GIRLS WATER POLO
Three-time defending champion Laguna Beach and Orange Lutheran are the top seeds for the Holiday Cup, which runs Thursday and Friday at Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools.
The 16-team tournament features seven schools ranked in the Orange County top 10, including No. 3 Mater Dei.
The final is Friday at 4:05 p.m. at Newport Harbor.
– DAN ALBANO
GIRLS SOCCER
The Excalibur Tournament begins today at the Irvine Great Park. The 29-team tournament, which features 20 teams from the county, concludes with its championship game Thursday.
Santa Margarita, ranked No. 1 in the county, Foothill and CIF-San Diego Section Open Division semifinalist Cathedral Catholic of San Diego are the top three seeds.
– ZACH CAVANAGH, Contributing writer
WRESTLING
Valencia will host the Tournament of Champions at Cerritos College on Thursday and Friday. The action begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m. on Friday.
The Asics SoCal Challenge, hosted by Santa Ana, will also take place on Thursday and Friday.
The SoCal Challenge will be held at a new location this year, the Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove. Wrestling begins at 10 a.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m. on Friday.
Top-ranked Servite is competing in the Sierra Nevada Classic on Wednesday and Thursday.
– DAMIAN CALHOUN
BOYS SOCCER
Four of the top 10 teams in the county are in the 32-team So Cal High School Classic field in Oceanside, competing in what has evolved into the premier holiday boys soccer tournament.
The elite National pool includes No. 2 Servite, No. 3 Los Alamitos and No. 8 El Toro. Santa Mararita, which is No. 5 in this week’s county rankings after winning the Zach Bucther Memorial Tournament last week, is in the Coast pool along with San Clemente.
Games begin today (Tuesday) at various sites, includin San Clemente where the Tritons will play host to the Eagles at 5:30 p.m.
National pool games will be played at the So Cal Soccer Complex. Servite and El Toro open with Oceanside and San Pasqual, respectively. Both games will start at 8 a.m. Los Alamitos follows at 9:45 a.m., playing Cathedral. El Toro and Servite will meet at 1:15 p.m.
Century, Mission Viejo, Huntington Beach and Mater Dei are also in the tournament, competing in the West pool.
Pool play concludes on Wednesday with the semifinals following on Thursday. All championship matches are scheduled for Friday at Oceanside High.
– DAMIAN DOTTORE
GIRLS WRESTLING
The biggest test of the year is on tap this week for several of the county’s girls wrestling teams.
The Queen of the Hill Tournament, hosted by Corona HS, takes place Thursday and Friday at La Sierra University in Riverside.
Corona coach Jim Bowers said there will be 73 schools in attendance, with a good mix of Northern and Southern California powers. Wrestling begins Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and Friday at 9 a.m.
Bowers said that 35-40 percent of the participants are either state qualifiers or state medalists.
“This is the toughest of the season,” Kennedy girls wrestling coach Mike Kim said. “All of the top girls will be there and coaches will get to see where their girls stand against the best.”
Beckman, Corona del Mar, Godinez, Kennedy, Santa Ana are on the list of schools participating.
– DAMIAN CALHOUN
