For El Modena, Anything More Is Icing on the Cake

After El Modena beat Santiago, 3-0, in a Southern Section Division III wild-card game Wednesday, Steve Harrington, the Vanguards’ first-year coach, said his team “already exceeded expectations this season, and every game from now on is a bonus.”

So far, the bonus round has been outstanding.

The Vanguards won their first-round game over Mission Valley League champion Rosemead, 4-0. El Modena’s next chance to exceed expectations is today against third-seeded Hacienda Heights Wilson, the defending champion.

A win at home puts it into the quarterfinals Thursday against the Tustin-Santa Margarita winner.

Getting to that point of the playoffs is nothing new for Harrington, who directed West Hills Chaminade to a Southern Section title in 1999 and runner-up finish last year.

“It took three years to really start winning at Chaminade,” Harrington said. “Seven out of our 10 starters [at El Modena] are sophomores, and we have some great athletes. The trick will be putting it all together.”

Harrington coached six years at Chaminade, making it a point to schedule games against top Orange County teams like Foothill. Chaminade almost made a habit of playing Rosary in the playoffs, facing the Royals the last three years.

“Orange County ball is different than the [San Fernando] Valley,” said Harrington, whose current team plays in the shadow of Foothill and Canyon in the Century League. “There’s more strategy involved, and it’s faster. Girls just don’t take one base at a time, and there’s some exceptional defense played.”

Harrington was also a football coach at Chaminade for four years, and coaches El Modena using some football techniques and emphasizing that big plays could decide games.

“They’re tougher than some of the football players I’ve coached,” Harrington said.

Power Pitching

Pitching dominated the day on Friday in first-round games. There were five no-hitters, including three perfect games: Courtney Fossatti in Foothill’s 14-0 win over Westminster, Michelle Turner in Kennedy’s 7-0 win over Temple City, and Oxford Academy’s Melissa Porche in a 5-0 win over North Hollywood Oakwood. In a no-hitter, Orange Lutheran’s Laura Miklos struck out 13 in an 11-0 win over Gardena Serra.

Most impressive was Tustin’s Diana LaRiva, who struck out 29 in an 11-inning, 1-0 victory over Elsinore. She missed a perfect game because one batter reached base--on a dropped third strike. De De Weiman of Cerritos Gahr set the section’s single-game strikeout record in 1986 with 56.

There were also two one-hitters, by Valencia’s Michelle Whiteman and Sonora’s Carrie Wisen.

Sweet Vengeance

The last time Santa Margarita sophomore Garland Cooper competed against Brea Olinda, the sport was different, as was the outcome. But Friday, in the first round of the Division III playoffs, Cooper gained a measure of revenge.

She hit a three-run homer that eliminated the Wildcats, 4-0.

The outcome certainly left Cooper smiling. She also plays basketball for the Eagles, and said her team’s 57-28 loss to Brea in the section semifinals has been with her every day since.

“They embarrassed us,” said Cooper, whose line-drive home run went past the center fielder and seemingly rolled forever. “It’s good to get revenge, but it’s also good for the seniors to keep this going.”

Orange Curtain

Orange County teams dominated their non-county opponents in the first round, winning 17 of 22 games.

County teams cleaned up in Division III, going 7-1. The only team that lost to a non-county opponent was Savanna, which was beaten by top-seeded Whittier La Serna, 9-2. Orange County went 3-0 in Divisions I and VI, 2-1 in Divisions II and V, and 0-2 in Division IV.

The most surprising outcome probably belonged to Woodbridge, which lost at home to the third-place entry from the Mountain View League, Corona, 5-0.

Staff writer Martin Henderson contributed to this report.

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