Latest news with #CdM
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Third annual ‘Battle in the Bay' moves Back Bay water polo rivals from pool to ocean
It's been a big week for Newport Harbor High junior Connor Ohl. The sharp-shooting boys' water polo player committed to Stanford earlier this week. He then turned 18 on Thursday, the same day the Sailors hosted the third annual 'Battle in the Bay' showcase against rival Corona del Mar in the water next to Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula. Ohl gave himself a birthday gift. He was named the KAP7 Player of the Game for the boys' match, earning a stand-up paddleboard for his efforts. Newport Harbor swept the two games, winning the girls' game 17-5 before earning a 15-8 win in the boys' game. 'We really came together and our crash defense was just amazing,' said Ohl, who led the Sailors with four goals in the boys' game. 'When you play good defense, the offense will come, and that's what happened today. Our defense complemented our offense.' The Battle in the Bay has become an annual event that the Newport Beach water polo community circles on its calendar. Newport Harbor looked the part of a team that was a CIF Southern Section Open Division champion in the boys' season last fall, and an Open Division finalist in the girls' season in the winter. 'It's such a unique spot,' Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. 'It's unique to play in the Battle of the Bay, and I think this is another added element of celebrating the community and being able to play in the bay. It's a novelty.' Kai Kaneko added three goals for the Sailors boys, while Dash D'Ambrosia, Hudson Parks and Mason Netzer scored twice each. Koosha Mirrafati led CdM with three goals. 'It's a cool thing for our community to come together and do something that no other programs in the country get to do,' CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said, adding that he was a bit jealous the event wasn't around when he was a CdM student. 'Being able to play in the bay, play so close to home in a really cool environment, I think it's an awesome opportunity for our kids.' Newport Harbor senior goalkeeper Lydia Soderberg was the Player of the Game for the girls' match. Some of her Sailors teammates blew up her inflatable paddleboard and watched the boys' game while perched on it. Caitlin Stayt and Gabby Alexson led the Sailors with three goals each, while Josie Alaluf had two goals for CdM. Newport Harbor also benefited from strong play from freshmen, including Lily Tomalas, Vivian Muir, Olivia Bryant and goalkeeper Sutton Lohman. They stepped up, as four Sailors — Madison Mack, Kennedy Fahey, Addison Ting and Caroline Daniels — are currently playing for the U.S. Cadet National Team at the PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Colombia. 'This is just a really unique experience,' Stayt said. 'We love coming out here and being with the community, being with each other.'
Los Angeles Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Corona del Mar girls' lacrosse celebrates seniors, secures Battle of the Bay win
Corona del Mar High senior Meg Vanis woke up knowing Thursday would be a big day for her. She turned 18 years old, for one thing. Vanis and the CdM girls' lacrosse team were hosting rival Newport Harbor on senior night, for another. 'I was super nervous, just because it's so many things riding on one day,' Vanis admitted. 'Birthday, senior day, Battle of the Bay. It's a bunch, but my teammates helped me calm down a little bit.' Everything worked out just fine for the Sea Kings. They blanked the Sailors in the first half on their way to a 15-6 Sunset League win. Senior Rihanna Quinn led CdM (12-5, 2-0) with four goals. Vanis and Ashley Solarczyk, another senior, each scored twice. Vanis had scored the game-tying goal late against Huntington Beach in a league opener on Tuesday, the 100th of her CdM career. Her game-winning goal in overtime of that match gave CdM a 10-9 victory. 'I have loved my time here,' said Vanis, who transferred from JSerra as a sophomore. 'My 100 goals, I really got the majority of those from my teammates. They made it happen for me. They're my biggest cheerleaders, and they just make me so excited to be the best player I can be.' Defense was a story for CdM against Newport Harbor (2-11, 0-2), particularly since the Sailors were successful on many of the draw controls behind the efforts of senior Hailee Devries. Corona del Mar junior goalkeeper Sofia Petek made 15 saves for the hosts, who led 8-0 at halftime. She said senior Anita Oranghi and junior Gabi Bales were also key in the defensive effort. Petek, who stands just 5-foot-2, played on the program's second junior varsity team last year. Coach Jessica Murray said she's improved a lot and has only been playing goalie for a little more than a year. 'It was a big jump, but it was really exciting,' Petek said. 'I have really good teammates.' Other goal-scorers for CdM included seniors Helena Fratantaro, Annika Soderstrom and Maile Lyle, juniors MK Angeloff, Miley Perisi and Bales and freshman Bijou Luong. Angeloff had a team-best six ground balls. Senior Casey Sharbrough led Newport Harbor with five goals and six ground balls. First-year Sailors coach Delaney Knipp, an alumna of the program from the class of 2019, called Sharbrough the heart and soul of the team. 'I'm really proud of the girls,' said Knipp, who played NCAA Division I lacrosse at Kent State, rebounding from a torn anterior cruciate ligament as a sophomore to compete three more seasons. She is the Sailors' third varsity coach in three years and has another program alumna, Caroline Farley, as the assistant and junior varsity coach. 'It's been a season of fighting as hard as we can,' Knipp said. 'There's been a little bit of turbulence over the last couple of years, a couple of changes in coaching staffs, but this is a group that really wants to buy into the process. That fight that you saw in the second half [when the Sailors were outscored just 7-6], that's the team that we're aspiring to be the whole time.' Newport Harbor continues league play after spring break next week with a home match against Los Alamitos on April 15. As for CdM, the Sea Kings are headed toward a possible showdown for the league title at Edison on April 22 in their regular season finale. The Chargers are also 2-0 in league after Thursday's 6-5 win over Huntington Beach. First, CdM has to take care of business at Los Alamitos on April 17. 'We're in the hunt,' said Murray, whose team finished second in league to Edison last year as the Chargers earned their third straight league title.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Corona del Mar boys' tennis still on top in the Sunset League
Meet the new (Sea) Kings, same as the old (Sea) Kings. The Corona del Mar High boys' tennis team lost its top two players, Niels Hoffmann and Jack Cross, to graduation. But a deep and talented lineup has squashed any doubts this season. CdM swept in singles and beat Marina 12-6 on Wednesday afternoon at its home courts, clinching at least a share of the Sunset League title with three matches remaining. The Sea Kings had dominated the four-team Surf League in recent years, splitting the league crown with Fountain Valley in 2021 before three straight undefeated league campaigns. Now, even with the move to the larger, seven-team Sunset League, CdM is still on top. Corona del Mar (11-2, 9-0 in league) has advanced to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title match in each of the last three years, falling to rival University every time. 'The goal is always to win a league title, and then to be in the Open Division playoffs,' CdM coach Jamie Gresh said. 'That's the goal every year, and I think we are playing Open-level tennis. We have good depth in doubles, and the singles guys are playing some good tennis right now as well.' CdM junior Ivan Pflueger and freshmen Henry Dennison and Blake Fraley easily swept in singles against Marina (9-3, 4-3), as the Vikings put each of their top four players in doubles. The CdM doubles teams of Mason Nguyen and Tristan Pham, Jack Barnes and Justin Pamer, as well as Roger Geng and Brody Jao, won one set each. Pflueger, who is 6-foot-6, has had to stand tall as the top returning singles player. 'Definitely a little more pressure, because I'm kind of expected to win now,' he said. 'Niels and Jack kind of carried it at singles the last couple of years. But yeah, I just have to deal with that and get my wins, do my best.' Pflueger added that the team camaraderie is good this year, echoing his coach that winning league and making a deep playoff run remains the goal. CdM had the match wrapped up early against Marina, allowing seniors Pham and Ansel Lee to skip the third round in preparation for Wednesday night's Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Awards dinner. Pham and Lee are two of CdM's valedictorians this year. Senior Trevor Nguyen and junior David Pham, who won the CIF Individuals doubles title last year, swept in doubles for Marina. Vikings coach Chuck Kingman said they played together for the first time this season, getting ready for what they hope is a deep run at the Ojai Tournament later this month. Last year, Nguyen and Pham lost in a tight three-set match in the Ojai semifinals. Junior Alejandro Hill and freshman DJ Buchfeller also swept in doubles for Marina, twice coming back from 4-1 deficits. The Vikings are getting toward full strength as the season enters the stretch run. Hill, a transfer from Servite, recently became eligible to compete. Buchfeller has missed time with a shoulder injury that forced him to serve underhand on Wednesday. 'CdM just has so much depth,' Kingman said. 'Good players and depth, which is a pretty tough combination to beat.' Hill will be playing in singles at the prestigious Ojai Tournament, which starts on April 24, for the VIkings. Pflueger will be playing singles for CdM, with Geng and Jao in doubles. Corona del Mar returns to Sunset League action after spring break on April 14, when it hosts rival Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay match. The Sea Kings beat the Sailors 16-2 in the teams' first league meeting. Marina traveled to Newport Harbor on Thursday for another league match.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Newport Harbor softball routs rival CdM in Battle of the Bay
Newport Harbor seized control against Corona del Mar immediately and continued to add on, the Sailors coming away with a 14-0 win at home on Tuesday to emphatically snap a four-game losing streak. Ginny Peterson was at the center of it all. The sophomore right-hander recorded eight strikeouts in a five-inning, one-hit shutout, an abbreviated outing after the mercy rule came into play. 'I think the girls had a lot of fun today,' Newport Harbor coach Patrick Murphy said. 'I think it started and ended with how Ginny Peterson pitched in the circle today. She was fantastic. We've asked her to kind of up her strike percentage. Today, she threw 64% strikes, threw the first-pitch strike 78% of the time.' Peterson also had two hits and drove in a team-high four runs, as she was the beneficiary of having eight runners on base during her plate appearances. Newport Harbor (7-6, 1-1) batted around in the first and second innings. The Sailors scored five runs in the first, then had three runners cross the plate in each of the three successive innings. 'It felt pretty good,' Peterson said of her outing in the circle. 'Honestly, I wasn't expecting the score to be that high. I really made sure to give it my all.' Center fielder Cora Jordan had the lone extra base hit of the contest with a run-scoring double in the third inning, but the Sailors also made their way around the base paths with six stolen bases. 'It was like pumped,' Jordan said of the atmosphere in the dugout as the Sailors turned over the lineup again and again. 'It's exciting when you're winning and you're doing good.' First baseman Dominique Bettencourt had a perfect day at the plate with three hits, three runs scored, two runs batted in and a walk. Shortstop Sienna Schneider had two hits and scored twice, and second baseman Lilia Horsley had a pair of singles. Right fielder Kate Shepherd reached base three times — on a hit by pitch, a walk and an infield single. Catcher Ally Shaw, third baseman Abby George and left fielder Alexis Vanhorn each had a single, as each starter in the Sailors' lineup produced at least one hit. Brooklyn Black took over in right field and made a running catch near the foul line. 'I'm really proud of the girls,' Murphy said. 'I love being at practice, I love being around them, and I just think we progressively get a little bit better every time out.' The Newport Harbor softball program has had a new playing surface for a little over a year now, and the Sailors have been dominant in home games against their crosstown rivals since the installation of the turf infield In the first meeting on the new field last year, Newport Harbor beat the Sea Kings 15-0, which came on the heels of a wild 20-18 win for the Sailors at CdM to kick off the Battle of the Bay series. First baseman Makenna Smith led off with an opposite-field single to right, but CdM (4-6, 0-2) would not see another batter reach base until Peterson issued back-to-back walks — to center fielder Sierra Zuan and pinch hitter Ashley Jones — with two outs in the fifth. Right fielder Tatum Reynolds caught a line drive and threw to first to complete a double play at first base in the second inning, the duo jumping for joy after the defensive play. Corona del Mar coach Dennis Wilbanks called the double play 'a bright spot' for his team. Reynolds was making her first career start, he said. Smith celebrated her teammate's play, and Wilbanks referred to her as a 'vocal leader' for the Sea Kings. 'She brings that spark to the girls and [shows] what's expected to play at another level,' Wilbanks added. 'As a coaching staff, we enjoy that.'
Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Newport Harbor swim team sweeps Battle of the Bay
A swimmer can compete in two individual events and two relays in a high school dual meet, allowing for a considerable amount of points to be earned. Still, it takes a big team effort to get past the 85-point mark and clinch the meet. Newport Harbor used its depth to sweep the Battle of the Bay meet at rival Corona del Mar on Tuesday afternoon. The Sailors girls won, 95-75, while the boys were victorious by a 99-71 score. Newport Harbor, which beat Edison last week to open Sunset League competition, improved to 2-0 in league in both genders. The Sailors girls won just one individual event and one relay against CdM (1-2 in league), but that 200-yard freestyle relay win helped shift the momentum in the middle of the meet. Newport Harbor's 'A' team was disqualified as a swimmer left the blocks early, but the depth shined through. The Newport Harbor 'B' team of Sophia Verdugo, Kennedy Fahey, Italia Molina and Harper Price still ended up winning the race. And the Sailors' 'C' team of Addison Ting, Sadie Ricks, Kylie Robison and Malia Cottriel touched second. Despite the disqualification, Newport Harbor gained 10 points from the event, took a 12-point lead and did not look back. 'When one of our teammates is down, you just have to step up and come together as a team,' said Price, one of two Newport girls' water polo seniors out for swimming along with Caitlin Stayt. 'You can push through the hard times and work really hard and be consistent in practice. Something like that [DQ] can happen, and if you all come together you can still succeed and do great.' Stayt finished second in both the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. Sailors senior Ariana Amoroso, a talented club swimmer committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, won the backstroke in a minute flat and was second in the 50 free. Molina and Ricks — both freshmen — and sophomore Madison Mack all earned top three finishes in both of their individual events to help guide the Sailors to victory. CdM's three girls' club swimmers, seniors Alex Milisavljevic and Nikki Lahey and sophomore Sofia Szymanowski, were all double event winners. Milisavljevic won the 200 and 500 freestyle, Lahey the 50 and 100 free and Szymanowski the individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Milisavljevic, bound for the University of Chicago, won the 500 free in 5:10.66 but said she'd like to be sub-five minutes by the end of the season. She's accomplished that twice in club swimming, but never in high school. 'It's always fun competing against Harbor,' she said. 'The rivalry's fun. They definitely have depth. It's kind of hard, we have to be really strategic about who's swimming what, especially since we only have three girls' club swimmers. The senior water polo girls are stepping up a lot this season with the relays and stuff, which we appreciate.' A water polo senior, Didi Evans, won the girls' butterfly event for the hosts. On the boys' side, Newport Harbor used double event wins by senior club swimmer Aidan Arie and junior boys' water polo player Connor Ohl to come out on top. Arie won the 200 freestyle (1:44.35) and IM (1:57.09), while Ohl captured the 50 and 100 free in quick times of 20.91 and 47.10. Arie has always enjoyed the teamwork between club swimmers and water polo players. He grinned as Newport Harbor freshman Mateo Micheloni-Creazzo had a big celebration after touching first to win the open boys' 400 free relay. 'You don't really get that with swim kids, just water polo kids,' Arie said. 'It's so fun … The swimmers just think about their times, and he was just thinking about winning.' Ohl said he never went under 21 seconds last year in the 50 free without a technical suit on, so he's already ahead of that pace this season. The Sailors swept the top three spots in the 50 free, with Ohl, Dash D'Ambrosia and James Mulvey. All three are water polo players. 'It's amazing,' Ohl said. 'It just shows the pure power and strength of water polo players. We can do everything. We can play water polo and we can swim fast.' Mulvey won the butterfly event for the Sailors, with Tyler Jameson capturing the 500 free. CdM out-touched Newport Harbor to win the medley relay, though the Sailors won both freestyle relays. The Sea Kings (0-3 in league) also got individual event wins from Henry Chang in the backstroke, and Will Weir in the breaststroke. Newport Harbor swims at Los Alamitos on Monday in a key league meet, while Corona del Mar swims at Edison on Tuesday. The Sailors girls are going for their third straight league title, after winning the Wave League two years ago and the Surf League last year. This year, there is one larger seven-team league instead of the two-league format that the Sunset Conference had in the past. 'I think we have a really good shot,' Sophia Verdugo said. 'We're all really competitive, and we're going to do the best we can to win it again and put our best foot forward.'
