It didn’t take long for Orange Lutheran’s second-year varsity boys polo program to get noticed.
The Lancers went 3-2 over the weekend to finish 11th at the difficult Santa Barbara Invitational. This week, they crack the Orange County rankings at No. 10.
Orange Lutheran’s highlights in Santa Barbara included upsetting Murrieta Valley, 10-9, in the first round and rallying from a six-goal deficit to defeat Division 2 contender Dos Pueblos of Goleta, 13-12, in a placement game Saturday.
“The upside on this team is huge,” Orange Lutheran coach Steve Carrera said. “We have a long way to go, but as long as we keep focusing on development, we will be OK.”
Freshman Ash Molthen paced the Lancers’ offense with 15 goals and nine assists. Collin See added 12 goals and Jake Markle contributed 11.
Orange Lutheran plays at El Toro on Tuesday at 4 p.m. …
Dana Hills finished 23rd in Santa Barbara without standout Marko Asic, who skipped the tournament so that he could take the ACT exam Saturday. The Dolphins are scheduled to play at reigning CIF Division 1 champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City on Tuesday. The Wolverines won the Santa Barbara tournament. …
Woodbridge (6-0) defeated reigning CIF Division 7 champion Segerstrom, 14-7, to capture the Jaguars’ tournament. Nick Giberson, Rhodri John and Kevin Park each scored three goals for the Warriors.
– DAN ALBANO
GOLF: SPECIAL HONOR FOR O.C. PLAYERS
Corona del Mar sophomore Alyaa Abdulghany and Foothill junior Madie Chou have been selected to the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Junior All-Star Team by the AJGA, which recognizes the top 12- to 15-year-old players in the world.
Selection was based on the AJGA Polo national rankings. To be eligible, players had to have participated in at least one Gary Gilchrist All-Star Series event during the 2104 season.
Chou and Abdulghany will be honored on Oct. 11 at the Junior All-Star Invitational in North Plains, Oregon. …
Brea Olinda senior Amy Lee and Tesoro senior Gordon Neale have been selected to participate in the Junior Ryder Cup, which will be held at the Blairgowire Golf Club in Perthshire, Scotland, Sept. 22-24.
“Getting to represent your country is fun, but it is a big honor,” Lee said. “When I played in the Solheim Cup, I felt like a pro with kids coming up for my autograph. I played junior golf the whole year to make the Ryder Cup team.” …
Tesoro golfer Jack Ireland, a two-time Register All-County first-team selection, has committed to play for Cal State Fullerton, his father Jim Ireland said.
– DAMIAN DOTTORE
CROSS COUNTRY: TRAVEL TIME FOR TWO TEAMS
While most of the county’s teams will be doing their best to avoid the heat this week, two schools will be setting off for an island getaway.
JSerra will be sending 10 boys and 10 girls and Dana Hills will send 12 boys to Hawaii to participate in the Iolani Invitational at Kualoa Ranch on Saturday.
The Dolphins have gone to a race in Hawaii nearly every year since 1980.
Dana Hills coach Tim Butler sees it as a positive experience for his runners.
“Number one, the cultural exchange. Kids get to see different culture,” Butler said. “And the real benefit is the shared experience, and the bonding.”
This will be the first time JSerra has made a trip to Hawaii since 2006.
JSerra’s boys finished 10th overall at the Laguna Hills Invitational on Saturday. The Lions’ girls finished seventh. Dana Hills’ boys finished 14th.
– ANTONIO MORALES
