Many of Orange County’s top boys and girls water polo players will be in action with their respective clubs at the upcoming Junior Olympics in Orange County.

Session I features the boys and begins Saturday throughout the county. The finals in the top divisions are Tuesday, July 22 at Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

Two-time defending champion Newport Beach, powered by players from Newport Harbor, is seeded first in the 18-and-under boys division.

Newport Beach won’t have Newport Harbor senior Connor Ohl, a recent Stanford commit who is playing with the U.S. national team at the World Championships in Singapore.

Mission, led by JSerra players, is seeded second.

Session II spotlights the girls and runs July 24-27. The top-division finals are also at Woollett Aquatics Center.

SOCAL is seeded first with Regency (Mater Dei) and Newport Beach slotted third and fourth, respectively.

SOCAL’s roster incudes several girls who played for Foothill last season.

Junior Olympics is considered the largest water polo tournament in the world. The event hosts about 15,000 players who are ages 18-and-under. There are 942 teams entered.

JSerra coach Keith Wilkinson confirmed Martinsen’s move.

Martinsen, a 6-7 guard/forward, was an All-Orange County first team player as a sophomore at Mater Dei for the 2023-24 season. He transferred to JSerra for his junior year and was All-County second team for the Lions.

Chinn replaces Scott Talanoa, who was the Griffins’ head coach for for one season.

Los Alamitos this past season finished 19-10-2 overall and was third in the Sunset League with a 10-8 league record. The Griffins defeated La Mirada and Orange Lutheran in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs before losing to Santa Margarita 5-4 in the quarterfinals.

Los Alamitos athletic director Nathan Berger said Chinn will continue as a teacher at Marina. Don Olmstead remains in the Los Alamitos baseball program as a top assistant coach.

One would be hard-pressed to find a coach who served his community better than Manny Peñaflor served his.

Peñaflor, a standout football player and later a longtime coach at Santa Ana High, died July 7 of heart failure. He was 84.

Peñaflor was Santa Ana High’s athlete of the year as a senior in the 1958-59 school year. He was a two-way lineman for the football team and threw the discus and shot put for the school’s track and field team. Peñaflor went on to play football at Cal.

He returned to Santa Ana High to be an assistant football coach to Tom Baldwin. Peñaflor coached lower-level football teams, track and field, wrestling and soccer for 37 years for the Saints. He taught math and ESL (English as a Second Language) courses at Santa Ana and was a driver education teacher at the school.

He also launched AYSO soccer leagues in Orange County.

His son Joe Peñaflor, who replaced his father as Santa Ana’s boys soccer coach in 2001 and led the Saints to more than 300 wins, said he was always impressed and amazed by his father’s dedication and organizational skills.

“I sit back and think about how he would teach and coach at the high school,” Joe Peñaflor said, “and then he’d be out there until 7 for 8 at night coaching my brothers’ soccer teams and also taking us to club wrestling, then on Saturdays and Sundays he would be at four or five soccer games a day.”

Manny Peñaflor is survived by his children Louie, Micky, Cathy and Joe and grandchildren Julia, Jake, Hannah, Lance, Louis, Dylan and Sophia.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Tustin Ranch Golf Club on Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers donations are requested to be made to a GoFundMe account that will benefit Santa Ana High athletics.

The competition is getting stiffer for Teagan O’Dell, and that’s fine by her.

The former Santa Margarita swimmer will race in her first senior-level, international meet for Team USA starting Friday, July 18 at the World University Games in Berlin, Germany.

O’Dell, The Register’s reigning female athlete of the year, will compete in the 400-meter individual medley, one of her rising events at the Olympic distance or long course meters.

O’Dell, who signed with Cal, will compete in the 200 IM starting on Monday.

“This being my first time as one of the senior-level swimmers, I’m looking forward to it,” O’Dell said of the World University Games before departing for Germany. “I’m also looking forward to competing along side other college athletes.”

O’Dell, 18, has represented the U.S. at the Junior World Championships in 2023 and twice at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships (2022, 2024).

She fulfilled one of her goals by qualifying for the World University Games at the U.S. nationals in Indianapolis in early June.

O’Dell wanted to make either the U.S. team for Germany or the World Championships in Singapore.

The four-time O.C. female swimmer of the year posted lifetime-best times in the 400 IM (4 minutes, 41.32 seconds) and 200 IM (2:11.25) at nationals.

“Because I had competed at the junior level for three years, I told myself it was time to step it up,” she said. “I’m honored to represent the USA another time.”

Also, Mater Dei announced that it has promoted Kelly Dullard and Jessica Perry to co-athletic directors. Both had been associate athletic directors in recent years.

Miller most recently was Orange Unified School District Administrative Director of Educational Services and District Athletic Director. Prior to that, he was the principal at Villa Park High.

The executive director of athletics position was created at Mater Dei a few years ago when longtime Servite associate athletic director Joel Hartmann was hired for the job shortly after former Servite principal Mike Brennan became Mater Dei president. When Hartmann left, Kevin Kiernan assumed executive director duties.

Kiernan, the very successful girls basketball coach at Mater Dei, has returned to Troy to be its girls basketball coach.

Miller’s starting date at Mater Dei is Aug. 1.

In a media release from Mater Dei, Miller said: “I am honored to join the Mater Dei community and contribute to its remarkable tradition of excellence. This is a special place where faith, character, and achievement come together. I look forward to supporting our student-athletes and coaches as we move forward together in these exciting and changing times.”

Santa Margarita boys and girls water polo coach Brian Weathersby, who guided the girls to three CIF-SS titles, has resigned, Weathersby and the Trinity League school confirmed.

With the boys season approaching in the fall, Weathersby departs after leading the boys to the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs twice during his two-year stint in 2023-24.

In 12 seasons with the girls, he guided the Eagles to three section championships (2014 in Division 2, ’19 in Division 2 and ’23 in Division 1) and four Trinity League titles.

“After careful consideration, I made the decision to step down from my coaching role due to internal circumstances that no longer aligned with my values or coaching philosophy,” Weathersby said in a statement. “My focus has always been on fostering a positive, disciplined and respectful team environment.”

“While it was a difficult decision, I’m proud of what we accomplished and remain committed to supporting young athletes and building strong team cultures wherever I go.”

On Thursday, Santa Margarita athletic director Donald Evans declined comment on Weathersby’s statement about “internal circumstances.” The school expressed gratitude for Weathersby’s service in announcing his resignation as the boys coach on Friday, July 11.

In April, Santa Margarita announced Orange Coast College assistant Aaron Arias as its new girls coach.

Weathersby was selected The Register’s O.C. girls coach of the year in 2014 after his first season at the helm.

Last season, the Eagles’ girls went 2-21 and missed the playoffs for only the second time under Weathersby.

He finished with an overall record of 184-125 with the girls program.

Coach Christian Macias, an assistant under Weathersby, is helping Santa Margarita boys in its transition period, Evans stated.

Weathersby said he is interested in continuing to coach in the high school ranks. He added that he is no longer coaching club with SOCAL.

Fairmont Prep’s girls basketball team has added a high-scoring transfer and touted incoming freshman.

Westlake senior Mathis Dritz and freshman Aaliyah Mack have both enrolled at the school, Huskies coach Josh Lozano confirmed Wednesday.

Dritz, a 6-foot-2 wing, averaged 22.2 points and 13.4 rebounds last season to help Westlake (23-6) claim the Marmonte League title.

Westlake lost to Esperanza 56-53 in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs.

Lozano said one of Dritz’s strengths is her versatility. “She’s like a Swiss Army knife,” he said Dritz, a former Ventura County Star player of the year.

Dritz recently made an official recruiting trip to Oregon.

Mack, a 6-foot-4 center, arrives from Arizona.

Lozano describes her as a “back to the basket” post.

Mack was recently offered by Arizona and Loyola Marymount.

Dritz and Mack join a Fairmont Prep team that reached the CIF-SS Open Division playoffs last season and returns All-County seniors Adyra Rajan and Sarah Aldeguer among others. The Huskies finished 23-11 last season.

In other transfer news, Orange Lutheran senior forward Emalynn Vong (5-11) has enrolled at Rosary, Royals coach Leslie Aragon confirmed. Vong played for Aragon as a freshman at Orangewood Academy before playing at Orange Lutheran the past two seasons.

Send girls basketball news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

He was 72. Daniel Dodd said his brother died of mesothelioma.

Dodd was Huntington Beach’s baseball coach from 1982-2000 and was the school’s football coach for one season, 1996, on an interim basis. He was Marina’s football coach from 2001-06.

He was an assistant football coach at Orange Coast College in the 2000 season, and also an assistant football coach at Huntington Beach while he was the school’s baseball coach.

Dodd played baseball at Golden West College and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round in 1973.

He is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Daniel Dodd said a celebration of life would likely occur later this summer.

Kevin Kiernan’s second tour as the Troy girls basketball coach is beginning to take shape as the California End of Trails showcase arrives this weekend at Fullerton College and Sonora.

Three transfers have joined the Troy program, with a fourth in process of enrolling, Kiernan said on Friday.

Kiernan, who recently retired as Mater Dei’s athletic director to return to Troy, also has named two assistant coaches.

The transfers at Troy are Kiernan’s daughter Kaidyn from Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran all-league point guard Lexi Joko and Princeton-committed guard/forward Mei-Ling Perry of La Jolla Country Day, Kiernan said.

Perry’s sister Aoki, a sophomore, is in the process of enrolling at Troy, Kiernan said.

Kaidyn, a junior guard, spent her first two seasons at Mater Dei.

Joko, also a junior, earned second-team All-Trinity League honors last season at Orange Lutheran.

Mei-Ling Perry, a 5-foot-11 senior, led La Jolla Country Day in scoring (17.8 points) and rebounding (6.0) last season. Aoki averaged 4.5 points.

Both sisters spent time last summer with Sage Hill before departing for La Jolla Country Day. Mei-Ling played at La Jolla Country Day as a sophomore and spent her freshman season at Mater Dei.

Kiernan said his coaching staff will include former Troy player and Mater Dei assistant Alysa Ito. Kiernan’s daughter Camryn has joined his summer staff. The former Mater Dei guard is set to play her final season at Concordia under her mother and coach Christine Collins-Kiernan.

In March, Kiernan returned to a Troy program that he guided to five CIF-SS titles, three state championships and 11 Freeway League title during an 11-year tenure.

He left Troy after the 2006-7 season for Mater Dei, where he enjoyed even more success.

In 17 seasons, he led Mater Dei to two national titles, three state championships, six CIF-SS championships and 17 Trinity League titles.

Kiernan is the state’s all-time winningest girls coach with 900 victories.

At Troy, he replaced coach Roger Anderson, who retired after 18 seasons. Anderson guided the Warriors to 14 Freeway League titles and three CIF-SS runner-up finishes.

Last season, Troy finished 12-17 and lost in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3AA playoffs.

The Warriors open the End of Trails event against St. Monica Prep at 5 p.m. at Sonora.