C’est la vie 2022! It was a big year for our local sports athletes and trying to pick only 22 moments to recognize was no easy task. From buzzer-beaters to state championships and everything in between, records were broken and milestones were reached in what was another memorable year of sports memories. Every year-end comes with an opportunity to look back and reflect, so, in this edition of the Valley News, we came up with 22 of the year’s most unforgettable sports moments, which unfortunately does not include Mark Wahlberg visiting gyms in Temecula, even though that story was shared thousands of times over the internet. Thanks “Marky Mark!”
No. 1 – Kelsie Whitmore of Temecula named USA Baseball’s Sportswoman of the Year
Our top story of 2022 goes by way of Temecula’s own Kelsie Whitmore who was named Sportswoman of the Year by USA Baseball this past December. Whitmore made her seventh career appearance for the Women’s National Baseball Team over the summer, but if you have been following her story, that’s just one of the many things she accomplished as a female baseball player. Along with her accomplishments with Team USA, Whitmore has shined with Cal State Fullerton softball, made news when she signed to play for the Sonoma Stompers, and did so again when she played for the Portland Pickles, both independent professional baseball teams. Whitmore made even more history this past spring by becoming the first female to play baseball in a league affiliated with Major League Baseball. She made her professional debut with the Staten Island FerryHawks in April, making 39 appearances in her rookie season of the Atlantic League.
Every move she made with the FerryHawks was one a win for Whitmore. She first saw the field as a pinch runner, then started in the outfield, then started on the mound, recorded her first strike out, got a walk in one of her at-bats, and on Saturday, Sept. 3, the former Temecula Valley Golden Bear, recorded her first hit in a 7-4 loss to the Long Island Ducks. The hit not only sent the hometown fans to their feet, but girls all over America. Whitmore is quickly becoming the face of women’s baseball progress, and if you’re a fan, or knew her growing up, you know this is something she has been doing since she was a kid.
As a young ball player, she went through the ranks of the local youth baseball leagues, was an all-star, dominated at the travel ball and showcase level, and went on to play baseball at Temecula Valley High School before moving over to play softball in college. Stay tuned in 2023 as she looks to hit the ground running towards her goal of getting to the next level.
No. 2 – Two area Olympic athletes compete in Beijing
In February, California sent more athletes to the 2022 Beijing Olympics than any other state in the United States. Thirty members of the 224-strong US squad for the Winter Olympics hailed from California. That list included snowboarding phenom Hailey Langland, who at one point hailed from Temecula, as well as former hockey gold medalist Cayla Barnes, who was raised just down the 15 freeway in Eastvale. Langland, the lone American in the finals, finished 12th out of the 12 qualified riders, but fell twice in the final of women’s snowboard slopestyle. Barnes, and the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, dropped a 3-2 contest to Canada in the Gold Medal game to take home the silver.
No. 3 – Paloma Valley alum long snaps his way to Super Bowl championship
In February, Matthew Orzech, the long snapper for the Los Angeles Rams, is also a local native to the Menifee area and once played on the football and baseball fields at Paloma Valley High School. This past year, Orzech, and the Los Angeles Rams, won their first NFL Super Bowl title since the 1999 season, and their first representing Los Angeles since 1951.
No. 4 – Temecula Valley claims first-ever CIF State SoCal Regional Division 1 girls’ soccer title
In February, and then into March, the Temecula Valley girls’ soccer team not only won their fifth straight Southwestern League title, a CIF-SS Division 1 title and a CIF State Regional title, they ended the year with a 21-game win streak. This was the second time in the past five years that the program captured a regional title. Then, it was for a CIF SoCal Division 2 State title after winning a CIF Southern Section Division 2 title as well, which makes this year’s accomplishment of both titles coming in Division 1 that much sweeter.
Head coach Jennifer Guinn also received news towards the end of 2022 that helped put a bow on a magical year. After receiving the United Soccer Coaches award for the California State ‘Coach of the Year’ for large public schools this past August, she was named as the Spring Mountain West United Soccer Coaches’ large public school ‘Coach of the year’ for the West Region. Not only did Guinn get honored, but her assistant coach Laura Witz was named as the United Soccer Coaches West Regional ‘Assistant Coach of the Year’ for large public schools.
No. 5 – Murrieta’s Khalil Shakir selected by Buffalo Bills in 2022 NFL Draft
In April, Boise State graduate and four-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class out of Vista Murrieta High School Khalil Shakir, a Murrieta native and two-time All-Mountain West First-Team honoree, was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills (No. 148 overall pick). Mid-season, with multiple injuries piling up at the receiver position for the Bills, Shakir was forced into starting action as the team’s No. 3 target in October against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shakir took full advantage of those missing players, becoming one of Josh Allen’s most targeted receivers with three catches on five targets. He also scored his first-ever touchdown after he snatched a fluttering ball from Allen, bounced off a defender, and burst into the end zone.
No. 6 – Murrieta Mesa’s swim team has exciting season, ends with success
In May, The Murrieta Mesa boys’ team conquered the Division 2 championship this season, a year after sharing the runner-up spot. Justin Schneider, Ty Schneider and Eryk Elizondo came out on top in all three of the Division 2 events at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex in Mission Viejo. The Schneider brothers and Elizondo teamed up with Maximus Dillon to win the 200-yard medley relay in a school-record time of 1 minute, 32.38 seconds. They then set a new Division 2 meet record by winning the 200-freestyle relay in 1:24.32, which was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark set by Los Osos in 2014.
The Rams did it one more time when the Schneiders, Elizondo and Alexander Yang prevailed in the 400-freestyle with a time of 3:07.77. Murrieta Mesa closed things out with 175 points for the program’s first section title. Other local male standouts included Temescal Canyon’s Connor Martilla and West Valley’s Gage Dow. Martilla brought home a title and won the Division 3 boys 200 individual medley.
No. 7 – Norman breaks record in rainy 400m clash at Prefontaine Classic
In May, Murrieta’s Michael Norman had one of his best standout performances of the year at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. The 24-year-old former Vista Murrieta standout set a Diamond League 400m record of 43.60 to beat Grenada’s Kirani James (44.02) and Matthew Hudson-Smith, who broke the British record with 44.35.
In July, Norman also won double gold at the World Athletics Championships. In a career-defining race, Norman pulled away from the field on the final straight to win gold as the two-time U.S. champion overtook three-time Olympic medalist and 2011 world champion Kirani James of Grenada (44.68) with about 80 meters to go, powering to a finish in 44.29 seconds.
No. 8 – RCC Tigers win CCCAA State Baseball Championship; Local talent helps secure program’s fifth title
In May, for the fifth time in program history, the Riverside City College baseball program won the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship. They did so against the Folsom Lake College Falcons, 10-8. It was the Tigers’ first title under the direction of Head Coach Rudy Arguelles and his coaching staff.
Additionally, it is the team’s first title in 15 years after breaking a 14-year drought from the state championship tournament. Players from the area that contributed this season to the State Title run include Casey Murray, a first-year utility player from Orange Vista; Rheego McIntosh, a first-year pitcher from Chaparral High School; Caleb Anderson, a first-year pitcher from Paloma Valley; and Isaiah Lopez, a first-year catcher from Great Oak, who red-shirted at Montana State, Billings last season. With a handful of local players as well, Palomar also advanced to the State Championship tournament, but ultimately fell to host Folsom in the loser’s bracket.
No. 9 – Temecula senior citizen wins 12th World Pole Art title in Italy
In May, Temecula resident Greta Pontarelli, a 71-year-old who does not let age keep her from following her dreams, captured her 12th world title at the Pole Art Italy World Championship. As a world champion, Pontarelli has graced the covers of numerous international magazines, performed on national and international television and has been featured with Miley Cyrus in her videos and ad campaigns. Over the past few years Pontarelli has also been on American Ninja Warrior twice, where she holds the status of being the oldest person to attempt the course. Her mission is to use the stage as a platform to inspire others to unfold their gifts and to share them with the world.
No. 10 – Temecula’s Isaiah Mobley drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers in second round
In June, former Rancho Christian basketball standout, Isaiah Mobley, was selected as the No. 49 pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. The former USC Trojan forward continues his family’s legacy at the next level. The 6-foot-10-inch, 240-pound forward, is the third Mobley to play in the NBA. Isaiah’s father, Eric Mobley, played three seasons in the NBA after he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1994 NBA draft. His brother Evan, a fellow USC Trojan, went third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft as a lottery pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers as well.
No. 11 – Former Linfield Christian football standout now a USFL Champion
In July, the Birmingham Stallions won the inaugural United States Football League championship and former Linfield Christian football standout Lorenzo Burns was there for the whole ride as a leader on defense. Burns graduated from Linfield Christian school in 2016 and also ran track. After graduating, Burns played for and graduated from the University of Arizona. Burns also had a short stint in the NFL when the Jacksonville Jaguars claimed him off of waivers from the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. The former Temecula native signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 draft. Burns had two interceptions and nine tackles this past season and one tackle in the championship game for the Stallions.
No. 12 – Temecula’s Kate Jacobsen named All-American by United Soccer
In July, the coalition of coaches from United Soccer announced the 2021-2022 High School All-Americans for states that conducted their championship season during the winter or spring, which included Kate Jacobsen, a 2022 graduate of Temecula Valley High School. Nicknamed “Jet Jet” Jacobsen, the newly crowned All-American was a starter for the Lady Golden Bears soccer team since she was a freshman. That year she was not only a standout goal scorer, but she also was named First Team All-Southwestern League. Jacobsen would be the first to receive that honor under Temecula Valley Head Coach Jennifer Guinn’s leadership.
No. 13– Temecula’s Haynie, part of BIP Global Challenge Championship in Croatia
In July, Chaparral graduate (2018) Julia Haynie, a senior at San Diego State, participated in the 17th Annual Global Challenge Volleyball Tournament and won a Brijuni Division championship (U23) in Croatia. Her team (Team BIP), composed of players from NCAA member institutions in divisions one or two, was led by former USC women’s volleyball coach Mick Haley.
No. 14 – Area players selected in MLB Draft
In July, two former local prep players, with major ties to the valley, were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Mikey Romero, who played at Vista Murrieta and Orange Lutheran High School (graduated 2022), was selected in the first round by the Boston Red Sox (No. 24 overall) and Christopher Paciolla, who played for Temecula Valley High School (graduated 2022), was selected in the third round by the Chicago Cubs (No. 86 overall).
After the 20-round draft concluded, many organizations continued to add college talent as undrafted free agents which included Ezra Farmer, OF, Tahquitz High School and Otto Kemp, 3B, Point Loma Nazarene, who both signed with the Philadelphia Phillies; Ian Koenig, RHP, Cabrillo Community College, and David Morgan, RHP, Hope International, who both signed with the San Diego Padres; and 2017 Tahquitz High School grad that played, and set the home run record at Colorado Mesa last season, signed with the Washington Nationals. Caleb is the older brother of Ezra.
No. 15– California League Champions crowned, Storm wins their first title in 11 years
In September, behind a handful of the San Diego Padres’ top prospects, their Single-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, won the club’s fourth ever league title with a 3-2 win over the Fresno Grizzlies. It would be the third as a Padres affiliate. The Storm, whose 77-55 record during the regular season was second only to the Grizzlies’ 83-49 mark, outscored their opponents 35-14 in completing their postseason sweep. The club reached the playoffs after winning the South Division first-half title, then let their hair down in the playoffs, going 4-0 after winning five consecutive games to close out the regular season. They disposed of the Inland Empire 66ers in two games before delivering the same fate to Fresno, who they beat seven times in eight meetings this year.
This past year also saw Lake Elsinore make history when fans were asked to produce a continuous 18-minute wave to beat the previous record of 17 minutes and 20 seconds, and for the first time in their long 28-year history, in front of a packed house, a no-hitter was thrown by pitchers Garrett Hawkins and Alan Mundo Friday, July 1.
No. 16 – Youth kickboxers compete in Abu Dhabi at IMMAF World Tournament
In August, a Pankration team of youth mixed martial arts competitors from Hernandez Kickboxing in Murrieta traveled to Abu Dhabi, where they competed at the 2022 IMMAF World Tournament. Pankration is an ancient martial art which mixes wrestling and boxing. The sport can be traced as far back as the second millennium BCE in the territory of ancient Greece. The team consisted of Lariah Gill, age 14, first place; Uriel Cruz, 14, second place; Zadkiel Cruz, 12, third place; Isabella Campos, 13, third place; Ethan Barrett, 15, third place; Elijah Gutierrez, 9, third place; Head Coach Richard Hernandez; and Assistant Coach Julio Cruz.
No. 17 – Local skydiver earns gold medal at National Championships
In September, at the 2022 United States Parachute Association Nationals, there was tight competition for who would take home gold in the canopy formation skydiving events. The event took place at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, with top skydivers from across the world coming together to compete in various disciplines. At the forefront was local Lake Elsinore elite skydiver Sean Jones, who led his team ‘Elsinore Too Wrapped Up’ to victory in canopy formation. Jones is no stranger to winning, having competed at the national level since 2008. He has won 13 gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals throughout his career.
No. 18 – Lady Broncos’ magical journey ends one win short of 2nd CIF State volleyball title
After winning the Southwestern League and a CIF Southern Section title during their fall sports season, the Vista Murrieta High School girls’ volleyball class of 2023 are now among our area’s most decorated senior classes in recent history. Claire Little, Zoe Horner, Mikayla Marich, Skylar Darr, Mallory Villareal, Lauren Ly, Bridget Robarts and Dailin Leong were part of a class that won three consecutive Southwestern League championships along with a 2019 CIF-State title as freshmen and this year’s CIF-SS Division 2 championship.
They’ll be mentioned in the same breath as Chaparral High School’s class of 2004 who made back-to-back CIF-SS finals appearances with a win in 2003; Calvary Murrieta High School’s class of 2008 that made three straight section title matches and won two from 2006-2008; Hemet High School class of 2013 that made four straight section finals and won three times, along with Linfield Christian High School’s class of 2019, which won back-to-back section titles after not having made the playoffs in nine previous seasons.
No. 19 – Wildomar teen helps USA Baseball 18U team claim gold over Panama
In November, the USA Baseball 18U National Team, which included Wildomar’s Vaughn Neckar, competed in the World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in La Paz and Los Cabos, Mexico. A junior in high school, Neckar, an LSU commit who plays for Vista Murrieta during the spring, has competed in past USA Baseball development programs, mainly as a pitcher.
After completing a sweep of the Super Round, the United States was 7-0 in tournament play entering the gold medal game against Panama. While Neckar did not pitch in the gold medal game, he played a pivotal role in the games leading up to the final win, where an 11-1 victory over Panama saw Team USA win it all. It is the sixth consecutive WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier title for the 18U National Team, where the program has won gold at every tournament since 2009. The tournament win secured a spot in next summer’s XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Tainan, Taiwan, where they aim to defend their title after winning gold at the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in September.
No. 20 – Former TV football alumni Easton Gibbs named First Team All-Mountain West
In November, the Mountain West college football conference announced its 2022 All-Mountain West football teams and former Temecula Valley football standout, and current Wyoming Cowboys linebacker Easton Gibbs earned a First Team selection. Gibbs, a high-profile candidate for the NFL draft in 2023, finished the 2022 regular season averaging 9.2 tackles per game to rank No. 3 in the Mountain West and No. 23 in the nation, making this the first All-Mountain West Conference honor of his career.
The Wyoming Cowboys, with Gibbs in tow, played in the first-ever Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl against the Ohio Bobcats from the Mid-American Conference at the end of December at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The result was a 30-27 win for Ohio. This year’s appearance was Wyoming’s 18th bowl appearance in history who are now 9-9 overall in bowl games.
No. 21 – Great Oak boys’ win program’s seventh CIF State cross country title
In November, as well as December, some of the most successful programs in California prep cross country history added to their legacies, which included Great Oak, who knocked off San Clemente by a 67-80 margin to win the program’s seventh CIF State Division 1 boys’ championship. Senior Mark Cortes finished ninth in 15:23.5 for Great Oak, which won six straight titles from 2014-2019 and placed runner-up last year. The Wolfpack’s five-man split was 20 seconds as Cortes was followed by twin brother Ramses at 16th (15:32.67) and Gabriel Rodriguez (15:34) in 19th place.
Rounding out Great Oak’s scoring were Nathan Lennox and Austin Elkins, 25th and 26th place in 15:43.24 and 15:43.65, respectively. Just one week after missing out on a CIF Southern Section title to San Clemente, the Wolfpack won their seventh boys state title and 15th overall in program history, but first in this decade and first under third-year head coach Tammy Draughon. It was also the eighth podium appearance for Great Oak. Following the CIF State meet, the Wolfpack earned an automatic berth in early December to the Nike Cross Nationals meet in Portland, Ore., where they placed sixth.
No. 22 – San Jacinto’s historic football season leads to numerous titles
In November, their third time wasn’t the charm, but their fourth time sure was. With a 42-15 victory over Orange High School, the San Jacinto Tigers won their program’s first-ever CIF Southern Section football title. San Jacinto, the current Division 6 champions, had suffered three losses in their previous title runs, the most recent coming in 2018 to Culver City with a 61-21 loss. The Tigers advanced to the Division 3AA CIF State Football Regionals in early December where they hosted the University City Centurions, the No. 1 seed out of the San Diego Section.
Going into the game the Tigers had not lost a game in almost three months, and the last time they did lose, it was by one point…a 28-27 loss to Beaumont in mid-September. Since that loss, San Jacinto won 11 straight games, which includes winning a Mountain Pass League title, a CIF-SS Div. 6 title, and with their 49-45 win over the Centurions, a CIF State Division 3-AA Regional title. The Tigers headed to Sacramento the next week to play Grant High School for the CIF 3-AA State Title but fell 36-34.
*The full versions of these sports stories can also be found online at http://www.myvalleynews.com.
We had so many contributing writers in 2022, including many of our own readers, who helped with not only the pictures and stories in this issue, but so much more. As the sports editor, I want to send a heartfelt thank you out to those who contributed to the sports section, including our photographers David Canales, Andrez Imaging, Action Captures Media Group, Scott Padgett (Time Stood Still Photography), Jerry Soifer, Butch Owens, Rob Davis and writer Derryl Trujillo. I cannot wait to see what sports stories we can bring you all in 2023.
If you have a sports tip, JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
