Orange County High School Sports Year Ends with Memorable Highlights

Highlights from a thrilling year of high school sports in Orange County.

News Summary

The conclusion of the high school sports year in Orange County brought memorable achievements, including Dana Hills baseball’s surprising victory over Aliso Niguel. Mater Dei dominated with football championships and coaching changes, while further highlights included remarkable performances in cross country, girls flag football, and boys water polo. The community also mourned the loss of notable figures and welcomed new athletic administrators, as excitement builds for the upcoming year with early rankings and changes shaping the landscape of local high school athletics.

Orange County witnessed an eventful conclusion to its 2024-25 high school sports year, featuring unforgettable moments and significant achievements across various sports. Among the notable highlights, the Dana Hills baseball team achieved an unexpected victory over Aliso Niguel, defeating the 13th-ranked team in Orange County with a score of 9-8, despite committing eight errors in the game. The win came thanks to a line drive hit by sophomore Ryan See in the bottom of the seventh inning, bringing home Tommy Moro for the winning run.

This year was marked by extraordinary performances, including victories in football championships for Mater Dei, Edison, and Portola teams, with Mater Dei’s Raul Lara claiming a CIF State championship in his first season as head coach. Several new coaching changes have been announced for the upcoming football season, featuring Carson Palmer joining Santa Margarita, Mitch Olson at Fountain Valley, Erik Terry assuming the position at Northwood, and Jason Jellerson stepping in at Foothill.

Amid the changes, Servite is still determining home game locations for its football program, considering options such as Orange Coast College, Santa Ana Stadium, and potentially on-campus games as well. In administrative changes, Richard Shearer has retired after six years as the CIF-SS assistant commissioner.

Releaguing was also a key topic for non-football sports, with Laguna Beach moving to a north county conference for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons and the Trinity League expanding. On the girls’ side, the Mater Dei volleyball team captured its second consecutive CIF-SS Division 1 championship, while Katy Daly resigned from her coaching position at Santa Margarita.

Significant growth was observed in girls flag football, as championships were awarded to Northwood, Orange Lutheran, and Troy. In boys water polo, Newport Harbor’s team defeated JSerra in a thrilling 11-10 victory to claim the CIF-SS Open Division title, though they ultimately fell to JSerra in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I final.

Cross country also showcased remarkable talent, with Trabuco Hills senior Holly Barker winning the CIF-SS Division 1 girls championship and Dana Hills senior Evan Noonan securing his third consecutive CIF State boys cross country championship, setting a county record for the mile at 4:00.53.

In basketball, Fairmont Prep, Los Alamitos, and Santiago emerged as CIF-SS boys basketball champions, while Canyon’s Brandon Benjamin was named the Orange County boys basketball player of the year. Mater Dei junior Luke Barnett made headlines by breaking the school’s boys basketball single-game scoring record with 55 points.

Coaching roles also shifted, with Nate Klitzing departing Crean Lutheran to lead the boys’ basketball team at Orange Lutheran, and Austin Loeb being promoted to head coach at Crean. Tustin’s boys basketball coach Ringo Bossenmeyer resigned after 25 years, and Jonathan Antolin has been appointed as his successor. Additionally, Matt Kanne took over as Servite’s new basketball coach, replacing Tony Davis.

Changes extended to athletic administration with Richard Smith retiring as Los Alamitos athletic director, with Nathan Berger taking over while still functioning as the basketball coach. Similarly, Jon Hamro retired as athletic director at San Clemente, with Matt Poston stepping in while also assisting with Tritons football coaching. A new schedule format is also being introduced for Trinity League boys basketball, allowing teams to compete against each other once and culminating in a league tournament.

In wrestling, Sammy Sanchez from Esperanza dominated by winning CIF section and state titles, while Aubree Gutierrez and Olivia Davis were crowned CIF State champions in girls wrestling. Alan Clinton resigned as Servite wrestling coach while maintaining a role as a consultant/assistant.

JSerra’s boys soccer team had an exceptional run, clinching both CIF-SS and CIF SoCal Regional titles, while being recognized as national champions. Cheerleading also saw success, with Beckman winning a national championship. In girls water polo, Anaheim, El Dorado, and Laguna Beach took home CIF-SS titles. However, the Newport Elks baseball tournament has been discontinued, and Estancia celebrated winning the CIF-SS Division 6 baseball championship, where catcher Sawyer Atkinson was recognized as the CIF-SS Division 6 player of the year.

Administrative actions included the removal of David Casper as Segerstrom principal along with Erasmo Ramirez from his role as varsity baseball coach due to CIF violations. The sports community also mourned the loss of notable figures, including coach Mike Dodd, who passed away at the age of 72 from mesothelioma, after a substantial coaching career at Huntington Beach and Marina in both baseball and football.

As the school sports calendar shifts to a new year, early preseason rankings for football and basketball highlight teams to watch, setting the stage for another exciting year of high school athletics in Orange County.