Expectations are high at St. Anthony, where Ray Bennett’s Saints have been moved to the CIF-SS Division 2AA level. The Saints have arguably the best player in the city and a talented young group as well, with a legitimate chance to win a league championship.

There were plenty of questions about how St. Anthony’s boys’ basketball team would continue to compete after the departure of head coach Allen Caveness prior to last season. Caveness, who is now an assistant coach at Long Beach State, built the Saints into an Open Division squad that was the best in the city.

The St. Anthony boys’ soccer team will be road warriors again this season. With Clark Field still under construction, the Saints will play all of their games on the road.

After a difficult season that saw the St. Anthony girls’ soccer team finish 4-11 overall and winless in the Camino Real League, the Saints administration knew they needed a change of pace for their program. Players had quit or burned out, and the team needed an injection of youth and energy–and that’s exactly what they got when they hired Rina Perez.

ones, a Long Beach native, was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year last season after finishing the conference season in the Top 5 in both steals and blocks. The sophomore was tied for second on the team while making 66 3-pointers on 37.1 percent shooting.

St. Anthony (13-12) made the postseason in year one under head coach Keli Pula. The Saints are the No. 4 seed from the Del Rey League and will travel out past Corona to play at Roosevelt (25-5) in round one. The Mustangs are the No. 3 seed in the D4 bracket and will be a tough out for a young Saints team. If St. Anthony can pull off the upset, they’re guaranteed to host in round two.