Top Dana Hills Runner Sidelined

Monika Rothenburger has helped Dana Point Dana Hills to one second-place finish and two third-place efforts in the girls’ Division I races of the state cross-country championships the previous three years. But she is not expected to race this season until the South Coast League finals Nov. 6 because she sustained a stress fracture in her lower left leg.

Rothenburger, who has had two previous stress fractures during high school, has been cleared to start running on Oct. 1. But Coach Rex Hall is leery of having her race too quickly.

“We’re taking the slow easy approach with her return,” he said. “We’re not going to rush her.”

-- John Ortega

Sisters Hillary and Courtney Collins, two of the top girls’ tennis players for Palm Desert High, ranked No. 8 in the Southland by The Times, have quit the team to spend more time on private workouts and junior-tournament competition.

Hillary, a sophomore, was the Aztecs’ No. 1 player. She advanced to the round of 16 in the Southern Section individual tournament last year and won the USTA Southern California girls’ 16 sectional championship in June. She is ranked No. 4 in the Southern California girls’ 16 division.

“Basically, I don’t have enough time to do both, and it wasn’t fair to my teammates,” said Hillary, who has been bothered by a sore Achilles’ heel recently and missed two matches because of the injury.

Courtney, a freshman, is ranked No. 39 in the Southern California girls’ 14 division and has been playing No. 1 doubles.

The Aztecs (2-2), who have eight players back from last year’s Southern Section Division II championship team, began the season ranked No. 3 by The Times but have lost to No. 6-ranked Brentwood and No. 3 Laguna Beach.

-- Lauren Peterson

For many of the top boys’ water polo programs in the Southland, the beginning of the season is normally just a continuation of their year-round schedule.

But not at Santa Ana Saddleback, where the Roadrunners start fresh every fall. The lack of year-round training hasn’t prevented Saddleback from achieving success. The Roadrunners reached the Southern Section Division II semifinals in 1999 and the quarterfinals last season, getting eliminated by Anaheim Servite in both games. In the latest section rankings, Saddleback is sixth in Division II, ahead of more seasoned teams such as Huntington Beach Edison, Santa Margarita, Placentia El Dorado and Tustin.

Although the Roadrunners don’t benefit from any youth feeder programs, Saddleback Coach Monte McCord is often surrounded by future players.

“Most of our kids come to the program through friends or brothers who played before,” said McCord, a Saddleback graduate in his 13th season at the school.

The Roadrunners already have the upper hand in the Golden West League. Saddleback played Costa Mesa on Tuesday in what was expected to be their stiffest league test, but they won, 14-7. Saddleback, 3-1 after the league-opening victory, was led by Chris Tapia with seven goals, Chris Colchado scored four and goalie Chris Galvan stopped 10 shots.

-- Dan Arritt