Santiago

NEWPORT BEACH - The Newport Harbor High softball team, missing five players from its roster, split a nonleague doubleheader with visiting Santiago Saturday. The Sailors (9-7) won the first game, 4-1, as sophomore pitcher Stephanie Ciralli earned her fourth win of the season when she did not allow a hit in four innings. Newport sophomore Athena Vasquez went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and freshman Jennifer Gummerman had an RBI. The Tars then lost the second game, but Gummerman went 2 for 3 and she scored a run to tie the game, 2-2, in the fourth inning.

GARDEN GROVE - Estancia High's boys swim team won it's second dual meet by crushing host Santiago, 125-16, Tuesday in a nonleague matchup. The Eagles (2-0) took the top three spots in every event. David Collier, Phil Westfall and Matt Thorpe each won two races for Estancia. Collier took the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle, Thorpe won the 50 and 100 freestyle sprints and Westfall won the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly events. Nonleague Estancia 125, Santiago 16 200 medley relay - not available 200 free - 1. Collier (E)

SCORE BY QUARTERS Santiago 0 14 0 0 - 14 Costa Mesa 0 0 0 0 - 0 SECOND QUARTER Sant -- Jordan 1 run, (Bravo kick), 8:35. Sant -- Merchant 61 run, (Bravo kick), 6:04 A -- 550 (est.) INDIVIDUAL RUSHING Sant -- Lopez, 20-158; Jordan, 16-132, 1 TD; Merchant, 2-74, 1 TD; Solares, 4-4; Boyd, 1-9. CM -- Lepper, 27-87; Huynh, 3-19; Waldron, 5-minus-11.

CORONA DEL MAR — Memories linger from 2008 for the Corona del Mar High girls’ volleyball team. It was only a year ago when the Sea Kings gathered momentum on their way to the championship match in CIF Southern Section Division II-AA. But then Redlands East Valley swept CdM to win its second straight CIF title. For many on this year’s CdM team the memory is painful, yet a motivating factor. The Sea Kings have used that loss to fuel their energy this year. On Saturday night, they took one step closer to returning to the title match.

Tony Altobelli COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High's baseball team likes to walk on the wild side, much to the dismay of Coach Kirk Bauermeister. "I told the players afterward that we seemed to come alive when the sixth and seventh innings come around," Bauermeister said following Thursday's 7-7 tie with Corona-based Santiago in the Costa Mesa Tournament. Considering the fact that the Mustangs (1-1-1) allowed 11 hits and 12 walks, a 7-7 tie isn't too shabby.

GARDEN GROVE - Estancia High's Somer Flaherty, Jennifer and Lauren Cassity each won two events as the Eagles' girls swim beat host Santiago, 114-30, Tuesday in a nonleague meet. Flaherty won the 200-yard and 500 freestyle events while Jennifer Cassity won the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke races while her sister Lauren took the 50 and 100 sprints. All three were also on the winning 200 individual medley and 50 sprint relay squads. Estancia (1-1)

WESTMINSTER — One last time, they stood together, the football players of Costa Mesa High, singing their fight song. They sang low and off key, perhaps symbolic of what had just taken place on the field Friday night at Bolsa Grande. The Mustangs struggled to find rhythm, as Santiago used a ball-control style offense to wither Costa Mesa. The Cavaliers used up roughly 31 minutes to score a 24-6 victory in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.

GARDEN GROVE — After the game, Abby Koff told Estancia High girls' basketball coach Tommy Rausch how happy she was to be on the winning side of a blowout. With a 49-25 nonleague victory over Santiago Monday, the Eagles won by 20 or more points for the second time this season. That's something Estancia (5-7) didn't do a single time last season, when it finished 3-20. Estancia wants to see more blowouts this season. Rausch, in first year as coach, preaches for his team to play hard until the end, despite the score.

COSTA MESA ? Jeremy Osso has stressed focusing on the positive when it comes to the exploits of his Costa Mesa High football team. In that case, the cup is one-sixth full in regard to the offense after the Mustangs, 14-0, nonleague loss to Santiago (4-0) at Orange Coast College Thursday. That's the fraction of the game Costa Mesa (1-4) spent with the ball on one drive spanning from the third quarter to the middle of the fourth. It began at the Mustangs' own nine-yard line with the team down two touchdowns.

GARDEN GROVE — Halfway through its regular season, the Costa Mesa High football team will find out if what happens in Garden Grove stays in Garden Grove. Coach Jeremy Osso hopes not for the defense, which allowed a season-low 20 points in Friday night’s 20-9 nonleague loss to Santiago at Garden Grove High. But the lack of offense can stay just off the 22 Freeway for the Mustangs (0-5), who lost their second consecutive game in the city and are still failing to put many points on the board.

COSTA MESA — The Orange Coast College men's soccer team sent an offensive barrage at Santiago Canyon on Tuesday and it paid off in a 3-0 Orange Empire Conference win at the OCC Soccer Complex. OCC (5-2, 1-0 in conference) outshot the Hawks, 30-9 in the game as wave after wave of Pirate players took turns at scoring. After several early missed opportunities, OCC grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute when Chase Nugent found a loose rebound off of a Victor Lopez shot and slipped the ball past SCC goalkeeper Daniel Dorantes.

GARDEN GROVE - With so many offensive and defensive highlights, a spectator might be hard-pressed to draw the line and name one standout performer in the Costa Mesa High football team's 42-7 victory over Santiago on Thursday night at Garden Grove High. Costa Mesa Coach Wally Grant didn't have to draw the line after his first win as a varsity head coach at his alma mater. After watching the Mustangs rush for 266 yards in the nonleague win, he just named the whole offensive line as standout performers.

High School Football When/where: Tonight, 7 at La Palma Park Key Mustangs: Sr. RB-DE Tyler Sheffner (10 carries, 42 rushing yards, two overall touchdowns); Sr. OT-DT Andrew Albers; Jr. QB Nathan Alvis (19 for 38 passing, 266 yards, two touchdowns); Jr. WR Trace Curet (five receptions, 78 yards). Breakdown: The Mustangs (0-2) rallied to get a chance at victory last week against Santiago after a lopsided loss to Buena Park in the opener … Katella (1-0) is coming off a 55-20 win over Sunny Hills in which it rolled up 427 rushing yards … Costa Mesa has struggled to get its ground game going, but Alvis has proved to be a dangerous weapon and continues to mature in his first season as the starter … Mesa got a big lift against Santiago with the return of Sheffner, who provides punch as a ballcarrier and is also a threat catching passes … A loss would mark the sixth time in the last seven seasons that Costa Mesa began the season 0-3. — Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA — Costa Mesa High football coach Jeremy Osso said it was a gut check at halftime that helped his Mustangs flirt with a comeback victory over Santiago Friday night at Estancia High. But it didn't hurt that the Mustangs regained their heart and soul in the person of senior Tyler Sheffner. In the end, Mesa came up short in a 26-21 setback that dropped them to 0-2. Sheffner, who missed the season-opening loss with an ulcer and whom Osso said would not return until next week, entered the nonleague game in the second quarter.

GARDEN GROVE — Hattie Marshall had two hits, including a two-run home run, and in the circle struck out seven with no walks, while allowing two hits to help the Newport Harbor High softball team to a 13-1, five-inning, mercy-rule, nonleague win at Santiago Wednesaday. Marshall improved to 3-0 in as many starts. Mandy Legault, Lauren Gandia and Bella Seccaira had three hits each for the Sailors (11-1). Gandi drove in five runs and Legualt stole three bases. Newport Harbor plays at Westminster today.

COSTA MESA — Silence seem to fill the air as the ball left the foot of Jillian Beck early in a CIF Southern Section Division III second-round girls’ soccer game Wednesday. As the ball floated high so did the hopes of Estancia High in its quest of upsetting top-seeded Santiago of Corona. Beck’s ball looked liked it was going in, but dropped inches above the goal, hitting the bar and bouncing behind the net. It was one of a few chances that left the Eagles thinking what-if.

WESTMINSTER — One last time, they stood together, the football players of Costa Mesa High, singing their fight song. They sang low and off key, perhaps symbolic of what had just taken place on the field Friday night at Bolsa Grande. The Mustangs struggled to find rhythm, as Santiago used a ball-control style offense to wither Costa Mesa. The Cavaliers used up roughly 31 minutes to score a 24-6 victory in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Southern Division playoffs.