.
“The Mater Dei girls’ golf team made it all the way to the CIF/SCGA championships last season, finishing fifth.
“Mater Dei will need to replace its best player from last season, Khameryn Utu, who tied for seventh at the CIF-SS individual championships and helped the Monarchs finish second in the section team championships.
“Mater Dei has a solid player to build around in sophomore Kexin Guan, who was a second-team all-county selection last season.
“Mater Dei figures to have the top doubles team in girls’ tennis in the Trinity League as well.
“Colby Bennett, who will be a junior, and senior Natasha Hill teamed up last season to win the league’s doubles title.
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
On today’s episode, Bob brings you a special Trinity League football preview!
Today’s guests include:
Originally broadcast on 8/10/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guest is:
Originally broadcast on 7/20/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Host Bob Gibson interviews coaches and players throughout the various Catholic high schools in Orange County. His Twitter handle is: @catholicsv
Today’s guest is:
Originally broadcast on 7/13/19
Podcast (catholic_sports_view): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
