High Schools: Sailors now making cut
In the fall, Bob Miller met with Newport Harbor High baseball coach Patrick Murphy. Miller’s son, Grayson, a freshman, planned to play baseball in the spring.
Miller had one question for Murphy.
“If you could name one big thing the community could help with, what would that be?” Miller asked. “To my surprise his answer was an outfield mower.”
The Angels are helping Murphy bring a mower to Newport Harbor’s outfield.
Miller went to the major league ballclub for assistance and the Angels stepped up to the plate.
Murphy said the Angels Baseball Foundation has given the Newport Harbor program a $4,000 check to buy a riding mower to maintain the outfield.
Murphy said he’s thankful for the Angels’ support. The Sailors open the season Thursday at home against Brea Olinda in the Newport Elks Tournament at 3 p.m.
“We’re hoping to get the mower as soon as we can,” said Murphy, who plans to mow the outfield three times a week.
Mark Todd is back for a second season in charge of the Newport Harbor boys’ lacrosse program.
Todd has set up quite a challenge for the Sailors at the start of the season. They open the year with three straight tough matchups on the road.
The first is at Santa Margarita, ranked No. 13 in the CIF Southern Section by laxpower.com, on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Newport Harbor is then at El Toro on Saturday and at St. Margaret’s on March 7, before it plays at home against Tesoro on March 9.
Todd’s former program, Corona del Mar, begins the season at Irvine on Monday.
Sage Hill is the one local team that has already opened the season. The Lightning defeated San Juan Hills, 11-8, Friday.
Sage Hill is an independent this season, while Newport Harbor is in the Sunset League and CdM is in the Pacific Coast League.
CdM sophomore quarterback Luke Napolitano has been invited to attend Football University’s Top Gun national camp this summer in Williamsburg, Va.
Napolitano stood out at the three-day FBU Los Angeles camp. He competed against some of the top players in Southern California and worked with former NFL coaches and players.
Napolitano will be vying for the starting quarterback job next season at CdM, which won the CIF Southern Section Southern Division title last season.
Newport Harbor High senior running back AJ Swies earned the Vincent D. Mulroy Scholarship Award.
Mulroy was a standout in the classroom and on the football field at Newport Harbor and at Stanford.
The CdM boys’ volleyball team, the defending CIF Southern Section Division 2 champion, enters the preseason ranked No. 1 in its division.
The Sea Kings, who claimed the ESPN RISE national title last season, lost a lot of talent, but they return senior Parker Brown. The outside hitter earned All-CIF and Newport-Mesa Dream Team honors last season.
Sage Hill is No. 9 in Division 4.
Back Bay boys’ volleyball programs CdM and Newport Harbor are having their respective alumni matches this week.
The Sea Kings’ match is Friday at 7 p.m. The varsity team will play former CdM players.
For information, contact Jon Schisler at jschisler@wlainvestments.com.
The Sailors’ match is Saturday at 5 p.m. The current Sailors will go up against former players.
Contact Taylor Govaars at tgovaars@nmusd.us for more details.
CdM is the only local baseball program ranked in the CIF Southern Section preseason polls.
The Sea Kings are No. 7 in Division 3. They return two standouts in Andrew McCormack and Brent Lawson.
McCormack, a right-handed pitcher, went 6-3 with a 2.91 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts last season as a junior. He threw 551/3 innings with three complete games.
Lawson hit .382 with four home runs, 22 runs batted in and a .691 slugging percentage as a junior. Lawson, who played left field last season, is bound for Yale.
Opening Day for both the Costa Mesa American Little League and Costa Mesa National Little League is Saturday.
The CMALL festivities start at Costa Mesa High on the Majors Field at 9:30 a.m.
The CMNLL begins at TeWinkle Middle School on the Majors Field at 11:30 a.m.
Twitter: @DCPenaloza