Sunset League

A pair of local professional baseball players, along with Toyota of Huntington Beach, is staging the Collin Balester-Hank Conger Golf Invitational Monday at Seacliff Country Club in Huntington Beach. Both Balester (2004) and Conger (2006) are graduates of Huntington Beach High and were teammates on the Oilers' 2004 Sunset League championship team. Balester is playing with the Montreal Expos and Conger with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Other professional baseball players scheduled to golf in the tournament are Mark Trumbo (Angels)

Six local boys' basketball teams took part last weekend in the annual OC North/South Challenge at El Toro High which concluded Saturday. On the first day of the two-day, 11-game event, Huntington Beach got a win for the South while both Ocean View and Brethren Christian were edged in their games on Friday. Huntington (7-4) came away with a 72-66 victory over San Clemente. Senior guard Andrew TenBrink and senior forward Harley Ruder tied for game scoring honors with 26 points apiece for the Oilers in a game that was tight to the finish.

Edison left little doubt last Friday as to who would reign as Sunset League football champion in 2012. In a game where the outcome would have a direct bearing on the league race, the host Chargers sewed up an outright title for the second consecutive year by controlling Huntington Beach, 34-0, at Cap Sheue Field. Edison, the top-seeded team in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division playoffs, has, indeed, controlled the Sunset League the past two years. Friday's win capped a second straight 5-0 league finish and put the Chargers' league win streak at 10. The title was their seventh in the last eight years.

The 2012 prep football season continues this week for three local teams, each who have qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Sunset League champion Edison and Huntington Beach play first-round Southwest Division games at 7 p.m. Friday . Brethren Christian starts East Valley Division postseason play at 1 p.m. Saturday . Friday games Esperanza (6-4) vs. Edison (9-1) (7 p.m., Orange Coast College) Edison heads into postseason play as the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Division.

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Edison left little doubt Friday as to who would reign as Sunset League football champion in 2012. In a game whose outcome would have a direct bearing on the league race, the host Chargers sewed up an outright title for the second consecutive year by controlling Huntington Beach, 34-0, at Cap Sheue Field. Edison, the top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division, has, indeed, controlled the Sunset League the past two years. Friday's win capped a second-straight 5-0 league finish and put the Chargers' league win streak at 10. The title was their seventh in the last eight years, and the program's 18th overall.

The Sunset League race winds down this week with key match-ups that will determine playoff seedings for the top teams. Edison kept its postseason hopes alive by defeating Marina, 16-3, on Oct. 24. The Chargers (13-14) went up, 5-0, after one quarter and increased their lead to 11-1 at the half. Eleven different Chargers scored led by Alec Niederland with four goals. Freshmen Jake Moss, Tyler Romswinkel and Luke Haydorf, also scored. Edison stepped out of league play on Oct. 25 to take on Estancia, and the Chargers scored a 13-3 win against the Eagles.

Friday marks the end of league play for six local prep football teams. For some, it is the end of the road in the 2012 season. For others, it offers one final shot at earning automatic bids to the CIF Southern Section playoffs. The Sunset League champion, or co-champions, will emerge late that night. The scramble for other top league finishes, as well as the possibility of coin flip scenarios being held to determine the fate and league placements for the postseason, also will be revealed.

A big win on the road Tuesday kept the Ocean View High boys' water polo team in the hunt for the Golden West League championship. The Seahawks outscored host Segerstrom, 2-1, in the final quarter to come away with a 5-4 victory over the Jaguars. Glenn Baumann scored a game-high four goals, Cody Basford scored once and Brian Smith had six saves for the Seahawks, who moved into a tie with Segerstrom for first place. Both teams are 6-1 in league. Huntington Beach was tied for first place in Sunset League action after the Oilers took down Marina, 20-2, on Oct. 17. Jovan Jeremic netted seven goals, Matt Cook and Daniel Stephens scored three and two goals, respectively, and Alex Wolf had 10 saves for the Oilers, who share the league lead with Newport Harbor.

It's Bell Game week, and nothing more needs to be said to the Edison and Fountain Valley high football teams. Nothing seems to rev up the passions of both squads, their respective schools and communities, more than this game. It will be played for the 43rd time at 7 p.m. Friday at Orange Coast College before what figures to be yet another full house at LeBard Stadium. "It's the one game students from both schools go to," Edison Coach Dave White said. "People paint themselves, have a lot of spirit, and it's a game where records don't matter.

Two games into the race for the Sunset League football championship, defending-champ Edison and Huntington Beach have emerged as the early leaders for the 2012 crown. In the Golden West League, Ocean View is still in the running for the top spot and possible CIF Southern Section playoff berth. For Brethren Christian, a new season gets under way with the start of Academy League play. Below is a preview of this week's games. * Thursday Sage Hill (0-7) vs. Brethren Christian (4-3)