YOUTH SCENE

Water Polo

The Corona del Mar 10 and under junior water polo team finished in second place, behind Laguna Beach at the Southern Pacific Assn. Water Polo Tournament, a two-day event that ended Sunday at Irvine High.

CdM beat rival Newport Harbor, 8-7, in the semifinals, with Nigel Bress scoring the game winner off a pass from Cameron Hook with six seconds left to play. Hook provided eight goals in the final against Laguna Beach with Bress and Luke Wyatt also scoring. Goalkeeper Tim McCormick had numerous point-blank saves to keep CdM in the game. Corona del Mar played Huntington Beach to a 10-10 tie, defeated Los Alamitos, 14-8, defeated Capistrano Valley, 19-2 and edged by Newport Harbor in the semifinals to get to the finals.

The SPA tournament is the largest water polo tournament in Southern California and features team from the San Diego and Los Angeles areas.

AYSO Region 97

Boys Under 6

Blue Rockets: Mathew Gurka picked up where he left off by outracing two defenders to the ball for the first score of the game. Ryan McCarthy and Jack Biesecker worked hard at both the offensive and defensive ends to create opportunities for teammate. They also made it difficult for the opposing team. Luke Bashore added another goal for the Blue Rockets with a tough shot into the back of the net. Jackson Bryant also scored a goal, maneuvering through a crowd of defenders. Cole McCunniff continued to put his passing skills on show and Kori Griscom used his powerful kicks, great speed and aggressive play to help the Blue Rockets all over the field. Tommy Kennedy remained a force on defense, clearing the ball and assisting Bashore’s goal.

Girls Under 5

Ladybugs vs. Red Rockets: Paige Kunkle and Avalon Conley each scored two goals for the Ladybugs and Mikaela Spence scored her very first goal of the season. Hannah Barrett played excellent defense, turning away several scoring attempts and Melanie McCormick played a great all-around game, assisting on some goals.

Boys Under 5

Red Hots vs. Super Heroes: Multiple goals were scored by Kyle Waterman, Troy Kennedy and Jordan Thompson for the Red Hots. Ryder Haupt scored for the Super Heroes. Red Hots player Crash Collier showed some super dribbling moves and made a number of shots on goal. Luke Weigle, Gabriel Delgado and Luke Thomson all played a tough defensive game, made great passes and had several shots on goal for the Super Heroes. Red Hots player Joseph Hanck is out for the season with an injury and Ethan Davidson for the Super Heroes was unable to attend the game.

Orange Crush vs. Sun Dragons: Brandon led the day with five stellar goals and Tyler was able to score from a great assist from Logan. Christopher made an excellent steal and put it in for a goal. The kids used their new skills on the field and displayed great corner kicks, goal kicks, throw-ins and passing.

Sea Creatures vs. Green McQueens: Finn McClintock was on fire Saturday afternoon, scoring all four of the Sea Creatures goals against the Green McQueens. Joseph Whelan and Owen Lucas each showed great dribbling and had shots on goal that just missed the net. Aidan Gassel was tough on defense, with a great stop in the fourth quarter. Eddie Peterson was also a force on offense and defense, showing some real hustle.