A Celebration: 2011 Was a Landmark Year in Chatsworth Sports

What a great year 2011 was for local prep sports, as the town of Chatsworth's two main high schools, Chatsworth and Sierra Canyon, both enjoyed heaps of success in major sports.

It started last winter with basketball. Chatsworth won the City Section Div. III boys championship, and Sierra Canyon won the Southern Section Div. V-A championship.

Chatsworth came into the basketball season having gone 15-13, 10-15 and 8-17 over the previous three seasons, and no one expected much from the Chancellors, who forever have been in the shadow of West Valley League rival Taft, one of nation’s top programs.

Taft again won the league title – and eventually the City Division I championship – but the Chancellors had their moment in the sun, too. Led by Terrell Funches, Derrick Hector and Jason Monje, Chatsworth came alive in the playoffs, defeating Monroe, Manual Arts and Hamilton to qualify for the championship game against Garfield on March 5 at Royal High.

In the final, Chatsworth won 66-61, then for good measure the Chancellors won a state playoff game, defeating Palm Springs 74-66 for the team’s 26th victory.

Chatsworth (26-7) was eliminated by powerful Harvard-Westlake in the second round of the state playoffs, but it was a season for the ages.

Sierra Canyon did even better. There were a lot of questions after coach Colin Jamerson had left after leading the Trailblazers to a section final in 2009-2010, plus top returning player Michael Cohen was injured and not expected to play for at least the first two months of the season.

Ryan Silver, Sierra Canyon’s third coach in four years, stepped in. Then, Sierra Canyon received a big boost when star guard Jahmel Taylor transferred in from Notre Dame, plus the team unveiled freshmen phenoms Marsalis Johnson and Bryan Alberts.

The Trailblazers finished 27-6, winning the Southern Section Div. V-A championship 48-45 at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana and advancing to the Southern California Regional final – falling to St. Bernard 61-59 on March 19 in Ontario to finish one win shy of the state-championship berth at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Taylor, a sophomore, averaged 21.1 points, including a high of 41 against Bell-Jeff, receiving numerous early college offers along the way, including USC.

CHATSWORTH BASEBALL IS A HIT

Baseball season rolled around, and as always there were big expectations at Chatsworth, a nine-time City champion that had lost in the City Section semifinals the previous season – an off-year by Chancellor standards.

Chatsworth, led by Aaron Brown, Steven Karkenny and Angel Rodriguez, won its first four games, including a championship victory over Valencia in the high-profile Easton Southern California Showdown.

The Chancellors eventually won the West Valley League title and entered the City playoffs as the No. 1 seed. In the playoffs, Chatsworth defeated Westchester, Taft and Birmingham by a combined score of 24-3 to qualify for the City championship at Dodger Stadium on June 4 – the dream place of any high school baseball player.

The Chancellors faced San Fernando, which came through with a surprising 8-6 upset victory, as Chatsworth finished as a runner-up.

Brown was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates but opted to honor a Pepperdine scholarship. Karkenny signed with The Master's College.

SIERRA CANYON FOOTBALL STATES ITS CASE

With most key starters back for Sierra Canyon’s football team after going 12-2 the previous season while reaching a section final, the Trailblazers started the season No. 1 in the CIF State Div. IV South bowl rankings – and they never lost a game.

Sierra Canyon, led by star quarterback Tyler Stewart (31 touchdown passes), running back Xavier Menifield, offensive lineman Andrew Terry and linebacker William Young, went 15-0. Along the way, the Trailblazers finally overcame the Paraclete curse, defeating their arch-rivals not once but twice – first with a 36-26 win on Nov. 5 to clinch the Alpha League title, then again by a score of 47-14 on Dec. 10 in the Southern Section East Valley Division championship.

Sierra Canyon capped a perfect season by defeating Le Grand 34-13 in the CIF State Div. IV bowl on Dec. 16 at Home Depot Center in Carson – the first San Fernando Valley program in any level to win a state title since the series was renewed in 2006.