Mater Dei dunks all over Foothill

The Monarchs defeated Foothill 68-43 to capture the Orange Holiday Classic. Tournament MVPs Tyler Lamb had 20 pts, 3 stl, 3 blks while Keala King added 13 pts, 10 reb, & 5 asts.

Get into the holiday spirit!

Yes, I'm known more for my OCVarsity prep reporting, and this is a sports blog after all, but that doesn't mean we can't get into the holiday spirit! Here are two holiday/Christmas videos I produced for OCRegister.com that'll be sure to stuff your stocking full of joy!

The Science of Gingerbread has taken over the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. Kids can learn what goes into making gingerbread as well as view award winning gingerbread houses.



The Fullerton landmark known as the "Christmas House" is displaying their lights for the last time. For over 20 years, Jean Payne and Russ Miller have spent thousands of dollars to bring joy to visitors.



The ninth annual "Santa Ride" brought 100 motorcyclists dressed as Santa Claus delivering presents to kids from the Orangewood Children's Home. Video by Jonathan Khamis, OCRegister.com

2009 All-County Football Videos

Highlights of the 2009 selections including an interview with the offensive player of the year Cody Fajardo.



Highlights of the 2009 selections, including an interview with the defensive player of the year Jordan Zumwalt.



Garden Grove head coach Joe Hay was met with an unexpected tragedy to start the season. Linebacker Kevin Telles collapsed on the field and later passed away. His Argos rallied and went undefeated to the Southern title game.



Bloopers from the All-County photo shoot at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim.

Servite's last second FG wins state

The Friars defeat Rocklin 33-30 to win their first CIF state bowl game. Servite was up 30-10 in the third quarter, before the Thunder roared back to tie the game. Nicholas Echeverry's last second FG sealed the title for Servite.

Servite had to get through the best of the best to get to this title game. They have now survived three games that came down to the final moments. First came Long Beach Poly. Servite blocked their attempt at a tying field goal. Then came Mission Viejo, who decided to go for two and the win, but were unable to convert. Finally, with tonight's win, Servite caps off their special season by winning state.

That doesn't count defeating Mater Dei for the first time in over 20 years, becoming the first team to win the Trinity League outright (and go undefefeated nonetheless), and beating what I still think was the most talented football team all season in Edison.

Finally, congratulations to Servite for staying classy all year long. In a year that saw USC and UCLA throw chivalry out the window., Coach Troy Thomas did it the right way.

He took the foot off the gas against Crespi, because he didn't want to embarass his former school. He pulled his young assistant coaches aside late against Mater Dei, when emotions rode high after some chippy play. He told his team not to point their figures, signaling they were number one, after defeating Edison.

It's funny how professional and college coaches could learn from coaches in high school.

Highlights and interviews just a click away!

OCVarsity Week in Review: Football championships

The OCVarsity Week in Review for Dec. 14 highlights the CIF football championship games. Footage includes Servite vs. Edison, La Habra vs. Trabuco Hills, Garden Grove vs. La Mirada, and St. Margaret's vs. Ontario Christian.

What an oustanding week in High School football. We saw an unexpected run end in heartbreak for Garden Grove. A three-peat dynasty cement itself in La Habra. Orange County history made as St. Margaret's won their fourth consecutive title. Also, a little game involving the two best teams in the Pac-5 championship game.

Enjoy the highlights below!