Wrestling Event Draws 80 Teams

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel is the favorite among Southern Section teams participating in the Five Counties Invitational wrestling tournament today and Saturday at Fountain Valley.

The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times, finished third last year behind Poway and Bakersfield. This year, Calvary Chapel is led by Brian Osuna (112 pounds) and David Jauregui (135). Second-ranked Temecula Valley is looking for its first top-10 finish at the meet behind seniors David Navarrete (103) and Steve Saric (112).

The name “Five Counties” is a misnomer, because 80 teams from throughout the United States are entered, including Great Bridge (Va.), which Wrestler Magazine ranks as one of the nation’s top teams.

Last year, five of the winners at Five Counties went on to win state titles, and 51 of those who finished among the top eight in the tournament also finished among the top eight at state.

Preliminary rounds of the 64-man brackets begin at 11 a.m. today, and competition continues Saturday at 9 a.m. with semifinals.

Rafer Weigel

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Boys’ Basketball

Claremont postponed all athletic events Wednesday after the death of boys’ basketball player Chris Berglund.

Berglund, 18, was killed by a family member in an accidental shooting inside their home Tuesday night, police said. Berglund was pronounced dead at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center at 9:54 p.m., about 40 minutes after he was shot.

The Claremont boys’ basketball game at Rancho Cucamonga will be made up Wednesday.

Lynwood is hoping Jerry-Davon Jefferson will continue his strong play tonight when the Knights travel to Compton Dominguez for a key San Gabriel Valley League game at 7.

Jefferson, a 6-8 junior forward, is averaging 25 points a game for No. 8 Lynwood (12-2, 1-0). Assistant coach Zan Mason said Jefferson should be considered among the region’s best in his class.

“I don’t see anybody with more upside,” said Mason, a high school All-American at Westchester before continuing his playing career at UCLA and Loyola Marymount. “He’s expanding his game to the point he can do whatever he wants.”

The Knights will need to be at their best against No. 4 Dominguez (13-4, 1-0), which defeated Paramount, 83-45, in a league opener Wednesday, four days after losing to No. 11 Long Beach Poly at the California Hoops Challenge.

In another game involving top 25 teams, No. 6 Woodland Hills Taft travels to No. 12 Reseda Cleveland for a West Valley League game.

Dan Arritt

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Girls’ Water Polo

On the rebound from its first loss of the season, Santa Ana Foothill will try to defend the title it won each of the last three years in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, which begins today at Santa Barbara High and UC Santa Barbara.

Newport Harbor, though, proved that a fourth consecutive championship will not come easily.

The Sailors (9-1), ranked No. 2 in the Southland by The Times, upended No. 1 Foothill, 10-9, in overtime in a Sea View League opener Wednesday, when nine goals were scored in the last 8 minutes 40 seconds.

With its victory, Newport Harbor established itself as a legitimate challenger to Foothill in the tournament, which ends with the championship game at 4:50 p.m. Saturday at Santa Barbara High. The two teams are ranked atop the Southern Section Division coaches’ poll.

The elite field of 16 teams includes the defending champions in five of the Southern Section’s six divisions and nine of The Times’ top-10 teams.

Foothill (12-1), which has advanced to the tournament final in each of the four years of the event, edged Newport Harbor, 10-9, in sudden-death overtime in last year’s final.

The Knights lost to Santa Barbara in the inaugural tournament in 2000, but have been dominant since, beating Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, Santa Barbara and Newport Harbor for the crown.

Lauren Peterson

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Boys’ Soccer

Long Beach Cabrillo, ranked No. 9 in the Southland by The Times, will be without three starters and its head coach when it plays at Compton in a Moore League game at 3 today.

Midfielder Irvin Melgar and defender Jose Martinez were issued what appeared to be yellow cards during the second half of a 3-2 victory Wednesday over Long Beach Wilson, but their penalties were reported to Southern Section officials as red-card violations.

Defender Julian Banos and Coach Pat Noyes were charged with red-card violations for arguing with officials near the end of the game and after it.

Noyes, who has guided Cabrillo to a 16-1-1 record and a 4-0 mark in league play, said referees Jorge Perea and William Rivas told him that Melgar and Martinez were issued “yellow-red cards.” He said the referees told him that a yellow-red card, which does not officially exist in soccer rule books, would not require a player to sit out the following game like a red card does. But it would -- and did -- prevent Melgar and Martinez from later reentering the game.

“The bottom line is that it significantly weakens us” for the game against Compton, said Noyes, who will be replaced for today’s game by Darin Parson, the boys’ athletic director and football coach.

John Ortega

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Girls’ Soccer

Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro freshman forward Lauren Marquez scored both goals -- her second and third of the season -- in the Titans’ 2-0 Pacific Coast League victory over Irvine Northwood (10-6-1, 2-1) on Thursday, snapping Northwood’s eight-game shutout streak.

Coach Chris Vaught of Tesoro (9-5-3, 2-1) brought Marquez into the game about 20 minutes into the first half to replace senior forward Becky Steen. Marquez scored in each half.

Northwood, last season’s Pacific Coast champion, was unable to convert on numerous scoring chances late in the game. It is the second consecutive season that the Timberwolves have started the conference season 2-0 and lost the third game.

-- Elia Powers