Games Provide a Unique Glimpse
Servite’s Ryan Garko and Brea Olinda’s Mike Davern helped the USA Baseball junior national team win a bronze medal at the 1999 Junior Pan Am Games in Venezuela last month.
The two helped Team USA earn a spot in the International Baseball Assn. World Championship, which is Aug. 6-15 in Taiwan, and also gained some valuable international baseball experience. And Garko left with some other lasting impressions.
“It was great,” said Garko, who had six singles in 15 at-bats, and drew six walks and scored five runs in the eight games. “Playing against guys from other countries, you could see they play the game a little differently.
“When we played Venezuela, it was in a packed stadium, the game was on TV. . . . you could see that these people just live and die baseball and see the passion that they play with.
“For me, when they played the national anthem, realizing that you were playing for your country, and being proud to represent your country, that was exciting.”
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After suffering through a couple of lean seasons, Century’s baseball team appears reborn.
The Centurions have won 10 games (and lost 11) in 1999. Two of those victories have come in the Empire League, including a win over eighth-ranked Katella, 2-1, last Friday.
Even before their two-game series began on Wednesday, Katella Coach Tim McMenamin said Century “is becoming scary.”
Last year Century won only three of 24 games (one by forfeit). Eight of their defeats ended because of the 10-run mercy rule.
“We told the kids last year, with only one senior we were going to take our lumps,” Century Coach Nate Guerriero said. “This year they now believe they can win, especially after reaching the final of the Costa Mesa Tournament earlier this year.”
Guerriero said his goal was for Century to get 10 victories and that goal has been met. So, with four games left, Guerriero and staff are cautiously optimistic they can finish with a .500 record overall.
“If that happens,” Guerriero said, “I’ll kiss the ground those kids walk on.”
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Huntington Beach’s Sam Lightbody keeps topping himself. Last week, he won the discus with a mark of 195 feet 11 inches in a Sunset League boys’ meet against Edison. The previous week, he posted a then county-best mark of 192 feet against Los Alamitos April 22.
Also in the Edison meet, Lightbody’s teammate Jeff Ryan cleared a county-best 15-8 in the pole vault.
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Erin Lezak of Irvine has signed to play water polo at UC Santa Barbara, her father said.
Lezak was an All-Sea View League and All-Southern Section selection in each of the last three years.
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Irvine High assistant Barry Schulenburg has been hired to coach boys’ and girls’ track and field at Northwood High, TimberWolves Athletic Director Rick Curtis said.
A social studies and physical education teacher, Schulenburg was at Irvine for 15 years. Northwood opens in the fall.
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Mike White of Los Alamitos High was named winner of the Paul Cleary Award as the top scholar among the 22 football players who were recently honored by the Orange County Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
White, an offensive lineman and first-team All-Sunset League kicker for the Griffins, received a $750 scholarship. He had a 4.0 grade-point average. Winners of $500 scholarships were Sang Yoon Nam (Troy), James Hemkin (Fountain Valley), Ryan Godfrey (Los Alamitos) and Richard Herrera (Cypress).
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have made his all-league team and have a minimum GPA of 3.4. Other honored student-athletes were:
Mike Booth (Mater Dei), Dan Bowling (Mission Viejo), Justin Brown (Brea), Justin Brown (Fullerton), Todd Frazier (Troy), Richard Hada (Aliso Niguel), Ryan Hanson (Los Alamitos), Eric Jensen (Woodbridge), Scott Lieng (Brea), Evan Little (Irvine), Spencer McCroskey (Santa Margarita), Dustin Pratt (Trabuco Hills), William Sargent (Tustin), Kristopher Scher (Laguna Hills), Paul Stacey (Fullerton College), Damon Van Hoorebeke (Huntington Beach) and Peter Wieghaus (El Toro).
Staff writer Mike Terry contributed to this story.