Sea Kings

Kasey Kipp controlled the net, executing seven kills and three blocks in Corona del Mar High's win over visiting Calvary Chapel, 25-15, 25-12, 25-16, in girls volleyball Tuesday. CdM's Marisa Scott and Julianne Piggett with nine digs apiece. Costa Mesa's girls volleyball team fell Tuesday, 19-25, 25-15, 26-24, 25-21, at Century. Tracey Bjelland and Kim Jackson led Mesa. Rachel Foster and Danica Kalmbach scored as Newport Harbor High's field hockey won, 2-0, at Chaminade College Prep.

Water polo fans know the Pacific Coast League is not easy, and it's hard to win league matches on the road. It looks even more difficult when your Pacific Coast League opener is on the road at Northwood, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division I. Corona del Mar High's boys water polo ignored any possible excuses, and took an early lead in the league standings Wednesday in winning, 10-7, at Northwood. "Northwood, is always a tough road game.

The hype will start from Day 1. And the best Corona del Mar High girls cross country team ever assembled under 22-year head man Bill Sumner is set to take the stage this season. State championship fever has begun. "This is the best team the county's ever seen," Sumner said. "If I get everybody to the starting line healthy, this is a very good team." The Sea Kings, already loaded with homegrown talent, including Annie St. Geme, the CIF State champion in the 1,600 meters, added another state champion to their roster over the summer.

NEWPORT BEACH -- Although it was race day for the Corona del Mar High girls cross country team, it was business as usual, said CdM Coach Bill Sumner. The Sea Kings (5-0) romped over Laguna Beach Wednesday at Bonita Creek Park, 15-50, as the top four overall finishers -- Annie St. Geme, Sarah Cummings, Allison Damon and Shelby Buckley -- each crossed the line at 19:05. "We took it easier than usual today," said St. Geme, one of CdM's four first-place finishers.

The Corona del Mar High girls tennis team looked dominant coming into the season, and it still could be. But the Sea Kings, who captured their eighth consecutive Pacific Coast League title and reached the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals last year, will try to win without No. 1 singles player Jill Damion -- at least for a while. The junior phenom tried to play through a sore shoulder this summer, but an MRI about a month ago detected a slight tear in the rotator cuff of her right shoulder.

Ensign Middle School and Corona del Mar split matches Wednesday at Ensign. There was somewhat of a reunion on hand as both coaches from Ensign and Corona del Mar had played in the 1980s at Newport Harbor under UC Irvine women's volleyball coach Charlie Brande. The eighth grade Ensign boys won the first and third games, 25-14, 14-25, 15-8, for the win over their rival. In the third game, Clay Friend made three kills and a service ace in the final game to lead the Seebees.

The Corona del Mar High football team continued its success rushing the ball through the early part of the season Friday night in a nonleague contest against Troy. But the Sea Kings had some company running alongside. Troy's tag-team backfield of junior Chris Ramirez and sophomore Derrick Coleman exploited holes forged by the offensive line and the Warriors' defense stymied CdM's final drive to stake a 25-18 victory in front of 2,000 spectators at Newport Harbor High.

NEWPORT BEACH -- Last season, when the Corona del Mar High boys cross country team faced Laguna Beach, CdM lost by one point. This year, the Sea Kings got their revenge with a 24-33 victory Wednesday at Bonita Creek Park. "This was a sweet victory," said CdM Coach Bill Sumner. "It's good to see the guys are coming around. They look good. We're right where we're supposed to be right now." Junior Tim Scott, for the first time in his CdM career, finished first for the Sea Kings (5-0)

After viewing film of last year's team, knowing he will have several returners from a CIF Southern Section Division I semifinalist, first-year Corona del Mar High boys water polo coach Barry O'Dea doesn't believe much will change in the pool once the games begin next month. But what many of his players must deal with is the adjustment once again of a coaching change. O'Dea, 32, hired to replace 2004 Division I Coach of the Year Sam Bailey this summer, will be the program's fourth leader in as many years this fall.

Corona del Mar High has defeated district football rival Costa Mesa three straight seasons and 27 of their 35 meetings. And first-year Mustangs Coach Jay Johnson enters Friday's nonleague clash -- kickoff at 7 p.m. at Newport Harbor High -- with an inauspicious history of his own against the Sea Kings. Johnson, then coaching Calvary Chapel, suffered a 50-8 setback in his only meeting with Coach Dick Freeman's CdM squad in 2002. CdM is looking for its second straight win over a Newport-Mesa school, after dispatching Estancia, 26-6, in Friday's opener.

ANAHEIM — There were plenty of moments during Saturday's CIF Southern Section Division III-A championship at the Honda Center in Anaheim when the Renaissance Academy basketball team took a staggering shot from Corona Del Mar straight on the chin and remained standing. While never taking a lead, Renaissance answered every Sea King's run with a run of their own, to stay within three points until inside of the final two minutes. They parried effectively enough to survive to the end, but the No.2-seed Wildcats (27-2)

In a key run in the Pacific Coast League boys' cross country title race, a banged-up Laguna Beach High team was defeated by host Corona del Mar, 24-33, at Bonita Creek Park Thursday. Last year, Laguna defeated the Sea Kings by a point. Corona del Mar is ranked seventh in the county. "Their varsity boys are healthy and run close together," Laguna coach Dave Brobeck said. "We are nursing our dings still, although we are getting healthy quickly, and I didn't want to really race them all-out yet. "The course was concrete with several long, pounding downhills, and I didn't want to risk further injury, so I chose to keep my guys in their training shoes and run controlled races.

NEWPORT BEACH -- Although it was race day for the Corona del Mar High girls cross country team, it was business as usual, said CdM Coach Bill Sumner. The Sea Kings (5-0) romped over Laguna Beach Wednesday at Bonita Creek Park, 15-50, as the top four overall finishers -- Annie St. Geme, Sarah Cummings, Allison Damon and Shelby Buckley -- each crossed the line at 19:05. "We took it easier than usual today," said St. Geme, one of CdM's four first-place finishers.

For the Corona del Mar High football team, the light at the end of the Pacific Coast League tunnel is, in fact, obscured by an oncoming train. The league schedule forced the Sea Kings (3-3, 1-1 in league) to deal with PCL powers Northwood and Tesoro in the first half of their six-game league campaign. The latter half of that assignment, which began with a 21-0 road setback against Northwood Oct. 6, will occur Friday at Tesoro at 7 p.m. Tesoro (4-1, 1-0)

NEWPORT BEACH -- Last season, when the Corona del Mar High boys cross country team faced Laguna Beach, CdM lost by one point. This year, the Sea Kings got their revenge with a 24-33 victory Wednesday at Bonita Creek Park. "This was a sweet victory," said CdM Coach Bill Sumner. "It's good to see the guys are coming around. They look good. We're right where we're supposed to be right now." Junior Tim Scott, for the first time in his CdM career, finished first for the Sea Kings (5-0)

Ensign Middle School and Corona del Mar split matches Wednesday at Ensign. There was somewhat of a reunion on hand as both coaches from Ensign and Corona del Mar had played in the 1980s at Newport Harbor under UC Irvine women's volleyball coach Charlie Brande. The eighth grade Ensign boys won the first and third games, 25-14, 14-25, 15-8, for the win over their rival. In the third game, Clay Friend made three kills and a service ace in the final game to lead the Seebees.

The Estancia High girls golf team defeated Ocean View, 228-306, at Meadowlark Golf Club Tuesday, advancing their winning streak in the Golden West League to 6-0. The Eagles (13-3 overall) were led by Bridget Gleason, who shot 40, while Lina You shot 41, Caroline Clements shot 45, Lauren Cushing shot 49 and Avery Williams shot 53 on the par-36 course. Sea Kings top Breakers GOLF: The Corona del Mar girls golf team captured a 237-245 Pacific Coast League victory over Laguna Beach Tuesday at Newport Beach Country Club.

The Corona del Mar High girls cross country team, with all five runners finishing in the top 20, took first place at the Clovis invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno Saturday. In the process, the Sea Kings set a course record, clocking in with a time of 91 minutes, 21 seconds, smashing Sultana's 2002 mark of 91:53. "I was shocked when I found out we broke the course record, because I know the history of this course -- we've been here for the state championships 18 years in a row," Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner said.

Seldom have two plays formed more poignant parentheses around the story of one football game as the ones that opened and, virtually closed Northwood High's 21-0 Pacific Coast League victory over visiting Corona del Mar Thursday night. On the first play from scrimmage, Northwood linebacker Mark Bentrott hammered a CdM ball carrier, forcing a fumble. The Timberwolves' Michael Ciaccio scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 19 yards for a touchdown. Alex Metskas kicked the first of his three conversions and the hosts led, 7-0, with only eight seconds elapsed at Irvine High.

The Laguna Beach High boys' water polo team is streaking. The Breakers made it win No. 5 in a row Tuesday by holding off host Santa Margarita, 10-9, in a nonleague match at Saddleback College. Laguna led by as many as four goals in the match, but the Eagles fought back late in the match to tie the score. The teams were tied, 2-2, after one quarter, but Laguna took a 7-3 lead at the half. Santa Margarita tied the score at 9-9 in the fourth quarter, but sophomore Nathan McConnell scored the game-winning goal late in the quarter.