Shadowlands

Looking back, 5 years ago this week.

Corona del Mar High’s Kai Miller pleads to Coach Tim Mang to let him

play singles in the CIF Southern Section Division I Playoffs. Miller

plays singles for the first time in the season and he sweeps 6-1, 6-0,

6-1 as the Sea Kings defeat South Torrance 12-6. Miller, who is a senior

transfer from University, plays at No. 2 singles, while freshman Taylor

Dent, the team’s No. 1 singles player, sweeps all three sets without

dropping a game. His third set lasts only 10 minutes. The Sea Kings are

playing without standout Boris Turkich, who is out because of a back

injury.

A Back Bay trio earns first-team All-Sea View League honors in

baseball. Corona del Mar seniors Kevin Stuart and Bryan Bear, as well as

Newport Harbor junior Joe Urban are named to the first team. Newport

junior Garrett Nuzum joins CdM’s Royal McMackin, Reuben Gulledge and Ryan

Achterberg as second-team selections.

The Costa Mesa baseball team is denied in the CIF Southern Section

Division III Wild Card game. The Mustangs lose, 1-0, to host Santa

Margarita, in a game dominated by the pitchers. Jeremy Starns displays

his mastery in his complete-game effort. The senior right-hander, who

throws 48 of his 68 pitches for strikes, yields just two hits and no

walks, striking out five. Mustangs’ Coach Doug Deats praises a senior

class which includes, Starns, Matt Broesamle and Craig Harrison. “Those

guys have been with me all three years and they’ve set the tone for this

program,” Deats says. “They’ve done a lot to elevate a program that was

probably the worst in Orange County when I took over. Every class that

comes through this school from now on will be trying to emulate what

these kids did by posting two second-place finishes in league. They’ll be

missed, but not forgotten.

Costa Mesa’s Mandi Simonds is selected as the Pacific Coast League’s

Athlete of the Year. Simonds, a four-year starter in volleyball, soccer

and track and field, does not limit her accomplishments to the high

school scene. She finishes as runner-up at the 1995 Junior Olympics U.S>

regional Championships in San Diego. She owns a pair PCL titles in the

high jump.

Looking back, 10 years ago this week.

The Estancia High golf team wins an unprecedented third straight CIF

team championship, topping its closest competitor by 13 strokes. Ryan Davis earns medalist honors when he shoots an even-par 70, leading the

Eagles to a 382 score. Tim Pieper shoots 75, Chris Beck and Andy Rothman

card a 78 each. Paul Hinkle finishes with 81 and Mike Anderson is a bit

behind he shoots an 86. “Ryan had a super round and our depth came

through again,” Estancia Coach Art Perry says. “The tournament officials

said we were the first school ever to win back-to-back-to-back and the

kids were really excited about it.”

The Newport Harbor boys volleyball team comes out on top in a wild

five-set match with visiting Rolling Hills in the second round of the CIF

4-A volleyball playoffs. The Sailors win, 18-16, 15-13, 13-15, 11-15,

15-11. Beau Sheward rips off three straight services to help claim the

victory in the first game.

Estancia’s Chris Watson turns in a dazzling pitching performance and

leads the Eagles’ baseball team to a 5-3 victory over Norwalk in the CIF

3-A Playoffs. The senior right-hander limits Norwalk to six hits in his

complete game victory. Ben Hoagland unloads a 360-foot shot to

left-center for a two-run homer in the third inning. He also pounds a RBI

double in the first. Estancia Coach Ken Millard entices his team with

jelly beans if they play well during the game. Watson hardly needs the

treats as he completes a gem for the CIF Playoff victory.

The Corona del Mar baseball team is upset, 11-6, by visiting Trabuco

Hills in the CDI 3-A Wild Card game. The Sea Kings build a 6-0 lead after

Neil Weber smashes a grand slam in the third inning. CdM enters the

playoff game winners in eight of its last 10. Brady Lamar doubles to

left, took third on a wild pitch, then scored his 33rd run of the season

in the first inning. “It’s a game of inches,” says CdM Coach Scott

Magers. “The momentum definitely shifted. Balls that were falling in

earlier started getting caught at the end.”

-- compiled by Steve Virgen