Estancia gym to be renamed

Facility will be named after former principal Francy during halftime of Tuesday’s basketball game against Sea Kings.A meeting between Estancia and Corona del Mar in boys’ basketball is an attractive matchup under any circumstances. Wednesday’s game, however, has even more meaning, particularly for the Eagles.

Estancia’s gymnasium will be renamed the Robert C. Francy Gym at halftime of the 7 p.m. game, honoring the former principal.

Francy worked at Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar, but his greatest legacy came at Estancia. He was the high school’s principal from 1978 to 1990 -- along with a second stint in 1998-99 -- and was known for his support for the Eagles’ extra-curricular activities.

A member of the Daily Pilot’s Millenium Hall of Fame, Francy died in 2002 and remains greatly missed by the Estancia community. With Wednesday’s dedication, his name will always be connected with the Eagles.

* High school girls’ soccer, Costa Mesa at Corona del Mar, 3:15 p.m. Tuesday: It’s been a tough season thus far for the Sea Kings, though Coach Bryan Middleton is hardly apologizing for it. CdM has faced a gauntlet of tough teams, and the Mustangs will be no different. Despite significant losses to graduation, Costa Mesa appears to be a formidable threat once again.

* High school girls’ water polo, Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor, 3 p.m. Wednesday: Take the Sea Kings’ CIF dominance in recent years, add Newport Harbor’s strength thus far, and add a little Battle of the Bay rivalry to the mix. Sounds like the recipe for one mega-matchup in girls’ water polo. Corona del Mar opened the season as the No. 1 team in Division II, while Newport Harbor is the No. 2 team in Division I.

* College football, Las Vegas Bowl, BYU vs. California, 5 p.m. Thursday: It will be happy birthday and farewell for Chris Manderino. The Newport Harbor grad will spend his 23rd birthday in Las Vegas with his Cal football teammates for the Las Vegas Bowl, his final college game. Manderino has 11 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns this season, and has rushed for two scores. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

* College men’s basketball, Loyola-Chicago at UC Irvine, 7 p.m. Thursday: Ah, a home game just a few days before Christmas. Time for a cream puff game? Hardly. At 7-1, the visiting Ramblers are off to their best start since the 1964-65 season. Blake Schilb, a 6-foot-7 guard averaging 17.8 points a game, will be a tough matchup for the ‘Eaters.