Irrelevant pick can win you $253

Guess who will go No. 253, the last player chosen in the NFL Draft on April 28, and you can win $253.

The winner of the Mr. Irrelevant XXXVII contest will also be a guest during the Lowsman Trophy All-Star Banquet in Newport Beach on June 13 and receive a prize basket.

You can enter the contest in four ways. You can email your pick to irrelevantweek@gmail.com, tweet it @irrelevantweek, post it on the Facebook Irrelevant Week fan page, or mail it to 3723 Birch St., Suite 11, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

Include your draft selection, your name, email or phone number. If there is a tie, the winner will be selected by coin flip.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on April 25, the day before the NFL Draft.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

CdM’s Cottrell invited to walk on USC football team

Corona del Mar High senior all-purpose threat Cole Cottrell has been invited to walk on the USC football team, said CdM Coach Scott Meyer.

Cottrell, who earned All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division, Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team and first-team All-Pacific Coast League honors, played cornerback, wide receiver, and returned kickoffs and punts for the Sea Kings.

Meyer said Cottrell had opportunities to walk on at two other Pacific 12 Conference schools, Colorado and Oregon.

Cottrell helped the Sea Kings in December win the CIF Southern Section Southern Division title, the program’s first section crown in 22 years. He contributed in all facets for CdM (12-2, 4-1 in league).

As a cornerback, he finished with 41 tackles and intercepted one pass.

Cottrell averaged 35.7 yards per kickoff return and 12.7 yards per punt return. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and two punts for touchdowns.

Cottrell also had 13 receptions for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

Costa Mesa’s Smith signs with Division II football program

“Super” Mario Smith has decided where he will run with the football in college.

Smith has signed a national letter of intent with the Southwestern Oklahoma State University football program, said Costa Mesa High Coach Wally Grant.

Smith decided to join the Division II program from Weatherford, Okla., after he rushed for 2,155 yards and 28 touchdowns on 197 carries in his only season with the Mustangs. Sacramento State and New Mexico State showed interest in the elusive Smith.

Smith earned All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division and Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team honors, the Orange Coast League MVP, and he made the All-Orange County third-team offense.

Smith, a transfer from Silverado of Victorville, helped Costa Mesa (8-3, 4-1 in league) contend for a league title in the regular-season finale and return to the playoffs after missing the postseason in 2010.

Smith set a Costa Mesa single-season school record for total touchdowns with 30, two coming on kickoff returns. He broke Charles Chatman’s 29-touchdown total established in 1994.

Smith totaled 1,095 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground in five league contests. His biggest game was a 356-yard, seven-touchdown rushing performance in a 63-47 win at Laguna Beach. The seven rushing touchdowns is a Costa Mesa single-game school record.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

Newport’s Cochran to throw for UC Berkeley

Newport Harbor High senior discus thrower Ethan Cochran said he plans throw for the UC Berkeley men's track and field program after high school. (Scott Smeltzer, Daily Pilot)

Newport Harbor High discus thrower Ethan Cochran said he plans to sign a national letter of intent with the UC Berkeley men’s track and field program on Wednesday, which is National Signing Day.

Cochran, the CIF State champion in the boys’ discus last season, said he chose the Golden Bears over Oregon, UC Irvine and Alabama because he felt the school is the all-around best fit for him.

National Signing Day for track and field, football, boys’ water polo, soccer, cross country and field hockey marks the first day high school seniors can sign with a college.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

Three locals make Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclassmen football teams

Estancia High running back Robert Murtha is one of three Newport-Mesa football players making the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclassmen teams. (Kevin Chang, Daily Pilot)

Estancia High running back Robert Murtha made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclassmen third team for juniors, while Costa Mesa middle linebacker Oronde Crenshaw and Newport Harbor left tackle Sam Bush each made the first team for sophomores.

Murtha, who earned All-CIF Southern Section Southern Division honors and the Orange Coast League Offensive Player of the Year and Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team Offensive Player of the Year awards, rushed for an Estancia single-season school record 2,216 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Murtha led the Eagles (10-3, 5-0 in league) to back-to-back undefeated league titles for the first time and to the semifinals of the playoffs for the first time.

Crenshaw, a first-team All-Orange Coast League and Newport-Mesa Dream Team pick, led the area with 130 tackles. He had eight tackles for losses, five sacks and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.

Crenshaw kept Costa Mesa (8-3, 4-1 in league) in contention for a league title in the regular-season finale and helped the Mustangs return to the Southern Division playoffs after missing the postseason in 2010.

Bush, a second-team All-Sunset League and Newport-Mesa Dream Team selection, helped Newport Harbor (5-6, 3-2 in league) place third in league and reach the Pac-5 Division playoffs.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

BREAKING NEWS: Hirst resigns as Newport Harbor boys’ basketball coach

Larry Hirst stepped down as the Newport Harbor High boys’ basketball coach on Wednesday, said Michael Vossen, the school’s principal.

Vossen said Hirst, 50, is taking a personal leave of absence and there is a possibility that Hirst can return to his post as coach. Vossen said he could not comment as to why Hirst, who was in his 16^th season, decided to step away from the program with nine Sunset League games left to play.

Vossen said Bob Torribio, an assistant coach, is taking over for the Sailors (5-11, 0-1 in league), who have lost nine straight games. Torribio has stepped in twice before for Hirst. The last time was last season, when Hirst collapsed because of dehydration during a game.

Hirst returned and the Sailors missed the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons.

Hirst also took a one-year sabbatical during the 2008-09 season to spend more time with his family. The Sailors had reached the postseason for 12 straight years under Hirst before he stepped away three years ago.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza, @DCPenaloza

Another bitter defeat

CYPRESS — New coach, same result for the Corona del Mar High girls’ volleyball team when it comes to CIF Southern Section title matches in recent years.

Marissa Booker, in her first year in charge of a varsity program, led the Sea Kings to a place they reached two of the previous three years with another coach. The program’s third trip in four years to a section title match ended on the same note.

The Sea Kings again fell short. They came so close this time.

Top-seeded Los Angeles Marymount rallied to beat second-seeded CdM, 27-25, 21-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-12, as the Sailors defended their Division I-A section crown at Cypress College on Saturday.

The Sailors stormed the court, while the Sea Kings broke down.

The Sea Kings (31-4) looked stunned. They had given one away to Marymount (30-4).

…Continue reading Another bitter defeat

Sailors swept in final

CYPRESS — Newport Harbor High and Los Alamitos met on the same volleyball court two years ago.

What they played for back then, a CIF Southern Section Division I-AA girls’ volleyball title, was also at stake Saturday.

The rematch at Cypress College didn’t last as long, though. The Griffins swept the Sailors, 25-17, 26-24, 25-23.

The Sunset League rivals played on a neutral court again, but it sure seemed like Los Alamitos was at home. A huge student crowd came out to watch the Griffins (35-3).

Fans wore red, chanted and jumped for most of the night. The second-seeded Griffins used the support to beat Newport Harbor (25-9) for the third time this year.

…Continue reading Sailors swept in final

Eagles soar to title

COSTA MESA — The high school football rivalry began 45 years ago, on a different field than the one Costa Mesa and Estancia played on Friday night.

In the previous contests, the two programs never played for what they met for in the regular-season finale at Jim Scott Stadium.

Estancia and Costa Mesa played for a league title.

Winner claims the Orange Coast League title, the Battle for the Bell and eats ribs. The Eagles made history, as they wrapped up back-to-back undefeated league titles for the first time with a 28-14 victory.

The way Estancia (8-2, 5-0 in league), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, pulled it off was impressive.

…Continue reading Eagles soar to title

Sailors lose another running back

The Newport Harbor High football program went into camp last week with a running back by committee.

The backfield got a little bit smaller on Thursday.

The Sailors lost junior Tala Teaupa for six to eight weeks after he suffered a broken collarbone during practice, Coach Jeff Brinkley said. The loss of Teaupa, a junior varsity starter last season, is a major one.

Brinkley expected Teaupa to compete for the starting tailback job after last year’s starter, Buzzy Yokoyama, transferred to Mission Viejo High for his senior year.

“Hopefully, he will be back when [Sunset League] play starts,” said Brinkley, whose team opens league play at home against Fountain Valley on Oct. 14. “He went down to the ground and [his collarbone] just broke.”

Without the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Teaupa, the Sailors turn to three seniors. But two of the players did not record any carries last season and one was hurt for most of the season.

Ethan Cochran, Titus Hasson and AJ Swies are in the mix. Cochran is more of a bruising back at 6-1, 220 pounds, while Hasson, a 6-1, 195-pounder, gives the Sailors a breakaway threat. Swies is the smallest of the trio at 5-9, 180 pounds.

The three will get their chances in Newport Harbor’s season opener at Trabuco Hills on Sept. 8. Whether they can duplicate Yokoyama’s numbers from a year ago, when he rushed for 1,250 yards and 12 touchdowns, is big question mark.