HIGH SCHOOLS:

With a new sport at Sage Hill School, it’s expected that players struggle learning how to play lacrosse.

The challenges, a new field, new equipment, new rules, new everything you can imagine.

But their coaches confused them even more before they grabbed sticks and strapped on the pads in February.

Of all things, their coaches’ names added a new dimension. The introductions went something like this:

Hello, I’m Chris Marshall, your head coach.

Hello, I’m also Chris Marshall, your assistant coach.

No possible way. Even Chris Marshall, the head coach, said he found it hard to believe when he took over the first-year boys’ and girls’ programs.

“You’re kidding, right?” he told Sage Hill Athletic Director John Poffenberger. “Here I am trying to get everyone on the same page after the program was put together at the last minute and now the guy who’s helping me has the same name. This was going to be interesting.”

In the beginning it was for the walk-on head coach and the assistant, a theater instructor on campus. There sure was enough material for a drama.

Every time a player called out, “Coach Marshall,” two Marshall heads turned. Tired of asking for which Marshall the player asked for, both agreed on one thing.

“We just started both going in their direction,” said the head coach, who’s 23 and younger than his assistant. “It took a while, but we’ve gotten past that. We’re concentrating on lacrosse now.”

So far the boys haven’t performed as well as the girls since picking up the sport. With more hitting involved in the boys’ game, the head coach figured that would be the case.

The boys are 0-5, compared to the girls’ 6-4-1 record. The two have competed against junior varsity and varsity teams, easing their adjustment to a new sport. Two midfielders have had a relatively smooth experience.

Junior Max Ellison has had a hand in each of the boys’ first 15 goals of the season. Ellison, a second-team All-Academy League striker in soccer, scored a dozen goals and assisted on the other three.

For the girls, sophomore Hayden Furey does pretty much all the scoring, too. She leads the team with 48 goals.

The two are a bonus for the head coach, who said he recently graduated from Chapman University, where he played four years on the club team.

“Max and Hayden have been very helpful because they’re helping those who knew nothing about lacrosse before this season,” he said. “Hayden is a big reason why the girls are winning and competing against teams like St. Margaret’s, a lacrosse power, which we lost, 14-9, to recently.

“The year has been really exciting and I’m hoping to come back for another year.”

That depends if the head coach can find a job. He said he has an interview early next month with Nike for a sales job in which he’d cover Orange County and San Diego County.

The position will allow him to coach, and if he gets it, he said he’s definitely returning.

“One more year with two Chris Marshalls won’t be so hard,” he said.

SEA KINGS PLAY BEST

The Corona del Mar boys’ lacrosse team competed against three quality San Francisco Bay Area teams, finishing 1-2 during its April 5-8 trip.

The trip before spring break didn’t start so well for the Sea Kings. They first met the state’s top-ranked team, St. Ignatius of San Francisco, by laxpower.com, and then De La Salle of Concord, No. 2 in the CIF Northern Section.

The Sea Kings, lost, 18-9, to St. Ignatius (13-0), and then, 10-2, to De La Salle (8-2), marking the first time they’ve dropped back-to-back games this season.

CdM (12-3), No. 6 in the state, bounced back. The Sea Kings picked up an 8-5 victory over Marin Catholic of Kentfield, making sure they head into the second half of the season with some momentum.

GAME TO WATCH

This time the lacrosse score might be a little different.

The CdM girls play host to Sage Hill today at Eastbluff Elementary at 4:30 p.m.

Sage Hill Coach Chris Marshall said this game will feature the Sea Kings’ varsity team, not a mixture of varsity and junior varsity players as was the case in the Lightning’s 15-2 victory on March 18.

“Since we beat them so bad, they’re bringing their varsity team,” Marshall said.

YOUTH SHINES AT BEACH PIT

CdM Coach John Emme said two pitchers, sophomore Parker Werline and freshman Sam Cubiero, called up for the Beach Pit Classic will return to the lower levels.

Werline picked up the Sea Kings’ two wins and Cubiero pitched well in relief, helping CdM (8-10) finish sixth in the four-day, 16-team tournament.

“He’ll definitely be back with us for the playoffs. He’s done a good job,” Emme said of Werline. “Sam did a great job.”

 Sophomore Brian Waldron made sure Costa Mesa advanced to the consolation championship for the second time in three years.

Waldron went four for seven with six runs batted in, two doubles and a home run, helping the Mustangs (11-8) win two straight games and reach the title game against Northwood.

But the Mustangs lost, 10-7, making them 0-2 in consolation title games the last three years.

 Freshman Matt Carlyle delivered in the clutch for Estancia (7-12).

Carlyle’s single drove in two runs with the bases loaded, ending an eight-inning affair as the Eagles beat Garden Grove, 7-6, getting their only win during the tournament.

HARBOR’S D’CRUZ FINE

Newport Harbor ace RJ D’Cruz returned after injuring his non-throwing left shoulder, throwing three innings in a 5-1 Sunset League loss to Esperanza Wednesday.

“We only wanted him to go three innings in the start to see how we was,” Newport Harbor Coach Evan Chalmers said of D’Cruz (2-3), who struck out four and allowed two hits and three unearned runs as the Sailors dropped to 6-8-1, 2-5 in league.

“The senior looked sharp after missing his first game in three years. We’re going to need him if we plan to make the playoffs.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].