Manhattan Beach Mira Costa

Although it was a simple oversight, John Frank couldn't blame the Rancho Alamitos student league for scheduling the winter formal dance on the night of the Southern Section Division VII championship football game. "I don't think anyone gave us much of chance," Frank said. "The big three (Jeff Byrd, Leon Vickers, and Marshall Brown) were gone, there's a new coach and there's a sophomore starting at quarterback.

It has become one of the signature events in Southern California high school sports — the regular-season boys' volleyball match between 11-time Southern Section champion Los Angeles Loyola and six-time champion Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. It attracts so many fans each year from the South Bay and elsewhere that the match no longer can be held at either school's gym. On Friday night, Loyola Marymount's Gersten Pavilion was the venue, and a crowd of more than 2,000 was treated to a caliber of volleyball that some college teams couldn't duplicate.

Imagine if there were a 7-footer walking around a high school campus who could dunk like Shaquille O'Neal but refused to play for the basketball team. It would be a travesty and the subject of much debate. Michael Beals of Manhattan Beach Mira Costa was that teenager -- except in volleyball. For three years, living in a beach community that cherishes volleyball, Beals declined to join the high school team. He was a lanky 6-foot-6 pitcher for the baseball team who also played club volleyball.

No. 23 Mission Hills Alemany at No. 11 Westlake Village Oaks Christian, 7 p.m. — Oaks Christian lost some A-list luster with the graduation of quarterback Nick Montana, but the Lions still have plenty of star power. Receivers Jordan Payton and Blair Holiday lead a talented cast that will take its act to the Marmonte League after playing this one nonleague game. Oaks Christian still has some celebrity chops too, with receiver Trey Smith and quarterback Trevor Gretzky, the sons of actor Will Smith and NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.

In a match between traditional top-division powerhouses, Laguna Beach defeated Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 15-17, 15-8, 15-5, 11-15, 15-8, to win the Southern Section Division I-AA title at Cypress College. Kelly Garner led the Artists (22-2) with 14 kills. For Mira Costa (22-2), Kristen Sigel had 13 kills despite twisting her ankle in the middle of the second game.

* Loara tournament, 3:30 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m. Saturday: Five of the county's top 10 teams will compete in the individual tournament at Loara High. Players from top-ranked Garden Grove, Magnolia, Troy, Fullerton and Loara will compete, along with Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, Lakewood and Diamond Bar. Mixed doubles competition will begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Singles and doubles begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. All finals will begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 46, Lompoc Cabrillo 14--Junior Hussein Meadows caught 50- and 69-yard third-quarter touchdown passes from Kevin Cooper for two of his five touchdowns as the host Mustangs (10-3) broke a 14-14 halftime tie and advanced to their third championship game in the past four seasons.

BASEBALL * Arturo Vela, Reseda Cleveland: Doubled in the decisive run with two out in the seventh for a 5-4 West Valley League victory over No. 2 Woodland Hills El Camino Real. * Daniel Hughes, Saugus: Had three hits, including a triple, and an RBI as the Centurions won their 16th consecutive game and clinched their first Foothill League title with a 9-2 victory over visiting Burbank Burroughs.

For the first time, the Southern Section high school boys' volleyball tournament will have three divisional finals, with a newly-added 2-A Division, today at Marina High School in Huntington Beach. The Southern Section expanded to three divisions this season because of the increase in the number of schools with volleyball programs. Playa Del Rey St. Bernard will play Simi Valley Royal in the inaugural 2-A final at 2:30 p.m. In the other divisional finals, top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 21-0.

* Division III Newhall Hart (11-0) vs. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (12-0) at El Camino College, 7:30 p.m. Saturday--This semifinal is a rematch of last year's final won by Hart, 34-11. The Indians, seeking their fourth consecutive Division III championship, must contain junior tailback Michael Okwo, who has rushed for 1,614 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.

Imagine if there were a 7-footer walking around a high school campus who could dunk like Shaquille O'Neal but refused to play for the basketball team. It would be a travesty and the subject of much debate. Michael Beals of Manhattan Beach Mira Costa was that teenager -- except in volleyball. For three years, living in a beach community that cherishes volleyball, Beals declined to join the high school team. He was a lanky 6-foot-6 pitcher for the baseball team who also played club volleyball.

SOUTHERN SECTION Northwest Division: Westlake Village Oaks Christian (13-0) at Gardena Serra (13-0), 7:30 -- Serra has added to its already impressive stable of skill-position players since Oaks Christian routed the Cavaliers, 56-21, in last season's championship game. Quarterback Conner Preston, a transfer from Palisades, considers himself 2-0 against Oaks Christian -- in middle school flag football while playing for St. Matthews Parish School. Stopping UCLA-bound tailback Malcolm Jones, the Gatorade national player of the year, might be a stiffer challenge for Preston and the Cavaliers, but they won't be intimidated.

The Southern Section football pairings were released Sunday, so it's time to evaluate the top divisions and project which teams and players are going to be busy on Thanksgiving and beyond. Pac-5 Top seedings: 1. Huntington Beach Edison (10-0); 2. Mission Viejo (10-0); 3. Anaheim Servite (9-1); 4. Lakewood (9-1). Best opening matchup: Santa Ana Mater Dei (6-4) at La Puente Bishop Amat (9-1). Most underrated player: Running back Kyle Middlebrooks, Fountain Valley. He's one of the fastest teenagers in California, and any kind of good blocking creates the opportunity for a long gain.

As if Los Angeles Loyola High's opponents didn't have enough to worry about trying to stop high-powered running back Anthony Barr, they now have another reason to fret. His name is Jared Baker, and he helped the Cubs hold off Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 28-18, on Friday night at Los Angeles Valley College in the opener for each team. A speedy 5-foot-9, 181-pound junior, Baker rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown in only nine carries in his varsity debut. The punishing Barr had 125 yards and two touchdowns in 30 carries in addition to an interception he returned 87 yards for a touchdown.

No. 3 Lakewood at No. 9 Los Angeles Crenshaw, 7 p.m. -- Crenshaw running back DeAnthony Thomas and linebacker Hayes Pullard III seek to give the City Section its first marquee victory over a Southern Section foe since Lake Balboa Birmingham defeated Long Beach Poly and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in 2007. Lakewood will use a running back-by-committee approach to replace standout Jerry Stone, who faces two counts of attempted murder in connection with an alleged drive-by shooting. Quarterback Jesse Scroggins hopes he doesn't need to wipe out a 14-point halftime deficit as he did last year by passing for three second-half touchdowns during the Lancers' 42-34 victory over Crenshaw.

Pasadena Games at Pasadena City College Today at 11:30 a.m. Why it matters: UCLA-bound sprinter Randall Carroll of Los Angeles Cathedral, the defending state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, will make his season big-meet debut. He ran a 10.12 hand-timed 100 two weeks ago in a dual meet. Also running is Los Angeles Loyola sophomore Elias Gedyon, who will test himself in the 400. The last event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. TRACK AND FIELD TODAY FRIDAY'S VOLLEYBALL RESULT Los Angeles Loyola def. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 27-25, 25-17, 25-18 Top contributors: Steven Irvin, Loyola, had 13 kills.

DIVISION I Santa Margarita (17-3) vs. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (25-3) 7 TONIGHT: CYPRESS COLLEGE Second-seeded Santa Margarita is a little disappointed it won't get its rematch with Sea View League rival Newport Harbor in the Division I final. Newport Harbor defeated the Eagles twice in league play. But fourth-seeded Mira Costa is no pushover. Mira Costa defeated Newport Harbor in five games in the semifinals.

Don't be fooled by her perfectly applied mascara or lipstick when she strolls onto the basketball court. No, Mikah Maly-Karros likes to scrap. Just look at all of those war wounds -- the bruises on her legs, the scratch on her neck and the scar beneath her right eyebrow, which required seven stitches. "Relentless," one teammate called her. "She's fierce," said Coach Don Braunecker, who has watched Maly-Karros transform from an awkward athlete into a masterful rebounder. Maly-Karros, a 6-foot-2 senior forward for Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, is the new Southern Section rebound champion, surpassing local legends Lisa Leslie and Cheryl Miller, along with Alana Hampton, who had the mark of 1,718 while playing for Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep from 1989 to 1992.

BASEBALL * Arturo Vela, Reseda Cleveland: Doubled in the decisive run with two out in the seventh for a 5-4 West Valley League victory over No. 2 Woodland Hills El Camino Real. * Daniel Hughes, Saugus: Had three hits, including a triple, and an RBI as the Centurions won their 16th consecutive game and clinched their first Foothill League title with a 9-2 victory over visiting Burbank Burroughs.