Former Loara football coach John deFries, who turned out some solid teams in the mid to late 1990s,  is now coaching the defensive linemen at Fairmont Prep, coach Bobby Mendoza reports.

DeFries joins fellow Fairmont assistants Ed Begany (former Mater Dei line coach) and defensive coordinator Pete Morado (Verbum Dei, Salesian, Compton College).

Not a bad outfit for a Division XIII-level program.

All-CIF football player Alkeem Flowers of Santiago (6-1, 255), arguably the best lineman in the Garden Grove League, has a fractured shin bone and will probably not play in the Cavaliers’ first two games, Santiago coach Aaron Shahrestani said.

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Edison coach Dave White just checked in from Maui, where his team will take on Lahainalua on Saturday.

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I’ve heard the whispers on this one for weeks but it is now confirmed: Corona del Mar’s water polo team has a major foreign import.

Martin Babovic, a 6-foot-2 senior from Serbia, has enrolled as a foreign exchange student at Corona del Mar, Coach Barry O’Dea confirmed moments ago.

The Sea Kings already were considered a major contender in CIF-SS Division before the addition, but now they look even stronger.

“He’s the best goalie in CIF,” O’Dea said Babovic, who has played for the powerful Partizan club.

Corona del Mar returns starting goalie Isle Anderson, a junior-to-be, from last season. O’Dea  said Anderson and Babovic will split time in cage.

Over the summer, Corona del Mar finished second in a tournament in Slovakia.

The Santa Ana Unified School District announced Thursday that it has equipped its six schools with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the upcoming school year.

The coaching staff at Segerstrom and district nurses have already been trained with the devices. Additional training began at Santa Ana Valley on Thursday. The devices are used to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

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While Orange County football fans should be well aware of Tustin junior-to-be running back Anthony Wilkerson, we all should put the name Chris Robinson to memory now.

The 6-foot-1, 265-pound senior-to-be is a tight end/defensive end transfer from Salinas. Robinson arrived at Tustin in the spring and has a scholarship offer from Nevada, according to Tustin coach Myron Miller.

And check out these stats:

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The second-year school in Irvine probably won’t play varsity football until 2011 — taking the slow approach, which is good — but Coach Aaron Meschuk has tabbed Irvine High lower-level coach Mark Owen as his defensive coordinator.

Owen will remain at Irvine this fall.

Crean Lutheran South won’t field its first football team – junior varsity – until 2009.

Yes, that is correct.

According to coaches at Los Alamitos, the standout quarterback will play defensive end in some passing situations this fall. Sounds like an injury risk to me, but Evans is a physical force who could make an impact.

The Griffins struggled rushing the passer in 2007. So now, Evans – a Colorado commit – is not just a dual-threat with the ability to run and pass, he is a triple-threat on the football field.

What’s next? Matt Barkley playing safety for the Monarchs?

Huntington Beach’s football/athletics stadium - aka Scheue Field - is in the early stages of a multimillion dollar refurbishment and will not be available for football, soccer or track this coming school year.

Here are some of the plans, according to Nelson Cayabyab, chief facilities official with the Huntington Beach Union High School School District:

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Former Los Alamitos quarterback Jimmy Barnes is headed to Arizona State as a walk-on, said his father, John, the Griffins’ football coach.

Barnes signed with Alabama out of high school but spent last season at Division I-AA Weber State. His 2007 season, however, was cut short by a knee injury.

Because of his most recent transfer, Barnes will not be eligible to play this season at Arizona State. In the fall of 2009, he will be a redshirt junior.