Cif

Sage Hill School senior Erin Hong shot a career-best one-over-par 73 on Monday to advance from the Northern Regional at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard. She will compete in the CIF individual finals on Monday. Newport Harbor senior Charlotte Skjonsby shot 11-over 85 Monday at the Southern Regional at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach. She missed advancing by two strokes.

Fifty years ago this week, the Costa Mesa High School baseball team participated in the school's first CIF playoff game. The school opened for classes in the fall of 1958. The 1960-61 school year was the first for varsity sports on campus. The Mustang baseball squad entered the CIF playoffs for the first time in the spring of '61. Comprised solely of sophomores and juniors, the team finished second in the CIF's A division. The following season, in 1962, the senior-laden Mustang squad became the first Newport-Mesa team ever to win a varsity CIF title.

Corona del Mar High senior quarterback Brent Lawson earned the All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division Offensive Player of the Year award and CdM senior outside linebacker Aaron White was the Defensive Player of the Year, highlighting 13 Newport-Mesa football players earning All-CIF honors. Lawson and White helped lead the Sea Kings to a CIF Southern Section Southern Division title in December. The Sea Kings saw their coach, Scott Meyer, receive the All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division Coach of the Year award.

Costa Mesa High junior James Lewis and sophomore Kellie Thorsness each won individual titles at the Orange Coast League swimming championships May 5. Their next challenge is to do well at Thursday morning's CIF Southern Section Division III preliminaries, at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. Lewis won the 500-yard freestyle in 5 minutes, 2.34 seconds at the league finals, and he was second in the 200 free in 1:52.69. Thorsness won the 50 free in 25.97 seconds, out-touching Yoshi Andersen of Laguna Beach (25.97)

For the full story and more photos, see Page A7. COSTA MESA -- Newport Harbor High School won the CIF Southern Section Division VI football championship Saturday, holding off Valencia High School of Placentia, 28-21, in front of a near-capacity crowd at Orange Coast College. It was the fourth CIF football title in the Sailors' history, and the team's first since the 1999 season. The Tars lost in the championship game in 2004 and 2000. The Sailors (11-3), who shared the Sea View League title with Aliso Niguel and Laguna Hills high schools, scored 21 consecutive points in the second half to secure the victory.

Joseph Boo COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High's softball team could just smell the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs, and it was very similar to apples. After Mesa wrapped up a 3-0 Pacific Coast League victory over Corona del Mar at TeWinkle Park Wednesday, the five senior Mustangs in uniform broke out the bubbly, in this case sparkling apple cider, to celebrate their first trip to CIF in their varsity career. Pairings will be announced Monday.

In the words of Coach Jeff Andrews, Sage Hill School boys water polo players are extremely driven entering this season, in both mind and body. Andrews said Lightning players are hungry to improve upon last season's CIF Southern Section Division VI playoff berth, the first in the program's five-year history and advance past the first round. They boast the speed to increase their chances of reaching and moving through the postseason. "We're basically the same team we were last year, but this year's team is a lot faster," said Andrews, who played at UC Irvine and enters his third season at the helm.

Bryce Alderton Corona del Mar High boys volleyball coach Steve Conti called this year's team his deepest in 10 years at the helm. And on Saturday the Sea Kings proved their coach right in more ways than one. A determined CdM team that included 10 seniors went the furthest it could in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs, which culminated with a 25-23, 25-18, 26-24 victory against Valencia of Valencia,...

Five wrestlers from Estancia High and one from Costa Mesa qualified for the CIF Southern Section Individual divisionals following the Golden West League finals at Santa Ana High Thursday. Estancia's Gabriel Thaler finished second at 140 pounds while Anthony Herman took second at 160. Other Eagles to qualify for CIF include Alex Sotomoyer (third at 171), Juni Panduro (third at 130) and Martin Diaz (third at 125). Costa Mesa's Joe Amburgey (189) placed third.

Rick Devereux Zach Chandy took home two silver medals for Sage Hill School Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division IV championships after coming in second place in the 200-meter (21.90) and 400-meter (49.36) runs. "My times were close to my PR [personal records]," Chandy said. "I was very nervous before the meet." Lightning teammate Laura Gordon took third in the division with a triple jump of 36 feet, 6 inches, a personal best. "I wanted to get 35 feet," Gordon said.

SOUTH EL MONTE - Alex Manolakas and Eric Magliarditi had rallied before in the boys' tennis CIF Southern Section Individuals, and they did it again Thursday afternoon. The Sage Hill School doubles duo overcame big deficits in both sets against Erik Martinez and Lyle Regalado of Ayala. But momentum swung quickly in the round of 32 match at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center. It swung against the Lightning at the wrong time. Martinez and Regalado held on for a 7-5, 6-4 victory, leaving Manolakas and Magliarditi a match short of advancing to Seal Beach on Friday for the round of 16. The slow start didn't help as the Ayala duo, the Sierra League doubles champions, won the first five games of the match.

VALLEY GLEN - The night before the biggest match of his high school career, Corona del Mar High senior tennis player Zach Williams couldn't sleep. It wasn't because he was nervous. It was because had a very raspy throat and felt nauseous. Players on CdM sometimes call Williams "Sausage" because of his tall, thin frame. For breakfast on Tuesday, Williams did not eat sausage. Instead, he said he swallowed eight Advil. "Probably not good for me, but I toughed it out," Williams said.

CERRITOS - Playing with a very sore left shoulder, Sage Hill School senior Robbe Simon kept battling. The lefty said he felt pain, particularly when serving. But there was no way Simon was going to take a seat in Monday's CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinal boys' tennis match at Cerritos Regional Park. Simon swept a difficult Whitney singles lineup, somehow getting through three tough sets against Vignesh Sadras, Ruthwick Pathireddy and Sathwick Pathireddy. Simon, who Coach A.G. Longoria has called the best player in program history, stayed undefeated in the playoffs.

Winning a CIF Southern Section title is tough enough. Repeating is that much harder. Coach Steve Conti found out again how hard it is on Saturday, when his Corona del Mar High boys' volleyball team failed to defend its Division 2 crown. His Sea Kings took the opening set and all they needed to become the first CdM boys' volleyball team to claim two straight section titles was win two more sets. They never won another set as top-seeded Oak Park went on to take the next three sets to beat second-seeded CdM. Conti came up short of leading the Sea Kings to back-to-back section title wins once again.

RIVERSIDE - The heat never subsided at the Victoria Country Club in Riverside on Monday. It was difficult for Jake Knapp to also shake away the pain in his right shoulder. The nagging ache challenged the Estancia High senior. He responded with some great shots but couldn't get several putts to drop. He didn't do enough to finish among the top 28 at the CIF Southern Section individual final. Knapp's high school season surprisingly ended after he was eliminated among an 11-man playoff on the first playoff hole.

CYPRESS - Coach Steve Conti has built three dynasties in three decades with the Corona del Mar High boys' volleyball program. Each of them made runs to CIF Southern Section title matches in consecutive years, from five straight appearances, to three in a row, to two. The latest group tried to make history Saturday, at the same venue where CdM won the Division 2 title last season. Leading up to the final, Conti said he kept hearing how hungry his team's opponent looked.

WALNUT - Don't get Ethan Cochran wrong. He was happy to win his second straight CIF Southern Section Division 2 title in the discus Saturday. Excited? That's a different story. The Newport Harbor High senior wants more. He'll be excited for a second straight state championship. For now, he's OK with a Division 2 first-place medal. "It's not the most exciting thing because I won it last year," said Cochran, who is bound for Cal. "The more exciting thing is winning state.

ANAHEIM - Compared to the beginning of last season's CIF Southern Section Division 4 baseball playoffs, Estancia High made a nice improvement, playing in the first round this season as opposed to the wild-card round. But unlike last season's team, which won, 5-3, at Anaheim High, the Eagles ran into a buzzsaw known as Savanna left-handed senior starting pitcher Ryan Hartman, in a 7-0 loss Thursday at Savanna. Hartman (10-2) used his high fastball and sharp, breaking curve on his way to allowing just two hits in six innings, striking out six, as the Rebels won their ninth straight game.

Earlier this week, before Parker Brown's jump serve, a couple of rowdy fans in the visiting bleachers yelled at the most fit player on the court. "No. 1 is on steroids!" the fans said together. There was a time last year when Brown said he was on drugs all the time. Without needing to leave his own two feet to smash a shot, the outside hitter was high on the volleyball court. Before matches, Brown said he smoked marijuana. After matches, he said he smoked out again.

CORONA DEL MAR - Everyone else had gone home, but Alex Manolakas and Eric Magliarditi were still on the court at Corona del Mar High. As 4 p.m. neared, the Sage Hill School doubles team was entering the seventh hour of its workday at the CIF Southern Section Individuals regionals. Manolakas and Magliarditi were locked in an intense match with Ricky Kurtz and Max Boice of Santa Margarita. Manolakas and Magliarditi survived, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). In doing so, they made history. Their third win of the day made them the first player or doubles team in Lightning boys' tennis history to advance out of the CIF Individuals regionals.