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High School Roundup: Oilers nearly reach final

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The one team standing in the way of the Huntington Beach High girls’ volleyball team and a trip to the CIF Southern Section Division 1AA championship match, was the division’s top seed and defending champion, Redondo Union.

The teams met Tuesday in a division semifinal, and it was the host Sea Hawks who are heading to Cerritos College in Norwalk Saturday for another shot at the division title.

Bay League champion Redondo Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead and went on to claim a 25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 25-16 victory which earned the Sea Hawks (33-3) a return trip to the title match where they will face Mater Dei (Trinity League No. 2).

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The Monarchs (24-7) eliminated No. 2-seed Temecula Great Oak, 3-1, in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

Saturday’s 8 p.m. Mater Dei-Redondo Union showdown will be a rematch of last year’s title match.

“We ran into a very good team,” Huntington Coach Craig Pazanti said. “They were playing at the top of their game and executed very well the entire night. I felt we needed to play a perfect match to win in their gym, and although we fought hard and never gave up, we just didn’t have enough on that night to get the win. I give them a ton of credit, and at the same time, I am proud of the way we fought.”

Cami Sanchez had 15 kills for the Oilers who are 30-5 overall.

Sunset League champion Huntington reached Tuesday’s semifinals by holding off Trinity League champion Santa Margarita, 25-13, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23, in a quarterfinal match Saturday at Huntington. Sanchez had a match-best 20 kills. Kierra Pearson had 18 kills, Madelyn Kaprelyan 11 digs, and Hanna Russell 10 digs.

In a second-round match Nov. 12, Huntington survived host Studio City Harvard-Westlake (Mission League No. 3), 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13. Kaprelyan had 17 kills, Sanchez 16 kills and Pearson and Russell 11 kills each.

The Oilers opened postseason play by rallying for a 21-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-4 home victory Nov. 10 over Temecula Valley (Southwestern League at-large).

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Pazanti said there is a “slight chance” that his team could get a bid to the state playoffs.

The state playoff brackets will be released Sunday.

“But, if the season is over, I am super happy with the effort this team gave night in and night out,” he said. “Although we did not achieve our ultimate goal of a CIF championship, we had several great moments throughout the season. We went undefeated (10-0) in a tough Sunset league and gave ourselves a chance to win CIF. I am super proud of this group and the strides they have made over the past two seasons.”

Two other local teams, Edison and Ocean View, both won first-round matches but were eliminated in second-round play Nov. 12.

Edison bowed out of the postseason after the Chargers dropped a thrilling match to Pacific Coast League champion Corona del Mar. The visiting Sea Kings came back to take a 19-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-12 victory in Division 1AA.

Edison, the second-place team from the Sunset League, ended the year 20-10. The Chargers won their playoff opener, 3-1, over Rolling Hills Estate Peninsula (Bay League No. 3) Nov. 10.

Ocean View took on top-ranked Thousand Oaks La Reina in a Division 4AA second-round match and fell to the host Regents who won by a 25-10, 25-20, 25-14 sweep.

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The Seahawks, the second-place team from the Golden West League, finished the year 17-8.

“I’m proud of my girls this season,” Ocean View Coach Seth Cutrell said. “We played well and improved throughout the season. I wish the seniors the best of luck at the next level.”

CIF Boys’ Water Polo

Sunset League champion Huntington Beach returned to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. The third-seeded Oilers took on second-seeded and defending division champion Harvard-Westlake (Mission League champion) Wednesday at the William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine. The score wasn’t available at press time.

The winner advances to the Division 1 championship game Saturday also at the Woollett Center and will face either top-ranked Mater Dei (Trinity League champion) or No. 4-seed Los Angeles Loyola (Mission League No. 2). The Monarchs and Cubs played in Wednesday’s other division semifinal.

Huntington reached the division semifinals last year and was bumped off by eventual runner-up Mater Dei. The Final Four appearance was the first by the Oilers program since 1958.

Huntington reached the semifinals by slipping past host Orange Lutheran, 10-9, in a quarterfinal game Saturday. Ethan Wojciechowski’s goal in the second three-minute overtime was the winning score. He and Jacob Cavano both scored three goals, James Vlachonassios scored twice, and Patrick Saunders had 12 saves.

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The Oilers took a 23-6 record into Wednesday’s semifinal.

Ocean View had its Division 6 title hopes dashed by Mountain Pass League champion Beaumont which took an 11-8 first-round victory Nov. 12.

The ninth-ranked Seahawks, the second-place team from the Golden West League, advanced to the first round by defeating Cypress (Empire League No. 3), 10-7, in a division wild-card game Nov. 10.

CIF Cross-Country

The CIF Southern Section Cross-Country Championships divisional finals start at 7:45 a.m. Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. The Ocean View boys’ team qualified to run the Boys’ Division 3 race at 8:25 a.m. Junior Gus Weis of Edison and senior William Hua of Fountain Valley both qualified individually for the Boys’ Division 1 race at 9:25 a.m., and Huntington Beach senior Cassie Durgy qualified individually for the Girls’ Division 1 race at 10:25 a.m.

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