Glued to it were articles, each laminated, each reminding Sumner of the prolific teams of the past.
Sumner is going to have to make room on the board for another story, another dynamic team.
The Sea Kings claimed the CIF Southern Section Division III championship for the fifth straight season, as they beat Orange Lutheran, 62-71, at Mt. San Antonio College Saturday.
“Five in a row, that’s nuts,” Sumner said. “This is one of the biggest [wins in my career].”
Sumner has been around CdM for 26 years. This is the program’s 10th girls’ section crown.
As for what compares to Saturday’s feat, Sumner brought up guiding the boys’ team to the CIF State championship in 1996, when CdM edged out Granada of Livermore by one point.
The boys weren’t supposed to win that year.
Sumner said before the season no one in the section picked the girls to win the final this year.
If you asked him back in September, Sumner wouldn’t have either.
“You always wonder,” he said.
He no longer doubts what the Sea Kings are capable after Melanie Powers finished in fourth place in 18 minutes, followed by Laura Bilder in ninth in 18:32, Kim Condino in 13th in 18:45, Marisa Cummings in 21st in 19:13 and Kristen Rivera in 26th in 19:22.
One race remains and it might go down as Sumner’s most memorable. Sumner has one question for the Sea Kings.
“Do we have anything left for next week?” he asked.
“We always got another good race in us,” Bilder answered.
The Sea Kings are heading to the CIF State Division III finals Saturday at Fresno’s Woodward Park, where they expect another showdown with Orange Lutheran, the defending state champion.
Newport Harbor and Sage Hill School travel to Fresno as well after qualifying out of their respective divisions.
