Sunny Hills Again Edges Corona del Mar

Jose Santiago scored one of his four goals in overtime to break a 7-7 tie and lead Sunny Hills High School to a 9-8 victory over Corona del Mar in the championship game of the Sunny Hills tournament Saturday at Independence Park in Fullerton.

Santiago’s goal was one of two that Sunny Hills (15-1) scored in overtime. Less than a minute later, Adam Smith gave the Lancers a 9-7 lead with a close-in shot.

Corona del Mar (12-2) cut the Lancer lead to one with 10 seconds left on a goal by Chip Blankenhorn, but Sunny Hills held the ball in the final seconds.

The game was the third between the two teams this season. They split the two previous contests, both by 8-7 scores.

“This game was very much like the two others,” said Sunny Hills Coach Jim Sprague. “Each time we’ve played them, we’d be in control with a big lead and then lose our concentration and allow Corona to come back.”

Sunny Hills, which led, 4-2, at halftime, took a 6-2 lead early in the third quarter on goals by Santiago and Danny Leyson. But Hagen Grantham scored two of his three goals in the closing seconds of the period to pull the Sea Kings within two goals.

Corona del Mar then scored two goals in the fourth period, one by Grantham with 20 seconds left, to force the overtime.

Javier Santiago scored twice and Jason Klingsberg once for Sunny Hills. Gary Seelhorst and Chris Oeding scored two goals each for Corona del Mar.

Sunny Hills defeated Costa Mesa, 5-4, and Corona del Mar defeated Newport Harbor, 7-4, in the semifinals.