mira costa

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS WATER POLO

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

OPEN DIVISION
Pool A — Third Round
#1 Newport Harbor 12, #4 Oaks Christian 6
#5 JSerra 14, #8 Laguna Beach 6

Pool B — Third Round
#3 Corona del Mar 13, #2 Santa Margarita 11
#6 Mira Costa 10, #7 Long Beach Wilson 6

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 5 p.m. unless noted)
Quarterfinals

DIVISION 1
Loyola vs. San Marcos at Dos Pueblos
Dos Pueblos vs. Buena at Rio Mesa
Mater Dei at Sage Hill
Harvard-Westlake at Westlake

Note: Divisions 2-5 quarterfinals Nov. 7; Open Division crossover round Nov. 8 at higher seeds; Divisions 2-5 semifinals Nov. 11; Open Division semifinals Nov. 12 at Woollett Aquatics Center; Division 1 semifinals Nov. 12; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 15 at Mt. San Antonio College.

Marymount girls volleyball team is peaking at the right time — and that could mean trouble for opponents.

The Sailors had everything working for them in a 25-13, 25-17, 25-15 sweep of visiting Mira Costa in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals on Tuesday night, showing no signs of rust after a first-round bye in the 12-team bracket.

“We couldn’t have been more prepared,” Washington-bound senior hitter Sammy Destler said. “Our energy got us to the finish line. We were on fire. That’s the best we’ve played all season.”

Destler entered the match two kills shy of 1,000 for her career and it didn’t take long for her to reach the milestone, achieving it on a strike to the right side that gave Marymount a 12-6 lead in the first set.

“I had no clue until they announced it, but it feels good,” said Destler, one of seven Sailors who finished with at least five kills. “We’re very familiar with them, they have Audrey [Flanagan] and Simone [Roslon] and they’re always tough but tonight was about everything we did on our side.”

The fifth-seeded Mustangs (24-10), who shared the Bay League crown with No. 2 Redondo Union despite dropping their first league match since 2019, had pushed Marymount to five sets in a nonleague match in September, but this time they could not handle the Sailors’ balanced attack.

Marymount’s serving kept Mira Costa out of system all match. In the first set alone the Sailors served seven aces, including three in a row by Southern Methodist-bound middle blocker Elle Vandeweghe, that put her team up 20-9. She and Destler combined for a stuff block on set point.

Destler opened the second set with another ace, then Frankie Jones ended it with a kill. Destler and Makenna Barnes, a Northwestern commit, each had eight kills apiece while Vandeweghe and the Brown-bound Jones each added six.

Flanagan, a Wisconsin commit, paced the Mustangs with eight kills and got a hug afterwards from Destler, one of her best friends.

Marymount’s Makenna Barnes, right, goes on the attack against Mira Costa blockers Liliana Swanson, left, and Milly McGee, center, during Marymount’s victory in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals on Tuesday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“We’ve played so many more matches than other teams,” Marymount coach Cari Klein said. “I didn’t want it, but I think we needed those extra few days rest because of the intensity of our schedule.”

The fourth-seeded Sailors (37-5) advanced to the semifinals to face top-seeded Sierra Canyon (37-3) on Saturday for the fourth time this season. The Sailors won the first meeting, 21-25, 25-15, 25-12 in the finals of the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas. The Trailblazers rebounded to take a pair of Mission League meetings over a span of eight days.

Klein, who is hoping to pilot the Sailors to their 11th section title in her 28th season, was so locked in to the task at hand Tuesday that she did not look at the CIF website to see if her team had won the coin flip for the next round: “Please say it’s here!”

Her wish was not granted, as Marymount will have to travel to Chatsworth, where it dropped a five-set thriller on Sept. 29, but Destler is confident they can win on any court.

“If we play like we this, there’s no stopping us,” she said.

Nobody knows why cramps really happen, but Friday night’s Gardena Serra-Sierra Canyon high school football game took the issue to an unprecedented level.

Serra players kept cramping on defense, repeatedly slowing down Sierra Canyon’s up-tempo offense. By the end of the third quarter, Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse had seen enough. His 11 offensive players, at his direction, simultaneously went to the ground and engaged in fake cramping.

That caused an enraged Serra coach Scott Altenberg to go on the field and be held back by others. Officials halted the game briefly and called 15-yard penalties on Sierra Canyon and Serra.

Ellinghouse said after his team’s 30-0 victory that he was frustrated with the repeated game stoppages and in hindsight, regrets having his players engage in the fake cramps.

Altenberg said he was never angrier in 27 years of coaching. He denied his team was faking cramps to influence the game. “I’m not that kind of coach,” he said.

It wasn’t the only controversy on Friday night. Salesian scored 91 points to beat Cantwell-Sacred Heart 91-13. It was 84-7 at halftime.

Salesian coach Anthony Atkins said he started substituting in the first quarter. There was no running clock until the third quarter. Cantwell-Sacred Heart apparently didn’t ask for a running clock in the first half.

In a text message, Atkins said, “I went back and watched the film just to make sure there wasn’t any malice or that it didn’t look like we were trying to run up the score. Honestly, there was nothing more we could have done short of sitting our guys for the entire game.”

The Mira Costa-Lawndale game was halted with Mira Costa ahead 14-0 in the first quarter because of a security threat at Mira Costa after a bullet was discovered on campus. Also canceled was a girls’ volleyball tournament.

In a developing story, standout quarterback Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park was injured in a game against Santa Barbara and left in the second half. Smigiel, who has committed to Michigan, was expected to get an MRI exam on a knee on Saturday.

Kickers have been making long field goals look routine at the college and NFL level. Now they’re becoming the same in high school football.

Noah Thayer, a senior at JSerra, has booted field goals from 55 and 54 yards this season, made a game-winning 31-yard field goal against Oak Hills and is 16 for 16 on PATs.

There’s lots of kickers this season with the ability to try long field goals, but they must first get the permission from their coach. JSerra coach Victor Santa Cruz said Thayer has his complete confidence.

“It’s an easy decision when you have a weapon like Noah,” Santa Cruz said. “It’s exciting to have him. He’s been developing since he was a freshman. He’s just a confident kid.”

Thayer said he gained strength and muscle in the offseason, going from 5-feet-8, 140 pounds to 5-9, 165 to help him increase his distance on kicks. He’s missed field goals from 60 and 55 yards.

Other long field goals this season include a 50-yarder from Mel Huerta of Lawndale, a 49-yarder from Nico Talbott of Mira Costa and a 49-yarder from Ishaan Kedia of Portola.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

It’s Viva Las Vegas for the top girls volleyball teams in Southern California. They’ll be in Las Vegas this weekend for the 30th Durango Classic that will be played at four sites beginning Friday.

Seven of MaxPreps’ top 10 teams nationally are scheduled to compete, including Sierra Canyon, Mater Dei, Redondo Union, Marymount and Mira Costa.

Sierra Canyon is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section power rankings after knocking off Redondo Union last week.

It’s also one of the first chances to see teams strengthened by players who had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring without moving. The sit-out period ended Sept. 13. …

The Ivy League football season begins on Saturday, and there are 39 players from Southern Section high school teams listed on Ivy League rosters.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Bell 34, Foshay 20

Birmingham 44, Arleta 0

Birmingham 14, Arleta 0

Chavez 6, Reseda 6

Chavez 8, Reseda 0

Cleveland 45, Granada Hills Kennedy 12

Cleveland 49, North Hollywood 0

Diego Rivera 28, USC Hybrid 12

Eagle Rock 26, Venice 14

GALA 13, Foshay 0

GALA 24, Bell 7

Granada Hills Kennedy 20, North Hollywood 19

Hollywood 34, Rise Kohyang 24

Jefferson 26, Fremont 6

Jefferson 15, Sotomayor 0

LA Hamilton 54, Monroe 0

LA Wilson 13, Monrovia 12

Manual Arts 32, Brio College Prep

Monroe 21, LA Hamilton 0

New Designs University Park 18, USC Hybrid 0

New Designs University Park 36, Diego Rivera 6

Orthopaedic 18, Camino Nuevo 12

San Pedro 27, Mira Costa 14

Sotomayor 15, Fremont 14

Stern 19, Animo De La Hoya 6

Sun Valley Magnet 45, East Valley 18

Van Nuys 12, Chatsworth 6

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agoura 26, Thousand Oaks 6

Aliso Niguel 33, El Toro 7

Anaheim 32, Savanna 13

Anaheim Canyon 25, Cypress 14

Aquinas 33, Rio Hondo Prep 0

Banning 25, Cathedral City 21

Beckman 48, Capistrano Valley 0

Bellflower 26, Cerritos 6

Bolsa Grande 21, Rancho Alamitos 20

Brentwood 18, Shalhevet 7

California 24, Chaffey 19

Compton 13, Long Beach Jordan 6

Corona del Mar 38, Fountain Valley 0

Costa Mesa 28, Godinez 0

Covina 27, Montclair 13

Dana Hills 12, La Serna 0

Downey 38, Corona 6

Duarte 8, Baldwin Park 7

Edison 28, Marina 0

El Modena 21, Troy 6

El Rancho 14, Montebello 0

Esperanza 13, Crean Lutheran 0

Fullerton 27, Westminster 6

Gabrielino 46, Mountain View 6

Garden Grove 33, Ocean View 6

Hacienda Heights Wilson 13, Monrovia 12

Hacienda Heights Wilson 19, Ontario 12

Hart 27, Valencia 0

Huntington Beach 20, Los Alamitos 0

Irvine University 34, Laguna Beach 6

JSerra 21, Tesoro 6

Laguna Hills 19, Segerstrom 13

Lakewood St. Joseph 38, Bishop Montgomery 6

La Palma Kennedy 20, Garden Grove Pacifica 7

Linfield Christian 31, Corona Centennial 19

Loara 13, Estancia 0

Loma Linda Academy 32, Xavier Prep 0

Mission Viejo 19, San Juan Hills 0

Newbury Park 52, Hueneme 0

Norco 31, La Sierra 6

Norwalk 13, Maywood CES 0

Ontario Christian 12, Serrano 6

Orange 20, Westminster La Quinta 7

Paramount 6, St. Paul 0

Portola 7, Northwood 6

Rosemead 14, El Monte 0

Rowland 19, Whittier 13

San Dimas 13, Bishop Amat 7

San Marino 41, Ramona Convent 6

Santa Ana Foothill 7, La Habra 6

Santa Fe 67, Whitney 0

Santa Paula 50, Fillmore 0

Saugus 6, Canyon Country Canyon 0

SEED: LA 13, Hawthorne 6

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 60, Village Christian 0

Sierra Vista 33, Garey 19

Sonora 14, Don Lugo 0

South El Monte 40, Arroyo 7

South Hills 14, West Covina 0

St. Anthony 33, St. Mary’s Academy 28

St. Lucy’s 55, Pomona 0

Sunny Hills 13, Brea Olinda 0

Vasquez 6, Golden Valley 0

West Ranch 32, Castaic 0

Westridge 32, Alhambra 8

Woodbridge 21, Irvine 0

Yorba Linda 25, El Dorado 0

Yucaipa 26, Palm Springs 7

INTERSECTIONAL

LA Marshall 24, Burbank Burroughs 12

Norwalk 13, Maywood CES 0

San Pedro 27, Mira Costa 14

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Birmingham 25, Granada Hills Kennedy 6

Franklin 19, Crenshaw 6

Granada Hills Kennedy 14, Birmingham 6

Panorama 25, Crenshaw 0

Panorama 6, Franklin 0

South East 39, Elizabeth 0

South Gate 48, Animo De La Hoya 8

Verdugo Hills 13, Sun Valley Magnet 0

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agoura 26, Thousand Oaks 14

Antelope Valley 20, Lancaster 6

Artesia 19, Pioneer 6

Burbank Burroughs 44, Los Altos 20

Cerritos 33, Glenn 0

Channel Islands 20, Hart 12

Corona Del Mar 33, Mayfair 0

Dos Pueblos 48, Buena 6

El Toro 37, Long Beach Poly 6

Fairmont Prep 46, Bolsa Grande 6

Highland 36, Palmdale 0

Inglewood 28, Hawthorne 0

Knight 19, Eastside 0

Lawndale 30, Compton Centennial 0

Leuzinger 12, Culver City 6

Mira Costa 20, Peninsula 6

North Torrance 27, South Torrance 0

Oak Park 32, Simi Valley 12

Oaks Christian 32, Calabasas 0

Oxnard Pacifica 7, Rio Mesa 6

Quartz Hill 40, Littlerock 0

Redondo Union 20, Palos Verdes 7

Santa Ana Valley 26, Magnolia 12

San Marcos 41, Santa Barbara 0

Santa Monica 52, Beverly Hills 0

Ventura 32, Oxnard 13

Westlake 38, Newbury Park 22

INTERSECTIONAL

Gardena Serra 19, Carson 12

Maybe it’s knowing the beach is a short walk from their high school campus, but the special teams trio of punter Jackson Shevin, long snapper Jackson Reach and kicker Nico Talbott are feeling relaxed, comfortable and confident for Mira Costa High‘s football team.

Early in the season, fans sometimes need to close their eyes and pray when there’s a punt or PAT attempt. The special teams play can be that bad.

At Mira Costa, this coming season should be a good one for the special teams. The two Jacksons, Shevin and Reach, did their roles last season. Shevin is also a holder on field goals. Talbott assumes the No. 1 role for kicking. And Reach rarely leaves the field, because he’s also the team’s standout linebacker.

On any football team, it’s always intriguing to see how the special teams players blend in. Many are soccer players trying to learn the football culture.

The Mira Costa trio work well together, and it helps with their versatility. Mira Costa opens its season Aug. 29 against St. Francis. …

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Huntington Park 20, Kennedy 7

Sotomayor 21, New Designs University Park 0

Sotomayor 8, New Designs University Park 7

Wilson 37, Huntington Park 6

Wilson 38, Kennedy 0

SOUTHERN SECTION

Aliso Niguel 13, Long Beach Poly 6

Classical Academy 53, Mission Viejo 0

Dos Pueblos 12, Aliso Niguel 0

Dos Pueblos 20, Fullerton 6

Esperanza 19, Woodbridge 6

Esperanza 19, Mira Costa 0

Fullerton 20, Long Beach Poly 6

Gahr 34, Cypress 13

Hacienda Heights Wilson 13, Villa Park 12

Lancaster 19, Saugus 12

Long Beach Cabrillo 33, Glenn 22

Long Beach Jordan 42, Mayfair 6

Mater Dei 25, Mission Viejo 0

Mission Hills 30, Santa Monica 0

Norwalk 13, Western 6

Orange Lutheran 32, Warren 6

Orange Lutheran 12, Western Christian 0

Sage Hill 15, Garden Grove Pacifica 0

Segerstrom 33, Garden Grove Santiago 0

St. Anthony 12, St. Paul 7

Vasquez 33, PACS 0

Villa Park 12, Hacienda Heights Wilson 13

Western Christian 20, Warren 6

INTERSECTIONAL

LA Marshall 35, Alemany 6

Mission Hills 30, Santa Monica 0

Vincent Memorial 28, Mira Costa 6

Vincent Memorial 21, Woodbridge 19

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Agoura 20, Ayala 6

Agoura 48, Oxnard Pacifica 7

Anaheim Canyon 12, Upland 0

Anaheim Canyon 25, Upland 6

Ayala 39, Oxnard Pacifica 6

Beaumont 51, Shadow Hills 16

Bishop Amat 20, Hart 6

Bonita 25, West Covina 12

Bonita 45, San Gabriel 0

Bonita 48, Sierra Vista 0

Buena Park 14, Nogales 7

California 32, Montebello 0

Camarillo 26, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 8

Camarillo 33, Westlake 22

Canyon Springs 19, Yucaipa 7

Chaparral 33, Ontario Christian 8

Chino 13, Colton 0

Citrus Valley 23, Los Osos 19

Corona Santiago 6, El Dorado 0

Esperanza 20, Aliso Niguel 14

Fillmore 24, Calabasas 7

Fullerton 7, Mission Viejo 6

Keppel 12, Baldwin Park 12

La Sierra 23, California Military Institute 6

Los Osos 50, Victor Valley 2

Mater Dei 20, Esperanza 19

Mission Viejo 14, Long Beach Poly 13

Newbury Park 44, Highland 16

Norco 18, Murrieta Valley 0

Orange Lutheran 26, Aliso Niguel 0

Oxnard 52, Thousand Oaks 6

Oxnard 54, St. Bonaventure 0

Rio Mesa 28, Fillmore 0

Rio Mesa 46, Calabasas 0

Riverside Poly 21, Canyon Springs 0

Riverside Poly 24, Yucaipa 7

San Marcos 52, Highland 6

San Marcos 33, Newbury Park 12

Santa Margarita 13, San Marcos 0

Santa Margarita 44, Newbury Park 12

Sierra Vista 25, San Gabriel 15

Temescal Canyon 2, Norco 0

Temecula Prep 20, Chaparral 12

Temecula Prep 32, Temecula Valley 0

Temple City 28, Arroyo 6

Thousand Oaks 19, St. Bonaventure 14

Upland 19, South Hills 13

Upland 26, Corona Santiago 19

Warren 13, Mira Costa 6

Warren 12, Fullerton 7

Westlake 28, Camarillo 6

Woodbridge 13, Mission Viejo 0

Woodbridge 20, Warren 0

INTERSECTIONAL

Castaic 7, San Fernando 0

Bonita Vista 18, Downey 2

North County San Marcos 27, Santa Monica 0

Valencia 26, Kennedy 12

Surfer dudes. Football dudes.

That’s the best way to describe identical twins Liam and Luke Meeker, football players at Mira Costa High.

Liam is the quarterback and Luke the receiver. They’ve been teaming up their whole life.

“Twin telepathy,” they joke.

Their father, George, who was a member of Edison’s surf team during his high school days, taught them to surf when they were 9. Luke claims to be the best, but it’s football where they are making their presence felt.

Both are 6 feet 2 and 200 pounds. Liam can throw and run. Luke can be physical and protective of his brother. They’re loyal and best friends.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Luke said.

“I know where he is on the field,” Liam said.

With Mira Costa returning eight starters on defense and key skill position players such as the Meekers and standout running back AJ McBean, the Mustangs have a chance to be competitive in a tough Bay League that also has Palos Verdes, Inglewood, Leuzinger, Culver City and Lawndale.

Coach Don Morrow, in his 33rd season, likes the togetherness of his players. There’s good leaders, like linebacker/long snapper Jackson Reach, who’s been a standout since his sophomore season.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was a pleasant 77 degrees, with drums, flutes and cymbals being heard around the Manhattan Beach campus as band members practiced. Cheerleaders also worked on their routines. Then football players took the field to continue preparation for an Aug. 29 opener against St. Francis.

Afterward, anyone could take a walk to the beach and surf. The Meekers have been spending summers in Australia, where their mother was born and raised on a farm. They’ve gotten stronger with all the chores they do each summer.

When it comes to surfing, they know the lingo and the fun.

They’re “stoked” for the football season ahead.

When it comes to special teams, Mira Costa’s football team has a dream group ready to handle punting, kicking, long snapping and holding.

The senior trio of punter Jackson Shevin, kicker Nico Talbott and long snapper Jackson Reach is an impressive group.

Shevin, who’s also the holder on PATs and field goals, averaged 38 yards on punts last season. Talbott waited his time to handle kicking duties on junior varsity and being the backup. He has performed well at the Chris Sailer kicking camps. Reach is an elite long snapper and terrific linebacker.

Shevin also says he’s ready to pass or run if coach Don Morrow calls for any fake punts or fake field goals.

“It’s pretty cool,” Morrow said of his special teams trio. Morrow is entering his 33rd season at Mira Costa and No. 37 overall and thinks special teams is pretty important for a football program.

With two of the three named Jackson and being from Manhattan Beach, you can imagine the trust and fun they have playing on the same team.

Mira Costa is one of a talented group of teams in the Bay League joining Palos Verdes, Inglewood, Leuzinger and Culver City, all of whom could be title contenders depending on what division they are placed in.

Mira Costa returns top quarterback Liam Meeker and top running back AJ McBean. But they know if they need a punt or a field goal, the “Three Amigos” are ready.

Alyssa Lee of El Camino Real has achieved something few volleyball coaches can claim.

With El Camino Real’s boys team winning the City Section Open Division championship on Saturday after an upset over No. 1-seeded Venice, Lee has won City titles coaching El Camino Real’s boys, girls and beach volleyball teams, the Triple Crown of volleyball coaching.

“That’s very impressive,” said Granada Hills coach Tom Harp, who had Lee on his girls’ team when she graduated in 2009.

Harp, a future Hall of Fame coach in the City Section, said Lee is calm and comfortable on the bench and knows strategy well.

El Camino Real opens the state playoffs on Tuesday in Division 2 with a home game against Escondido Classical Academy.

Mira Costa is seeded No. 1 in Division 1…

The CIF Southern California tennis championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Claremont Club. Here’s the bracket…

Southern Section golf team championships are set for Monday and Tuesday. The individual championship will be Thursday. The City Section championships are Wednesday at Harding Golf Course.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

SOUTHERN SECTION LACROSSE PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

At Fred Kelly Stadium

BOYS FINALS

DIVISION 1

Loyola 11, Mater Dei 3

DIVISION 2

San Clemente 8, Dos Pueblos 7

DIVISION 3

Riverside King 14, Agoura 8

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

At Fred Kelly Stadium

GIRLS FINALS

DIVISION 1

Foothill 12, Mira Costa 7

DIVISION 2

St. Margaret’s 11, El Segundo 8

DIVISION 3

Oaks Christian 15, Trabuco Hills 9