Boys volleyball: Patton dominant for North

Barry Faulkner

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Newport Harbor High senior Greg Perrine said

afterward that Friday’s 26th annual Dave Mohs Memorial Orange County

All-Star boys volleyball match at Edison High was all in good fun.

By virtue of a 25-20, 25-15, 15-6 North sweep of a South squad that

included Perrine and Sailor teammates Loyd Wright and Brian Gaeta,

however, it doesn’t figure to be the lasting memory the trio of Tars

takes away from Dave Mohs Gymnasium.

Instead, Perrine, Wright and Gaeta will more likely savor Newport

Harbor’s title-match triumph over Northwood to win the Orange County

Championships earlier this spring at the same venue.

There were only sporadic moments of joy for the local threesome

Friday, as 6-foot-8 El Dorado senior David Patton dominated at the net en

route to seizing Most Valuable Player recognition.

Patton, the Empire League MVP in basketball who plans to concentrate

on hoops at Pepperdine, collected a match-high eight kills, most of which

the middle blocker hammered straight down. He also had four stuff blocks,

the highest individual output on a North squad that amassed 13 to make

things difficult for South hitters.

“(Patton) does some things technically wrong, but he’ such a good

athlete,” said Newport Harbor Coach Dan Glenn, on hand to coordinate

activities Friday. “He’s going to Pepperdine to play basketball, but I

wouldn’t be surprised if he played a little volleyball too.”

The Waves, who lost to Hawaii in this season’s NCAA volleyball title

match, could surely benefit from Patton’s presence, which clearly was the

difference for the North Friday.

Perrine, who shared Sea View League MVP honors with Wright, finished

out a noteworthy volleyball career with two kills and a pair of stuff

blocks. He also will abandon volleyball for basketball at Chapman

University next year. Perrine was also MVP of the Sea View League in

basketball and the Sea View League Male Athlete of the Year.

Wright, who started Friday and will play club volleyball at the

University of Arizona, collected five assists as one of three South

setters.

Gaeta, an All-CIF receiver who will concentrate on football at

Colorado State next fall, chipped in two kills for the South, which led

only once in the entire match: 5-4 in the first game of the contest which

utilized rally scoring throughout.

The North’s win came despite the absence of three players.

Marina High standouts Beau Peters and Drew Wilson, as well as Vikings

Coach Jeff Caughthran, were at their team banquet Friday. Mark Lotman

from Los Alamitos also did not attend for the North.

Both Marina players, as well as 10 others, including Patton, will

represent Orange County in tonight’s all-star match against a team of

standouts from the South Bay. Tonight’s clash will also be at Edison. The

Newport trio will not take part.

After the South forged its only lead, the North reeled off 10 straight

points to set the tone. The South clawed back to within 20-19, but the

North pulled away and never looked back.