By Steve Breazeale
For in-game updates, scores, news and more for all of the Dana Hills High School fall sports programs, follow us on Twitter @SouthOCsports.
Landgraf Paces Field at Dana Hills Invitational
Sophomore Jack Landgraf broke through for a big individual win at the Dana Hills Nike Invitational on Sept. 26, posting a meet-winning score of 14:28. Landgraf’s time was the fastest posting by a sophomore in the meet’s history.
Landgraf’s strong showing helped the Dolphins claim the first-place team title at their own invitational. Senior Mason Coppi finished third and senior Jake Ogden took 23rd.
The Dana Hills girls team took fourth overall at the event. Senior Camille Perkins finished eighth, posting a time of 17:41 and senior Sienna Serrao took 25th (18:18).
The boys team continued to show their formidable depth at the South Coast League preview meet at Irvine Regional Park on Oct. 6. Coppi won the race with a time of 15:22.4, narrowly edging out Landgraf’s second-place time of 15:22.5. The Dolphins packed seven of their runners inside the top-12 to edge all other league competition in dual-meet scoring. Ogden, Brandon Hough, Colin Stein, John Turner, Max Groff and Thomas Wilfert finished fourth, sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th, respectively.
The girls team also fared well at the preview meet and were again led by Perkins, who placed third in a time of 18:20.8. Freshman Lauren Soto took seventh and Serrao took 11th.
The Dolphins teams will compete at the Clovis Invitational in Fresno Oct. 10.
Tritons Tennis Earns Historic Win Over Rival Dolphins
On Oct. 1, the San Clemente girls tennis team accomplished something that no Triton team had done in program history. San Clemente traveled to Dana Hills and defeated the Dolphins on their home court in a league match.
San Clemente and Dana Hills split the South Coast League championship last season. The Tritons have claimed the title before but have never won a match on the road against Dana Hills, according to Tritons head coach John Stephens.
San Clemente’s 12-6 victory over Dana Hills put them at 4-0 in the league standings with one more round of league play to come.
The Tritons got a huge boost from the back end of their doubles pairs to defeat the Dolphins. San Clemente held a 7-5 set advantage heading into the third and final round and won five of six sets to seal the win. The late push by the Tritons included key doubles wins by Jasmine Safavieh and Taylor Bonghi and Stephi Neilson and Brooklyn Hulse.
San Clemente’s Lindsay Hung and Sami Nielson earned crucial first and second set wins, respectively, over Courtney Swift, the Dolphins top singles player.
Dana Hills (4-3, 3-1 league) bounced back with a 16-2 South Coast League victory over Tesoro on Oct. 6. The Dolphins were set to play a league match against Capistrano Valley on Oct. 8. Results were not available at press time.
Dolphins Volleyball Undefeated in League
The Dana Hills girls volleyball team started South Coast League play off strong, winning their first two matches over Tesoro and Capistrano Valley on Oct. 1 and Oct. 6, respectively.
Against Capistrano Valley, the Dolphins (3-8, 2-0) were led by senior outside hitter Ayla Fresenius’ 20 kills.
Dana Hills will compete in the California Challenge tournament in San Diego Oct. 9-10 before returning to league play next week.
The Dolphins next league match will be a big one, as they travel to play rival San Clemente, the reigning league champion, on Oct. 13.
Dolphins Water Polo Riding Hot Streak
The Dana Hills boys water polo team has scored 42 goals over the stretch of their last four games, earning wins in all four matches. After topping Bishop’s 10-4 on Sept. 26, the Dolphins rattled off wins over Huntington Beach, El Toro and, most recently, Tesoro.
The Dolphins notched their second consecutive South Coast League win on Oct. 6 after defeating Tesoro 13-4. Jack McLaughlin and Bennett Williams each scored four goals against the Titans and goalie Riley Zachary recorded 13 saves. The Dolphins have outscored their last four opponents 42-23.
The team was set to host Laguna Beach, the No. 3 team in the CIF-SS Division 3 rankings, on Oct. 8. Results were not available at press time.
The Dolphins (11-3, 2-0) made a sizeable jump up the CIF-SS Division 2 rankings this week following a 12-10 victory over league rival El Toro, who is ranked fourth in the division.
Golf Team Evens the Score With Tritons
After dropping the first of two meetings to South Coast League rival San Clemente on Sept. 23, the Dana Hills girls golf team responded with a victory over the Tritons one day later. On Sept. 24, the Dolphins bested the Tritons 226-230 at Bella Collina Golf Club to split the season series.
Dana Hills (11-1, 4-1) went on to defeat Aliso Niguel in back to back matches on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. The Dolphins won the first match 221-227 and secured the second match with a 215-220 victory at El Niguel Country Club. Dolphins’ junior Joan Soewondo led the field at El Niguel with a 36 (E). Dana Hills also defeated San Juan Hills in league play 210-219 on Oct. 7. Emily Lichty earned match medal honors with a score of 35 (-1) at El Niguel.
Football Enters League Play
Despite taking a fourth-quarter lead against Cypress on Oct. 2, the Dana Hills football team could not hold on for the win, ultimately losing on a late touchdown run that sealed a 29-26 victory for Cypress.
The 26 points scored by the Dolphins (0-6) was the most they have tallied all season.
Dana Hills will open South Coast League play on the road against Mission Viejo on Oct. 9. The Diablos (6-0) are the No. 1 ranked team in the CIF-SS West Valley Division and will enter the game rested following a bye last week.
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