State Honor for El Camino Real

Woodland Hills El Camino Real, which finished 28-6 and won the City Section championship, was the state’s top-ranked baseball team in Student Sports’ final poll.

The Conquistadores, who beat last year’s national champion, Chatsworth, three times in four games, including 5-1 in the title game, were ranked No. 9 in the nation. Davie (Fla.) Nova (30-1) was ranked No. 1.

Other Southland teams among the nation’s top 50: No. 19 Chatsworth (29-4), No. 48 Santa Ana Mater Dei (24-8) and No. 50 Riverside Poly (26-4).

Second baseman Mike Torres, who was named The Times’ baseball player of the year after helping Mater Dei win the Southern Section Division I championship, joins 11 Southland players on the Cal-Hi Sports’ all-state team.

Torres is joined by fellow infielders Brandon Laird of Westminster La Quinta and Justin Sellers of Huntington Beach Marina.

Also on the team are pitcher Ryan Tucker of Temple City, catcher Bryan Anderson of Simi Valley, outfielders Trevor Bell of Crescenta Valley, Joe Dickerson of Anaheim Esperanza, Kent Walton of Yucaipa and Jermaine Williams of Los Angeles, and multipurpose players Shaun Kort of El Camino Real, Thomas Milone of Saugus and Josh Romansky of Norco.

*

Softball

Simi Valley Royal, which finished 28-2 and won its first Southern Section Division I championship, was ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Palm Harbor (Fla.) University (31-0) in Student Sports’ final poll.

Other Southland teams among the nation’s top 50: No. 9 Valencia (29-4), No. 17 Saugus (22-5), No. 19 Garden Grove Pacifica (26-3-1), No. 31 Mater Dei (23-8), No. 32 Corona (26-3), No. 49 Chino Hills (24-7) and No. 50 Placentia El Dorado (24-3-1).

Royal shortstop Andi Ramirez, who was named The Times’ softball player of the year as well as the Division I player of the year, joins 12 Southland players on Cal-Hi Sports’ all-state team.

Ramirez is joined by her Highlander teammate Devon Hofland, also an infielder, and fellow infielders Nicole Kajitani of San Bernardino Cajon, Kelly Melone of Anaheim Loara, Krista Seeman of Irvine Woodbridge and Kim Waleszonia of Fontana.

Also on the team are pitchers Brittney Barger of Corona, Jordan Taylor of Valencia and Brittany Weil of Garden Grove Pacifica, catcher Rosey Neill of Laguna Hills, outfielders Kaitlin Cochran of Fullerton Rosary and Tiffany Wright of Corona Santiago and multipurpose player Briana Santos of Mater Dei.

*

Soccer

Santa Ana Saddleback was named the No. 1 boys’ team and Los Alamitos the No. 1 girls’ team in the nation in Student Sports’ final rankings.

Saddleback posted a 26-0-2 record and won the school’s first Southern Section championship, taking the Division III title. Los Alamitos was 23-2-6 and won the Southern Section Division I title.

It marks the first time in the six years of the rankings that a Southern California team has finished on top. Last year, Carmichael Jesuit of Northern California was the top boys’ team and Winnetka (Ill.) New Trier was the top girls’ team.

*

Cross-Country

A free coaches clinic, featuring nationally known distance coach Joe Vigil, will be presented by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

Information: aafla.org or (626) 890-1192.

*

Football

Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Ventura St. Bonaventure have reached agreement to play each other in a nonleague game in 2006. Oaks Christian won the Southern Section Division XI title last season, and St. Bonaventure won the Division IV title.