Mustang Field at the Dana Point Community Center was renamed the Gene Burrus Ballfield in honor of the man known as “the voice of Dana Point Youth Baseball.” Photo by Andrea Swayne
By Steve Breazeale
Here at the Dana Point Times, we scoured our archives to bring you the best sports stories of the past year. From Olympic silver medalists to a wild prep season, it’s been a year full of stories worth remembering. Please make sure to send your sports news and scores to email hidden; JavaScript is required and follow us on twitter @SouthOCsports for in-game updates and news.
January
Dana Point Skier Takes 2nd: Dana Point’s Daniel Schneider, 8, takes second place at the Kittredge Cup at Mammoth Mountain.
February
National Signing Day at Dana Hills: 15 student-athletes at Dana Hills signed letters of intent and officially announced their colleges and universities of choice.
Girls/Boys Hoops Make Playoffs: The Dana Hills boys and girls basketball teams both made late pushes to earn bids to play in the CIF-SS playoffs. Both teams made first round exits.
Wrestlers Advance to Masters Competition: Dana Hills wrestlers Merrit Cruz and Dalton du’Casse both advance to the CIF-SS Masters competition. Cruz lost his opening match while du’Casse advanced to the second round, where he was eventually ousted.
March
Gene Burris Ballfield Unveiled: On March 10 Dana Point Youth Baseball honors long time play-by play man Gene Burris by renaming what once was Mustang Field after him. The new Gene Burris Ballfield has a monument standing in his honor.
April
Dolphins Compete at OC Championships: Dana Hills senior Tori Usgaard finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles and eighth in the 300-meter hurdles while Keith Messinger placed second in the pole vault at the OC Championships on April 21.
May
Dolphin Duo Take Home League MVPs: Dana Hills boys volleyball teammates Christian Hessenauer and Bryce Yould earn Co-MVP honors for the South Coast League. The two helped lead the Dolphins to a 30-5 overall record including a perfect 8-0 league record.
June
UFC Flyweight McCall Loses Rematch: In a highly anticipated rematch against mixed martial arts flyweight Demetrius Johnson on June 8, Dana Point native Ian McCall loses by unanimous decision.
July
A Remarkable Run: The Dana Point Youth Baseball 12U Bronco All-Stars make it to the Super Regionals of the Pony League World Series.
August
Kessy Takes Silver at London Olympics: Dana Hills alumna Jennifer Kessy and teammate April Ross win the silver medal in beach volleyball at the London Olympics. The duo lost to three-time American champs Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh in the finals
September
Orangeman Triathlon Comes to Town: The 2012 Orangeman Triathlon is held on September 23. The race consisted of a 1.2-mile swim out into the water off of Doheny State Beach, a 56-mile bike ride that snaked through Dana Point and into neighboring San Juan Capistrano, and a 1.2-mile run up Pacific Coast Highway.
2nd Annual Getzlaf Shootout at Monarch Beach: Dozens of NHL hockey stars descended on Monarch Beach Golf Links for the 2nd annual Getzlaf Shootout, which benefitted CureDuchenne, a nonprofit that raises awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Celebrity participants included: Ryan Getzlaf, Dustin Penner and Corey Perry.
Dana Outrigger Races in World Championships: The Dana Point based Dana Outrigger Canoe Club’s women’s team places 38th in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai outrigger race, battling swells up to 20 feet high.
October
DP Angler Lands World Record Fish: Dana Point resident Guy Yocom catches a 427-pound tuna off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. The fish, which is still yet to be officially verified, could potentially be the world record for a yellowfin.
Dolphin Football Turns the Corner: After starting the season off with five straight losses, the Dana Hills football team rattled off three wins in a row, two of which were important league games. A 31-0 defensive shutout of Capistrano Valley on October 12 gave the Dolphins a share of first place in league.
French Wins Third Straight Golf Title: Dana Hills senior Avery French shoots a cumulative 144 (-2) to claim her third straight South Coast League Individual title on October 16.
November
Dolphins Boys X-C Wins League on Tiebreaker: The Dolphins boys cross country team wins the South Coast League title by the slimmest of margins on November 1 at Irvine Regional Park. The Dolphins and Trabuco Hills each posted scores of 48, causing both teams sixth runner’s scores to be counted. The Dolphins sixth man, Zeph Alva, ran a 15:24, 33 seconds clear of the Mustangs sixth, handing Dana Hills the title.
Wounded Warrior Initiative: In the last home game of the season, the Dana Hills football team honors wounded warriors in their inaugural “Honor the Valor” game. Each member of the team wore a custom camouflage jersey with the name of a veteran, who was in attendance, inscribed on the back. The team presented the jerseys to the veterans after the game.
Dolphins Denied Playoff Berth: After defeating San Juan Hills 28-14 in the final game of the season, the Dana Hills football team found themselves in a three-way tie atop the Sea View League with Capistrano Valley and Laguna Hills. A coin flip decided which of the three teams would earn playoff bids. The Dolphins lost the toss, which ended their season.
December
Girls Tennis Wins Regional Title: After being denied a sixth straight appearance in the CIF-SS title game, falling to University in the semis, the Dana Hills girls tennis team rallied to take home the first ever CIF USTA Southern Regional Tennis Championships on December 1. The Dolphins edged Peninsula 4-3 in the final.
Girls Basketball Hosts Inaugural Tournament: The Dana Hills girls basketball team hosts the first ever North v. South Challenge on December 22. Twelve teams from both north and south Orange County came to Dana Hills for the one day tournament.
