I received a note over the weekend reminding me of another fall sport in Kern County this year — water polo. I'm not going to do a full Year in Review there because just one school, Garces, had the sport in boys and girls formats, but it is worth a quick mention.

The Rams met with some moderate success, a very good sign for an infant program. The girls team finished 14-11 and the boys 7-18. Both teams had one second-team choice on the all-Central Section Division III team, Allie Ruettgers for the girls and Josh Shambaugh for the boys. Keep in mind also that Garces is building a pool, meaning its water polo and swimming teams will continue to improve. The timing is a bit off for water polo, it seems, because with the budget constraints the public schools are facing, the Rams won't have any short road trips any time soon. It will be interesting to see how the program progresses without that benefit.

Now on today's main Year in Review topic.

2008-09 Kern County GIRLS TENNIS

Overview: The year’s highlights came fast and furious, with Bakersfield Christian’s Lyndsay Cooke taking another crack at Visalia-Redwood’s Gabrielle Gatewood in the Central Section singles final on the same day that the Stockdale team of Frances Ellison and Julie Hutton won the section doubles crown. Then, a few days later, also in the Fresno area, Stockdale swept three dramatic doubles matches from Bullard when they needed two to win yet another Division I section title — their sixth straight — and the first in 20 years for Dave Hillestad, who just started coaching the Mustangs girls this year. Bakersfield Christian romped through Division V, predictably, and Tehachapi racked up a Division III title. Other solid teams included Liberty, which lost to Bullard in the D-I semifinals, and Garces, which reached the Division II final before losing.

Best team: Bakersfield Christian proved at the early-season Lynch Cup that it was a hair better than Stockdale, winning four of six highly contested matches. The Eagles might have had even more success had the dual been a traditional nine- or 12-match format. They had tremendous depth, especially for a small school, and found little competition in the SSL or in Division V. No matter. That two-day Lynch Cup performance, which also included victories over a couple of Clovis schools, Liberty and Garces, was enough to convince most of their supremacy.
Honorable mention: Stockdale, Liberty, Garces, Tehachapi

Best player: There were plenty of great singles players around town, but there was a pretty clear hierarchy. Julie Hutton was solid for Stockdale, but she was No. 2 to Frances Ellison on the team all year — until they teamed up for the doubles championship. Ellison lost both times she played Liberty’s Estefania Limpias, who lost the SEYL championship to East’s amazing Nancy Ramirez. Ramirez, though, was no match for Chelby Cooke, Lyndsay’s sister, in the section’s third-place match. But Chelby was BCHS’ clear No. 2 to Lyndsay — or so it was said. At the top of that chain, you’ve got to figure there’s a pretty good player, and Lyndsay Cooke was that.
Honorable mention: Chelby Cooke, Nancy Ramirez, Estefania Limpias, Frances Ellison

Best match: I’ll mention two winners here. If you’re looking for an individual match, it’s hard to top the drama of Ellison and Hutton’s doubles-championship victory against Allison Gobel and Irene Rios of Clovis-Buchanan. The Mustangs took a tight first set, 6-3 but then trailed 5-3 in the second. Rather than face a for-all-the-marbles third set, Hutton and Ellison dug in and reeled off four straight games — with two going to deuce, if memory serves — to win it 7-5. If you want a team dual, you’ve only got to go a few days later, when Ellison and Hutton split into different doubles teams and won two tense doubles matches to help the Mustangs to another Division I team crown.
Honorable mention: Stockdale 5, Clovis-Buchanan 4, Division I semifinal; Bakersfield Christian 4, Stockdale 2, Lynch Cup

A look ahead: Lyndsay Cooke will have one more shot at Gatewood — they’re both juniors — with the big caveat that they’ve both got to make it there. Ellison, Hutton and Limpias were all seniors, but the other two locals who made it to the section’s final four are back. Ramirez, whose hand injury could remain a concern, and Chelby Cooke could push Lyndsay Cooke or Gatewood for a spot in the final. On a team level, Bakersfield Christian will be LOADED once again, but the Eagles’ matches will again be short on drama because of their school-size competition. Look for the Lynch Cup to be a show of strength again. As for Stockdale, they’ll look for lucky number seven in a row with a team that needs to rebuild a bit at the top but always has some depth.

Year in Review Index
July 1: Football
July 2: Volleyball
July 3: Boys cross country
July 6: Girls cross country

Tomorrow: Girls golf