Enjoying a fruitful campaign
This is the second in a four-part series looking back on the sports accomplishments of the four local high schools over the past school year. This installment is Burroughs High:
Records were broken, long standing droughts were erased, state competition was realized and league championships were won.
All in all, it was a banner 2010-11 campaign for a group of Indian teams and individuals. In fact, the school enjoyed one of its most fruitful school years in decades. Fine individual performances and deep playoff runs highlighted the year.
Exemplifying that success was senior Lucas Yanez. Yanez was a leader on two Burroughs squads — football and boys’ volleyball — that captured Pacific League titles. He leaves the school after setting records and helping both programs build into winners.
In football, he guided the Indians to a share of the Pacific League crown last season after the team won it outright in 2009.
Yanez put his emphatic stamp on the record books. Last season, he completed 133 of 214 passes (a 62% completion rate) for 1,965 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Along with his threat as a passer, Yanez also proved he could run, carrying the ball 96 times for 523 yards (5.5 yards a carry) and nine touchdowns.
Yanez finished with a distinction that no other player in the history of Burroughs has been able to accomplish. He is No. 3 on the all-time Indians career passing list, as well as being No. 9 on the career rushing list. In his career, he completed 303 of 515 passes for 4,280 yards, 36 touchdowns and an NCAA quarterback rating of 145.1. He also gained 1,481 yards rushing.
For his efforts, he was named the Pacific League Offensive Player of the Year, as well as an All-Area selection.
In volleyball behind Lucas and his brother Tyler, Burroughs captured a league crown, advanced to the program’s first CIF Southern Section championship contest and even won a match in state-playoff competition.
Lucas, who along with his brother, earned co-league player of the year and All-CIF accolades, tallied 195 kills, with a season-high of 20 coming against South Torrance in the semifinals of the Division III playoffs. He finished his career with 660 kills, setting the Burroughs all-time mark. In addition, he had 256 digs (No. 1 all time) and 61 aces (another school record).
Another athlete who enjoyed success during the fall was junior cross-country standout Anthony Monroy.
Following in the footsteps of a solid line of recent Indians’ distance runners, Monroy advanced to the CIF-State Cross-Country Championships. In the competitive Division I race, he placed 19th in 15 minutes 22.07 seconds over the 5-kilometer course.
Monroy’s effort was the 10th-best among all the Southern Section runners in Division I and 15th among Southern Section runners across all five divisions, In addition, his time was 27th overall out of 971 runners across all five divisions, including the No. 7 time for a junior (all of whom came from Division I).
Monroy earned a spot in the State Meet by running well in the Southern Section Division I finals at Mount San Antonio College. In the Division I race, the junior placed sixth in 15:46. He also took part in the CIF preliminaries at Mt. SAC, placing second in 15:19.
The Indians’ girls’ volleyball team also did well in the fall, placing second in the Pacific League.
In the winter, the big story was the success of the girls’ basketball team, paced by senior Lisha Elsenbach.
Elsenbach — the league player of the year and All-CIF Southern Section pick with teammate Chelsea Rhamdeow — was a big reason why the Indians not only won a league title, but set a program record for wins in a season, as the squad went 25-5.
Burroughs also advanced to the Division II-A quarterfinals, falling to Inglewood, 74-65, and won its first league championship in 32 years.
Elsenbach ended up being the leading scorer in the league, and emerged as a quiet, but instrumental leader for the Indians. She averaged 16.9 points on the season and 23 in league. During league play, she scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games. In addition, Elsenbach averaged 8.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals a game. She also set a school record for free throws made in a season with 166.
Rhamdeow, a senior, was a Division II-A second-team pick. Along with averaging 9.8 points (second-best on the team), she also averaged 4.2 rebounds, two assists and 1.8 steals.
Leading the way in the spring was the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team. The program — which has been in existence for just five years — trumpeted its arrival on the Southern Section scene.
The Indians (34-5) rolled to a Pacific League title, going undefeated in the process. Burroughs then marched its way through the Division III playoffs, advancing to the championship match against Cerritos Valley Christian at Cypress College. Although the Indians lost, 27-25, 25-27, 25-18, 25-16, just getting to the title contest is a huge accomplishment.
It was the Indians’ first trip to the finals after previously not getting out of the second round of the playoffs.
Burroughs also participated in the Southern California Regional Championships for the first time. The Indians showed they belonged in state competition, upsetting Thousand Oaks, 25-22, 25-12, 23-25, 25-23, in the first round.
The Burroughs boys’ tennis squad also enjoyed the finest postseason run in the history of the program.
Led by singles player Garrett Auproux, the Indians pulled off some upsets and advanced to the semifinals of the Division II playoffs, losing to eventual champion Paul Desert, 14-4. Auproux also won the Pacific League singles title and advanced to the round of 16 in the CIF Southern Section Individual Tournament.
In doubles, Indians Oscar Lam and Wen Yao Lin took the league doubles crown.
Another Burroughs athlete, boys’ golfer Kelsey Danzeisen, enjoyed a successful postseason in the spring, advancing to the Southern California Golf Assn. Regional Qualifier. In the event at Brookside Golf Club, he shot a one-over-par 73 to finish 27th, missing the cut for the state tournament.
Despite placing fifth in the Pacific League tournament this year, Danzeisen did well in the first two playoff tournaments. He took part in the CIF Individual Final, which took place at Industry Hills Golf Club’s Babe Zaharias Course. Danzeisen fired a three-over-par-74, tying him for the fifth-best score of the day and a tie for 17th place.
Danzeisen qualified for the final by earning a spot out of the CIF Southern Section Northern Individual Regional at Las Posas Country Club in Camarillo. Danzeisen fired a five-over-par 76 to finish tied for 20th in the event.
Burroughs also secured a share of a Pacific League title in softball.
The team boasted a big-three punch in junior catcher Shannon Trujillo, junior pitcher Heather Haynes and junior pitcher/designated player Haley Schulman. All three athletes earned first-team all-league and All-Area accolades.
Along with a .430 average (33 for 86) average, Trujillo also had eight home runs, seven doubles, 34 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and a .907 slugging percentage. Haynes, finished the year with a 9-2 record and a 2.17 earned-run average with 68 strikeouts in nearly 70 innings. She also hit .292 with 14 RBI. Schulman hit 471 (33 for 70) with seven doubles, 20 RBI and 20 runs scored and was 7-5 with a 1.46 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 54 innings in the circle.
In track and field, Shannon Kermah was a double league champion in the girls’ triple jump and the long jump. Teammates also winning league championships were Austin Allen (boys’ pole vault), Justice Shank (girls’ high jump) and Amoni Alexander (girls’ 100 hurdles).
In swimming, Chad Wilson qualified for the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.
Unfortunately, scandal hit the school in April after an alleged incident involving underage drinking and
alcohol served by an Indians’ assistant coach. The school fired the varsity baseball coach and three assistants and canceled the remainder of the season after discovering an assistant coach served players beer during a tournament trip to Arizona.