Skip to content

The Loara and Newport Elks tournaments start Thursday.

As usual, these early-season tournaments are replete with outstanding teams and players.

The 32-team Loara Tournament includes three teams ranked in the CalHiSports.com California top 25: No. 8 Aliso Niguel, No. 11 San Clemente and No. 14 Dana Hills. Loaratournament.com has schedules, brackets and more information.

Aliso Niguel is led by pitcher Kyle Molnar, who signed with UCLA. San Clemente pitcher Koby Allard also is a UCLA signee.

Defending CIF-Southern Section Division 1 champion Santa Margarita is in the Loara Tournament.

The 74-team Newport Elks Tournament is divided into four divisions. The elite Frank Lerner bracket includes Foothill, which is No. 17 in the state top 25. Foothill lost to Santa Margarita in last year’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship game.

Another Lerner bracket team is Bishop Amat of La Puente, which beat another Lerner team, Palm Desert, in last year’s Division 3 championship game. Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran also are in the Lerner group.

The Loara Tournament championship game is March 14 at Glover Stadium/Dee Fee Field in Anaheim. The Elks Tournament championship games will be played at various sites on March 13.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com