Familiar Faces: OV to Face Beckman in CIF Quarterfinal Rematch

OV Hawks Podcast: Episode 1

The last time the Patriots of Beckman High School walked off the field after facing Ocean View, you could sum up the reaction of the South-County Powerhouse in one word: shocked.

The previously 27-1 Patriots were all but guaranteed to take advantage of a relatively weak bracket and march right on to 2010 OC Varsity Coach of the Year Kevin Lavelle’s first CIF Championship. Ocean View, on the other hand, had some other plans. You can read all about the game here and here.

Last year, though, was last year. The differences between the two ’10 and the ’11 teams are rather trivial though. Let’s start with Beckman- the Patriots lost two of their biggest offensive tools- Reyn Araki in Center-Field, and Brandon Trinkwon at Shortstop. As documented in the past, Ocean View lost the biggest piece to last year’s team Aaron Delgado at Shortstop and Center-Field, but also lost Nick Schulenburg, and Kevin Nance at the corners.

But as I’ve said in the past here, Robert Fogarty and Colton Johnson fixed the holes that Aaron left offensively and defensively.

That being said, expect a very similar game compared to last year’s matchup.

Ocean View has lost games here and there, one to El Dorado after getting 1-Hit, Westminster after getting 3-Hit, and when they’ve faced superior pitching, they have struggled offensively. However, when they aren’t ice cold, OV has the same offensive potential as any team in the division.

Beckman, at the very least, just isn’t undefeated on paper, they lost to CDM in the Newport Elks Tournament after starting the “B Team,” and lost the second game in their double-header against Katella, again, clearing the bench in that night game.

Let’s look into individual unit match-ups after the jump…

2011 OV Baseball Preview Part 5: CIF-SS Division 3 Preview

 

Travis Sparks Jackson and OV look to be back on top this season

 

 

Another season, and five-part preview is in the wings as we look ahead to the 2011 OV baseball season, which will get underway on March 3rd when the Seahawks take on Irvine High School. As we look to 2011, we started with Part 1, a general 2010 review and 2011 preview with a look at the schedule and key notes. And Part 2, which covered Pitchers. Part 3 covered the position players will and Part 4 previewed the Golden West League.

I’m going to get right to it, there is no reason why OV shouldn’t be in the chase for another CIF Title. The competition in league is at a low, the challenges out of league are attainable, but challenges none-the-less, and this roster is the most talented since 2005.

Let’s be cautious though, the last time an Ocean View team had monstrous expectations this happened.

I am saying that expectations are a terrible burden for any team to carry. Considering everything else in High School Sports; family, grades, friends, practices, fatigue, injury, etc., the expectation that you have to win a [CIF] championship is something that is [extremely lofty].

Let’s go over pre-league tournaments first. OV’s first tournament is in a matter of days; the Newport Elk’s tournament boasts a talented “Foothill” Bracket, with the #1 ranked team (Ocean View) and #3 ranked team (Beckman). Here are the remaining brackets.

OV then participates in their annual double-header with El Dorado; I would be very happy to see OV be competitive in that matchup, winning aside.

OV then goes into league play for a little, followed by their early April break where they’ll participate in the OC Nissan Tournament. OV is slated to play Beckman again in the second round of play (if both teams win their first round matchups) and (again win permitting) can play #4 ranked Woodbridge in the Semi-Finals of the tournament. Pretty good field if you ask me.

The real question is how can OV keep the #1 seed. It really has three parts:

1. Preseason
2. League
3. OC Nissan Tournament

I’d be surprised if OV can win their first tournament as Borowski coached teams usually take true shape during League play. But, should they be in a “marquee” matchup (against Beckman or Woodbridge) they need to win it, pretty simple. Another rule of preseason tournaments is no early exits. This shouldn’t be a problem in both tournaments, but not qualifying for the playoff portion of the Newport Elks round-robin, and leaving before the 3rd round of the OC Nissan Tournament would be considered disappointing.

Winning league is also a “must-achieve” task. Not much explanation needed there.

Postseason outlook is a little too blurry as of now, but Bonita should be storming back to the finals with a vengeance this year.

The Untold Story of Ocean View Girls’ Soccer

The story of an underdog is one that always excites a sports fan. If the juggernaut at the top takes a tumbling fall, even some of the fans on “Goliath’s” shoulders can’t help but applaud the “David.” Ocean View, the unseeded underdog that advanced all the way into the CIF Semi-Finals has endured some of the most trying obstacles that any High School team needs to endure. Their story is one that needs to be told.

OV’s season began very well. In Summer League, there were high expectations for the bunch, and just as the offseason flipped to the preseason, one bad thing after another happened to the team.

5 major contributors, including the GWL’s top goalie, left the team, or nearly left the team. These obstacles could seem impossible to overcome, but OV, while feeling the impact of the situation, still pressed on.

OV had nagging injuries, and sickness impact the team as well, but through it all, OV placed 2nd in the GWL behind Segerstrom, although the final game had some seriously questionable refereeing.

The postseason started off with a bang, as OV won the first round matchup 11-0. Then a 1-0 victory, then a Penalty Victory launched OV into the semi-finals.

This team went above and beyond expectations, and achieved more than any other Ocean View team before them. Great job girls, and great season.

OV Baseball Ranked #1 In Division 3 Preseason Rankings

As expected, the talent loaded Seahawks will be holding the #1 Ranking at the beginning of the season: (via OC Varsity)

1. Ocean View

2. Bonita

3. Woodbridge

4. Beckman

OV is slated to play both Woodbridge and Beckman in out-of-conference tournaments.

 

Postseason Magic back at OV, Seahawks lead Patriot High School 13-7 after 1

First round of CIF action.

2011 OV Baseball Preview Part 1: General

 

Can OV defend their CIF Title in 2011?

Another season, and a five-part preview is in the wings as we look ahead to the 2011 OV baseball season, which will get underway on February 26th when the Seahawks take on Valencia High School. As we look to 2011, we’ll start here with Part 1, a general 2010 review and 2011 preview with a look at the schedule and key notes. Part 2 will look at the pitchers and Part 3, the position players. Part 4 will preview the Golden West League and Part 5 will be a look at the country and where OV fits in the regional/postseason scene.

OV opened up last season with a record of 2-5. During that seven game stretch, OV went through 6 pitchers, 4 didn’t throw another pitch for the remainder of the season, and 7 different lineups. On the contrary, OV pitched three different pitchers, 2 lineups, and won a CIF Championship in the final 7 games. The Seahawks were probably the biggest surprise in the league, without a doubt.

The season began with a loss, as Troy defeated OV 9-4, the starting pitcher? Alex Knowles, and in relief for him? Andrew Medrano. OV defeated Carter 7-6 a day later, but then dropped two games to CDM and Pacifica and got outscored by 19 runs in those two games. OV turned things around with a victory over Irvine, but then got swept by El Dorado in their annual double header. In out of league play, as mentioned before, OV went 2-5, and averaged 9.43 Runs Against.

League play was a different story though, OV won 8 consecutive league games before finishing 13-2 in the Golden West League. OV finished the regular season with two 10+ run victories over Saddleback.

Postseason time came quickly for the Seahawks, earning the #8 overall seed in the bracket poised for a first round match up with La Quinta High School. The Aztecs boasted a pretty good starting pitcher in Michael Hill, but OV overcame 5 errors to top the Aztecs 3-1. OV advanced to the second round against Bell Gardens.

The Bell Gardens game started off shaky for the Seahawks, as Bell Gardens opened up the game with 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st, but OV never lost focus and came storming back to tie the game and then take the lead in the top of the 5th. OV scored another 4 runs in the top of the 6th, but Bell Gardens responded with a 2 run bottom of the 6th. OV was held off the scoreboard in the top of the 7th, and in one of the most dramatic finishes of the season, held off Bell Gardens for the final score of 9-8. Ocean View squeaked by… with the then 27-1, top seeded Beckman Patriots coming up next.

More after the jump:

Final OV 62, La Jolla 47

Very competitive matchup. My phone ran out of batteries so I couldn’t give in game updates. Ocean View plays on Thursday at OV!

By the way, Avery had 30 points… why couldn’t he do that Saturday! Oh well, we can still take state!

OV demolished by Foothill, fall in CIF Championship

In the most anticipated matchup of the season, the Seahawks had their worst, with no doubt about it, game of the season.

Foothill got off in a blaze immediately creating a double-digit margin for the Seahawks early in the first quarter. Foothill made their first 3 shots from beyond the arc, stretching their lead to 11-3. The game was out of hand for a long time, as you can see. OV had the game within 5 at one point, but after a steal, Anthony Brown missed a sure-fire dunk, and that marked the end of OV’s chances at coming back.

There are plenty of excuses out there, but this particular performance was one that Avery Johnson will hope to forget real soon. Avery had a grand total of 3 points until the final quarter, and to add to that, his team only hit 2 three pointers all game, while Foothill shot over 50% from long range. Not only did the team shoot terribly all together, OV put Foothill in the double bonus in the 3rd quarter, while Foothill had 2 team fouls going into the final quarter of play. But these are all stupid, and poor excuses for not being mentally prepared for this game.

It wasn’t as if this game was not emotionally investing: it is the CIF Championship. Ocean View came out flatter than any other single game, at any point in this season. Of course, Foothill didn’t help matters by coming out on fire. While OV is expected to receive an at-large bid for State Championships, it is still 100% possible for OV to win State, no matter how poorly they played last night, but is it 100% probable? Absolutely not. If Ocean View had just played their hearts out before the half, instead of waiting for someone else to get them going, I wouldn’t be depressed right now.

I am a firm believer in the “Florida Factor,” and that is, the higher you aim, the more likely you are to have an inaccurate shot. That is mostly just for sports (I’m not a pessimist), but basically I am saying that expectations are a terrible burden for any team to carry. Considering everything else in High School Sports; family, grades, friends, practices, fatigue, injury, etc., the expectation that you have to win a state championship is something that is so lofty that it makes no sense to consider at all. I wasn’t just thinking that Ocean View had these expectations in their minds when they were playing Foothill yesterday, I could see that they were feeling down on themselves, instead of just playing the game… like Foothill did in the Honda Center.

The good news is, Ocean View will get to play again, the bad news is, Ocean View is likely to not get another home game, so all things considered, I hope that you got a chance to see these guys play, even if they didn’t win last night. I say this because this team is special- the 2010 team is one that got Ocean View on the front pages again, it got them into people’s minds, it brought back tradition. The brackets will be released tomorrow, I’ll have coverage for you when I can get it to you.

GO HAWKS

Pumped? Too Pumped?

This is just awesome- courtesy of Avery Johnson (that’s his head by the way)

Getting ready for the game emotionally just got a whole lot harder, how am I supposed to top that?

10 Foolproof Reasons Why You Should Go on Saturday

First, the precedent for this was my discovery that Ocean View is trailing Foothill by over 100 fans on Facebook. How is that possible? I don’t even know where Foothill is! There are over 20 High Schools by the name of Foothill, all of them somewhere in California. Anyways, here are my 10 reasons as to why you should go out to the game (starting with 10, working up to the best reason I can offer you)

10. It’s the Honda Center

Home to the Anaheim Ducks, and the 2010 CIF-SS Championships

Ocean View has played in two prestigious venues in the past two years, Legendary Pauley Pavilion, and the dump that is Arco Arena. Honda Center has played host to more than just Stanley Cup Finals (Pretty exciting alone huh?) it has seen players such as Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, Acie Law, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Kevin Love, just to name a few. This venue is a huge stage for any sport, so the pressure is definitely on the Hawks in this awesome arena.

9. Its Basketball

For amateur sports, this is basically it for the year, UCLA is pathetic, and USC exiled their basketball team. Mater Dei is before this game, so how can you possibly pass up the last CIF Matchup of the year?

8. “Fandemonium” or whatever Mater Dei Varsity, er- OC Varsity calls it

Ocean View and Foothill have two of the best student sections in Orange County. I can guarantee you that Ocean View has some tricks and pranks up their sleeve, and I’ll bet you that Foothill does as well.

7. It’s a 1 vs. 2 Seed Matchup

It is, quite simply, the best game that you can find. In Division 3, it is rare to find two teams in the top 10 in the county, but when two teams are in the top three and they just happen to play each other- not in some exhibition at Occidental College, but in the CIF Championship game in the best venue in all of Orange County.

6. Steve Fryer says so

I don’t have a problem with Steve, especially when he picks us all the time, but mostly blindly and because of two players, not six or seven. Anyways, here’s what he said;

It makes sense, and dollars and cents, to have the Foothill-Ocean View boys basketball game in the marquee position as the 8:15 p.m. game Saturday at the Honda Center for the CIF-Southern Section championships. That much-anticipated game might provide the highest ticket sales of any of the six games there Saturday,

Predictions for the boys and girls championship games involving county teams… boys 3AA, Ocean View over Foothill

The top 5, and more, after the jump (hit read more)