Arroyo Valley Softball Wins First CIF Championship in School History After Beating San Bernardino
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Arroyo Valley High School softball players and coaches celebrate after defeating San Bernardino High School 8-5 to win the Hawks’ first CIF Championship in school history.
The Arroyo Valley High School (AVHS) varsity softball team made school history on Saturday, May 30 when it beat San Bernardino High School (SBHS) 8-5 to earn the school’s first-ever CIF Championship.
In a thrilling extra-inning showdown between two San Bernardino City Unified School District rivals, Arroyo Valley High emerged victorious over San Bernardino High. The nail-biting contest, held at the Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, showcased the talent, determination and resilience of both teams, with neither side willing to back down. After battling through seven innings tied, the Hawks broke through in extra innings to secure the championship victory. While Arroyo Valley celebrated the title, both schools demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship and represented SBCUSD with pride on one of high school softball’s biggest stages.
“It’s a first in so many ways. It’s the first AVHS girls’ team to earn a CIF title, the first time the softball team has won a CIF title and the first CIF Championship of any kind for Arroyo Valley,” AVHS Athletic Director Angel Castro said. “This is truly a day that will go down in history for the Hawks. I could not be more proud to be part of this historic moment.”
The first and only other time AVHS made it to a CIF Southern Section championship game was the school’s 2021 baseball team.
AVHS went into the CIF playoffs with a 10-14 record. The Hawks beat Banning in the quarterfinals and Capistrano Valley Christian in the semifinals before facing off against the SBHS Cardinals at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine for the championship game.
Although there could only be one championship team, San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) had the honor of knowing they were going to win big because both teams in the final game were from San Bernardino.
“For two SBCUSD high schools to both make it to the CIF Southern Section finals and compete against each other not just for the honor of a CIF Championship but also for each school’s first softball CIF title, let’s just say that the entire community had a stake in the game,” said Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, who graduated from SBHS.
“It was an honor to be part of this special and unique moment in SBCUSD and CIF history,” SBHS Athletic Director Pat Mills said. “Our girls’ played hard, and we all wish we could have won the championship, but we want to congratulate Arroyo Valley on a well-played game.”
AVHS Head Softball Coach Nathan Barlow and Assistant Coaches Gerald Ananias, Mariana Barlow and Jasmine Berenice Almazan were proud to guide the championship Hawks team of Leila Sanchez, Jaylin Casillas, Siraya Cruz-Villegas, Amy Mendoza, Amada Miramontez, Aida Sanchez, Alexa Arellano, Camila Ramos, Tania Iribe, Alicia Arevalo, Bianca Nava, Emily Herrera, Abigail Ector and Carley Acosta.
