Sunset League

ANAHEIM — Jake Fleming couldn't believe it. The Newport Harbor High senior was trying to hold off Esperanza senior Quoc Doan on Thursday in the teams' Sunset League match. Fleming watched his 5-2 games advantage trimmed to 5-4. Then, the intensity of the moment shined through after a point on Fleming's serve. He went toward the net, and Doan hit a ball back over the net. The ball wasn't hit hard but appeared to accidentally strike Fleming, who was turned around, straight in the back.

NEWPORT BEACH — In blustering cold winds, gloves were the fashion accessory of choice during Wednesday night’s Sunset League showdown between the Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos girls’ water polo teams. No gloves allowed in the pool, but the Sailors didn’t need them the way they were picking off Griffins passes. Newport Harbor had 15 steals, building an early lead and hanging on for a 6-4 victory at Newport Harbor High in a battle of the last two Sunset League unbeaten squads.

NEWPORT BEACH — Coach Jason Lynch warned Newport Harbor High before Thursday’s crucial boys’ water polo match. This Sunset League opener against Los Alamitos pretty much was for the league championship. “Being composed and not being too high and jacked up,” Lynch told his players. The Sailors forgot what Lynch said. They fell behind early and never managed to come back, losing to Los Alamitos, 7-5, at a packed Newport Harbor pool. At the end, the Griffins’ fans yelled the loudest.

After one Sunset League upset, the Newport Harbor High football team goes for another at home. The Sailors (4-2, 1-0 in league) tonight at 7 play host to Edison (6-0, 1-0), ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division poll. Newport Harbor moved into the No. 10 spot after pulling off a 23-20 league victory against then-No. 6 Los Alamitos. The Sailors gave Coach Jeff Brinkley his 200th career victory at the school. They will try to get Brinkley another huge win in league.

NEWPORT BEACH — On the same night as the Iowa caucuses, Newport Harbor High girls’ basketball coach Randy Larson polled his players following Thursday’s 70-21 loss to Esperanza. The first-year coach said he asked his players if they thought they gave 110% in their Sunset League opener. The average vote, Larson said, was “about 55%.” “That doesn’t work against too many teams, especially against Esperanza,” Larson said. The Aztecs had their press working.

Right now Newport Harbor High's searching for an identity. Losing a dozen players to graduation can leave a boys' basketball team in a crisis. "It's going to take awhile for us to figure out who we are and who does what on this team," Newport Harbor Coach Larry Hirst said. "We just have to get used to playing with each other." The Sailors will also need to adjust to their new league, the more competitive Sunset. Two players return off last year's team that went 21-7 overall and placed second in the Sea View League.

COSTA MESA — A fast start was a good answer to Harvard-Westlake High’s aggressive and physical style of play for the Newport Harbor field hockey team, which added its fourth consecutive Sunset League win Tuesday. How’s this for a fast start: within five minutes of play, the Sailors were already ahead, 2-0. They went on to blank the Wolverines, 4-0, Tuesday at Harper Community Center. Claire Layton scored the opening goal, putting Newport (12-3-2, 4-0 in league)

NEWPORT BEACH — A game should never come down to a call. But, unfortunately for the Newport Harbor High baseball team it did Thursday. Down by one run in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third base, Sailors center fielder Alex Maddox stepped to the plate with two outs against Edison ace Henry Owens. With the wind howling to center field and the crowd on its feet, Maddox hit a soft roller toward the shortstop, who after bare-handing it, flung a one-hopper to first.

Newport Harbor High’s football team has become accustomed to facing big quarterbacks who are difficult to rattle and even more difficult to take down. These athletes are not just run-of-the-mill signal callers. They’re kids being courted by Division I college football programs, and as a rule, they almost always present dual threats. Clark Evans (6-4, 210) of Los Alamitos was one, and the Sailors got the best of him with a 31-27 win over the Griffins Oct. 29. Now the Sailors face Edison’s Nick Crissman, another big quarterback, tonight at 7 in a game that’s for the share of the Sunset League title.

NEWPORT BEACH — “Shoot it!” The Los Alamitos fan yelled at Newport Harbor High goalie Myles Christian in the closing seconds Tuesday night, then yelled at him again for effect. “Shoot it!” No need for Christian to attempt a desperation, full-pool fling at the buzzer. His team was up on the scoreboard. And the Sailors are the Sunset League champions, too, after defeating Los Alamitos, 8-6, at Newport Harbor High in a Sunset League game between the last two remaining undefeated teams in the league.