Amirgy Pineda, who departed for England last month to join the Nike Chance Academy team, has returned to Century High and will rejoin the Centurions this week, Coach Bruce Silverman said.
When the midfielder was in their lineup, the Centurions were among the top-ranked teams in the CIF-SS Division 3 poll, and he should boost their chances in the CIF-SS playoffs, which start next week.
Pineda was one of the eight players chosen from a worldwide audition to join Nike’s soccer academy, which showcases players in games with development teams from some of the top professional clubs in Europe.
But being a 16-year-old high school student on a team of men in their early 20s was not the right fit for Pineda, Silverman said in an email, so Pineda returned home.
“It was not all what they made it out to be,” Silverman said of the Nike academy experience. “Because he (Pineda) was so much younger than the others, he was really not getting any playing time or exposure, as their goal was with trying to sign the older players.”
DAMIAN DOTTORE
GIRLS WRESTLING
There were 62 girls wrestlers from the county who qualified for the CIF-SS Championships on Saturday at Roosevelt High in Eastvale.
The top eight wrestlers in each weight class advance to the CIF State Tournament, which runs Feb. 28 to March 1 in Visalia.
The list of county qualifiers can be found on the wrestling page at ocvarsity.com.
DAMIAN CALHOUN
WRESTLING
The first thing Yorba Linda coach Brian Fortenbaugh said to his team after it won the Division 5 title at the CIF-SS Dual Meet Championships on Saturday:
“This is all about the team,” Fortenbaugh said. “That was a total team effort.”
Yorba Linda weighed in 28 wrestlers for the event, and the grueling tournament took its toll on the Mustangs, including Andrew Gomez (132).
“He sprained his ankle really bad in the first match we wrestled (Saturday),” Fortenbaugh said. “I didn’t wrestle him in the semifinals, but I told him I needed him for this match (the finals).”
Gomez won his match in the finals, 5-2.
“It was a big a match and I needed my best guy on the mat,” Fortenbaugh said. “He sucked it up, iced it (his ankle) all day, got tape on it and wrestled a phenomenal match.
“Throughout the lineup, all the guys in the middle, where we have been strong all season, did a spectacular job. (Brandon) Gee, (Killian) Gale did a great job.”
After a first-round bye, the Mustangs defeated Beckman, 47-24, and Santa Maria, 55-12, before edging Arroyo of El Monte, 29-27, in the finals.
DAMIAN CALHOUN
GIRLS WATER POLO
Troy’s girls water polo team built momentum for its upcoming CIF title defense by capturing the Los Altos tournament Saturday.
The Warriors defeated South Pasadena — the top-ranked team in Division 4 last week — in the championship, 15-4, behind four goals apiece by Shannon Grossman and Minna Mattis.
Goalie Jessica Harris added nine saves for Troy (18-9), the defending Division 4 champion.
South Pasadena played without recent UCLA signee Devin Grab, but Troy coach Jason Wilson said the tournament helped his squad prepare for the CIF playoffs.
Mattis netted six goals in the victory and leads the Warriors with 117 goals.
Troy is two victories away from its third consecutive 10-0 league campaign in the Freeway League. …
Several Orange County players earned all-tournament honors at the Irvine Southern California Championships on Saturday. Laguna Beach’s Makenzie Fischer was selected the outstanding field player while Newport Harbor’s duo of Cleo Harrington and Carlee Kapana shared the outstanding goalie award.
Other selections included: Laguna Beach’s Holly Parker and Cara Borkovec, Foothill’s Cana Manzella and Kenzie Snyder, Newport Harbor’s Christina O’Beck and Heidi Fults, Corona del Mar’s Maddie Musselman and Heidi Ritner, Mater Dei’s Brianna Daboub, Los Alamitos’ Erika Pauley and Santa Margarita’s Haley Wan. …
The match of the week will be played in the Sunset League. Los Alamitos (18-8, 4-0) takes on host Newport Harbor (19-6, 4-0) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. for the league title. The game also carries heavy implications for the Division 1 playoff draw.
DAN ALBANO
