Edison, Corona del Mar move up CIF football playoff divisions

By David Carrillo PeñalozaAssistant Editor, Fast Break Desk

June 8, 2017 7:30 PM PT

For reaching the CIF Southern Section football championship game in their respective divisions last year, Edison High and Corona del Mar are moving up in the playoffs this upcoming fall.

The section released its new football playoff divisions on Thursday afternoon, and Edison, the Division 3 champion, is heading to Division 2, and CdM, the Division 4 runner-up finisher, is going to Division 3.

Each year the section updates its football playoff divisions, and division placement depends on a school’s success or lack of success in the regular season and the postseason in the previous two years.

The Chargers and Sea Kings enjoyed the most success in the area last year.

Edison won an undefeated Sunset League title and its first section crown since 2012, and finished 13-2 overall, while the Sea Kings claimed their fifth straight undefeated Pacific Coast League title, advanced to the section finals for the first time since 2013, and went 12-2 overall.

“I think [Division 3 is] an ultra-competitive division that will be a heck of a journey for all teams in it,” CdM coach Dan O’Shea said.

The Sea Kings are one of 19 teams in Division 3. With a 16-team postseason bracket, only three teams will miss the playoffs in Division 3.

Division 2 has 18 teams, so only two won’t qualify for the playoffs.

As for the other programs in the area, Newport Harbor remained in Division 6, which has 22 schools, and Fountain Valley moved down a division to Division 6.

Huntington Beach stayed in Division 7 (23 schools) and Brethren Christian in Division 10 (37 schools).

Marina and Los Amigos return to Division 12 (45 schools), while Laguna Beach moved up a division to Division 12. Costa Mesa and Ocean View stayed put in Division 13 (84 schools), the lowest division, and Estancia joined Division 13 after it was in Division 12.

Sailors go down in CIF girls’ volleyball division

While Edison, Huntington Beach and CdM remained in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls’ volleyball playoffs for the upcoming fall, Newport Harbor went down to Division 2.

The Sailors failed to reach the playoffs the past two years, the first time they missed the postseason in consecutive seasons since 1972-73.

Here are the rest of the local programs and what postseason division they will play in the fall: Fountain Valley (Division 2), Laguna Beach (3), Marina (3), Sage Hill (3), Costa Mesa (5), Estancia (5), Ocean View (8), Los Amigos (9), Pacifica Christian (10) and Liberty Christian (10).

Ryan Lemmon Senior Showcase

The Ryan Lemmon Senior Showcase will feature the last high school all-star baseball games, and many local seniors and coaches are involved.

CdM’s John Emme is coaching the Pacific Coast League All-Stars against the Sea View League All-Stars at Ryan Lemmon Stadium in Irvine on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Emme, who led the Sea Kings to their first Pacific Coast League title in 11 years, has two of his players in the game, Alex Shadid, a pitcher and second baseman, and catcher Matt Thompson.

The Sunset League plays the Trinity League at Ryan Lemmon Stadium on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Sunset League champion Huntington Beach will have four players, center fielder Ben McConnell, shortstop Trevor Windisch, left fielder Cory Moore and third baseman Justin Cianca.

The other locals representing the Sunset are Edison infielder Kyler Arenado, pitcher Vince Inman, infielder Jimmy Davis and pitcher Jared Sasaki, Marina pitcher Reid Sebby and outfielders Chris Reynolds and Eric Anderson, Fountain Valley pitcher Isaac Campbell, catcher Justin Mazzone and pitcher Justin Yang, and Newport Harbor outfielder Cade Seabold and second baseman Kyle Carmack.

Huntington Beach’s Benji Medure will coach the Sunset, along with Edison’s Cameron Chinn, Marina’s Toby Hess and Newport Harbor’s Evan Chalmers.

OC All-Star Volleyball matches

The 40th annual Dave Mohs Memorial Orange County High School All-Star Volleyball matches are at Newport Harbor High on Friday.

The girls’ match is at 6 p.m., and the boys play at 7:30 p.m.

The local girls competing are Edison’s Hannah Phair, Cassidy Dennison and Dani Dennison, CdM’s Alexa Bonanno and Sage Hill’s Jamie Dailey.

The boys in the area who are playing are CdM’s Mitch Haly, Clay Dickinson and Jake Meyer, Newport Harbor’s Spencer Lawrence, Landon Monroe and Carlos Rivera, Laguna Beach’s Pete Obradovich and Cole Paxson, Edison’s Kyle McCauley and Trent Williams, and Fountain Valley’s Matt Gemeinhardt.

Sage Hill baseball a hit in the classroom

Sage Hill School finished third in the CIF Southern Section Academic Awards in baseball for schools with an enrollment below 1,499 students, posting a cumulative 3.70 grade-point average.

For schools with an enrollment above 1,500 students, CdM took third in football with a 3.34 GPA.

Edison’s Michael Saffell earned the Academic Award Male Individual Athlete of the Year from his school. Saffell is going to play football at UC Berkeley.

Sage Hill had Academic Award Female and Male Individual Athlete of the Year recipients, Jamie Dailey and Elijah Soto. Dailey is heading to Columbia to play women’s volleyball. Soto played eight-man football for the Lightning.

Davidson Field’s grand reopening

When Newport Harbor plays its first home football game of the season against Chino Hills on Sept. 8, it will have its grand reopening of Davidson Field.

The school will unveil a $15.9-million renovation project, which includes an artificial turf, a press box, wooden bleachers, team rooms, a ramp walkway onto the field for players and coaches, and an all-weather track.