Tars’ Govaars Sea View MVP

Recent Newport Harbor High graduate Morgan Govaars, who led the

Sailors to an unbeaten Sea View League boys volleyball season and the

league championship, has been named Most Valuable Player by the

circuit’s coaches.

Govaars, a 6-foot outside hitter, is joined on the first team by

Sailors Brett Perrine, Adam Schlesinger and Gavin Galey.

Ted Slater represents Newport Harbor on the second team.

Perrine, a 6-6 junior, and Galey, a 6-2 senior this spring, joined

Govaars as productive hitters for the Sailors, who finished 23-8

after falling to Long Beach Wilson in the second round of the CIF

Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Schlesinger, who will continue his career at Long Beach State,

triggered the attack at setter for Coach Dan Glenn.

Slater a versatile 5-10 sophomore, joins Perrine to give the

Sailors a bright future.

Moghaddam picks ECU

* FOOTBALL: Former Orange Coast College and Newport Harbor High

defensive tackle Nick Moghaddam signed a national letter of intent

Friday to attend East Carolina University, a Division I school, in

Greenville, N.C.

Moghaddam, who made 23 tackles and added a sack, despite missing

time with a knee injury as a Coast sophomore last season, flew to the

Greenville campus earlier this week to meet with coaches and players

and decided to accept a full scholarship.

“[The Pirates] play good teams. They open against West Virginia

[Sept. 4],” said Moghaddam, a 6-foot-4, 266-pound lineman. “I wanted

to compete at the highest level.”

Moghaddam, a former All-Newport-Mesa defensive selection, said he

was impressed with Jerry Odom and John Grieco, East Carolina’s

defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach,

respectively. Both Odom and Grieco came to East Carolina, which

competes in Conference USA, from the University of Florida.

San Jose State also pursued Moghaddam.

“[East Carolina coaches] gave me a summer workout plan and want me

to gain four or five pounds,” said Moghaddam, who is finishing a

class at Coast and will leave for Greenville Aug. 8.

He will major in business.

-- Bryce Alderton

Tars’ Hardy to UCLA

* SOCCER: Newport Harbor High girls soccer star Erin Hardy, who

has battled injuries the past two seasons after a noteworthy freshman

campaign in 2001-02, has verbally committed to continue her career at

UCLA after finishing at Newport Harbor next year.

Hardy was a second-team All-CIF Southern Section Division II

choice as a freshman, when, playing stopper, she helped the Sailors

reach the CIF Division II quarterfinals.

A fullback on the under-18 Southern California Blues club team,

she is also a regional participant in the Olympic Development

Program.

Hardy, known for her extreme quickness, was second-team All-Sea

View League as a junior at Newport, when her time at sweeper was

limited by various injuries.

She was also second-team all-league as a sophomore, when she

missed several league games due to a strained knee ligament.

She was first-team all-league as a freshman.

Hardy chose UCLA, which lost in the NCAA semifinals to eventual

champion North Carolina, 3-0, last fall, over Pepperdine and

Portland, among others.

“I am extremely excited and honored to commit to the UCLA women’s

soccer program,” Hardy said. “I believe it’s going to be an awesome

experience that will further develop me as a soccer player and

person.”

Paulson misses the cut

* GOLF: Dennis Paulson, who grew up playing at Santa Ana Country

Club, shot a 6-over-par 76 in the second round, missing the cut by

three strokes at the 104th U.S. Open golf championship Friday at

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

Paulson, who attended Costa Mesa High and now lives in Encinitas,

finished 8-over (72-76 -- 148) through the first two days in his

third Open appearance.

Mesa duo on first team

* BASEBALL: Costa Mesa High pitcher Justin Peterson, a senior this

spring, and junior first baseman Andrew Sanford have been named

first-team All-Golden West League by the circuit’s coaches.

Estancia’s Eric Scheafer and Cullen Crom, as well as Costa Mesa

senior pitcher Daniel Cooper and senior Gary Gonzalez, who pitched

and played the outfield, are second-team honorees.

Peterson, a left-hander who plans to continue playing baseball at

Orange Coast College, had a 1.00 ERA. He recorded 85 strikeouts in 76

2/3 innings and compiled a 7-4 record with three saves. His ERA in

league was 1.29.

Peterson, who received second-team all-league honors last year,

also produced at the plate with a .342 batting average. He had 15

runs and eight RBIs.

Sanford batted .526 (20 for 38) in league, .473 overall. He

produced 35 hits, 12 doubles, one home run and 21 RBIs during the

season.

Cooper, who was drafted in the 38th round, 1,134th overall by the

Montreal Expos on June 8, was 5-4 with a 2.84 ERA. He had 71

strikeouts and 17 walks in 66 1/3 innings.

Cooper, who also plans to play for OCC, hit .342 in league, .333

overall. He had one homer, 14 RBIs and eight doubles.

Gonzalez hit .377 overall with two homers and 16 RBIs.

Two Sailors all-league

* SOFTBALL: Newport Harbor High juniors Ashley Gleason and

Julianne Bass have been selected All-Sea View League by the circuit’s

softball coaches.

Gleason, a pitcher and third baseman, is a first-team honoree

after amassing 140 strikeouts in 128 1/3 innings and posting a 1.20

ERA. An All-Newport-Mesa selection last year, she also led the

Sailors with a .321 batting average and was second on the team with

eight RBIs.

Bass, a catcher and outfielder, led the Tars with nine RBIs, four

triples and was second to Gleason with a .282 batting average to earn

second-team honors.

League Most Valuable Player honors are shared by sophomores Krista

Seeman from Woodbridge and Sam Hammer from Laguna Hills.

MLS camps coming

* SOCCER: Clinics specializing in technique and fundamentals will

be included in the Major League Soccer camps that will take place at

the Costa Mesa Farm Sports Complex July 5-9.

All campers receive a ball, T-shirt, camp evaluation, MLS gift and

a free companion ticket to an MLS game. Admission ranges based on

each clinic. For ages 6 and under, a clinic will run from 9 a.m. to

10:30 a.m., July 5-9, that will cost $61.

For ages 8 and above, there will be two clinics. Athletes

interested in the 9 a.m. to noon camp will pay $98. For 9 a.m. to 3

p.m. the cost is $138.

For information visit MLScamps.com or contact Glen Vogel at (714)

444-4333.