UCLA’s Dante Moore struggles in first half against Oregon State

• October 15, 2023

For the third consecutive week, UCLA came up empty on the scoreboard in the first quarter and fell behind. Oregon State took advantage of two Bruin turnovers to grab the early 13-0 lead.

The Bruins ran only one play inside Beaver territory in the opening quarter, a drive that ended immediately with Dante Moore’s second interception.

UCLA came out in the second quarter with junior Collin Schlee at quarterback, and he put together runs of 28 and 14 yards before Moore came back into the game. Schlee made his first appearance since Sept. 16 against North Carolina Central.

UCLA trailed Washington State 3-0 last week through one quarter before rallying to win 25-17. The previous week, Utah led the Bruins 7-0 after the first quarter on the way to a 14-7 defeat.

First So Cal opponent for DJ U

Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a graduate of St. John Bosco, faced a Southern California team for the first time in his college career Saturday. The junior spent three seasons at Clemson before transferring to Corvallis after last season.

UCLA was at one point considered among the favorites to land Uiagalelei when he entered the transfer portal, but the 6-4, 252-pounder chose instead to head to Oregon State. Earlier this week, Bruins coach Chip Kelly said that Uiagalelei is a “Cam Newton-type” of player due to his size.

DJ’s brother Matayo — also a Bosco alum — is a freshman defensive end at Oregon.

Rare — and perhaps final — visit to Corvallis

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Despite taking over the UCLA program for the 2018 season, Chip Kelly hadn’t visited Oregon State as coach of the Bruins until Saturday. Kelly was 2-0 on the road against the Beavers in his four seasons at Oregon, winning 37-20 in 2010 and 48-24 in 2012.

UCLA’s last trip to Corvallis was a 41-0 victory in 2015, and Saturday’s game was the last conference matchup in a series that goes back to 1930. This was just the third time in 65 meetings in which both teams were ranked in the AP Top 25.

With UCLA moving to the Big Ten next season, this was the last scheduled game between the two programs.

Two injured vets still sidelined

The Bruins once again played without junior wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and senior linebacker Ale Kaho, each of whom missed significant time thus far this season. Though there have been rumblings that one or both could be nearing a return to the lineup, neither was in uniform against the Beavers.

​ Orange County Register 

JSerra boys water polo surges past Newport Harbor in second half to win North-South Challenge

• October 15, 2023

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JSerra’s boys water polo team used a strong second half Saturday in Northern California to claim its third major tournament of the regular season and send Ryder Dodd off to the U.S. national team on an impressive note.

The Lions outscored Newport Harbor by three goals in the third period and two in the fourth to defend its title at the North-South Challenge with a 15-9 victory at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.

Dodd scored three of his four goals in the third quarter as the Lions (22-0), ranked No. 1 in Orange County, turned a 7-6 lead at intermission into a 12-8 advantage going in the fourth.

The USC commit, who also tallied four assists in the championship match, had plenty of support. Princeton-commit Tas Palcza and rising junior Taylor Bell also scored in the third period, and each attacker added a goal in the fourth.

Dodd soon departs with the U.S. national team for the Pan American Games, which begin Oct. 30 in Chile against Mexico. The Americans need to capture the tournament to quality for the Paris Olympics next summer.

Dodd plans to rejoin the Lions before the CIF-SS Open Division semifinals on Nov. 8.

Newport Harbor (19-3), ranked second in Orange County, suffered a blow in the third period when attacker Connor Ohl fouled out.

JSerra led 7-6 at halftime behind five goals — all from center — from Stanford-committed Will Schneider. The senior snapped a 6-6 tie with 33 seconds left in half.

Newport Harbor led 2-0 and 4-3 late in the first period. The Sailors shot well from the perimeter in the opening half but the Lions’ tightened their defense in the final two periods in front of sophomore goalie Jonas Ransford.

Newport Harbor’s Gavin Appeldorn and Kai Kaneko connected on perimeter strikes in the second to tie the score at 5-5 ad 6-6.

JSerra earlier won the South Coast Tournament and the Delfina USA Classic. In the latter, the Lions edged Newport Harbor 10-9 in sudden-death overtime.

In the semifinals Saturday, JSerra defeated Sacred Heart Prep 14-5 behind three goals apiece by Dodd, Schneider and Bell.

Newport Harbor advanced to the finals with a 9-6 triumph against Harvard-Westlake behind four goals from UCLA-bound center Peter Castillo.

Harvard-Westlake edged Sacred Heart Prep 13-12 in the third-place match.

Please send water polo news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

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​ Orange County Register 

USC-Notre Dame notebook: Zachariah Branch makes an energetic return

• October 15, 2023

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA — He bounded out of the tunnel with helmet and full pads and neon-green mouthguard, gait something between a skip and a frolic, putting his head down and bobbing his arms to the pregame thumps of A$AP Rocky’s “Praise The Lord” across Notre Dame Stadium loudspeakers.

And pockets of USC fans, slowly trickling in from outnumbered tailgates across a waterlogged South Bend campus Saturday night, let out a faint smattering of cheers. Because the implication, from the kid’s ever-electric demeanor, was clear.

Yeah, Zachariah Branch was back. 

For two weeks, ever since he surprisingly didn’t dress for USC-Colorado, Branch’s status had been clouded. Seen fielding punt returns at practice across the last couple weeks, but out again against Arizona, one of the Trojans’ most dynamic weapons relegated to the sidelines. Head coach Lincoln Riley didn’t even confirm his absence was due to an injury — using incredibly unspecific language like “we don’t think it’s long-term” — until Thursday.

“He’s going to continue to need to make some jumps here to be ready for us,” Riley said Thursday.

Those jumps were made, literally and figuratively, Branch leaping into the air in early warmups to snag a one-handed grab, youthful excitement buzzing from a freshman who’d captured the nation with four touchdowns in his first four collegiate games.

“We’ve got a long stretch of football ahead of us,” Riley said Tuesday, “so we’re trying to, obviously — excited to get him back when the time is, but we’ve got to be smart when that time is.”

Even with Branch’s return, USC played it conservative with his usage in the first quarter on Saturday, the receiver doing band-work on his right leg with strength coach Bennie Wylie in warm-ups. He started the game at kick returner but didn’t play a major role on offense until USC’s third drive late in the first quarter.

In the second, though, he seemingly eradicated all doubt as to his health — taking a handoff on a 2nd-and-20 and springing up the middle, cutting back in succession for a 17-yard gain.

Raesjon Davis earns a start

When healthy, USC’s linebacker corps has remained relatively steady: transfer Mason Cobb starting alongside Tackett Curtis. It’s a formation, though, that’s scratched a few heads at times, as both the eye test and advanced metrics have indicated both the returning Eric Gentry and Raesjon Davis have been productive at the ILB spot in limited time.

And Davis, after a no-show against Arizona, was out filling a spot next to Curtis in the first half Saturday — who played admirably himself, executing a couple of nice tackles after struggling slightly with physicality over the past couple weeks. Cobb cycled in at various points throughout the first half to contribute to an overall strong USC defensive effort, but the odd man out was Gentry, who didn’t make any first-half noise after earning 31 snaps against Arizona last week.

Jacobe Covington out

After a game-changing pick against Arizona the previous week, cornerback Jacobe Covington was in street clothes against Notre Dame. Domani Jackson returned after an absence to bolster USC’s secondary.

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​ Orange County Register 

Siberian husky River is playful and full of fun

• October 15, 2023

Breed: Siberian husky

Age: 3 years

Gender: Neutered male

Size: 66 pounds

River’s story: River is full of energy and has a playful personality. He has been at the shelter for more than a year and has spent the time making friends with other dogs, learning tricks and becoming a favorite of staff and volunteers. River will make an excellent companion for an active family who can continue to help him learn. With exercise, training and love, River will be a loyal addition to whoever adopts him. Because of his enthusiastic personality, it’s recommended that River be in a home with kids who are at least 16 and that he be the only pet.

Adoption fee: Throughout the month of October, adoption fees are waived for dogs 25-plus pounds. The waived fee does not include licensing fees.

Adoption procedure: Call OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848 to pre-schedule your adoption visit today. While pre-scheduled visits are available for convenience, walk-ins are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis, at the shelter, 1630 Victory Road, Tustin. Mention River’s ID number, A1781254. To see a video of River, click here.

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​ Orange County Register 

Lakers’ offense showing significant development during preseason

• October 15, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers want the identity of their team to be based on what they do defensively. Their success on the defensive end of the floor is what led them to last season’s Western Conference finals.

But through four preseason games, it’s clear the team’s biggest improvements have come offensively – a welcomed sight after multiple seasons of subpar offense.

The Lakers’ players who’ll either start or are expected to be in the Day One rotation haven’t been available for many games together, which is a natural byproduct of preseason play.

But when the main players have been available in the same game, like Monday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets in Las Vegas and Friday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com, high-level offensive success has followed.

The Lakers have scored 177 points in the five quarters (141.6 points per game) they’ve played a semi-normal rotation – the first half against the Nets and the opening three quarters against the Warriors.

The obvious caveat is that it’s preseason and a very small sample. But the process of how the Lakers are scoring stands out just as much, if not more, than the production.

They’ve improved with effectively running multiple actions within a set. They’ve diversified and introduced different sets, especially within the five-out setups they’re using more.

“It’s the habits and the connectivity,” coach Darvin Ham said. “We do a lot of breakdowns, whether it’s two-man pick and rolls, three-man actions, four- and five-man actions, we script a lot and we constantly work on concepts and reads. Having the type of team that we have – everyone can dribble, pass and shoot – just that unselfishness, moving the ball, that all it comes down to.

“As long as that camaraderie, continuity and communication on the offensive side of the ball continues to grow and build, there’s no doubt in my mind the sky’s the limit. There’s not a surprise to me at all. We have a bunch of offensively talented players that are willing passers and unselfish by nature.”

They’ve benefited from the spacing their offseason additions – especially Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince – are providing for the main ball handlers and playmakers. They made 16 of 36 3-pointers (44.4%) Friday while also taking 37 free throws (made 23).

It also helps that the Lakers had a full playoff run, offseason and training camp to build off and implement Ham’s concepts and sets.

“Anytime you can play with a group of guys longer, you build that chemistry,” guard Austin Reaves said. “You build just really the feel of playing as a unit. That leads to not a good shot but a great [one]. So we try to preach a lot of good-to-great.”

The offensive success the Lakers have had during the preseason may not be sustainable when the games start to count in the standings, but they’ve been an encouraging sign for what’s to come.

Better two-way play will be needed compared to last season for the Lakers to contend for an NBA title.

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“Our offense may be a little bit ahead of our defense right now,” Ham said. “But make no mistake about it, for us to accomplish what we need to accomplish, our defense is going to be our identity.

“Offense is subjective and defense is objective. What I mean is offensively, you’re going to have different guys on different nights step up and carry a huge load for you to put points on the board. But defensively, you have to get that right almost every night. It’s a group effort and it’s a mentality we want to build on that side of the ball.”

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County Cross Country Championships: Evan Noonan, Holly Barker, JSerra girls win sweepstakes titles

• October 15, 2023

SILVERADO — There were no major surprises in the premier races at the Orange County Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Oak Canyon Park.

Evan Noonan of Dana Hills, the county’s top-ranked boys runner, added another highlight to his stellar season with a first-place finish in the Varsity Boys Sweepstakes Race, crossing the finish line in 13 minutes, 59.4 seconds.

Finishing second, seven seconds behind Noonan, was his new teammate, Jayden Hernandez, a transfer from Godinez who was recently cleared to compete for the Dolphins. Hernandez was running in just his second race with the team.

Dana Hills’ Evan Noonan, left, won the Boys Varsity Sweepstakes Race at the Orange CountyChampionships, and his teammate, Jayden Hernandez, finished second. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

The one-two finish, combined with a sixth-place finish from Dana Hills’ Garett Woodruff, helped the Dolphins capture the team title with a score of 48 points, five points ahead of second-place San Clemente, which won the 2022 sweepstakes race.

“We had goals last night, talking about how we wanted to go one and two,” said Noonan, who was coming off a third-place finish in the prestigious Clovis Invitational on Oct. 7. “We needed our third man to be top five. Everyone PR’d by a minimum of 10 seconds all across the board, so I’m super proud of everyone. Can’t ask for more, and just glad that we can take back that county title.”

Junior Holly Barker of Trabuco Hills won the Girls Sweepstakes Race at the Orange County Championships for the third year in a row. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

Trabuco Hills’ Holly Barker, the top girls runner in Orange County, won the Girls Sweepstakes Race for the third year in a row.

Barker won the race in her freshman and sophomore years while at Laguna Hills before transferring to Trabuco Hills during the summer.

She stumbled at the start and came close to falling, but Barker regained her footing, took the lead about 200 meters into the race and never looked back.

“Honestly, it kind of helped me,” Barker said of the stumble. “Because I feel like you always want that perfect start, you always want your foot to lift off, you want to feel strong, you want to get going. And to have your foot just kind of give out, it’s like, whoa, did I just get injured? But I think it just eases your pressure, it lets you get in the moment. Running’s not perfect. Neither is your start sometimes. You just got to get back up, keep going, and have fun with it.”

The JSerra girls cross country team placed five runners among the top 20 to run away with the championship of the Girls Sweepstakes Race at the Orange County Championships. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

The JSerra girls won the Sweepstakes race, adding to their list of top finishes this season in several high-level meets.

Sophie Polay, a transfer from Santa Margarita, finished third for the Lions, who placed five runners among the top 20 to finish first with 46 points, 64 points better than second-place Trabuco Hills.

“I knew our team had a lot of good people coming in and our returners were just really, really strong,” said JSerra’s Brynn Garcia, who finished eighth. “But honestly, I’ve been shocked at how high we’ve been placing. It’s put a little bit of pressure on our team but you know pressure is a privilege. That’s been our motto this year. I think we just come into each race focused. We know what goals we want to hit, and we keep ourselves to high standards.”

Senior Diego Mejia of Godinez won the Boys Medium Schools Division race in 15:14.1 at the Orange County Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 14. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

Senior Diego Mejia of Godinez won the Boys Medium Schools Division race in 15:14.1. Mejia was in a pack of 15 at the first mile, about seventh place at the second mile and then passed Capistrano Valley’s Angel Perez, who finished second.

“In the last mile, I saw the kid from Capo Valley, and that’s when I started smiling a little bit because I knew I still had a lot in the tank,” Mejia said. “And I started catching up to him and little by little, I caught up to him and in the last 800 I left him.”

Perez’s second-place finish led the Cougars to a first-place finish in the team race.

Avery Williams of Edison won the Girls Medium Schools Division race at the Orange County Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 13. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

A pair of freshmen, Avery Williams of Edison and Anneliese Watrous of El Dorado, finished first and second, respectively, in the Girls Medium Schools Division race.

Fullerton won the team portion of the race.

The Fullerton girls cross country team finished first in the team competition of the varsity medium schools race at the Orange County Championships. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)

In the first day of competition on Friday, Servite sophomore Emanuel Lopez finished first in the Boys Varsity Small Schools Division race, leading the Friars to a first-place finish as a team.

Grace Toriz of Western won the Girls Varsity Small Schools Division and Laguna Beach won the team portion of the race.

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​ Orange County Register 

Placentia, La Habra gather for annual festivals

• October 15, 2023

The strong community ties of two north Orange County cities were on display Saturday.

Crowds lined streets in La Habra and Placentia for beloved community parades and then gathered in nearby parks for festivals.

Marching bands, a convoy honoring veterans, floats and community members paraded down Kraemer Boulevard in Placentia before cheering residents.

The parade kicked off the Placentia’s Heritage Festival, now in its 58th year, which filled Tri-City Park into the afternoon with fun for families, showcases of local businesses and nonprofits and a car show.

In La Habra, the Corn Festival that started Friday night continues through Sunday, Oct. 15.

Saturday morning, residents watched the festival’s annual parade and then filled El Centro Lions Park enjoying carnival rides and games, shopping, corn eating contests and concerts.

The entertainment continues Sunday until 9 p.m.

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​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Orange County’s Week 8 stat leaders and top performers

• October 15, 2023

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The top performances from the Orange County high school football games in Week 8.

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to OCVarsity.

WEEK 8 LEADERS

Passing yards

Alonza Esparza, Los Alamitos          346

Jaden O’Neal, Newport Harbor         339

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro                       318

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach       290

Anthony Luna, Western                    288

Nate Richie, Capo Valley Christian    281

John Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita     277

Jacob Perry, Trabuco Hills                244

MJ Fernandez, Anaheim                   238

TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran              210

Noah Puertas, Esperanza                 195

Ethan Nguyễn, Bolsa Grande           190

Aidan Houston Cypress                    185

Jace Lowe, Dana Hills                      168

Daniel Joya, Century                         159

Kevin Contreras, Godinez                 134

Dylan Draft, Valencia                         127

Benny Burns, Westminster                126

Jeremiah Finaly, Crean Lutheran       110

Nate Bento, El Dorado                       108

Bode Stefano, Newport Harbor          100

Rushing yards

Aiden Rubin, San Clemente               262

Aaron Forsgren, Esperanza               172

Travis Wood, Tesoro                           158

Nate Bento, El Dorado                        140

Steve Chavez, Orange Lutheran        123

Eduardo Guardado, Anaheim             112

J.P. Murray, El Dorado                        108

Declan Kai Healey, Troy                     104

Diego Benitez, Anaheim                     102

Caleb Huss, Troy                                  99

Clayton Corbett, Western                     96

Redmond Chesley, Laguna Beach       95

David Nguyen, Bolsa Grande               90

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita              87

Taylor Bowie, Trabuco Hills                  86

Joshua Faulkner, Western                    85

Daniel Joya, Century                            77

Owen Walz, Dana Hills                         71

Zayne Lee, Beckman                           70

A. Shepard, Beckman                          69

Blake Fleming, Beckman                     69

Receiving yards

Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita            230

Jordan Anderson, Newport Harbor     166

Todd Nelson, Tesoro                           160

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Christian     120

Ryan Luce, Trabuco Hills                    118

Josiah Lamarque, Newport Harbor     115

Marc Navarro, Bolsa Grande              103

Nicholas Bland, Orange Lutheran         98

C. Schamel, Tesoro                               95

D. Joshway-Fairley, Western                95

Owen Walz, Dana Hills                         90

Cade Fegel, Newport Harbor                86

Alex Kiernan, Trabuco Hills                   76

JJ Amezcua, Western                           76

Jason Garrett, Anaheim                        73

Heath Carlson, Capo Valley Christian   71

Keigan Munoz, Valencia                       70

Jose Jimenez, Century                         69

Ryner Swanson, Laguna Beach           69

Jake Porteneuve, Cypress                    68

Jeremiah Castro, Anaheim                    68

Nick Rogers, Laguna Beach                  66

J. Rodriguez, Century                            65

Tackles

Eddie Zarate, Bolsa Grande                  16

Cooper Walsh, Dana Hills                      13

Dominic Hadrous, Western                    13

A’marri Hopwood, Westminster             12

Dillon Ninh, Bolsa Grande                     12

N. Fiaputa, Bolsa Grande                      12

Levar Talley, Santa Margarita                12

Noah Sulick, Santa Margarita                12

Rocco Burdett, Cypress                         11

Ryan Manda, Trabuco Hills                    11

Eric Lopez, Western                               11

Jack Gallo, Capo Valley Christian          11

Valentin Mota, Godinez                          10

Ethan Mundt, Troy                                  10

Cayleb Quiroz, Troy                                10

Zayne Lee, Beckman                              10

Samuel Amaya, Western                        10

​ Orange County Register