The Tigers advanced through a competitive playoff bracket, demonstrating consistency, teamwork and strong in-game execution throughout their run. Their performance culminated in a finals appearance that underscored both the players’ dedication and the program’s development in a short period of time.

The team faced a formidable opponent in Franklin High School, setting up a highly competitive championship matchup. The finals were held April 25, 2026, at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where teams from across the state gathered to compete for the title.

Head coach Jeremy Murphy credited the players’ work ethic and commitment for the team’s success, noting that their ability to compete at a high level reflected the strength of the program. He emphasized that reaching the finals in such a short time spoke volumes about the players’ dedication and competitive spirit.

The CIF esports initiative continued to expand opportunities for student-athletes, providing a platform for competition while promoting skills such as collaboration, strategy and communication. San Jacinto’s deep playoff run illustrated how esports has become an increasingly important part of the educational and extracurricular landscape.

Community members and supporters rallied behind the team as they competed on the state stage, celebrating the Tigers’ achievement and the growing recognition of esports in high school athletics.

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Arturo Ojeda Jr  Your 2x CIF Champion

Arturo Ojeda Jr is a name you should be used to reading by now. He has been making headlines all year long, starting with his excellent play on the football field and continuing it through wrestling season. Ojeda has been lights out when performing on wrestling mats this season. He has really come into his own his senior year and wants to leave nothing on the table. Although he was the best offensive lineman in the league this year and helped to lead his Tiger to a deep playoff run, he didn’t really get the respect he felt he deserved from scouts. The potential to play at the next level is a huge dream to Ojeda, all that built up emotion from football season has led him to become a wrecking ball in the wrestling scene. When he comes into the gym, his opponents begin to sweat, the aura of the gym is filled with fear. It’s almost like the boogeyman has entered the room and everyone is scared to look under the bed.

Ojeda destroyed the competition at CIF’s earning the right to call himself the back to back CIF champion, but it wasn’t without drama. Earlier in the season, Ojeda suffered his first and only loss against Centennial Heavyweight, Issac Lopez. The loss was controversial, as Ojeda pinned himself. When the CIF matchups were announced, Ojeda took notice of Issac Lopez’s position and quickly realized he was on the other side of the bracket. Ojeda circled his name and went on a rampage, doing whatever he could to earn his chance at retribution. Ojeda was determined to prove to everyone watching that he should have beat him the first time. He wasn’t going to waste his chance this time. So he controlled the match from the first whistle until the last whistle that signaled his victory as Ojeda pinned his opponent.

Next up for Ojeda is Masters, he will have tough competition at Masters, including a potential matchup against up and coming Heavyweight Karson Martin. Ojeda is embracing it, “I hope I face him.” It would be a chance to give the fans the matchup they where wrongfully robbed of earlier in the season. The two boys have mutual respect for each other, but that all goes out the window when the whistle blows. As soon as Masters finishes, Ojeda will turn his attention to State. Ojeda wants to be the first heavyweight wrestler to win State for the Tigers. At the State tournament, Ojeda will be matched up against the best wrestlers all around California. These guys are the best of the best. Only time will tell if he has what it takes to make his dream come true.

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Can They Go All The Way?

The Lady Bulldogs have been on a roll this season, and it doesn’t seem like they are ready to call it quits any time soon. The girls have earned an impressive record this season, 20 with only three losses and two ties. The girls appear to be miles ahead of their competition. The roster is made of a healthy mixture of upper and lower classmen. Which means there is a bright future for the Bulldogs on the soccer field. This team has been built with high power scoring and tenacious defense in mind. They have scored 91 goals on the year. While only allowing 17. The Bulldogs are currently on a 9-game winning streak.

The Hemet High Bulldogs didn’t just win the Mountain Pass League; they are also the number one ranked team in Division 4. No other team has scored more goals than them. However, Bloomington High School’s defense has been elite this season, only allowing eight goals on the year. Maxpreps.com has the Bulldogs listed as their favorites to win the CIF championship this year, and it looks like they could do it. Hemet has a tough game coming up against Torrance High School, they are ranked 149th in the state and have outscored their opponents 52-20 on the year. On paper, the Bulldogs should beat them; they are ranked in the top 100 (100) in the state.

The biggest threats to the bulldogs are Bloomington and Sierra Canyon. Luckily for the Bulldog’s, those two giants may have to face each other in order to make it to the championship round in the tournament. Sierra Canyon is ranked 101 in the state and has a 2-1 goal ratio on the season. Bloomington is ranked 118 in the state. The game between these two should be exciting, and the Bulldogs will have their eyes on them.

All of these girls would love to bring a CIF championship home to Hemet. Often times, sports like Soccer, Volleyball, and Softball get overlooked by Football & Basketball. Football & Basketball get all of the love and attention of the student body, boosters, and Athletic Director. These girls are on a mission to prove that they deserve the recognition.

It has been impressive what Coach Steve Strutz has been about to get done this year. Last year Hemet made it to the Semi-Finals of the CIF playoffs. It’s not often that teams are able to repeat success, but it’s arguable that this team is even better than last year. It’s scary to think that some of their best players are only freshmen. Division 4 better watch out, because these girls are here to stay and looking to make history.

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Two Hometown Kids, Dominating The Southern-California Wrestling Scene

Wrestling has been a big deal in the valley for many many years. Many athletes have spent time on the wrestling mats ether as training for other sports or just because they love it so much. Local wrestling programs have produced professional mixed martial artists (Jared Vanderaa and Alberto Romo) a numerous amount of college wrestlers and coaches. Coaches like Officer Nacua and Ed Mendivil have been involved in the wrestling scene for years and have positively impacted many lives. Throughout the years many wrestlers have come and gone throughout the San Jacinto Valley, but two of the most promising prospects ever are wrestling right now. 

Arturo Ojeda Jr (San Jacinto High School) is returning for his senior season. Ojeda earned himself an impressive resume last season winning in County, League, and CIF. Ojeda finished his Junior season with an impressive 34-6 record and won five tournaments. He is an imposing wrestler and prides himself on his grit and tenacity. In the fall, Arturo spends his time on the football field, but his passion is on the mat. He hopes to return to San Jacinto later in life and become a wrestling coach. Coming into his senior season, Ojeda is ranked as the 11th heavyweight in the state. His first tournament this year was the Rim of the World Invitational last weekend. Ojeda was just one of a great many heavyweights, but he was listed as the favorite coming into the tournament. Ojeda pinned all five of his opponents and dominated the whole tournament. Ojeda is back in action this weekend at Citrus Hills High School for his next tournament.                                                                  
Karson Martin, who grew up in the valley and attended River Springs Charter School, is now a student at Chaparral High School. Karson’s roots run deep in San Jacinto. Both his older sister and brother graduated from San Jacinto High School and his mom was the principal there for many years. Martin also just finished his football season and is now ready for what the mat has to offer him. Martin was set up to have a breakout season last year. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a devastating injury suffered in the practice room: Martin suffered a snapped tibia and ankle, ultimately ending his season before it ever got started. However, Martin is back for his junior season and is ready to make up for the lost time. 

(Wrestling Runs)

This past weekend Martin entered the La Costa Canyon Hamada Classic tournament as an underdog. He was un-ranked and wasn’t expected to win. This is largely due to him not being able to wrestle last season.

Martin shot out the gate like a raging bull who was tired of being caged. He quickly pinned his first opponent and continued the momentum through the tournament finishing as the champion. Many of the other wrestlers/coaches were stunned, but Karson Martin knew he had what it took and wanted to take the opportunity to show everyone what he is about. These two young men both have what it takes to put the valley on the map as a wrestling powerhouse. Both boys are positioned to make deep runs in the CIF’s and can potentially win the state championship. Good luck boys! The Inland Empire Sports Connection/Hemet San Jacinto Chronicle will be watching. 

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Who will come out on top of the Mountain Pass League?

It feels like school just started, but the first half of fall sports is already over, and teams have begun to prepare for the CIF playoffs. Most of the non-league games are over, and the rest of the games are now vital if these girls want to play in the playoffs this year. San Jacinto Girls Volleyball team is barley over .500 with a non-league record of 6-5, they have played some tough opponents in this stretch and at times have looked poised to make a deep run. At other times it has seemed that they struggle to find their identity. 

Citrus Hill’s team isn’t much better hovering near the bottom of the league with a current record of 3-3. Beaumont High school is sitting at the very bottom of the Mountain Pass League a record of 1-7 including a seven-game losing streak. Tahquitz High School is also at the bottom with a 3-6 record. 

Right now Hemet High looks ready to make a run at the top spot, but that might be hard with West Valley in the way. Hemet High currently has an outstanding record of 14-4 and has played tough opponents like Heritage, Corona, and Citrus Valley. Their only losses have come from Paloma, Citrus Valley, Chaparral, and Palm Desert. If they continue to play the way they have, they are a big threat to the rest of the league.

However, West Valley is currently number one in league with a 12-0 record. The two teams won’t meet up until October first in what promises to be an exciting matchup. Many say that West Valleys Schedule isn’t as difficult as some of these other schools, so right now they are going to have to prove to the rest of the league that they are the real deal. Six seniors and three juniors anchor west Valleys team. That is nine upperclassmen on a thirteen player roster.

You can find all the schedules for the girl’s volleyball teams online. Come out and show your support for the girls and watch a match or two. The upcoming local games are; West Valley vs. Citrus Hill at West Valley on September 24th at 4:45 pm, Tahquitz vs. Beaumont at Tahquitz on September 24th at 4:45 pm, and Hemet High vs. San Jacinto at Hemet High on September 24th at 4:45 pm.

Schools usually charge a couple of dollars at the door to come to spectate and offer refreshments. All proceeds go to help the school keep its program and buy them nice equipment. So bring your wallet and an empty stomach when you come to watch these girls give it their all on the hardwood. 

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A Slow Start By The Tigers, But A Hot Finish

The long-awaited return of the San Jacinto Tigers football team has finally come. The last time they played in front of their home crowd was last year’s CIF championship game, where hundreds of fans traveled to watch them play, but this is a new season and a new team. San Jacinto needed to come out and make a statement that night after a tough loss the week before to Woodrow High School (Long Beach, CA) and that’s exactly what they did. Murrieta Mesa came into San Jacinto with a 0-2 record to start the season, they felt the pressure to get a win and came out playing like it. 

The first quarter was slow for both teams, with very little first downs or yards gained. Coach Galliano of the San Jacinto Tigers had this to say about the slow start: “They did some things defensively that we haven’t seen yet, so we needed to make adjustments heading into the half.” The Tigers were able to get into the endzone three times in the first half, including an amazing last-second touchdown throw from Kajiya Hollawayne to Kameron Rocha. The score going into the half was 19-14 in favor of the home team.

After halftime, the San Jacinto Tigers offense started to work the way they were designed too. Rushing to the line and catching the defense off their toes. Junior Quarterback Kajiya Hollawayne and Senior Runningback Juan Denny Jr. took turns punishing Murrieta Mesa on the ground. When they weren’t running down their throats, Kajiya was executing beautiful passes and hitting his guys in stride. They repaid him by getting tons of yards after the catch and fighting to get in the endzone. Our player of the week goes to Kajiya Hollawayne who ran for two touchdowns, and 214 yards. He also got it done through the air, throwing three touchdown passes to three different players and 234 yards. The Tigers would win the game with a final score of 39-27. Now the score could be misleading. San Jacinto’s defense did an excellent job shutting down Murrieta Mesa multiple times. However, the officiating of this game was very questionable. The refs ejected a San Jacinto player after he was on the receiving end of a push that happened after the whistle. There were a lot of unnecessary roughness/pass interference calls that shouldn’t have been called. Offsides called on the sidelines when no warnings were given. At one point penalties caused the San Jacinto Tigers offense to turn the ball over on downs after getting in the endzone two times on the same drive. Murrieta Mesa would then march down the field with the help of the referees (Half of the yards gained on the drive were from penalties) and score. 

Murrieta did a great job getting into the endzone on their own; they didn’t need the extra help. In other Mountain Pass League News, West Valley lost to Temecula Valley 0-44, everyone else in the Mountain Pass League would go home as victors. Hemet beat Banning 26-0; Tahquitz beat Indio 14-13; Beaumont beat Perris 59-0, and Citrus Hill beat Pacific 48-7. A great week for the league who are all building momentum before league play begins. 

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Student Body Section Was “Lit” As The Mustangs Dominated The Rams

It was a long night for Desert Mirage’s defense trying to keep up with West Valley’s skill players. Most of West Valley’s starters didn’t even see the field in the second half and were cheering on their teammates from the sidelines. West Valley scored two touchdowns in the very beginning of the game, one after receiving the ball at kick-off and the other after forcing a turnover (via fumble) and making Desert Mirage pay for the mistake by turning Tyrone Jackson Jr. (#3) loose for a 60 yard run, the game was quickly getting out of hand for the Rams and the Mustangs rushing game looked dominate.

Tyrone Jackson Jr wasn’t the only player who got to see the end zone last Friday night. Alfred Jones scored two times, once through the air and once on the ground. Tyrone Jackson Jr banked in two rushing touchdowns total and over 100 yards. Their performances made it hard to choose one of them for player of the week, so The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle decided that they both would share player of the week honors for this game. However, the Mustangs offense was feeling generous and four other players were able to get into the end zone. 

The student body section was screaming, dancing, and cheering their team on all game long. Many of the students came down and congratulated the team on their blowout victory, many of them looked like they were on the field with the team for the last two hours. That’s how hard they were cheering on their fellow Mustangs. The final score of the game was 55-0. The Mustangs put on a dominant showing in all phases of the game and looked like they might be ready to move up to a more competitive division like they were in the past. 

Coach Perez had this to say to the team after the game, “You guys enjoy this win, it was a big win and this is the first time West Valley has been 2-0 since 2014, however, get it all out of your system tonight because we are back here at 9:00 in the morning for film and Temecula Valley isn’t going to let us run all around the field on them like we did tonight, so we have to start preparing immediately. You understand? Celebrate until 9:00 tomorrow morning, and I want you guys in the film room ready to start preparing for next week.”

Coach Perez want them to enjoy their victory, but wanted them to understand that they need to start looking at next week’s matchup, Temecula Valley has an excellent program and is coming off a victory against Elsinore High. A matchup against them will help West Valley see what they need to tighten up before league games against Beaumont, Hemet, San Jacinto, and Citrus Hills. As of right now, the league play looks like it’s going to be tight. 

In other Mountain Pass League Games; Tahquitz edged out Indo 14-13, Hemet recorded their first win of the year against Vista Del Lago 35-21, San Jacinto fell to Woodrow High School 27-13, Beaumont was impressive in their week two victory over pacific 56-14, and Citrus Hill won their first game of the season 27-19 against Palm Springs. Pictures of the game will be available on my personal Facebook page @AuthorKyleRaeHeadlee

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San Jacinto Needs To Make A Statement Coming Off A Loss

The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle is taking you to San Jacinto High School this week for the Game of the Week. This week San Jacinto High is welcoming Murrieta Mesa into “The Jungle” as the two teams look to show the rest of Southern California that they are serious contenders. San Jacinto started the season off with a huge win against Great Oaks showing dominance in every phase of the game, but their winning streak was quickly brought to an end when they traveled to Long Beach last week to play Woodrow High School. San Jacinto lost this matchup, causing them to drop from the 94th ranked school in California to the 144th ranked school. 

The team (lead by Junior Quarterback Kajiya Hollawayne) will be looking to come out hot and put a lot of points on the board tonight in order to make a statement to the rest of the division, “Just because we took one L doesn’t mean we are out of it.” Ryan Cogdil (Defensive Coordinator of the Tigers) isn’t happy that the team lost, but believes it could be good for them; now they can come together as a team and show everyone that they are a serious threat this year. 

Murrieta Mesa is ranked 302 in California. They are starting non-league play 0-2; their first game was a blowout loss to La Serna and last week they were involved in an offensive dog fight losing to Etiwanda High School in overtime 42-35. On paper San Jacinto should be able to control this game; they have the talent to do so. It all comes down to the players trusting their coaches play calls and sticking to their assignments. Football is as much of a chess match as it is a physical contest and it takes both Players and Coaches to trust each other and be in sync in order for the team to find success. 

San Jacinto needs to use this week to find their identity again and remember that they only went as far as they did last year by play as one team that fired on all cylinders. Coach Galliano and Kajiya Hollawayne will do everything in their power to get that high pace offense working as it should be, this week. Ryan Cogdill needs one of his defensive playmakers to step up and be a leader on the field after losing one of his captains to injury last week. Who on the defensive side of the ball is going to step up and become the leader in his absence?

Other Mountain Pass League Matchups tonight include: Beaumont vs. Perris, Hemet vs. Banning, Tahquitz vs. Lakeside, West Valley vs. Temecula Valley, and Citrus Hill vs. Pacific. You can see the winners and losers of this game in next week’s paper, but why wait? Subscribe to The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle Facebook/Youtube for faster updates on local sports news. Pictures of the game will be available on my personal Facebook page @AuthorKyleRaeHeadlee.

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The Hemet High Bulldogs (finished last season 8-5) will take on the Chaparral (finished last season 7-4) Pumas on Friday, Aug. 23rd at Hemet High School. This is a non-league game, but will still be very competitive as these teams do know each other well enough and have a history of playing each other. Last season Chaparral beat the Bulldogs 24-7 at their house, this will be the first chance for the new regime in Hemet to show that they aren’t the same team that got beat last year. This will be our first look at the Hemet Bulldogs since longtime coach Jason Thornburg retired. The new Head Coach is Dennis Gregovich. Coach Gregovich isn’t new to coaching; he had a brief stint at Tahquitz High School in the past. 

Dennis Gregovich is an offensive coach and will look to light up the scoreboard this year. His system will be new to the league, which might give him an advantage. Chaparral returns their head coach Andrew Ramer who will look to start the season out strong. Chaparral dresses over 70 players at home games (not all will travel with the team) it is expected that Eli Bertran will be the man under center, as he leads the team in 7on7 tournaments during the offseason. Since Orlando Ornelas graduated in June. Chaparrals top four leading rushers all graduated and seven out of the eight receivers who banked in catches last year also graduated. 

Chaparral is putting in a very young team that hasn’t completely gelled together as a unit yet, brand new quarterback under center, brand new running backs, and brand new receivers. It’s going to be very interesting to see how this game plays out. As for Hemet they too have a brand new quarterback under center Jeremiah Graves who got some reps last year as a sophomore under Nicholas Thornburg. This year Jeremiah will try to earn the trust of his team and take down the sleeping giants in the division San Jacinto High School and Citrus Hill. Most of Hemet’s leading rushers graduated last year and so did their leading receivers, with Graves being a lone exception who transitioned from receiver to quarterback in the off-season.

Essentially these two teams are completely different from the last year and both will be ready to prove they have what it takes this season to compete for a playoff position. Pictures and video of the game will be on Facebook at Author Kyle Rae Headlee, if you see any pictures of your child you like feel free to grab them, all I ask is if you like the page. 

In other Mountain Pass News; San Jacinto will be taking on Great Oaks in Temecula, Tahquitz will play Vista Del Lago at Tahquitz, Beaumont vs. Palm Desert in Beaumont, Citrus Hill is playing a home game against Palm Springs, and West Valley will be facing off against Shadow Hills in Indio.

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