The San Diego Section held its 22nd annual appreciation luncheon May 10 at SDCCU Stadium. Sweetwater High School girls basketball coach Heather Huckaby and Southwest High School boys basketball coach Steve Selland both received awards as model coaches of the year.
Selland led the Raiders to a final 28-8 record, San Diego Section Division IV championship and a runner-up finish in the Southern California regional finals.
The Raiders finished 19-13 with a Division V championship title and three-round-deep run into the 2018 regional playoffs.
Selland has coached Southwest to a 47-21 record and two CIF section titles over the past two seasons.
“Receiving the CIF model coach award for 2019 was a nice honor, not just for me, but also for Southwest High and the Metro Conference,” Selland said. “It recognized the dedication that my staff and the players have had on this recent team of ours during the two-year run we had.
“When I was introduced, it was said how I have persevered and overcome difficulties at the site to continue to carry on, be the same coach, year after year, regardless of circumstances. For that, I was appreciative and accepted it with thanks and gratitude.”
Besides her duties as girls basketball coach, Huckaby also serves as the athletic director at Sweetwater High School.
She said building a successful program is not simply about wins and losses.
“It’s not about winning,” she stressed. “I had a great group of kids this season (Sweetwater finished 6-21 on the season). They kept working hard regardless of what their record was.”
Huckaby, who has coached at Sweetwater for 14 years after nine years at Chula Vista High School, said she learned “a lot” during her first year as the National City school’s athletic director.
“We had a lot of firsts this year — for instance, the first lightning storm — but it went better than I expected,” she said. “I’ll do a better job next year.”
New horizons for the 2019-20 interscholastic school term include a girls water polo team that will compete in the South Bay League and possibilities to add a badminton team and lacrosse program.
ALL-SAN DIEGO SECTION TEAMS
SPRING SPORTS HONOR ROLL
BASEBALL
First Team
Ricky Tibbett (Eastlake), 12
Keoni Cavaco (Eastlake), 12
Marcelo Mayer (Eastlake), 10
Player of the Year: Keoni Cavaco (Eastlake)
Pitcher of the Year: Stephen Klenske (Sage Creek)
Coach of the Year: Dallas Booker (Morse)
SOFTBALL
First Team
Lexi Sosa (Mater Dei Catholic), 12
Alexis Guevara (Bonita Vista), 10
Alyssa Garcia (Mater Dei Catholic), 12
Sharlize Palacios (Eastlake), 12
Second Team
Alena Ramirez (Mater Dei Catholic), 11
Micaela Macario (Bonita Vista), 10
Hannah Slike (Eastlake), 10
Player of the Year: Lexi Sosa (Mater Dei Catholic)
Pitcher of the Year: Haley White (Torrey Pines)
Coach of the Year: Mike Centrullo (Mater Dei Catholic)
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
First Team
Jano Tello (Eastlake), 12
Player of the Year: Slater Bird (Westview)
Libero of the Year: Taylon Cook (Sage Creek)
Coach of the Year: Mike Bird (Mt. Carmel)
BOYS TENNIS
First Team
Ivan Smith (Hilltop), 11
Marco Alvarez (Eastlake), 12
Player of the Year: Michael Haro (Torrey Pines)
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
First Team
Drake Prince (High Tech High Chula Vista), 11
Track Athlete of the Year: Kenan Christon (Madison)
Field Athlete of the Year: Altan Mitchell (Point Loma)
Coach of the Year: Andrew Corman (Canyon Crest Academy)
Prince leads South County contingent at 2019 state track and field finals
High Tech High Chula Vista junior Drake Prince shocked the field at this year’s San Diego Section track and field championship meet by winning the boys 800-meter distance with a personal record time of 1:55.11.
He bettered that time twice at the ensuing state championship meet May 24-25 in Clovis.
The intrepid mid-distance runner turned in the top prelim time of 1:53.22 in the field of 26 entrants to set a new personal record. The time advanced him to the second day of competition and elite status.
He dipped under the time set at the section finals on May 18 once again with a time of 1:54.71 but could not muster a top finish in the field of 13 finalists.
Prince finished 10th at the state finals but was just two seconds off earning a medal.
The top four finishers set personal records in the finals race. Valencia senior Kai Wingo won this year’s state title in 1:51.71, followed by Jesuit junior Chase Gordon (1:51.74), Loyola senior Mason Ratkovich (1:52.22) and Westmont junior Garrett MacQuiddy (1:52.25).
The final lap was a blur of motion. Wingo was in 13th place after the first lap. He edged Gordon by 0.03 seconds at the finish line. Third and fourth places were separated by the same time differential.
The top seven runners finished under 1:53. The top six received medals.
Wingo had placed 10th in the preceding prelims with a time of 1:54.21 while Gordon was seventh in 1:54.12.
Prince was the lone section runner to advance to the finals in the event and the only student-athlete among the contingent of South County qualifiers to advance to the second day of competition.
Eastlake junior Kalah Bateman, Eastlake senior Luz Mercado and Sweetwater senior Cesar Salazar joined Prince at the state meet as Metro Conference qualifiers.
Bateman finished 15th in prelim qualifying in the girls 100-meter dash in 12.09. She had entered the state meet with the ninth-fastest time after finishing with the Division I silver medal in 11.98 at the preceding section finals.
Calabasas senior De’anna Nowling won the state title in the 100 in 11.55.
Mercado finished 16th in prelim qualifying in the girls 1600-meter run in 5:00.01. She had dropped more than eight seconds off her best time to place runner-up in the A-heat at the section finals in 4:57.12 to earn the Division I silver medal.
Chino Hills sophomore Jacqueline Duarte won the state title in the 1600 in 4:42.58.
Mercado also competed in the girls 4×400 relay with her twin sister Ana Mercado and teammates Sarah Davis and Blanca McCormick. The quartet blazed to a new school record time of 3:54.92 but finished 15th in prelim qualifying.
Long Beach Poly won the state title in the 4×400 in 3:46.23.
Salazar finished 19th in prelim qualifying in the boys discus throw with a mark of 147-11. He had placed third overall at the section finals with a PR mark of 157-8.
Newbury Park senior Gino Cruz won the state title in the discus throw at 191-11.
