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.

Morrow wins home run derby, $500 gift certificate

Corona del Mar High outfielder Will Morrow won a $500 gift certificate from a bat company.

The bat he used in the Home Run Derby at the 15th annual Ryan Lemmon Foundation Senior Showcase worked pretty well on Saturday.

Morrow won the home run contest and then went one for one, walked once and scored twice, helping the Pacific Coast League All-Stars defeat the Freeway League All-Stars, 12-3, at Windrow Park in Irvine.

Two other CdM seniors invited to the game were catcher Clark Cashion and center fielder Brian Ford. Judy Johnson, head of the Sea Kings’ parent booster club, said Cashion was unable to play because he is recovering from a broken leg he suffered during the season.

Johnson said Ford declined the invitation because he attended his brother’s college graduation.

Ford’s drive earns him all-league honors

Corona del Mar High senior Brian Ford joined the baseball team after just two days of practice. Ford, coming off a stellar boys’ soccer season, got on track right away.

Ford went on to earn first-team All-Pacific Coast League honors as a center fielder after batting .444 with 12 runs batted in and a team-best 10 doubles. Teammate Will Morrow, a right fielder, also made the first team after leading CdM with a .500 batting and producing 17 RBIs.

Ford covered a lot of ground in the outfield with his speed, committing only one error. Morrow had one of the best arms in the outfield.

Ford, a leadoff hitter, scored 28 runs, swiped 15 of 17 bases, and had a .505 on-base percentage. Ford, a first-team all-league selection in soccer, is headed to UC Davis to play soccer.

Morrow led the Sea Kings in slugging percentage (.650) and on-base percentage (.554). He homered twice, doubled four times, scored 23 runs and was five for five in stolen-base attempts.

Junior pitcher Andrew McCormack and junior left fielder Brett Lawson were second-team picks for CdM (13-11, 7-8 in league).

McCormack finished with a 6-3 record and a 2.91 earned-run average. He threw three complete games and struck out 49 in 55 1/3 innings of work.

Lawson led CdM in home runs (four) and RBIs (22). He batted .382 with nine doubles.

Woodbridge’s Brandon Horth was the Pacific Coast League MVP and Beckman’s James Kaprielian was the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year.

CdM adds more championship hardware

Corona del Mar High boys' volleyball coach Steve Conti hoists the CIF Southern Section Division II title. (Photo by Kent Treptow/Daily Pilot)

The Corona del Mar High boys’ volleyball team has been crowned the Pacific Coast League champion, the CIF Southern Section Division II champion and the CIF Southern California Regional Division II champion.

What is next for CdM? Coach Steve Conti said his Sea Kings (32-4) are soon going to be crowned ESPN RISE national champions on campus.

Don Grable, the school’s athletic director, said the presentation by ESPN RISE might take place next week.

Conti said the Sea Kings this week held their team banquet, where Stanford-bound middle blocker Spencer Haly learned he was the Pacific Coast League MVP and the CIF Southern Section Division II Player of the Year. Junior outside hitter Parker Brown earned CIF laurels and Conti was the CIF Coach of the Year in Division II.

Carpenter makes first-team All-Sunset League again

Newport Harbor High first baseman Matt Carpenter turned in a second straight strong baseball season.

Carpenter followed up last season’s Sunset League Rookie of the Year honor with first-team all-league laurels as a junior. He led the Sailors in practically every offensive category, batting .345 with six home runs and 15 runs batted in.

Carpenter finished with a .759 slugging percentage and a .537 on-base percentage. He also doubled six times, scored 16 runs, walked 24 times, and stole 10 of 12 bases.

Senior pitcher Max Gerard and junior right fielder Chase Kapana each made the second team for the Sailors, who finished 9-16-1, 2-12-1 in league.

Gerard posted a 2.46 earned-run average in league play. Gerard and Kapana combined to throw a two-hitter during a 5-1 win against Huntington Beach, resulting in Newport Harbor’s first league victory.

Edison seniors Eric Snyder and Christian Lopes shared the Sunset League MVP award. Edison pitcher Henry Owens received the Sunset League Pitcher of the Year award.

McBean makes U.S. World Cup under-17 roster

Former Corona del Mar High standout Jack McBean has made the United States under-17 boys’ soccer roster for the FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

McBean, who signed a professional contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January as a high school sophomore, is the only Major League Soccer player to make the 21-man roster.

McBean and the Americans open World Cup play in Group D against the Czech Republic on June 19. The U.S. faces Uzbekistan on June 22, followed by its final match in group play against New Zealand on June 25.

McBean helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup after it won the CONCACAF under-17 championship by defeating Canada, 3-0, in overtime in Montego Bay, Jamaica in February. McBean assisted on every goal.

When the World Cup ends, McBean plans to return to the Galaxy.

Cochran to compete at prestigious Golden West Invitational

Newport Harbor High junior Ethan Cochran is competing at the prestigious Golden West Invitational in Folsom on Saturday. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer/Daily Pilot)

Ethan Cochran did not worry about the rain during the discus throw at the CIF State Track and Field finals last week in Clovis.

And it helped the junior, as Cochran overcame the conditions and became the first Newport Harbor High thrower to finish first at state in the discus, heaving it 185 feet, nine inches at Buchanan High.

Cochran will be back on the road to compete at the 52nd annual Golden West Invitational in Folsom on Saturday. The weather might affect his event again, but this time Cochran is looking forward to the conditions at Folsom High.

“They get good wind up there,” Cochran said.

Cochran and teammate Ryan Andrews are competing in the prestigious meet, which features some of the state’s best throwers. Andrews is in the the shot put, the event in which the senior placed fourth at the CIF finals with a 58-5½ mark.

Cochran said he and Andrews and Newport Harbor throws coach Tony Ciarelli plan to travel up north on Friday.

Mesa tabs Becerra as boys’ soccer coach

Costa Mesa High announced that it has hired Juan Becerra as its boys’ soccer coach.

Becerra coached at Los Amigos the past five seasons, leading the program to the CIF Southern Section playoffs each season. Last season, Los Amigos won the Garden Grove League title for the second straight time and then reached the Division V quarterfinals, where the Lobos (16-1-1, 10-0-0 in league) lost to Baldwin Hills in penalty kicks.

“My goal is to make the program at Costa Mesa one of the best in Orange County,” Becerra said in a press release.

Becerra takes over for Alex Cordoba, who stepped down after three seasons with the Mustangs. Cordoba, who resigned to spend more time with his family, led Costa Mesa last season to the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs, the program’s first playoff berth in nine years.