Lightning

The Lightning, a girls' Under-17 Division Silver soccer team, stretched their unbeaten streak to five games with a pair of ties. The Lightning first fought the Laguna Hills Storm to a 2-2 tie, then the Irvine Lasers to a 1-1 tie. In the Laguna Hills game, Janet Peterson scored both Lightning goals and Megan Bell recorded one assist. Against Irvine, Peterson picked up an assist, feeding Caitlin McGinnis for the Lightning's lone goal. Gena Johnson came up with 18 total saves in the two matches as the Lightning ran their record to 4-1-2.

The Lightning, a girls' under-17 Silver team, opened it season last Saturday with a 3-1 victory over San Gabriel Valley in a Coast Soccer League match played at Pasadena. Janet Peterson's first half goal gave the Lightning a 1-1 tie at the intermission, and second half goals by Lauren Stimmler and another by Peterson gave the squad the win. Keeper Gena Johnson and sweeper Danae Lucas anchored the defense for the Lightning who also received key contributions from Megan Bell, Tara Fox, Nikki Freiborg, Jill Hribar, Caitlin McGinnis, Hilary Pohlman, Lindsey Rodgers, Beth Santiago, Samantha Serrano, Courtney Taniguchi and Krista Thompson.

Trevor Jackson posted two goals to lead a balanced attack as the Red Wings collected a 6-4 Norris Division victory over the Lightning. Goals went to Ronald Hancock, Corey Pack and Coby McWirter. Darrell McDonald recorded 12 saves as the Red Wings improved their division-leading record to 2-0. Stephen Marchand and Michael Marchand scored two goals apiece and Nicholas Weldon had 16 saves for the Lightning, who fell to 2-1. In other games: Surf Dawgs 5, Avalanche 3 Connor Cal Lathrope posted a pair of goals and Shaun Dolan, Alexander Schaffner and Wesley Theobald each scored once as the Surf Dawgs improved to 2-1. Nicholas Modrak scored two goals, Marcus Kurth had a goal and an assist and Matthew Inouye had 20 saves for the Avalanche (0-3)

In a battle between the first and last place teams in the Norris Divisions, it took Stephen Marchand's late goal to lift the front running Lightning to a 4-3 victory. The Diablos (1-7) battled to the end, getting two goals from leading scorer Alec Fuller. Joshua Austin recorded 10 saves. The Lightning (7-1) had balance receiving goals from Travis Beckman, Clayton Handy and Michael Marchand. Beckman also led the way with a pair of assists. Nicholas Weldon stopped 10 shots on goal for the Lightning.

The Lightning broke open a tight match against the Kings by scoring seven goals over the final two periods to pull away to a 9-3 victory in Norris Division play at Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center. Andrew Schenker and Karson Derego each scored three goals to lead the Lightning on offense. Grant Kang, Derin Ozturk and Brett Rudy also scored, Nicholas Thompson picked up an assist and Kyler Scott recorded 15 saves. Blake Walker scored twice for the Kings, Alec Dahl scored a goal, Caden Thompson had an assist and Ethan Higbee stopped 22 shot attempts.

The Lightning, a local Commonwealth Football Club girls' Under-17 team in the Coast Soccer League, returned home with four victories at the Gothia Cup tournament held in Gothenburg, Sweden. With a 4-2-1 record in a 38-team bracket, the Lightning placed third overall. The international event involved 1,200 teams representing 60 countries. Prior to arriving in Gothenburg, the Lightning played two practice matches in London and went on a sightseeing tour that involved visits to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Tower of London and the House of Parliament.

Explosive offenses will converge when Saddleback Valley Christian High visits Sage Hill at 7 p.m. Friday night. Both teams enter the contest having defeated their previous opponents by a combined, 74-15. Sage battered Fairmont Prep, 41-8, Friday while SVC pummeled Capistrano Valley Christian, 33-7. History, however, is on the visitors' side, as the Lightning are shooting for their first victory against the Warriors. "They're a good, well-coached team," Sage Coach Tom Monarch said.

With seven players having a hand in the scoring department, the Lightning was able to outlast the Renegades, 4-3, in a Wales Division match played Jan. 17 at Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center in Huntington Beach. E.J. Mason scored two goals to lead the Lightning, which also received single goals from Mark Kosko and Jeffrey Kurokawa, two assists by Cory Liska and Darryl Morita, and one assist each by Colten Daigneault and Reid Kays. Daigneault, who played in goal, recorded 30 saves.

Mike Sciacca The Lightning came up with three goals in the final period while its defense shut down the Riptides, to pull out a 5-3 decision in Wales Division play. Jordan Wallace, Darryl Morita and Ross Turchi all scored in that decisive period, the goals were assisted by Morita, Corey Morinaka, Spenser Ono and Brian Elliott. Morita also scored goals in the first two periods, one off Morinaka's first assist of the night. Amy Jaeger's netted 23 saves.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - All week long at practice, the Sage Hill School boys' basketball team had worked on a game-plan that had to do with stopping, well, attempting to contain, perhaps, Brethren Christian's Mamadou Ndiaye. When the Lightning arrived Friday at Ocean View High for their Academy League encounter with the Warriors, it was then that Coach Jeff Beeler learned that BC's star 7-foot-5 center didn't suit up for the game. The UC Irvine signee, he was told, was out with the flu. Ndiaye, who is averaging 25 points and 13 rebounds a game, hadn't practiced all week due to illness, Brethren Christian Coach Jon Bahnsen said.

Karson Derego opened and closed the scoring for the Sharks Monday in their Smythe Division encounter with the Predators during a 5-1 victory at Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center in Huntington Beach. Derego scored the Sharks' final three goals to close with four goals overall. Alec Lang scored the other goal, Chandler Clark had two assists and Logan Bechtold had one assist. Caden Thompson scored off an assist from Ricky Meyer to account for the Predators' scoring. In other Smythe Division action: Panthers 8, Young Americans 1 The Panthers scored the final seven goals of the match to run away from the Young Americans on Monday.

Swat rolled from start to finish in its Norris Division match with the Falcons Wednesday and scored a 5-0 victory at Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center in Huntington Beach. Kyle Kowalski led all scorers with three goals. Peter Skowron and Joe Gibb each scored once, Gibb also had a save and the Swat defense recorded the shutout via 20 saves by Savannah Patton. Thomas Wirth had 32 saves for the Falcons. In other Norris Division action Breakers 6, Lightning 1 The Breakers scored the final four goals of the match to pull away from the Lightning.

Behind a defense that didn't yield a single goal and an offense that came on strong over the final two periods, Dry Ice scored a 6-0 shutout over the Hot Shotz in Norris Division action at the Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center. Dry Ice took a 1-0 lead in the first quarter when Alexander Gomez scored off an assist from Brayden Moore. Goals by Drew Truxaw and another by Gomez, which also came off a feed from Moore, increased the lead to 3-0 through two periods. Alex Buyan, Truxaw and Alec Dahl all scored goals in the third period, when Truxaw assisted two of those goals, and Buyan and Connor Cudeback shared an assist.

The Lightning broke open a tight match against the Kings by scoring seven goals over the final two periods to pull away to a 9-3 victory in Norris Division play at Coast 2 Coast Inline Hockey Center. Andrew Schenker and Karson Derego each scored three goals to lead the Lightning on offense. Grant Kang, Derin Ozturk and Brett Rudy also scored, Nicholas Thompson picked up an assist and Kyler Scott recorded 15 saves. Blake Walker scored twice for the Kings, Alec Dahl scored a goal, Caden Thompson had an assist and Ethan Higbee stopped 22 shot attempts.

Sage Hill School quarterback Jamie McGee has been waiting patiently for his turn. And through the first four games of this season, Lightning football coach Tom Monarch hasn't had the opportunity to truly test his passing game. But Friday night, through intermittent fog, Sage went to the air in a 47-6 nonleague victory over visiting Twin Pines. McGee, a sophomore, completed 16 of 25 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to senior wide out Zach Milder.

NEWPORT BEACH -- Host Sage Hill School's girls tennis team whipped Fairmont Prep of Anaheim, 16-2, Friday in Academy League action at Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club. "I thought this matchup would be a little tougher because I know their top two players are solid," Lightning Coach A.G. Longoria said. These two rivals have a history together. Last year Sage Hill lost to the Huskies, 10-8, in the league championship match. "We've been waiting 365 days to play them again," Longoria said.

The constant storm that has surrounded the Sage Hill School football team this season is likely to show no signs of clearing come Saturday. The Lightning visit winless Viewpoint (0-3) at 7 p.m. at Calabasas High. "Offensively, we're not going to change much," Sage Coach Tom Monarch said. "We'll continue working on balancing our passing with running." Sage has dispatched its first four opponents with relative ease, and Saturday's nonleague contest could very well follow the same story line.

The Sage Hill School girls tennis team, ranked No. 1 CIF Southern Section's Division V, defeated sixth-ranked Oxford Academy, 16-2, Tuesday in Academy League action. Stephanie Langer dropped just one game in sweeping her three singles sets. Ashley Adams and Sarah Geocaris also swept for the Lightning. The doubles team of Grace Graham and Jaclyn Smrecek swept their sets, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Sage Hill, which moved to 7-2 overall and 3-0 in league, hosts Fairmont Prep Friday.

Sophomore Justine Chen carded a 1-over-par 36 to earn medalist honors and lead the Sage Hill School girls golf team to a 241-303 Academy League victory over Oxford Academy Monday at Strawberry Farms Golf Club. Chen carded an eagle and two birdies for Sage (5-1, 1-0 in league), while junior Ema Koh (46), freshman Sarah Anderson (49), junior Natalie Kraft (52) and sophomore Madison Gillis (53) also scored. Sage plays Ocean View at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Strawberry Farms.