High Schools:

Whenever Coach Dominic Bulone has a chance, he recruits kids to wrestle at Newport Harbor High. One student he lured to the sport as a freshman is back on the team two years later.

Bulone didn’t have to convince Rene Escolero to get back on the mat for his junior season. Escolero literally returned on his two feet.

Bulone said Escolero broke a leg in his first season with the Sailors. Bulone called the setback a freakish one and it forced Escolero to sit out last season. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to compete.

“His parents wouldn’t let him,” Bulone said. “That changed before this season.”

Escolero has returned better than ever. He’s 24-7 with eight pins. The rest of the decisions are nail-biters.

All that matters to Bulone is that Escolero tends to finish on top.

“He doesn’t get flustered, he doesn’t panic, and that’s why he could go pretty far,” Bulone said of Escolero’s chances in the postseason. “Placing at [the CIF Southern Section] Masters [and reaching state] might be a little more than he can handle. I expect Rene to place [in the top five] at [the] CIF [individual tournament]. We didn’t have anyone advance out of the [individual tournament] last season [to Masters]. Getting Rene past that will be big.”

 Estancia boys’ basketball coach Agustin Heredia remembers two times by heart. They are 5:15 p.m. and noon.

The first marks the time Kohl Jones sprained an ankle during Tuesday’s practice. The second time is when he learned on Thursday that the senior was lost for the season.

Heredia said Jones has torn ligaments in the ankle and the guard won’t be with the Eagles in their bid to win their first league championship in five seasons.

Estancia enters this week in first place in the Orange Coast League. With three games left before the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs begin, the Eagles (14-9, 4-1 in league) will be without their top scorer and leader.

In the first league contest Jones missed, Estancia certainly missed him. The Eagles came from behind to defeat Calvary Chapel, 46-45, on Wednesday.

The two players who led the way, junior Davon Joyner and senior Wes Shaw, noticed a difference playing without Jones.

“Without him, you could tell that we were really down,” said Shaw, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. “But we stepped [up] and made big shots.

“Usually, we just let him do what he does.”

Heredia said it’s time for the rest of the Eagles to help Estancia finish in first. If they’re able to pull it off, Heredia won’t forget it.

 The Newport Harbor girls’ lacrosse team is having tryouts today at Back Bay/Monte Vista. The program’s new coach, Sarah Queener, can’t wait to meet her future players.

Traffic might be the only holdup for the tryout scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Queener said she’s planning to make the drive from La Verne for every Sailors event, from tryouts, to practices, to games. The ride here isn’t the worst of the daily round trip.

“The way back is pretty bad,” Queener said. “The drive home can be a two-hour drive.”

The traffic is worth it to Queener.

The former Yale University lacrosse standout is going to be a high school varsity coach for the first time. But Queener isn’t a stranger to coaching.

Queener coached the Claremont Mudd-Scripps women’s lacrosse team for three seasons. Queener said she decided to leave the post after wanting to become a high school teacher.

Queener takes over for Carolyn Smith. The Sailors last season went 12-7, 5-2 in the Sunset League, good for second place.

“I didn’t want to be a college lacrosse coach full time,” said Queener, who guided the Athenas to the NCAA Division III championships last season. “I’m going back to school to get my master’s and teaching credential, but I still want to be involved with lacrosse.

“I originally played women’s lacrosse when it started in my area [Penn Yan, N.Y.] I was able to see it really grow in that area. I see the same growth is happening right now [on the West Coast]. It’s exciting and I want to see it develop.”