Los Alamitos Running Back Not Involved in Stabbing

Ryan Gragnano, a running back and defensive back at Los Alamitos, received some unwanted attention last week when he was mistakenly named in a local newspaper as the victim in a New Year’s Eve stabbing.

“We’ve been inundated with calls,” Los Alamitos football Coach John Barnes said Friday. “[Ryan] was walking around school today with his shirt pulled up to show everybody there is no wound.”

Officers at the scene of the New Year’s Eve party in Rossmoor identified the victim as Bryan Christopher Wanigasekera, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said. Al Gragnano, a coach at Los Alamitos and father of Ryan, said the victim was really Ryan Wanigasekera, a 1994 All-Sunset League linebacker for the Griffins, who graduated in 1995.

Al Gragnano said his son visited with Wanigasekera shortly after learning of the attack and that Wanigasekera was recovering nicely.

Two men, 20 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in the midnight attack.

A spokesman for the newspaper, the Sun, said a correction will run in this week’s issue.

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Mater Dei forward Tom Lippold might be able to return to action before the regular season ends, Coach Gary McKnight said.

Lippold broke a bone is his left hand (his shooting hand) when a ball hit him on his ring finger in the Monarchs’ 52-40 nonleague victory over Cerritos Gahr on Jan. 6.

Top-ranked Mater Dei (20-1, 3-0) plays two pivotal South Coast League games this week. The Monarchs host Capistrano Valley (12-8, 3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Bren Center and travel to Mission Viejo (15-5, 1-2) for a game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

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When the Sonora girls’ basketball team defeated La Habra on Thursday, 68-46, it was the Raiders’ first victory over the Highlanders in 16 years.

Sonora plays one of the biggest girls’ basketball games of the week tonight at Troy. Both teams are undefeated in the Freeway League.

Another matchup between unbeaten teams tonight is Capistrano Valley Christian at St. Margaret’s in an Academy League game.

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League races are beginning to heat up in girls’ soccer and there will be several games around the county today that feature the top two teams in a league.

In the Sea View League, No. 10-ranked Irvine (8-4-5, 1-0-2) hosts top-ranked Santa Margarita (16-0-1, 3-0) at 4:45 p.m. The Vaqueros might be the only team in the league--perhaps even the county--that can challenge the Eagles.

In the South Coast League, the toughest league in the county, second-ranked Capistrano Valley (14-2-2, 3-0) plays at seventh-ranked Mater Dei (11-3-2, 2-0-1) at 3:15 p.m.

In the Freeway League, defending league champion Sunny Hills (6-6-2, 2-1) hosts undefeated Troy (8-0-0, 3-0) at 3:15 p.m.

* Don Turnbull and staff writers Martin Henderson and Wendy Witherspoon contributed to this story.