Now the Sailors will play for the Division II championship game against Bakersfield Christian on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Newport Harbor High.<\/p>\n
Ganesha\u2019s baseball team was pretty much a travel ball team dressed in high school uniforms. Ganesha had star players taking only online classes, players who lived as far away as Aliso Viejo. While that\u2019s not against the CIF-SS rules, sometimes activity does not have to be against the rules to be wrong activity.<\/p>\n
Did Newport Harbor feel like it got cheated that day?<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d said Newport Harbor coach Josh Lee. \u201cWe felt like we showed that we were the better team that day, but we just messed it up at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
And when Ganesha beat Loyola, 6-3, in the Division 2 championship game \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cOur kids thought, \u2018that should have been us,\u2019 \u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
The SoCal Regional can be a second chance for teams that did not win a CIF-SS championship. Mater Dei\u2019s girls volleyball team lost to Sierra Canyon in the CIF-SS finals, went into the SoCal Regional and beat Sierra Canyon in a regional final before defeating Rocklin in a CIF State Championship final.<\/p>\n
When Newport Harbor lost to Ganesha, Lee was getting ready to collect the team\u2019s gear to wrap up the season, knowing that only finalists in CIF-SS divisions 2-9 were invited to the SoCal Regional. After the CIF-SS finals, Lee learned that Ganesha declined to play in the SoCal Regional. Newport Harbor was the highest-ranked team available, so the Sailors got a regional berth.<\/p>\n
CIF Central Section Division II champion Bakersfield Christian is 28-6-1. Newport Harbor is 26-10.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an opportunity to show what we\u2019re made of,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for redemption.\u201d<\/p>\n
NOTES<\/p>\n
\u2022 The Orange County Athletic Directors Association selected Trent Mosley of Santa Margarita and Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel as its boys and girls athletes of the year. Mosley was a touchdown-scoring machine as a multi-use receiver for Santa Margarita\u2019s CIF-SS and CIF State championship football team. Massey this past Saturday was the CIF State champion<\/a> in the shot put and discus, with her mark of 196 feet, 4 inches in the discus setting a state high school record. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 The basketball offseason is busy with transfer activity. Ryan Doane, a 6-8 forward who was All-Orange County second team as a sophomore last season at JSerra, has transferred to Mater Dei. Earl Bryson, a 6-2 guard who was All-County second team as a junior last season at JSerra, has transferred to Crean Lutheran \u2026 and more to come. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 Ender Berg, 7-foot-1, has returned to Mater Dei for his senior year after spending recent time at Legacy Christian Academy in Valencia. He has offers from Oral Roberts and UC Santa Barbara among others. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 Fairmont Prep\u2019s boys basketball team will have a 6-6 freshman with a familiar last name: Josiah Sampson. His father Jamal Sampson played at Mater Dei, went on to play in the NBA and is a cousin of former NBA star Ralph Sampson. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 Flag football and soccer standout Makena Cook withdrew from Orange Lutheran to enroll at Sierra Canyon, which will make its flag football debut this coming school year. Cook, who will be a senior, was the Orange County flag football player of the year in 2024 and has committed to Georgia for soccer. Her flag football coach at Orange Lutheran, Kristen Sherman, now is coaching at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with husband Rod Sherman, who was ousted as Orange Lutheran\u2019s football coach earlier this year. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 The CIF Southern Section office processed 7,179 transfers during the 2025-26 school year. That\u2019s an increase of three percent from the previous school year. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 The CIF-SS broadcast arrangement with Spectrum Sports concluded with Spectrum\u2019s coverage of the CIF-SS baseball championship games. The Southern Section likely will continue with Spectrum. \u2026<\/p>\n \u2022 The first CIF State baseball and softball championships will be held in 2027. Like in basketball and volleyball, CIF Southern California Regional champions would play CIF Northern California Regional champions in state baseball and softball finals. The 2027 Regional finals will be played May 29 followed by state finals June 4 and 5. \u2026<\/p>\n