LA QUINTA, CA — Scottie Scheffler shot a 6-under-par 66 Sunday at the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta to win the $9.2 million The American Express PGA tournament by four strokes over four golfers.

Scheffler had nine birdies, a bogey on the par-4 second hole and a double-bogey on the par-3 17th hole to record his 20th victory in 151 starts on the PGA Tour, the second fewest starts to reach the milestone.

The record is 95 by Tiger Woods.

The 29-year-old is the first player since Woods to have 20 victories before turning 30. Woods was 24 when he won the 2000 U.S. Open for his 20th victory.

Scheffler said he “had not really thought about that very much” about reaching the 20-victory milestone, which makes him eligible to be a life member of the PGA Tour, the category behind tournament winners on the tour’s priority rankings to enter tournaments.

Scheffler entered Sunday’s play tied for second with 18-year-old Blades Brown, one stroke behind South Korean Si Woo Kim.

Brown was seeking to become the first 18-year-old to win a PGA Tour event since Charles Kocsis won the 1931 Michigan Open. Brown shot a 2-over-par 74 Sunday to finish in a six-way tie for 18th, eight strokes behind Scheffler.

Brown began play in The American Express Thursday, one day after completing play in The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club in Great Abaco, The Bahamas. Brown finished in a six-way tie for 18th in the tournament on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour, eight strokes behind winner Ian Holt.

Brown did not play any practice rounds on the three courses The American Express is played at.

Brown called playing eight rounds in eight days “a good thing.”

“Eight rounds I know sounds like a lot, but I was having a lot of fun,” Brown said. “You’re telling me I get to play in a PGA Tour event and to play with Scottie Scheffler and see him win it, that was insane.”

Kim shot a par-72 to tie Sam Stevens for sixth, five strokes behind Scheffler. He had four birdies, bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes and a double-bogey on the par-5 eighth.

Scheffler earned $1.656 million for his seventh victory in his last 13 starts on the PGA Tour.

The four golfers who tied for second — Jason Day, Ryan Gerard, Matt McCarty and Andrew Putnam each received $616,400.

This was the sixth time Scheffler played in The American Express. His best previous finish came the first time he played in the tournament, 2020, finishing third after holding a share of the 36- and 54-hole lead.

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While it is the dream of every young baseball player to visit Cooperstown, New York where the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is located, Ete’tish Arviso made it a reality. Through his fundraising efforts the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Tribal member was able to join his baseball travel team SoCal Bombers to play against some of the best 12U teams in the country.

He began raising money in November 2023 to ensure his trip could take place from July 23-31. Ete’tish, 12, said his favorite parts of the trip were, “Going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, seeing Babe Ruth’s uniform, getting to step foot on the historic Doubleday Field, and going to the memorabilia stores where I got my baseball cards with my dad.”

They got a lot of baseball trading cards and were able to pick out and purchase some rookie cards at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, such as Shohei Ohtani, Trea Turner, Ken Griffey Jr. and Bo Jackson.

The SoCal Bombers, out of Murrieta, were among the 72 teams that played at Cooperstown All Star Village, a world-class baseball tournament and family resort located just outside the birthplace of baseball: Cooperstown, New York. In addition to major league style baseball fields and amenities, it offers luxurious onsite accommodations for the whole family.

Having his parents Nathaniel and Melissa Arviso share part of the trip with him was an unexpected surprise for Ete’tish. He said, “When I first headed to New York, I left with one of my teammates and his mom. Two days later, before my first game was to start at Cooperstown, my mom and dad showed up to surprise me; I was happy to see them.”

The eight-day trip also included some other sightseeing activities. “My first day there, I spent sightseeing in New York City with one of my teammates and his parents; I also got to visit the 9/11 memorial site,” he said.

Eti’tish has been playing baseball since he was three years old, when his father bought him his first glove and would play catch with him outside. “But my love for the game has been since I was a baby; my parents have a picture of me in my baby swing watching the Angels play. My mom tells me when I would cry, she would just put a baseball game on and I would stop crying.”

His all-time favorite baseball players are Mike Trout #27 from the Angels and Jackie Robinson. He was able to see Trout’s uniform in person at the Hall of Fame Museum.

The young athlete was pleased to have the support of family members who provided opportunities for him to raise the necessary funds for his trip. “I was able to have a couple of food sales for fundraising, as well as donations from my Tribe, my aunties Adela Kolb and Mia Gonzalez, my cousin Melissa, Mrs. Yvonne Silvas and my Grandma Frances Basquez. Tara Placencia, Tatiana Diaz and my mom hosted a snack bar at a tournament for the first food fundraiser and my second food fundraiser, which was an Indian Taco sale, was done by Frybread kitchen (Antonia Briones and Aurelia Mendoza) who donated their time as well as food to help me. I am forever grateful for them wanting to make my trip possible.”

He said since returning home he has only been able to talk with a couple of the people who helped him raise the funds. “My baseball schedule has me so busy I haven’t really had the time to sit and visit with the others, but I did think of them on my trip and got them souvenirs from where I played at,” Ete’tish said. “In December, I get a small break from baseball, so I plan on seeing them to give them their gifts and just thank them again for believing in me and how much they helped me live this dream out.”

One of his older cousins, Kris Arrietta who also plays for the same travel ball organization, went to Cooperstown when he was 12. Both describe the trip as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For more information, https://baseballhall.org.

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RIVERSIDE and REDLANDS, Calif. – Helped by strong performances in singles action, the Boston University men’s tennis team opened its trip to California by rallying to claim 4-3 victories at both UC Riverside and the University of Redlands on Tuesday. 

With the back-to-back one-point wins, the Terriers improve to 11-5. They overcame a 1-4 performance in doubles by capturing eight of the 12 available singles points, including seven in straight sets.

Sophomore Corey Craig (#1), sophomore Alejandro Licea (#2) and senior Ben Letzer (#6) all went a perfect 2-0 in their respective singles matches to lead the way.

BU will next compete in a doubleheader against UC San Diego with action slated to begin at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

Boston University – 4, UC Riverside – 3

SINGLES
1) Corey Craig (BU) def. Roth (UCR): 6-2, 6-0
2) Alejandro Licea (BU) def. Lamy (UCR): 6-3, 6-4
3) Jonah Dickson (BU) def. Suarez (UCR): 7-6(4), 7-6(4)
4) DeGrande (UCR) def. Gustavs Dambins (BU): 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
5) Sane (UCR) def. Dion Loutas (BU): 6-1, 6-4
6) Ben Letzer (BU) def. Hyunh (UCR): 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-2

DOUBLES
1) Johann Sajonz / Licea (BU) led Roth/Lamy (UCR): 5-4
2) Sane/Hyunh (UCR) def. Dickson / Adrian Pawlowski (BU): 6-3
3) Suarez/DeGrande (UCR) def. Craig / Jakob Esterowitz (BU): 6-3

Boston University – 4, Redlands – 3

SINGLES
1) Corey Craig (BU) def. Calixto (UR): 6-0, 6-1
2) Alejandro Licea (BU) def. Nir (UR): 6-3, 6-4
3) Anderson (UR) def. Gustavs Dambins (BU): 7-6(4), 3-6, 1-0(7)
4) Marcanth (UR) def. Dion Loutas (BU): 6-2, 6-3
5) Jose Maria Robalino (BU) def. Ledwith (UR): 6-1, 6-3
6) Ben Letzer (BU) def. Nbuyen (UR): 6-1, 6-4

DOUBLES
1) Calixto/Nir (UR) def. Johann Sajonz / Licea (BU): 7-6(4)
2) Robalino / Adrian Pawlowski (BU) def. Abarca/Ledwith (UR): 6-1
3) Anderson/Fanshawe (UR) def. Craig/Jakob Esterowitz (BU): 6-3

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The Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) Eagles football team will play their first home game against the Citrus College Owls in the new 5,000-seat stadium at the Menifee Valley Campus at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 9. 

Pregame festivities will be hosted in the stadium courtyard starting at 4 p.m. An exciting half-time performance will feature the Vista Murrieta High School band. These events are coordinated and supported by the MSJC Foundation, Student Life & Development, Outreach, and MSJC Athletics.  

The more than $50 million, three-story Athletics & Kinesiology Complex offers opportunities for all students, a training facility for MSJC athletics, and a place for the community to convene. This 30,722-square-foot complex boasts the field, stadium, press box, team rooms, kinesiology facility, training room, classrooms, beach volleyball court, and softball field. 

“We’ve been looking forward to our first game day in the stadium,” said Dr. Roger Schultz, Superintendent/President. “We are excited to rally around our athletes as they compete in the stadium, celebrate our graduates, and host fundraisers and other events with our community partners. This complex is a game-changer for our college and the communities we serve.” 

This state-of-the art facility will transform Eagle Athletics and support educational programs in health and wellness. Programs and courses offered in the complex are aerobics, yoga, body conditioning, first aid and CPR, self-defense, strength training, and sport psychology classes. The field provides space for exercise-walking and jogging courses and training facilities for the college’s intercollegiate sports teams. 

The new Athletics & Kinesiology Complex was completed this past spring, and the Eagles began training in the new facility this summer.  

“Having a state-of-the-art facility has made this an exceptional place for our players to develop,” Head Football Coach Casey Mazzotta said. “We are excited to give the community something to rally around on Saturday nights.” 

The Eagles football team is coming off two of their most successful seasons in the Mazzotta era as they won back-to-back American Mountain League Championships and in 2021 won the American Division title. In all, MSJC has appeared in a bowl game for three straight seasons.  

This year, the Eagles embarked on a new challenge as they compete in the National Division and the Southern League.  

“Our plan is to compete for a conference championship and to reach a bowl game,” Mazzotta said. “We know we are moving into one of the best, if not the best, conferences in the state, but we just need to stay focused and take it one week at a time.” 

An addition to the 2023-24 season is that all games will utilize cashless digital ticketing. MSJC student with a Student Government Association (SGA) sticker are admitted for free. General admission tickets are $10 and students, seniors over 65, and children under 12 are $7. Tickets must be purchased online through Hometown Tickets at msjcathletics.com/general/Tickets  A link to tickets is on msjcathletics.com under the “Gameday” tab and on @msjcathletics social media platforms.  

Parking is available in lots A, B, and E off La Piedra Road. 

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(Hoops Tourney)

The Soboba Shootout All-Native +1 basketball tournament attracted a dozen teams to the Soboba Sports Complex gymnasium for the weekend of Feb. 29 through Mar. 1. Since that time, the Coronavirus has put a halt to all sporting events. Luckily, these players were able to share their court capabilities before the shutdown occurred. Steve Lopez, Sports Coordinator for Soboba Parks and Recreation said this year’s tournament was a collaborative effort between his department and the Soboba Braves men’s basketball team.

“In the past we have both put on our own tournaments but over the last couple years the turnout in each of our tournaments had been declining,” Lopez said. “Javier Sandoval, from the Braves, and I talked about combining our payouts and splitting the expenses toward putting on one tournament in hopes of drawing more teams and better talent.” During the past few months, the Soboba Braves have traveled to play in multiple tournaments and help advertise the tournament.

“Both of us have also been utilizing social media and other online avenues to get the word out,” Lopez said. “I believe the work from both the Braves and our department have paid off as 12 teams is a good turnout for us. We had teams from the Dakotas, New Mexico, NorCal, Arizona as well as some Division 1 college level players.” After about eight to 10 hours of play each day, the weekend’s final three teams were announced. First place was awarded to the Plainzmen, led by Captain Jim Archambault.

“We’re all longtime friends and we know how each other plays,” he said. Teammate Alan Palesano is from the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and said while they only had to play four games during the bracketed play due to their strong showing, they took advantage of the opportunity to watch all the other games since they didn’t know who they would face in subsequent competitions.

“Our biggest challenge was ourselves – even though we play together all the time we had to play smart,” he said. The team took home $5,000 and sports backpacks to remember the event. Plainzmen’s power forward Alfonzo Hubbard of Gallup, New Mexico was named all-tournament MVP. Diezel’s Dudes finished in second place after playing six total games and got tournament jackets and $3,000. Captain Chad Davies said his players were all from Southern California – mostly Morongo Band of Mission Indians tribal members.

(Hoops Tourney)

“We play tournaments one or two times a month,” he said. “We have the same base group but are new as a team of eight this time.” Third place finishers were the Drifters. Captain Rainbow Good Bear said his team played seven games throughout the weekend before leaving with tournament tee shirts and a check for $1,000. “We all practice where we’re from and we’ve been together for a while now,” Good Bear said. “We know each other’s game.

We won the Bishop tournament two weekends ago. This is my first time to Soboba and I’m really enjoying it.” Lopez extended his thanks to Braves members Javier Sandoval, Freddy Boniface and Nick Boniface for all their help in getting the tournament together as well as the staff at Soboba Parks and Recreation for making the tournament go smoothly. “Also, a huge thank you to Charlotte Boniface and all the other women who kept everyone fed by running the snack bar over the weekend,” he said.

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(Season Ends in Sweet 16)

The MSJC women’s basketball team saw their 26 game winning streak and 2019-20 season come to an end on Saturday, March 7th, 2020, night as they lost in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Finals at Mt. San Antonio 48-40.

The Eagles struggled all night offensively and fell behind 16-6 after the first quarter. Despite playing some great defense of their own the rest of the way, and controlling the glass in the evening, MSJC just made too many mistakes down the stretch to overtake the Mounties. Midway through the fourth period, it looked like the Eagles were poised to catch the Mounties when Mariah Sanchez hit a three-point shot to cut the lead to 38-35 off of a nice assist from Deja Blue. Haylei Janssens would again get the Eagles within 3 with 3:46 to play in the game when she made a jump shot to make the score 40-37 in favor of Mt. SAC. MSJC then committed a flurry of turnovers and missed a couple key shots down the stretch that could have tightened the game even more. Late free throws by the Mounties put the game out of reach.

Blue led the struggling Eagle offense with 15 points; she was the only MSJC player to reach double figures in scoring. She also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss. De’Adra Ross played her final game in an Eagle uniform and dominated the backboard as she pulled in a game-high 24 rebounds to go along with 7 points as MSJC outrebounded the Mounties 55-36. Janya Smith came off the bench to add 7 for the Eagles. In the end, both teams shot the ball poorly with MSJC finishing the night 14 of 58 from the field while the Mounties were just 13 of 56. The difference turned out to be turnovers as the Eagles committed 28 of them in the game, including 17 in the second half, while the Mounties ended the night with just 15.

The loss ended a school-record 26 game win streak for MSJC; they had not lost a game since November 8th. The Eagles finish the season with an overall mark of 27-3, they went unbeaten in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference and claimed their third straight conference championship. MSJC was making their 14th consecutive appearance in the postseason and have reached at least the State’s Sweet 16 in five straight seasons. The Eagles only three losses of the season were all to teams that reached the State Final Eight.

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(Men’s Tennis Bounces Back)

The men’s tennis team was back in action Thursday, March 5th, 2020 hosting Victor Valley in an IEAC conference match. The Eagles came away with a solid 7-2 victory, moving their record to 8-3 (2-1 IEAC). The doubles round was competitive, with MSJC taking two of the three matches. Nick Van Dyke and Ashton Vega teamed up at number two doubles and cruised to a dominant 8-0 win. In the singles, the Eagles took full command, earning impressive straight-set wins in positions one through five. The guys are back in action next Tuesday when they travel to defending state champion College of the Desert.

Singles-

1. Fermin Blando (MSJC) def. Francisco Jamie (VV) 6-0, 6-0
2. Isaac Morales (MSJC) def. Chris Rivera (VV) 6-1, 6-0
3. Julian Valencia (MSJC) def. Jordan Watson (VV) 6-0, 3-0 Ret.
4. Fernando Arguello (MSJC) def. Joseph Ward (VV) 6-0, 6-0
5. Ashton Vega (MSJC) def. Hunter McBride (VV) 6-1, 6-1
6. Tanner McBride (VV) def. Cody Rodriguez (MSJC) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles-

1. F. Blando/F. Arguello (MSJC) def. F. Jaime/C. Rivera (VV) 9-7
2. A. Vega/N. Van Dyke (MSJC) def. J. Watson/J. Ward (VV) 8-0
3. H. McBride/T. McBride (VV) def. J. Delgado/J. Tejeda (MSJC) 8-6

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(Eagles Shut Out Victor Valley)

The MSJC baseball team picked up their second straight Inland Empire Athletic Conference win on Thursday, March 5th, 2020 afternoon 7-0 over Victor Valley behind 8 shut out innings from starting pitcher Alex Banuelos.

The Eagles gave Banuelos some breathing room early as they scored in each of the first four innings. In the bottom of the first speedy center fielder, Joseph Hauck came all the way around from second on a wild pitch to give MSJC a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, the Eagles extended their lead when Aaron Harper hit a ground-rule double to left field scoring Aiden Bruce. Two batters later Fabian Correa singled to left scoring both Hauk and Harper to push the MSJC lead to 4-0. The Eagles would go on to tack on a single run in the third on an Alfred Lopez single and another in the fourth when Ajay Parcero drove in Harper. The Eagles would add an insurance run in the 8th when Harper picked up his third hit of the day as he tripled to left field scoring Lopez.

Harper’s 3 hits and 2 RBIs led the Eagle offense that pounded out 11 hits on the day. Parcero, Lopez, and catcher Simon Rangel each had two hits in the victory.

Banuelos, who improved to 3-1 on the season with the victory, was sharp throughout the contest for the Eagles. He went 8 complete allowing just 3 hits while walking only one and striking out six. Robert Barrett pitched the 9th to keep the shut out intact for MSJC.

The Eagles improved to 6-10 on the year with the win and moved to 2-1 in IEAC games; they still have one suspended game with San Bernardino Valley to complete. MSJC returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Barstow for a 1 pm contest. Next week the Eagles will finish their pending game with SBVC, before playing the Wolverines in a 3 game series. MSJC will be at San Bernardino on Tuesday the 10th and Saturday the 14th; San Bernardino will visit San Jacinto on Thursday the 12th.

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(Co-Ed Cheer Team)

Tahquitz High School Titans Co-Ed cheer team.

At the World Class Cheerleading tournament held at the Los Angeles Convention center on Saturday, Feb. 1, the Titans took first place and earned the Grand Championship for having the overall highest score in the competition.

The team did not rest after earning first place. They went on to the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World and on Saturday, Feb. 8, earned Second Place in a tournament of 25,000 athletes across 1,270 teams from 36 different states and  62 teams from 12 countries.

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(Tahquitz Titan’s Triumphant)

Titan Highlights

Mike Jones 3-4 with a Double, Triple and RBI

Dylan Plutner 2-4 with an RBI

Ethan Strawbridge and Gavin Fouts with Doubles

Gavin Meyer picks up the win with 6 strike outs

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