Six South Pasadena High varsity squads have qualified for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs following successful regular season.
The follow is a quick compilation of the teams the Tigers will be facing this week in football, girls volleyball, boys water polo, girls tennis, girls golf and cross country.
As CB Richards, the school’s athletic director, likes to say: “Go Tigers!”
Tiger Football
The varsity football team wrapped up a stellar regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 in the Rio Hondo League, securing SPHS the first outright league football title since 1977. The Tigers kept the momentum going with a 35-28 victory over Patriot High in the first round of CIF playoffs last Friday night at home. Up next, the Tigers be hitting the road to play Valley View on Friday, November 15, at 7 p.m. in Moreno Valley. Tickets will be available on GoFan.
Girls Volleyball
The SPHS girls’ Tiger volleyball team has shown its strength in the CIF sectional playoffs, making it all the way to the semi-finals. The Tigers outstanding performance earned them a spot in the CIF State Regional Championship Tournament. South Pasadena will be hosting the High Tech Mesa Thunder from San Diego on Tuesday, November 12, at 6 p.m. in the SPHS gym. To watch some state championship-level volleyball action at home, tickets are available through CIF GoFan: CLICK HERE NOW
Boys Water Polo
The South Pasadena High boys’ water polo team has been making waves, advancing to the CIF sectional semi-finals with impressive wins over Torrance, Calabasas, and Brentwood. The Tigers now face Diamond Bar in the CIF semi-finals Tuesday, November 12, at 5 p.m. at La Cañada High School pool. “Let’s come out and support our boys as they push for a spot in the finals!,” said Richards.
Girls Tennis
South Pasadena High’s girls’ tennis team had an exceptional season, finishing with a 14-2 regular season record and earning a spot in Division 1 CIF playoffs. The Tigers battled hard in the first round of CIF against tennis powerhouse Tesoro, narrowly falling 11-7. Proving with a strong off-season, SPHS will be the next D-1 Tennis school in the area. Freshman standouts Felicity Mason and Karissa Oniciuc have both qualified for the individual CIF tournament later this month, with Felicity competing and Karissa as the first alternate.
Girls Golf
Four individual girl Tiger golfers made a strong showing in the CIF individual prelims, with sophomore Ashley Wen advancing through to the finals. While the golf season has wrapped up, Richards said he’s excited to see the girls return next year for an even deeper CIF run.
Cross Country
The South Pasadena High boys’ and girls’ Cross Country teams swept the Rio Hondo League finals, capturing league championship titles at all five divisions – varsity girls, varsity boys, JV boys, JV girls, and frosh boys. Individual Varsity champions included senior Abby Errington for varsity girls and sophomore standout Michael Scarince for varsity boys. Both teams are now preparing for the CIF prelim races this Saturday, November 16, at the Mt. SAC course. The girls race starts at 9 a.m., followed by the boys at 10:30 a.m. “We have high hopes for a deep run into CIF finals and a potential spot at the State Championships in Clovis on November 30th,” said Richards.
“And if that wasn’t enough action for you,” said Richards, “winter sports kick off next week on November 18th with the start of boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and girls water Polo. Let’s keep this momentum going as we cheer on our teams during this exciting deep playoff season and prepare for winter sports to kickoff.”
With all the teams’ success, the school’s athletic director quickly added: “It’s a great time to be a Tiger!”
