Matalon Is Out, Bruce Is In at Quartz Hill

Andre Matalon has resigned as boys’ soccer coach at Quartz Hill.

Matalon guided Quartz Hill to a 28-0-2 record and a share of the Southern Section Division I title last season. But the Rebels are 6-5-3 entering a Golden League opener Friday against Lancaster after being ranked third in Student Sports magazine’s national preseason poll.

“I have nothing to say about the Quartz Hill High boys’ soccer team,” Matalon said when asked about the reasons for his resignation.

Tony Bruce, a recruiter for the Olympic Development Program and the coach of the Cal South under-15 state team, will take over for Matalon once the required paperwork is completed.

Mike Lewis, an assistant at Quartz Hill the previous two seasons, will be the interim coach until that happens.

Matalon, who was in his third season at Quartz Hill, envisioned another undefeated season for the Rebels in November. But they lost to Upland in their fourth game and also suffered defeats to Thousand Oaks, nationally-ranked Melbourne Central Catholic (Fla.), Garden Grove Pacifica and Anaheim Esperanza.

Kiel McClung, a senior midfielder who was the section’s Division I offensive player of the year for Quartz Hill last season, would not comment when asked about the reasons for Matalon’s resignation. But he said he looked forward to playing under Bruce.

“I’m confident in his abilities and I know the players are going to do what we need to do,” McClung said.

-- John Ortega

It was a tough first day of South Coast League play in girls’ soccer, and the week doesn’t get any easier.

San Clemente (6-3-2), the defending league and Southern Section Division I champion, tied Mission Viejo, No. 6 in The Times’ rankings, 1-1, in a league opener Tuesday. The Tritons face No. 3 Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (11-2-1) on the Cougars’ home field at 3:15 p.m. today.

“The South Coast League is just insane,” San Clemente Coach Stacey Juhl Finnerty said. “Seriously, the winner of this league is probably going to have two losses.”

Top-ranked Dana Point Dana Hills (11-2-1) already has one after being beaten, 2-1, by El Toro on Tuesday.

“So who knows?” Capistrano Valley Coach Gui Gui Ferreira said. “Every team, on a given day, really can beat every other team. At this point, all I know is, it’s going to be competitive.”

The Cougars, in their first season under Ferreira, should know. They lost twice to San Clemente in league play last year, but advanced to the Division I title game, where they lost, 2-1, to the Tritons, who won their first title.

Trying again to block San Clemente’s path to victory will be Capistrano Valley senior goalkeeper Staci Sinkway, who has committed to Ohio State. Offensively, the Cougars are led by junior forward Kim Horn and the midfield line of junior Kasey Moore and seniors Lauren Sapp and Ali Vislay.

San Clemente this week welcomed back center midfielder Brittany Emerson and forward Blake Zerboni after each were sidelined last week. Emerson’s return from a foot injury and a bout of flu paid immediate dividends as she scored the tying goal against Mission Viejo.

-- Lauren Peterson

Davis Cantor scored 27 points, Omar Wilkes had 25 points and Chris Rucker added 20 points as Loyola defeated Harvard-Westlake, 97-87, in a Mission League boys’ basketball game that featured 19 three-point baskets.

Loyola (11-3, 1-0 in league play) ranked No. 12 by The Times, received seven three-point baskets from Cantor, six in the first half.

Bryce Taylor led No. 9 Harvard-Westlake (11-5, 1-1) with 40 points and sophomore guard Ed White added 20, including four three-point baskets.

Loyola twice led by 15 points, in the second and third quarters, only to see the Wolverines rally behind the shooting of Taylor and White. All five Loyola starters finished in double figures in scoring with Josh Flynn-Brown contributing 13 points.

-- Eric Sondheimer