HB’s reign ends
There will be a new boys’ volleyball champion in CIF Southern Section Division 1.
Two local teams, Sunset League co-champion Huntington Beach and Edison, had their postseason runs end in losses last week.
Three-time division champion Huntington Beach had its bid for a fourth consecutive title dashed Saturday by streaking Corona del Mar which rallied from a 2-0 deficit in sets to stun the visiting Oilers, 20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-7.
Senior outside hitter Sean Morrissey and senior middle blocker Davey Kim each had 15 kills for fourth-seeded Huntington which lost for only the second time in 30 matches this year.
The Oilers had defeated CdM in five sets in last year’s Division 1 championship match.
“We definitely had chances to close the match out in three sets,” said Huntington Coach Craig Pazanti whose Oilers were up in sets (2-0), and held a 21-19 lead in the third set. “I give CdM a bunch of credit. They hung in there and found a way to get it done.”
The Oilers had advanced to the quarterfinals by winning a second-round match May 12 at Dana Hills (South Coast League No. 4), 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22. Kim had 14 kills and senior middle blocker Shane Holdaway 12 kills.
Huntington started the playoffs with a 3-1 first-round win May 10 over Yorba Linda (Crestview League No. 2).
Pazanti said the Oilers “potentially could” receive an at-large entry to next week’s CIF Southern California Regional Division 1 tournament. The regional playoff pairings will be released Sunday.
The Oilers this year set the new national record for consecutive match victories which ended at 121 in early-April.
“It was a great four-year run,” Pazanti said. “We were 162-4 over those seasons and really did some amazing things. I give all the credit to the guys over that time. They came in the gym every day, knowing everyone was giving them their best match, and they never strayed from giving their best effort. It’s not always easy playing with that target on your back, but they represented the school, the volleyball program, and the community with class and gave everyone something to get behind. I am lucky to have been a part of it.”
—
•Edison fell in the second round May 12 to Los Angeles Loyola. The visiting Cubs, the No. 2-seed in the division, won by sweep, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21. Outside hitter Tyler Power led the Chargers with 10 kills and outside hitter Trent Williams had eight kills.
Edison, which defeated Channel League champion in a first-round match May 10, finished the year 16-13. The Chargers tied for third place in the Sunset League.
“Loyola is a very good team and we threw everything we could at them, but it wasn’t enough,” Edison Coach Matt Skolnik said. “We showed a lot of heart and pride and gave it our all.
“We beat a very good Dos Pueblos team. It is always tough to play a league champion, especially in the first round of playoffs. We had some ups and downs in the match, but we played our best game in the fifth game and that was the difference. Our outside hitters really carried the team in that game with their serving and hitting.
“Our season showed tremendous growth for the team. We won a lot of matches against some very good teams and battled the whole season. I’m very proud of the boys and the team.”
—
Boys’ Golf
Four local teams earned top-10 finishes Monday at the CIF Southern Division Team Championships Monday at Mile Square Park Classic Golf Course in Fountain Valley.
Huntington Beach finished runner-up to the division title with team total 372 points. Edison (386) placed sixth, and Fountain Valley and Marina (399 each) tied for eighth.
Twenty teams qualified for the Southern Division Team Championships.
Huntington Beach scores: Brett Bennett (70); Taigen Hegberg (77); Tony DiBernardo (73); Pete DiBernardo (73); Shane Dennis (83); Dan Smith (79).
Edison scores: Liam Bhakta (72); Kole Wischmeyer (83); Amir Bhakta (74); John Oatis (83); Anthony Dao (80); Justin Martinez (77).
Fountain Valley scores: Josh Vo (77); Christopher Feltman (75); Jesse Mooney (82); Vedant Baiswar (85); Brooks Clarkson (81); Brian Cao (84).
Marina scores: Connor O’Brien (75); Noah Brassard (84); Trevor Allen-George (79); Nick Lomino (79); Jack Wian (93); Evan Stressling (82).
—
Swimming
Local teams qualified for the CIF Swimming and Diving Championships and turned in top finishes at Saturday’s finals meet at Riverside City College.
In the final Division 1 boys’ and girls’ team standings, Edison was 10th in boys and fifth in girls, Huntington Beach fifth in boys and 36th in girls, Marina 22nd in boys and eighth in girls, and Fountain Valley 16th in boys and 17th in girls.
In the final Division 4 team boys’ and girls’ team standings, Ocean View was 10th in boys and eighth in girls.
Top finishes turned in by local athletes at the championships:
Division 1 Boys: 200-yard medley relay (Edison: Taylor Whitmore, Matthew Dalija, Zachary Nelson, Dylan Nelson, 1:35.49, consolation championship); 100-yard freestyle: (Justin Nguyen, Fountain Valley: 44.58, champion); 500-yard free: (Peter Crocker, Huntington Beach, 4:32.27, consolation champion); 200-yard free relay (Huntington Beach: Peter Crocker, Jacob Cavano, Grant Brehm, Ethan Wojciechowski, 1:23.23, champion); 100-yard backstroke (Justin Nguyen, Fountain Valley: 48.94, champion).
Division 1 Girls: 200-yard individual medley (Nora Deleske, Edison: 1:59.53, champion); 200-yard IM: (Hannah Farrow, Fountain Valley: 2:04.60, consolation champion); 50-yard freestyle (Jacquelyn Harris, Marina: 23.91, consolation champion); 100-yard backstroke (Sage Matsushima, Marina: 56.50, consolation champion).
Division 4 Girls: 500-yard free (Emma Fisher, Ocean View: 5:43.79, consolation champion).
Division 4 Boys: 400-yard free relay (Ocean View: Derek Huynh, Brent Nishioka, Henry Tran, Dominic Falcon, 3:23.92, consolation champion).
—
Boys’ Tennis
Four local teams dropped their first-round CIF-SS playoff matches May 11.
In Division 1, Marina, the No. 2 team from the Sunset League, fell to Mission League runner-up Los Angeles Loyola, 12-6. Huntington Beach, the No. 3 team from the Sunset, fell to Bay League champion and No. 3-seed Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, 14-4. Fountain Valley, an at-large entry from the Sunset League, was defeated, 16-2, by Ocean League champ Beverly Hills.
In Division 4, Ocean View dropped a close match that lasted 3 1/2 hours to ninth-ranked Pasadena Maranatha, 10-8, at Occidental College in Eagle Rock. In doubles, the Seahawks’ teams of Zach Medina/Deven DeLeon swept three sets, and Spencer Hagaman/Kyle Tsai won two sets. In singles, Khang Vo, Tony Phan and Nathan Bryan each won a set.
Ocean View, which beat Estancia, 14-4, in a wild-card game May 10, finished the season 12-5 overall. The Seahawks were 7-3 and tied for second place in the Golden West League.
“Great season for the team, good experience, and something to build on for next year,” Ocean View Coach Steve DeWilde said.
—
Track and Field
The CIF-SS Track and Field Championships are Saturday at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
--
Twitter: @MikeSciacca
