Official Site of the Corona Angels: Prep News: WRIGHT'S CAREER HR MARK MAKES CALHI SPORTS TOP STORIES OF THE YEAR

This article first appeared
June 20, 2009
ESPN CalHiSports
By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores Contributing: Paul Muyskens

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2008-09 Stories of the Year: Tyler’s Tale is Tops

Basketball star Jeremy Tyler's decision to turn pro after his junior year at San Diego High was the most talked about story in the state during the 2008-09 school year. Other stories among our top 15 include Sacramento Grant's historic win over Long Beach Poly in the CIF Open Division state football bowl game and one of the most stunning upsets any team in any sport in state history has ever pulled off.

1. Jeremy Tyler Leaves High School For Pros .....

2. Grant Wins First CIF Open Division Bowl Game .....

3. Budget Crunch Impacts Everyone .....

4. Inland Empire Dominance .....

5. Renardo Sidney Going Back Home .....

6. No. 1 In The Nation In Two Sports .....

7. Evolution of CIF Football Bowl Games .....

8. CIF State Track Team Titles .....

9. All The Way With Jordan Hasay .....

10. Celebrity High Football Team .....

11. Girls Soccer Upset For The Ages .....

12. Judge Halts Section Playoff Game .....

13. Softball Sluggers Take Center Stage
     Only two seasons ago, the reported state record for career home runs in softball was 38, held by Oakland Bishop O'Dowd's Jennifer Lizama. Bloomington's Anissa Young finished the 2008 season with 38 career round trippers, but Lizama and Young are no longer even in the top five on the all-time state list. Further research for the seventh printed edition of our state record book revealed that Kaila Shull from Lodi Elliot Christian belted 45 home runs between 2003 and 2006, but her mark was tied during the 2008 season by San Pedro's Perelini Koria. 
     Today, Koria only ranks second on the L.A. City Section's all-time state list as home run queens from around the state continued the dizzying pace during the 2009 season. Shannon Colquitt from King-Drew Medical Magnet in South Central Los Angeles belted 27 homers this year alone to shatter the single-season mark of 19 set last season by Coliseum League rival Alia Williams. Colquitt finished her career with 42 homers, which amazingly is eight behind the total of Lancaster's Shawna Wright. 
     Wright twice belted 14 homers in a season to finish her prep career with an even 50.
Crescenta Valley's Baillie Kirker homered in two of the last three playoff games of her career to move past Wright with 52 homers. During this past season, Kirker and Williams moved ahead of one another to claim the title of California's softball home run queen but in the end, it was Crenshaw's Williams who laid claim to the throne. A model of consistency, Williams hit 15 as a sophomore, 19 as a junior, and 16 this season to go along with the three she hit during her freshman campaign to occupy the top spot all by herself with 53 career home runs.

14. Miracle Win by Salesian Top CIF State Hoops Finals .....

15. California Baseball Greatness Shines Again On Draft Day .....

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