Prep column: Mustangs, CdM do battle for bragging rights

Barry Faulkner

The high school baseball teams from Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa

already have crosstown rivals. But, after the two rosters merged to play

in a Connie Mack league last summer, the renewal of their Pacific Coast

League rivalry Friday afternoon at the Mustangs’ diamond, will surely

involve more than mere shuffling of the standings.

“I’d have to guess both sides now want it just a little more,” said

CdM Coach John Emme, whose Sea Kings meet Garden Grove today in a

meaningless tournament game, before hosting two-time defending PCL

champion University Tuesday.

If CdM defeats University and Costa Mesa gets past Laguna Beach,

Tuesday at Mesa, the winner of Friday’s game would claim sole possession

of the PCL lead.

‘I think it’ll be fun,” Mesa Coach Kirk Bauermeister said. “I think

our kids and their kids really like and respect each other. And (playing

for first place) would make it even more special.”

The players are also looking forward to the matchup.

“We know a lot of tricks about Costa Mesa guys and we’re going to use

them,” CdM senior Dave Knecht said. “We know their speed, we know who

their big hitters are and we know what to throw them. And I’m sure they

know the same things about us.”

Knecht, as well as coaches and players from both teams, said the

summer collaboration was a resounding positive for both schools.

“I thought it was great,” said Emme, who previously had teamed with

Newport Harbor to play in a winter tournament. “I thought the kids all

got along really well. The Mesa kids are really nice kids and so are

ours. And when you have characters like (Mesa senior Carlos Franco)

around, there doesn’t figure to be a lot of uneasiness for very long.”

Franco, a gregarious team leader in his third varsity season, will be

among those battling for victory, as well as bragging rights.

“Last year, we didn’t like those guys,” Franco recalled. “We thought

they were jerks and they probably thought the same thing about us. This

year, it’s different. (Winning) mean’s a lot more this year.”

CdM senior pitcher Cavan Cuyler, who is among the Sea Kings who have

forged friendships with Franco and his Mesa teammates, also checked in

with his opinion.

“Carlos likes to talk a lot,” said Cuyler, who earned both pitching

victories last year against Mesa to help the Sea Kings win the three-game

league series, 2-1. “When we played with the Newport Harbor guys, they

weren’t too friendly. So, I think after that experience, we went into the

summer league with the philosophy that ‘We don’t like you and you don’t

like us.’ But (Mesa’s) guys were so cool. It didn’t take long at all,

before we were talking and joking around with each other.”

Though both sides admit there will be interaction Friday, Cuyler

stopped short of admitting any good-natured barbs will be exchanged

between the lines.

“I guarantee there will be no joking around,” Cuyler said. “I’m sure

there will be after the game, but not during the game.”

Whenever possible, players from both teams have attended the other

team’s games this spring. And they have openly pulled for one another.

“It’s nice to see their guys do well,” Cuyler said.

Said Bauermeister, “I think (this year’s Mesa-CdM series) will be a

pride thing. It’s something we have with Estancia and I think we’ve built

a petty good friendly rivalry now with Corona.”

Knecht said he is thankful to have had the opportunity to have built

some new friendships, which have enriched his baseball experience.

“In high school, baseball is fun,” Knecht said. “It didn’t take too

long to see that they love baseball just like we do. It’s always good to

make new friends, especially those with similar interests.”

Bauermeister also said such experiences are among the many lessons

athletics can teach.

“It’s good for high school baseball and it’s good for athletics in

general,” Bauermeister said. “It’s good for kids to realize that

ballplayers are ballplayers, whether they wear green or blue. Just cause

it’s the other team, doesn’t make them dorks.”

Costa Mesa and Estancia will meet two more times this season in

league, with the perpetual Troxel Trophy, named after the late Paul

Troxel, going to the annual baseball series winner.

However, CdM and Newport, barring unlikely events, will take a

one-year break in their Back Bay diamond rivalry this spring.

The former Sea View League rivals are both in the Pride of the Coast

Tournament, scheduled April 14-18. But Emme said putting both on the same

side of the bracket would have skewed the competitive balance of the

tournament. So, the only way they will meet is if both get to the

championship game.

Sounds reasonable to me, but every effort should be made in the future

to assure these two schools compete in every sport.

Thursday’s CIF Southern Section Council meeting was devoid of

headline-making legislative action, but one revelation should spark

concern.

In discussions about the ongoing negotiations with officials

associations in all sports, Council President Clark Stephens revealed the

demands of volleyball officials have clearly become problematic.

“The volleyball (officials) association is balking on an agreement,”

Stephens said at The Grand in Long Beach. “Its leadership has even gone

so far as to threaten to strike next fall (the girls season).”

Another section official said the pay increase requested by volleyball

officials is substantially more than those of officials in other sports.

Officials across the board will be given pay increases and section

officials are working hard to bridge the gap with officials on other

issues.

Stay tuned.

The Foothill-Costa Mesa baseball tournament, which concludes today for

Corona del Mar, created more than a little confusion with its creative

scheduling format this spring.

It was basically two tournaments (with divergent levels of

competition) operating under one umbrella title. This allowed all teams

to play a fifth tournament game afforded teams in 32-team tournaments.

But if it’s two tournaments, that awarded separate championship

trophies to two champions, shouldn’t it be bound by game limitations

imposed on 16-team tournaments?

The Newport Harbor High boys volleyball team, which lost two nonleague

matches last week after defeating Foothill to win the Orange County

Championships March 19, visits defending co-champion Irvine to open Sea

View play Tuesday night.

Though the winner will be the league title favorite, Newport Coach Dan

Glenn said the showdown doesn’t have the same importance it did a year

ago.

“We’re in difference CIF (playoff) divisions now,” Glenn said.