17110 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

714-963-7888

 fountainbowl.com

Fountain Bowl, in its 43rd year of operation, recently completed a million-dollar renovation that has added not just new flooring, seating and tables, but also the most state-of-the-art scoring system on the market today, according to Rusty Hanna, Fountain Bowl’s general manager.

“It really enhances the customer’s experience with 26 different games they can bowl as well as it has features that tie it into social media so their friends and families can follow their bowling experience at Fountain Bowl,” Hanna said.

At the heart of Fountain Bowl is a deep love for the sport. “We probably do more teaching here for the sport of bowling than any other center,” said Hanna, who mentioned that it offers a four-week “Learn to Bowl & Have a Ball” class that runs monthly, plus a bowling clinic every Saturday at noon.

BEST OF ORANGE COUNTY: See the full list of winners

Fountain Bowl also offers 60 leagues, while kids can get two free games a day through its Kids Bowl Free program. Hanna said more than 8,000 kids have signed up each summer since 2014, when he began working there, and 2017 appeared on track to hit the same number.

“We attract all walks of life,” Hanna said. “It’s really kind of cool here, being able to see the number of different cultures, different economic backgrounds, different religions. We have church groups, church leagues, just about every walk of life comes through here and it’s amazing.

“Our customer service level is really high, and I think that’s made a big difference for us here.”

Concourse Bowling Center

3364 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim

714-666-2695

concoursebowling.com

Bart Rainone and his father, Albert Rainone, loved to bowl, so they built Concourse Bowling Center in 1990 to provide a space for others who loved the sport. Now, Bart’s sons, Aron and Brandon, own the business with the same principles.

“Service is where we strive,” Aron Rainone said. “We’re a family-owned business, which is rare these days. … It’s all about service for us. It’s about making sure people enjoy themselves.”

Open until midnight Sunday through Thursday – and until1 a.m. Friday and Saturday – Concourse welcomes all kinds of bowlers. You’ll find anyone from grandmothers to competitive bowlers to 10-year-olds roaming the place.

Concourse offers leagues for all skill levels, and there’s always music and parties and of course, food, as customers can enjoy items from KingPin’s Bar & Grill.

“It’s just good service at a good price,” Rainone said. “At the end of the day, we’re not just competing with bowling, we’re competing with every other form of entertainment. By doing that, you can essentially give out a good product at a good price, and people will pay for that.”

Tavern+Bowl

1875 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

949-438-2320

tavernbowl.com

Walk in Tavern+Bowl and you quickly realize it is not just a bowling alley. It’s like your neighborhood sports bar with entertainment and food.

“You could come for lunch, you could come for dinner, you could come hang out for happy hour and, oh, by the way, you can bowl,” said Robyn Spencer, director of sales.

“You wouldn’t know we had bowling lanes when you walk in. It doesn’t feel like a bowling alley,” Spencer said.

Tavern+Bowl prides itself on creating a fun bowling atmosphere where you can bowl, hang out on couches or play pool or table-top games like Jenga.

The place offers custom-made drinks such as Netflix & Chill, El Fabulous and El Perfecto Margaritas, and comfort food like Ten-Pin Nachos (chips, cheese sauce, guacamole, salsa, double-baked), loaded tater tots and mac ‘n’ cheese balls with bacon.

“Thursday through Saturday nights looks like a nightclub because we have a DJ,” Spencer said. “But we’re very family-driven. We get a lot of large parties.”

Nick Sainato has been named the head boy’s basketball coach at El Toro High School. He joins the program after serving 11 years at Clovis West High School.

Sainato replaces coach Todd Dixon, who resigned to become the men’s basketball coach at Santiago Canyon College.

This will be Sainato’s first head-coaching job. “It’s my dream come true,” Sainato said. “There were several opportunities that came up over the years and they just weren’t the right fit, and when this came up, everything aligned. It was the perfect opportunity for me and my family to come out here and be a part of this.”

Armando Rivas, El Toro’s athletic director, could immediately sense Sainato’s commitment.

“He’s a gym rat,” Rivas said. “He loves to be on campus. He’s a passionate coach. He knows that it takes a lot of hours and works to build upon the position and establish his own regimen.”

Sainato learned work ethic from the various coaches he has worked with. While serving as Clovis West’s varsity assistant coach for six years, and the JV coach and assistant to varsity for five years before that, he often picked the brain of Clovis West coaches Tom Orlich and Vance Walberg.

Orlich is an assistant coach at Stanford while Walberg was an assistant coach in the NBA.

Sainato, a Moreno Valley native, also learned from Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton when he served as a graduate assistant from 2003-06. He also played college ball at Mt. San Jacinto College under legendary juco coach John Chambers.

“Each one of those guys are the hardest workers I’ve ever met,” Sainato said. “They are tireless in their work ethic. They’ll do whatever it takes, being in the office in the morning and night, to win. The second thing I learned was that they loved those kids on those teams like they are on their own children.”

“If I can love these players here (at El Toro) like my own and bring a work ethic every day, I believe we’re going to be successful,” Sainato said.

One of his goals is to build a grassroots program much like he did at Clovis West, where he began teaching kids from kindergarten to high school. There, he helped polish local talent through a local AAU program, No-Town Hurricanes.

He envisions building a similar year-round hoops community at El Toro. “I want to build one of the best grassroots programs in the area,” he said.

“We want to serve all the kids in the surrounding areas, the elementary and middle schools, to teach our philosophy, our values,” Sainato said. “We want to build up everybody. It’s not just about basketball, but about building young men, teaching character and the right way to act. And once they get to the high school level, I want the community to know I do everything I can to help these kids get recruited.”

Sainato inherits a stacked senior class heading into 2017-18 which includes 6-foot-1 combo guard and Division I prospect Demetrius Jackson. He’ll be joined by starting point guard Julian Bruce, sharpshooter Travis Hocker and Noah Aguilar, also on the school’s football team. El Toro also brings back its starting post in 6-4, 220-pound forward Quincy Turner.

It can be difficult for a first-year coach to come in and gel with seniors, but Sainato is eager for the challenge.

“I want them to walk away and say they had the most fun they’ve ever had playing basketball,” Sainato said. “I want them to have the best senior year they can.”

Sainato will bring a fast, transition type of offense, which will be predicated on how devoted his players are to defense. The plan is to play strict man-to-man defense, which is what “we will live and die on,” Sainato said.

“We want to be the best half-court defensive team in the area,” Sainato said. “If our kids buy into that, the offense is very easy.”

“I am beyond excited to have coach Santos joining us as a fulltime coach,” said Titans head coach Dedrique Taylor in a statement.

“His contributions have been invaluable, including keeping us organized on so many different fronts that are pivotal to our program’s success. He has been with us since we arrived, and has been a part of our growth. I’m anxious to see his imprint on our team and program from the recruiting and on-court coaching aspect as we continue to build the Titan Basketball brand.”

Santos joins the coaching staff that consists of Taylor, associate head coach John Smith and assistant coach Danny Sprinkle.

The Register spoke with Santos about his new role with the Titans.

Q: What does it mean for you to get that assistant coaching gig?

A: I’m from out here, I went to school here, I got my bachelor’s and my master’s here and I’ve just been involved with the program for a long time. I was coaching high school previously, and for me I kind of wanted more of a challenge, so taking a step up and being a manager for a year, and volunteering for the following two years, it was for me to learn. My first three years, we had three different head coaches, so my biggest thing was, “Am I going to be able to stick around?” I never knew, during my first three years, what was going on. I was fortunate enough with coach Taylor to continue to learn and invest in different relationships here on campus. I definitely feel blessed and lucky and thankful for the opportunity to make another jump up.

Q: Can you talk about the work ethic that it required for you to be persistent and not give up on your coaching aspirations?

A: For me, I approached it like, I wanted to learn every day, whether it was what to do, what not do, what I liked, what I didn’t like. It helped me develop who I am as a coach. For me, the way I approached it, if there was something that was going on, maybe a problem, something that needed something, I wanted to be hands on and do it, and take care of whatever the situation was. I was entrenched in the work flow of everything and from one year to the next to the next, literally my work load increased every year. Working with the team, isn’t the only thing I do. I was doing multiple things, I was going to school, I was teaching a class previously, so for me I wanted to find a way to make it work. That was my niche: if anything ever came across as an obstacle or a problem, I wanted to be hands on and work with whomever to kind of get it done and with each new staff, everyone trusted me more and more with different things and I think it’s kind of how position evolved.

Q: What do you love about coaching that has made you want to pursue it as a career?

A: The interaction with our student-athletes and our staff. More so, obviously, our student-athletes because if it wasn’t for them, I definitely would not be here. So being entrenched with those guys and their families, (in my role as director of basketball operations), when we were recruiting, I’d always tell families, “If there’s anything that comes up, I’m most likely the guy to come to.” I’ve been here enough long enough to figure out what it is we need to get done for whatever they asked, or whatever questions they had. I usually had pretty much all the answers, so I just wanted to help them. But for me, it wasn’t just a selling tactic, on the recruits coming here. For me, it really meant trying to get these guys and build a relationship with them and get to know them on a different level. These guys have really allowed me to gain their trust and for me that’s what I wanted. Just because it makes my job easier with them, guys coming into my office, talking about anything and everything. I try to take that as my highest priority because if I don’t have their confidence, what confidence do they have in me?

Q: Last season was promising for Titan basketball. How much does that make you look forward to this upcoming season? Seems like an exciting time for Titan basketball.

I’m definitely excited, especially now for me, I’m allowed to be on the floor with our guys and actually get to coach them up and give them feedback. That’s probably one of the biggest things I’m most excited for, just having a different level of interaction with them. Our guys, after experiencing a taste of success last year, our guys have been hungry for more and those returners that are coming back, it’s trickled down to the new guys, whether its transfers or incoming freshman. It’s an environment we’re working on that’s totally different from years past. I’m just excited to be a part of that.

Team Illusion, a 14-under team selected to represent Mission Viejo Girls Softball, has a chance to win a national crown at the USA Softball Western National Championships. The prestigious event is currently being held through Aug. 6 in Roseville.

Mission Viejo Girls Softball has only had seven teams out of all the combined age divisions compete for a national title since the program was formed in 2004.

“That’s the highest level of competition that you can get,” Illusion manager Kraig Kobayashi said of nationals. “It’s a very high prestige for the league and for the girls. We’re really excited.”

The team brings not just natural talent and skill, but chemistry.

“That’s probably the most important aspect in team sports,” Kobayashi said. “They like each other. They are willing to watch each other’s back, to play for each other, and to have a good time together.”

Illusion’s road to the national crown began at the district championship, where the team finished fourth. Illusion then went on to finish 13th at the state championships, held in Lancaster.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher—or hotter—during the state competition, as temperatures swelled to 110 degrees. Tournament officials had to move the 2 p.m. game slot to as late as 9:15 p.m. Still, Illusion often found itself playing games at the noon slot in peak sun and learned to handle adversity.

A 9-8 elimination-game loss against Hart (Santa Clarita Valley) was a turning point for the team. Both teams rallied back and forth.

“The girls did not give up,” Kobayashi said. “It really showed that it didn’t bother them, that teams can get a lead on you and you can still fight back and hit the ball well and come back. They know now there are going to be games like that that are going to be really tough games.”

“It really built their character,” Kobayashi. “They realized they could play with anyone and not be afraid.”

That type of confidence will be critical at nationals, where Illusion will face top talent around the country, including elite teams from California and Oregon.

But Kobayashi and his staff have one message for the squad as they head to nationals:

“Enjoy the experience and all the things that go with it,” he said, “and show what you have. They can play with anybody. They’ve earned their way to this. Games will go your way and you’ll win em, and games may not go your way and you’ll lose em, but just enjoy it.”

Members of Team Illusion include coaches Kraig Kobayashi, Tom Reese, Eddie Reese, Faith Fuata, Kim Cass, Pat Higa and Joe Ingardia,a nd players Mikayla Collins, Desiree McGruder, McKenzie McCallop, Mayson Goodsell, Keila Kobayashi, Emma Cummings, Rachel Coleman, Isabelle Tolentino, Ashton Cortez, Dublin Synnott, Taylor Reese, Trinity Brewer and Cassie Reese.

San Clemente tight end Chris Kane secures a touchdown catch in the 2016 CIF-SS Division 2 championship game against Murrieta Valley at Murrieta Valley High. (Courtesy of San Clemente athletics)

San Clemente tight end Chris Kane leaps up to secure a touchdown pass against San Juan Hills during the 2016 season. (Courtesy of San Clemente athletics)

San Clemente tight end Chris Kane celebrates the Tritons’ CIF-SS Division 2 championship at Murrieta Valley High last December. Kane returns for his senior season as a highly sought after recruit, following in the footsteps of fellow tight ends Cole Fotheringham and Isaac Rex. (Courtesy of San Clemente athletics)

San Clemente tight end Chris Kane lines up against Edison during the Division 2 Southern California regional game at Huntington Beach High. Kane is being heavily recruited heading into his senior season. (Courtesy of San Clemente athletics)

When you think of San Clemente High School football, chances are you think of quarterbacks.

You’ve got Jack Sears, an elite QB headed to USC. You’ve got Sam Darnold, who led the Trojans to a 2017 Rose Bowl win, plus standouts in Travis Wilson (Utah) and Chase Rettig (Boston College).

But there has been a growing tradition of tight ends, too, with the last three morphing into highly-sought after national recruits: Chris French (Texas State), Cole Fotheringham (Utah), Isaac Rex (BYU).

Senior tight end Chris Kane is primed to be next in line.

“We’ve got to represent for the tight ends,” said Kane, who has secured offers from Air Force, Wyoming, Montana State, Weber State, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. “It’s something really special.”

No longer splitting time with Rex, Kane could break out as a national recruit this fall. He was recently ranked the No. 10 tight end in the West in the 2018 Post-Summer Rankings by Scout.com.

“This year, he gets to be the guy. He’s the next man up,” Tritons coach Jaime Ortiz said. “There’s no reason he couldn’t play in the Pac 12 or the Big East or wherever he fits in.”

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Kane was third on the Tritons in 2016 with 28 receptions for 361 yards with five touchdowns during a standout junior season.

He oozes athleticism.

Even when he tried to join Pop Warner in as a sixth grader, it was clear he belonged with the big boys. “Weigh in day came and he didn’t make weight. He was too big,” said his mother, Jill Kane. “He got to move up to another team.”

Kane became a lineman then a quarterback, but the first time he stepped onto San Clemente’s field as a freshman, the coaches told him he’d be a tight end. The kid had great hands and he could run. Why not give it a try?

It was a good call. Throw the ball in front, in back and to left and right of Kane and he will find a way to catch it, as his hands seem to be coated with velcro. The part-time receiver’s height and lean frame allows him to get open while his speed makes it difficult for opponents to catch up (he even ran the Los Angeles Marathon as an 8th grader).

He hasn’t been able to put on weight because of his role as forward on the school’s basketball team, but basketball has actually developed not just body awareness and field vision, but toughness.

On the hardwood Kane crashes the boards—yet has the highest three-point percentage on the team at a 44 percent clip—and he is often mixing it up down low with centers with the same intensity you can find on the field as he clobbers linebackers.

Last basketball season, Kane chipped a tooth, taking an elbow to the mouth as he was fighting to box out for a rebound. He also broke his nose that season. He had blocked a taller player’s shot, and that player swung his arms into the air in frustration, pleading for the referee to call a foul. Instead, the player smacked Kane in the nose.

As long as his legs weren’t broken, Kane was good.

“He played all the way through,” said his father, Chris Kane Sr., a former tight end who played for Western Maryland College, which is now McDaniel College. “He’s a tough kid. He just breaks right through it.”

Kane had to pay his dues at San Clemente, with talented tight ends ahead of him. Sophomore year, he moved up to varsity and played more as the season progressed. Last season, he started more than half the games while splitting time with Rex.

Kane made his mark, including having three touchdowns at homecoming against San Juan Hills.

The two brought different strengths: Rex was the better blocker, Kane the better route runner.

“(Rex) really helped me with my blocking,” Kane said. “He told me that my time was coming, that, ‘You gotta be ready to go. You’re going to have a great time getting a lot of reps.’”

Kane said he’s ready for the challenge, not just being the starting tight end but being a senior leader.

“In the past, I’ve had someone say, ‘Oh, he’ll get it done, he’s the leader,’” Kane said, referring to older players taking on responsibilities, rather than himself. “This year, it’s on me.”

His goals are bigger than himself, though, as the Tritons open the 2017 campaign at Oceanside on August 25.

“Our focus is beating Oceanside and if you get an opportunity to get a scholarship as the season goes on, great,” Ortiz said, “but our goal is to defend our CIF title and defend the state title and perform. Good things happen to people who do good things the right way.”

Dr. Robert Kersey, professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Athletic Training Program, said that over the last four to five years, the event has netted between $10,000 to $15,000. He hopes that same figure stands for this past event, which helps endow scholarships for promising Fullerton athletic-training students.

CSUF awarded its third Julie Max endowed scholarship to student Andee Monterone. This is the third Julie Max ’79 endowed scholarship to be awarded to a student, as it honors the school’s legendary head-athletic trainer.

Fullerton also awarded its first-ever Andy Paulin ’78 endowed scholarship to student Jacqueline Miller. Paulin was the second CSUF alum to be inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.

Kersey said that Fullerton has had an athletic-training program since the mid to late 1970s. The school obtained its first accreditation in 2001, but before that accreditation wasn’t required, Kersey said.

Roughly 100 to 120 people were involved throughout the golf fundraiser with about 65 golfers participating in the 18-hole match. There was also a dinner afterwards, plus a silent auction and raffle.

“It was a fun afternoon and evening and I think most people had a good time,” Kersey said.

Women’s soccer

It is not often you find yourself in the situation coach Demian Brown is in, where you have nine seniors who all could start. This is possibly the deepest Fullerton women’s soccer team in recent memory.

“We’re going to sub a senior off and sub a senior on and that’s fantastic. It’s a very rare and unique situation,” Brown said, mentioning there will be no shortage of options in the attack.

“We have three or four women that could win Big West Midfielder of the Year,” Brown said.

The Titans bring back seniors Sarah Fajnor, the premier goal-scoring threat; Maribell Morales, a tricky, creative ballhandler; Connie Caliz, a motor in the middle of the field; and Kaycee Hoover, a captain who will likely link up on goal-scoring opportunities with promising sophomore, Atlanta Primus.

Senior Tala Haddad also returns and is expected to make a bigger impact now that she can play her natural position in the attack. She’s joined by fellow seniors Samantha Koemans and Johana Rosas.

The Titans are excited about the return of the aggressive and talented senior defender Jazzmin Mancilla, who missed last season with a knee injury. Senior Morgan Bertsch is also primed for a breakout season in goal.

Other key pieces include Primus, sophomore Savannah Sloniger, junior midfielder Jessica Simonian, junior forward Nano Oronoz, junior defender Lindsay Stasinis, plus two talented freshmen midfielders Haley Brown and Samantha McKenna.

Cal State Fullerton went 8-10-1 in 2016, falling to UC Irvine on penalty kicks in the conference tournament. Prior to 2016, CSUF had won three straight conference crowns and made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

“Losing to Irvine last year in PK’s is probably the best thing that could happen to the 2017 team,” Brown said. “We have a group of women now who are motivated, determined and hungry to return the program to where we all think we should be.”

The Titans will open the season at home against Seattle on Aug. 18. Big West play kicks off at home on Oct. 1 against CSUN.

Men’s soccer

Grit, character, bite, aggression, speed, finishing ability. Those were just a few of the things men’s soccer looked to improve in the offseason.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but we have weapons we haven’t had in awhile,” Titans coach George Kuntz said. “I will say that it will be more exciting than it has been in quite a while … if I was going to pay to watch a college game, I would pay to watch the guys we’ve brought in.”

“There’s going to be some flair, there’s going to speed, there’s probably going to be some goals we probably never thought we’d see,” Kuntz said.

Offensive firepower will likely come from the returning core of senior midfielders Robert Coronado, Diego Sanchez and Nicolo D’Amato.

Junior midfeidler Ross McPhie, originally from New Zealand, made leaps in the offseason, Kuntz said, and has the potential to take on a greater role with the Titans and the ability to play professionally afterward.

Kuntz mentioned two players from France could play key roles, sophomore goalkeeper Paul-Andre Guerin and senior defender Corentin Ohlmann.

The team is motivated after losing in double overtime to CSUN in the championship game of the Big West Tournament. The Titans had been the reigning two-time conference champions.

The Titans finished 2016 with a mark of 10-9-4. The team won conference crowns in 2014 and 2015 and had two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

“It’s a wound that does not stop bleeding the entire year,” Kuntz said of the CSUN loss. “Maybe, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I’ll never say losing is good. It’s painful. But it’s an important lesson.”

The Titans will face an elite Clemson squad on the road on Aug. 25. Big West play kicks off at UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 28.

“When you challenge yourself against the best, you know where you are. If you lose with honor, it’s a building block,” Kuntz said. “If you win, it pins you right on the national map immediately. That’s why we do it.”

Women’s volleyball

Titans women’s volleyball continues to rebuild. After finishing with six wins in 2016, the group is excited about new players joining the roster in 2017.

Lefty setter Nastassja Bowman comes to Fullerton from Southern Methodist University after helping her team advance to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, including advancing to the second round last year.

Titans coach Ashley Preston said Bowman could have a big impact for CSUF.

“I really believe her presence brought a lot to the spring season, especially with our cohesiveness,” Preston said. “She brings a lot of experience.”

The Titans will look for leadership and steady play in junior outside hitters Madeline Schneider and Shimen Fayad, as well as junior middle Summer Kerins and sophomore middle Aniya Henry.

They’ll be joined by a group of newcomers who will be competing for spots, Preston said, including libero/outside hitter Cady Francis from Mira Costa Community College; right side Tyler Fezzey of John W. North High School (Riverside); middle Jayla Norman from Bushland High (Texas); setter Makenzi Abelman from Durango High (Las Vegas); and outside hitter Alicia Dennis from James F. Byrnes High (South Carolina).

“All of the incoming girls are very competitive,” Preston said. “They’ve all had to deal with some type of adversity. They all have that sense of hunger because of the fact that their roads weren’t easy.”

The young Titans will tip off the season with a double-header in Titan Gym on Aug. 25 against Fairleigh Dickinson and Drake. Big West play begins against CSUN at home on Sept. 19.

“I’m so excited about the progression of the program,” Preston said. “Having a lot of freshmen is really how you make a program and you put a stamp on it. I’m excited about them because they’re so excited.”

Cross Country

Though men’s cross country lost top runner Jose Penaloza, it returns its top two finishers from the Big West Conference Championships in senior Jason Hillquist and junior Sam Pimentel.

Other key returning runners include sophomore Freek Van de Weerd, senior Joe Casco and sophomore Jorge Sanchez-Velazquez.

The remaining spots may be filled by newcomers, such as Jacob Smith (Pacifica High School), Joshua Silva (Riverside City College), David Pacheco (Valencia High) and Ryuya Souther (Woodbridge High).

“It’s going to be a challenge for our guys to improve on our third-place finish from last year because Cal Poly and Santa Barbara should be strong, but that’s our goal, to keep moving up,” Titans coach John Elders said.

Women’s cross country lost top runners in Sierra Ungerman and Arianna Fuentes, but returners in senior Brianna Jacklin, sophomore Sam Huerta, and sophomore Sandra Flores are all primed to be forces.

Some newcomers are expected to make an impact, including freshman Wendi Leos (Western High School) and Trinity Ruelas from Bishop Amat High plus three talented junior-college recruits: Gabrielle De La Rosa (Santiago Canyon College), Jessica Ruiz (College of the Canyons) and Kelsey Carroll (Saddleback College).

“The women were fourth last year. They missed third by one point,” Elders said. “Our goal is definitely to break into that Top 3. I think we have the potential to be better than that.”

“This particular group, I’m pretty high on,” Elders said. “I think they’re a great group of kids. As long as they did the work this summer, we could have a historic kind of year.”

Bret LeVier has been named head baseball coach at San Juan Hills High School.

He is no stranger to the area, as he recently served as an assistant coach at El Toro High School, in charge of the offense and infielders. He helped the Chargers claim the 2017 Division I CIF Championship plus two South Coast League championships.

LeVier, who replaces coach Jeremey Wooten, who served at the helm for the past 10 years, previously served as an assistant coach at Beckman and Servite.

“Bret knows Orange County baseball,” said Aaron Flowers, San Juan Hills athletic director. “Everyone that we talk to about him had great things to say. The more you talk to people the more it became clear that he was the right guy.”

One reason in particular?

“He has a great baseball mind,” Flowers said. “He’s a teacher, first and foremost.”

LeVier has breathed baseball for as long as he can remember. His father, Glen LeVier, was a high school and college baseball coach. After becoming a three-sport student-athlete in baseball, football and soccer at California High School in Whittier, he played baseball and football for Sacramento State.

LeVier took his talents to the pros, where he played for the Boston Red Sox organization, the Fullerton Flyers of the Golden Baseball League (where he was named a South All Star) as well as the Victoria Seals.

He hopes to impart the lessons he learned at each level of the game onto his players at San Juan Hills.

“I learned how to manage time, manage priorities and how to respect the game. Those things are really important,” LeVier said. “It’s about how players carry themselves on the field and working for each other, and how they control their work ethic and demeanor. I’m trying to portray the kind of character we want our kids to play the game and how it relates to off the field issues, like academics and family lives.”

“I’m really excited about the direction that the program, the school and the community are going,” LeVier said.

Michelle Cross, a track and field and cross country athlete for Trabuco Hills High, landed a spot on the U.S. Junior Paralympic 2017 National Track& Field Team that will compete at the Junior World ParalympicChampionships on July 30 to August 7 in Nottwil, Switzerland.

“I’m very excited,” said Cross, a Rancho Santa Margarita resident who is training for the event until she departs on July 29. She will be competing in the 100-meter dash and the 200 in Switzerland.

“I’ve never been out of the country before. It just motivates me more. I need to work harder. I just need to focus on how I need to improve,” she said.

Cross, a rising senior, was born with cerebral palsy, which has limited her balance and movement on her right side, with limited to no mobility in her right arm.

But when Cross is on the track, the sprinter does not see limitations; she zooms ahead because it gives her joy.

She had no idea there were opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities until her sophomore year, when she tripped during a race at Mission Viejo High. That’s when an assistant coach at Mission Viejo informed her that the CIF-Southern Section had added a new competition at the state meet for athletes with physical abilities.

She earned three bronze medals from the 2016 CIF State Championships in the 100, 200 and 400-meter races.

She’d learn of even more opportunities, as Ahkeel Whitehead, a sprinter and long jumper who has competed on the Paralympic Team at the Rio Paralympics 2016, reached out to her after she competed at the 2016 CIF state track meet. He informed her of how to pursue the Paralympic route, telling her of meets specifically for athletes with disabilities that she could participate in.

One such event was the Desert Challenge in Arizona in May. That’s where she would have her classification, which refers to an athlete’s specific disability, confirmed. That classification was required for her to qualify to compete internationally.

Cross was classified as T-37, which refers to her having hemiplegia, which affects one side of the body.

Competing in Arizona was exciting for Cross, who does not have any other T-37 runners near her in South Orange County to train with.

“She runs against normal kids. They’re a lot faster,” said her father, Darrell Cross, who is Trabuco Hills’ head freshman boys coach for distance in cross country and track.

“I’ve always told her: do the best you can. You’re actually not running against the people – you’re running against the clock,” Darrell said. “Our focus was, ‘We have time goals to meet and it doesn’t matter that these six runners are 30 meters ahead of you.

“They’re running their own race, and Michelle sets her mind to her own, running the best times she can.”

Cross thrived at the Arizona meet, which qualified her for the national meet, which was held at UCLA June 2-4. Cross participated at nationals, foregoing the CIF state meet, which was the same weekend.

She held her own at UCLA, earning two silver medals in the 100 and 200, and was awarded a gold medal in the 400. Her performance at the National Meet qualified her to run in Switzerland.

“I was kind of excited for it because I usually don’t run with people that have the same times as me, so it pushed myself to do better,” Cross said of nationals. “That’s what I always liked about Paralympics…It felt like, ‘Yeah, I have a disability and I can do it, and other people can do it too.’”

Cross is undeterred as she prepares for Switzerland. She has always been determined, even as doctors told her family she would likely not be able to play sports because they didn’t yet know how her condition would affect her moving forward.

“The Paralympic community is so great,” Darrell said. “To do this for kids, to give them an opportunity to run with other kids, has been huge. Traveling to Switzerland is also just beyond any of our expectations. How cool is that?”

Ryan Hilinski, a 6-4, 217 pound junior at Orange Lutheran High, was sure of it. His two older brothers, Tyler and Kelly, both played QB at the Division I level (Tyler is a quarterback at Washington State while Kelly played at Columbia). Hilinski wanted to be just like them – but better.

Though their father, Mark Hilinski, was a defensive end at Damien High School and helped his team win the CIF Championship in 1982, the Hilinski boys wanted to run offenses.

High hopes followed Ryan Hilinski, the baby of the family. He had the size and the arm and the poise to meet sky-high expectations. His father, his brothers, would make sure of it, taking him to the field beginning when he was 5 years old and pushing him, working out with him for hours.

There was no greater thrill for Hilinski than challenging himself against his brothers.

“They didn’t baby him very much,” Mark Hilinski said of his other two sons. “Ryan was a bigger, thicker kid, so they ran him and ran him and threw the ball as hard as they could – which was very hard.”

“Ryan had to sort of just be initiated by his two older brothers, and that meant acceptance,” Mark Hilinski said. “The family just loved playing football. That’s what we did.”

Being a Hilinski, being the quarterback, meant give everything or don’t show up at all.

“I just knew that whenever we hit the field it was my office,” Ryan Hilinski said. “One switch turned on and I was like, ‘OK, it’s business time now and I gotta get the work done.’ They gave me the template, they wrote the instructions down and said, ‘This kid’s going to be a quarterback.’”

He aims to help Orange Lutheran, which has a new coaching staff this year, improve on its 5-6 finish in Trinity League play.

Ryan Hilinski was stellar in 2016, his first season for the Lancers after transferring from JSerra. He threw for 1,700 yards, completing 65 percent of his passes including 14 for touchdowns. He also rushed for 200 yards including four TDs.

His best game came against his former school, JSerra, where he went 25-for-34 in passing, finishing with 273 yards and two TDs.

“This is a (Division I) recruit,” said JP Presley, the Lancers’ first-year varsity head coach who graduated from Orange Lutheran in 1992. “I mean, this is a young man that has the potential to play at a Top 25 school, in my opinion. He has all the tools. He wants to win. He wants to be the best. The hardest part with Ryan is telling him to slow down sometimes.”

That comes from Mark Hilinski, who often told his boys: “You could be anywhere in the world, but what are you doing today and where are you today?” They’d learn that you could sleep in until 10 a.m., or you could be working out for two hours; you could watch TV for two hours, or you could break down game film for two hours to perfect your craft. The choice is yours. The consequences are yours, too.

Hilinski’s answer was always the same: “I’d rather be on the football field.”

Getting better is what motivates him. It’s why he’s out with his teammates, at 2 to 6 p.m. during the week, in scorching Southern California heat. It’s why he’s working on his run game to become more elusive, hoping to prove this season that he’s not a one-dimensional QB.

“Nobody thinks, ‘Oh, he can run the ball.’” Hilinski said of his 6-foot-4 size. “But I know when the offense we have this year and the guys around me supporting me, I know I can get better on my run game, develop faster feet, and show people that I can move. I’m not just a pocket passer.”

The quickest part of his game, however, might be his mind. He has always been curious about the meaning behind plays – the “why” behind choices. He’s hungered to understand the advantages and disadvantages that result from those choices.

“He could probably be a defensive coordinator with the amount of stuff he knows,” Presley said. “Just from a couple of (college) visits he’s had, I’ve had feedback from college coaches saying some of the best questions” have come from Hilinski.

“He’s probably one of the most mature quarterbacks overall that I’ve seen,” Presley said.

Hilinski wasn’t a natural-born leader. He said he wasn’t as vocal his rookie season at JSerra. Then, as the new kid on the Lancers roster last season, he was wary of stepping on toes, but began stepping out of his shell.

This season, though, Hilinski said he feels comfortable taking the reins of the team, embracing the most important responsibility of being a quarterback his family had always preached to him: leadership.

He doesn’t want to let his teammates down, so he shows up before anyone else and is often the last to leave.

“As a leader now, I know leaders lead from the front and not telling people what to do. They do what the leader has to do and what everybody else is doing,” Hilinski said. “They lead from what the coaches expect, from what your teammates expect.”

“You don’t have to be vocal,” Hilinski said, “but you lead by doing the work that everybody else is doing, 10 times better.”