Mater Dei’s Farley Commits to Play Football at New Mexico State

James Farley, a tailback/defensive back for Mater Dei who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, has committed to attend New Mexico State this fall, Farley said Friday.

“They just got a new staff of coaches and I felt like they were on their way to being a top-notch program,” Farley said.

New Mexico State in December hired an almost entirely new coaching staff, including former Mater Dei assistant Kendall Blackburn as defensive line coach.

Farley, who helped Mater Dei to the Southern Section Division I title this season, said he hopes to see playing time as a freshman defensive back “with some hard work.” He also had considered Villanova and Sacramento State.

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Tony Ciarelli was named football coach at Huntington Beach High, the school announced.

Ciarelli has been an assistant for the Newport Harbor football team the last eight seasons and also worked with the Sailor shot put and discus throwers. When Ciarelli leaves, Newport Harbor will lose its most well-renowned strength coach.

“He just did a super job for us and I’m sure he’ll find a way to make Huntington Beach a winner,” said Eric Tweit, Newport Harbor’s athletic director and track and field coach.

Ciarelli takes over at Huntington Beach for interim coach Mike Dodd, who replaced 13-year veteran George Pascoe after Pascoe was forced to resign.

Ciarelli, the brother of Huntington Beach volleyball Coach Rocky Ciarelli, is an alumnus of Huntington Beach High. He will teach at Newport Harbor this spring before taking over history/social studies classes at Huntington Beach in the fall.

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Megan Orach, a Marina High forward, has signed to play soccer at USC, her father, Ron, announced. Orach is a three-time All-Sunset League selection and led Marina to Southern Section championships in 1994 and 95.

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Joey Aversa, a standout infielder at Edison High, Golden West College and Southern California College, has signed a triple-A contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Aversa, who was a first-team All-Sunset League selection with Edison in 1986, also pitched for SCC in 1989 and ’90. He was drafted in the 40th round in 1990 by the St. Louis Cardinals.

His father, Joe, is the hitting coach at Fountain Valley High.

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Garrett Jansma of Newport Harbor has orally committed to play soccer for California next fall, his coach, Ziad Khoury said. Jansma, a standout midfielder, was the Sailors’ MVP last year and earned spots on the all-county and All-Sea View League teams.

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Tickets to the Toshiba Senior Classic, the Senior PGA Tour’s first California event of 1997, March 10-16, at the Newport Beach Country Club, are on sale at Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (213) 480-3232 or by calling the tournament office at (714) 646-9007.

Prices for daily tickets range from $5 to $25, season and weekend passes are $75 and $50, respectively, and clubhouse tickets at $125. Children 12 and younger are free.

The Toshiba Senior Classic raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Assn., and the National Dyslexia Research Foundation.