Foothills Sentry Page 14 JULY 2025 COMMUNITY SPORTS BY CLIFF ROBBINS AND CHAD CLINE Kylie Tafua from El Modena takes the throw to record the out at second base against Norco in the CIF-SS Div. 1 finals. El Modena’s Parker Mayes puts ElMo up, 3-0, over Poway, hitting three home runs in the game. Sofia Ramos from El Modena High lays down the perfect sacrifice bunt against Poway. El Modena Principal Bob King, left, accepts the CIF-SS Div. 1 Softball runner-up trophy from CIF Commissioner Thom Simmons. El Modena catcher Parker Mayes makes the tag at the plate. El Modena beat Poway, 8-2, in the playoff game. Suzanne Barnett, right, former Villa Park softball player, was inducted into the 2025 OC Softball Hall of Fame by her former coach, David Shelton. Former Canyon softball player Lauren Young, shown with her former Coach Dan Hay, was inducted into the 2025 OC Softball Hall of Fame. Dan Hay, left, former Canyon High School softball coach, accepts induction into the 2025 OC Softball Hall of Fame from Doug Myers. Coaches Hall of Fame inducts locals Eleven former standout softball players and coaches were inducted into the 2025 Orange County Softball Hall of Fame at the AllStar doubleheader, North vs. South and East vs. West games. Local inductees included Lauren Young from Canyon High, Suzanne Barnett from Villa Park High and Dan Hays, a former Canyon High coach. Dan Hay, former head coach at Canyon High School, stepped down in 2015 after nine seasons, posting a 123-58-1 win-loss record, the highest winning percentage as a coach in Canyon softball history. Hays guided the Comanches to two league finals, four CIF-SS semifinals, and one trip to the CIF finals. Hays founded the Premier Girls Fastpitch, and now coaches at Marina High. Lauren Young was a four-year letterman under Head Coach Dan Hay at Canyon. Young was named team Most Valuable Player and First Team All-Conference honors in her junior and senior years, and named All-County and All-State as a senior She was named 2012 Athlete of the Year at Canyon as a senior as well as the school’s Junior Player of the Year the previous season. The four-year scholar-athlete posted a .394 batting average with a .746 slugging percentage and five home runs in her senior season. Young played college ball at University of Arizona where she earned Pac-12 freshman team honors in 2013 and All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2014 and 2015. Suzie Barnett (now Lanzone) played four years at Villa Park High School, lettering in volleyball, softball and track, 1985-88. Barnett was a three-time All-Century League First Team selection in softball, a two-time League MVP, and earned All-CIF-SS honors in both her junior and senior seasons. Selected as Orange County Athletic Directors Assoc. Athlete of the Year, VPHS MVP and OC Register Athlete of the Year and VPHS Top ScholarAthlete for 1988, she broke multiple school records, including home runs, runs scored and total hits. She was also named Century League volleyball MVP and League 220 Champion in track. Barnett was a three-year varsity letterman at infield, leading Villa Park with a .348 batting average. Spring playoffs end of the road El Modena and Canyon High School qualified for the CIF-SS softball playoffs. El Modena, in Div. 1, was tied with Pacifica High as the Crestview League No. 1. ElMo advanced to the second round with a 9-5 win over Rosary High School. Play against Notre Dame, 6-4, and Temescal Canyon, 13-3, put El Modena in the finals to face No. 1 in the state. El Modena took a 3-0 loss to Norco, and as runner-up in the Div. 1 finals, advanced to the state SoCal playoffs. Seeded No. 1, they got a bye first round, to face Poway second round. A convincing 8-6 put El Modena in the finals against Mater Dei Catholic High of San Diego. There was something notably missing at the introduction of the players pregame: six starters chose to play travel ball. El Modena jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Mater Dei closed the door with six runs in the fifth, and added five runs in the seventh, eliminating El Modena, 12-3. Canyon High School, the Crestview at-large entry, was eliminated by Temescal Canyon in the first round, 6-4. In baseball Div. 2, Villa Park High pulled out a win over Granite Hills, breaking a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning. VP was then eliminated by St. John Bosco, 7-4, to end the season. The season also ended for both Canyon and Foothill High School in Div. 2.
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