Another year to remember

When the prep sports season began in September, it became apparent that the 2009-2010 school year would be a special one in athletics for the local high schools.

It didn't disappoint, as both the highs and lows, put local teams and athletes in the headlines.

Below is a look back at some of the key sports happens that were reported to the Independent during the past 10 months.

Fall

Although the prep baseball season was still four months away, Edison junior pitcher Henry Owens was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2009 World Wood Bat Assn. World Championships in Jupiter, Fla., on Oct. 26. Owens, and Edison teammate Eric Snyder, played for the Braves Scout Team that won an event that featured 85 teams and more than 1,500 high school players.

Top-seed Huntington Beach fell short in its bid to win the Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions in a 1-0 loss to Newport Harbor which won the title for the second-straight year. "It was a good game all-around," Huntington Beach Coach Cathy Van Doornum said. "I thought we dominated, especially in the second half. We just didn't finish." The Oilers' Claire Prestridge was named the Sunset League South Division Most Valuable Player.

In mid-November, the top-ranked Huntington Beach girls' volleyball team was upended in the CIF Southern Section Division I-A championship match by Dos Pueblos, 25-12, 25-10, 25-18. It was the program's first finals appearance in 13 years. The Oilers, however, went on to reach the semifinal round of the CIF State Southern California Div. I regional tournament before being eliminated by Newport Harbor.

Despite battling bronchitis, Marina senior Ashley Greer shot an 87 at the Women's Southern California Golf Assn. Championships in mid-November in Murrieta. It was the furthest Greer, ranked No. 48 in the state's Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings, had advanced in her four-year Marina career.

Nolan Biegel rushed for 101 yards and a clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter to help lead Huntington Beach to a 21-10 November victory over Anaheim in the opening round of the CIF Southwest Division playoffs. It was the first postseason win for the school since 1993.