Salazar, Castillo earn MVP honors from CIF

DOWNEY - Although Downey High School girls' soccer and girls' water polo seasons have come to an end, outstanding performances have been recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) in both sports.The Lady Vikings soccer team finished their season with an overall record of 23-5-3 and a league record of 10-0, and won the C.I.F. Division IV title after being moved from Division V last year. Downey defeated a Quartz Hill squad 3-1 in the Division IV final to hoist the championship plaque. Downey also defeated perennial power Long Beach Wilson (0-0, 4-3 PK's) in the quarterfinal round of the Southern California Regional before losing to eventual Southern California Regional champion El Camino Real, 1-0, in the semifinals. The Lady Vikings had several key performers recognized by CIF. Downey goalkeeper Adrianna Salazar was chosen as the CIF Division IV MVP and Rachel Godfrey was chosen as coach of the year. Viking standouts Janeth Acuna and Krista Velasco were also recognized as All-CIF selections for their efforts on the pitch. Coach Godfrey said she is "extremely proud" of her team and how hard they worked throughout the season. Next year will certainly bring high expectations and with it, an even bigger bulls eye on their backs. Congratulations to Coach Godfrey and her team for an excellent season. The Downey High School girls water polo team won their wild card game 13-7 against Fontana before losing to eventual CIF Division V champion Crescenta Valley 11-2 in the first round of the C.I.F. playoffs. For her outstanding play, Lady Viking Meghan Nevarez was recognized as an All-CIF selection. Congratulations to Meghan Nevarez. Warren The Warren High School boys' soccer team finished their season with an overall record of 11-9-9, a league record of 4-2-4 and a C.I.F. Division II title. The Bears defeated Loara High School of Anaheim, 3-1, in the title game to hoist the championship plaque. The Bears lost to La Costa Canyon, 2-1, in the quarterfinal round of the Southern California Regional. Bear standout Nathan Castillo was chosen as the C.I.F. Division II MVP and Warren head coach Miguel Pena was chosen as coach of the year. Bear teammates Ramiro Santana and goalkeeper Christopher Dominguez were also recognized as All-C.I.F. selections. Coach Pena is extremely proud of his team and their resiliency throughout a challenging season. The Bears will certainly be the hunted once again next year. Congratulations to Coach Pena and his team for an exciting run through the playoffs and their C.I.F. Division II championship. The Lady Bear water polo team had another exciting season as they competed for a Division V title. The Lady Bears came up two wins short in their quest for another title. The Lady Bears lost a nailbiter in the semifinal round to Riverside Poly 8-7. The Lady Bears finished their season with an overall record of 19-12 and an undefeated league record of 5-0. The Lady Bears had two key performers honored by C.I.F. Kayla Casas and Jocelyn Castro were recognized as All-C.I.F. Division V selections. Coach Cordero is proud of her team and how they continued to work hard and improve throughout the season. The Lady Bears will return several underclassmen who now have another year of experience and skill under their belts. Coach Cordero will not need to rebuild her program, but rather reload for next year.

********** Published: March 21, 2013 - Volume 11 - Issue 49