High School Roundup: Can’t deny Edison boys’ soccer

The Edison High boys’ soccer team again is champion of the Sunset League.

In a game that determined first place and as to which team would take the title, Edison slipped past visiting Los Alamitos, 1-0, Friday to clinch the crown. It took Connor Gordon’s goal off a penalty kick in the final minute of the game, to give the Chargers the win and secure the program’s third league title in five years.

“This team has come up big in key games all season long,” Edison Coach Charlie Breneman said. “Defensively we didn’t give Los Al many chances.

“This is a special team and hopefully we can keep this up in CIF.”

Edison took on Huntington Beach, which was a 3-1 winner Friday over Marina, in a league and regular-season finale for both teams Wednesday. That score, along with another Sunset finale Wednesday between Marina and Fountain Valley, wasn’t available at press time.

The CIF Southern Section boys’ soccer playoff pairings will be announced Monday. Division wild-card games will be played at 3 p.m. Tuesday, and first-round games are Feb. 20.

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Girls’ Soccer

Edison clinched the Sunset League championship Feb. 5 by scoring a 1-0 road victory at Los Alamitos. UCLA-bound Makenzie Cerda scored in the 60th minute and Jordan Gressier and Zoe Clevely made some big stops in goal and combined for nine saves for the Chargers who are ranked ninth in CIF Southern Section Division 1.

In Sunset games played Tuesday, Edison (6-2-1 league) was upended at home by Huntington Beach, 1-0. Darcy Weiser scored off a corner kick in the 73rd minute to lift the Oilers (10-4-5 overall, 4-2-3 league) who are in second-place in the league standings.

Clevely, a freshman, had six saves in the loss.

In another Sunset game Tuesday, Marina and visiting Fountain Valley played to a 1-1 tie. Megan Finney scored for the Vikings (1-2-6 league), and Kasey Reeve scored for the Barons (3-3-3 league).

The Sunset League schedule wraps Thursday. Edison plays at Fountain Valley (3 p.m.), Los Alamitos at Huntington (5 p.m.), Marina at Newport Harbor (5 p.m.)

The CIF Southern Section girls’ soccer playoff pairings will be announced Monday. Division wild-card games are at 3 p.m. Wednesday and first-round games are at 3 p.m. Feb. 21.

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Girls’ Water Polo

The Sunset League season was completed Wednesday but scores from those games weren’t available at press time.

In Sunset games played Feb. 5 at Newport Harbor High, Edison toppled Marina, 9-1, Newport Harbor defeated Huntington Beach, 14-3, and Los Alamitos blanked Fountain Valley, 20-0.

Delaney Cleveland and Julie Harrison both scored three goals and Josette Santos had 10 saves for Edison in its 9-1 win over Marina. The Chargers also competed last weekend at the Southern California Championships in Irvine. After dropping its tournament opener to Warren (No. 2, CIF Southern Section Division 5), 8-7, the Chargers, ranked ninth in CIF Southern Section Division 1, scored consecutive wins against Canyon Anaheim, 12-3, San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 6-4, Harvard-Westlake (No. 3, Division 3), 14-6, and Long Beach Wilson (No. 10, Division 2), 9-5.

“I believe that our opening game loss to Warren fueled these girls to prove something over the weekend,” Edison Coach Diggy Riley said. “To close out the tournament with four wins, three against solid programs, really showed the mentality of these girls and their desire to compete each and every game.

“As we have so many times this season, our defense was the star. We gave up a total of 26 goals in five games in arguably the most competitive tournament of the year, top to bottom. Our offense can struggle, which it has many times this season, but if we are active and smart in the defensive end, good things happen, which is exactly what this past weekend demonstrated.”

Sabrina Nguyen scored twice for Huntington in its 14-3 loss to fourth-ranked Newport Harbor.

Ocean View improved to 7-2 in Golden West League play Tuesday by overwhelming visiting Westminster, 15-0. Raquel Zorich scored five goals for the Seahawks, the No. 2-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 7.

In a Feb. 6 game at Segerstrom where first place in the league standings was on the line, Ocean View fell in overtime to the top-ranked Jaguars (9-0 league), 9-7.

The Seahawks end their league and regular season at 3:15 p.m. Thursday at Orange.

The CIF Southern Section girls’ water polo playoff pairings will be released Sunday. Division wild-card games are Tuesday. First-round Division 1 games are Wednesday, and first-round Division 7 games are Feb. 20.

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Barons to induct LaRuffa

Former Fountain Valley High baseball head coach Ron LaRuffa will be inducted into the school’s Baseball Hall of Fame Saturday. The induction ceremony will take place at 9:45 p.m. at the school’s varsity baseball field.

La Ruffa, currently the pitching coach at Orange Coast College, led the Fountain Valley program from 1989-98, 2000-02, and 2010-12. His Fountain Valley teams won seven Sunset League championships, reached three CIF division championship finals, and won two Southern Section titles (1994-95).

La Ruffa will be added to a Fountain Valley Baseball Hall of Fame that includes current Major League Baseball Players, C.J. Wilson (Angels), Casey Janssen (Blue Jays), Chris Tillman (Orioles), and former MLB players Steve Montgomery, Luke Hudson and Blake Davis.

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Boys’ soccer: Edison (No. 2, Division 1).

Girls’ soccer: Edison (No. 9, Division 1).

Girls’ water polo: Edison (No. 9, Division 1); Ocean View (No. 2, Division 7).