How do you wrap up the entire Santa Clarita Valley high school sports year in one sentence? What a season. It began in the fall with the excitement of the Foothill League football race between Valencia, Canyon and Saugus, but the headlines were again taken away by the overwhelming success of Saugus girls cross country, joined by the upstarts at Golden Valley. In the winter, it was a Canyon-dominated time with two league titles and some unwelcomed controversy. In the spring, new programs stepped to the forefront. We saw new stars and waved farewell to athletes who peaked in the final moments of their high school careers. In the end, 2011-12 was another special chapter in the valley's rich high school sports history.

FALL
Football -
Valencia's surprise: The Vikings were supposed to be down after losing their most talented players to graduation in 2011, but a feisty defense led by Ryan Gorman and Billy Shipman led them to a Foothill League championship.

Girls Golf -
The end and the beginning: Hart's Kendall Dusenberry wrapped up a superb career by returning from injury and winning the Foothill League Most Valuable Player prize. Unfortunately for her team, its run of four straight Foothill League titles came to an end with West Ranch claiming the league title.

Girls Tennis -
No sharing: After two straight years of sharing the league title with Valencia, West Ranch finally broke through and won its first title outright.

Girls Volleyball -
Centsational: The Saugus girls got a perfect 10-0 in the Foothill season, led by Foothill League MVP Jaclyn Clark. It's Saugus' first girls volleyball league title since 2001.

Cross Country -
Same story, new story: Saugus girls, in its most challenging season ever, won its sixth straight CIF state cross country title. Golden Valley's boys won its first-ever state title.



WINTER
Boys Basketball -
Out with a bang: Great careers ended with Canyon's greatest season ever record-wise (24-4). The Cowboys won a oddslot league title in Head Coach Chad Phillips' 12th and final season and league MVP Coley Apsay's senior year. West Ranch shared the league title, its first ever in boys basketball.

Girls Basketball -
Canyon continues: Few teams in the valley can boast the success of Canyon girls basketball. It won its third straight Foothill title and made the CIF-Southern Section division quarterfinals for the third straight year. Yet the league MVP went to Saugus center Megan Dawe.

Girls Soccer -
Saugus' mettle: The Centurions battled serious injuries, but thanks to the steady play of Serena Smith-Banas, Saugus won its third straight league title.

Boys Soccer -
Controversy reigns: West Ranch wins its second straight Foothill title after Canyon was found to have played an ineligible player.

SPRING
Baseball -
A first: The best player in the Foothill League, J.C. Cloney, led the Wildcats to their first Foothill League title in school history.
Softball - Another first: West Ranch's power supply of Kylie Sorenson and Janelle Lindvall led the Wildcats to their first-ever Foothill League softball title.

Boys Golf -
Not through yet: The school lost J.J. Holen to graduation in 2011, but a team effort led the Wildcats to their fifth straight Foothill title. On the individual side, Valencia senior Jonathan Chang won his second Foothill MVP.

Boys Tennis -
Pure dominance: The Valencia boys tennis team had one of the most dominant runs of any team in valley history by winning all 10 league matches and winning 177 of 180 total sets. Singles players J.R. Macalutas, Joey Fernicola and Chris Pope go undefeated in league play.

Track and Field -
Champs galore: Golden Valley's boys won their first league title, sharing it with Hart and Canyon, and the Canyon girls also claim a championship. At the CIF-SS finals, Hart's Tim White and Austin O'Neil and Canyon's Taylor Thomas and Tiffini Stone won championships.

Swimming -
The future is now: Hart's boys and girls continued their team dominance with championships, but Saugus freshman Abbey Weitzeil became the first Foothill League swimmer to win two CIF-SS Div. I titles in the same meet with victories in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events.

Boys Volleyball -
Return and arrive: Valencia boys volleyball won the league title and the mighty dynasty made its deepest run in the postseason since 2008, making it to the CIF-SS Div. II semifinals. But West Ranch was the league's biggest surprise, also making it to the semifinals.