Search: Site   Web
OC Varsity ~ High school sports talk by the staff of the Orange County Register

Author Archive

Water polo recruiting: Corona del Mar’s Zepfel picks Harvard

February 9th, 2012, 11:30 pm by

Corona del Mar All-County water polo player Ben Zepfel has committed to Harvard, Sea Kings coach Barry O’Dea announced Thursday.

Zepfel, a powerful center, was admitted to Harvard and Stanford.

“This is absolutely the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my entire life,” the senior said in a press release. “I’ve been agonizing over it since returning from my official visit to Stanford last month. I loved everything about the school and the team. Stanford is an outstanding school, offering incredible academic and athletic opportunities. Coach Vargas is a legend at CdM and in the water polo world. Ever since I began playing water polo, I always believed it would be an amazing honor to play for him one day. I’m flattered that he would consider me for his team.

“But Harvard is Harvard. After careful consideration, I concluded that overall, Harvard is the best fit for me as a student, offering me the opportunity to balance my academic and athletic goals. I’m also excited to be on the ground floor of a new era of Harvard water polo under the leadership of Coach Ted Minnis, and honored that he selected me to help put Harvard on the road toward an Eastern championship and hopefully, a berth at NCAAs.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Girls water polo: Beckman freshman on verge of 100-goal season

February 9th, 2012, 1:59 pm by

Add Beckman’s Nikki Daurio to the list of outstanding freshmen water polo players in Orange County.

Daurio has 99 goals entering Beckman’s nonleague match today against Villa Park. Her output ranks ninth in Orange County.

Daurio is a veteran of the powerhouse SOCAL club program.

Last summer, she was a second-team All-American at the Junior Olympics. She also been part of the U.S. Cadet program.

Beckman tied with Northwood for second in the Pacific Coast League.

Photo courtesy of by Cindy Gallegos

Water polo video: Newport Harbor shuts down rival to capture SoCal title

February 8th, 2012, 12:14 pm by

Check out highlights from the Irvine Southern California Championships and postgame interviews with Newport Harbor’s Maddy McLaren and Coach Bill Barnett. The Lady Sailors posted a huge victory against Corona del Mar but face another big match tonight vs. Edison.

Football: Santa Margarita fires JV coach after arrest for drug possession

February 8th, 2012, 11:00 am by

A Santa Margarita junior varsity football coach arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance has been fired by the school.

Kevin Orton, a junior varsity football coach and assistant boys golf coach, was fired Wednesday, said Stephen Bohannon, spokesman for the Diocese of Orange.

Orton, 48, of Costa Mesa was identified by law enforcement on Feb. 4 as the driver of a 2006 Cadillac limousine stalled in the No. 2 lane on Rancho Viejo Road in San Juan Capistrano around 1 a.m., said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The vehicle didn’t have its emergency lights on, Amormino said.

Law enforcement noticed a white, powdery substance in a cup holder inside the car and also spotted the substance in a bag, Amormino said. A field test of the substance was positive for cocaine, Amormino said.

Orton was asked to exit the limousine and was determined to be under the influence, Amormino said.

Orton was later booked into the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana and posted bond, said Lt. Dan Dwyer of the Orange County’s Sheriff’s Department.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Water polo recruiting: Woodbridge goalie commits

February 8th, 2012, 9:01 am by

Standout Woodbridge water polo goalie Zachary Tudhope has committed to UC Davis, the senior reports.

Tudhope racked up 303 saves in 2011 to help the Warriors reach the CIF Division 2 playoffs.

UC Davis fell to UC San Diego, 8-7, in the finals of the WWPA championships in November, narrowly missing a chance to reach the NCAA tournament. Tudhope is an excellent get for Davis.

Please send water polo recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@ocregister.com

Football: Santa Margarita JV coach placed on leave

February 7th, 2012, 10:08 pm by

Update 2/8/12: Santa Margarita JV coach arrested on suspicion of drug possession

A Santa Margarita junior varsity football coach,  who is also a frosh/soph boys golf coach at the school, has been placed on leave by the school, he said Tuesday night.

Kevin Orton, 48, of Costa Mesa, said he was placed on leave by the school Monday but he was not told the reason for the action.  Orton said he was placed on leave from his position as the frosh-soph boys golf coach.

Santa Margarita listed Orton as a JV football coach, who was in charge of scouting, this past season.

Read the rest of this entry »

Water polo recruiting: Villa Park’s Churnside decides (update)

February 7th, 2012, 5:08 pm by

Get ready for the Bret Bonanni-BJ Churnside combination.

The All-County water polo player from Villa Park, pictured left, said in a text message Tuesday that he has signed with Stanford.

At The Farm, Churnside will team with two-time Register player of the year Bret Bonanni of Mater Dei, who signed with Stanford on National Signing Day.

“It just has the highest level of both academics and athletics,” Churnside said in a text message of his selection of Stanford. “And there are opportunities there that I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.”

Churnside is another great get for Stanford coach JohnVargas.

The senior will bring excellent defense, an offensive punch. and plenty of speed.

 

More recruiting news from the OCVarsity blog:

Football recruiting: Costa Mesa’s ‘Super’ Mario signs with Division 2 school

February 7th, 2012, 12:11 pm by

Speedy Costa Mesa running back “Super” Mario Smith (5-10, 180) has signed with Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State, Mustangs coach Wally Grant said Tuesday.

Smith generated interest from Sacramento State and New Mexico State but commits to a Bulldogs’ program that features several players from California. This year, however, Southwestern Oklahoma signed recruits from mostly Oklahoma and Texas.

The program”s alumni includes New York Jets coach Rex Ryan.

Smith rushed for 1,975 yards and 30 TDs.

Please send football recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@ocregister.com

 

 

More recruiting news from the OCVarsity blog:

Girls water polo: Tesoro junior sets scoring record

February 7th, 2012, 9:52 am by
YouTube Preview Image

Tesoro junior water polo Alyssa Diacono scored twice in the third period Monday against No. 8 San Clemente to set the Titans’ single-season scoring record.

Diacono, a first-year varsity player, now has 93 goals, one more than Lauren Colton, who now plays for Michigan. Diacono plays center.

San Clemente won the game, 22-5, to clinch at least a share of the South Coast League title.

Water polo: Newport wins SoCal Champs, places three on all-tourney (update)

February 4th, 2012, 9:26 pm by

Newport Harbor’s girls water polo team turned in a strong defensive effort Saturday to capture the Irvine SoCal Championships with a 6-5 victory against Corona del Mar in the final.

The Lady Sailors held Corona del Mar scoreless for the final 5:17 of the third period and the first 5:22 of the fourth en route to their first victory against the Sea Queens in four tries this season.

Newport Harbor also captured the prestigious, 32-team tournament for the first time since 2008  and the second time in school history.

Here’s the all-tournament team:

Outstanding Field Player: Rachel Fattal, Los Alamitos, Sr.

Read the rest of this entry »

Girls water polo: Back Bay rivals to clash for Irvine SoCal title

February 4th, 2012, 1:19 pm by

Back Bay rivals Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor are set to clash in the finals of the Irvine SoCal girls water polo championships at 3:15 p.m. at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine.

The Sea Queens and Lady Sailors also are ranked  first-second in Orange County and CIF Division 1. Corona del Mar is 3-0 against Newport Harbor this season, including a triumph in the finals of the Santa Barbara TOC.

In the semifinals today, Newport Harbor held Laguna Beach to a 1 for 6 effort on the power-play en route to a 7-4 victory. Presley Pender and Avery Peterson each scored twice.

Earlier, Corona del Mar defeated Foothill, 11-8, behind 14 saves by Alex Musselman and four second-half by Diana Murphy.

More girls water polo news from the OCVarsity blog:

Girls water polo: Semifinals set for Irvine SoCal Championships

February 3rd, 2012, 9:52 pm by

Here is the lineup for Saturday’s semifinals at the Irvine Southern California girls water polo championships at Woollett:

10 a.m. — Corona del Mar vs. Foothill, 10 a.m. – Teams’ first meeting of the season could be the best match of the regular season

11 a.m. — Newport Harbor vs. Laguna Beach, 11 a.m. – Newport beat Laguna and Yoshi Andersen, left, in double sudden-death overtime last week. Will this one be epic once again?

The championship match is set for 3:15 p.m.

Jobs
Autos
Real Estate
Classifieds
ADVERTISEMENT 
ADVERTISEMENT 
SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline