Fairmont

Barry Faulkner Hoping to regain some forward momentum after two straight losses evened his team's record to 2-2, Sage Hill High football coach Tom Monarch forced his players to take a step backward in practices this week. "We went back to the fundamentals," Monarch said of the preparation for tonight's 7 o'clock nonleague contest against Fairmont Prep at Valley Chrisitian High. "I think we had lost some concentration on some basics, like solid tackling and firing out on the line.

SCORE BY QUARTERS Sage Hill 0 0 7 13 - 20 Fairmont Prep 14 7 6 0 - 27 FIRST QUARTER FP -- Johnson 32 pass from Meknat (Malik kick), 5:14. FP -- Williams 7 run (Malik kick), 0:37. SECOND QUARTER FP -- Williams 1 run (Malik kick), 0:01. THIRD QUARTER SH -- Ayres 41 run (Edelstein kick), 8:51. FP -- Sudoko 58 pass from Meknat (kick missed)

GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL Sage Hill def. Fairmont Prep NEWPORT COAST - Sophomore outside hitter Halland McKenna had nine kills, nine digs and two aces to help lead the Lightning to a 25-14, 25-14, 25-15 nonleague win Wednesday night. Senior outside hitter Maggie Danner had six kills and seven digs, while senior middle blocker Brenna Van Hoogenstyn had three kills, three aces and three digs for Sage Hill (2-0), ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division 3A. The Lightning play at Irvine Friday at 5 p.m. * Estancia def. Segerstrom COSTA MESA - Junior Abby Griffith had nine kills to help lead the Eagles to a 25-8, 25-11, 25-15 nonleague win Wednesday.

NEWPORT BEACH — Don't be surprised to hear some funky dance tunes coming from the third floor around 8 a.m. on any given day at the Fairmont Newport Beach hotel. No, it's not a party-animal guest. It's the morning meeting of the Fairmont's jovial housekeeping squad. In August, the housekeeping staff began a morning regimen of stretching so their muscles would be ready to work safely while cleaning rooms. But in October, rooms director Jerry Mong decided to ramp up the morning stretching routine with some dance moves and catchy tunes.

YORBA LINDA - A miraculous final play nearly saved the Sage Hill School football team Saturday night against Fairmont Prep. But, for the Lightning, a slow start again proved too much to overcome. Sage Hill lost the nonleague game, 32-27, at Yorba Linda High. It was another frustrating result for the Lightning, who are now 0-2 for just the second time in program history. The Lightning lost more than the game. Sophomore quarterback CJ McCord injured his right arm in the second quarter and was taken to the hospital.

CERRITOS — Lightning can strike quickly out of the Wildcat formation. Sage Hill School senior Taylor Ross proved it at Valley Christian High on Friday night. Ross, normally a running back, had fun lining up in the quarterback position in the second half. Fairmont Prep had less fun trying to stop him. Ross rushed for 250 yards and scored all three touchdowns to help lead the Lightning to a 20-13 nonleague victory in the season opener for both schools. Coach J.R. Tolver said before the season a primary goal was to get Ross the ball.

NEWPORT COAST - Just before halftime, there was a contest for who could come up with the best nickname for Sage Hill School's offense during its season opener Friday night. The second-place nickname: Cheng Reaction, a play on the last name of senior Eric Cheng. He wasn't the entire offense, but after watching him against Fairmont Prep, you would understand the clever moniker. Cheng ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries to help the Lightning score a 48-6 win at Sage Hill's Ramer Field.

Lavish hotel rooms, a new entryway and a grandiose poolside deck welcomed local dignitaries, business leaders and philanthropists Thursday for the grand opening of the Fairmont Newport Beach. After eight months, the $32-million renovation is mostly complete. Only one part's missing: Construction on a new 6,000-square-foot spa will likely begin in the next month and should be finished before the end of the year. The remodeled entrance leads hotel guests into Fairmont's upgraded look.

CERRITOS — A new football coach. Same opponent. But a different result this time for Sage Hill School. The Lightning faced the same opponent it opened last season with and they couldn’t give their newbie coach the same outcome as last year’s first-year coach. Sage Hill came to Fairmont Prep’s turf ready for its ultimate weapon Saturday night. Coach Derek McIntyre read all about Richard Johnson. He just didn’t figure Johnson would excel at everything.