Servite boys golf squeezed out of division finals despite being Trinity co-champs

• May 13, 2025

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An accomplished boys golf program will be missing when the CIF-SS Division 1 and 2 team championships tee off May 19 at courses in Long Beach and Victorville, respectively.

Servite, co-champion of the Trinity League, didn’t make either field of 20 schools.

“This was a gut-punch,” veteran Friars coach Dane Jako said. “I almost retired after this one.”

Servite didn’t qualify for the team championships, coaches and section officials said, for a few reasons.

First, the seven-time section champion lost a league tiebreaker with co-champion Santa Margarita for the Trinity League’s sole automatic playoff berth in Division 1.

After both teams went 8-2 in league, the Eagles won the tiebreaker on the first day of league finals.

Secondly, Servite’s power rating of 3.513 fell just above Edison’s 3.492 for the seventh and final at-large bid in the field of 20 teams in Division 1.

For the first time, the section used in-season power ratings from iWanamaker to construct its playoff brackets.

Servite finished ranked No. 21 in the section, or the last team left out of Division 1.

Finally, as an at-large candidate, Servite couldn’t start Division 2 because of the section’s practice of having automatic playoff entries lead a division.

Apple Valley, an automatic playoff entry with a 4.131 power rating at No. 24, received the top seed in Division 2. The division also features 20 teams.

No. 22 Chaminade (3.764) and No. 23 Northwood (3.833) also came up empty as at-large candidates.

“We recognize that may be a flaw in this year’s system but we wanted to stay consistent with how we did it with the girls,” section commissioner Mike West, who oversees boys golf, said of the practice of starting divisions with automatic qualifiers.

“Pretty much all the other sports, by and large, have done the same thing. That whole thing may be a discussion but that’s how we went this first year.”

Four other Trinity League teams earned at-large bids to the team championships, leaving Servite as the lone member not to advance.

Orange Lutheran (Division 1), Mater Dei and JSerra (Division 2) and St. John Bosco (Division 5) each received at-large spots and will compete May 19.

Servite’s resume includes winning the Sierra Nevada Invitational.

“It’s difficult to grasp, as a group of student-athletes who have poured their time, energy and heart into this sport, why success on paper and on the course no longer seems to translate into opportunity,” Servite co-captain William Gim wrote in a letter to the section.

​ Orange County Register 

Reports: Kings expected to name Ken Holland their new GM

• May 13, 2025

Ken Holland, who won four Stanley Cup titles as an executive with the Detroit Red Wings, is expected to become the Kings’ next general manager, according to multiple reports on Monday night.

Holland would replace Rob Blake, the Kings’ GM and vice president of hockey operations whose contract was not renewed after a fourth straight first-round playoff exit.

An announcement is expected later this week, possibly as early as Tuesday.

Holland, 69, began his career as an amateur scout with the Red Wings in 1985, later serving as assistant GM for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1955, which came in 1997, and as GM for subsequent championships in 1998, 2002 and 2008. Kings president Luc Robitaille was a player on the 2002 Red Wings team.

After departing Detroit in 2019, Holland headed to Edmonton, where he solidified a wayward Oilers group that had won just one playoff series between 2007 and 2022. That’s not unlike the Kings, who haven’t advanced beyond the first round since their Stanley Cup triumph in 2014.

In 2022, the Oilers’ third season under Holland, they went to the Western Conference finals against eventual champion Colorado, having beaten the Kings in the process. They repeated that last feat in 2023 (a second-round exit against another eventual champion Vegas) and in 2024, when they came within one victory of reverse-sweeping the Florida Panthers after falling behind 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.

As assistant GM in Detroit, Holland was instrumental in bringing in the vaunted “Russian Five” – Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov and Igor Larionov – and as GM he plucked international steals from the draft like Pavel Datsyuk (No. 171 overall) and Henrik Zetterberg (No. 210 overall) that ushered in another era of excellence.

During his tenure as Detroit’s GM, the franchise won more regular-season and postseason games than any other franchise, also tying Chicago and Pittsburgh for the most championships in that period with three.

In all, the Wings made the playoffs in 25 consecutive seasons with Holland in their front office but have not returned since he left the Motor City. The Oilers qualified for the postseason in each of Holland’s five campaigns with Edmonton.

Holland’s five-year contract with the Oilers expired on July 1, 2024. Edmonton eventually hired former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman to replace him. Since then, Holland had been working as a consultant to the NHL’s hockey operations department.

In 2020, Holland was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders’ category. As a player, he was a goaltender who played in a modest four career games, three with Detroit and another with the Hartford Whalers.

Holland will now determine the fate of Jim Hiller, who finished his first full season as Kings head coach after serving on an interim basis in 2023-24. Hiller was an assistant coach with the Red Wings for one season (2014-15) during Holland’s time in Detroit.

​ Orange County Register 

Taylor Ward hits 9th-inning grand slam as Angels stun Padres

• May 13, 2025

SAN DIEGO — Taylor Ward added an unforgettable moment to a season that so far has been mostly filled with disappointment.

Ward hit a tiebreaking grand slam, capping a six-run ninth-inning rally in the Angels’ shocking 9-5 victory over the Padres on Monday night.

“Amazing,” Ward said. “Amazing. I’m going to soak in every minute of this and just turn the page tomorrow and get back to it.”

Ward is hitting .190, and that includes some positive signs in the past week. Prior to that, he was so lost that he asked the Angels to bring minor-league pitchers to Angel Stadium so he could get some extra at-bats in the afternoon. Monday marked Ward’s third multi-hit game since then.

“I think it helped a lot,” Ward said, adding that he’s now more focused on “staying anchored to the ground.”

The stage was set for Ward’s heroics by a series of disciplined at-bats from his teammates.

The Angels were down by two runs in the ninth, when the Padres sent closer Robert Suarez and his 0.51 ERA to the mound. Suarez had converted all 15 of his save opportunities this season. He had allowed one run and he’d walked just four batters.

So what happened next was shocking.

With one out, pinch-hitter Luis Rengifo singled. Pinch-hitter Logan O’Hoppe then walked. Zach Neto – who earlier in the game hit a two-run homer – also walked, loading the bases. Nolan Schanuel then walked, pushing home a run.

Yoán Moncada then walked at the end of an eight-pitch duel with Suarez, forcing in the tying run.

“We grinded some great at-bats against that kid,” Manager Ron Washington said. “He throws so hard (topping at 100.6 mph in the inning) you don’t have a whole lot of time to make a decision on whether you’re going to swing or not. And we did a good job of staying off of balls that were out of the zone. And that gave us the opportunity where Taylor came up and got us the victory today.”

Suarez was pulled after the walk to Moncada. Right-hander Alek Jacob entered, and one out later he hung a 2-and-2 sweeper that Ward lofted over the left field fence. It was the fifth grand slam of his career.

Five of the runs were charged to Suarez, putting a dent in his sensational start to the season. Last week, Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman had allowed just two runs before coming to Anaheim, and the Angels hung six on him in two come-from-behind victories.

One of the victories against Hoffman was a ninth-inning rally, and the Angels also had a four-run rally in the ninth to beat San Francisco Giants closer Ryan Walker on April 20.

Coincidentally, one of the common denominators in all those ninth-inning comebacks was they took Yusei Kikuchi off the hook for losses.

Kikuchi still hasn’t a won a game in his nine starts, but that’s not entirely his fault. Kikuchi has a 3.72 ERA and he’s gotten through six innings in six starts. He’s only failed to finish five once.

Kikuchi allowed just two earned runs in six innings on Monday. In the third inning, he quickly retired the first two hitters but then gave up a run on three straight singles.

Kikuchi was about to get out of the inning when Xander Bogaerts hit a chopper to his left. He jumped and grabbed the ball, but he bobbled it on the way down. He still had time to pick it up and throw to first, but his throw skipped past Schanuel as two runs scored.

“I’ve never made that sort of mistake,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter. “I think I panicked a little bit.”

A couple of hours later, he was able to laugh about it because his teammates picked him up.

“I’m just glad my error didn’t cost us the game,” he said. “I’m glad we came out on top.”

The Angels (17-23) reached the quarter-pole of the season with a thrilling victory, and it also provided a good start for one of the most challenging weeks of the season.

The Angels have six straight road games against arguably the two best teams in the majors. After two more games in San Diego, the Angels head to Dodger Stadium this weekend.

Washington was hopeful that his team could fare well this week because of what the Angels did last season. The 2024 Angels lost 99 games, but five of the eight teams that they played .500 or better against were playoff teams. That included a three-game sweep of the Padres.

Asked before the game if he could explain that, Washington came up empty.

“If I knew, we wouldn’t play like we play against the teams that are not as successful,” Washington said. “I don’t know. We play well against good teams.”

​ Orange County Register 

Two homebuilders with Orange County roots to merge

• May 13, 2025

A pair of homebuilders that were born as Orange County’s real estate emerged from the Great Recession’s ruins say they’re tying the knot.

Irvine-based New Home Co. and Dallas-based Landsea Homes Corp. announced on Monday, May 12, a plan that would see the privately held New Home acquire publicly owned Landsea in a deal valued at $1.2 billion. The merger still requires regulatory and shareholder approvals and could be completed before the end of the year.

Together, the companies will have operations in California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Texas and Washington, selling roughly 4,000 homes a year. Apollo Funds, which acquired control of New Home in 2021, will invest $650 million into the merged operations.

“Both companies are on attractive growth trajectories individually, which will be further accelerated and augmented by this combination,” said Peter Sinensky, a partner at Apollo.

Orange County was the launching pad for the companies founded amid the recovery from housing’s burst bubble.

New Home was established in 2009 when real estate giant Irvine Co. required construction and marketing assistance to revive Orange County’s homebuilding efforts. The builder was one of the first to sell new, luxury homes after the Great Recession.

Landsea began in 2013 as the U.S. division of Chinese builder Landsea Group. Perhaps best known for the IronRidge development in Lake Forest, the company relocated its headquarters in 2023 from Newport Beach to Texas.

New Home agreed to pay $11.30 per share for Landsea stock, roughly $400 million in cash. Landsea shares traded above $14 in early 2024 and as low as $6 in April.

Builders’ stocks have been hurt of late as high mortgage rates make sales tougher. Profits have thinned as builders offer bigger incentives, often mortgage-rate buydowns, to incentivize house hunters. In 2025’s first quarter, Landsea delivered 643 homes – up 27% in a year – but lost $7 million.

“By bringing together two highly complementary businesses and teams with shared customer-first values, we will further scale our platform nationally and help even more buyers realize the dream of homeownership,” said New Home CEO Matthew Zaist, who will head the merged entities.

The deal, said Landsea CEO John Ho, “will deliver immediate cash value to our stockholders at a significant premium and provide us with a strong, well-capitalized partner to accelerate our next phase of growth.”

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Ana High School parents demand heightened security after killing of student

• May 13, 2025

Around 30 to 40 parents and several students gathered in front of Santa Ana High School to demand increased transparency and security from the school district, following the death of a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed on school grounds last week. Many accused the district of sweeping safety issues under the rug.

“Queremos seguridad (we want security),” echoed several parents on Monday morning, May 12.

The fatal stabbing occurred on May 7, following an altercation between five students in a parking lot shared with Martin R. Heninger Elementary School next door. Three teenage boys were stabbed shortly after class ended, including Armando Morales, 14, who later died at a hospital. Two brothers, ages 15 and 17, turned themselves in later that evening and were booked in juvenile hall on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

“Today was Armando, tomorrow it could be one of us,” said Josceline Vargas, 18, a Santa Ana High School senior.

Police initially believed all five students involved were suspected gang members. It was later determined that Armando was not a gang member and was simply trying to intervene and help his two friends when he was fatally stabbed, Santa Ana Police Officer Natalie Garcia said.

Parents and students who gathered Monday criticized officials for often generalizing and blaming issues on gangs.

“Just because he talked to kids who dress a certain way doesn’t mean he’s gang-affiliated,” Maria Sanchez, a friend of the Morales family, said in Spanish.

“No kid should be made to feel unsafe,” said Nat Cruz, a 14-year-old freshman who said Armando was a friend since middle school. “He was never gang-affiliated.”

Some parents from Santa Ana High and nearby schools who gathered near Armando’s memorial  said they were invited to meet with district staff to ask questions and share concerns.

Santa Ana Unified School District spokesperson Fermin Leal said a couple of dozen parents met with school officials for an unplanned meeting and spoke for about 30 to 45 minutes. Parents asked whether there was enough security and campus police assigned to manage a school of that size (2,853 students), and discussed the possibility of adding cameras and metal detectors.

Others who attended felt the offer was an attempt to keep things quiet and did not believe any real changes would be made.

“We want the principal to come and tell us out here, not behind closed doors,” Sanchez said.

“The school isn’t out here or doing anything. They want it to disappear,” said 45-year-old Arturo Solis, who was frustrated with the school district’s response after his daughter was attacked on campus last year. “If something had changed, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Several parents and students alleged that Santa Ana School Police, who are assigned to each high school in the district, were not around when the fatal stabbing occurred.

“They’re (school police) only here when they get a call from the principal,” said Santa Ana High student Brittany Ocampo.

Questions regarding the police presence and the overall response were not immediately addressed, pending an ongoing investigation.

“We responded as fast as we were able to, given the circumstances,” said Leal.

The SAUSD spokesperson said the district was working to organize a town hall within the next two weeks.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe returns to old-school defensive style

• May 13, 2025

SAN DIEGO — Logan O’Hoppe finally got fed up with doing something that was uncomfortable, especially since it wasn’t even working.

The Angels catcher had always caught with two feet on the ground until he got to the major leagues and was molded into the one-knee-down style that has swept across the sport.

The conventional wisdom was that catching on one knee allowed a catcher to get lower, which helped him frame pitches better. That came without any deterioration in blocking ability, and fresher knees.

Except, O’Hoppe doesn’t believe any of that was true for him.

So a couple of weeks ago, he and catching coach Jerry Narron decided to scrap it. Since April 29 in Seattle, O’Hoppe has caught exclusively the “old school” way, with both of his feet on the ground.

“The numbers weren’t as good on my receiving and blocking, and that pissed me off, to be honest with you,” O’Hoppe said. “What bothered me even more than that was that I didn’t feel like myself behind the plate either.”

Narron, who caught for eight years in the big leagues in the 1970s and ’80s, said he felt O’Hoppe was better when he began catching on two feet at certain times late last season, so he fully endorsed switching back to it full time.

“He’s really, really athletic,” Narron said. “He’s probably the most athletic catcher in baseball. If not, one of the top. And he moves well on his feet. It’s a really, really good tool, so why hide it in the toolbox somewhere to not use it?”

Just about every other catcher in the majors – with the exception of the Dodgers’ Austin Barnes and the Texas Rangers’ Kyle Higashioka – now catches every pitch of every game on one knee.

O’Hoppe has only caught eight games on two feet, but the early numbers have been encouraging.

Prior to April 29, O’Hoppe ranked 30th of 32 catchers in getting called strikes on pitches defined as “borderline” pitches. Since then, he’s 16th of 28.

“I feel like it’s been better,” O’Hoppe said. “I’ve noticed a couple more calls, and I think that’s all that matters.”

O’Hoppe said in particular that “misfires” – when he is set up on the inside corner and the pitch comes over the outside corner – are ones that he’s better able to get called strikes now.

For the season, O’Hoppe is in the 5th percentile in framing and 6th percentile in blocking, making him one of the worst at both. He’s betting that those numbers will improve as he continues catching this way.

“Getting back to my rawest form of catching, and it’s been way more comfortable,” O’Hoppe said. “I felt more mobile. I feel less taxed, like my body’s in a better position. I’m not moving. I’m physically not moving as much as I was in the past. And it’s been a big change so far.”

Although it’s counterintuitive to think that squatting would be less taxing than putting your weight on one knee, O’Hoppe said he felt like being on one knee was like “doing a wall sit.” Now, he can actually sit back on his heels to get a break. He also said there’s less strain on his upper body because he’s not reaching as much.

“My body feels way better now at the end of the day,” O’Hoppe said.

Narron said others around the game have taken note of O’Hoppe going against the trend of one-knee catching.

“I’ve had some other catching guys come up to me and talk about Logan, how good he looks being on his feet,” Narron said. “A couple of them said, ‘Can you talk to my guy?’”

TROUT UPDATE

Mike Trout ran on the Alter G treadmill on Monday in San Diego. The Alter G allows someone to run or walk without their full body weight on the joints. Trout is rehabbing a bruised left knee.

Once he progresses from the Alter G to running on the field, a timeline for his return will be much more clear.

Trout started doing some hitting a few days ago.

NOTES

Luis Rengifo was out of the lineup for the second straight game because Manager Ron Washington wanted to give him “a chance to clear his head.” Rengifo has been having a bad year at the plate, and last week he was pulled from a game because he lost track of the outs while he was playing second base. …

Right-hander George Klassen, who was hit in the head by a line drive in a Double-A game on Sunday, was alert and improving, while still being evaluated on Monday, the Angels said. Klassen is one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects. …

Outfielder Taylor Ward was at designated hitter on Monday. Washington planned to give him two straight games at DH, but on Sunday they chose to use Jorge Soler at DH because he was coming back from a groin issue.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP José Soriano, 2-4, 4.00 ERA) at Padres (RHP Dylan Cease, 1-2, 4.91 ERA), Tuesday, 6:40 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Gov. Newsom urges local governments to ban encampments; state increases support

• May 13, 2025

Gov. Gavin Newsom once again called on local government leaders to clear homeless encampments, introducing a model ordinance that counties and cities can adopt to ban makeshift tent communities near freeways, parks and on sidewalks throughout the state.

Newsom also announced on Monday, May 12, the allocation of $3.3 billion toward various projects across the state to expand housing and treatment options for people experiencing homelessness. Of the nearly 125 projects receiving funding from the state, one perinatal substance use disorder facility in Orange County was listed among the first round of funding announced.

During an afternoon press conference, the governor said that while some local elected officials are doing their part in addressing homelessness, not everyone is carrying their weight.

“It is time to take back the streets. It’s time to take back the sidewalks. It’s time to take these encampments and provide alternatives. The state is giving you more resources than ever. And it’s time, I think, to just end the excuses and call the question about accountability,” Newsom said. “I’m not interested anymore, period, full stop, (in) funding failure. I want to see real results.”

The state has created an accountability tool, accountability.ca.gov, that allows residents to access data showing the progress being made by their local governments on housing, homelessness and behavioral health issues.

While large encampments have been cleared out around Orange County in recent years, the latest point-in-time count of the homeless population recorded 4,173 people living on the streets in early 2024.

Last June, the Supreme Court ruled that cities could enforce bans on people sleeping outside in public places regardless of whether or not a city had enough shelter beds to house them. In July, Newsom followed up with an executive order for state agencies to remove homeless encampments on state property, urging local cities and counties to do the same.

Newsom said he’s interested in revitalizing California’s quality of life.

“I’ve also been very, very, very focused and very honest with my friends that are running these cities, large and small, that I wanted to see a renewed vigor and focus on what’s happening on the streets, tents and encampments,” Newsom said. “It simply cannot continue. It cannot be a way of life living out on the streets, on sidewalks, in what almost become permanent structures … We cannot allow that to continue.”

Newsom’s model ordinance includes prohibitions on “persistent camping” in one location, a ban on encampments that block sidewalks and a requirement that local officials provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter before clearing an encampment.

Michael Sean Wright, founder of Wound Walk OC, a street medicine team, said the county has come a long way since 2018 when a mass encampment growing along the Santa Ana riverbed prompted a major shift in local officials’ attention to homelessness in Orange County.  But the county still falls short in the number of beds available, especially ADA-compliant beds, to meet needs, he said.

“We all want a solution. We all want this to change,” Wright said, adding that there needs to be increased emphasis on the medical and health impacts of homelessness. “Medical emphasis has an opportunity for us to touch the population and get a rapid assessment of what is the thing that’s most likely to get them inside, because that’s our goal — get people inside.”

“Leaving people in encampments is inhumane,” Wright added. “Imagine having a cut or scrape, and you’re living in conditions with waste, bacteria, garbage, runoff, environmental pollution. That’s going to affect the whole body, from skin infections to deep abscesses to upper respiratory infections to ultimately sepsis and death.”

A flurry of cities in Orange County adopted anti-camping protocols following the Supreme Court’s ruling, including Irvine, Fullerton, Anaheim and Santa Ana.

Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung is hopeful that Newsom’s model ordinance signals a change in tune for how Sacramento helps municipalities take on and fund solutions to those issues.

“I think this is a start, but it’s a meaningful one because he’s the executive leader of our state,” Jung said in a phone interview on Monday. “My hope is that the governor doubles down and puts financial resources behind it.”

Jung said the city conducts monthly “encampment cleanups,” costing Fullerton nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year.

Anaheim city spokesperson Mike Lyster said city leaders don’t allow encampments to grow because they are inhumane and unsustainable.

“We do not have homeless encampments in our city,” Lyster said. “We do, of course, have people living in homelessness, and we address it every day with outreach, enforcement where needed, … with an array of services as well as shelter.”

Letting people live on the streets is unsustainable and unacceptable, Lyster added, and a model ordinance could pave the way to getting more people experiencing homelessness to accept help.

Critics say punitive bans make it even harder for homeless people to find stable housing and employment.

“My immediate reaction was that this is a distraction from a state budget that isn’t likely to have funding for housing and homelessness,” said Alex Visotzky with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Organizations representing California’s cities and counties have balked at the implication that they are to blame, and say they need sustained funding.

“Clearing encampments may be the most visible part of this crisis, but without addressing the underlying root causes of homelessness, the cycle will only repeat itself,” said Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities.

She said that eight in 10 cities have policies to address encampments.

The California State Association of Counties said the state has not provided as much money to address homelessness as it says it has and that half of the money has gone to housing developers.

Orange County supervisors Don Wagner and Doug Chaffee said the county has been addressing homelessness and encampments head-on for years now.

“Orange County is going to continue to stay in the fight. The county’s got an ordinance, but most of our land is within cities, not unincorporated, so it’s the cities that need to make sure their ordinances are state of the art and they’re being enforced,” Third District Supervisor Wagner said. “We do have a homeless issue, no question about it, but we, long ago, got ahead of the encampment problem and continue to try to stay on top of it.”

Chaffee said the governor’s push to ban encampments fails to provide for preventative measures that can address the reasons one becomes homeless.

“We will continue to have homelessness issues until we address those underlying problems,” Chaffee said, adding that banning encampments does nothing to address where the people experiencing homelessness should go. “I question whether Sacramento has ever really understood or helped us much. We do our thing, and I think we’ve done quite a bit.”

Staff writer Jonathan Horwitz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS softball: League foes Pacifica and El Modena to clash in first round

• May 13, 2025

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The Crestview League’s battle royal in softball isn’t over yet.

The CIF Southern Section’s new playoff system, which is guided by computer-generated power ratings, wants another game.

Crestview League rivals Pacifica and El Modena have been paired for a first round game in the Division 1 playoffs on Thursday.

The section announced its postseason pairings on Monday.

In an eye-opening example of the possibilities under the new system, two teams that played three times in the Crestview League and were part of a wild, three-way tie for championship will clash in the first round.

El Modena (18-8), which finished No. 11 in the power ratings, will host No. 22 Pacifica (15-11) in one of the marquee games in the 32-team bracket.

Pacifica is the two-time defending Division 1 champion. El Modena won the early-season Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz.

“Not optimal for sure playing a team a fourth time (but) that’s the new system,” Pacifica coach Tony Arduino said. “It is what it is. (We’re) going to have to beat great teams in Division 1 to make a run, may as well start in Round 1.”

“We know both teams have been tested and have been playing playoff games the last two weeks,” the coach added.

Under the section’s previous postseason format, the top two playoff entries from a league were placed on opposite sides of the bracket if they were in the same division. The No. 2 and No. 3 entries from a league were separated so they couldn’t meet until the quarterfinals.

“Both were playoff bylaws,” explained Thom Simmons, a section assistant commissioner and spokesperson.

But under the new playoff systems, teams are placed in brackets by their in-season Massey ratings.

El Modena won its Crestview League series against Pacifica 2-1.

The computers don’t know, of course, that Arduino and El Modena coach Bobby Calderon are close friends. They played college baseball together at Chapman and were assistant coaches with Pacifica baseball.

The coaches went to dinner last week and wondered if they were destined to face off in CIF.

“Crazy,” Calderon said. “I think we spoke it into existence.”

“Nothing has been easy for (our team) this year,” the coach added. “We have been tested on and off the field and I believe we have it in us to overcome this next unfortunate situation.”

Cypress (19-9), which also earned a share of the Crestview League title, plays at El Segundo (22-5) in the first round Thursday.

In another league pairing in the first round, Sonora (16-9) plays host to Villa Park (14-14) in a Freeway League matchup in Division 2 on Thursday.

The Raiders, No. 42 in the power ratings, received an at-large berth. They are playing host to third-place and No. 51 Villa Park based on their ranking.

In Division 3, Brea Olinda (18-5) plays host to Yorba Linda (13-12) in all-North Hills League clash Thursday in the first round. Brea Olinda won the league while Yorba Linda took second.

ORANGE LUTHERAN AND ROSARY EARN HIGH SEEDS

Orange Lutheran received the No. 3 seed in Division 1 behind Norco and Etiwanda.

The Lancers (22-5) slipped one spot from their section rating on May 6 after dropping a second straight Trinity League game. They play host to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (23-5) on Thursday.

Rosary, the top-ranked team in the county, dropped one spot in the power ratings to the No. 6 seed. The Royals (25-2-1) play host to Bonita (19-9) at Fullerton College on Thursday.

“The whole bracket looks incredibly tough and there will be no time to get comfortable,” Rosary coach Tom Tice said. “If you’re not at the top of your game immediately, you’re going to go home.”

The Royals move to Division 1 after reaching the second round of Division 2 last season. They also qualified from the Pacific Coast League, whose automatic qualifiers (Woodbridge and Irvine) are in Division 3 and 5, respectively.

“We are satisfied that our overall schedule has us ready for the challenge,” said Tice, whose team won the Michelle Carew Classic.

AT-LARGE BIDS

Canyon (19-9) in Division 1, and Santa Margarita (18-9-1) and JSerra (15-13) in Division 2, were the top county teams to receive at-large bids.

Canyon earned the lone at-large berth in Division 1 and a home game against Temescal Canyon (18-5) on Thursday.

JSerra plays host to Gahr (13-12-2) while Santa Margarita plays at Saugus (23-4).

Aliso Niguel (14-13-1), the fourth-place team in the South Coast League, didn’t receive an at-large berth in Division 2. The bids went to JSerra, Sonora, Moorpark (16-5) and Santa Margarita.

Santa Margarita used a power rating of 8.177 to edge Corona Centennial (13-12) at 8.151 for the fourth and final spot.

Aliso Niguel’s power ratings was 8.07.

NOTES 

Buena Park’s Mia Gonzalez threw a four-hitter with 13 strikeouts and hit a home run in a 6-2 win against Valencia last week that gave the Coyotes a share of the Golden West League title.

Buena Park (15-8) plays host Patriot (16-8) in a Division 5 first round game on Thursday. …

In a Sunset League playoff for fourth-place and an automatic playoff spot, Edison beat Fountain Valley 6-5 on a walk-off, three-run double by Avea Niumata with two outs in the seventh.

Edison (11-14) plays at Long Beach Poly (16-5) in Division 4 on Thursday. …

Marina (14-13) is seeded No. 4 in Division 3. Tustin (10-5) is the top-seed in Division 8.

​ Orange County Register