Oilers highlight year

The second half of the 2013 prep athletic year began with CIF competition starting in late-August. Local teams and athletes turned in outstanding accomplishments through the fall into early winter and, just as had been the case before school broke for summer vacation, a CIF championship was won before 2013 came to a close.

The distinction, once again, belonged to Huntington Beach High.

Below is the Part Two highlights from the 2013 prep sports year.

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September through December

A busy fall included big performances in girls’ volleyball. Both Huntington Beach and Ocean View finished near the top of their respective leagues, and each qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Huntington, the second-place team from the Sunset League, fell in a second-round Division 1AA game to Mater Dei, and ended a successful season 25-7.

Ocean View, runner-up in the Golden West League, was defeated in a Division 4AA second-round match at No. 1-seeded Hemet.

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•The boys’ water polo season saw Ocean View, Huntington Beach and Edison, reach the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Ocean View’, the No. 2 team from the Golden West League, reached the Division 7 semifinals where the No. 5-seeded Seahawks (21-11) were eliminated by No. 2-seeded Yorba Linda.

Huntington Beach finished just behind Newport Harbor in the Sunset League title race. The Oilers had their season come to an end after a first-round Division 1 playoff loss to Corona del Mar.

Earlier in the season, Huntington Coach Brian Anderson notched his 100th career win at the school.

“This year was banner for our program,” Anderson said. “We were highly ranked for most if not all of the year in CIF and in Orange County, I got my 100th [career] win, and the boys got the experience of playing for the league championship.”

Edison won 20 games and placed fourth in the Sunset League, and went to the Division 1 playoffs as an at-large entry. The Chargers won a wild-card game at El Toro before they were eliminated following a first-round loss at No. 2-seeded Harvard-Westlake.

“This was arguably the best season [Edison boys] have ever had, for sure during my 12-year tenure,” said Coach Diggy Riley whose 2013 team posted the best record of his 12 teams. “Our boys worked as hard as I have ever seen a team train, in the pool, in the weight room, and in the games.”

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•The goal of all cross-country teams is to reach CIF and earn a bid to the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno. That’s what the Edison girls’ cross-country team accomplished, and the Chargers went on to earn an 11th-place finish in the Division 1 competition on the final day of November.

Junior Julia Sienski led the Edison contingent at State with a run of 17:54 to garner a 14th-place individual finish. Other individual finishes for the Chargers were senior Gabrielle Yatauro (18:59), senior Alexa Yatauro (19:18), senior Sara Zylstra (19:18), junior Mac Queenenville (19:48), senior Cassy Borton (20:04), and sophomore Riley Bennyworth (20:12).

Edison advanced to the state meet by taking seventh place in the Division 1 team standings at the CIF Southern Section Championships Nov. 23 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

In the CIF Southern Section Division 1 boys’ race Nov. 23, Fountain Valley junior Norberto Osorio took 13th-place (15:33) and qualified for State.

Also at the CIF Southern Section Championships Nov. 23 at Mt. SAC, Marina (1:36:19) finished 16th in girls’ Division 1, and in 39th-place, overall. In boys’ Division 1, Fountain Valley (1:17:48) was eighth. The Barons placed 17th, overall, among all teams in all divisions.

Girls’ Division 1 individual race times and placements: 9. Julia Sienski, Jr., Edison (17:44); 19. Eileen Stressling, Sr., Marina (18:12); 26. Cassie Durgy, Soph., Huntington Beach (18:19); 37. Gabrielle Yatauro, Sr., Edison; 49. Sara Zylstra, Sr., Edison (18:41); 58. Alexa Yatauro, Sr., Edison (18:52); 60. Madeline Fox, Soph., Marina (18:53); 64. Mac Queenenville, Jr., Edison (18:56); 78. Cassy Borton, Sr., Edison (19:18); 84. Isabella Walker, Soph., Marina (19:26); 90. Riley Bennyworth, Soph., Edison (19:32); 99. Brianna Shoffner, Sr., Marina (19:49); 107. Erin Nighswonger, Soph., Marina (19:59); 108. Jordan Rovano, Fr., Marina (20:00).

Boys’ Division 1 individual race times and placements: 8. Norberto Osorio, Jr., Fountain Valley, 15:02; 12. Craig Huff, Sr., Marina, 15:08; 25. Galyn Nash, Jr., Fountain Valley (15:24); 46. Hunter Gulino, Sr., Fountain Valley (15:40); 47. David Abraham, Sr., Fountain Valley (15:41); 70. William Hua, Soph., Fountain Valley (16:01); 101. Kenneth Barrios, Jr., Fountain Valley (16:42); 114. Alan Loi, Sr., Fountain Valley (17:45).

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•The football season started with high hopes for some of the local teams in late-August, and culminated the first Saturday in December where one team reached the pinnacle by winning a CIF Southern Section championship.

A wild finish to a wide-open Sunset League race concluded with Edison repeating as league champion. Fountain Valley finished tied with Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos for the No. 2 slot, and all four teams advanced to the Southwest Division playoffs. A fifth Sunset team, Huntington Beach, was granted an at-large playoff berth.

A fourth local team, Brethren Christian, finished second in the Academy League and secured an automatic berth in the East Valley playoffs. The Warriors finished 8-3 after falling in the first round to Shadow Hills.

Fountain Valley won seven games under first-year head coach Ray Fenton. The Barons had their season come to an end in their playoff opener, a one-point loss at San Juan Hills.

Defending Southwest Division champion Edison won its first two playoff games to make its way to the division semifinals for a second-straight year. This time, the Chargers would face city rival Huntington Beach. And this time, it was the Oilers, who emerged victorious.

Huntington’s 28-21 victory at Orange Coast College in late-November was the school’s first in 20 years over Edison, and thrust the Oilers into the Southwest Division championship game. On Dec. 7, they met another Sunset League foe, Newport Harbor. By late-afternoon on a day that started with rain, the Oilers had their first major football championship.

Huntington scored 28 unanswered points in the second half and went on to win going away, 42-28, at Angel Stadium.

The Oilers, once a 4-5 team in November, won five consecutive games to close out a 9-5 championship season.

It took a few days for Huntington Coach Eric Lo to fathom the finish to the season his team turned in.

“It still really hasn’t sunk in,” he said. “This [championship] is awesome for our community. The support from former Oilers, through emails, texts, phone calls, has been incredible. It meant a lot to Huntington Beach High graduates.”

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•In soccer, unbeaten Edison (12-0-1) captured the title of the Trabuco Hills Tournament by edging Santa Margarita, 2-1, in the championship final Saturday.

Both the Huntington Beach boys’ and girls’ soccer teams reached their respective championship games at their All Turf Tournament in mid-December, and each finished runner-up to the title.

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•In its first full week of its 2013-14 season, the Brethren Christian High boys’ basketball team went undefeated and in the process won the first tournament it has entered. The Warriors, ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division 5AA, won the Calvary Baptist Cougar Classic by defeating Desert Christian, 67-56, Dec. 14. BC sophomore forward Cameron Griffin was named tournament MVP and teammates Caleb Keller and Guy Demazeliere made the all-tournament team.

The Huntington Beach girls’ hoops team won the Fountain Valley Hoop Challenge Dec. 14 by turning away La Jolla Country Day, 44-35, in the title game. Senior guard Paola Roa took tourney MVP honors, and freshman forward Frankie Wade-Sanchez made the all-tournament team, which was headed by tournament MVP Paola Roa.

Also in girls’ basketball, Ocean View won all four of its games last month at its Hawk Holiday Classic. The Seahawks, capped the tournament by downing Western, 52-45, in the Premier Flight Division final. Senior guard Deja Duke was named MVP of the event. Sophomore forward Treasure Robinson and sophomore forward Madisyn Newberry also made the all-tourney team.