Shadowlands

Looking back, 5 years ago this week:

* Newport Harbor High boys and Corona del Mar High girls cross

country teams each beat their Back Bay rival in a Sea View League

dual meet. CdM’s girls beat Newport Harbor, 26-31, but it was Newport

Harbor’s Alicia McFall that takes first with a personal-best 17:42,

1:11 ahead of second-place finisher, CdM freshman Jenny Cummins as

CdM freshman Katie Quinlan takes third overall with an 18:54. Newport

Harbor sophomore Carrie Foss runs a personal-best 19:08 for fourth while freshman Amber Steen (19:27) passes two runners in the last

stretch for the Sailors, ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section

Division III.

On the boys side, Newport Harbor, ranked No. 2 in CIF SS Division

III, tops CdM, 21-37, as Newport Harbor senior Claudio Cortes catches

Corona’s Matt Dennerline with 800 meters left, eventually passing him

to finish first with a 15:39. Senior co-captain Ryan Jensen (16:03),

junior Steve Jensen (16:08) senior Matt Mckinaly (16:14) and veteran

Curt Herberts (16:29) score for the Sailors against the Sea Kings,

ranked No. 6 in CIF SS Division IV.

* Costa Mesa High goes 4-0 for the first time in the school’s

38-year history as the Mustangs trounce Gabrielino, 38-0. Mesa holds

the Eagles, ranked No. 4 in CIF SS Division X, to just one first

down. Mesa produces 262 rushing yards as Steve Herzog (100 yards on

19 carries), Vince Hamade, Jimmy Herzog and Ben Felter all score on

touchdown runs. Sophomore outside linebacker David Weir returns a

third-quarter interception 32 yards for a TD as Chris Shanley

recovers a fumble caused by Nam Kim’s second sack to set up Matt

Peca’s 34-yard field goal.

* Host CdM beats Peninsula, 11-7, in a nonleague matchup of the

top two schools in CIF SS Division I. CdM’s No. 2 doubles team of

juniors Courtney Tenerelli and Ruchika Budhraja sweep all three of

their sets, coming back to win two sets, 7-5, after being down, 3-5.

Sophomore sensation Caylan Leslie sets the tone for the match when

she defeats Peninsula’s No. 1 singles player, Hanna Miller, 7-6 (7-3)

to give the Sea Kings the lead, 4-2, and sweeps at No. 1 singles

while senior Nina Vaughan sweeps No. 2 singles and sister Nadia

Vaughan wins twice at No. 3 singles for the Sea Kings, ranked No 1 in

Orange County and No. 2 behind Peninsula in CIF SS Division I

entering their match.

Just three days following CdM’s impressive win over Peninsula,

Nina Vaughan commits to play tennis at Notre Dame. Vaughan, a

two-time semifinalist in CIF SS individual championships, will sign

with the Irish in November.

* Newport Harbor’s girls tennis team downs the visiting Mater Dei

Monarchs, 10-8. The Sailors (6-2) are led by Audra Adams and Kristen

Case at No. 1 doubles, the only Sailor tandem to sweep. Sophomores

Erika Palm and Amanda Collopy win two of three sets at No. 2 doubles

for the Sailors over the Monarchs, ranked No. 6 in Orange County and

No. 3 in CIF SS Division II.

Looking back, 10 years ago this week:

* The CdM girls volleyball team, unbeaten in three matches, move

from fifth to the top spot in the CIF state girls volleyball coaches

poll, receiving 124 points. St. Francis High of Mountain View is

second with 121.

* CdM notches victories in girls volleyball and boys water polo

on the same day, both beating rival Newport Harbor. Corona prevails,

7-5, in water polo, taking a 3-0 lead with Newport getting as close

as 4-3 at halftime and 6-5 in the final quarter. The Sea Kings (6-4,

2-0 in the Sea View League), get two goals apiece from Brian Codori,

Crosby Grant and Parker McMeekin, who gives CdM needed insurance with

2:48 left in the match to make it, 6-4, and one goal from Tom Norton.

Every goal counts as the Sailors (5-3, 1-1 in the Sea View League)

make it interesting with Gabe Wyatt deflecting Nathan Anderson’s pass

to slice CdM’s lead to 6-5. Newport’s Brian McAllister scores twice

as Brett McAllister and Eric Sherwin each score one goal.

Meanwhile, the CdM girls volleyball team protects its top ranking

in the state, outscoring a stubborn Newport Harbor team, 15-2, 16-18,

14-16, 15-9, 15-5, to go to 6-0. The Sailors stop CdM’s 27-game

winning streak, racing to an 8-1 lead in game two just to have CdM

score 13 of the next 14 points for a 14-9 lead, but the Sailors

rebound behind the strong serving of Jenny Hecker and kills from

Misty May. Newport’s Sara Warmington serves the next two points to

even the match for CdM, who is now 4-0 in league. Newport’s best

chance to complete the upset comes in the fourth game when they jump

out to a 5-1 lead before seeing it vanish before going ahead, 9-7.

But Corona proves too strong as CdM kill leader Jennifer Stroffe (25

kills) makes two kills to make it 12-9 CdM and Allison Englebrecht

(13 kills) blocks a ball as Hilleary Kehrli closes out the game and

evens the match with an unreturned serve. CdM’s Lori Newcomer (16

kills) and Newport’s Melissa Schutz and Dani Foley (14 kills each)

turn in solid performances.

* Heavy underdog Orange Coast College (3-1) upsets the defending

co-national champions from Palomar College, who go into the football

game ranked No. 7 in the nation by JC grid-wire and No. 2 in the

Southland Poll, 42-7, in a Mission Conference game.

Pirate quarterback Todd Mather ties a school record with four

touchdowns while rushing for 199 yards on 15 carries in the most

productive game for an OCC quarterback to-date. Tailback Eric

Washington carries 21 times for 187 yards and one TD. But the Bucs’

defense steps up in this one, with 6-foot-5, 230-pound linebacker

Israel Ifeany leading a defense that intercepts four passes and

applies heavy pressure. Pirate cornerback Keith Burke, right tackle

Rob Senatore and cornerbacks Anthoni Davis and Quoc Pham intercept

passes while Senatore and outside linebacker Noa Pua record sacks.

Pham returns a first-quarter interception 51 yards to set up OCC’s

first TD.