Temecula Valley

The most popular beverage in the Temecula Valley, the picturesque wine region not far from the urban sprawl of Orange and San Diego counties, is something called "almond champagne. " It is a more or less naturally sparkling wine (the bubbles induced in pressurized tanks) with almond flavoring added. Smelling sweetly of cream soda and marzipan, the wine's thick, cloying flavor wouldn't seem out of place in an ice cream parlor if not for a modest alcohol kick and its bitter finish.

Rank, School Record, playoff finish 1. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (28-4); SS Division 1 champion 2. OAKS CHRISTIAN (29-3-1); SS Division 4 champion 3. MATER DEI (24-3); SS Division 1 first round 4. CYPRESS (26-8); SS Division 2 champion 5. GARDENA SERRA (27-5); SS Division 3 champion 6. MARINA (22-9); SS Division 1 runner-up 7. EL TORO (23-7); SS Division 1 quarterfinalist 8. BONITA (25-4-1); SS Division 3 first round 9. FOUNTAIN VALLEY (24-5); SS Division 1 second round 10. TEMECULA VALLEY (23-6)

Temecula Valley won its fifth consecutive Southern Section dual-meet wrestling championship by defeating top-seeded Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, 36-31, in the Division I final Saturday at Temecula Valley High. Tony Berg's pin of Calvary Chapel's Peter Mosley in the 189-pound weight class was the deciding match for Temecula Valley, which won the last four Division II championships before moving to Division I this season.

In five days, Dominic Smith leaves for New York to experience the excitement of baseball's amateur draft, in which he is likely to be a first-round choice. But on Friday afternoon, he and his Gardena Serra teammates flashed big smiles and screamed like children at an amusement park after an 8-1 victory over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the Southern Section Division 3 championship game at Dodger Stadium. "It's sweet," said Smith, a left-hander who struck out nine in 61/3 innings, walked three times (two were intentional)

Temecula Valley High defeated Rolling Hills, 39-28, Thursday night in a Division VIII playoff game at Temecula. Halfback Ronnie Long scored three touchdowns and halfback Phouth Sommay also scored twice for the Sunkist League champion Golden Bears. Rolling Hills finished 6-5.

Temecula Valley turned in one of the most dominant wrestling performances in school history when it breezed through the Southern Section Southern Division individual championships Saturday at Westminster High. The Golden Bears had eight finalists, six champions and had 11 of their 14 wrestlers finish among the top five. It added up to 300.5 points and an 84.5-point victory over runner-up Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, which had four champions and eight wrestlers in the top five.

Temecula Valley High School has been awarded the Southern Section Division VIII football championship after Morningside High of Inglewood was stripped of the title. Morningside defeated Temecula Valley, 27-20, last year in the championship game, but had to forfeit the game because of the unintentional use of an ineligible player, Southern Section officials announced. Stacy Maxwell, an All-Ocean League defensive lineman, reportedly turned 19 before Sept.

Temecula Valley has already defeated three-time defending state-champion Santa Ana Calvary Chapel for the Southern Section team tournament and dual-meet championships. Now the Golden Bears go for the big prize: the state title. Ryan Kane, the defending state champion in the 145-pound class, leads Temecula Valley into the state wrestling meet Friday and Saturday at the University of Pacific in Stockton.

Two of the most prolific scorers in the Southland faced off in the Southern Section Division I-AA quarterfinals on Saturday, and it came to a fitting climax. Jessie Thompson scored 42, and host Temecula Valley beat Norco, 78-67, ending the season for the second-seeded Cougars after 28 consecutive victories. Thompson, a 5-10 guard headed to Boise State, easily outshone Texas-bound Erika Arriaran, the Norco star who has been responsible for the Cougars' success.

Jason Gause, a right-handed pitcher from Temecula Valley High, signed a letter of intent with Cal State Northridge. Gause is 8-0 and batting .454. Kennedy High third baseman Aldo Pinto has committed to UCLA. Pinto will walk on as a freshman but has been promised a chance to start at second base. Football Antelope Valley High tailback Jermaine Lewis has been invited to play in the Shrine All-Star game July 20 at Cal State Fullerton.

Big games this week have No. 4 Tesoro taking on No. 17 El Toro, No. 11 Alemany playing No. 14 Bishop Amat and No. 1 Santa Margarita facing No. 10 Mater Dei. Previous ranking in parenthesis 1.SANTA MARGARITA Pac-5 (6-0); Def. Servite, 21-0. Next: vs. Mater Dei at Saddleback College, Friday (1) 2. VISTA MURRIETA Inland (6-0); Def. Temecula Valley, 58-14. Next: vs. Great Oak, Friday (2) 3. NARBONNE CIty D-I (6-0); Def. Carson, 26-20. Next: at Banning, Friday (3) 4. TESORO Pac-5 (6-0)

All Jake Meredith needed to do was avoid getting pinned, but that thought never crossed his mind. Instead, the Temecula Valley freshman staged a late comeback and sent his team and fans into a frenzy and clinched a 48-9 victory over San Clemente in the Southern Section Division I dual-meet championship at Anaheim Esperanza. Meredith's 7-6 victory in the 125-pound weight class gave the Golden Bears their third consecutive dual-meet title. They outscored four opponents, 215-57.