Led by Santa Margarita, Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Orange posted 20 CIF-Southern Section team titles in the 2018-2019 academic and athletic season.

Santa Margarita recorded five CIF-SS team championships — baseball, boys’ basketball, and girls’ swimming, track and water polo — plus a state championship in girls’ swimming. The Eagles were CIF runners-up in boys’ swimming.

Several of the Eagles’ Trinity League rivals and Orange Diocese neighbors also did well on the title front.

Mater Dei of Santa Ana earned CIF, state and national championships in football; won CIF, SoCal Regional and state titles in girls’ volleyball; and tied for first in boys’ golf. The Monarchs also finished second in boys’ tennis and track, third in girls’ swimming, and were runners-up in the SoCal Regional boys’ basketball tournament.

J.Serra of San Juan Capistrano won CIF and SoCal Regional titles in girls’ soccer, and was second in boys’ cross country. And Servite of Anaheim won championships in boys’ water polo and wrestling.

Collectively, local Catholic schools captured 11 team championships in boys’ sports, and nine titles in girls’ sports. Numerous Catholic school athletes also won individual CIF and state titles, or were runners-up, in tennis, track and swimming events.

Following is a rundown of local Catholic school CIF-SS team championships won and runner-up finishes in 2018-19, listed by sport and division:

Boys’ sports

Baseball: Santa Margarita, D-2 title.

Basketball: Santa Margarita, D-1 title; Santa Clara, D-5AA title; Providence of Burbank, D-4A runner-up. (Mater Dei was SoCal Regional Open Division runner-up.)

Cross country: J.Serra, D-4 runner-up.

Football (11-Man): Mater Dei, D-1 title; St. John Bosco, D-1 runner-up.

Golf: Mater Dei, tied for CIF/SCGA Team Championship.

Soccer: Cathedral, D-1 runner-up.

Swimming & diving: Loyola, D-1 title, Santa Margarita, D-1 runner-up; Damien, D-2 runner-up.

Tennis: Mater Dei, D-3 runner-up.

Track & field: Mater Dei, D-2 runner-up; Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks, D-3 runner-up; Crespi, D-4 runner-up.

Water polo: Servite, D-3 title; Cathedral, D-7 title.

Wrestling: Servite, D-1 title; St. John Bosco, D-1 runner-up; Bishop Amat, D-3 title.

Girls’ Sports

Basketball: Chaminade, D-1 title; Bishop Conaty-Loreto, D-5A runner-up. (Rosary also won the Division 1 State title.)

Soccer: J.Serra, D-1 title; Flintridge Sacred Heart, D-3 runner-up; La Salle, D-4 title. (J.Serra also won the SoCal Regional title.)

Softball: Louisville, D-5 title.

Swimming & diving: Santa Margarita, D-1 title. (Santa Margarita also won the state D-1 title.)

Tennis: Bishop Montgomery, D-4 title.

Track & field: Santa Margarita, D-3 title; Serra, D-4 runner-up.

Volleyball: Mater Dei, D-1 title; Marymount, D-1 runner-up. (Mater Dei also won the SoCal Regional title over Marymount, and the State Open Division title.)

Water polo: Santa Margarita, D-2 title.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News). 

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