Mira Costa

Newport Harbor High's girls volleyball team wrapped up play with a second-place finish in the 20-team Ann Kang Invitational in Waikiki, Hawaii, Saturday. Newport defeated Moanaleua, 25-23, 25-17, to reach the finals of the winner's bracket, where Mira Costa awaited. After dropping the first set, 25-16, Newport, coming off a CIF Southern Section Division II-AA championship and a berth in the CIF Southern California Division II regional final, won the second game, 25-16, before Mira Costa edged out a 25-23 win in the final stanza.

MANHATTAN BEACH — Early on in the football season, Newport Harbor High Coach Jeff Brinkley saw a different quarterback than the one he saw in the summer. The pop on Andrew McDonald’s ball was missing. McDonald wasn’t himself. “He was a little bit sick,” Brinkley said. “It seemed like arm strength and everything, [he] was struggling a little bit, even in practice I could see it.” McDonald finally played quarterback the way Brinkley expected him to in a game.

SCORE BY QUARTERS Newport Harbor 7 7 3 7 - 24 Mira Costa 0 0 0 0 - 0 FIRST QUARTER NH -- C. Peterson 20 pass from Williams (N. Frazier kick), 0:12. SECOND QUARTER NH -- N. Frazier 26 FG, 5:52. THIRD QUARTER NH -- Vickery 2 run (N. Frazier kick), 1:46. FOURTH QUARTER NH -- Stillman 24 pass from Williams (N. Frazier kick)

COSTA MESA - The Orange Coast College men's basketball team lost its home opener Saturday afternoon to Mira Costa, 86-83, in nonconference action. The Pirates were led by Nick Burwell's 29 points, including six three-pointers, while Ryan Earl added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. OCC shot only 54% from the free-throw line, making only 20 of 37 attempts. Chad Hagedorn crashed the boards for 15 rebounds to go along with his 14 points for OCC (0-2)

MANHATTAN BEACH - The Newport Harbor boys volleyball team had senior Blake Tippett back in uniform, Friday, but he was regulated to back row play as the Sailors lost, 15-8, 15-11, 15-6, at Mira Costa Friday. Senior Christian Berg-Hansen slammed 10 kills, while junior Morgan Craig had nine for Harbor (2-3), ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division III. Tars junior Loyd Wright had 35 assists. Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said it could take longer than a week for Tippett to move back to his hitter position.

CORONA DEL MAR - Costa Mesa high's girls water polo team advanced to the 25th place semifinals with a resounding 6-2 win over Mira Costa Friday in the Irvine Southern California Championships at Corona del Mar. Mesa (7-15) got 22 steals, 11 in the two-meter area, to render Mira Costa's offense completely ineffective. The Mustangs scored three times in the fourth quarter and once in the third for a 4-2 lead. Jody Martinovich, Jan Grubisich, Katy Petersen and Dana Steenhard got Mesa's goals.

Richard Dunn MANHATTAN BEACH - As Newport Harbor High girls volleyball coach Dan Glenn is well aware, unless you win a state championship, your season ends at some point with a defeat. Saturday night's long bus ride home down the 405 freeway signaled a third setback of the year in three meetings against powerhouse host Mira Costa, which swept the Sailors, 15-6, 15-8, 15-8 in a respectable semifinal performance for Newport Harbor (22-11) in the CIF State Division II Championships.

Newport Harbor High will have another shot at Mira Costa, the current CIF Southern Section Division I favorite, tonight at 7. No. 4 Newport Harbor (10-3) will play host to No. 1 Mira Costa (9-1). The Sailors lost to the Mustangs, 18-25, 25-12, 15-12, in the fifth-place match of the Best of the West Tournament in Poway March 8. The Mustangs are coming off a close win over rival No. 2 Loyola, 25-19, 25-15, 19-25, 20-25, 15-11. Mira Costa faced the Cubs Sunday at Gersten Pavilion at Loyola Marymount University.

NEWPORT BEACH - In less than a 24-hour period, the Newport Harbor High boys' volleyball team played its toughest two matches of the season. The Sailors faced rival Corona del Mar, the No. 2-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 poll, on Monday. They had Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, the No. 3-ranked team in Division 1, on Tuesday. That is a tough back-to-back draw, but Newport Harbor Coach Steve Astor said he loves to play the best teams. The Sailors swept their first test on Monday by claiming the Orange County Championships Division 1 title on a neutral site.

NEWPORT BEACH - Coach Jeff Brinkley said his Newport Harbor High football team needed some momentum going into a difficult Sunset League schedule. The nonleague games haven't been pushovers either. But Thursday night, the Sailors played perhaps their most complete game of the season. Newport Harbor turned it on after a slow start to blast Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, 33-3, at Davidson Field. "We needed the momentum going into this league," said Brinkley, whose team opens Sunset League play at home against Fountain Valley on Oct. 14. On the night the press box was named after longtime Daily Pilot sports reporter/editor Roger Carlson, the Sailors (2-3)

MANHATTAN BEACH — A handful of high school students in Speedos ran onto the football field before Newport Harbor High switched sides. It was a bad sign for the Sailors before the start of the second quarter at Mira Costa. The streakers did not get in the way of Newport Harbor. An injury to another starter did Friday night. On the first play in the second quarter, the Sailors lost the ball and then quarterback Austin Rios to a head injury. The senior is the latest Sailor to suffer an injury and the setbacks have devastated Newport Harbor.

Newport Harbor vs. Esperanza When/where: Tonight at 7, at Valencia High Key Sailors: Jr. TB Cedric Whitaker (916 rushing yards, 12 total TDs); Sr. WR-LB Cecil Whiteside (23 receptions), Sr. WR-CB Parker Norton (30 receptions). Breakdown: After Los Alamitos beat Fountain Valley Thursday, the Sailors (5-4, 2-2 in league) will need to defeat Esperanza (4-5, 1-3), to move into a three-way tie for second place with Fountain Valley and Los Al. Since the three teams are all 1-1 against each other, a coin flip would decide the league’s Nos. 2 and 3 playoff representatives in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs ... A Newport Harbor loss would mean the Sailors would be denied an automatic playoff berth and scenarios indicate getting the division’s lone at-large berth is highly unlikely ... The Tars are coming off a dominant 49-0 win over Marina that snapped a two-game losing streak ... Esperanza, which beat Marina, 52-27, on Oct. 29, comes off a 21-19 loss to arch-rival Los Al last week ... Newport Harbor beat Los Al, 23-20, on Oct. 16 ... Esperanza beat Mira Costa, 21-20, while the Tars lost to the Mustangs, 24-10, in nonleague play.

Coach Jeff Brinkley came up short of his 200th career football victory at Newport Harbor High again. The Sailors dropped their second straight nonleague game, falling, 24-10, at home Friday to Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Western Division poll last week. Newport Harbor (3-2) is in a funk offensively. The Sailors have scored 17 points in their two combined losses. In the first three games of the season, the offense averaged 36.6 points per game.

NEWPORT BEACH — After every Newport Harbor High football game, Coach Jeff Brinkley spends his late Friday nights at a booster function. The tradition has gone on for 24 straight years and counting. The coaching staff, boosters and parents go over the evening’s highs and lows. The last two games, there have been more letdowns. The latest contest was supposed to be the night Brinkley celebrated his 200th career victory with the Sailors. The 56-year-old is stuck at No. 199. Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach beat the host Sailors, 24-10, Friday, handing them their second straight loss in as many weeks.

No. 200 seems likely for Newport Harbor High Coach Jeff Brinkley tonight. If there’s a football team the Sailors have beaten in years past, it’s Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. Newport Harbor (3-1) tries to get Brinkley his 200th career victory at the school when it plays host to Mira Costa (2-2) at 7. The Sailors return to the field with a bad taste in their mouths. Last week, they suffered their first setback, getting upset at Dana Hills, 41-7, and losing their No. 10 ranking in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll.

CORONA DEL MAR — Players from the Corona del Mar High girls’ volleyball team like to toss small balls into the crowd before every home match. Coach Darryl Gan said motivation is the reason behind the routine. The Sea Kings on Tuesday night got their first chance of the year to continue the practice. After the announcer called each player’s name, the player threw a ball toward a fan. Their shots on the court against Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach weren’t as on target.

SAN CLEMENTE — Newport Harbor High finished tied for third at the Red Bull Riders Cup national high school surfing championship completed Sunday at Lower Trestles at San Onofre State Beach. The Sailors, who qualified for the eight-team event by winning the Orange County regional title, were edged, 73-71.5, by eventual champion Mira Costa in the first of two semifinals Sunday. Newport Harbor, behind a perfect 10.0 score from senior Chase Wilson, defeated Satellite High of Florida in the quarterfinals Saturday, 75-73.

BOYS’ TENNIS Sage Hill 14, Calvary Chapel 4 NEWPORT BEACH — Sage Hill won 11 of the first 12 sets, before inserting several reserves in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs Thursday at the Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. The Lightning (15-7) advance to Saturday’s second round against either Gahr or Santa Ynez. CIF Division IV First round Sage Hill 14, Calvary Chapel 4 Singles – Koeberle (SH)