CMHS Boys volleyball won their first league game on Tuesday, March 20 against Godinez by winning 3 out of the 5 games. This game made small time history being the first time Mesa Volleyball has won in two years.

There was only two points left in the first game when juniors Noah JeyaRajah and Wyatt Ferris hit a hard spike which left only one point to go. Godinez got the ball back when it tied 24-24 and Godinez won round one with 24-26.

Ferris was the star of game two with numerous spikes, sets, and good serves. JeyaRajah led the Mustangs into their first win at 25-19 with his four consecutive serves. 

Mustangs were lacking points in the third game but senior Nick Hefner spiked the ball to get ahead with 15-13. Senior Everett Brown got a whole round of five good serves followed by sophomore Andy Dodier. Ferris scores the winning serve for game three. Mustangs won with 25-20.
          
Fourth game Hefner came out to score most of the points but Godinez just kept up with strong plays. JeyaRajah used his ability to serve and got Mesa above and soon tied with Godinez at 14-14. Godinez came out fierce and won the round at 23-25.
         
Tensions were high on the court and in the bleachers during the fifth and final game. The whole round’s scores were very close behind each other. In the end, Mesa Mustangs won at 15-11.          

Stats from the Daily Pilot
Noah JeyaRajah had 12 kills to help lead the Mustangs to a 24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11, Orange Coast League-opening win Tuesday. 
          
Nick Hefner had 10 kills and Andrew Ziegler had 32 assists for Costa Mesa (4-3, 1-0 in league). 

  Mustang runners had their first dual meet of the season, and while the competitive score was not in Mesa's favor, the individual athletes performed at their best.
     Godinez's track team greatly outnumbered Costa Mesa's, but regardless, Mesa still took eleven first places and nine athletes hit their Personal Best.  
     Tristan Pardon continued his victory from last meet with two more personal bests and two first place finishes in his hurdle races.  With these two victories he officially lettered in Varsity for the season.  
     But in other not so happy news, some athletes are also members of Mesa's award-winning Virtual Enterprise and they had just gotten back from a long trip to San Francisco.  These three athletes: Robert Blackwell, Raquel Friedmann, and Cesar Chavez, we're all exhausted from the trip but they all dealt with it differently.  Robert being one of Mesa's top runners, was able to handle it pretty well as he still took a few top three finishes at the Godinez meet.  On the other hand, Cesar and Raquel being the CEOs of their companies were potentially even more tired.  Cesar based on his tennis match on Tuesday, decided to sit this meet out.  Raquel felt confident enough to run, but on her last race, the two-mile, she decided to drop out.  The sleep she'd missed and the hard work over the past week took its toll.  
     In the end, despite individual good performances, Godinez won overall with an overwhelming lead due to their size advantage over Mesa.  Mustangs have another chance to prove themselves as their next meet is this coming Saturday at the big Laguna Beach Invitational.

The crack of the ball, the chants of the team and the crowd, the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers, it was Softball time. A double play, triple RBI and positive team spirit throughout the team as uplifting and encouraging as it all was as well did not lead to any wins by Varsity Softball. 
   
Varsity Softball continued what they started this last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Softball Tournament. Every game became a greater hope for a win and although the Mustangs battled their way through every game they did not advance in the tournament. 

 “3, 2, 1 Mesa,” chanted by the team started off game 1 of the second part of the tournament in the Tewinkle Sports Complex. This game against Godinez high school was a nice night out near the beginning and a tale of what was to come at the end of the game. 

Though the team did have a few highlights including Corina Casillas’ sliding into the third the last inning making it bases loaded and potentially three more runs in order for the girls to really battle it out to the end, Godinez was always a step ahead making sure to throw strikes and get the Mustangs out.

With Godinez leaving Mesa in the dust at an ending score of 18 to 4 the positive vibe from the team could not have been more surprising and encouraging.

Pitcher Niki Delgado (#6 for the Mustangs) commented saying, “We did really good today, and we didn’t give up. It felt really good not to get frustrated and even though we lost we had a good attitude and we’re proud and we should be.”

Coach JP Hamilton concurred stating “We played so much better, played extremely well, we have a shot in another one. I just hope we play like this at tomorrow’s games.”

Game 2 Costa Mesa versus the Santiago Cavaliers began with a beautiful sunny day and a great hope for a few wins.

Molly Settles began the game off on a positive note getting a home run on her second hit. The game continued in the favor of Mesa even after Santiago placed a substitute, (#1) A. Renteria  in for their pitcher in which Dulce Gomez #5 for the Mustangs got a hit on her fifth pitch and ran home, making another run for the team.

The team continued to support each other in the dugout with constant chants of “Battle out their kid” and “you got it girl” but they could have supported each other a little more out on the field.

Donne Obong for instance did not get the chance to hit as much as her coach would have liked as a result of errors and misreading of pitches by fellow teammates. “Donne’s one of our best hitters, we want to let her hit… what are you doing out there?”

Mesa scored the most runs in the last inning when it seemed they were all up for the battle of the game, even though it was too late. With four runs in the last inning and a total of seven they needed a little more to beat the Cavaliers nine runs.

Mesa’s last game against the La Quinta Blackhawks on their home field comforted them with some advantages. Coach Hamilton noted to catcher Alofa Skipps jokingly, “We’re way too close… we can talk now.” By the end of the long tournament though even this advantage couldn’t prepare Mesa for battling hard enough to win this game. 

The Mustangs did improve in many ways this last game, remembering all the details about the last couple games they needed to work on and not making as many of the same mistakes. Dulce Gomez, Donne Obong and Maria Diaz all worked together in the second inning to get the bases loaded and get a run for their team. The team also got three runs in one #5 for the Blackhawks, Cathy Duong which caused a bit of confusion and conflict for their coach demanding the umpires agree on the ball which enabled these runs “fair or foul”. 

All this effort seemed to pay off for the ladies at the bottom of the fifth inning where they were just two points away from the Blackhawks eight runs. A few errors and missteps by the team causing them to miss fly balls and nearly pass outs changed their hopeful win in the sixth inning when La Quinta managed to round off the score at six to ten. 

Coach Hamilton continually gave Alofa SKipps (#24, catcher) advice and picked out things she could do better including getting off her knees as the pitch was thrown and moving toward the ball instead of staying in one place expecting the ball to come to her. By the end of the Tournament she did, being nominated the tournament MVP. “She did great the whole tournament and definitely deserved it. She got balls, blocked balls, did everything we asked her to do,” commented Coach Hamilton with Skipps adding “I get a patch for my Letterman jacket and overall I think we did great as a team, we are all turning the corner to do our best now.” 

All in all the team and their coaches could not have been more proud of the way they all worked on their mistakes and continually displayed their “way to battle”. 

“We didn’t execute the way we worked on in practice, but we did great the whole tournament.” 


This tournament made it seem like the Lady Mustangs have a lot to learn about Softball this year, but with their upbeat attitude and a little more practice they will be able to step it up and represent that MESA GREEN. 

Costa Mesa’s boys tennis team played against Crean Lutheran High School this past Friday.

This was a scrimmage match to help the boys prepare before league starts. Number two doubles player, Preston Trieu, said, “We’re playing against a harder team, so we’re just here to get some practice before league.”

Unfortunately for Mesa they were going against a team they couldn’t handle and ended up losing 4 to 14.

Coach Migaki said “We’re trying out some stuff, we’re just trying to practice our dog fighting.”

Before the match number one singles player, Michael Chantos, admitted “It’ll be challenging but it will be fun.”

After the first set, Crean Lutheran put in their sub for their number one singles player with their alternate because their number one player was experiencing back pain.

Co-Captain, Cesar Chavez, said “Our team looks solid but there are a few flukes.”

They were trying to mix things up and find their groove. They put Tam Le, who has worked better as a singles player in the past, with Max Nguyen because they are both at par with each other and make a competitive number one doubles team.

For this match the team tried to focus more on consistency than power which was apparent in the types of hits they used. Their hits were more fluent and calculated and not passionate and fast. They wanted to get the ball over the net more rather than go for a kill shot.

At this match, however, there was a fair share of sharp winds which made it tough for Mesa because of their strategy for this game which was consistency rather than power, and power is needed the most when a player is hitting against the wind. 

After Tam Le and his number one doubles partner, Max Nguyen’s second set they began to get worn down. Max began to question if he would play the next set because his elbow was really causing him a lot of pain. But after a brief pep talk with Coach Migaki, Max decided to continue on with the game.

Maybe playing such an advanced team for their first match of the year was not the best way to get their spirits up but now they see what kind of teams they will be up against when league starts. All we can do is wait and see how the rest of their season goes.

When asked about how the boys season will play out Coach Migaki said “The girls [tennis team] set a high bar so the boys have to try to get back to CIF.”

Number two singles player, Diego Hernandez, said, “I feel like going to CIF will depend on if we beat Estancia, but it’s too early to tell.”

 Coach Migaki ended with an upbeat attitude, “We have a good balanced team of seniors and underclassmen and we have a sharp team.” 

While CMHS students were exploring green careers last Friday, Mustang Track & Field athletes were heading for the Irvine Invitational.  
     
This was the team's first chance to get official marks and times for the season to come and many athletes showed improvements.  The team left at 12:30 and was competing well after 10:00pm with many athletes taking part in more than one event.  As a team the Mustangs won three medals and achieved 10 Personal Bests, two of which were by sophomore, Tristan Padron.  
     
Tristan is one of Mesa's leading hurdlers and Irvine was a good race for him.  He PR'ed in both of his events, the 110 Meter Hurdles and the 300 Meter Hurdles and won first place in both.  On Friday he was Mesa's "Beast of the Day" and definitely earned that title.  But Tristan does more than just jump a few hurdles, in his spare time you can find him at dance studios practicing away at any number of moves.  He's also a former Brazilian Jiu-jitsu student, but now has moved on to other forms of self-defense.  
    
As the evening wore on and the distance races began, more surprises showed themselves.  Along with Brett Bermudez, two other runners competed in the mile for their first time.  All three broke a five-minute mile and each ran their Personal Best.  Along with Brett's 4:48, Dakota Alford ran a 4:52, and Jorge Jeronimo ran a 4:58.  These times are a great start for the season and a sign for more Personal Bests to come. 

Costa Mesa High School’s Skate team placed third place in the contest Friday March 2nd. El Toro High School and St. Edwards Middle School came in 1st and 2nd place for the first night of the third round of the competition.  The skate contest took place at Etnies Skate Park in Lake Forest. The competing high school teams were Costa Mesa, San Clemente, Fountain Valley, Estancia, El Toro, and Corona Del Mar.   Costa Mesa also competed in the middle school division along with Berenice Ayers, Masuda, Shore Cliffs, and St. Edwards.

Sarah Thompson, Ethan Mctague, Franky (last name unknown) and Dominick Walker (the skate team’s coach) all represented Costa Mesa High School. Sarah Thompson the only girl in OCSL (Orange County Skateboarding League) and on the CMHS skate team placed in third.  How do you feel being the only girl and placing 3rd, out of all the boys? “ It’s very nerve racking going against boys at times but I have my friends and family to pump me up before every contest so it makes things a lot better and being able to beat boys is like totally kick butt! I would have never thought a few years ago I would have come this far in skating and looking at myself now in third place has got to be one of the greatest feelings.”

Dominick shared his feelings about the outcome of the match, “Placing 3rd this week at Etnies [Skate Park] was a really good out turn and I’m sure the whole team is hyped on the final results!”  He continued to display his excitement for the team as coach. “I’m very proud of the CMHS Skate Team. Everyone always has a positive vibe when their runs are up and don’t let falls keep them down. Sarah Thompson is just starting to skate street this year and is progressing rapidly. Ethan Mctague is learning everyday and is always keeping his runs creative. Franky speaks for himself when it comes to the contest. He sticks all of his tricks and most of them he lands and they are difficult ones regularly. This season is a good one and being a coach this year is definitely the best I’ve taken.”

The next night of the two match round will continue Friday, March 9th. Costa Mesa will continue the fight in round 4 March 18th against all qualifying high school teams including Canyon Crest, Edison, Newport High, Huntington, Northwood, and East Lake.

 Track season is in full gear with the completion of the year's first track meet, the Earl Engman relays in Orange last Saturday.  The Mustangs competed with 24 other teams in a unique relay only meet.  
       This meet was a first for many athletes.  Jayson and Serena, two freshmen had their first taste of Track.  Jayson took part in the 4x200 relay and their team took 5th with a combined time of 1 min 41 sec.  Jayson came from the wrestling team and has been putting his all into his track workouts.  As a sprinter he's got hard work ahead of him in the season.  Serena, who is also a freshman, had her first race in the 4x100.  Her team took 6th with a 57sec combined time.  
     The boys medal in both the Sprint and Distance melodies with a 2nd and 4th place and the girls took 6th in both melodies, and at the end of the day the boys 4x400 miss a medal by a split second and took 5th place.  In field events, CMHS's girls throwing teams took 2nd in both the discus and the shot-put.   

     After all races were run, CMHS had medaled in 3 relays and just barely missed another 4.  The team went into this race nervous and with early season doubts but they came out with a positive and excited attitude.  They seem to be ready for a strong year. 

With all the flying, skidding, and all around painful head bops; it would have to be said that the first experience in the audience of the play off between Costa Mesa’s Boy’s Volleyball Team against Millikan’s Boy’s Volleyball Team was not boring in the very least. 

For most of the game, the two teams were neck and neck, straining against each other with a tenacity one would not think to find in a friendly, preseason game. Every member dove and leapt for the ball, with near seamless teamwork and cooperation. 

Within the first game, CMHS was able to score 20 points, losing by 4 to Millikan. It was, however, a very close call and Millikan came back with vengeance in the 2nd Game. One member had even gone so far as to dive across the court, saving a ball by the use of his head. By the end of the 2nd Game, CMHS had lost at 12-24. By the 3rd game, both sides were worn out- “They’re working hard, you can even see the sweat from up here”- Anonymous. But, amazingly, they were still pushing hard and in good spirits. One could still see Number 28 slapping a teammate’s back as he passed by, though the playful side dunks into the basketball net during random breaks had stopped. Throughout the last game, both teams held strong, and CMHS did better than ever as each side gained point by point— [3-0],[3-2],[ 3-4],[5-4],[6-4],[6-6],etc.—until Millikan’s experience won out with a final score of [17-25].  

Even with this loss, the team seemed both pleased and relieved at the turnout of the game as hands were grasped and fists were bumped. Indi Jeyarajah, a supporter of the CMHS boy’s volleyball, explained the boys’ efforts and growth- “Even though they lost, they are getting better and better, and I think they grew as a team. They lost only because Millikan had more experience.” Others in the stands that knew the team itself, seemed to share this sentiment. “The other team was more experienced, and accustomed, to each other and their plays.” –Anonymous and as the coach of the CMHS Boy’s Volleyball stated, “Things’ll get better as time moves forward.” In the end, the CMHS Boy’s Volleyball ended on a high note, with 15 Kills, 9 Blocks, and 10 Digs completed overall.