STATE GLORY—The Westlake boys’ cross country team is all smiles after winning a CIF state championship in Fresno last month. Courtesy of Dan Peterson

With 2012 coming to a close, it’s time to look back on a great year of sports in the Conejo Valley.

The Thousand Oaks High boys’ and girls’ basketball teams enjoyed fine seasons on the hardwood; the Westlake boys’ cross country team won a state championship; and Newbury Park got to celebrate a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship at Dodger Stadium. Those are just a few of the memorable moments.

Here are the top 10 sports stories of 2012:

10. Swimming title

Westlake swimmer Hunter Cobleigh won the boys’ 100-yard breaststroke at the CIF-SS Division 1 finals.

A junior varsity swimmer the previous spring, Cobleigh came out of nowhere to capture a section title while touching the wall in a school-record 56.39 seconds at Riverside in May.

Cobleigh helped the Warriors take eighth place among Division 1 teams at the meet.

9. Panthers bounce back

Newbury Park football enjoyed a renaissance on the gridiron in 2012.

After struggling in recent years, the Panthers finished 6-4, capping a comeback season with a 23-20 overtime win at rival Thousand Oaks.

The Panthers were two overtime losses (20-17 to Thousand Oaks and 28-27 at Moorpark) away from starting 6-0 this fall.

Marmonte League MVP Ben Okun led the Panthers on and off the field. The perfect captain for this team, Okun starred at quarterback and cornerback. The senior developed into a leader in the mold of Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.

Newbury Park played well in the trenches. With Okun and running backs Austin de Maille and Matthew Matlock, the Panthers weren’t afraid to run the ball on anyone. They were even more dynamic on defense, pitching two shutouts and flying to the ball like a bunch of crazed dogs, to paraphrase Lawrence Taylor.

The Newbury Park Panthers weren’t the best team in the Conejo Valley, but their grit, toughness and character made them the year’s most memorable football team of 2012.

8. Gridiron madness

Oaks Christian captured the first Marmonte League West title under the guidance of first-year head coach Jeff Woodruff.

Woodruff replaced Bill Redell, who started the Oaks Christian football program from scratch.

From 2000 to 2011, Redell’s Oaks Christian teams won seven section crowns, reached nine section championship games and won 48 straight games at one point. Redell resigned from OCHS in March before accepting the Occidental head coaching gig in May.

Oaks Christian finished 8-3 this season. The Lions can take some solace in beating Granite Bay 48-13 on Sept. 1: Granite Bay ended up winning a Division I state bowl game against Long Beach Poly earlier this month.

7. A soccer powerhouse

The Westlake girls’ soccer team won its fourth straight Marmonte League championship in the winter.

The Warriors have been so dominant for so long that head coach Frank Marino temporarily forgot how many league titles Westlake had won in a row for a story published in November.

Westlake’s Arielle Ship, in the midst of her senior season, missed most of 2011-12 trying out for Team USA’s U-17 Olympic Development squad. Ship scored two goals in a second-round playoff game against Redondo Union.

Amanda Apelian, Nicole Molen, Julia Ozella and Bianca Riazi, among multiple Warriors, enjoyed fine seasons on the pitch.

6. Lancers pave way on hardcourt

The Thousand Oaks girls’ basketball team won its first Marmonte League title since 1998.

Gary Walin—the TOHS softball head coach—took over the Lancers’ head coaching gig before the season.

Walin transitioned smoothly from the dugout to the sideline. Thousand Oaks was by far the toughest, scrappiest defensive team in the league. That relentless tenacity propelled the Lancers to the CIF-SS Division 2AA quarterfinals.

What made the Lancers’ season even more impressive? There were no seniors on the roster.

Captains Kendall Frisoli and Lindsay Neuner set the tone. Sydney Perry was a valuable scoring option along the wing and driving into the paint. Katherine Reaves was an all-around strong post player.

5. Olympic moment

Oaks Christian’s Danni Alakija, all of 16 years old, represented Fiji in this summer’s London Olympics.

Alakija ran in a preliminary heat of the women’s 400-meter run in London, crossing the finish line in 56.77 seconds.

During the spring high school track and field season, Alakija became the first Lion in Oaks Christian history to qualify in three events (400, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay) at the CIF State Track and Field Championships

Alakija is a citizen of three countries—England, Nigeria and Fiji. Born in London, Alakija said in May that competing in the Olympics would be amazing.

Alakija moved to Fiji when she was six months old and spent most of her life in the island nation.

4. T.O. hoops heroes

Richard Endres gets the most out of his student-athletes.

The 2011-12 season may have been Endres’ finest hour.

Endres, head coach of the Thousand Oaks boys’ basketball team, led the plucky Lancers to the CIF-SS Division 2AA semifinals.

The Lancers didn’t win a section crown, but they upset No. 1 seed Ocean View (featuring 7-foot center Conor Clifford) in the second round of the playoffs. Thousand Oaks was one win away from facing Royal in an all- Marmonte League section final.

For most of the season, Thousand Oaks wasn’t considered the best team in its own league.

Calabasas and Royal got most of the attention. Westlake had flashier players. Thousand Oaks’ best player, Derrick “Deejay” Brown, was ruled ineligible. The Lancers were, for the most part, an afterthought.

Thousand Oaks displayed resiliency, and Lancers Tanner Fanjoy, Dakota Pierce, Jacob Lachina, Austin Celeya and Eric Greene played with moxie to keep the Lancers playing into the state playoffs.

3. Lions’ victory march

The Oaks Christian girls’ soccer team sealed a second straight CIF-SS Division 4 title with a 2-1 win against Marymount in March.

The Lions didn’t lose another match after La Reina dropped Oaks Christian 3-2 on Jan. 20. Oaks Christian ended the season with 14 consecutive wins. Oaks Christian later avenged the loss to the Regents by defeating La Reina 8-0 on Feb. 6.

That’s a sign of a champion with a tremendous will to win.

Oaks Christian followed up the win against Marymount by defeating the same Sailors’ squad 2-0 in the CIF So Cal Regional Division 3 championship.

Kaycee Buckley, Bianca Deardorff, Katianna Tron, Kelsey Blosser, Rachel Conners, Mandi Duncan, Nicole Kawamoto, Lauren Tracy and Jessica Burns aided the Lions.

Oaks Christian has won seven section titles in school history with back-to-back regional crowns.

2. Warriors run to state glory

The Westlake boys’ cross country team secured its first state championship in school history.

The Warriors captured the CIF State Cross Country Championships Division 2 title on a magical November day at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Westlake also added Marmonte League and section crowns to its impressive haul.

Senior Rocky Peterson overcame health issues to lead the Warriors in Fresno.

Peterson surged across the finish line in 15 minutes, 47 seconds for 17th place overall. Peterson was the first Warrior to finish the race, followed closely by Mikey Giguere (15:48), Sean O’Bryan (15:58), Chris Costa ( 16: 01) and Graham Rigby (16:16).

A state title was a little bit surprising. The Warriors finished third at the Ventura County Championships to champion Oak Park and Simi Valley. Westlake, however, found that next gear to surge in a remarkable postseason, starting at the Nov. 1 league finals.

The Warriors had close calls in the past. They finished fifth and sixth, respectively at the 2004 and 2008 state finals.

This victory was certainly sweet for head coach Joe Snyder, who has guided Westlake since 1996.

1. Black Cat Attack takes over Hollywood

The Newbury Park baseball team takes the proverbial cake for best sports story of 2012.

The Panthers didn’t even win a Marmonte League title, but behind the arm of pitcher Luke Eubank and a veteran lineup of clutch hitters, Newbury Park won five straight playoff games to capture the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship.

In succession, the Panthers zipped through the playoffs by beating Long Beach Wilson, El Toro, Saugus, Mater Dei and finally Corona 2-1 in the championship at Dodger Stadium.

Newbury Park won its only other baseball championship in 1968—a year after the school opened its doors.

Eubank was brilliant in every way. The ace went 11-0, hurled three no-hitters and sported an ERA hovering around 1.00. In the postseason, he won three games and saved the other two.

Taylor Zander, Ricky Davis, Joe Christian, Daniel Barnett, Matt Haskins, Chris Murphree, Nick Lovullo and Colton Waltner made huge plays all season.

Panthers Myles Harvey, Scotty Caligiuri, Trevor Lecka, Joey Kinberg, Jake Larson, Austin Mason, David Wise, Mikey Ross, Colyn Rondeau, Blake Rocheleau, Connor Kinsner, Thomas Ponticelli, Eric Jordan, David Hughes, Zack Brower, Kenny Valentine, Zander Clarke, Anthony Shirtz, Kyle Coolidge and Taylor Dollar are champions, forever.

Head coach Matt Goldfield called the Panthers’ postseason run “a true Cinderella story.”

Cinderella’s got a championship plaque.