Panthers

GARDEN GROVE - After a shorthanded first half, the Newport-Mesa Junior All-American Football Midget Seahawks lost to the Garden Grove Panthers, 31-6, in the AFL Championship Saturday. With the Seahawks' head coach and three key players stranded on the freeway with a disabled vehicle, Garden Grove took advantage and scored 24 first-half points. In the second half, with a full squad, the Seahawks limited the Panthers to seven points, while scoring their lone touchdown of the game.

Rick Devereux The Costa Mesa High boys tennis team knew what the stakes were when the Mustangs faced host Orange Tuesday in a Golden West League showdown. Mesa needed to beat the Panthers in order to stay in contention for a shot at the league title. Orange needed to win the match in order to secure its first league championship since 1981, a span of 24 years. Even though the Panthers won, 11-7, Costa Mesa put a scare into Orange head coach Richard McFarland in the final round of play.

Former UC Irvine men’s basketball assistant coach Todd Lee, now head coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College, received the Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year Award. Lee, in his third season at the school, guided the Panthers back to national prominence with a 24-7 record and a first-place tie for the GLVC East Division title with a 14-5 mark. He also led the program back to the Top 25 and the NCAA regional rankings, as well as a berth in the conference tournament for the first time in four seasons.

Rick Devereux There were not going to be many surprises in the Golden West League opener for Estancia High and Orange Friday night at Newport Harbor High. The Panthers, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division VII, were going to run the ball right at Estancia and pound away an easy victory. The Eagles, however, had other plans. Even though Estancia lost, 23-21, Coach Craig Fertig can take pride in the fact his team gave the defending league champions a scare.

Rick Devereux In soccer, sometimes all that matters is the final outcome. The Estancia High boys soccer team did not play its best but walked away with a 4-3 victory over Orange in the Golden West League opener for the Eagles, who secured their first win of the season Wednesday at TeWinkle Middle School. The Eagles play nonleague visitor Santa Ana Valley today at TeWinkle at 3 p.m. "I was a little worried [about the outcome]," first-year Coach Gannon Burks said.

Richard Dunn ROLLING HILLS ESTATES - Maybe it's not such a bad idea, after all, that Corona del Mar High's Sea Kings play in CIF Southern Section Division IV this season. In Tuesday's showdown against perennial Division I girls tennis powerhouse Peninsula, the host Panthers politely escorted the Sea Kings (4-1) down to earth while extending their winning streak to 42 matches. Ranked No. 1 in the Orange County preseason poll, Corona del Mar absorbed a humbling 15-3 setback as Peninsula (3-0)

BARRY FAULKNER From afar, dressed in a sweater vest, slacks and a tie, Orange High football coach Greg Gibson has the refined look of a 1960s college coach. But at field level, it's clear that the former Orange Coast College defensive lineman's mind-set belies his button-down appearance. Gibson's approach, in fact, is culled more from his time in the trenches than from springs and summers spent at sophisticated offensive coaching clinics. So, when he was named head coach three seasons ago, he chose to bring what amounted to offense concentrate to the Orange program.

Patrick Laverty Coming off its worst loss of the season, the Costa Mesa High boys basketball team could have gone in any direction in its second-place Golden West League showdown at Orange Thursday. In order to keep things simple, Mustangs Coach Bob Serven emphasized the philosophy of another Newport-Mesa coach. "We're trying to just win one game at a time," Serven said. "It's something I learned from [Newport Harbor High football coach] Jeff Brinkley.

Bryce Alderton Corona del Mar High girls tennis coach Scott Feichter didn't hesitate when asked if Peninsula was the best team the Sea Kings have faced this year. "Oh yeah," Feichter said after the undefeated and host Panthers secured what turned out to be an 11-7 victory in a CIF Southern Section Division I semifinal on a chilly Thursday afternoon. Alex Jurewitz improved to 55-8 with a sweep in singles for the top-seeded Panthers (22-0), who claimed six of nine doubles sets.

The Bruins received a total team effort to beat the Panthers, 5-2, in its final regular season game in Boys under-12 AYSO Region 97 soccer. Taylor Allee scored three goals off crossing passes from Bryan Rhodes, Blake Kelly and Trevor Noon and the defense was anchored by Brian Kekemeyer, Daniel Netzer, Max Van Berg, Christian Taggert and Andy Brown. Bruin midfielders Luc Heasley, Sean Mueller, Jake Caughill and Ricky Sullivan provided defensive support and started Bruins' attacks.

PALOS VERDES - Since becoming the Corona del Mar High girls' tennis coach in 2004, Brian Ricker has had his share of matches with Palos Verdes Peninsula. CdM and Peninsula consistently have been two of the best programs in CIF Southern Section Division 1. But when the Sea Kings and the Panthers actually play their matches, nail-biting isn't usually required. In some years, CdM has been clearly superior. In other years, Peninsula has dominated. "We've never had a close match, even though we're both pretty much near the top every year," Ricker said.

COSTA MESA - It was a joyous celebration after the Pomona Elementary boys' fifth- and sixth-grade gold division team made history Sunday afternoon at the Daily Pilot Cup. Family members made a huge human tunnel, one that stretched out to near midfield. The Pomona boys ran through it, before sprinting off to the awards ceremony. How did it feel to be the first Pomona team to win a gold division title at the annual tournament? You could say it felt like a big accomplishment.

BOYS' TENNIS Corona del Mar 10, Peninsula 8 CORONA DEL MAR — Freshman Carson Williams earned his biggest win of the season to help the No. 6-ranked Sea Kings upset the No. 4-ranked Panthers in a key nonleague match of CIF Southern Section Division I teams Tuesday. Williams scored a 6-2 win over Shuhei Shibahara, ranked No. 9 in the 18s in the United States Tennis Assn. Southern California rankings. The first round ended in a 3-3 tie, and the second round ended tied 6-6 in sets, and 49-49 in games.

COSTA MESA — There isn’t a quarter in which Kassie Stratton can avoid contact in a girls’ basketball game. The blows to the back, the midsection, the arms, the shoulders, and the knockdowns are becoming a ritual. Each time, the guard rises from the floor more motivated. “It makes me want to retaliate,” Stratton said. She’s finding out the best way is to light up the opposition. The junior has turned into scoring machine at Estancia High.

Former UC Irvine men’s basketball assistant coach Todd Lee, now head coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College, received the Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year Award. Lee, in his third season at the school, guided the Panthers back to national prominence with a 24-7 record and a first-place tie for the GLVC East Division title with a 14-5 mark. He also led the program back to the Top 25 and the NCAA regional rankings, as well as a berth in the conference tournament for the first time in four seasons.

Peter Sellers created and mastered the character of Inspector Clouseau in 1964. The bumbling French detective with the impossible accent provided many opportunities for sight gags and slapstick humor. In making seven "Pink Panther" films of varying quality, you would think Sellers had already strip-mined the comedy territory available in this repetitive series. But credit Steve Martin with bringing new life to the clueless and incompetent inspector. Martin is known for his sharp verbal wit and broad physical comedy.

Rick Devereux The Costa Mesa High boys tennis team knew what the stakes were when the Mustangs faced host Orange Tuesday in a Golden West League showdown. Mesa needed to beat the Panthers in order to stay in contention for a shot at the league title. Orange needed to win the match in order to secure its first league championship since 1981, a span of 24 years. Even though the Panthers won, 11-7, Costa Mesa put a scare into Orange head coach Richard McFarland in the final round of play.

Bryce Alderton Estancia High baseball coach Jon Green would like to see his team channel its energy and remain lively for all seven innings, no matter the opponent. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it took only one inning for visiting Orange to strike a serious blow to the hosts' chances of winning their first game in the Golden West League opener for both teams Wednesday. The Panthers scored five runs in the top of the first and rode the arm of senior Tony Welsh, who struck out nine and walked three a 10-1 victory -- their fifth straight.

Rick Devereux In soccer, sometimes all that matters is the final outcome. The Estancia High boys soccer team did not play its best but walked away with a 4-3 victory over Orange in the Golden West League opener for the Eagles, who secured their first win of the season Wednesday at TeWinkle Middle School. The Eagles play nonleague visitor Santa Ana Valley today at TeWinkle at 3 p.m. "I was a little worried [about the outcome]," first-year Coach Gannon Burks said.