BRIEFS:Newport receives honors

Newport Harbor High senior Jessica Pizarek has been named Most Valuable Goalie of the Sunset League, one of seven Sailors to earn league recognition in field hockey.

Senior midfielders Hayley Ayres, Rachel Foster and Jackie Sanchez, along with senior forward Robin Ibbetson, were first-team All-Sunset League honorees. Senior defender Clea O’Kieffe and senior forward Jessie Nix made the second team.

Pizarek recorded 133 saves for the Sailors.

Foster finished with nine goals and seven assists. Ibbetson also scored nine goals and added four assists. Sanchez compiled six goals and three assists. Nix contributed five goals and three assists.

Under first-year coach Devon Kelly, the Sailors, the Sunset League champions, finished the season 21-4-3. They beat Bonita in the third-place game of the Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions after losing to Harvard-Westlake in a semifinal shootout.

MESA FRESHMAN WIN LEAGUE

The Costa Mesa High freshman football team won the first Orange Coast League frosh title after a 21-6 win over Laguna Beach on Nov. 8.

The Mustang freshmen (5-3-2, 2-0-1 in league) won the championship despite playing Estancia and Laguna Beach teams loaded with sophomores, Coach Mike Harrington said. Costa Mesa, by comparison, had just one sophomore.

Costa Mesa also overcame an 0-3 start to the season.

“Those first three teams we played were all really good teams, and we didn’t have a lot of depth,” Harrington said. “Most of my kids had never played football before; only a couple had played Pop Warner.”

Harrington said quarterback Brian Waldron had a good year, and also had most of Mesa’s interceptions on defense. Matt Wood had a good season at tailback, and Josh Erno stood out at several positions. Harrington said Travis Whitlock and Brian Simrak anchored the offensive and defense lines.