Pair of Titles in the Cards for Royal : L.A. Games: Highlanders get a confidence boost with championships in volleyball, soccer.

A royal flush is the ultimate poker hand, but a Royal pair proved unbeatable in the recently concluded L. A. Games.

Royal High was one of only two schools in the competition to win two titles, prevailing in boys’ volleyball--beating Marshall, 15-5--and boys’ soccer--2-1 over Orange. Morningside won championships in football and girls’ basketball.

The Highlander soccer team trailed Southern Section 2-A Division champion Orange, 1-0, in the second half of the championship game, having given up its only goal in six tournament matches.

But midway through the final half, Royal’s Dan Morris knotted the score on a penalty kick.

Then, with 10 minutes left and overtime becoming more of a possibility, midfielder Marco Todesco lured several Orange defenders toward him and passed to teammate Ryan Campbell, who scored into the left side of the net from 10 yards.

“After I got by the first guy, more (Orange defenders) came on,” Todesco said. “I was close, so I could have tried to score, but I was surrounded and I saw Ryan Campbell coming down and I passed it off.”

The match-winner was Campbell’s second goal of the tournament. Freshman goalie Brent Thompson, who replaced Steve Hambly after Hambly departed for the Olympic development training camp, turned away three Orange shots on goal in Royal’s win.

Todesco scored one goal and assisted on four others to earn the tournament’s MVP award.

“Marco is a powerful and skillful player who can do almost anything,” Royal Coach Peter Schraml said. “He can score, defend and set other players up. He did that throughout the tournament.”

Besides the performance of his star player, Schraml applauded his team’s rally against one of Orange County’s most successful squads.

“That was the first time we were scored on, yet we were able to come back,” Schraml said. “Orange played physical, but we were able to adjust and play physical with them. I liked the comeback. This was a real confidence builder.”

The morale booster could serve Schraml’s team well as it prepares for the upcoming season against archrival and defending Southern Section 4-A Division champion Simi Valley.

Royal’s volleyball team got a confidence boost from its title as well, even though Coach Bob Ferguson’s squad has won the Southern Section 4-A Division championship each of the past two years.

Royal scored a pair of dramatic wins to advance to the final, beating Mira Costa, 16-14, in the quarterfinals and University, 15-12, in the semifinals. Travis Ferguson, the coach’s son, was named the tournament MVP.

Several schools from the region advanced to the later rounds in other sports.

Buena fell to Morningside, 61-47, in the girls’ basketball championship game but the Bulldogs’ Lianne Ishikawa was named the tournament MVP. Ishikawa was held scoreless against Morningside but she had 14 assists and nine steals.

Entering the final she was averaging about 13 points, 11 assists and six steals for the tournament.

Morningside’s football team also edged a school from the region in winning the football championship, defeating Canyon, 27-20. Canyon had advanced to the final with a 13-12 win over archrival Hart.