By Steve Breazeale
League play is in full swing in the Orange County high school sports scene, which has made for dramatic games and set the stage for standout performances by local athletes. Through the use of stats and numbers, we break down the San Juan area high school sports season so far and look ahead to season’s end.
Football
79– Number of total tackles by San Juan Hills senior safety William Blum in seven games, a team high.
24—Number of touchdown passes thrown this season by Capistrano Valley Christian junior quarterback Riley Babick. Babick has completed 74 percent of his passes and has thrown only two interceptions in seven games played.
3—Number of receivers to which Babick has thrown six or more touchdown passes to this season. Junior receiver Josh Anderson (six touchdowns), sophomore Ben Sukut (nine) and senior Sam Sukut (six) have all been targeted frequently by Babick over the course of the season.
970—All-purpose yards recorded by JSerra senior Casey Eugenio in six games played. Eugenio has 703 rushing yards, 218 receiving yards and has returned punt and kickoffs for a total of 49 yards.
7—Average yards per carry by San Juan Hills junior running back Mike Miscione. Miscione is averaging 80 yards per game and has scored seven touchdowns.
Girls Volleyball
23—Number of aces tallied by St. Margaret’s freshman outside hitter Kashea Kloss in 14 games. Kloss had a season-high five kills in the Tartans’ October 4 win over Calvary Chapel.
11—Consecutive matches won by Saddleback Valley Christian during a stretch that lasted from October 1to October 19. The 11-0 run included nonleague and tournament contests. The win-streak was snapped by Westview on October 19 during the SoCal Invitational tournament.
Cross Country
3—Number of top-5 finishers the JSerra girls team had at the Trinity League Preview Meet on October 2. The team won convincingly, 29-47, over Mater Dei. Ashley Geisler (18:54) finished second, Charlotte Owen (19:01) finished fourth and Kylee Fracassi (19:09) finished fifth. The Lions, who are the three-time defending CIF Division IV State champions, finished 13th overall at the OC Championships on October 19.
15:40—Time posted by St. Margaret’s junior Collin Price at the Orange County Championships. Price finished 35th overall in the varsity division sweeps.
Girls Golf
7—Margin of victory in the San Juan Hills girls squad’s win over Sea View League rival Aliso Niguel on October 17. The Stallions and Wolverines were tied after all five players turned in their scorecards. But San Juan Hills’ sixth player shot a 47 compared to Aliso Niguel’s sixth player’s 54. The tie ensured that the two schools would share the league title.
Boys Water Polo
24- Number of steals recorded by San Juan Hills senior utility Hayden Werner this season. Werner has recorded at least one steal in all but four Stallions matches.
