SHADOWLANDS

Looking back, 5 years ago this week.

Corona del Mar’s Danny O’Neil, a three-year starter at quarterback for

the University of Oregon with 62 career touchdowns, signs as the No. 1

choice of the Anaheim Piranhas, an Arena League Football team. O’Neil

plays two years at Corona del Mar while in high school.

Costa Mesa High’s girls basketball team pounds Villa Park, 52-23, in

the quarterfinals of the Mustangs’ Winter Classic. Koo Kim scores 16

points and Chanel Anderson finishes with 14 points and six assists. Kelli

Grondahl scores all seven of her points in the fourth quarter.

Corona del Mar senior quarterback Josh Walz, who helps the Sea Kings

post the third-highest victory total in the school’s 34 varsity football

seasons, is recognized as the CIF Southern Section Division V Co-Player

of the Year. Walz breaks the school’s single-season total offense record

with 2,249 yards rushing and passing. His teammates, Sky Conway, Richy

Nichols and Nick Schaumburg also earn their place on the 31-player

All-CIF squad.

Corona del Mar’s Lindsay Warmington outshines Sonora’s Aiyana Nash,

the leading scorer in Orange County (28 points a game). Warmington scores

28 points to Nash’s 23, as the Sea Kings win, 58-53, in the semifinals of

the Cavalier Classic. Jennifer Gardner helps the victory with 14 points

and 16 rebounds.

The Corona del Mar boys basketball team comes from behind to defeat

Hoover of Glendale, 72-61, in the semifinals of the Daily Pilot Coast

Classic at Estancia. The Sea Kings begin the game down, 10-0, but fight

back for the win. Brian Coleman led with 20 points, four rebounds, four

steals and two assists. Darren MacDonald scores 10 points and grabs 11

rebounds.

Looking back, 10 years ago this week.

The Newport Harbor High girls basketball team earns its first

tournament title in school history, downing rival Corona del Mar, 54-42,

in the championship game of the Santiago Tournament. Harbor’s Jenni Hall,

who earns the tourney’s Most Valuable Player award, scores 14 points. The

Sailors’ Michaela Ross and Helle Myrup finish with all-tournament honors

as well. CdM’s Heather Flaherty scores 20 points and Mollie Flint adds 10

as both make the all-tournament team. Hall scores nine and Ross scores

five in a decisive 20-0 Tars’ run that puts them up by nine and they

never lose the advantage.

How CdM and Harbor get to the title game:

Hall hits a pair of free throws with no time left in overtime to lead

the Sailors to a dramatic 61-60 victory. Hall finishes with 18 points as

the Tars play the final 1:50 of overtime with four players, after four

starters foul out in the semifinal game.

Meanwhile, CdM defeats tourney host Santiago, 59-49, in the other

semifinal. Flaherty scores 20 points and Tahlia Wagner finishes with 10

points and 16 rebounds.

The Estancia girls basketball team remains undefeated at 11-0 with a

63-53 victory over Ocean View in the semifinals of the Marina Tournament.

Leah Braatz grabs 11 rebounds and scores five points. Monique Sweet

scores 17 points, while Melody Earle finishes with 16. The Eagles lose in

the finals, 58-47, to Lakewood.

The Daily Pilot reflects on 10 of its top stories of the year. No. 4:

Orange Coast College football. In its fifth year under coach Bill

Workman, the OCC football team returns to the California community

college bowl scene for the first time since the 1975 mythical national

championship squad. The Pirates are led by Lawrence Hatch defensively. On

offense, quarterback Greg Angelovic and tailback Adrain Steen lead the

way.