Long Beach Poly

Bryce Alderton If the players on the Orange Coast College men's tennis team need any history lessons about the school they are playing for, first-year head coach Mike Mayne would be a good place to turn. Mayne, 57, who has coached both baseball and football at OCC, took the program's reins at the end of last school year as administrators were ready to drop the program due to lingering effects on the school's finances caused by the state's budget deficit.

Barry Faulkner So vast is the CIF Southern Section, postseason competition can sometimes bring together schools and teams that are, seemingly, worlds apart. Such was the case Friday night, when Long Beach Poly visited Newport Harbor for a CIF Division I first-round boys volleyball match. But the gap was revealed more in styles than on the scoreboard, even though Newport Harbor prevailed, 15-5, 15-9, 15-9, to advance to Tuesday's second round at No. 2-seeded San Clemente.

Just when it was supposed to, everything clicked into place for Newport Harbor High. The resulting 7-3 win pushed the Sailors into the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoffs in dramatic fashion, and now, Newport Harbor is staring squarely at a rematch with Long Beach Poly. The absence of Notre Dame starting quarterback Dayne Crist was a factor, Coach Jeff Brinkley acknowledged, but he was more impressed with the performance of Sailors’ defense. Crist suffered a concussion when he was tackled running ball against Crespi Nov. 9. That left the Tars’ defensive line to contain Notre Dame running back Thaddeus Brown.

The euphoria of Newport Harbor’s season-opening win over Aliso Niguel was sweet, but brief, since it was overshadowed by the news of coach Jeff Brinkley’s hospitalization. Brinkley was released after a three-night, four-day stay at Hoag Hospital, where he was treated for a heart arrhythmia. Athletes visited Brinkley with cards and balloons after a Saturday morning team meeting, but coaches have been cautious about not letting Brinkley’s condition seep too much into the minds of his players.

NEWPORT BEACH — Even when the parade to the pocket had ceased and Newport Harbor High junior quarterback Andrew McDonald shuffled to the end of the line awaiting midfield postgame handshakes with visiting Long Beach Poly, the Jackrabbits came at him from all sides. McDonald, discolored by grass stains on nearly every visible surface of his uniform — the product of eight sacks and nine carries that wound up worse than where they began — merely extended both palms inches from his hips, pointed them toward the onslaught of rivals and accepted open-handed acknowledgment of a courageous and, perhaps, career-turning performance.

NEWPORT BEACH — Andrew McDonald remembers the scene all too well. It replayed for him, in a sense, in the CIF playoffs. But now he’s not thinking about Long Beach Poly. Well, not about the past anyway. The Newport Harbor High quarterback and the rest of the Sailors know Poly is on this fall’s schedule, but apparently that’s a good thing. “I think it’s going to be fun [against Poly],” said McDonald who was sacked eight times in a 34-7 loss to the Jackrabbits last September and saw his season end to Poly, 35-14, in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division quarterfinals in November.

For a photo gallery of the game, click here. NEWPORT BEACH — Something about tattered, threadbare Davidson Field agrees with Melvin Richardson. It’s where the Long Beach Poly High junior running back got his first start this year, rushing six times for 80 yards when Newport Harbor and Poly met for the first time. Richardson’s encore performance Friday night was much more memorable. He rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Jackrabbits’ 35-14 win over the Sailors (8-4)

Newport Harbor High girls' volleyball coach Dan Glenn says his team is still trying to find its identity. That's a scary thought, considering the Sailors are off to a 7-1 start and will play for the Dave Mohs Tournament championship Monday at 7 p.m. at Edison High. Newport Harbor has won seven straight since dropping its season opener. On Saturday, the Sailors beat four teams to advance to Monday's final, in which they'll play against Sunset League foe Los Alamitos. The Tars opened the day with a 25-20, 25-22 victory over Mission Viejo to win their pool at Newport Harbor.