Sunset League

Four local athletes hit CIF-Southern Section qualifying scores on the final day of the regular season in Sunset League diving. In the boys' competition, Chris Salgado of Edison had a qualifying score of 196.90. The Chargers defeated Los Alamitos, 11-5. Huntington Beach fell to Fountain Valley, 6-0, and Marina and Esperanza fought to an 8-8 tie. In the girls' competition, Jaclyn Funke (250.95), Shayna Solomon (249.35) and Nikke Burrelli (197.20) of Marina each hit qualifying marks.

The 2008 Sunset League basketball races get underway tonight with a full slate of girls’ action. On Friday, the boys take the court for their league openers. In girls’ league action at 7 p.m. tonight, Edison hosts Marina. Friday at 7 p.m., boys’ play finds Edison at Marina. Huntington Beach teams begin Sea View League play next week when the Oiler girls visit Northwood Tuesday and the boys’ team plays at Northwood on Wednesday. Ocean View’s boys’ and girls’ teams begin defense of the Golden West League title with the launch of league play next week.

Huntington continued its hot start in the Sunset League baseball race by rallying to beat host Marina, 4-3. The Oilers overcame a 3-0 deficit through three innings of play by scoring once in the fourth, twice in the sixth and the game-winning run in the top of the seventh. Jordan Hargrave remained perfect on the year with his third pitching win and Colin Balester got the save. Hargrave, Balester and starter Justin Keadle scattered five hits. Brandon Parillo hit a solo home run in the third inning as Marina built a 3-0 lead.

Edison, Los Alamitos meet Friday in showdown that will give one team the edge in championship race.The Sunset League football race reaches its halfway point Friday, and with it comes the league's biggest showdown yet. Although two more league games follow, the winner of Friday's night's showdown between Edison and Los Alamitos at Orange Coast College figures to have the upper hand in the chase for the league championship. The stakes: sole possession of first-place in the league standings.

After CIF Southern Section re-leaguing talks concluded Friday, Huntington Beach High is moving back to the Sunset League starting in the 2010-11 season. The Oilers were previously in the Sunset League until three years ago, when they were moved to the Sea View League. The new Sunset League will include current teams Edison, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Marina and Newport Harbor, plus Huntington Beach. Esperanza, which is currently in the league, will be moving to the Century League.

The Edison High girls' volleyball team has laid claim to a share of the 2003 Sunset League championship. The Chargers wrapped up a portion of the league title and league's No. 1 seed for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, which begin this week. Edison earned the crown by sweeping visiting Huntington Beach, 25-12, 25-14, 25-14. The Chargers, who finished league play 8-2 and tied Los Alamitos for the title, will take an overall record of 14-2 into a first-round Division II-AA playoff game against Anaheim.

Mike Sciacca To say that the Edison High boys' basketball team has been on a roll the past month would be an understatement. Having returned to Orange County at the end of December after spending several days in Hawaii for tournament play, the Chargers have opened up the Sunset League race with three impressive victories. What gave them a boost, perhaps, was the way they played in Hawaii. Not only did they return home a bit more tanned, they also returned with the championship trophy from the Walter Wong tournament.

Marina High's J.T. Searles and Jane Wyche of Edison earned two of the top honors on the 2003 All-Sunset League boys' and girls' soccer team selections. Searles was named the boys' Outstanding Offensive Player and Wyche was dubbed the girls' Outstanding Defensive Player. Four of Searles' Marina teammates were named to the boys' all-league team, including seniors Anthony Ordonez, John Valerio and Keith Heyward, and junior Noe Osario. Senior Sacha Kljestan of Huntington Beach and Edison junior A.J. Benton were the other local played named to the boys' team.

The Sunset League boys? and girls? basketball races reach the midway point today and Friday, and if the first few weeks of action is any indication of what is to come then the chase for league championships in both races figures to go down to the wire. Entering this week?s action, Los Alamitos took an early lead on the rest of the boys? pack. In girls? play, Esperanza was the league?s lone undefeated team after rallying past Marina. The Sea View League and Golden West League races both got underway in the past week, and the boys?

Finishing last in the Sunset League last year wasn’t a good experience for the Edison High boys’ soccer team. True, the Chargers were young, but a 2-8 season in league wasn’t really what they had in mind. But this year has been much better so far. Edison is alone in first in the Sunset League, sitting at 4-0 in the league after edging Esperanza, 2-1, on Friday. “Things are going pretty well,” Coach Charlie Breneman said. “It’s been a good run of games.