Southern Section Championships

BASEBALL SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday at Riverside Sports Complex Division 7: #1 Camarillo Cornerstone Christian vs. #3 Milken, 1:30 p.m. Division 6: #1 Lancaster Desert Christian vs. #3 Oxford Academy, 4:30 p.m. Division 5: #1 Woodcrest Christian vs. Linfield Christian, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Diamond at Lake Elsinore Division 4: Torrance vs. #2 Palm Desert, 10 a.m....

Gardena Serra not only got revenge Friday night, the Cavaliers also captured their third CIF Southern Section title in four years with a 30-28 victory over West Hills Chaminade in the Western Division championship game at Serra High. Serra (12-2) avenged a 28-20 loss to Chaminade in Mission League play on Oct. 5 and put itself in position for a Division II regional bowl berth. Afterward, Adoree Jackson and teammate Daishon Green took turns doing victory backflips for their fans ... the start of a celebration likely to last into the morning.

La Quinta, Tustin and Esperanza will play for Southern Section baseball championships today at Anaheim Stadium. La Quinta (25-5) and Tustin (21-9-1) play for the Division III championship at 1 p.m. It is the second title game appearance for both teams. La Quinta lost to Lompoc in 1979 and Tustin lost to Whittier La Serna in 1990. Esperanza (24-5) plays second-seeded Simi Valley (27-3), the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, in the Division I title game at 7:30 p.m.

Scott Altenberg, the Gardena Serra football coach, doesn't know whether to laugh or cry when he tells the story of senior linebacker Ardis Perez. Two years ago, Perez broke his neck on the opening kickoff of a semifinal playoff game against Paso Robles. "He didn't move for 20 minutes," Altenberg said. "When he went down, I literally couldn't move myself. It was a real scary moment. " Perez said, "All I remember is it felt like I was floating down, and I couldn't move. I closed my eyes and started praying.

Geoff Wilson heard nothing except the beat of his heart and the words coming from his head. And as Wilson, a Fountain Valley senior, reached his target, his objective was clear: Get across the plate. Wilson stole home, part of a double steal in the bottom of the sixth inning, to help the Barons defeat Lakewood, 3-2, in the Southern Section Division I championship game Friday night at Blair Field. "The adrenaline was just rushing through me," Wilson said.

She had never played a full season of softball, but Marina freshman Megan Orach was standing on first base in the fifth inning of a scoreless Southern Section Division I championship game. Pinch-running for catcher Heather Williams with nobody out, Orach moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on Staci Byers' ground out to first and scored what proved to be the winning run on a single by Heather Hibben.

Could it be true? Were the boys' volleyball teams of Woodbridge and Newport Harbor high schools separated at birth? Are they, in fact, the same team? No, no. The teams are not identical but just incredible simulations, and they will play each other tonight at 7:30 at Woodbridge High in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs. Consider that neither won league championships but each defeated favored league champions in the first round of the playoffs. Woodbridge beat defending Southern Section champion Loyola and Newport Harbor beat No. 4-seeded and Sunset League champion Huntington Beach.

For Esperanza senior Courtney Pugmire, winning races is becoming second nature, no matter how fast she must run. The Aztec standout won the Division I 1,600 and 3,200 meters, turning back the area's finest distance runners at the Southern Section track and field championships Saturday at Cerritos College. Pugmire, the defending Division II champion in the 800 and 1,600, used a blistering kick over the final 100 meters of each race to best Agoura's Amy Skieresz and come away a double victor.

SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS All games tentatively 7:30 p.m. unless noted; exact sites and times to be confirmed Friday INLAND (II): No. 1 Corona Centennial (12-1) at No. 2 Vista Murrieta (8-5), 8 p.m. NORTHERN (III): No. 1 Westlake (13-0) at No. 2 Oaks Christian (11-2) WESTERN (IV): Culver City (10-3) at No. 2 Arroyo Grande (12-1) CENTRAL (V): No. 1 Rancho Verde (13-0) at No. 2 Palm Springs (13-0) SOUTHEAST (VII): No. 1 West Covina (12-1)

Saturday at Irvine Barber Park Division 1 Anaheim Canyon (23-7) vs. Corona Santiago (27-5), 6 p.m. Scouting report: It's the rookie vs. the veteran. Canyon will make its first championship appearance against Santiago, which has played in five title games. The Comanches are led by Tennessee-bound pitcher Cheyanne Tarango and have strong offense with Shannon Bustillos, Lauren Young and Kelly Stowe. Santiago has talented sophomore pitcher Erica Romero and Michigan-bound catcher Lauren Sweet, who's hitting .490 with 13 home runs and 45 runs batted in. Others: Division 6, Downey Calvary Chapel vs. Redlands Citrus Valley, 10 a.m.; Division 4, Fontana Kaiser vs. Goleta Dos Pueblos, 12:30 p.m.; Division 2, Camarillo vs. La Mirada, 3:30 p.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS FRIDAY AT DODGER STADIUM DIVISION 4 LA PUENTE BISHOP AMAT (28-4) VS. PALM DESERT (28-4), 4:30 P.M. Scouting report: There's not a better matchup of teams all weekend at Dodger Stadium. Bishop Amat lost to Palm Desert, 5-1, in its season opener. The Lancers won the National Classic and have played and beaten top teams all season. Sophomore Adam Alcantar is having a terrific season with a .485 average. Third baseman Rio Ruiz is a future first-round draft pick.

Records that were set in the 110-meter hurdles long before Jonathan Cabral was born keep getting obliterated by the Agoura High senior. Last year, it was a 35-year-old Marmonte League record that he made disappear, and on a cloudless Saturday afternoon at Cerritos College, the Oregon-bound Cabral blew away a 29-year-old Division 3 record at the Southern Section-Ford presented by Farmers track and field championships. He ran 13.54 seconds, breaking the old record of 13.65 held by Steve Kerho of Mission Viejo since 1982.

Until entering high school, the only thing that made Aaron Liberman stand out on the basketball court was his growing 6-foot-5 frame. He was more of a celebrity for his height than a basketball player among his friends and family. "The summer I entered ninth grade is when a former coach told me that I could make something of this if I really pushed myself," Liberman said. "That's when I started to realize I had some talent. " Now standing 6-9, Liberman has not only become one of the most successful players in Southern California, but the senior forward also has been a driving force in helping a small Jewish school get its first taste of athletic success.

BOYS Southern Section Division 4AA Orange Lutheran (26-6) vs. Los Angeles Windward (23-7), 6:30 p.m. at Anaheim Arena ? Both schools come from tough leagues and have played challenging schedules. Lutheran knocked off Santa Ana Mater Dei and Westchester during the regular season. The Lancers rely on point guard James Douglas (16.3 points a game) and shooting guard Gabe York (18.8). Windward won the Alpha League and almost upset state power San Diego Lincoln in a tournament game.

Only in California, with a population of nearly 37 million, can you drive up and down the state and run into people and communities with so diverse interests. The same can be said about watching high school football in Southern California. From no-huddle offenses to double-wing formations, from schools with million-dollar fields to schools with dirt fields, the variety on display is mind-boggling. But the excitement of playing for a championship is universal, whether you live in Westlake Village or 276 miles away in Bishop.

BASEBALL SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday at Riverside Sports Complex Division 7: #1 Camarillo Cornerstone Christian vs. #3 Milken, 1:30 p.m. Division 6: #1 Lancaster Desert Christian vs. #3 Oxford Academy, 4:30 p.m. Division 5: #1 Woodcrest Christian vs. Linfield Christian, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Diamond at Lake Elsinore Division 4: Torrance vs. #2 Palm Desert, 10 a.m....