The Year in Sports

January

8 – Olympic gold-medalist Roy Saari dies at the age of 63. The El Segundo native was a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame.

15 – Thirteen football players from Mira Costa and eight from Redondo were named to All-Bay League teams.

22 – Mira Costa senior running back Chris Loatman was named the Offensive Player of the Game, scoring two touchdowns to lead the White All-Star team to a 14-12 victory in the 44th Annual West Torrance Lions Club All-Star football game.

29 – Mira Costa lineman Matt Williams was named the CIF Western Division Defensive Player of the Year. Joining Williams on the first team were teammates Kellen Lockwood, J.R. Tavai, Chris Joe, Mike Freeman and Redondo’s Ckye Penn.

February

5 – Approximately 10,000 participants and spectators kicked off Super Bowl Sunday at the 31st annual Redondo Beach Super Bowl 10K. Brian Livingston, of Los Angeles, won the 10K with a time of 30:46.6. Tobe Berg, of Los Angeles, won the 10K female division in 35:23.7. Winners of the 5K race were Ruben Ramirez (Chino, 15:29.6) and Natalie Whelan (Venice, 18:03.1).

19 – Mira Costa won Bay League championships in girls basketball and boys and girls soccer. Each team earned its title with a victory over Palos Verdes.

March

5 – Mira Costa’s girls basketball team finished its season with a 22-8 record after being eliminated in the CIF Division II-AA semifinals by third-seeded Edison 45-37.

Manhattan Beach 17-year-old Beckie Neumann was one of 12 delegates representing the USA Badminton Team denied visas by Iran. After arriving in Dubai, the team was told that the Iranian government had changed its mind and the United States team could not compete in the 19th annual Fajr International Badminton Tournament in Tehran.

12 – Matt Simms, son of former Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms and brother of NFL quarterback Chris, came to El Camino after playing at the University of Louisville.

Redondo boys volleyball team took third its own tournament.

19 – Ranked No. 1 in CIF Division I, the Mira Costa boys volleyball team won the prestigious Best of the West Tournament in Poway for the first time in the school’s history.

19 – Local trainer Tom Vachet uses a unique program to prolong athletic careers, including that of Laker guard Derek Fisher.

26 – Jose Arias, of Los Angeles, wins the 57th Sand and Strand 5-mile race with a time of 36:02. Hermosa Beach’s Kristin Cooley won the women’s division in 41:42.

Allison Reaser, of El Segundo, took third in the pentathlon at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships held in New York City. Reaser, a senior at El Segundo High School, has made a verbal commitment to compete for San Diego State University.

April

2 – Longtime Mira Costa baseball coach Mike Neily earned his 300th high school victory with an 11-4 win at South. Entering the season, Neily’s teams had won five league titles and reached the CIF playoffs 15 of his 17 years at the helm. Despite his success, Neily was replaced at the end of the season by Cassidy Olson, whose one-year stint at Redondo’s head coach was filled with controversy.

Budding golf star Andrea Lee, 10, of Hermosa Beach won her first of many tournaments in 2009 with a hole-in-one at the San Diego Junior Amateur.

9 – Mira Costa dodges serious cutbacks in its athletic department, with the exception of the position of Athletic Director. Longtime Athletic Director Bob Fish retired after the responsibilities of the position were transferred to Vice-Principal Paula Spence.

16 – Tragedy hits the Manhattan Beach community when two former Mira Costa baseball players are involved in an auto accident that takes the lives of Los Angeles Angel pitcher Nick Adenhart and friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson who graduated from Mira Costa in 2002. Remarkably, former Mustang Jon Wilhite, 24, survived after suffering an internal decapitation and continues his road to recovery.

Hermosa Beach Little League’s Junior Umpire Program provides opportunities for former players to give back to the community while earning school credit.

Manhattan Beach resident Leonard Armato resigns as commissioner of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP). Armato rescued the AVP from bankruptcy in 2002 and played a vital role in increasing television coverage that made players such as Karch Kiraly, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor household names.

23 – Local high school players were selected to All-CIF first teams in their respective sports during the winter season. Redondo junior Jamar Cannon was named to the Division II-AA first team, while senior Amanda Johnson earned honors in Division II-AA. Mira Costa soccer standout Riley Wolfe was selected to the Division I squad.

30 – Redondo’s boys track and field team beat rival Mira Costa for the first time in 45 years to capture the Bay League championship with a 70-66 victory.

May

7 – Redondo Beach trainer Ken Vick and his coaches from Velocity Sports Performance helped prepare college football stars for the NFL Combine.

14 – Former Mira Costa track and cross country standout David Williams won the Hermosa Beach 5000 5K race with a time of 15:52. Redondo’s Nathalie Higley took top honors in the female division at 17:23.

In only its third season of existence, the Redondo girls lacrosse team posted an impressive 15-2 record.

21 – Mira Costa was selected as the Bay League winner of the 27th Annual Kenneth Fagans “Shake for Sportsmanship” Award.

June

4 – Mira Costa lost the opportunity to defend its boys volleyball title, losing in the CIF Division I semifinals. The Mustangs finished the season with a 33-2 record.

11 – A record number of participants competed in the AAU California Regional Championships at Dockweiler Beach.

18 – Hermosa Beach Little League All-Star Dane Largent slugged three grand slams in five days, shortly after his dad survived a heart attack.

Chase Zukerman, of Palos Verdes, won his second consecutive Manhattan Beach 5K with a mark of 17:02 while Nathalie Higley, of Redondo Beach, won her third straight women’s title, finishing with a time of 17:52.

25 – Chris Foster, of Redondo Beach, won his second consecutive Redondo Beach Triathlon, completing the ?-mile ocean swim, 6-mile bike and 2-mile run in 39:08. Manhattan Beach resident Jen Temperley placed first among women racers, finishing with a mark of 50:14.

July

2 – Riding for Rock Racing, 27-year-old Carson resident Rahsaan Bahati made history at the nation’s second oldest cycling race, capturing his third consecutive victory at the 48th Annual Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.

Matt Mirick, of Manhattan Beach, was named CIF Division 1 Player of the Year after leading Loyola to the division title.

9 – Ruben Ramirez held off Nike Team Run LA teammate Brian Livingston to win the Village Runner 4th of July 5K. With more than 2,500 entrants participating in the event, Ramirez won the main race with a time of 14 minutes, 58.8 seconds.

16 – Tyler Anderson won his third straight paddleboard race of the summer, capturing the Hennessey U.S. Paddleboard Championship.

23 – Redondo Beach native Sean Rosenthal and Torrance resident Nicole Branagh added their names to the Manhattan Beach Pier with first-time wins at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open beach volleyball tournament. Rosenthal teamed with Jake Gibb and Branagh partnered with Elaine Youngs to win the event which marked the 53rd edition of the tournament and included a record-setting 440 total players.

30 – Thirty-three young athletes from the South Bay reached the podium — with nine capturing gold medals — at the 16th Annual Amateur Athletic Union National Beach Volleyball Championships held in Hermosa Beach.

August

6 – Former Redondo Beach neighbors reunite in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

Venice lifeguards win their third straight Bud Stevenson Intracrew Medley at the 48th annual International Surf Festival held at local beaches.

6 – Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh announces her return to the pro beach volleyball circuit. After giving birth to her and husband Casey Jennings’ first child on May 22, the Hermosa Beach resident joined with another new mom, Rachel Wacholder of Redondo Beach, to compete in the AVP Hermosa Beach Open.

13 – Top seeds Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers and Nicole Branagh (Torrance)/Elaine Youngs emerged victorious at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. Youngs tied Holly McPeak with her fifth Hermosa Beach title. The tournament was followed by a taping of the television show “Shaq Vs.” where NBA great Shaquille O’Neal teamed with Rogers to play the two-time Olympic gold-medal winning team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. May-Treanor and Walsh won.

20 – After winning the Section 4 title, The Mira Costa Seniors baseball team reached the championship game of the Sub Division tournament concluding one of the most successful seasons in Manhattan Beach baseball history.

27 – Redondo’s girls volleyball team begins its season with a tournament championship, winning the Ann Kang Invitational in Iolani, Hawaii with a 9-0 record.

September

3 – Long Beach lifeguard Tyler Anderson dominated the channel, winning the Catalina Classic Paddleboard race decisively.

3 – Eleven locals win gold medals at the Amateur Athletic Union Tour Championship in Hermosa Beach.

17 – Mira Costa athletics earned a No. 11 national ranking by ESPN.

October

1 – Members of the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club in Redondo Beach paddled to help Ocean of Hope, an organization that helps fundraising for the Sarcoma Alliance.

8 – Rick Weis, of Hermosa Beach, won his third Manhattan Beach 10K title with a time of 33:02. Female runners from the Beach Cities were winners in 14 of the 16 age groups.

22 – Manhattan Beach triathlete Jennifer Temperley won her second local event of the year, capturing the women’s division of the Day at the Beach Triathlon in Hermosa Beach. Redondo Beach resident Brian Tasker won the event with a time of 49:50.2.

29 – Hermosa Beach residents Marty Salokas, Donny Young and Joe Testa brought the rising sport of Beach Tennis to the South Bay.

November

5 – After being cut twice from the girls volleyball program at Redondo Union High School, senior Arielle Manz became a vital member of the Sea Hawks, earning a scholarship to UC Irvine and helping Redondo win two tournament titles during the 2009 campaign.

12 – Mira Costa’s girls cross country team ran to the Bay League title, beating rival Redondo by one point.

19 – Top-ranked Mira Costa thumped Redondo 56-24 to win the Bay League football championship for the second consecutive year.

Falyn Fonoimoana concluded her illustrious career at Mira Costa when the third-seeded Mustangs fell to second-seeded Los Alamitos 27-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23 in the CIF Division IAA semifinals.

26 – Former Redondo Union High School star Kevin Ellison worked his way into a starting role after being drafted in the 6th round by the San Diego Chargers.

Mira Costa and Redondo cruised to the second round of the CIF Western Division playoffs.

December

3 – Led by Savannah Pio, the Mira Costa’s girls cross country team placed second in the CIF Division State Finals for the second consecutive year.

10 – Mira Costa’s boy basketball team defeated Narbonne 53-49 to win the Mira Costa Pacific Shores Tournament. Eric Mochalski scored 53 points in the four games and was selected as the tournament’s MVP.

10 – The inaugural boys Bay League Beach Volleyball Tournament was held in Hermosa Beach. Palos Verdes placed first, followed by Redondo and West.

17 – Mira Costa’s football team avenged its championship-game loss in 2008 by defeating Alemany 24-21 to win the CIF Western Division title. It was the school’s third CIF championship, all coming under Head Coach Don Morrow who completed his 17th year at the helm of the Mustang’s program.

24 – Mira Costa’s Bryce and Jake Miller were selected to the All-CIF Division 4 boys water polo team while the Mustangs’ Falyn Fonoimoana earned All-CIF Division 1 first team honors in girls volleyball. ER

Gridiron champs

On Dec. 11, Mira Costa’s football team avenged a 14-0 loss in the 2008 CIF Western Division championship game with a thrilling 24-21 victory over Alemany of Mission Hills, giving the Mustangs – and head coach Don Morrow – their third CIF crown.

Alex Norocea’s field goal split the uprights with 4:37 left in regulation, giving Mira Costa the long-awaited title and adding to the kicker’s school record of most points scored in a single season. The senior finished the 2009 campaign with 88 points.

It was a satisfying moment for the 30 returning players who had accomplished their year-long mission on the turf at College of the Canyons.

“It’s been our only goal all year,” senior quarterback Kyle Demarco said. “It (a 14-0 loss to Quartz Hill in 2008) left a bad taste in our mouths. We refused to go through that long bus ride home again.”

Kyle Nunn emerged as a big playmaker for the Mustangs during the season and continued his heroics in the final game. Faced with a crucial 3rd-and-12 play on Mira Costa’s side of the field, Demarco dropped back to pass and let the ball fly. Fortunately, the wobbly pass was in the direction of Nunn

The 6-foot-3 receiver jumped, fighting off four defenders to bring the ball down, giving the Mustangs a new set of downs and the opportunity for the game-winning field goal.

“I only saw one defender and I thought I’m not going to let what happened last year happen again,” said Nunn, who had five catches for 107 yards. “It really helped to have that little flashback.”

Moments after the final seconds ticked off the clock, Mira Costa supporters spilled onto the field to join in the celebration as players hugged teammates, coaches, family members and friends.

“We knew we had a great team,” Kellen Lockwood said after a barrage of camera flashes. “From the start of summer practice, our goal was to get here. I’m so proud of everyone here. We knew what we had to do. Alemany played really hard and deserves a lot of credit, but nothing was going to stop us tonight.” ER

ridiron champs

by Randy AngGridiron champs