Foothills Sentry February 2023

Page 15 Foothills Sentry February 2023 COMMUNITY SPORTS BY CLIFF ROBBINS AND CHAD CLINE Orange High School captured the Orange Coast League title in football, going undefeated, 6-0 in league and 11-3 overall. Orange went into the play- offs with a 34-28 overtime win against Huntington Beach and a 34-18 win over San Juan Hills. A tough 39-35 win over Loyola of Los Angeles advanced Or- ange into the CIF-SS Div. 4 finals against San Jacinto, where the season ended with a 42-15 loss. Kobe Boykin rushed for 90 yards average per game, and was on the receiving end for 335 yards, for a total of 1,505 yards for the season. He was named the Most Valuable Player for 2022. Offensive Player of the Year was quarterback Hype Grand. Grand threw for 1,377 yards and 20 touchdowns, with only six in- terceptions. Grand rushed for an- other 463 yards, for a season total of 1,840 yards. Special Teams Player of the Year was Jakob Coleman. Cole- man had seven tackles against Loyola, and added 10 against San Juan Hills. Lineman of the Year award went to Khalil Lawrence. Named to the First Team All- League was Arron White, Jaden Moore, Jaelen Lightfoot, John Smith Jr., Troy Jennings and Ar- dwon Morris. Named to the Sec- ond Team was Jaxson Tanielu, Angelo Adetoye, Deon Jackson and Centrell Wise. 64th Orange County All-Star Classic set for Feb. 4 The 64th Orange County All- Star Classic football game will be held on Saturday night, Feb. 4 at Newport Harbor High School. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. Coaching the North All-Stars is Rick Feldman from Cypress High School; the South All-Stars are coached by Peter Lofthouse from Newport Harbor High School. The Orange County North vs. South All-Star Classic, formally known as the Brea Lions Club North vs. South All-Star Game, is a long-standing tradition, dat- ing back to 1959. It pits some of the best graduating senior players from North County against those from South County. The players and coaches are selected by the Orange County Sportswriters Association, while the game itself is planned and run by Costa Mesa United, with sup- port from the Los Angeles Char- gers. Leading the North into battle is quarterback Christian Lundsberg from Canyon High. The South will be tested as Lundsberg threw for 54 touchdowns this season. In the backfield is Owen Smith from El Modena. Owen will be a rushing threat, posting 1,208 yards for the season and 15 touchdowns. Rex Barrera from Orange Lutheran rounds out the backfield. Lundsberg will have four re- ceivers to throw to. At wide re- ceiver are Kaleb Marshall and Conrad Hernandez from Orange Lutheran, Kayvon Monfared National Girls & Women in Sports Day Feb. 1, 2023, marks the 37th annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day. This celebration, sponsored by the Womens Sports Founda- tion, inspires girls and women to play in sports to realize their full power. The confidence, strength and character gained through sports participation are the tools girls and women need to become strong leaders. After recently cel- ebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the focus is on the next 50 years to build on the landmark law so future generations under- stand their rights to equal access and opportunity. To get involved, see www.Wo- mensSportsFoundation.org. Daisy Garcia (42) and Kimberly Limon (40) from Orange High School take the lane away from Annika Tufo of St. Margaret High School. Villa Park wins back-to-back CIF Competitive Cheer Villa Park High School won back-to-back CIF Competitive Cheer Championships. The Villa Park Competitive Cheer Team won the 2A Championships in 2020; there was no competition in 2021. Stepping up to Division 3A, Villa Park out-performed a field of 17 other schools in the division at Martin Luther King Student initiates wrestling program Is it possible for one student to make a difference in just the two years spent at Santiago Charter Middle School? Yes. Ace Esparza is proof of that. In the spring of 2022, seventh grader Esparza approached San- tiago administration and asked about starting a student wrestling program. Wrestling is a passion of his, and starting new programs is something frequently done at Santiago. After a meeting with Athletic Director Pat Connolly, the pro- gram gained momentum. Over the next six months, a program was created that represented Es- parza’s vision and served the stu- dents of Santiago. In January 2023, roughly one year after the initial inquiry, and twice weekly practices, San- tiago's first wrestling team com- peted in its first tournament. Over a dozen Santiago Santanas, two wrestling coaches, and family and friends journeyed to the Ju- nior Five Counties Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Foun- tain Valley High School. The student wrestlers brought home eight medals, including three gold, three silver and two bronze. The school is proud of its Santanas, and looks forward to growing this program. The Santiago Charter Middle School wrestling team, left to right: Adrian Martinez, 7th grade; Samuel Saavedra, 8th grade; Marley Mis- ity Nelson, 8th; Jenna Ceballos, Kalea Fink, 7th; Coach Brady Fink; Booker Gamboa, 7th; George Martian, Gabe Huerta, 8th; Coach Steve Stewart; Ace Esparza, 8th grader who initiated the program; Zach Daniel, Lincoln Casas, 8th grade. from Canyon, and Jonathan Smith from Orange High. Anchoring the offensive line are Anthony Lopez from El Modena, Khalil Lawrence from Orange, and Ben Faletoi from Tu- stin High. On defense at tackle is Canyon Dietrich from Villa Park High School. Linebackers are Mayson Hitchens from El Modena High School, from Foothill High and Troy Mills from Canyon. At the corners are Eddie Ro- driguez from Villa Park, Quincy Hankins from Tustin and Jaelen Lightfoot from Orange. The South All-Star squad holds a 32-26-3 series, led with the South winning the last six games. The first All-Star game was played in 1959, with no game held in 1960 or 2021. High School, Jan. 22. The team includes: Abby Dragovich, Aali- yah Scarpine, Angelina Zavala, Cali Niles, Catie Orr, Desiree Camarillo, Emily Estrada, Hai- ley Holmes, Isabella Carrazco, Kaitlan Holmes, Nicole Grana- dos, Riyan Murray, Rory Gesler, Stacy Ramos and Suriya Banda. The team was coached by Isabel Knowles-Cruz and Lisa Hed- speth. Foothill and Canyon High School were neck-and-neck com- ing into Division 2A. Foothill took third place, and Canyon fourth. Performing for Foothill were: Savannah Wokurka, Jillian Zeber, Olivia Blackburn, Lauren Grant, Kisa Murai, Julia Wyatt, Donya Kasravi, Brenna Palomares, Cha- tham Nugent, Kylie Nguyen, Ceci Warren, Madeline Feher, Gigi Williams, Emma Silva, Zoe Lee, Marin Lee, Maddie Tran, Emma Modrell, Alexa Diaz, Kaitlyn Ga- glia and Emma McHale. El Modena High School placed 12th in Division 3A. The Villa Park High School Competitive Cheer CIF Champions. OHS tops Orange Coast All-League