PREP REVIEW : Swim Rivals Sure to Make Waves in Rematch

A swim meet between Mission Viejo and Capistrano Valley high schools is always highly competitive. After all, the schools are rivals.

But when they face each other again at 1 p.m. Friday in the South Coast League finals at El Toro High School, the rivalry might be even more intense.

It will be the teams’ first meeting since March 29, when Capistrano Valley defeated Mission Viejo, 79-77, in a league dual meet.

The Diablos protested the meet, claiming that the Cougars had switched swimmers in two relay events after the lineups had been submitted to the meet official.

The league principals awarded the victory to Mission Viejo, and an appeal to the Southern Section was denied.

“Abraham Lincoln said that the truth is the best vindication for slander,� Capistrano Valley Coach Don Cholodenko said.

Cholodenko said there is no animosity between the swimmers, some of whom compete for the same club teams.

As to whether revenge is good motivation, Cholodenko said, “Actions speak louder than words.�

More finals: Seven other leagues will have their finals Friday. The Century League will be at El Modena, the Empire League at El Dorado, the Freeway League at La Habra, the Garden Grove League at Golden West College, the Pacific Coast League at Orange, the Sea View League at Tustin, and the Del Rey League at Servite.

The Sunset League finals will be Saturday at Golden West College.

Post-finals: Foothill High School will hold an open invitational swim meet Saturday, giving swimmers one last chance to qualify for the Southern Section meet. The Sundowner Invitational will be in the morning, giving coaches time to get qualifying time cards to the Southern Section by the 2 p.m. deadline.

Last season, coaches in Orange County were upset when Mission Viejo had a dual meet against Santa Margarita on the Saturday the time cards were due. In that meet, the Diablos’ Tsukasas Kawabuchi qualified in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.

Kawabuchi, a native of Japan, had been ineligible to compete until after the South Coast League finals. He subsequently won the 50 and 100 freestyle races at the Southern Section meet.

Both the Mission Viejo dual meet and the Foothill Invitational are legal under Southern Section rules.

“Our meet has nothing to do with what Mission Viejo did,� Foothill Coach Tom DeLong said. “We felt it would be a chance to get some kids who are on the bubble eligible for the Southern Section meet.�

Until we meet again: Brett Hansen-Dent, a senior at Newport Harbor, and Jon Leach, a junior at Laguna Beach, occasional practice partners, met for the boys’ interscholastic singles final at the Ojai Valley tennis tournament Saturday.

Hansen-Dent won the three-hour marathon, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.

If all goes as planned, Hansen-Dent and Leach could play each other when UC Irvine and USC meet in a dual match next spring.

Hansen-Dent has signed a letter of intent to play at Irvine next season.

Leach has promised his father, Dick, the USC coach, he’ll play for him next spring.

Leach is on pace to graduate from Laguna Beach in January, a semester early.

“For two weeks, I’ll have to go to high school in the morning, then drive to USC in the evening, then go to Laguna Beach in the morning,� Leach said. “My dad thinks USC has a chance to win the NCAAs if I play.�

And given the chance of playing one more season of high school tennis versus a season of collegiate tennis, Leach prefers playing for USC.

“If I can do it, it would be better for my game,� he said.

Tater watch: D.C. Olsen of Fullerton High School tied the county single-season home run record Wednesday.

Olsen, a senior catcher, hit two home runs in the Indians’ 11-10 victory over Buena Park Wednesday. He has 12 homers on the season, tying Andy Ruscitto’s county record. Ruscitto hit 12 home runs for Valencia in 1985.

Olsen also could win the triple crown. As of last week, he was leading the county in batting with a .597 average and 28 runs batted in.

A babe with wood: Freshman Steve Hagins has been swinging a hot bat for the University baseball team.

After a disastrous go-around on the varsity level earlier this season, Hagins is the Trojans’ hottest hitter. Since being called up from the junior varsity three weeks ago, Hagins has gone seven for 18 with three doubles and four RBIs.

Hagins, a catcher, started the season on the varsity, but was sent down after he didn’t produce. Of his first six at-bats, five were strikeouts. The one time he did hit the ball was a double play.

“I think Steve was a little overwhelmed at first,� said Mike Takkin, the Trojans’ co-coach. “We sent him down so he wouldn’t get too discouraged. But he was hitting over .600 on the junior varsity, so we had to bring him back. He has a real sweet swing.�

And the best thing about that swing?

“We’ll have him for three more years,� Takkin said.

Heavy hitter: Marina first baseman Marc Newfield was ranked 12th nationally in Baseball America’s midseason list of the top 25 high school baseball players. Newfield, 6-feet-4 and 210 pounds, was the nation’s top first baseman, according to the magazine. He’s hitting .537 this season, with five homers, 27 runs scored, 24 RBIs and seven doubles.

Newfield, who led the county in home runs last season with 10, didn’t make the magazine’s preseason top 25 list.

“Every major league scout has been here to see him,� Marina Coach Paul Renfrow said. “He could be a first-rounder.�

Super Cooper: Two-time state wrestling champion Zach Cooper of Canyon High School can claim a national championship after winning 10 matches in Pittsburgh earlier this month.

Cooper, competing at 189 pounds, won his division in the first National High School Wrestling Championship April 8. He finished with a 100-0 record over the past two seasons.

The tournament featured senior state champions from throughout the country.

Errion Memorial: A memorial Mass to honor former basketball Coach Jack Errion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Anthony’s Church in Long Beach. Errion coached football, baseball and basketball at St. Anthony for 22 years before resigning to become the basketball coach at Corona del Mar. Errion, 64, died Monday at his home in Oro Valley, Ariz.

Christ the King High School, the nation’s mythical high school girls’ basketball champion, will play at Brea-Olinda next season.

USA Today voted Christ the King the top team in the nation last year after winning the New York state championship for the second consecutive year.

Christ the King will play Ventura-power Buena Jan. 18 and Brea-Olinda Jan. 19, Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball Coach Mark Trakh said.

Brea-Olinda has won eight consecutive Orange League titles and made it to the state Division III championship the past two years, winning in 1988-89. The Wildcats had a 55-game winning streak snapped in the state title game last season.

But Brea-Olinda graduates three starters. Christ the King returns all its players from last season.

Weatherspoon picked: Former La Habra standout Chuck Weatherspoon has been elected one of the captains for the University of Houston football team.

Weatherspoon, a senior running back, broke Donny Anderson’s NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards last season. He gained 2,391 yards and was a first-team All-American selection of The Sporting News.