Foothill

SANTA ANA - After most games, Corona del Mar High girls' lacrosse coach Aly Vislocky hands out a game ball to her team's top player of the contest. But after Thursday's huge win, Vislocky gave the game ball to the entire team. It was fitting after the No. 7-seeded Sea Kings upset No. 2 Foothill, 11-6, in a quarterfinal of the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division playoffs. CdM (16-3) advances to Saturday's semifinals against Pacific Coast League rival and No. 3 Beckman Saturday at 3 p.m. at Aliso Niguel High.

Barry Faulkner Newport Harbor High boys basketball coach Larry Hirst used a baseball analogy to explain the three-game losing streak the Sailors took into Friday's Sea View League opener against visiting Foothill. So, it may have been fitting that Hirst credited his relief corps, as well as the play of Newport's only varsity baseball player, Andre Pinesett, for a thrilling 52-51 victory over the Knights that definitely found the Sailors' sweet spot.

Bryce Alderton For the Newport Harbor High girls water polo team, redemption is available in four days. Sea View League rivals Newport Harbor and Foothill will duel in a league showdown Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Tustin High. Foothill's 6-1 victory on Saturday in the finals of the Irvine Southern California Championships at Corona del Mar High was the Knights' third against Harbor this season. The Knights, 25-0 and the top team in CIF Southern Section Division I, handled the Sailors (20-4)

Patrick Laverty Sometimes a loss can mean much more than just a game in the standings. Just ask Cubs fans. Like Chicago, which had its ace on the mound and a three-run lead in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, Newport Harbor High's football team thought it had Sea View League favorite Foothill right where it wanted the Knights after Spencer Link returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown to...

Steve Virgen The top two girls water polo teams in CIF Southern Section Division I have plenty of similarities, but there is one trait that sets the teams apart. Newport Harbor High and Foothill enter the CIF Division I championship game tonight at 8:15 at Belmont Plaza with identical records (26-3) and the teams match up very well. But Foothill has an advantage, as the Knights are seeking their fifth straight CIF Division I title. "They are the four-time defending CIF champions," Newport Coach Bill Barnett said.

COSTA MESA - Expectations weren't that the Newport Harbor boys' basketball team was going to be playing one of the top teams in the CIF Southern Section after dropping both its pool-play games of the Estancia Coast Classic Tournament. While the Sailors were relegated to the tournament's silver division, they still found themselves squaring off with Foothill - the No. 9-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division I-AA which won both its pool-play games. It looked like Newport Harbor, which came into the game ranked No. 11 in Division II-A, was outmatched when it found itself down 16 at halftime.

The Newport Harbor High boys water polo team defeated Sea View League rival Foothill, 9-8, Friday to advance to today's semifinals of the Tru-West Memorial Cup invitational in San Jose. Senior Griffin Gentry scored three of the Sailors' six second-half goals and junior goalie Michael Robinson (six saves) stopped an outside shot on the Knights' final possession to preserve the win. Morgan Laidlaw's goal with 5:35 left in the game put the Sailors ahead for good.

Bryce Alderton Parents, coaches and friends stood five feet apart along the concrete next to the pool at Newport Harbor High holding out their arms for handshakes and hugs. The congratulatory folks made a walkway for the Newport Harbor High girls water polo players as they exited the pool following a game that pitted two successful programs and a contest fit for the championship. Newport (5-2) tied Foothill three times in the third quarter, but the Knights (7-0)

TUSTIN - They came back to the place where it all started, the crazy four straight wins that propelled the Corona del Mar High girls' soccer team to its fourth straight Pacific Coast League title and the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals. Tustin High felt different than it did 17 days earlier, when CdM beat Beckman to start the run. On Friday night an umbrella was needed. The rain was on again, off again, and heavy at times. The result also was different. It didn't go the Sea Kings' way. Foothill sophomore forward Sarah Moss scored in the 66th minute and the No. 3-seeded Knights hung on for a 1-0 quarterfinal victory, ending CdM's season.

They say that defense wins championships, and that always has seemed to be true for the Newport Harbor High girls' water polo team. But what makes up a defense? The most obvious piece to the casual fan is the goalie, and the Sailors have two great ones in senior captain Cleo Harrington and junior Carlee Kapana. Everyone in the stands is able to recognize when a goalie makes a huge block. But what about the center defender, whose perfect positioning on the play made the center shoot the ball with a little less force than she wanted?

After a hot shooting start, Newport Harbor High junior Ellie Reid hit the wall about halfway through the girls' water polo season. The left-hander was battling fatigue, sickness and a nagging shoulder injury. She stopped scoring as many goals, not looking as confident with her shot. "I kind of lost my groove a little bit," Reid said. "I kind of cracked a little bit in midseason. " How did Ellie get her groove back? It took just one shot on Saturday. She scored the winning six-on-five goal with 2:24 left off a pass from Kate Pipkin, helping Newport Harbor upset Foothill, 5-4, in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal match Saturday at Newport Harbor High.

SANTA ANA - For the second straight season, the Newport Harbor High boys' basketball team faced one of the top two seeds early in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Last season in Division 2A, the Sailors played host to No. 1 Westlake in the second round and lost by nine points. They opened the Division 2AA playoffs at No. 2 Foothill on Friday and they did not do as well, losing 82-55. "We got to talk to our guys about having a better regular season," said Newport Harbor Coach Bob Torribio, whose team finished 14-14 overall for the second season in a row. "We got to take care of some business early on so we don't have to play these tough teams early on [in the postseason]

Corona del Mar High girls' water polo coach Ross Sinclair was greeted by Jason Lynch following Wednesday afternoon's nonleague game against Foothill. Lynch, an assistant coach with Foothill, is the former Newport Harbor High boys' water polo coach. He coached Sinclair during his playing days with the Sailors. "I'm trying to teach these girls about playing the game mentally, being a student of the game," Sinclair said. "I learned that from [Lynch]. I think I naturally have it, but I also learned more of it from him. Preparing is so crucial.

Newport Beach isn't exactly Graceland, but leave it to Newport Harbor High junior Kate Pipkin to find special meaning in each location. She can tell you how special it is to play for one of the top high school water polo programs in the country, but Pipkin would almost rather wax poetic on Elvis Presley. Pipkin said that she has a passion for music, which seems like an understatement when she almost casually adds that she can play six instruments. There's the bass, the ukulele, the mandolin, the drums and the piano.

OJAI - Corona del Mar High senior Alec Adamson is the last Newport-Mesa athlete still in contention at the prestigious 113th annual Ojai Tennis Tournament. But Adamson still strives for more. He'll be playing at the tournament's showcase venue, Libbey Park, on Saturday. The goal is a title. No. 2-seeded Adamson advanced to the CIF singles division semifinals after a pair of impressive victories Friday. He topped Stefan Doehler of Foothill, 6-1, 6-3, on Friday morning at Libbey Park.

CORONA DEL MAR - The Corona del Mar High girls' lacrosse team may not always outrun you this year. Instead, the Sea Kings will outthink you. After losing a large senior class, Coach Aly Vislocky said CdM is trying to play a more tactical game in 2013. The Sea Kings have implemented more plays, with the help of new assistant coach Jessica Murray. The result of the team's hard work certainly looked impressive Thursday afternoon at home. CdM upset rival Foothill, 9-7, in a nonleague game.

IRVINE - The late UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden is quoted as saying, "The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team. " Some people outside of the team, fairly or unfairly, have called the Corona del Mar High girls' water polo team a team of individuals at points this season. The Sea Kings, struggling to find their chemistry at times, never made it to the finals of any of the three in-season tournaments. But CdM Coach Sam Bailey, a UCLA alumnus, believes in the legendary Wooden and his "Pyramid of Success.