Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Former USC players have something to prove at pro day

Taylor Mays knows he has to create turnovers. Joe McKnight is trying to get past his disappointing Trojans career, and Stafon Johnson is making a full comeback after his weightlifting accident.

Monday, March 29, 2010

OCVarsity Top 10 (3/29): Mater Dei wins state

Highlights include a game winning hit, two home runs in one inning, dominating strikeout performances on the mound, and the county's only basketball state championship. Video by Jonathan Khamis, for OCVarsity.com.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Who is SoCal's strongest man?

Huntington Beach hosted the 2nd annual Southern California's Strongest Man competition. Contestants fliped over tires, tossed kegs, and pulled a 17 ton truck.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Nuclear Cowboyz invade Honda Center

Freestyle motorcross riders take part in a theatrical show called "Nuclear Cowboyz." Riders including Derek Garland of San Clemente will be performing stunts through Saturday.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Henry Owens brings surf mentality to mound

Edison's Henry Owens is considered to be a future 1st round pick in the MLB draft of 2011. The junior has dominated hitters all year with a plus 90 fastball and buckling curve. He has 51 strikeouts in only 29 innings pitched this year, but it's his laid back demeanor which distinguishes him from other pitchers.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

OCVarsity Top 10 (3/23): Pitcher throws no-hitter

Highlights include a monster home run shot, a diving double up softball catch, Mater Dei's Tyler Lamb unleashing an offensive attack, and a no-hitter thrown by El Toro's TJ Kendzora.

What do you make of the top 10? How would you rank the top plays?

Thanks to Cox 3's Sportzone for the footage, and you can check out their show tonight at 7:30 pm.


Monday, March 22, 2010

'09-'10 All-County Basketball Videos (including bloopers!)

Highlights & interviews with selections: Anthony Brown, Avery Johnson, Gary Franklin, Keala King, player of the year Tyler Lamb, & coach of the year Rusty Van Cleeve.



Highlights & interviews with selections: Melissa Zornig, Alexis Perry, Kelsey Harris, Jordan Adams, player of the year Kaleena-Mosqueda Lewis & coach of the year Robert Morgan.



Outtakes with basketball selections. Jonathan Khamis has trouble with Alexis Perry's name, and players answer who would win dream match up between Ocean View & Mater Dei.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Mater Dei rallies from 20 points down but falls to Westchester in regional final

Mater Dei loses to Westchester 71-63 in the Southern California regional championship. The Monarchs rallied from 20 points down and cut the lead to one, but Westchester's Dwayne Polee (20 pts, 10 rebounds) and Jordin Mayes (21 pts) would cement the Comets' second straight state title appearance.

Tyler Lamb led Mater Dei with 32 ponts and 14 rebounds.


Saturday, March 20, 2010

Mater Dei finally beats Brea Olinda and advances to state final

Mater Dei defeated Brea Olinda 51-46 in the Division II Southern California Regional Final to advance to their first state championship game since 1996.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led the way with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. Jessica Duarte was also a force down low with 16 points and 9 boards.

Both players along with Jordan Adams talked about how much the win meant to them in regards to Bri Matthews, the Mater Dei softball player who committed suicide earlier this month.

Brea's Olukemi led her team with 12 points, while Kelsey Harris scored 10.


College Cage Series offers scholarship money to fighters

The College Cage Series held their inaugural event at UCI. Some winners received $2,000 in scholarship money and four-fight contracts. Highlights of action and interviews with winners.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Basketball legend Jamaal Wilkes breaks down NCAA bracket

Four-time NBA & Two-time NCAA champion Jamaal Wilkes breaks down the NCAA tournament. He gives his thoughts on if a dynasty will occur in college again, and which teams to look out for.

Monday, March 15, 2010

OCVarsity Top 10 (3/15): Regional playoffs

Highlights include a rarely seen jump-ball turned into a score, an ankle-breaking layup that channeled Michael Jordan, a three-quarter hail mary shot to beat the buzzer, and a golden goal to capture a state title.

Are the videos in the right order? Tell me what you think should be the number one play of the week.


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Esperanza wins regional on golden boot of Baisden

Esperanza defeats San Clemente 1-0 in overtime to take the Division 1 regional championship. Rylee Baisden scored the golden goal in overtime, as she barely got enough of her boot on the ball, giving her Aztecs their first state title.

It was only fitting that Baisden was the one to score the goal. Last week, she was suspended from playing in the CIF title game against San Clemente. A controversial red card she received in the semifinals against Santa Margarita kept her out of the final.

Highlights and interview with Baisden.


Mater Dei defeats Taft in thrilling semifinal

The Monarchs defeated Taft 75-73 in the Division I semifinals. Mater Dei was led by Tyler Lamb who scored 21 points, which included a clutch three-pointer with 1:21 remaining in the game. The unsung hero was sophomore Katin Reinhardt who had 15 points and five rebounds.

Highlights and interviews with Reinhardt and Lamb.


Friday, March 12, 2010

Instant Classic: Corona del Mar defeats JSerra in regional semifinals

Corona del Mar defeated JSerra 3-2 in the Division 2 regional semifinals, but CDM's head coach George Larson was in mood to celebrate.

He chided the referees for giving in to JSerra's diving. One instance in particular really irritated Larson. In the 8th minute, CDM's Matt Francini was called for fouling Juan Guitierrez, which resulted in a penalty kick. JSerra ended up tying the game 1-1 on that PK, and according to Larsen, that's when the game turned ugly.

Both teams were called for numerous fouls, in a physical matchup that saw players picking up plenty of grass stains. Three goals were scored in the first ten minutes of play, while the Sea Kings goal keeper Connor Gaal made some spectacular saves.

Highlights and interviews with CDM head coach George Larsen and Reed Williams who scored two goals.


Foothill misses 19 free throws in shocking loss to Gahr

Foothill missed 19 free throws on way to losing to Gahr 81-78 in the second round of the Division 3 regionals. Gahr advances to play Centennial in the semifinals on Saturday. Myles Carrillo scores 21 points for Foothill, and added 6 assists.

Highlights include a buzzer beating three-quarter court shot by Garh's Davon Potts and interviews with both head coaches.


Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Orange Lutheran recovers their swagger

The Lancers defeat Alemany 77-48 to advance to the second round of the Division III state regionals. Orange Lutheran was led by James Douglas who had 26 points on 12/14 shooting. Interviews with Douglas and head coach Chris Nordstrom.

Monday, March 8, 2010

OCVarsity Top 10: Championship Edition

Highlights include the best plays from nearly all the title games. Including a penalty kick shootout, diving basketball save, corner kick goals, and hustle plays.

Games include: Santa Margarita vs. Muir, Ocean View vs. Foothill, Mater Dei vs. Woodbridge, JSerra vs. Harvard-Westlake, Esperanza vs. San Clemente, Beckman vs. Harvard-Westlake, Mater Dei vs. Etiwanda, Orange Lutheran vs. Price, Esperanza vs. Santa Margarita, and Mater Dei vs. Woodbridge.

Thanks as always to Cox 3's Sportzone for providing the footage, and after watching the video, let me know what was your favorite play of the week!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Mater Dei wins championship after controversial no call

A "no call" that ended regulation gave the Monarchs the benefit of the doubt. Etiwanda was down 68-65 with 5.2 seconds left, and the Monarchs were looking to foul. The first contact came near mid court as Gary Franklin hacked Jordan Daniels on the pass.

"The final play of the game, we just tried to foul," Franklin said.

There was no call on the play, as the ball went into the hands of Evan Jenkins. He rised to shoot what would've been the tying 3-ball, but his right arm was grabbed by by Mater Dei's Eli Stalzer. The ball harmlessly fell into the hands of Keala King. Once again there was no call.

"The refs are human. They make calls and they miss calls," Keala King said. "We're lucky they didn't make the call."

"We were very fortunate," Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight said.

Even if the official called a foul. It would've still been on the junior Evan Jenkins to hit three free throws in the clutch. Who knows if he would've made them. Mater Dei hung on to win their first CIF championship since 2006.

Finally, both sides could have shown more class at the end of the game. Mater Dei was roundly and loudly booed by Etiwanda's fans during their award ceremony, while Mater Dei's players and staff egged them on by pointing to their ring fingers.

What do you guys think? Should there have been a foul called?

Foothill wins championship as defense stifles Ocean View

The Knights win their 1st CIF title defeating Ocean View 64-58. Foothill's defense held Ocean View to only 32% shooting, while Myles Carrillo led the way with 16 points. Interviews with Rob Filley & Carrillo.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Orange Lutheran misses 3-pointer and falls to Price

The Lancers lose the D4AA CIF title game to Price 73-70. OLu was led by Gabe York with 21 pts. Tyler Funk missed a 3 to tie the game, as Price won their 10th title in 12 years. Interviews with Funk & Nordstrom.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Jon Wilhite's long road to recovery

Former Cal State Fullerton player Jon Wilhite was the only survivor in the car accident that took the life of Angels player Nick Adenhart, Henry Pearson, & Courtney Stewart. Wilhite was internally decapitated in the crash and spent months recovering at the UCI Medical Center.

95% of people with his injuries die, but the strength of his neck kept him together. All those hours spent crouching down on the dirt of Goodwin Field saved his life.

Wilhite told me that he's worked hard his entire life, why stop now?


Thursday, March 4, 2010

Santa Margarita girls celebrate CIF victory

Santa Margarita defeats Muir 52-39 to capture the CIF Division 3A championship. Melissa Zornig capped her senior season with 19 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Highlights and interviews with Zornig, McKenney, and head coach Matt Houser.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Will boxing's dream match ever happen?

News and notes from the Pacquiao media workout video:

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach reveals his game plan against Joshua Clottey, but doesn't care because "Clottey can't do anything about it."

Promoter Bob Arum calls Floyd Mayweather a "coward." He also believes that Mayweather used drug testing in negotiations as a ploy to get into Pacquiao's head, and to find a way to get out of the fight.

Pacquiao reveals what his disadvantages are going into the fight, but also said that he doesn't need Mayweather to justify his career.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Controversial red card overshadows Esperanza victory over Santa Margarita

Esperanza defeated Santa Margarita 2-0 to advance to the DI title game, but their leading goal scorer Rylee Baisden was issued a red card. She will unable to play for the championship.

What do you think? Was this the right call to make? Against the star player? With only minutes left in the game? Should I ask more questions?!

Answer and commment below!

Monday, March 1, 2010

OCVarsity Top 10: Playoff scores & saves

Highlights of the week include a penalty kick shootout with JSerra, monster dunks by Anthony Brown & Keala King, a Wes Parker diving save, and a header by Kyle Ball.