Expectations were high for the Triton Varsity going into the 2013-14 season. Coming off of its first league championship in 38 years and returning the league's most valuable player, Head Coach Marc Popovich gave his team its toughest schedule in recent memory. But youth and injuries conspired to temper this optimism.
The Tritons finished the season 12-15 overall, 3-5 in league, which earned them third place in the Sea View League and their sixth consecutive berth in the CIF 1AA playoffs. San Clemente bowed out of the playoffs with a 54-39 first-round loss at eighth-seeded Rancho Verde in Moreno Valley. All 26 teams the Tritons played made it into the playoffs, with a number of them advancing on to the state tournament.
The Tritons placed three players on 2014 All-Sea View League teams. Junior guard Nick Crankshaw, the team's 2013-14 MVP, was voted by the league's coaches to the all-league first team. Sophomore forward Cole Fotheringham was voted to the all-league second team, and junior forward Cade Griffin earned all-league honorable mention honors.
Scheduling so aggressively was a bold move for a team returning only three lettermen from 2012-13: Crankshaw, Fotheringham and Darnold, that year's league MVP. Reinforcements were seen coming in the form of two transfers and players being promoted from the most successful junior varsity team in school history, the 2012-13 squard which won the league championship with a 25-1 record.
One of the transfers, sophomore guard Gage Shelimidine, who moved over from Saddleback Valley Christian, had to sit out the first month of the season because his transfer did not involve a change of address. Eventually, he would work his way into the starting lineup and earn defensive player of the year honors. The other transfer, 6-6 junior center Erik Anderson, would become part of the team's injury woes, breaking his wrist on the eve of the season opener, and not playing until the last two games of the season.
His wasn't the first injury to hamper the team. Darnold, who also is a highly rated quarterback, broke his foot in an early-September game, keeping him out of basketball action. Then, a few games later, Darnold broke his hand, which sidelined him until the Tritons' CIF Playoff game. In total, the team's and league's returning MVP
played in only eight games.
And in that playoff game, the Tritons would be without Griffin, who injured his ankle in the closing minutes of the league finale at Trabuco Hills.
Griffin was one of the players who moved up from the previous year's J.V. championship team. He was joined by senior center Sam Brown, senior forward Austin Miller, senior guard Rico Young, Jr., and junior guards Scott Herrod and Elijah Morris. Morris, a fearless scorer, would lead the Tritons offensively early in the season, and was at one point on pace to break the team record for threepointers in a season. Miller started for much of the season. And Herrod earned the team's Triton Basketball Award.
Two surprises for San Clemente were juniors Joe Mann and Vince Smetona, who had been members of the 2012-13 sophomore league championship team. Both were originally slated for the junior varsity roster, but earned their way onto the varsity. Mann, the MVP of his sophomore team, received this year's varsity most improved player award.
The Tritons finished the season 12-15 overall, 3-5 in league, which earned them third place in the Sea View League and their sixth consecutive berth in the CIF 1AA playoffs. San Clemente bowed out of the playoffs with a 54-39 first-round loss at eighth-seeded Rancho Verde in Moreno Valley. All 26 teams the Tritons played made it into the playoffs, with a number of them advancing on to the state tournament.
The Tritons placed three players on 2014 All-Sea View League teams. Junior guard Nick Crankshaw, the team's 2013-14 MVP, was voted by the league's coaches to the all-league first team. Sophomore forward Cole Fotheringham was voted to the all-league second team, and junior forward Cade Griffin earned all-league honorable mention honors.
Scheduling so aggressively was a bold move for a team returning only three lettermen from 2012-13: Crankshaw, Fotheringham and Darnold, that year's league MVP. Reinforcements were seen coming in the form of two transfers and players being promoted from the most successful junior varsity team in school history, the 2012-13 squard which won the league championship with a 25-1 record.
One of the transfers, sophomore guard Gage Shelimidine, who moved over from Saddleback Valley Christian, had to sit out the first month of the season because his transfer did not involve a change of address. Eventually, he would work his way into the starting lineup and earn defensive player of the year honors. The other transfer, 6-6 junior center Erik Anderson, would become part of the team's injury woes, breaking his wrist on the eve of the season opener, and not playing until the last two games of the season.
His wasn't the first injury to hamper the team. Darnold, who also is a highly rated quarterback, broke his foot in an early-September game, keeping him out of basketball action. Then, a few games later, Darnold broke his hand, which sidelined him until the Tritons' CIF Playoff game. In total, the team's and league's returning MVP
played in only eight games.
And in that playoff game, the Tritons would be without Griffin, who injured his ankle in the closing minutes of the league finale at Trabuco Hills.
Griffin was one of the players who moved up from the previous year's J.V. championship team. He was joined by senior center Sam Brown, senior forward Austin Miller, senior guard Rico Young, Jr., and junior guards Scott Herrod and Elijah Morris. Morris, a fearless scorer, would lead the Tritons offensively early in the season, and was at one point on pace to break the team record for threepointers in a season. Miller started for much of the season. And Herrod earned the team's Triton Basketball Award.
Two surprises for San Clemente were juniors Joe Mann and Vince Smetona, who had been members of the 2012-13 sophomore league championship team. Both were originally slated for the junior varsity roster, but earned their way onto the varsity. Mann, the MVP of his sophomore team, received this year's varsity most improved player award.
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