Corona Del

Just five days after the season ended for his Corona del Mar High boys' water polo team, senior Reid Chase was on a plane for Singapore. Chase headed overseas for training, prior to the inaugural FINA Youth World Championships in Perth, Australia. When he arrived down under, he discovered that he would be trying something new at the tournament for Team USA, coached by former Newport Harbor head man Jason Lynch. Lynch had Chase guarding at two meters, something he rarely did in high school.

Kelsey Humphreys just got back from a special trip in Louisville, Ky. One day she watched the women's volleyball Final Four inside the KFC Yum! Center. The next day she competed in the same arena, on the same court. As one of 24 senior girls, Humphreys played in the Under Armour High School All-America Volleyball Match on Dec. 14. Talk about an experience for the Corona del Mar High setter. "It was a real cool atmosphere," Humphreys said. "[Fans] didn't fill the arena as much as they did for the NCAA semifinal matches [between Oregon and Penn State, and Texas and Michigan]

A 38-year-old Newport Beach lifeguard died over the weekend after falling from his bicycle, authorities said Monday. Brian Gray, a 21-year veteran, fell from his bicycle at about 2 a.m. Saturday in a city parking lot at 26th Street, according to Newport Beach police Sgt. Eric Peterson. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. Gray, who served as a senior seasonal guard, was remembered as a mentor to younger lifeguards and an experienced waterman whose time in the water dated back to playing water polo for Corona del Mar High School, according to Assistant Chief Lifeguard Rob Williams.

CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor's girls' basketball teams came into Friday night's Battle of the Bay rivalry game with a key similarity. Both squads are relying heavily on a pair of freshmen this year, but the Sea Kings separated themselves from the Sailors with their length and height advantage. Corona del Mar's freshmen center and power forward duo - each standing over six-feet - of Krista Anderson and Natalie Bruening presented the mismatch and exploited it en route to a 30-point, 44-14, Sea Kings win over its rival at home.

CORONA DEL MAR - Two little girls emerged from the Corona del Mar High crowd with a huge cardboard cutout of Coach Ryan Schachter's head. When they greeted Schachter near the scorer's table before halftime, his facial expression didn't resemble the smile on the cutout. Schachter wasn't too happy with how his Sea Kings played the first half of the Battle of the Bay against Newport Harbor. They trailed by as many as 13 points, before going into the break down eight. "We didn't look good," he said of his Sea Kings, who usually do look good under Schachter whenever they play the Sailors.

Newport Harbor High School administrators tried to quash rumors about threatened violence on campus Friday with a message sent out to parents saying they had uncovered no current danger. "Several students have expressed concern about coming to school tomorrow, as have some parents," Assistant Principal Jack Cusick said in an email to parents Thursday. "I can assure you that my office has looked into these rumors, and no credible threats exist at this time" The email did not include what the rumors entailed, but Cusick said students may be worried because of recent events like the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and the shooting scare at Fashion Island on Saturday in which one man was arrested without injuring anyone.

BOY' BASKETBALL Lynwood 60, Newport Harbor 55 MONTEBELLO - Junior guard Nic Sargeant finished with 17 points, leading the Sailors to a fourth-place finish in the Cantwell-Sacred Heart tournament on Saturday. Robbie Rettig had 12 points for Newport Harbor (6-3), ranked No. 11 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2-A poll. Zach Wade dished out six assists. The Sailors play at Irvine in the Sunset League-Pacific Coast League Challenge on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. * GIRLS' BASKETBALL Tesoro 49, Newport Harbor 32 HUNTINGTON BEACH - Junior guard Jen Lopez produced 11 points and nine rebounds as the Sailors placed sixth in the Ocean View tournament on Saturday.

When Allen Hardison sifted through letters from NCAA Division I universities for soccer five years ago he never thought his life would end up where it is now. He never dreamed he would playing in a college football bowl game in New Mexico on Saturday. But that's where his life is now, as a kicker for the University of Nevada. His dreams have changed from the ones he had while playing soccer at Corona del Mar High, from which he graduated in 2007. "To say that I had a dream of playing in the NFL when I was growing up, I would be lying," Hardison said in a telephone interview from New Mexico, where the Wolf Pack (7-5)

Corona del Mar High twin seniors Stephania and Ioanna Haralabidis hope to help the Sea Kings win the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls' water polo title in February. But over the weekend, the transfers from Greece earned another big title - and a gold medal. The Haralabidis sisters helped Greece's youth national team win the inaugural FINA Youth World Championships in Perth, Australia. Greece beat the United States, 8-3, in the semifinals before topping Hungary, 9-5, in the championship match on Sunday.

SANTA BARBARA - Want a sure-fire way to boost the confidence of a high school girls' water polo team? Send them on the road, way north on Highway 101, to begin the season. Take away three of their starters for the weekend, girls regarded as some of the best prep players in the nation. Oh, subtract another starter for a game, too. Then have that team beat one of the top teams in CIF Southern Section Division 1. It happened Saturday, and Corona del Mar was that team coming back down Highway 101 with so much confidence.