Staying Positive About the Future

At the earliest, Henry Myar will find out next week if his seven-year run as the Mira Costa High boys basketball coach is over.

But in the meantime, Myar reflected Thursday on the recent season, which included a lot of close losses, competitiveness, a couple of free throws that reached the CIF 2A quarterfinals, and two seniors (Elliott Ozer and Thomas Johnson) who still managed to produce memorable seasons.

“Despite the record (10-18, last in the Bay League), we were extremely competitive,” Myar said. “We lost a lot of very close games. I was really proud of the kids, that they stayed competitive to the very end. I was very happy for them with the way they finished up in the playoffs.”

The 6' 3" Ozer averaged 20 points and 7.0 rebounds a game. The 6' 6", 235-pound Johnson averaged 13.5 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks a game.

Those numbers were produced despite the fact both were the focus of the other teams’ defenses, either through double teams in the post or tight man defense.

“Elliott had a terrific career,” Myar said. “He was playing well last year during the regular season, but his game just elevated in the playoffs. He averaged 22 points a game in three playoff games and that just continued through this year…

"Thomas was a unique high school basketball player. People always thought he played basketball after football season ended. But he was just basketball and he was a very talented guy in terms of rebounding and blocking shots. He had a real knack for that.”

As more information is released about Myar’s future at Mira Costa, Patch will report it.

Bright Future for Girls Soccer

Based on the way it finished the season and its young roster, Mira Costa’s girls soccer team has a bright future.

The Mustangs’ season came to a heartbreaking end Tuesday when third-seeded Long Beach Wilson scored a goal in the final two minutes, pushing the tied game into a sudden-death overtime that Wilson took, 2-1, in the second-round CIF playoff game.

Though the game ended the Mustangs' playoff championship bid, the team accomplished more than was expected, especially with 10 players who are freshmen of sophomores. These youngsters, who are expected to return next season, will return with some good experience underfoot.

The Mustangs beat Bay League champion Palos Verdes to make the playoffs, then won their first-round game before falling to Wilson in a game that could have gone the other way.

“A lot of people, myself included, didn’t think we’d make it to the playoffs,” senior goalkeeper Dana Eisenhauer said after the playoff loss. “We were such a young team, to make it past the first round is a big success for us.”

The young Mustangs were constantly waging an uphill battle, which continued even during the playoffs when they lost key scorer Kimby Keever to a broken leg after the first-round game.

In the Wilson contest, sophomore Alyssa Covarrubio scored on a cross from freshman Mandy McKeegan to take a 1-0 lead.

Later, sophomore forward Taylor Foland just missed scoring what surely would have been the winning goal in the final minutes of regulation.

While Palos Verdes clearly had the best team in the Bay League and played a CIF quarterfinal game Thursday afternoon, Mira Costa may be ready to challenge for the league title next season.

Long Weekend of Honors

The best wrestlers from Peninsula, Redondo and Mira Costa high schools didn’t survive the individual sectionals last week on Friday and Saturday.

Twenty-eight wrestlers from the Bay League competed and 12 made it to Saturday in the consolation bracket, but only West’s Mat Boesen made it to the Masters Meet by finishing in the top five of his 171-pound weight class.

Mira Costa's Joey Beck competed on the second day but didn't qualify for Masters.