Joseph Boo column: Ten months of notes

Joseph Boo

It’s been nearly a year -- 10 months to be exact -- since I began

working at the Daily Pilot. And, I’ll admit it, before I took this job, I

traveled down to Orange County four times during my four years at USC. I

visited my cousin in Irvine three times and I drove through Orange County

once while heading to San Diego. The return trip from San Diego was my

fifth time in Orange County.

When I started my job down in Newport-Mesa, I got here just in time to be

around three state champions (team and individual),

seven section crowns and 23 league championships by Newport Harbor,

Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa and Estancia high schools. That’s quite a

first impression.

Nevertheless, all the success just validated a sense of awe I had about

Orange County sports before I came here: namely, that they’re good at

pretty much everything.

No sport blew my mind quite like volleyball. Another reporter told me it

was just sick the amount of volleyball talent in Newport Beach.

There were lots of memorable volleyball moments, like how Corona del

Mar’s boys team dismantled El Toro thoroughly in the CIF Southern Section

Division I quarterfinals, and how the University of San Diego High fans

were impressed by CdM’s Dimitra Havriluk during a CIF State Division II

first-round girls match.

And then there’s Newport Harbor’s incomparable April Ross, who led the

Tars to section and state volleyball championships. The match that sticks

out in my mind is the Sailors’ CIF Southern Section Division I-AA

quarterfinal against Esperanza, a three-game Newport sweep keyed by Ross’

jump serve. The boisterous Esperanza fans, and this is mighty Esperanza

mind you, couldn’t help but “ooh” and “ah” at Ross. The only thing I can

say about her is, I’m glad she’ll be a Trojan next year.

And then there were the sports I knew nothing about growing up in

Chicago, like water polo. The first water polo game I covered was a big

one, Newport Harbor vs. Long Beach Wilson. I got a crash course in the

intricacies of the sport from Dwight Belden 10 minutes before the game

and I learned the rules as I watched.

Now, I’m not only familiar with the sport, I learned to like water polo a

lot. And I can barely swim.

I was able to go to Belmont Plaza twice, once to see CdM’s boys water

polo team win the Division II crown, and the second time to watch the Sea

Kings’ girls team almost take the Division IV title.

There were sports I became a regular in, like softball. I did not see a

lot of swimming, but I was fortunate enough to see Newport Harbor

sophomore Aaron Peirsol in action before I see him on TV this summer at

the Olympics.

Starting from the league finals, track and field was a weekly part of my

routine.

I stumbled upon a banner year for Newport-Mesa track athletes and I got

to follow CdM’s Liz Morse, Newport’s Trevor Jones and Mesa’s Sharon Day

all the way to the state track finals. In contrast, the reporter sitting

next to me at the state preliminaries traveled five hours from Stockton

to see a pole vaulter finish sixth in the prelims.

There were tons of impressive teams, like Estancia’s dominantly

entertaining boys soccer team, CdM girls soccer team, Newport’s girls

tennis squad, CdM’s boys tennis unit, and all the winning basketball

teams.

And of course, football. I was fortunate enough to witness Newport’s

thrilling Division VI championship victory over Irvine, and watch Andre

Stewart in action for one last time.

After 10 months, my head is chock-full of memorable teams, games, and

especially athletes. I could think of very few places better for high

school sports than Newport-Mesa. Unless lacrosse picks up around here,

that would make things perfect. So thanks to all the kids, coaches and

parents for making my first 10 months memorable.