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From the Bench: Lots to watch for in May

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Time to gas up your car, stock up on your favorite snacks and head out to a high school championship event.

There will be plenty of them to choose from over the next month. In fact, odds are you will need a few tanks of gas to enjoy them all.

Between Poway High, Rancho Bernardo, Del Norte and Maranatha Christian athletic teams you can plan on getting a nice tour of San Diego County.

For those that have not been following along this spring, The Bench has you covered. Here are a couple things to watch for over the next month:

Boys golf: Rancho Bernardo lost two of its top golfers to graduation, but have come back to be even better this year.

The Broncos won their first Palomar League title since 2010, sweeping perennial power Torrey Pines.

Rancho Bernardo, who placed second in the state last season, is looking to capture its first ever section title. The Broncos have finished runner-up to the Falcons the last three years in a row.

Round 1 of the section tournament is May 19 at 7:30 a.m. The final round will be May 21 at 8 a.m. Both rounds will be at Admiral Baker Golf Course.

Softball: There are a lot of exciting things to watch for here. Rancho Bernardo and Poway are right in the thick of a tight Palomar League title race and Del Norte is only a game back in the Avocado East League.

The Broncos should get into the Open Division playoffs, although they were on the bubble entering this week, and the Titans should be a top three seed in the Open. The Nighthawks will likely end up being a top-five seed in the Division II playoffs.

The Bench would mention players to watch, but it would have to name them all. Seriously, the starting lineups for Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Del Norte are loaded with talent.

The section playoffs begin May 19.

Baseball: The last four Palomar League championships have gone to Rancho Bernardo and before that Poway won three in a row.

Torrey Pines is trying to break that streak. The Falcons entered this week in a first-place tie with Poway, while Rancho Bernardo sits just one game back.

This one is going to come down to the final week, which means the Poway-Rancho Bernardo series (first game is Tuesday at RBHS at 3:30 p.m.) is going to play a huge role in determining the league champ.

Also on the line is a spot in the Open Division playoffs. Poway entered this week five spots out of the eight-team playoff. Meanwhile, Rancho Bernardo sits safely at No. 2 in the power ranking.

The section playoffs begin May 26.

Swimming: Del Norte is the team to watch here. The Nighthawks’ boys and girls went undefeated in the Avocado East League.

The league championship finals are slated for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Del Norte.

On the boys side, keep your eye on sophomore Austin Nguyen. He has broken three school records (200-yard individual medley, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke) this year.

For the girls, keep an eye out for senior Sydney Schuette and sophomore Evelyn Luu. Schuette is one of the top 100 free and 100 backstroke swimmers in the section, while Luu is one of the best in the 100 breasstroke. She took second in Division II as a freshman.

Another local boys swimmer to watch for is Rancho Bernardo’s Tin Huynh. He captured the Division I 50 freestyle title last year. He should be in the running to repeat as champion in that event and challenge for the 100 freestyle title, too.

The Palomar League swimming prelims are today (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m. and the finals are Saturday at 10 a.m. Both are at Mt. Carmel High School.

The San Diego Section Division I and Division II swimming championship finals are slated for May 16 at Granite Hills High. Division II starts at 9 a.m. and Division I begins at 3 p.m.

Track and field: A quick glance at the San Diego Section leader board tells The Bench there will be plenty of local athletes in the running for a berth to the state championships.

The Broncos’ Jackie Patterson is No. 3 in the section in the girls 100 meters (11.87 seconds) and No. 2 in the 200 (24.66). Her teammate, Nia Akins, is No. 3 in the 800 (2:12.97) and No. 2 in the 1,600 (5:03.61). Rancho Bernardo’s Bryanna Fuller is No. 3 in the 3,200 (10:57.52). The Broncos’ 4x100-relay team is No. 1 in the county (48.30).

Poway’s Maddie Murray is No. 5 in the 300 hurdles (44.71) and Del Norte’s Ruby Mandell is just behind at No. 6 (45.44). The Titans’ 4x400-relay team is No. 2 (3:55.14).

Del Norte’s Michelle Altice is No. 2 in the shot put (42-feet) and No. 3 in the discus (128-1).

For the boys, Del Norte’s Paul Holbel is No. 2 in the section in the 800 (1:55.68). The Rancho Bernardo 4x100 relay team is No. 1 (42.81) and the Del Norte 4x400-relay team is No. 1 (3:21.28).

Poway’s Colton Clark is No. 3 in the shot put (53-9.5) and No. 6 in the discus (154-5). The Broncos’ Yaniv Rokach is No. 1 in the high jump (6-6.25), while Del Norte’s Cameron Hepworth is No. 3 (6-5).

Rancho Bernardo’s Colin Reynolds is No. 2 in the pole vault (15-0), while Skyler Ng is No. 4 (14-8).

The Avocado East League track and field finals are slated for May 15 at Del Norte. The Palomar League finals are on May 15 at Canyon Crest Academy.

The section championships begin May 23 at Mt. Carmel High School.

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