CIF-SS girls lacrosse polls, April 3

• April 4, 2023

CIF-SS GIRLS LACROSSE POLL

(Selected by the Girls Lacrosse Committee)

DIVISION 1/2

1. Foothill

2. Marlborough

3. Mira Costa

4. Redondo Union

5. Edison

6. St. Margaret’s

7. San Clemente

8. Oak Park

9. Murrieta Mesa

10. Palos Verdes

Others: Newport Harbor, Newbury Park, Santiago/C, Mater Dei, San Juan Hills

DIVISION 3

1. Huntington Beach

2. Chaparral

3. Simi Valley

4. Portola

5. Northwood

6. Santa Monica

7. Orange Lutheran

8. San Marcos

9. El Toro

10. Murrieta Valley

Others: Rosary, Notre Dame/SO, ML King, Temecula Valley, Downey

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from March 2023

• April 4, 2023

We asked our photographers to pick their favorite moments from March 2023, and here are some they selected.

The rain continued to make Orange County soggy throughout most of March.

The water-logged hills slide out from under buildings in San Clemente which prompted the evacuation of apartments on the bluff due to the danger of the structures tumbling down the hillside.

The atmospheric rivers that gave us all the rain also provided a beautiful backdrop of snow-capped mountains, but, up at the high elevations all that snow caused Crestline to lose its only grocery store and people to be trapped in their homes for days.

Along with the water falling from the sky, more than 60 Orange County schools came together to learn about water issues and conservation during the Children’s Water Education Festival at UC Irvine. The Angels kicked off their season against the Dodgers and took two of three games from the cross-town rivals.

Over in Costa Mesa, the American Ballet Theatre’s “Like Water for Chocolate,” based on the best selling novel and film, thrilled audiences at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Along the county’s beaches, Laylan Connelly, the Register’s long-time beach reporter got the news she will be inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame later this year.

In Anaheim, it was all fun and games as Disney opened a “reimagined” Toontown and costumed cosplayers streamed into WonderCon.

Stay dry and stay healthy, and check out the photos and follow The Orange County Register on Facebook and Instagram. Here are our staff photographers’ individual pages: Paul Bersebach, Jeff Gritchen, Leonard Ortiz, Mark Rightmire, and Mindy Schauer.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

Related links

Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from February 2023
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from January 2023
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from 2022
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from November 2022
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from October 2022
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from September 2022
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from August 2022
Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from July 2022
VIDEO: Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from June 2022
VIDEO: Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from May 2022
VIDEO: Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from April 2022
These 60 photos are our OC photographers’ favorites from March 2022
These 59 photos are our OC photographers’ favorites from February 2022
These 53 photos are our OC photographers’ favorites from January 2022

​ Orange County Register 

Veto stands: Transgender pronouns OK in N. Dakota schools

• April 4, 2023

By Trisha Ahmed | Associated Press/Report for America

Teachers in North Dakota can still refer to transgender students by the personal pronouns they use, after lawmakers on Monday failed to override the governor’s veto of a controversial bill to place restrictions on educators.

House lawmakers fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to block the veto, days after Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s office announced the veto and the Senate overrode it.

The bill would have prohibited public school teachers and employees from acknowledging the personal pronouns a transgender student uses, unless they received permission from the student’s parents as well as a school administrator. It would have also prohibited government agencies from requiring employees to acknowledge the pronouns a transgender colleagues uses.

Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have drafted hundreds of laws this year to push back on LGBTQ+ freedoms, particularly seeking to regulate aspects of transgender people’s lives including gender-affirming health care, bathroom use, athletics and drag performances.

“Ask yourself, does Senate Bill 2231 treat others the way you would want to be treated?” Democratic Rep. Emily O’Brien of Grand Forks said on the House floor, adding that overriding the veto would perpetuate “discrimination, hatred or prejudice.”

Republican Rep. SuAnn Olson of Baldwin said the bill protects freedom of speech for teachers and keeps “inappropriate” topics out of the classroom.

North Dakota will consider other bills this session about transgender students, she said.

Olson said that if lawmakers “are firm on this bill, on girls’ athletics, on separate bathrooms, we will strengthen public schools.” But allowing what she called an “emphasis on sexuality” in schools would cause students and teachers to abandon the public education system.

State representatives voted 56-36 to override the governor’s veto, but 63 votes were required.

All 12 Democrats in the House voted against the bill, as did 24 Republicans. One was Rep. Eric Murphy, of Grand Forks, an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of North Dakota.

“I’m tired of these bills. I’m tired of both sides,” Murphy said on the House floor. “If a student wants to be called a different pronoun, does that really matter? Is this earth-shattering?”

In a letter to state lawmakers announcing his veto, the governor said, “The teaching profession is challenging enough without the heavy hand of state government forcing teachers to take on the role of pronoun police.” The First Amendment already protects teachers from speaking contrary to their beliefs, and existing law protects the free speech rights of state employees, Burgum added.

Lawmakers who supported the bill have said in debates that it would free teachers from worrying about how to address each student and create a better learning environment.

Opponents said the bill targets transgender students who already have disproportionately high risks of suicide.

In 2021, Burgum vetoed a bill that would have barred transgender girls from playing on girls’ teams in public schools. Lawmakers didn’t override that veto, but they’re considering new legislation this session to replicate and expand that bill — including at the college level.

Last week, President Joe Biden denounced what he called hundreds of hateful and extreme state laws that target transgender kids and their families.

“The bullying, discrimination, and political attacks that trans kids face have exacerbated our national mental health crisis,” Biden said. “These attacks are un-American and must end.”

Trisha Ahmed is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, April 3

• April 4, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, April 3

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

MONDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

NATIONAL CLASSIC

Villa Park 12, Jordan (UT) 1

Cypress 6, Liberty (AZ) 2

Foothill 13, Damien 6

RYAN LEMMON TOURNAMENT

San Clemente 3, Corner Canyon (UT) 1

Centennial/Corona 5, University 2

San Juan Hills 12, Segerstrom 3

Bountiful (UT) 2, Portola 0

Mission Viejo 3, Northwood 1

Trabuco Hills 6, Northview 4

Yorba Linda 6, Irvine 1

El Toro 7, Davis (UT) 6

Ayala 3, Brea Olinda 1

Yorba Linda 3, Northwood 0

Woodbridge 13, Esperanza 5

SANTA ANA ELKS / CENTURY TOURNAMENT

Covina 10, Godinez 3

West Covina 15, Valencia 5

SOFTBALL

SUNSET LEAGUE

Edison 8, Newport Harbor 0

Los Alamitos 8, Fountain Valley 1

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Cypress 15, Valencia 0

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys lacrosse polls, April 3

• April 4, 2023

CIF-SS BOYS LACROSSE POLL

(Selected by the Boys Lacrosse Committee)

DIVISION 1/2

1. Mater Dei

2. Loyola

3. Foothill

4. St. Margaret’s

5. Mira Costa

6. Westlake

7. Santa Margarita

8. Agoura

9. Trabuco Hills

10, Corona del Mar

Others: None

DIVISION 3

1. Santa Monica

2. Chaminade

3. Crean Lutheran

4. Canyon

5. ML King

6. University

7. Village Christian

8. El Segundo

9. El Dorado

10. Dos Pueblos

Others: None

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

WWE begins new Endeavor after merger with UFC amid record-setting WrestleMania weekend in Inglewood

• April 4, 2023

INGLEWOOD — While a multi-billion-dollar deal for the future of the company was being quietly brokered backstage, the WWE provided waves of over-the-top action that spurred eight hours of  boisterous emotions for the 161,892 fans throughout the two-night WrestleMania 39 event over the weekend at SoFi Stadium.

WrestleMania is the company’s biggest event of the year — essentially the Super Bowl for this brand og sports entertainment — and results in the conclusion of several of its top scripted storylines.

But this year’s event — which WWE officials on Monday said shattered company records for attendance, revenue, sponsorships, charitable contributions and social-media activity — marked the start of a new chapter in the company’s history, not in the arena but in the boardroom.

The company made headlines for months on the business pages, with news of then-embattled WWE founder Vince McMahon’s abrupt but short-lived retirement — spurred by reports that he paid more than $12 million in hush money to women in hopes of keeping them quiet about alleged sexual misconduct — and eventual return as executive chairman in January.

McMahon returned, he said, to orchestrate discussions of the WWE being available for purchase. His asking price: $9 billion.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 02: (L-R) Brock Lesnar wrestles Omos during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on April 02, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

A deal appeared to emerge over Wrestlemania weekend, Endeavor, parent company of the UFC cage-fighting dynasty, reportedly signed an agreement to merge with the WWE.

“Together, we will be a $21+ billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse with a collective fanbase of more than a billion people and an exciting growth opportunity,” McMahon said in a statement Monday.

McMahon and Ari Emanuel, CEO of the American mixed martial arts promotion, sat down for an interview with CNBC on Monday morning to confirm the pact.

Related Articles

“We’ve known each other for 23 years,” Emanuel said of his relationship with McMahon during the interview. “There’s a lot of trust here.”

WWE’s chief content officer Paul Levesque — a popular retired grappler better known to fans as “Triple H,” who is married to McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie — said during the WrestleMania press conference on Sunday that he was unable to confirm the reports of the sale but finished the conference saying “No matter what happens, WWE is going nowhere.” More details on the merger spread out into media reports Sunday and on into Monday, streaming into the eventual conformation of the deal.

McMahon, who built his father’s regional wrestling promotion into an international juggernaut, and Levesque, who is in charge of mapping out the actual story lines and matches, are expected to retain their leadership roles with WWE. Nick Khan will become WWE’s president while longtime combat-sports baron Dana White will remain his role as UFC president.

Though one business is tightly scripted and the other brutally spontaneous, there is consistent  crossover between the worlds of WW and UFC. For example, former UFC competitors Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar recorded victories in their respective matches on Sunday.

Meanwhile, on the spectacularly decked out floor of SoFi, the two-day show delighted its fan base.

WWE saw four of its six champions successfully defend their titles over the weekend, including top-billed villain Roman Reigns, who earned a pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event. Reigns has held the titles for 945 consecutive days, a record for the current WWE era.

Reigns has worked together with members of his family — all wrestlers of Samoan descent with ties to the sport’s fabled Anoa’i dynasty — to create one of the strongest-ever storyline factions, known as “The Bloodline,” in the company.

The main event drew a split reaction of cheers and jeers throughout the match until its jaw-dropping conclusion. Some fans were jumping around, including one who was seen jumping on the chairs in excitement holding his replica championship belts in the air to celebrate, while others were in complete shock.

Over 80,000 attend the first night of WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Saturday, April 1, 2023. It was announced Monday that Endeavor had signed an agreement with WWE to form a new, publicly listed company that will house UFC and WWE under one roof. (WWE via AP)

“This portion of my career has been the most fulfilling,” Reigns said during the WrestleMania press conference. “By being able to dive deep into this with Paul (Heyman), to bring my family along and lift them up and put them in a position to showcase their talent and potential to the point that we are the main event both nights of WrestleMania.”

Solo Sikoa and twins Jimmy and Jey Uso — all second-generation pro-wrestling brothers, sons of Hall of Fame star Rikishi — interfered in various points in the match to help give Reigns the advantage he needed to fend off Rhodes. Longtime Canadian cohorts Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn also made an appearance to defend Rhodes and remove the Usos from the match.

Zayn and Owens had stood tall as the new undisputed tag team champions on Night 1 of WrestleMania, after successfully defending the Usos.

Snarling, black-clad “heel” Rhea Ripley’s victory over Charlotte Flair — a multiple-time champ and daughter of wrestling legend “Nature Boy” Ric Flair who recently wrestled his final match — for the Smackdown Women’s Championship was the second of two title changes on Saturday.

Bianca Belair successfully defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Asuka at WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium on April 2, 2023. (Photo courtesy of WWE)

Ripley was the only member of her sinister “Judgment Day” faction to have a successful outing with Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio losing their respective matches.

Balor was unable to defeat Hall of Fame star Edge in a “Hell in a Cell” match contested in a towering black cage. Balor did suffer a wound to his head — medics sealed with wound with staples right there in the ring — required staples but Levesque stated that he was going to be OK.

Second-generation teen star gone wrong Dominik Mysterio challenged his father, San Diego-based Rey Mysterio Jr.

It was a big weekend for the Mysterio family, with Rey being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. The elder Mysterio, known for his high-flying stunts and colorful array of masks, is widely considered one of the greatest-ever Latino luchadores, after launching his career in Mexico at the age of 14 in 1989.

Snoop Dogg during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on April 02, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The local area was well represented with legendary Long Beach-born rapper Snoop Dogg cohosting the show.

Snoop also got to engage in a little impromptu ring action, staging an improvised knockout of co-host The Miz after his competitor — Shane McMahon, the son of WWE boss Vince McMahon, who hadn’t seen in-ring action in many months — was felled by a injury mere moments into his match. Levesque confirmed Shane McMahon had suffered a torn quadricep.

The Divas of Compton, a local youth dance troupe, also made an high-stepping appearance performing before Bianca Belair’s successful defense of her RAW Women’s Championship against Asuka and improving to 3-0 at WrestleMania. The local dancers were decked out in flashy Bianca-inspired garb, including her trademark braid.

“They were amazing,” said Belair about the dance team. “Just being able to meet them and during rehearsals when I first got to meet them I was tearing up. … they are going to do amazing things and I just wanted to bring them out.”

WWE star Bianca Belair performs with members of the Divas of Compton dance troupe at Wrestlemania on Sunday. Photo: WWE

Belair was impressed with the way the team handled themselves on a big stage and in front of so many people.

“They are 7 to 12 years old on this stage and not intimidated by being in front of 80,000 people and thousands of people watching on Peacock. They were amazing and I wanted to give them the stage and let them shine bright. … Representation is so important. They are my ‘why.’”

WrestleMania 39 results:

Night One

WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory def. John Cena
Fatal Four-Way Showcase: The Street Profits def. Alpha Academy,. Viking Raiders and Ricochet & Braun Strowman
Seth Rollins def. Logan Paul
Rey Mysterio def. Dominik Mysterio
Becky Lynch & Lita & Trish Stratus def. Damage CNTRL
Smackdown Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair
Pat McAfee def. The Miz
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens def. The Usos

Night Two

Brock Lesnar def. Omos
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus
Fatal Four-Way Showcase: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Bazler def. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya & Shotzi, and Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green
Snoop Dogg def. the Miz
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka
Hell in a Cell: Edge def. Finn Balor
WWE Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Cody Rhodes

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys tennis polls, April 3

• April 4, 2023

CIF-SS BOYS TENNIS POLLS

(Selected by the CIF-SS Tennis Committee)

Open Division/Division 1

1. University

2. Peninsula

3. Palos Verdes

4. Corona del Mar

5. Woodbridge

6. Harvard Westlake

7. Claremont

8. Loyola

9. Beckman

10. Portola

Others: Westlake, Calabasas, Brentwood, Northwood, Servite, San Marino, Arcadia, Newbury Park, Foothill, Mira Costa

DIVISION 2

1. Sage Hill

2. Edison

3. Huntington Beach

4. JSerra

5. El Dorado

6. Ayala

7. Yorba Linda

8. Great Oak

9. Redlands

10. Buckley

Others: Burbank, Chaminade, Culver City, San Juan Hills

DIVISION 3

1. Cypress

2. Mater Dei

3. Tesoro

4. Santiago/Corona

5. Oaks Christian

6. Whitney

7. Cerritos

8. Campbell Hall

9. St. Margaret’s

10. Nordhoff

Others: Crossroads, Murrieta Valley, South Pasadena, Oxford Academy, Roosevelt

DIVISION 4

1. Long Beach Wilson

2. Mark Keppel

3. Rancho Alamitos

4. San Gabriel

5. El Segundo

6. Jurupa Valley

7. West Covina

8. San Dimas

9.Wilson/Hacienda Heights

10T. El Segundo

10T. Yucca Valley

Others: Fullerton, Oakwood, Village Christian, Warren

DIVISION 5

1. Schurr

2. Garden Grove

3. Whittier

4. Villanova Prep

5. Segerstrom

6. Arroyo

7. Costa Mesa

8. Northview

9. Hillcrest

10. Chino

Others: Chaparral, Chaffey, Beaumont, Barstow, Temescal Canyon

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys volleyball polls, April 3

• April 4, 2023

CIF-SS BOYS VOLLEYBALL POLLS

(Selected by the CIF-SS Boys Volleyball Committee)

DIVISION 1/2

1. Loyola

2. Newport Harbor

3. Corona del Mar

4. Huntington Beach

5. Beckman

6. Mira Costa

7. Mater Dei

8. Edison

9. Servite

10. Tesoro

11T. Wilson/LB

11T. Santa Barbara

13. San Marcos

14. Redondo

15. St. Francis

16. Canyon/Anaheim

17. San Clemente

18. South Torrance

19. Upland

20. Los Alamitos

DIVISION 3

1. St. Margaret’s

2. Trabuco Hills

3. Mission Viejo

4. El Segundo

5. Alemany

6. Newbury Park

7. Oak Park

8. St. John Bosco

9. South Pasadena

10. Fountain Valley

DIVISION 4

1. Claremont

2. Hart

3. Crossroads

4. Quartz Hill

5. Troy

6. Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana

7. Cathedral

8. Ramona

9. Pasadena Poly

10. Dana Hills

Others: Norco, El Dorado, Village Christian, Diamond Ranch

DIVISION 5

1. Wiseburn Da Vinci

2. Chino Hills

3. Rancho Verde

4. Paraclete

5. JW North

6. Godinez

7. Nordhoff

8. Western Christian

9. Vista Del Lago

10. Temescal Canyon

Others: St. Anthony, Magnolia, Firebaugh, Ganesha, Fullerton, Garey

DIVISION 6

1. Fontana

2. Samueli Academy

3. Leuzinger

4. Glendale Adventist Academy

5. Wildwood

6. Southlands Christian

7. Pacifica Christian/Santa Monica

8. Santa Clarita Christian

9. Pilgrim

10. Hawthorne Math/Science

Others: Trinity Classical Acad., CAMS, Nuview Bridge, Vasquez, Summit, Geffen Academy/UCLA

​ Orange County Register