No new teams have been admitted to the CIF/Metro Conference roller hockey circuit this season. Membership now stands at 13 member schools for 2021-22 with the return of seven of 10 teams from the South County-based Mesa and South Bay leagues and the return of six of the seven North County League teams.
South County membership this season includes Bonita Vista, Otay Ranch, Eastlake, Hilltop, Mar Vista, Castle Park and San Ysidro high schools.
Six South County teams competed in a limited 2021 spring season in which the Bonita Vista Barons were declared champions.
Barons head coach Keith Quigley said his team is returning another strong assemblage this season.
The word “strong” might be an understatement after Bonita Vista rolled past the Hilltop Lancers, 23-0, in the season debut for both teams on Wednesday at the Castle Park High School outdoor rink.
“We can’t wait for the games to start,” Quigley said, voicing the team’s enthusiasm for the upcoming roller hockey season. “We’re very excited about this season and all the potential we have to make a run at winning our division. With many returning players and adding some solid new players in the mix we feel we can do good things this season. But that’s on paper … We still gotta go out and play the game and get after it. Especially not knowing yet what type of team the other schools will have.”
Bonita Vista will once again feature a heavy coed roster.
Top returners include Max Anderson, Noah Burke, Andrew Madrigal, Diego Nunes, Keala Nunes, Al Ruiz, Eliana Santos and Viannae Valdez.
Anderson finished as the league scoring leader while Nunes earned recognition as the league’s player of the year.
Impact newcomers include Damien Nunes, Jacob Hunter and Cameron Belyk.
Nunes has been in Quigley’s PUCKidz hockey program for a couple years to gain experience while Hunter and Belyk both play ice hockey. Belyk also was a PUCKidz participant in his younger years.
The Barons and Lancers have been battling on the rink for 23 years, one of the longest active streaks among high school inline hockey teams.
Ten players scored goals for Bonita Vista. Anderson led the victors with four goals and three assists while Ruiz had three goals and three assists. Noah Burke and Hunter both chipped in with three goals and one assist.
In other games on Wednesday:
OTAY RANCH 4, EASTLAKE 2
Sean Yeow scored two goals and Xavier Simpson tacked on a goal and two assists as the Mustangs doubled up the east side rival Titans. Riley Holt scored one goal for Otay Ranch while Alex Short picked up the goaltending victory.
SAN YSIDRO 12, CASTLE PARK 5
The Cougars finished the game with seven unanswered goals to snap a 5-5 tie. Alejandro Vargas (five goals, two assists) and Angel Bernal (five goals, one assist) led San Ysidro in scoring while Josh Barreto had four goals and one assist for the Trojans.
Coaches corner
Caroline Talavera (San Ysidro): “So far, this is just the first game, it’s hopefully a good start. There’s room for improvement.”
Adrian Rodriguez (Castle Park): “It was a good start. We have more players coming. Our goalie couldn’t be here, so we had a player in the goal who would usually play out. We were down in numbers for this game but we followed our game plan. We should do alright.”
Richard Haislip (Eastlake): “We have some experience but we’re obviously rebuilding. It was a close game. It was competitive … It is what it is. There’s still interest in the sport. It will grow back.
Paul Tesner (Hilltop): “We have three players back from our previous team. We have just one senior this year. This is going to be a rebuilding year.”
CIF-METRO CONFERENCE SCOREBOARD
Wednesday, Dec. 8
Castle Park High School
Bonita Vista 23, Hilltop 0
Otay Ranch 4, Eastlake 2
San Ysidro 12, Castle Park 5
Sweetwater District Standings
Bonita Vista 1-0
Otay Ranch 1-0
San Ysidro 1-0
Mar Vista 0-0
Eastlake 0-1
Castle Park 0-1
Hilltop 0-1
Statistical Leaders
(Through Dec. 8)
Alejandro Vargas (San Ysidro) 5 goals, 2 assists – 7 points
Maxwell Anderson (Bonita Vista) 4 goals, 3 assists – 7 points
Angel Bernal (San Ysidro) 5 goals, 1 assist – 6 points
Alvaro Ruiz (Bonita Vista) 3 goals. 3 assists – 6 points
Josh Barreto (Castle Park) 4 goals, 1 assist – 5 points
Jacob Hunter (Bonita Vista) 3 goals, 1 assist – 4 points
Noah Burke (Bonita Vista) 3 goals, 1 assist – 4 points
Andrew Madrigal (Bonita Vista) 1goal, three assists – 4 points
Diego Nunes (Bonita Vista) 3 goals, 0 assists – 3 points
Cameron Belyk (Bonita Vista) 2 goals, 1 assist – 3 points
Sean Yeow (Otay Ranch) 2 goals, 1 assist – 3 points
Xavier Simpson (Otay Ranch) 1 goal, 1 assist – 2 points
Josue Cellely (San Ysidro) 1 goal, 1 assist – 2 points
Vanessa Camacho (San Ysidro) 1 goal, 1 assist – 2 points
Amelie Juneau (Bonita Vista) 2 goals, 0 assists – 2 points
Keala Nunes (Bonita Vista) 0 goals, 2 assists – 2 points
Catherine Wunderly (Bonita Vista) 0 goals, 2 assists – 2 points
Riley Holt (Otay Ranch) 1 goal, 0 assists – 1 point
Brady Murphy (Bonita Vista) 1 goal, 0 assists – 1 point
Renata Herbst (Bonita Vista) 1 goal, 0 assists – 1 point
Eric Morgan (Eastlake) 1 goal, 0 assists – 1 point
Brisa Solis (Castle Park) 1 goal, 0 assists – 1 point
Daniel Lule (Bonita Vista) 0 goals, 1 assist – 1 point
Vanessa Fonseca (San Ysidro) 0 goals, 1 assist – 1 point
Note: Eastlake statistics incomplete (#12 goal, #14 assist, #10 assist); Castle Park statistics incomplete (#7 assist)
