The Orange County Tribune Jan. 12, 2022

Covering Garden Grove Huntington Beach Stanton Westminster

Non-partisan News Opinion Arts & Living Sports

Printed in Garden Grove, California n orangecountytribune.com n Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022 n orangecountytribune@gmail.com

GG COUNCIL MAY RAISE PAY TO CITY LEADERS Decision to be made next meeting

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune Many elected officials are reluctant to vote themselves a raise because of the possible public reaction.

But taking a look at how their compensation compares with other city councils around Orange County, the Garden Grove City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday night to place the matter on the agenda for its Jan. 25 meeting.

The vote was 6-0 with Councilmember John O’Neill (District 2) absent.

The council will take action in two weeks on the proposal by Councilmember Kim Nguyen (District 6) to

WESTMINSTER MAYOR TRI TA A city council member wants colleagues to censure him

raise council salaries from the present level of $486 monthly – among the lowest in Orange County – to the maximum allowed level of $1,312.34. The mayor would get an additional $200 a month.

Continued on page 2

Orange County COVID numbers in big surge Confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Orange County declined Tuesday from Monday’s high, but hospitalizations and ICU use continued to rise.

According to the county health care agency, new cases declined to 5,081 from Monday’s three-day average of 7,648 and were also below Friday’s 6,428.

Deaths rose from two to three. The number of hospitalizations increased from 964 to 1,013 and the use of intensive care units to treat

COVID-19 patients climbed from 140 to 150.

To date, Orange County has had 402,886 cases, of which 313,335 are considered recovered. The total of Continued on page 2

Westminster council will mull proposal to censure Mayor Ta More political fireworks may be expected when the Westminster City Council meets on Wednesday, Jan. 12 to consider a proposal to censure Mayor Tri Ta for statements he allegedly made to Vietnamese media.

Councilmember Tai Do has asked the council to consider the action based on Ta’s purported comments, primarily in the Vietnamese language, claiming that the mayor has been “kicked out of his office” by the council majority and is officially “officeless.”

According to Do, Ta’s comments on local TV and in YouTube videos were “false and defamatory.” Part of Do’s request for a motion of censure is his claim that Ta drove around the city in a white SUV that he described as his “mobile office.”

If the council majority – Do, Vice Mayor Carlos Manzo (District 2) and

Councilmember Kimberly Ho (District 3) – support the proposal to censure Ta, it would be the second time in a recent month it acted to censure one of its own.

At a seven-hour meeting on Dec. 8-9, the council majority censured Chi Charlie Nguyen for a range of alleged misconduct including using

offensive language, being argumentative and disruptive at meetings and waging a “dishonest” campaign in favor of recalling other council members.

Censure is a symbolic gesture expressing disapproval, but it has no legal force.

Also on the agenda for Continued on page 2

Stanton council gives its OK to 79-unit townhouse project A 79-unit townhome project won approval from the Stanton City Council Tuesday night. The vote was 4-0 with Councilmember Rigoberto Ramirez absent.

A public hearing was held for the council to consider a site plan, conditional use permit and associated permissions and actions for the construction of the development proposed for 12200 Beach

(southeast of Chapman Avenue). The project will include seven units priced for low-income residents.

Also approved were: • renewal of authorization for virtual public meetings; • second reading and final approval of amendments to the municipal code’s regulations for accessory dwelling units and junior accessory

Follow local news all week long at orangecountytribune.com

Continued on page 2

2 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

GG city councilmembers may get a raise Continued from page 1

According to city officials, the base monthly pay for councilmembers has not been raised since the midSeventies. Such an increase – if approved – would not take effect until December 2022.

“I don’t think any of us are in this for the money,” said Mayor Pro Tem Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen, as she – and other council members – cited “out-of-pocket” costs associated with serving on the council.

Councilmember Kim Nguyen ar-

OC Tribune is member of the Associated Press The Orange County Tribune continues to expand its service to readers in the communities of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster.

Starting this week, The Tribune is an associate member of The Associated Press, a nationwide news cooperative whose origins date back to 1846.

Our membership in the AP allows us to offer a wider range of quality journalism to our readers, without reducing or de-emphasizing our local coverage.

We recently unveiled our new weekly “print” edition on Wednesdays which will allow readers to view our product in a traditional format by downloading a portable document format (PDF) and viewing it on a computer screen or printing it out on paper.

Last fall, we entered into an internship partnership with Chapman University’s journalism program that offers upper division students with real-life experience in news coverage while providing The Tribune with additional staffing.

We look forward to continuing to provide fair and nonpartisan news and more to the West Orange County area as well as always looking forward to see how we can do an even better job.

–– Orange County Tribune

gued that a higher pay rate might “incentivize” people to seek public office. “I don’t think this is unreasonable.”

Also on Tuesday night, the council voted 5-1 in favor of the first reading and introduction of an ordinance implementing Senate Bill 9, which allowed lots in single family zones to be split in two.

Councilmember Phat Bui echoed the complaints of some speakers at the public hearing who felt there was haste in approving the ordi-

nance. Some expressed the opinion that the change – required by state law – made it too difficult to develop.

“This is not right,” said Bui. “This is not fair.” He cast the sole dissenting vote.

Other councilmembers argued that the new rules were being imposed by the state legislature and nothing was to be gained by delaying action on the matter.

Coronavirus

Westminster

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

deaths is now 5,911.

The OC’s surge in new cases – fueled in large part by the Omicron variant – is mirrored by other statistics.

The New York Times reports a 204 percent increase in new cases over a two-week period, and a 36 percent increase in deaths.

In California, cases are up 346 percent and deaths are up 64 percent.

Wednesday’s meeting, the council will consider: • allocating $23,413 in grant money for a Little Saigon Outreach Coordinator; • consider the costs – put at $45,000 – to construct offices for the mayor and city councilmembers in the Council Chamber, a move from City Hall; • an ordinance related to conflict of interest for public officials; • a request to rename Park West Park to Tony Lam Park.

The meeting will be held via teleconference. It will begin with a closed session at 5 p.m. and the public session at 7 p.m.

Car hits tree, driver killed

A motorist whose vehicle crashed into a tree in Fullerton this (Monday) afternoon died from his injuries.

According to the Fullerton Police Department, the incident occurred around 1:42 p.m. at Euclid and Baker streets. Arriving officers found a male driver still behind the wheel.

He was transported to the UCI Medical Center in Orange where he was later declared dead.

Police believe the motorist was driving southbound on Euclid when he lost control of his vehicle and it crossed over the center median into the northbound lanes.

From there it crashed into a tree on the east sidewalk, north of the Riverside (91) Freeway. A medical condition may have been a factor in the collision, say police.

The identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call (714) 738-6812.

Stanton council Continued from page 1

dwelling units; • a purchase and sale agreement for property at 10692 and 10712 Beach Boulevard, both north of Pacific Street on the east side of Beach.

The Orange County Tribune is published on Wednesdays.

Address is 9402 Luders Ave., Garden Grove, 92844. E-mail is orangecountytribune@gmail. com. Our website is www.orangecountytribune.com.

Phone: (714) 458-1860.

Established Aug. 6, 2016. All opinions expressed in The Tribune, unless otherwise stated, are those of the individual writer or artist and not necessarily those of The Tribune.

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ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022 3

News&Views

One hurt in warehouse fire in Stanton

Women are sought in man’s death Two women are being sought by Westminster police as “persons of interest” in the death of a man on Monday.

Sought are: • Mia Mariscal, 37, described as an Hispanic female with brown eyes and black hair, 5-foot, 1-inch tall and 107 lbs.

• Christina Villa, 44, described as

an Hispanic female with brown eyes and black hair, 5-foot, 5-inches tall and 140 lbs.

The incident in which they may be involved occurred around 5:30 a.m. in the 6500 block of Walt Street, southeast of Westminster Boulevard and Edwards Street.

Arriving officers found a dead man in the driveway of a home.

The vehicle that struck him left the area, and detectives believe the man had been intentionally struck.

Anyone seeing these women is asked to call the Westminster Police Department watch commander at (714) 548-3767 or dispatch at (714) 548-3212 immediately.

Quang Tri monument ‘depiction, design’ OKd The Westminster City Council voted narrowly last Wednesday afternoon to approve the “design and depiction” of the controversial Quang Tri monument, with two members – Mayor Tri Ta and Councilmember Chi Charlie Nguyen – abstaining.

The project is intended to be a commemoration of the 1972 success of South Vietnamese forces, assisted by American air and naval units, in recapturing a vital citadel. That action was considered crucial in stopping an offensive

by Communist North Vietnamese forces.

That decision came despite near-unanimous public comment expressing opposition to the monument. Sixteen people spoke against it and only two – members of the committee organizing the project –spoke in favor.

After reciting a long list of

objections to the accuracy, procedure and even the grammar associated with the monument, local activist Terry Rains said, “The public QUANG TRI MONUMENT PLAN is sick of this Side view of the proposed project monument and of the council bickering.”

Westminster Park, located at Hazard The meeting was relatively Avenue and Magnolia Street. The civil, with most of the discussion intended date for completion of the centering on specific details of project – which is privately funded the proposal, including wording – is September 2022, the 50-year of plaques to be displayed on the anniversary of the battle. monument and the placement of In response to complaints of a lack unit patches. Responses to those of inclusion of American Vietnam issues will be presented to the veterans in the decision-making, council later.

Councilmember Tai Dai cautioned No decision was made on the panel members to create a project that location of the monument, but could be supported by the whole city, the current recommended spot is not just the Vietnamese community.

One person was hospitalized after a warehouse fire in Stanton on Thursday morning.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority – which provides fire and paramedic services for the city – the blaze was in the pre-dawn hours around 6 a.m. in the 10700 block of Chestnut Avenue, which is east of Beach Boulevard and north of Pacific Street in an industrial area.

Crews were able to evacuate the workers and confine the fire to the one building. One employee at the warehouse was treated by firefighter-paramedics and transported to an area hospital.

Man held in fatal stabbing at skate park A 27-year-old man was arrested for a fatal stabbing at a skate park in Santa Ana. According to the SAPD, Nicholas Nunez of Santa Ana was booked into Orange County Jail for murder and attempted murder on Friday.

The investigation began on Thursday when two stabbing victims were dropped off at the South Coast Medical Center in Santa Ana at 8:22 p.m. They had both sustained stab wounds to the chest. One was pronounced dead and the other was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Identified as the dead man was Jose Merlan, 27, of Santa Ana. Police determined that the stabbing took place at Centennial Skatepark, located at 2900 W. Edinger Avenue. Surveillance video inside the skatepark showed a physical altercation involving both victims and the suspect.

Nunez was arrested on Friday at 7:11 p.m. The motive for the murder appears to be an ongoing dispute, according to the SAPD.

4 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

News Briefs

RV fire in resort area extinguished fast by the OCFA

BLAZE ON HARBOR NEAR CHAPMAN Fire reported early moening on Jan. 5

GARDEN GROVE – A fire in a parked recreational vehicle in the Grove hotel resort district of Garden Grove was extinguished early Wednesday morning.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority – which provides fire and paramedic services for Garden Grove – the blaze was reported around 5 a.m. in the 12000 block of Harbor Boulevard, near Chapman Avenue.

Firefighters were able to quickly knock the fire down and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures. There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

Assistance to the OCFA was provided by Anaheim Fire and Rescue, Orange City Fire and the Garden Grove Police Department.

3rd “person of interest sought in homicide of man in driveway

WESTMINSTER – A third woman has been declared a “person of interest” in a homicide investigation stemming from a man found dead in a driveway on Monday.

WPD investigators have released cell phone videos of the woman – as yet unnamed – who may be connected to the fatality originally believed to be a hitand-run incident.

The woman depicted is described as being between 18 and 30 with a tattoo on her right hand and what could be a tattoo on her left breast.

It’s unknown what the relationship of this woman would be to the incident at the 5600 block of Walt Drive involving an automobile collision.

Police are seeking help in finding the black Jeep Grand Cherokee believed to have been the crash vehicle.

Anyone who feels they recognize the woman depicted is asked to call WPD detectives at (714) 5483773 or (714) 548-3759.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022 5

Arts&Living Food samples returning? Oh, what a thrill!

Those of us who enjoy the samples available at the Costco stores in Garden Grove and Huntington Beach missed them when withdrawn because of the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s an article about the return of samples.

By Ann D’Innocenzio AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) – When Pat Curry spotted bite-sized wood-fire rotisserie chicken with portabella mushroom at her local Costco in early June, she felt ``giddy.`` After a 14-month hiatus, free samples were back.

“It was one of the markers that told me that we turned a corner,`` said the 60-year-old who lives in Augusta, Georgia. “It’s the little things that you do that were taken away, and now they’re back.`` When the pandemic was declared in March 2020, retailers worried about the potential spread of the coronavirus so they cut off free sampling of everything from food to makeup to toys. But now with vaccinations rolling out and the threat of COVID-19 easing in the U.S., stores like Costco are feeling confident enough to revive the longstanding tradition.

For customers, sampling makes it fun to shop and discover new items – not to mention getting all the freebies. For retailers, they’re critical tools to keep shoppers coming back and battle against online retailers like Amazon.

Food sampling converts browsers into buyers at a 20 percent higher rate than if customers weren’t allowed to test, says NPD Group Inc., a market research firm. The conversion rate is 30% higher when beauty products are sampled.

“Sampling is critical,’’ said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst. “Impulse alone drives 25% of the retail business.`` Jake Tavello, a senior vice president at Stew Leonard’s, said promoting new items had been challenging without sampling a tradition started by his grandfather.

BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL Dwayne Hickman starred in the innovative “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”

“Many Loves (and lives)” of an icon: Dwayne Hickman was our “Dobie”

By Michael Tarm Associated Press Dwayne Hickman, the actor and network TV executive who despite numerous achievements throughout his life would always be remembered fondly by a generation of baby boomers for his role as Dobie Gillis, has died. He was 87.

Hickman died of complications from Parkinsons on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from a family representative, B. Harlan Boll. He was surrounded by family members when he died, it said.

Although Hickman went on to appear on other TV shows and in movies, as well as to successful behind-the-scenes careers as a publicist, talent booker for a prominent Howard Hughes-owned casino in Las Vegas and TV programming executive for CBS, he could never escape his public connection to Dobie.

“Oh, my gosh – it’s Dobie Gillis!

I grew up with you!’’ former

President Clinton told him when the two met while Clinton was governor of Arkansas.

“Now it’s nice,’’ Hickman, who was also an accomplished painter, told a reporter during an exhibition of his work in St. Louis in 2003.

“It’s very sweet to see how much Dobie Gillis meant to a lot of baby boomers, who are always nice when I meet them.’’

His autobiography, co-written with Joan Roberts Hickman, his wife, was published in 1995. It was titled “Forever Dobie.’’

Hickman had small parts in movies and TV shows as a youngster, but had given up acting by 1950 to concentrate on his studies at Los Angeles’ Cathedral High School.

After graduation, he entered Loyola University.

“I was in the art program and was heading toward architecture when I got a call from my old agent toward the end of my freshman year,’’ he recalled in a 2003 interview. “He said he had a role for me in `The Bob Cummings Show.’’’

Hickman went on to play Chuck MacDonald, the teenage nephew who tried to get a piece of his Uncle Bob’s action as Cummings’ Bob Collins character worked as a photographer of glamour girls.

Hickman, meanwhile, continued his studies on the side, eventually earning a degree in economics from Loyola.

“The Bob Cummings Show’’ (later called “Love That Bob’’) lasted from 1955 to 1959, and toward the end of its run Hickman made a pilot Continued on page 6

6 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

15 local high school teams are ranked by the CIF-SS Fifteen area high school athletic teams have been recognized by the CIF-SS in this week’s winter sport rankings.

Here are schools from The Tribune’s coverage area noted in their polls: Girls’ basketball • Open Division: Orangewood Academy • Division 1: Orangewood Academy (seventh) • Division 5A: Orange (third), Magnolia (11th) Boys’ basketball • Division 2AA: Marina (14th) • Division 2A: Edison (fourth) • Division 3A: Orangewood Academy (fifth) • Division 4AA: Pacifica (tied for 16th) • Division 5AA: Bolsa Grande (13th) • Division 5A: La Quinta (third) Girls’ soccer • Division 1: Edison (received votes) Boys’ soccer • Division 1: Huntington Beach (sixth) • Division 3: Garden Grove (ninth) Girls’ water polo • Division 1: Huntington Beach (17th) • Division 2: Edison (fifth) • Division 6: La Quinta (fourth).

Hickman was Dobie Gillis Continued from page 5

for author Max Shulman about a lovelorn 16-year-old named Dobie Gillis who pursued, but could never win the heart of, almost every girl he saw.

“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,’’ marked by sharp humor and a brilliant young cast that also included Bob Denver, Warren Beatty and Tuesday Weld, was an instant hit when it debuted in 1959.

“The chief contradiction is that Dobie never gets the girl,’’ Hickman once said. ``His is a false aggressiveness; everything he attempts in life backfires and pushes him into last place.’’

As a result, Hickman’s Dobie would often spend a part of the show standing in front of a copy of the statue of Rodin’s “The Thinker,’’ philosophizing about his bumbling efforts at life and love.

As “Dobie Gillis’’ continued on until 1963, and Hickman’s and Denver’s characters aged (both actors were already in their mid-20s when the show began), viewers saw them go from high school to college, as well as to a brief, bumbling stint in the U.S. military, At both high school and college, veteran character actor William Schallert was their put-upon

teacher. Although Steve Franken soon replaced Beatty as Gillis’ wealthy archrival, Sheila James Kuehl (later elected to several terms in the California Legislature) remained Dobie’s only arduous suitor. Kuehl’s Zelda Gilroy was also the only girl Dobie never realized loved him, although by the 1988 TV reunion movie ``Bring Me The Head of Dobie Gillis’’ Dobie and Zelda had finally married.

After the TV show folded in 1963, Hickman went on to appear in such films as “Cat Ballou’’ with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin and such popular 1960s youth-oriented pictures as “How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,’’ “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine’’ and ``Ski Party.’’

Although his acting career slowed in the 1970s, he continued to appear in such TV shows as “The Mod Squad,’’ “Love, American Style’’ and “Clueless.’’

When Denver, who went from playing beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on ``Dobie Gillis’’ to the title role in “Gilligan’s Island,’’ made the 2001 biopic “Surviving Gilligan’s Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History,’’ Hickman appeared in flashback scenes as a TV network executive.

ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022 7

Is a long run in the playoffs in the Cards?

Continued from page 8

McVay. And how. Comparing the two quarterbacks – Jimmy Garoppolo of the Niners and Matthew Stafford – which one looked more capable of leading his team to the Super Bowl?

This not to discount the accomplishments of Stafford, who set a franchise record for yards passing and tied the mark for most touchdown passes thrown. But Stafford – like the Rams – has shown a tendency to play in streaks.

Whether the first round playoff game is the beginning of a new streak of wins or of losses is uncertain, but one thing isn’t: the Rams would rather play the Cards again than the 49ers.

to it) the SoFi Stadium, showing signs they have truly established a strong fan base here.

Of course, it would be interesting to find out if those fannies in the seats are people who made the trip north from San Diego or are local, but I guess that doesn’t matter to the folks in the accounting department.

Of all the remarkable things about their season one of them is this: if the Chargers had simply tied the Raiders, that would have sent both to the playoffs, but knocked the Steelers out.

“I never wanted to tie a game so bad in my life,” said Herbert on the sidelines during the game.

It didn’t happen, but it would have been a fitting end to the longest and – in some ways – the most interesting NFL season ever.

Despite losing to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday by 35-32 in overtime, this has been a good season for the Los Angeles Chargers. They’ve got a young quarterback in Justin Herbert on track to become a superstar, they contended for the post-season right up until the closing seconds of overtime of the last game of the season, and – perhaps most importantly – are filling (or close

Here are the schedule of games coming up for area pro teams.

• Los Angeles Rams: First round playoff game on Monday, Jan. 17 at SoFi Stadium hosting the Arizona Cardinals.

• Los Angeles Lakers (21-20): On Wednesday at Sacramento Kings; on Friday at Denver Nuggets.

• Los Angeles Clippers (20-21): Host the Denver Nuggets on

They’re charged up about the Chargers

Are you interested in placing advertising in The Orange County Tribune (print and website)? Call Jim at (714) 458-1860 for details.

Sports Calendar

Tuesday; host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.

• Los Angeles Kings (17-135): On Thursday hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins; on Saturday visiting the Seattle Kraken.

• Anaheim Ducks (19-12-7): Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday; visit the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

Final out: It was on this day in 1972 the Lakers’ record 33-game winning streak was broken by the Milwaukee Bucks by the score of 120-104. How did they do it? Future Laker Kareem Abdul Jabbar scored 39 points.

What an audition!

High school hoops scores

Results from recent area high school basketball games.

TUESDAY Boys Empire League • Cypress 55, Pacifica 39 Golden West League • Garden Grove 50, Godinez 25 Orange League • Western 61, Santa Ana Valley 32 Girls Empire League • Cypress 71, Pacifica 33 Golden West League • Godinez 45, Garden Grove 27 Orange League • Magnolia 56, Century 46 • Santa Ana Valley 42, Western 36 Surf League • Corona del Mar 59, Huntington Beach 34 Wave League • Newport Harbor 52, Edison 26 • Laguna Beach 40, Marina 13 MONDAY Boys Garden Grove League • Loara 63, Los Amigos 32 Girls Garden Grove League • Loara 36, Los Amigos 32 Non-league • Huntington Beach 65, Marina 21

8 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12, 2022/ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE

TheSportsPage

SportsWeek

Rams vs. Cards in another rematch of NFC West rivals They split the season series; who’s favored this time? And adieu Chargers After one of the most exciting finishes in a recent NFL season, one has to wonder: did adding another game to the schedule contribute to the excitement? If so, why not make it an 18week season?

The Los Angeles Rams will be playing an 18th game next Monday (Jan. 17) against a familiar foe, the Arizona Cardinals.

As NFC West foes, they played twice and split, the Cards winning the first 37-20 and the Rams the second, by 30-23.

You might think that having the game at SoFi would give LAR an advantage, but probably not. The last game in Inglewood between the two teams was won by the Cards, who play better on the road (8-1) than they do at home (3-5).

CLOSE COMPETITION IN PACIFICA-JFK GAME Gerald Ayers (44) manuevers against Lucas Marcroft (OCT photos)

Rough debut in tough league as Mariners fall to the Irish But the team that may be most on the minds of Rams coaches and players may not be Arizona. On Sunday they lost to the San Francisco Giants 2724 in overtime. That didn’t keep them from winning the NFC West, but it did represent their sixth loss in a row to their in-state rivals.

“In the moment right now, this is a tough feeling,” said Coach Sean Continued on page 7

GOOD AND BAD VS. NINERS Matt Stafford had TDs but also interceptions

Pacifica boys hit a cold streak in loss to Kennedy High

MORE HIGH SCHOOL results on page 7.

By Jim Tortolano Orange County Tribune

It’s a measure of how competitive the Empire League is that a team with 12 wins going into the league opener was bested Friday night by a team with just five.

Tough league? “It always is,” said Pacifica boys’ basketball coach David Friedman said after the Mariners fell 47-42 to the Kennedy Fighting Irish at the PHS gymnasium.

The game was tight throughout, with the home team leading 3634 at the end of the third quarter.

Then Kennedy’s Ryan Soto sunk a three-pointer to give the Irish a lead at 37-36 they would never give up.

They was the start of an 11-point run that would

FIGHT FOR THE BALL Shaun Fabisiak (5) and Ryan Soto. build up a to 45-36 lead with 28 seconds left to play.

But the M’s were not giving up. Noah Salas hit a trey with eight seconds to play to cut the lead to 45-39 then tightened it to 45-42 with another bomb with just one-tenth of a second on the clock.

However, the last-second miracle was not to be, as Kyle Hong sunk two free throws to end the game and give the Irish a

6-10 record overall and dropping the Mariners to 12-4 overall.

Christian Mai led the blueblack-and-white with 11 points, followed by Noah Salas with eight. For JFK, Soto had 15 points and Hong added nine. Lucas Marcroft finished with eight.

Of course, one game does not a season make.

Pacifica were in action again on Tuesday, hosting Cypress, then hit the road to Irvine to visit Crean Lutheran. Kennedy next hosted Valencia on Tuesday and then Tustin next Friday.

It’s going to be a struggle throughout the schedule with three of the six teams (Tustin with 16 wins, Pacifica with 12 and Crean with 11) in double figures with victories.

As Friedman said, “it always is.”