Prep column: Sailors’ fringe benefit

Barry Faulkner

The Newport Harbor High boys volleyball team defeated the Sailor

alumni Saturday, winning 2 of 3 games from former heroes such as Russell

Gan, Justin McIntee, Wes Badorek and Zach Wells, just to name a few.

It is somewhat atypical for a varsity team to defeat the graduates.

But former players would be even more surprised to learn what Coach Dan

Glenn has in store for his veteran unit today: a day off.

Known for his grueling workouts, as well as his ability to continually

challenge his players and improve his teams as the season wears on,

Glenn, on the latter half of his second decade at the helm, said unusual

circumstances dictated cancellation of today’s practice, while the Tars

enjoy a Sea View League bye.

“This is something I normally wouldn’t do,” Glenn said. “But I realize

it is something I need to do for this team.”

Glenn points out that senior standouts Greg Perrine and Brian Gaeta

are both recovering from offseason knee surgery.

“There’s a limit to the amount of swings and jumps those guys have in

them,” said Glenn, who has already held the duo, as well as additional

starters, out of some tournament contests to save on wear and tear.

“It’s a bit of a Catch 22, because I have a lot of guys who play other

sports, who need their repetitions they get in (volleyball) practice. But

they also need the rest. I’m trying to coach to the group I have and grow

with my team. I won’t have a hard time not practicing (today), because I

know this group responds well to a break.”

The Sailors (16-5, 4-0 in the Sea View League), ranked No. 1 in Orange

County, are back in action Friday against visiting Aliso Niguel.

Adding to the update in Monday’s edition regarding locals playing

college baseball, Ryan Lewis, a 1998 Corona del Mar graduate, is a senior

reliever for Wake Forest, ranked No. 5 by Baseball America. A 6-1,

185-pound left-hander, Lewis has appeared in three games and thrown four

innings this season for the Demon Deacons (28-6, 11-3 in the Atlantic

Coast Conference through Sunday).

Lewis, who began his collegiate career at Providence, transferred to

Winston Salem after the Friars eliminated baseball following the 1999

season.

He had two saves as a sophomore and four wins as a junior for Wake

Forest.

CdM graduate Mark Hatfield, a senior first baseman on CdM’s 1999 CIF

Southern Section Division IV championship team, plans to continue

collecting hits on the football field next fall as a walk-on at Hawaii.

Hatfield sat out last season at Saddleback Community College with a

back injury, but has been medically cleared to return and plans to make a

bid for playing time at linebacker for the Warriors.

Former Newport Harbor football standout Brant Hill, who spent the last

two seasons as a part-time starter at defensive end for Nevada, has

transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Newport Coach Jeff Brinkley

said.

Hill, a 6-4, 246-pound junior, is taking part in the Mustangs’ spring

practice, which culminates with their annual spring game Saturday.

The Mission League’s appeal of its placement in Division I in girls

soccer was denied Thursday by a playoff groupings committee at the CIF

Southern Section Office.

This was great news for the Corona del Mar girls program, which has

been eliminated in the CIF Division IV semifinals each of the last three

years by a Mission League school.

Seven Mission League teams have won or shared section titles (either

Division IV or Division III) the last six seasons, including Division IV

winner Harvard-Westlake in 2002.