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The high school winter sports season has the fewest number of sports on the CIF-SS calendar, but it might hold the most potential for San Clemente High School squads.
There are returning league champions for girls soccer and water polo and a returning CIF-SS champion for boys soccer. There is even a returning CIF-SS Masters champion and state competitor in girls wrestler Berlyn Davis.
With opportunities for repeated glory and other chances to return to postseason play, we take a look at some of the winter sports teams at San Clemente High School:
Boys Basketball
Last season was a struggle for the San Clemente boys basketball team.
The Tritons fielded five sophomores in the first year under head coach Landon Pluimer after a long and successful tenure under previous coach Marc Popovich. The inexperience showed, as San Clemente put together a 6-22 overall record and went winless in league play.
However, a full offseason of work, and the Tritons are seemingly back on track with a bigger, more experienced lineup.
San Clemente has already surpassed its win total from a year ago with a 7-3 mark, and the Tritons are ranked No. 4 in CIF-SS Division 3A.
San Clemente has three players scoring in double figures to lead their early efforts. Junior Porter Hansen is the leading scorer with 16.5 points per game and a 28% 3-point shooting percentage on a team-high 71 attempts.
Junior Christian Fernandez is next on the scoring chart at 13.4 points per game and a 38% 3-point percentage on 34 attempts.
Senior Will Whidden has been a force with his 6-foot-6 frame down low. Whidden is scoring 11.8 points per game with a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game.
San Clemente has a string of pre-holiday break home games, including games next Wednesday, Dec. 13, against Laguna Beach and next Friday, Dec. 15, against Dana Hills.
San Clemente opens league play at San Juan Hills on Jan. 10.
Girls Basketball
At many points last season, the San Clemente girls basketball team looked championship-caliber.
The Tritons split a pair of highly competitive games against league champion San Juan Hills, and San Clemente advanced to the CIF-SS Division 2AA quarterfinals on a dramatic buzzer-beater by Zona Miller. However, the Tritons were ultimately stopped short of a league championship and a CIF-SS championship.
Now, the Tritons’ key players from last year are more experienced, and San Clemente welcomes in talented youth, as it shoots for that return to championship form.
Zona Miller returns as a senior leader for the Tritons, who will be able to lean on other skilled players as she splits time between the basketball court and soccer pitch for San Clemente. Also returning on the scoring front are senior Claire Pham and sophomore Ellie Anderson.
Where San Clemente has received an early infusion is from its newcomers in freshmen Kiley Husbands and Izzy Sims. Both bring a needed height dynamic to the Tritons at 5-foot-11 for Husbands and 6-foot for Sims.
San Clemente opened the season 5-0 with a tournament win at the Portola-Villa Park Kickoff Classic, but the Tritons have since lost five in a row with a tough showing at a tournament in Hawaii. San Clemente has earned a No. 6 ranking in the first CIF-SS Division 2AA poll.
The Tritons play in the Troy Classic this week and return home to host Corona del Mar on Tuesday, Dec. 12. San Clemente will also host Downey on Dec. 22 before its holiday break.
San Clemente begins South Coast League play at Aliso Niguel on Jan. 9.
Boys Soccer
The grand tradition of the San Clemente boys soccer program received some new hardware last season, as the Tritons won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship–the program’s fourth CIF-SS title.
San Clemente was a defensively dominant group with three shutouts and just one goal allowed in the CIF-SS playoffs and 11 shutouts over the course of the season. San Clemente went unbeaten in 14 straight games before falling in the CIF SoCal Regional Final.
Going into this season, the Tritons bring 13 seniors back from that championship group looking to lead the program right back to the top of the mountain.
Among those returners are reigning CIF-SS Division 2 player of the year Jake Poole and All-CIF-SS defender Finn Linas. Linas and senior returner Beckham Beauchemin both scored in the CIF-SS title game for San Clemente.
San Clemente has opened this season with two consecutive home draws, a scoreless contest against El Dorado and a 1-1 tie with Santa Ana.
The Tritons’ next home game is on Dec. 15 against Palos Verdes, and San Clemente will compete in the SoCal Classic in Oceanside over the holiday break.
San Clemente returns to the pitch for league play at home on Jan. 10 against Aliso Niguel. The Tritons’ first three league games are at home, including games against Capistrano Valley on Jan. 12 and Mission Viejo on Jan. 17.
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Girls Soccer
It was a battle to the South Coast League championship last season for the San Clemente girls soccer team,which finished second in wins but first in points. The Tritons played in several low-scoring draws and one-goal wins early in league before taking control late to secure the title.
While a couple impact seniors move on, the Tritons have plenty of experienced returners to step up into larger roles, including senior Zona Miller, senior ’keeper Addison Robertson, juniors Charlotte and Sophia Yesulsky, junior Camille Brophy and junior Makena Wood among others.
San Clemente also has a new head coach, as Jennie Mann steps in after a second successful stint by Stacey Finnerty.
San Clemente is ranked No. 5 in the first CIF-SS Division 1 poll and is on the first-ever CIF-SS Open Division watch list.
The Tritons finally opened their season on Wednesday, Dec. 6, in the Butch Lee Tournament, but results were not available at press time. San Clemente will play its first home game on Tuesday, Dec.12, against Los Osos.
San Clemente will compete in the vaunted Excalibur Tournament over the holiday break, and the Tritons open league play on the other side of the break. San Clemente opens the South Coast League with a pair of important home matches against Aliso Niguel on Jan. 11 and San Juan Hills on Jan. 16.
