YOUTH SPORTS

YOUTH SOCCER

AYSO Region 97/120

Costa Mesa Classic

Newport-Mesa Mavericks topple Tustin: The Newport-Mesa Mavericks Under-10 boys’ gold division team won the Costa Mesa Classic on Dec. 31, defeating Tustin, 3-0, in penalty kicks in the championship game after tying 3-3 after regulation.

The Mavericks, representing AYSO Region 97, were fresh off their Area Q championship headed into the Costa Mesa Classic, which was hosted by Region 120.

Tustin, a familiar foe who the Mavericks had beaten in the first round, scored first in the championship game, but Newport-Mesa answered on Carson Poivre’s goal. Then, off a cross from Jack Binford, forward Jehu Jogwe’s header went past the Tustin goalie for a 2-1 Newport-Mesa lead.

Tustin scored again to tie the score, but Binford scored again to give the Mavericks the lead. Tustin tied the score despite the efforts of Newport-Mesa fullback Caleb O’Neil. However, after Newport-Mesa hit its first three penalty kicks and goalie Chas Beek stopped Tustin’s first two, the Mavericks had won the championship.

The Mavericks had also beaten Long Beach on penalty kicks, 5-4, in the semifinals. The Mavericks won that matchup when defender Peter Seidner made their sixth penalty kick, then goalie Ryan Braun stopped a Long Beach penalty kick. The teams had tied in regulation, 2-2.

Newport-Mesa had beaten Tustin in the first round, 4-1. Forward Baron Davis scored two goals to help jump-start the Mavericks, and Binford added two more goals. Braun and Beek both added solid goaltending.

The Mavericks also beat La Mirada, 4-0, in the second round. Midfielder Byron Gutierrez scored three goals for the hat trick and sweeper Dominik Folkner anchored the solid defensive line for the shutout.

Costa Mesa Classic

Newport Beach Breakers win title: Coach Kirk McIntosh’s Breakers won the girls’ Under-10 gold division at the Costa Mesa Classic, beating Tustin, 3-0, in the finals on Dec. 31. The Breakers used two first-quarter goals by tournament MVP Toni Holland in the championship game, and Brooke Zachary’s direct kick put them up, 3-0, at halftime.

The Breakers also controlled the action in the second half, coasting to their fourth straight shutout and the tournament championship. The team bounced back from a winless Costa Mesa Classic a year ago.

In the semifinals, the Breakers topped South Irvine, 5-0, behind a five-goal barrage from Sophia Jefferies, Natalie Ward, Holland and Rosalie Deliz. Fullback Katie Duhoux, plus goalies Carlee Kapana and Cassidy McCullough, put together a shutout.

The Breakers went 2-0-1 in pool play. They tied CdM, 2-2, in their first game. Sammie Yeager and Leah Castillo scored.

In their second game, they won, 5-0, behind goals from Ward, Zachary, Castillo, Deliz and Haley Burg. The Breakers then beat Irvine, 4-0, in the pool-play finale with goals from Libby Knight, Jefferies and Deliz.

Cal Coast Soccer LeagueNewport-Mesa goes unbeaten: The Newport-Mesa Soccer Club Girls under-11 team, under the Cal South Soccer League, finished its season unbeaten and will move from a bronze team to a silver team in the fall.

Led by Coach Amy Burcham, the team went 12-0-2 in 14 games, including eight shutouts. All of the girls reside in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa and represent seven private and public schools in the Newport-Mesa area.

Team members include Brooke Schulte, Paige Burke, Eliza Clark, Sabrina Roy, Kate Vorona, Shayna Palitz, Meg Crade, Jamie Smith, Natalie O’Neill, Sabrina Smith, Kendall Mulvaney, Molly Keasey, Katharine Noe, Katie Scott and Jayden Smith.

National Junior Basketball

Division I Boys

Spartans 53, Wildcats 23: The Spartans (4-0) continued their winning streak by taming the Wildcats. Cody Caldwell led the balanced attack with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Daniel Degree added 11 points, Henri Crockett had nine and Kyle Sherburne chipped in eight. The Wildcats played tough throughout and were led by Ron Ayzin, Drew Mulcaire, Tanner Trauthen, Ashton Meginnis, Armon Alaghband and Austin Berquist.

Waves 56, Tigers 32: The Waves (4-0) also remained undefeated by downing the Tigers. The Waves were led by the strong play of Max Carpenter, who had a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. Adam Spies and Alex Turney set the table and played stifling defense combining for 19 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and nine steals. Dylan Pievac, Shawn Farsai, Jake Arnett, Reid Johnson and Garrett Keillor played strong defense throughout. The Tigers were led by Justin Ruffalo with 13 points, while Kent Willett, Alex Gavin, Austin Mahaffey and Trevor Marquez all played well in defeat.

Bruins 36, Red Storm 34: In a highly contested game, the Bruins (2-2) edged the Red Storm. The Bruins were led by the strong inside play of Andrew Karlson, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Billy MacDonald added 10 points, Taylor Wildman had four steals and Kian Alisobhani, Donovan Hedrich-Montoya and Sean Sullivan combined for 12 rebounds in the win. The Red Storm led most of the way and were paced by the physical play of Zach Asdourian, Zach Gayer, Matt LeValley, Trace Curet and Chris Robertson.

Holiday TournamentLonghorns sweep through tournament: Coach Berry Carter’s Longhorns returned to the winners’ circle with a first-place finish at the tournament from Dec. 27-29, with an average winning margin of 30 points.

Fourth-grade boys

The beginning of pool play saw the Longhorns facing the Manhattan Beach Bulldogs. A ferocious press gave the Longhorns an early lead. Guards Ben Humphreys and Austin Ridge led the Longhorns defense. Great rebounding by forwards Austin Percy and Harrison Carter propelled the Longhorns to an easy 49-12 win.

Game two of pool play, against Tustin, saw a similar result, with the Longhorns winning, 52-19. Forwards Jake Haar and Keishan South were more than Tustin could handle with great inside play and heads-up defense.

The last game of pool play saw an undefeated past Longhorn nemesis, the Irvine Stars. Irvine and Newport had battled in Las Vegas in the NJB Invitational last spring, splitting the series. Irvine jumped out to an 18-16 lead midway through the first half, but guard Landon Knight’s three straight baskets plus steals by Percy and Ridge gave the Longhorns a 10-point halftime lead. The Longhorn press took its toll on Irvine in the second and Newport eventually won, 57-32.

The finals were a rematch between Irvine and Newport. Newport left no doubt to the result, blasting to a 25-2 first-quarter advantage. Carter, South, Humphreys and Haar fueled the barrage, each scoring six points in the second quarter as Newport coasted to a 44-17 win and the championship.