Hoover sisters excel on the field -- and screen

	Whether it is on "The Bold and the Beautiful" or on the lacrosse field, the Hoover twins have impressed with their style. Adrenaline Lacrosse

Twins Addison and Alex Hoover are quick studies on and off the field. The 16-year-old juniors are the leading scorers for the Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) High lacrosse team and have been in the entertainment business since they were 11.

The photogenic twins, who both are 5-foot-8, 120 pounds, have combined for 36 goals this spring, 23 by Addison. Alex excels on defense as a midfielder, while Addison is an attacker. They are double trouble for opponents and great ambassadors of lacrosse, promoting it in every possible way on the West Coast.

The Hoovers love lacrosse so much, in fact, that they have put their budding acting careers on hold. "We had to give up a lot of commercials and auditions for sitcoms," Addison says. "It's a choice. We didn't really give up anything. Lacrosse is a big priority, as well as school."

On the entertainment side, their resume includes a year on CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, four episodes on Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, many commercials and several modeling stints. They even took turns playing a character on the 200th episode of ER.

"They are competitive and brutal against each other," says their father, Don. "Alex is very vocal on the field, almost a coach at times. They're not big-headed at all. They'd never tell you that they are in acting."

During their grade school years, the twins used their natural speed to become standouts in soccer and track. Their lives changed dramatically as seventh graders when they met lacrosse superstar Casey Powell while they were running sprints on the beach. Powell, a four-time All-America at Syracuse, introduced himself and a few days later gave them their first lacrosse sticks.

"Ever since we picked up a lacrosse stick, we haven't played any other sport," Alex says. "It is a captivating sport. It's all I needed -- running, hand-eye coordination, teamwork."

Addison says she fell in love with the sport because, "It's hand-eye coordination and more of a mind thing. In soccer you usually have one standout. In lacrosse everybody is a standout. It took me about two weeks to get the catch-and-throw down. It's so fun and you learn new stuff all the time."

The twins began playing lacrosse with the Newport Harbor High club team when they were in seventh grade. They stood out immediately, even though they were the youngest players. One year later they combined for all 10 goals in a historic upset victory over perennial power Thatcher.

When the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) began sanctioning lacrosse as an official sport, the Hoovers entered Corona del Mar full-time so they would be eligible to play. They both have a 3.0 GPA and are serious about some day attending a Division I college, perhaps North Carolina, to continue their lacrosse careers.

Of course, they still are most recognized because of their acting talents. Often after games older autograph seekers approach and call them by their soap opera names, Steffy and Phoebe Forrester.

As soon as the Sea Queens finish the high school season, Addison and Alex will continue playing for the club team in the offseason. If there's no organized game or tournament, they'll be the only girls playing "sand lacrosse" at the beach with boys (they have three older brothers).

"Trust me, we do not show any mercy," Addison says.

The twins also help coach younger players, start teams at private schools and promote their favorite sport wherever they go. That's why it's no surprise to hear Addison say, "[We] hope to own a men's team by the age of 35."

More notes

• Stow (Ohio) senior left-hander Cory Martin pitched a no-hitter and struck out 16 in a 2-0 victory over Solon (Ohio). It was the second career no-hitter for Martin, the son of Kent State football coach Doug Martin.

• Junior Chris Butler, who pitches, catches and plays two infield positions, belted grand-slam home runs in the fifth and seventh innings as Chaparral routed Eldorado, 15-3, in a matchup of Las Vegas baseball teams. Hitting in the cleanup slot, Butler is batting .412 with 27 RBIs in 18 games.

• Spanaway Lake (Spanaway, Wash.) senior Alisha Babbitt pitched a perfect game and struck out 19 during a 2-0 softball victory over Bethel. She also doubled and drove in a run in the first inning.

• Dean Johnson, 55, has retired as boys and girls soccer coach at Lakeland (Fla.) Christian with a combined 694-141-42 record in 31 years. His 28-year boys record of 514-95-25 ranks No. 3 in Florida history. He guided the Vikings to six state championships and four runnerup finishes.

• North Dakota State has signed Barnesville (Minn.) wrestler Kirk Anderson, who set a state record with 246 career victories. Anderson won state titles in 2004 at 112 pounds, 2005 at 119 and this year at 125. He qualified for the state tournament for the first time as a seventh grader.

• The nation's leading 400-meter runner, Jessica Beard of Euclid, Ohio, has signed with Texas A&M. She won the 400 last summer at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in a meet-record 52.04 seconds and will be seeking her fourth state championship this spring. The Aggies also have signed sprint star Gabby Mayo of Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.).

• Arcadia (Calif.) senior pitcher Jenna Rodriguez went the 17 innings, scattered eight hits and struck out 21 in a 3-1 softball victory over Monrovia. She also doubled home the winning runs for the Apaches.