Beckman

When/where: Tonight, 7 at Tustin High Key Sea Kings: Sr. RB-WR Clay Reinhardt; Sr. QB Mitch Gardner; Sr. ILB David Detrick; Sr. CB Austin Jones; Sr. ILB Preston Risser. Breakdown: CdM (7-1-1, 3-0-1 in league) has clinched at least a share of its first league championship since 1999. A victory over Beckman (5-4, 2-2) would give the Sea Kings the program's first outright crown since 1988. A CdM loss, combined with a Northwood win over Uni on Friday, would create a co-championship.

BOYS' SOCCER Costa Mesa 3, Beckman 1 IRVINE — Jesus Delgado, Jesus Estrada and Oscar Dorantes scored a goal each for the Mustangs in the nonleague game at Harvard Park Wednesday. Dong-gi Shin had one assist for Costa Mesa (4-3), which led, 1-0, at halftime. The Mustangs play in another nonleague game at Los Amigos Friday at 3:15 p.m. Corona del Mar 1, Mater Dei 1 SANTA ANA — Mason Case scored for the Sea Kings in the nonleague match Wednesday.

IRVINE — A fire truck pulled up to a gated community right next to the baseball field where Corona del Mar High was playing. The Sea Kings sure needed help to stay alive in their final at-bat at Beckman Friday. The starting pitcher was still throwing heat in the seventh inning. James Kaprielian put out the Sea Kings' hopes with his right arm. The major-league prospect struck out the three batters he faced swinging to complete what he started. With the junior on the mound, the Patriots cannot lose, and they showed why in an 8-1 Pacific Coast League victory.

Late in the third game of a big-time girls’ volleyball match, it seemed as if the 2008 season for Corona del Mar High could be seen in Sydney Brombal. The Sea Kings’ junior outside hitter committed two errors that gave Beckman the game and a 2-1 lead. But it was how Brombal responded that typified CdM. She was instrumental in providing the Sea Kings with energy and key plays that helped them rally for the five-game win in a semifinal match of the CIF Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs Tuesday night in the Patriots’ gym. In the fifth game, she served for six straight points, including a pair of aces, giving CdM control of the match with a 6-1 lead.

NEWPORT BEACH — This Corona del Mar High football team has scored the most regular-season points of any in the program’s 47-year varsity history. And, with Friday’s 20-10 Pacific Coast League triumph over Beckman at Newport Harbor High, the Sea Kings’ eight wins are the most in a regular season since the 1988 CdM squad went on to finish 12-0-2 and claim a CIF Southern Section Division IV championship. Now, as they enter the CIF Southern Division playoffs, potentially as a top-four seed, the CdM players and coaches hope all that amounts to more than footnotes and banquet chatter.

COSTA MESA — Gabe Sanchez wasn't trying to hit a home run. Leading off the bottom of the first inning for the Costa Mesa High baseball team, the junior right-fielder was just trying to get on base. Instead, Sanchez touched them all, depositing a fastball over the right-field fence. "I thought I had popped out," Sanchez said. "It was an inside pitch, and I'm not really an inside-pitch hitter." Batting trends didn't matter at the Beach Pit Classic on Tuesday for the Mustangs.

IRVINE — Corona del Mar High boys’ soccer coach George Larsen was ready for a win Wednesday, but he wasn’t expecting a share of the Pacific Coast League championship. However, he said he’ll take it. The Sea Kings (19-1-1, 8-1-1 in league) were excited after their 8-0 win against Beckman that led to share of the league title because University (8-1-1 in league) tied with Irvine, 1-1. Senior Reed Williams finished the regular season with 27 goals, as he scored a hat trick against the Patriots.

CORONA DEL MAR — Two balloons, a No. 1 and No. 8, flew next to each other in the Corona del Mar High gym. The numbers together represented the age one of the players in the girls’ volleyball match turned on Thursday. The home fans wished Madie Smith “Happy Birthday” at the right time. They sang the song loudly as the senior closed out the Sea Kings’ perfect Pacific Coast League season with three straight serves. The best gift of the night for Smith was seeing CdM celebrate the outright league championship at home.

CORONA DEL MAR — Senior guard Kirk MacDonald hit a jumper for his first points of the season, then dived on the ground at mid-court for a steal. The ball was then worked around to junior guard Joey Jones, who buried a three-pointer. Not a typical sequence for the Corona del Mar High boys’ basketball team, but it was one that produced smiles on the Sea Kings’ bench Wednesday night. The fact that everyone on the team got to play meant CdM was on its way to a comfortable victory over Beckman, 65-40, to open Pacific Coast League play.

ALISO VIEJO - Gabby Smith, a four-year varsity player in the Corona del Mar High girls' lacrosse program, celebrated her 18th birthday on Saturday. It happened to coincide with a huge game, the semifinals of the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division tournament against league rival Beckman. Smith now can vote. The senior certainly gave her No. 7-seeded team a vote of confidence following a historic 13-8 victory over the No. 3-seeded Patriots at Aliso Niguel High. "Best birthday present ever," Smith said after CdM earned its second straight upset, earning a spot in the Orange County title match against top-seeded Los Alamitos at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Dana Hills.

CORONA DEL MAR - Hunter Molnar said the Corona del Mar High boys' lacrosse team hasn't turned in a perfect game in the regular season. Yet, the Sea Kings' record this regular season has been flawless. Perfect is how they finished the regular season at home on Wednesday. The Sea Kings routed Beckman, 16-2, to cap the program's first undefeated regular season. That is 19 games played without losing or tying a game. Ten of those in Pacific Coast League play. The Sea Kings added to their already historic day. They collected their fifth straight undefeated league title.

NEWPORT BEACH - Blake Pender has pitched well all season for the Newport Harbor High baseball team. On Tuesday, the sophomore earned his first victory of the season. Pender threw the team's first complete-game shutout of the season, lifting the host Sailors to a 3-0 victory against Chino Hills in a pool-play game of the Beach Pit Classic. Chino Hills, Newport Harbor and Northwood each finished 2-1 in pool play, but Chino Hills wound up winning the pool because it allowed fewer runs.

CORONA DEL MAR - In the same week, against the same team, the Corona del Mar High baseball put up the same number of zeros every inning. In all, 14 zeros. As the Sea Kings met near left field, trying to figure out how they failed to score in two big Pacific Coast League games against Beckman, the opposing coach looked over on Thursday. "If you were here watching these two games, you might not believe me, but that's a good baseball team over there," Coach Kevin Lavalle said after his Patriots shut out host CdM, 8-0. "I feel bad for them and I feel bad for [CdM Coach]

CORONA DEL MAR - As the carnage mounted Tuesday in his team's first-place Pacific Coast League baseball showdown with host Beckman High, Corona del Mar Coach John Emme had plenty of time to think what he could possibly say to his team afterward. So, after the Sea Kings bumbled through a 17-0 bludgeoning at the hands of the Patriots that included as many CdM errors as hits (five), 12 walks by CdM pitchers, seven unearned runs and the most lopsided loss in at least eight seasons and likely much longer, the 15th-year head man conjured his most palatable postgame message.

Presidential campaigns can be draining. The day of the big girls' lacrosse game was here, and Sarah Hostetler was not in the right state of mind. It was almost a year ago now, but the Corona del Mar High senior goalie still remembers April 27, 2011 pretty well. Earlier in the day, she had to give a speech in her quest to become the school's ASB president. Hostetler said she didn't feel like she would win the position after the candidates gave their speeches. She felt like it affected her play later in the day. The Sea Kings didn't win their Pacific Coast League showdown at Beckman, as the Patriots took a 20-9 decision that day on their way to yet another Pacific Coast League title.

CORONA DEL MAR — After throwing his first complete game of the season, Coach John Emme said Andrew McCormack went to throw out the trash. During his seven innings of work for Corona del Mar High on Friday, what McCormack threw off the mound was no junk. Masterful is the word Emme used to describe McCormack's performance. He needed to turn in a near-dominating effort. Beckman, the Pacific Coast League champion the past three baseball seasons, came to CdM to open league play.

The last time Beckman High's baseball team took the field, the game ended with a pile of bodies celebrating a CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship at Dodger Stadium. The Patriots open the new season on Thursday against Tesoro, but don't ask Beckman Coach Kevin Lavelle about "defending" the CIF crown. "We're trying to approach the year as though we don't have to defend anything," said Lavelle, whose Patriots beat Pacific Coast League rival Woodbridge, 4-1, to win CIF last June 2 at Dodger Stadium.

IRVINE - The road has been tough for the Corona del Mar High boys' basketball team this season. It got harder for the Sea Kings on Monday night. In a must-win situation to keep their Pacific Coast League title hopes alive, their leading scorer forgot his game shorts. The Sea Kings were caught with their shorts down at Beckman and it cost them any chance at defending their league crown. They tried to pull themselves together late, rallying, only to fall short away from home again.

COSTA MESA - Instead of the usual hand-slaps after the game, a few of the Corona del Mar High and Beckman girls' soccer players exchanged hugs after Tuesday night's Pacific Coast League match. They had good reason. Four CdM players - senior defenders Amanda Stephenson and Sydney Raguse and junior midfielders Annie Alvarado and Karsten Sigband - play club soccer for Breakaway. Patriots juniors Nikki Martino, Natalie Rockwell and Kori Decker also play for the club. Decker is the starting goalie for Beckman.