STRONG START FOR YOUNG CHIEFTAIN SQUAD; 4-2 AFTER FIRST MONTH OF COMPETITION

RECAP: CLAIREMONT 17 – MISSION HILLS 4

The boys opened up their first season in Division 2 since 2021 with a bang!  Hosting at Mesa College due to the Clairemont Community pool being down for another year did not dissuade the fans from attending in mass!  A packed crowd roared as the CHS boys stormed past the Grizzlies through the 2nd and 3rd quarters to cement a big first win of the season.  Mission Hills hung around only down 2-1 in the first quarter, but Clairemont’s physical press defense and 16 man subbing rotation wore the Grizzlies down.

RECAP: CLAIREMONT 15 – MAR VISTA 13

The Chieftains second victory of the season came on the road against the Division 3 favorites in Mar Vista.  After opening up a big 4-0 lead in the first quarter, the Chieftains found some key starters in foul trouble which helped give the Mariners what they needed to mount a comeback in the second quarter.  But Clairemont’s deep rotation once again won the day as the boys wore down Mar Vista in the second half.  Even after falling down 2 goals, Clairemont used a big 7-1 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth to finally put the game to exhausted Mariner boys down for good.

RECAP: DAY 1 LONG BEACH INVITE

Clairemont 9 – Brentwood 12

Clairemont opened the Long Beach Invite with their toughest match of the season against a veteran Brentwood squad.  The Eagles buried the Chieftains into a 5-1 hole in the first quarter, looking very much in control.  But the CHS boys hunkered down and chipped away at the lead little by little, inching as close as 9-8 in the fourth quarter before the game got away from them.  Tough loss that felt winnable, but valuable in terms of what these young athletes learned.

Clairemont 6 – Palisades 9

With only a 50 minute break, Clairemont was back in action again this time facing off with Palisades in what was their first game of the day (curious scheduling).  Just as before, Clairemont had a rough opening quarter and faced down a 4-1 deficit.  And once again, the boys chipped away at the lead until the game was tied 5-5 heading into the fourth quarter.  But the youth and inexperience of our boys displayed down the stretch as back to back Clairemont power play opportunities resulted in Palisades counter attack goals the other way.  The momentum swing virtually put the game out of reach at that point.  A hard loss, but one that also taught the boys much about how to finish a tight game.

RECAP: DAY 2 LONG BEACH INVITE

Clairemont 18 – Liberty 5

After a long morning and a trip to the movies to think about how the previous day went, the Clairemont boys were ready to try for a better result on day 2.  Liberty, who defeated Palisades earlier this season, certainly believed they were ready for the Chieftains.  That was until the game got underway, and our boys left no doubt about what kind of team they can be this season.  An impressive 18-5 win against a quality Liberty team was exactly the response the CHS boys needed to prove to themselves that they have what it takes to be a competitive squad this season.  They dominated every quarter, and every facet of the game from the goaltending to the shooting.

Clairemont Forfeit Victory Over Marshall

The last game of the tournament was over before it started as Marshall forfeited the match due to having an insufficient number of players.  But that didn’t stop our boys from playing!  Mixing teams, Clairemont faced themselves (with a sprinkling of Marshall players) in a fun officiated scrimmage.  It was nice seeing everyone have fun, but the game also served as a chance for guys to try some new moves!  We made the most of a difficult situation and came away a better team for it, as did the few Marshall players that showed up to play that day as well.

UP NEXT

The Clairemont boys are off to a 4-2 start through the first month of the season.  Up next, the boys will face #8 Point Loma on the road.  The game is on Thursday, but the time and location are TBD as Point Loma’s usual pool has broken down.  The Chieftains are back in action on Friday and Saturday as well for the Mater Dei Catholic Invite, opening Friday night with Otay Ranch at 5pm at MDC.  COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR CHIEFTAINS!!!