Fountain Valley

One match was all that stood in the way of the Huntington Beach High boys' volleyball team from making a clean sweep through its 2013 Sunset League schedule. The league champion Oilers upped their league record to 9-0 and overall mark to 25-2 by downing host Los Alamitos, 25-14, 25-10 25-20, Friday. The victory was the ninth by sweep in Sunset play and left the Oilers one win shy of completing a 10-0 league run for the second straight year. Sophomore outside hitter TJ DeFalco had 14 kills, junior outside hitter Brenden Sander four kills and three blocks, and senior middle blocker Andrew TenBrink had seven kills.

Marina capped a perfect run through the opening round of Sunset League softball play Tuesday by shutting out host Fountain Valley, 7-0. Junior Tera Blanco pitched a two-hitter and had two hits including a home run on offense. Blanco is now 20-2 on the mound, and the Vikings also are 20-2 overall. Sydney McCollum went three for four and Emili Olague had two hits for Marina, which ended the first half of Sunset action with a 5-0 record. The Vikings are ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division 1. Fountain Valley ended the first half of league play 1-4. "The team is playing well and we need to continue to work harder as our targets on our backs get bigger," Marina Coach Shelly Luth said.

The title chases in the Sunset and Golden West League baseball races are entering their final weeks and despite a clear-cut leader emerging in each race, championships in both circles are still up for grabs. Five games over the next two weeks, will determine both outcomes. Fountain Valley continues to pace the Sunset race. The Barons entered the week 9-0 and held a three-game lead on their nearest competitor, Marina, for the title. Ocean View was four games behind Loara in the Golden West race but still very much in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Fountain Valley police arrested a man Monday suspected in the Friday robbery of the Citibank on Brookhurst Street. Police responded to a call of a robbery at the bank at 17400 Brookhurst St. in Fountain Valley, according to a news release. A suspect reportedly handed a bank teller a note demanding money. After receiving cash the suspect fled and was last seen running south through the parking lot, police said. A tip from a witness at a nearby bank that a man had been acting suspiciously just prior to the Citibank robbery led Fountain Valley detectives to John Mclaughlin, the release said.

The Fountain Valley High express keeps on churning. The Barons and Newport Harbor got a jump on the rest of their Sunset League baseball brethren by playing on Tuesday and on their home field, the Barons produced a 13-3 victory over the Sailors. Fountain Valley, which leads the Sunset race at 8-0, scored eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to take control and had 17 hits for the game. Daniel Patzlaff went two for four with a home run and four runs batted in, Brock Lundquist went three for four with a home run, and John Shattles, Justin Brand and Jordan Lucio all went two for four.

Huntington Beach High went to 6-0 in Sunset League boys' volleyball action and won for the 22nd time in 24 matches Tuesday by turning back host Fountain Valley, 25-11, 25-22, 27-25. Sophomore outside hitter TJ DeFalco had 14 kills and three aces and junior middle blocker Drake Evans finished with seven kills and three blocks for the Oilers, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division 1. "I thought we came out focused," Huntington Beach Coach Craig Pazanti said. "We played very efficient in the first set, but Fountain Valley did a good job of staying in the match, and pushed us to the finish in both the second and third sets.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - It's too bad the Sunset League baseball season series between Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach has come to an end. Two days removed from a thriller at Fountain Valley, the Barons and Oilers staged another barnburner Friday and the encore proved as scintillating as Wednesday's finish. As was the case in their previous encounter, the Barons jumped out to a huge lead, then had to fend of an outstanding comeback by the host Oilers, to hold on for a 9-8 victory.

Over the past few seasons, they were rivals on the court during Sunset League competition. This week, they have come together to work toward a common goal. Harley Ruder of Huntington Beach High, and Josh Armstrong and Jackson Gatlin of Fountain Valley, are among four local players who will compete for the South Saturday at the Orange Coast Optimist Orange County North/South High School Basketball Games. The All-Star games, for senior players, will be played for the 48th time.