Shooting for supremacy

Mike Sciacca

It was three summers ago that a band of eager, young athletes with

big dreams in their game bags began a journey that took them from

Huntington Beach to within a game of reaching Little League nirvana

-- Williamsport, Pa.

Ocean View’s Majors Division All-Star team, whose players are now

playing in the Junior and Senior league ranks, some of whom have

moved on to play high school ball, won the District 62 All-Star

tournament, captured a Section title and went all the way to the

title game of the Western Regional at San Bernardino before that

magical, 2000 season ended.

Come Monday, eight area Little League teams will try to make their

dreams come to fruition in the 2003 District 62 All-Star Tournament.

The double-elimination event will have Huntington Valley hosting

the Area 1 competition and Costa Mesa National home to Area 2 play.

The survivors in each area will meet in a best-of-three

championship series at Huntington Valley July 14 to 16 to determine

the winner in the Majors and 9/10 divisions.

The Junior and Senior league All-Star tournaments will be played

at Westminster Little League, with the Senior League tournament

commencing July 12.

“It’s going to be another great summertime event,” Huntington

Valley Little League President Renee Aumiller said. “Everybody comes

together at this time of year to become one big family.”

District 62 is home to Little League teams from Huntington Valley,

Ocean View, Robinwood, Seaview, Fountain Valley, Westminster, Costa

Mesa American and Costa Mesa National.

Former Major League Baseball player Rich Amaral, current manager

of the Ocean View Majors All-Star team, remembers watching on ESPN

that Ocean View team of 2000 battle Hazel Dell Little League of

Washington for the Western Regional title and trip to the Little

League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

“I was very, very impressed with that Ocean View team,” he said.

“There was some incredible pitching on both sides and both teams had

some very good athletes.”

Amaral said the Ocean View All-Star team entering this year’s

tournament is talented but untested.

“I think we’ve got an awesome team on our hands,” he said. “We

have a lot of athletic kids but we haven’t played a game yet. That’s

when we’ll get a better feel for how we’ll be.”

Here are the brackets for the 2003 District 62 tournament, which

gets underway Monday:

MAJORS DIVISION

Area 1

(at Huntington Valley LL)

Monday (5 p.m.)

Fountain Valley vs. Huntington Valley

Tuesday (5 p.m.)

Westminster vs. Costa Mesa American

Area 2

(at Costa Mesa National LL)

Monday (5 p.m.)

Seaview vs. CM National

Tuesday (5 p.m.)

Robinwood vs. Ocean View

9/10 DIVISION

Area 1

(at Huntington Valley LL)

Monday (5 p.m.)

Westminster vs. Fountain Valley

Tuesday (5 p.m.)

CM American vs. Huntington Valley

Area 2

(at CM National LL)

Monday (5 p.m.)

Ocean View vs. Seaview

Tuesday (5 p.m.)

CM National vs. Robinwood

JUNIOR LEAGUE

(at Westminster LL)

Monday (5 p.m.)

Robinwood vs. Fountain Valley

Tuesday (5 p.m.)

Westminster vs. Huntington Valley

SENIOR LEAGUE

(at Westminster LL)

Sat., July 12 (9 a.m.)

Westminster vs. Robinwood

Mon., July 14 (5 p.m.)

Saturday’s winner vs. Huntington Valley

*Huntington Valley Little League’s Wardlow Park playing fields are

at Magnolia Street and Pioneer Drive between Yorktown and Adams

avenues.

*Costa Mesa National Little League’s playing fields are at

TeWinkle School in Costa Mesa, 3224 North California St.