Former Mr. Irrelevant signs with hometown NFL team

David Vobora was born in the Pacific Northwest and he played high school and college football in the region.

Therefore, the former Mr. Irrelevant is not irrelevant in the Pacific Northwest.

Vobora will now get to return home to play for the NFL team in the Pacific Northwest.

The 6-foot-1, 239-pound linebacker signed with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, 10 days after the St. Louis Rams released the last player chosen in the NFL Draft in 2008.

Vobora joins an NFC West divisional foe after playing 34 games in three seasons with the Rams. He started 16 times, 10 during the 2009 season, when he finished with a career-high 49 tackles.

Vobora, who played at Winston Churchill High in Eugene, Oregon, before starring at the University of Idaho, will try to help Seattle defend its division title.

Ex-Tar’s transfer gets OK

Former Newport Harbor standout running back Buzzy Yokoyama was declared athletically eligible to play football after transferring to Mission Viejo (File photo, Daily Pilot).

Buzzy Yokoyama still has a picture on his Twitter profile of him in a Newport Harbor High football uniform. He has his back turned to the camera after scoring a touchdown last season.

That will not happen again with the Sailors. The standout running back is officially gone from Newport Harbor.

The CIF Southern Section approved Yokoyama’s transfer to Mission Viejo High, making him athletically eligible to compete in his senior year after a valid change of residence, said Thom Simmons, a section spokesperson.

Simmons said Newport Harbor signed off on Yokoyama’s transfer.

“The paperwork came in and the former school did not indicate on the 510 [transfer] form that there was previous pre-enrollment contact with the new school,” Simmons said. “All the paperwork, the gas bill, the electricity bill, lease for a new residence, all of that is up to the receiving school to validate a residential change. We do not verify the new residence.” … Continue Reading

Interest for Sailor

Newport Harbor High's Steve Michaelsen, second from left, is being recruited by college programs like Oregon and Washington. (Don Leach, Daily Pilot)

Newport Harbor High standout defensive end Steve Michaelsen said he has returned from the Pacific Northwest, where he took unofficial visits to the University of Washington and Oregon.

Michaelsen, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior this upcoming football season, is being recruited by both Pacific 12 Conference schools, and two other programs in the conference, Colorado and USC, have shown interest. Michaelsen has received offers from Army and Navy.

Michaelsen earned second-team All-Sunset League and Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team honors after finishing with 58 tackles and two sacks as a junior.

Albers walks away from walk-on opportunity at Utah

Andrew Albers, a 6-foot-8, 285-pound senior offensive lineman last season at Costa Mesa High, said he has decided to walk away from the University of Utah football program.

Albers, who earned preferred walk-on status with the Utes, said he has enrolled at Orange Coast College, but will not play football for the Pirates.

“I just got over playing and I didn’t like [the state of] Utah,” Albers said of his decision to leave the Utes, who join the Pacific 12 Conference this season. “The football there was really good. It was a good football experience, but it just wasn’t for me. Nothing against the school. The school was great. They treated the players well and did everything right. I just got burned out and didn’t want to do it anymore.”

Albers, who shared the Orange Coast League Lineman of the Year award last year, plans to take a year off and spend more time with his church.

“I want to be a youth pastor,” Albers said. “Every since two years ago, when I found my faith, I’ve been into it and I feel that you need to do what really makes you happy.”

CdM lands talented freshman

Hayley Hodson, a 6-foot-1 standout girls’ volleyball player, has moved from Laguna Beach and will attend Corona del Mar High this upcoming school year, confirmed Don Grable, the school’s athletic director.

Hodson, an incoming freshman, played with current CdM player Alexis Cage on a talented under-16 team with the TStreet Volleyball Club out of Irvine. TStreet recently placed seventh in the open division at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Atlanta.

Another notable player from TStreet, Bailey Tanner, planned to transfer to CdM as well, but her father, Troy Tanner, said the move was highly unlikely. Tanner said his daughter, a 6-1 opposite and setter, would be home-schooled and not play for San Clemente High next season as a junior.

Tanner said both his daughter and Cage, the daughter of former NBA player Michael Cage, have committed to play for the University of Washington women’s volleyball program.

Tanner said he expects Hodson, an outside hitter and opposite, to contribute at CdM as a freshman. With Hodson teaming up with Cage, a 6-2 incoming junior, the Sea Kings should contend for a CIF Southern Section Division I-A title despite losing senior standouts Morgan Boukather (Stanford), Claire Ham (Auburn) and Hailey Senske.

The program expects outside hitter Mary McKennon and middle blocker Britton Taylor to return for their senior years. The two helped the Sea Kings (24-8, 10-0 in Pacific Coast League) win the league title and reach the semifinals of the playoffs.

Next season will be Marissa Booker’s first as coach at CdM. The addition of a rising star can only help Booker in her debut.

Bluell steps down at Vanguard

Craig Bluell, who helped establish the swimming program at Vanguard University, has stepped down as coach of the men’s and women’s swimming teams after two years at the school.

Bluell, a former swimmer at Arizona State and UC Riverside, helped the men’s and women’s 200-yard freestyle relay teams qualify and compete at last year’s NAIA national swimming championships.

“We are extremely sorry to see Craig leave his role as our head swimming coach,” Vanguard Athletic Director Bob Wilson said in a press release. “He was our initial swimming coach and did a great job in beginning the swimming program at Vanguard. He was also a valuable member of our athletic staff and he will be missed.”

Vanguard announced that Ed Carrera, the men’s and women’s water polo coach, will lead the school’s aquatics program. Carrera guided the Lions in their inaugural water polo seasons in 2010-11, going 10-28 with the men and 3-24 with the women.

Sary leads Orange County Volleyball Club to national title

Cinnamon Sary, a Newport Harbor High incoming senior, lifted the Orange County Volleyball Club Blue under-17 girls’ team to the national division title at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships last week in Atlanta.

Sary earned the tournament MVP honor after OCVC went a perfect 11-0 during the four-day tournament. The team only dropped three sets.

OCVC swept Northern Lights, 25-18, 25-22, in the best-of-three final format.

Locals on OCVC included Newport Harbor’s Tatum Norton, Kasey Thompson and Elizabeth Buckingham, and Corona del Mar’s Britton Taylor and Chrissy Watson.

Norton was named to the all-tournament team.

The Orange County Volleyball Club Blue under-16 girls placed ninth in the open division. Locals on the team were Newport Harbor’s Torey Thompson, Hunter Jennings and Tristen Thompson, and CdM’s Grace Kennedy.

Balboa Bay Quiksilver boys’ teams place at national tournament

Jack Reed, a Corona del Mar High incoming senior, led the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club Quiksilver under-17 boys’ team to a fifth-place showing in the open division at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Minneapolis.

Reed, who earned all-tournament honors, helped Balboa Bay win six of its first seven matches before it dropped the final two.

Other locals on the team included CdM’s Parker Brown, Joe Ctvrtlik and Remy Lamons, and Newport Harbor’s Griffin Leggett.

CdM’s Tommy Casey helped the Balboa Bay Quiksilver under-15 boys place fourth in the open division.

The Balboa Bay Quiksilver under-14 boys finished ninth in the open division.

Balboa Bay Quiksilver under-16 boys win national crown

The Balboa Bay Volleyball Club Quiksilver under-16 boys’ team almost lost out on a chance to win its first tournament of the year because of a cancelled flight.

Of all the tournaments to miss, Kevin Rakestraw couldn’t believe it might be the biggest one in the country.

Joey Martino was just as stunned because he said the team worked eight months for this opportunity.

The path to the top of the open division at the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships turned out to be far from smooth for Balboa Bay. Kent Kawaguchi believes the obstacles Balboa Bay went through to get to the tournament helped it prevail. … Continue Reading

Grant and Miller join forces again

Wally Grant, Costa Mesa High's new football coach, will be an assistant under his former boss, Myron Miller, in the 52nd Brea Lions Orange County North-South Prep Football All-Star Game on July 15. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer/Daily Pilot)

Wally Grant is back on Coach Myron Miller’s staff.

Grant, who recently took over as the Costa Mesa High football coach, is just going to help Miller out as the running backs coach in the 52nd Brea Lions Orange County North-South Prep Football All-Star Game on July 15 at Orange Coast College.

Grant and Miller are guiding the South All-Star team, which includes two Newport-Mesa area seniors, Costa Mesa cornerback DaSean Grayson and Newport Harbor safety Kellon Truxton.

Grant was on Miller’s staff at Tustin High between 1995 and 2005. Before that, Grant was an assistant under Miller at Costa Mesa from 1992-94, helping lead the Mustangs in 1993 to their only CIF Southern Section title appearance in the program’s history.

Also on Miller’s South All-Star staff is Winter Welz, a former standout defensive tackle at OCC. Welz played for Miller and Grant at Tustin.