The year in sports

Mike Sciacca

When five local high school track and field athletes advanced to the

CIF Southern Section State Championships earlier this month, their

accomplishments put the finishing touches on what turned out to be a

sensational 2001-02 prep sports season for the four area schools.

While several individual teams went far into postseason play, Edison

High led the way among local schools with two championship game

appearances.

The Charger girls’ soccer team won the Division II title, and the

football team finished runner-up in Division I.

“This was an outstanding year for us,” Edison Athletic Director Bruce

Belcher said.

“At our recent athletic hall of fame banquet, the consistent comment

about this senior class was its great character,” he said.

Here is a look at the more prominent showings by some of the local

teams during the 2001-02 prep sports season.

FALL

The fall slate consisted of football, girls’ volleyball, boys’ water

polo, boys’ and girls’ cross country, girls’ tennis and girls’ golf.

The big news to come out of the fall was Edison’s rise to the Division

I football championship at Edison Field.

The Chargers went undefeated through the regular season, twice

defeated Mater Dei, and fell to Long Beach Poly in the title game.

Their outstanding season ended 11-1-1.

It was Edison’s first return to the title game since the 1985 season,

and the program’s fourth championship final overall.

“It was really a great year and brought back a lot of memories from

the good old days,” Edison coach Dave White said. “Playing at Edison

Field was a great experience for a great group of kids.”

League champs: Edison, football.

All-CIF: Division I Football: Tommy Grady, Ryan Keating, Denny

Flanagan, AJ Martinez, Paul Bartsch, John Miller, Edison. Boys’ Division

II Water Polo: John Mann, Kyle Tague, Nick Espinoza, Edison; Michael

Dorrough, Jason Cloud, Marina. Girls’ Division I Cross Country: Mary Ann

Pynchon, Edison; Division III: Kaylynn Gallo, Ocean View.

WINTERBoys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer,

girls’ water polo and wrestling constituted the winter sports schedule.

After numerous close calls in past postseason play, the Edison girls’

soccer team finally broke through to win a CIF championship.

The Chargers defeated Crescenta Valley in the Division II final.

“I think our girls did a tremendous job the entire season,” Coach

Kerry Crooks said. “We just got better as the season progressed.”

Edison dominated the All-CIF Division II team. Senior forward Brooke

Thulin was named the division’s offensive player of the year, goalie

Jenna Huff was named defensive player of the year and Crooks was named

coach of the year.

In boys’ basketball, Ocean View won its fifth consecutive league

championship. The Seahawks won two games in the Division IIIAA playoffs

before being eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

League champs: Ocean View, boys’ basketball; Edison, girls’ soccer;

Ocean View, girls’ soccer; Edison, girls’ water polo.

All-CIF: Boys’ Division IIIAA basketball: Casey Ortiz, Matt Hatch,

Ocean View. Girls’ Division IV basketball: Rachael Ziemann, Bianca

Ziemann, Edison. Girls’ Division IIAA basketball: Kelsey Ball, Huntington

Beach. Girls’ Division II soccer: Jane Wyche, Amanda Draeger, Stacia

Hoover, Vanessa Crowell, Edison. Boys’ Division II soccer: Michael

Oseguera, Anthony Ordonez, Josh Valerio, Marina. Girls’ Division I water

polo: Melissa Murphy, Leyna Belcher, Edison; Jane Hashimuari, Bree

Valueana, Marina.

SPRING

The spring season ushered in baseball, softball, boys’ volleyball,

track and field, boys’ tennis, swimming and diving, boys’ golf and

badminton.

The CIF State Meet was held at the beginning of the month and

Huntington Beach senior Brian Ruziecki grabbed a fifth place finish in

the boys’ shot put and was eighth overall in the boys’ discus.

The Marina baseball team caught fire in the final weeks of the season.

The Vikings had to win a two Sunset League playoff games just to make it

to the CIF-SS Division II playoffs. Once in the postseason party, they

proceeded to knock off two league champions en route to a quarterfinal

appearance.

In their quarterfinal loss to Santa Barbara, senior Matt Costello had

a game he’s sure to remember as he hit two home runs in his final game in

a Marina uniform.

All-CIF: Boys’ Division II Volleyball: Steve Klosterman, Beau Peters,

Drew Wilson, Marina; Kenny Markwardt, Huntington Beach. Girls’ Division

II Softball: Leah Glenn, Edison. Boys’ Golf: Joey Benedetti, Huntington

Beach.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at (714)

965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.