San Clemente Expects to Be Making Waves

San Clemente’s first-year Coach Ken Goldstone knew this past weekend’s Orange County Championships would be tough, and he was pleased with his team’s strong showing.

But he wasn’t ready to call the Tritons the county’s favorite just yet.

“It’s so early,” Goldstone said. “But any time you can get to the final of this tournament it’s great. We knew whatever team we were going to play this weekend, it was going to be a tough match. You could get ousted by anyone.”

San Clemente proved Goldstone’s point, losing to Huntington Beach Friday to finish second in its pool. But Goldstone knows the goal is not to be No. 1 now, but in May.

With UCLA-bound outside hitter Gray Garrett, 6-foot-6 middle blocker Brian George, and 6-5 outside hitters Spencer Bemus and Nick Gardner, the Tritons have plenty of weapons. And Goldstone brings his own championship experience to the mix.

He helped Capistrano Valley win the South Coast League in 1993 and reach the Southern Section Division I final with a 20-0 record, before it lost a five-game heartbreaker to Huntington Beach.

That ’93 squad featured Aaron Garcia (Stanford), Eric Seiffert (USC), Evan Alexander (UC Irvine) . . . and San Clemente assistant coach Gus Culver.

INJURY REPORT

Although the Orange County Championships showcased some of the county’s top teams and players, some of the county’s best were sidelined or even hurt during the event.

Huntington Beach emerged as perhaps the top challenger to Marina in the Sunset League, and the Oilers impressed by winning their pool and advancing to the Division I semifinals, although they played their last two matches without starting outside hitter Aaron Gale.

Gale sprained his right ankle and may be out for two weeks, Huntington Beach Coach Rocky Ciarelli said.

Corona del Mar is still without starting outside hitter Alec Hanson, who also has a sprained ankle, and the Sea Kings finished second to Marina in their pool and lost to Irvine in the first round of the championship bracket.

Newport Harbor played without sophomore setter Lloyd Wright, who has torn tendons in his hand and will be out one to two months, Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn said.

The injury weakens the Sailors, especially since one of its top passers and hitters, Kent Turner, is now the starting setter. This increases the burden on Stanford-bound outside hitter Billy Clayton, and Newport Harbor will need some newcomers to step up if it wants to challenge Irvine for Sea View League supremacy.

LOOKING AHEAD

Marina, ranked third in the county, lost to top-ranked San Clemente at the Orange County Championships but gets a shot at payback Wednesday when the two teams meet at 5:30 p.m. at San Clemente. In the semifinals of the tournament, San Clemente won an emotionally-charged match in three games.

Marina counters San Clemente’s firepower, which is led by Garrett, with two Long Beach State-bound outside hitters, Jeff Wootton and Rob Kijewski.

Another interesting match is Friday, when perennial power Manhattan Beach Mira Costa plays at Newport Harbor, the defending Southern Section Division I champion.

If you have an item or idea for the boys’ volleyball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com