From Brighten principal Sue Donze — the decision to close the school was made this week. The decision to end athletics was made a month-and-a-half ago.

— Dan Albano/The Register

View image

A few players from Marina HS helped the Long Beach Shore girls water polo team capture the recent 18-and-under Northwood tournament.

Here’s the rundown of players in the photo (from left to right) with the schools they will be attending in the fall:

Ally Loveless, 8th Grade LB Stanford Middle School
Jamie Williams, So LB Wilson
Rebecca Clopp, Jr HB Marina HS
Allie Welty, So LB Wilson
Danielle Scharer, So LB Wilson
Alice Cardenas, Sr HB Marina HS
Aubrey Johnson, Jr LB Wilson
Katlin Sherrin, fr LMU
Emily Clopp, fr Stanford University
Kendall Wotten, Sr LB Wilson
Heather McKeon, Sr LB Wilson
Sarah Welty, Sr LB Wilson
Andrea Artukovich, Sr LB Wilson
Brianna Vogelzang, Sr LB Wilson
Brenna Roffers, Sr Saint Joseph HS
Andrea Mckinney So LB Wilson

Coach is Charles Wright. As you can see, Long Beach Wilson should be pretty good this season.

– Dan Albano/The Register

Westminster defensive end/tight end Toa Tuitea (6-4, 240) is one recruit to keep an eye on. The senior-to-be has received scholarship offers from New Mexico State, Nevada, Hawaii, Mississippi and San Diego State.

He also is being recruited by Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State, Arizona, Vanderbilt and Utah.

Tuitea is keeping his recruiting options open but is interested in visiting Hawaii, Ole and Arizona State, according his brother, Calvin.

— Dan Albano/The Register

I watched a little more video last night and I came away impressed with Tesoro LT Tim Hodgdon (6-4, 290).

He’s an aggressive player who gets into his blocks and finishes what he starts. He also showed some good movement. I even spotted a few nice showings against Mission Viejo DE Dominic Glover (now at Oregon).

Count Hodgdon among the county offensive linemen to watch this season.

– Dan Albano/The Register

I watched a little more video tonight and I came away impressed with Tesoro LT Tim Hodgdon (6-4, 290).

He’s an aggressive player who gets into his blocks and finishes what he starts. He also showed some good movement. I even spotted a few nice showings against Mission Viejo DE Dominic Glover (now at Oregon).

Count Hodgdon among the county offensive linemen to watch this season.

– Dan Albano/The Register

I watched a little more video tonight and I came away impressed with Tesoro LT Tim Hodgdon (6-4, 290).

He’s an aggressive player who gets into his blocks and finishes what he starts. He also showed some good movement. I even spotted a few nice showings against Mission Viejo DE Dominic Glover (now at Oregon).

Count Hodgdon among the county offensive linemen to watch this season.

– Dan Albano/The Register

Mission Viejo quarterback Allan Bridgford has received a scholarship offer from Stanford. Bridgford is going into his junior year. He had an outstanding sophomore year, having been inserted into the starter’s role after a fine job in relief in the Diablos’ loss to De La Salle of Concord. Bridgford’s father, brother, grandfather, and an aunt attended Stanford.

Dan Albano of the Register and ocvarsity.com said Steve Stenstrom was the last OC QB to play at Stanford. I think Dan is correct. Like Bridgford, Stenstrom played for Coach Bob Johnson, but at El Toro.

Many outstanding OC athletes went to Stanford. You can start with Tiger Woods and build your list from there.

– Steve Fryer

Ok, St. Margaret’s now has Harry Welch as its football coach.

Whittier Christian football could be headed toward its third consecutive big season.

And now, highly-regarded Mater Dei assistant Ed Begany is coaching linemen at Fairmont Prep. He’s also the dean of students at the school.

So says HC Bobby Mendoza, now the school’s headmaster.

I might sound like a small-school homer here (which I can sometimes be), but don’t be surprised when you hear that Fairmont Prep is getting better.

— Dan Albano/The Register

This is the time of year when teams are in their summer dead period, a CIF-mandated three week period during which teams cannot practice. Kids do, though, get together and run their own workouts and get in the weight rooms at their schools — all of this is completely legal. Coaches cannot particiapte, other then unlocking the weight room. Thats why I am calling this the semi-dead period.

The three weeks must occur consecutively; i.e. teams cannot take one week off in late June, another in July and the last one in August. Three weeks off, in a row.

With so many teams playing those Week 0 games, different teams take those three-week dead periods at different times.

Teams that play Week 0 games — Thursday Aug. 30, Friday Aug. 31 and Saturday Sept. 1 — will have their first practices on Aug. 13. Teams that play Week 0 games can take their bye week any time they want during the regular season. Quite a few take that bye week on the week before they open league play. Edison, for example, is taking its bye week after finishing nonleague with back-to-back games against Servite and Mater Dei. That’s a good time to take a bye week, when you have played Servite and Mater Dei on consecutive weeks and play Los Alamitos in your league opener.

Teams that start the season the old-fashioned way, on Week 1, will have their first practices on Aug. 20.

Questions or comments? Email to sfryer@ocregister.com or call 714-796-2245.

One of the worst-kept transfer rumors from girls water polo has turned to a reality and it’s rather significant:

Laguna Beach’s Erin Reid, a speedy lefty with lots of potential, has transferred to Newport Harbor for her senior season. Reid has been a key player for the Breakers since her freshman yr. and could make a splash at Newport.

The Sailors earlier landed transfer Nina McCall from Rosary.

— Dan Albano/The Register

San Clemente left tackle prospect Kevin Murphy (6-7, 260 — yes, 6-foot-7) lists Stanford as one of his favorites, Tritons coach Eric Patton said.

— Dan Albano/The Register