Bosco

Mater Dei trailed 24-3. The Trinity League title appeared destined to belong to St. John Bosco, another win to cap an undefeated for the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.

Until Chris Henry Jr. emerged for two touchdowns and 214 yards on five receptions.

“He could be a track star,” said Mater Dei coach Raul Lara, referencing Henry’s 70-yard touchdown catch near the end of the second quarter.

Until Kayden Dixon-Wyatt took over alongside his teammate — both Ohio State commits — and turned on the burners for three second-half scores.

“I wish I could be the quarterback,” Lara joked about his senior wide receivers.

Testing the wide receiver corps of Mater Dei — who outpowered the Braves’ impressive trio of Division I-committed receivers — left St. John Bosco hapless on Friday night in Bellflower. Mater Dei (7-2, 4-1) finished on a 33-7 run, Ryan Hopkins tossing five touchdowns in that span to help the Monarchs defeat St. John Bosco 36-31 in comeback fashion.

Mater Dei High’s CJ Lavender Jr. leaps high to make an interception during the game against St. John Bosco on Friday night.

(Craig Weston)

Hopkins finished 13-of-21 passing for 295 yards and the five touchdowns.

All of the doubts over the Monarchs’ regular-season campaign could be close to washed away as the second-half domination confirmed another year when Mater Dei at least owns a share of the Trinity League title.

Since Santa Margarita (7-3, 4-1) also won Friday — defeating JSerra 41-14 — the Eagles, along with Mater Dei and St. John Bosco (9-1, 4-1) earned a share of the Trinity League crown.

Defensive stands set up plays such as Henry’s 70-yard touchdown grab to cut the Braves’ lead to seven with 4:12 remaining in the third quarter. Mater Dei defensive back CJ Lavender Jr. forced and recovered a fumble in the first quarter to set up the Monarchs’ first points: a field goal.

Lavender then intercepted St. John Bosco sophomore quarterback Koa Malau’ulu twice more.

One pick created a silver-platter touchdown for Dixon-Wyatt, who finished with four receptions for 46 yards and three touchdowns, while the other turnover allowed Mater Dei to seal the game on fourth and 10 from its own 10-yard line.

“Anything he threw, I was going to go get it,” said Lavender, who now has a team-high seven interceptions on the season.

Mater Dei receiver Chris Henry Jr. hauls in a pass over his shoulder ahead of two St. John Bosco defenders on Friday night.

(Craig Weston)

Before the final interception — which came with 1:34 remaining in the game — St. John Bosco was driving. An unsportsmanlike penalty even provided the Braves at first and inches from the goal line.

But a bad snap to Malau’ulu pushed the Braves backward to the seven-yard line. A run for a loss brought St. John Bosco to the 10-yard line that then led to an interception.

Henry, who hadn’t played since Oct. 10 against Orange Lutheran, said he was itching to get back out on the field to play St. John Bosco.

“It was really difficult,” Henry said of his time off the field. “But I was ready for a game like this.”

Henry will have plenty more opportunities upcoming in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, starting next week.

The trio of Trinity League teams likely will see Sierra Canyon (10-0) — which finished its Mission League-winning campaign with a 52-3 victory over Loyola — among the teams they could face off against in the playoffs.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. With two weeks left in the football regular season, teams are trying to wrap up league titles. But one thing we’ve already learned: St. John Bosco’s collection of receivers are second to none.

Carson Clark of St. John Bosco catches 62-yard touchdown pass and leaves Logan Hirou of Santa Margarita chasing him.

(Craig Weston)

When you have four top receivers and spread the ball to each, you are close to unbeatable. That’s what St. John Bosco has with receivers Madden Williams, Carson Clark, Daniel Odom and DJ Tubbs. Each caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Koa Malau’ulu in a 27-14 win over Santa Margarita last week. Here’s the report.

Upon further reflection, this has to be the best receiving group ever for St. John Bosco, which is 8-0. When Malau’ulu has time to throw and the Braves mix in a little running, their offense is something else. Williams, a Texas A&M commit, has improved every season. Odom, an Oklahoma commit, and Clark, a San Jose State commit, patiently waited their turns. And Tubbs, only a sophomore, is a future college commit.

Los Alamitos won its eighth consecutive football game and first in the Alpha League with a 41-22 win over Edison.

The player drawing rave reviews is running back/defensive back/punter Lenny Ibarra, who’s committed to Army and rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns while repeatedly refusing to go down unless tackled by multiple players. One opposing coach sent me a text: “Ibarra=Skattebo,” referring to the former Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo, known for his punishing running.

Los Alamitos closes the regular season with games against San Clemente this week and a showdown against Mission Viejo on Oct. 30.

Caden Jones of Crean Lutheran continues to be one of the best athletes in Southern California. The starting point guard for the basketball team, he’s also a terrific quarterback. He passed for 314 yards and five touchdowns in a win over La Habra.

Crespi took control of the Del Rey League race with a 31-16 comeback win over Salesian. Somto Nwute had three sacks for the unbeaten Celts (8-0).

It was a big week for freshman quarterbacks. Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran was 17 for 17 passing for 368 yards and three touchdowns in a win over JSerra. Ford Green of Westlake passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns in a double overtime win over Newbury Park. Westlake, 0-10 last season, is 8-0. Marcus Washington of Cajon passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Redlands East Valley.

Long Beach Wilson defeated Long Beach Poly for the first time since 1991.

The Southern Section is scheduled to announce the site for its Division 1 championship game on Monday, and the speculation is a return to the Rose Bowl, where St. John Bosco and Mater Dei played in 2022, drawing almost 16,000.

Here’s a list of top individual performances from last week.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s this week’s complete schedule.

What a week it was for City Section football.

Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes set a school record with 420 yards rushing and four touchdowns in win over South Gate

(Nick Koza)

Ceasar Reyes of Garfield turned in the greatest performance by a running back in Bulldogs history, rushing for 420 yards in 42 carries and scoring four touchdowns in a 39-28 win over South Gate that clinched at least a share of the Eastern League title. Here’s the report. It’s now time for the game that draws the largest regular season crowd: the East Los Angeles Classic. Garfield faces Roosevelt on Friday at East Los Angeles College.

Palisades improved to 8-0 and clinched at least a share of the Western League championship by holding off University 19-17. University had the ball on the Palisades eight-yard line with 49 seconds left when a lost fumble cost the Warriors a potential huge upset victory.

King/Drew defeated Dorsey 17-16 to set up a Coliseum League title decider on Friday night at Crenshaw.

Eagle Rock is going to be the Northern League champion after defeating Franklin 42-28. Quarterback Liam Pasten passed for 290 yards and four touchdowns and Melion Busano rushed for 92 yards and one touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and had an 81-yard kickoff return.

Here’s this week’s top 10 City rankings by The Times.

‘The Lion’ roars at Eagle Rock

Senior Melion Busano of Eagle Rock has become one of the best running backs in the City Section after never playing football until sophomore year.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Melion Busano has become one of the best City Section running backs at Eagle Rock in his senior season, and how he even started playing football in his sophomore year is a story itself.

Here’s the report.

Lessons from Max

Loyola’s Max Meier (97) rushes against Gardena Serra at SoFi Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

Stanford-bound Max Meier of Loyola lost his home to the Palisades fire and lost his best friend, Braun Levi, to a suspected drunk driver. The lessons he has learned this year alone and his attitude of giving his all every day is something inspirational.

Here’s the report.

The Southern Section flag football playoffs begin this week, with unbeaten JSerra (23-0) seeded No. 1 in the Division 1 bracket.

Here’s the complete brackets.

JSerra owns two wins over No. 2-seeded Orange Lutheran, the defending Division 1 champion. This is a much more balanced Division 1 bracket, with lots of challenges ahead for all 16 teams. JSerra hosts Trabuco Hills on Thursday and Orange Lutheran hosts Redondo Union. Nine of the 16 teams are from Orange County.

Dos Pueblos quarterback Kacey Hurley.

(Michael Owen Baker/For The Times)

Ventura County is represented by a top opener, with Oxnard playing at Camarillo. Dos Pueblos is another title contender, hosting Etiwanda.

Girls volleyball

Sierra Canyon is seeded No. 1 for the Southern Section Division 1 girls volleyball playoffs.

Here’s the link to complete pairings.

Notes . . .

Long Beach Poly’s football team has forfeited a nonleague game against Tustin because of an ineligible player, dropping to 3-5. . . .

Newport Harbor’s water polo team won the North-South challenge championship, defeating Cathedral Catholic 15-11 in the final, avenging its only defeat during a 25-1 regular season. . . .

Wrestler Michael Kase from Chaminade has committed to Cal Poly. . . .

Kicker AJ Salo of Chaminade has committed to the University of Chicago. . . .

Junior swimmer Chloe Teger of Villa Park has committed to North Carolina State. . . .

Redondo Union will be hosting a terrific group of girls basketball teams Nov. 24-29, including defending state champion Etiwanda. . . .

Tajh Ariza (right) and Malachi Harris of Westchester celebrate after winning the City Section Open Division title on Friday night.

(Nick Koza)

Tajh Ariza, the 6-foot-9 senior who had transferred from Westchester to St. John Bosco, has now left St. John Bosco and will enroll at a prep school. Ariza is committed to Oregon and was the co-City Section player of the year last season at Westchester. . . .

Junior infielder Sam Pink of Great Oak has committed to San Diego State for baseball. . . .

Cornerback Jayden Crowder from Santa Margarita has committed to USC. . . .

At the Orange County cross-country championship, Woodbridge junior Aidan Antonio set a course record at 13:56. Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the girls sweepstakes race in 15:47.3.

From the archives: Miller Moss

Former Bishop Alemany quarterback Miller Moss in 2019. He led Louisville to an upset of No. 2 Miami.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

It’s been a long journey for former Bishop Alemany and USC quarterback Miller Moss. Last week, he helped Louisville upset No. 2 Miami.

Good grades and good patience have always been the impressive qualities displayed by Moss. He missed his senior year in 2020, which was the COVID season. He spent 2021 through 2024 at USC. After leaving USC, there was little doubt he’d have success wherever he ended up. Louisville offered a new beginning.

Here’s a story from 2020 on his decision to choose USC out of high school.

Here’s a story from 2024 when Moss fulfilled a dream, being named the starting quarterback at USC.

Here’s a story from last summer when Moss returned to hold a youth camp after losing his home to the Palisades fire.

Recommendations

From Nebraska, a story on how transfers are changing high school sports.

From ESPN, a story about a lawsuit in Ohio trying to allow high school athletes to profit off NIL.

From Footballscoop.com, a story on a coach in Pennsylvania having to resign under parental pressure after disciplining players.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Loyola and UCLA quarterback Jerry Neuheisel.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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On the day he turned 17, Jack Champlin gave himself his own best birthday present, one he got to share with his teammates.

The junior right-hander needed 27 pitches to retire all seven batters he faced to wrap up St. John Bosch’s 4-0 shutout of San Diego Patrick Henry in the Southern California Regional Division I championship game.

“I’m going to dinner with my family and my girlfriend,” he said when asked what he would do to celebrate. “I’m not sure where yet, but there are a lot of good places around here and we’ll make a decision.”

Champlin pitched in all seven playoff games for the Braves, picking up two wins and five saves, giving up no runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings.

“I don’t really feel the pressure … as a closer you need to have confidence in your stuff and I’m just happy to be put in that position,” said Champlin, who fielded a grounder back to the mound and underhanded a toss to first base for the final out of the season. “We knew our starter [Brayden Krakowski] had pitched earlier in the week and only had 14 outs remaining, so the gameplan was for me to come in after that or before if necessary. As it turned out I was able to finish each playoff game with the ball in my hand every single time.”

Krakowksi allowed three hits and got all the support he needed in the first inning, as James Clark led off the bottom half with a triple and scored on a single by Noah Everly. Miles Clark added a two-out RBI single. In the next inning St. John Bosco doubled its lead when James Clark hit an RBI double and later scored on an infield single by Jaden Jackson.

St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin struck out three of the seven batters he faced to earn the save Saturday afternoon against Patrick Henry.

St. John Bosco beat eighth-seeded San Diego St. Augustine 2-1 in the first round and No. 5 Villa Park 7-4 in the semifinals in a rematch of the Braves’ 4-3 nine-inning triumph in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals.

Patrick Henry had lost 3-0 to Granite Hills in the San Diego Section Open Division final but after back-to-back victories over two of the best Southern Section teams in Santa Margarita and Crespi, the Patriots (23-11-2) came to Bellflower confident they could upset the No. 1-ranked team in California.

It did not happen. Instead, the Braves notched their 19th consecutive win, 30th in 34 games and capped an historic campaign, which included a 3-2 walk-off victory over Santa Margarita to capture the program’s first Southern Section crown May 30 after losing to Beckman 2-1 in eight innings in the Division 3 title game last season.

“We’ve proven ourselves,” Champlin said in the midst of a celebration on the same field where he and his returning teammates rallied to defeat Bakersfield Christian 5-4 and claim the Division III regional championship last June.

Champlin took the hill with one out in the top of the seventh inning in last year’s regional final, got the final two outs, and was credited with the win when the Braves scored the game-ending run on a balk in the bottom of the inning.

Saturday’s achievement was even sweeter because it was accomplished at the highest level and was a testament to second-year coach Andy Rojo, who held the first-place plaque high and declared “We won the West!” as his players surrounded him.

“It’ll take a lot for any team to match what we’ve done winning by three titles in one year — the Trinity League championship, the Southern Section Division 1 championship and the regional Division I championship,” said Rojo, who got his squad to the top of the mountain despite losing 12 players to graduation — including pitcher Anthony Cosme (Cal Poly Pomona), center fielder Julian Villasenor (Washington State) and first baseman Zach Woodson (Pepperdine). “Tomorrow will be two months since we lost a game (the Braves last suffered defeat on April 8 against Santa Margarita). I couldn’t be more proud.”

St. John Bosco is one win a way from a rare Triple Crown — winning championships in the Trinity League, Southern Section Division 1 title and Southern California Division I regional.

The Braves (29-4) advanced to the regional final with a 7-4 win over Villa Park on Thursday in the semifinals. They will play host to Patrick Henry from the San Diego Section at 4 p.m. Saturday for the title.

Noah Everly had two hits and two RBIs while Jaden Jackson had two hits. Jack Champlin pitched in his sixth playoff game, getting his fourth save. He has yielded no runs in 9 1/3 playoff innings. He also had an sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth when the Braves scored two runs. Aidan Young had two hits for Villa Park.

Patrick Henry 5, Crespi 3: Tyson Bobo threw a complete game for Patrick Henry. The Celts played without several of their senior standouts.

Point Loma 6, San Dimas 4: The Pointers advanced to the Division II final. Michael Hall had a two-run home run.

Banning 3, Rancho Mirage 2: The Pilots have made it to the Division IV final, scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Angelo Duarte had the big hit in the inning.

Softball

El Modena 8, Poway 6: Parker Mayes hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Division I semifinal. El Modena will host Chula Vista Mater Dei at 4 p.m. Saturday. Mater Dei defeated Bonita Vista 5-4. It was Mayes’ second home run of the game.

Legacy 2, St. Bonaventure 1: Brianna Gonzalez hit a home run and Yesenia Villegas had an RBI single during a two-run fifth inning to lift Legacy into the Division III championship game. Savannah Medina threw a complete game.

To say that St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita engaged in a championship baseball game on Friday night that will be remembered for a lifetime would be an understatement.

“This game was special, something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. You really had to fight for it,” said St. John Bosco left fielder Noah Everly.

It was a Southern Section Division 1 final filled with drama. Teenagers came through with big play after big play until finally in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, Miles Clark hit a walk-off single up the middle to give St. John Bosco a 3-2 victory and its first baseball championship before a sold-out crowd of 3,010 at Cal State Fullerton.

“It hurts a lot,” Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec said. “It was a great effort by both sides. There were so many amazing moments.”

Let’s start with Santa Margarita pitcher Brennan Bauer, who threw five scoreless innings of relief and somehow escaped twice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game going. First he had a 3-and-1 count to Everly and got a pop fly with one out. Then he had a 3-2 count with Moises Razo and got a fly out to the warning track.

“That’s all Brennan,” Malec said.

In 22 1/3 playoff innings, Brenann won four games and gave up one earned run.

Then there was Everly coming through with a stunning catch on the run in left field in the top of the ninth inning to prevent a Santa Margarita extra base hit with a runner on first.

“That was an extraordinary catch,” Malec said.

Said Clark: “Oh my goodness, Noah came through.”

Coach Andy Rojo raises the championship plaque after St. John Bosco’s 3-2 win over Santa Margarita.

(Nick Koza)

So did Clark against relief pitcher Ethan Russell in the bottom of the ninth. Bauer had run out of innings, having reached his 10-inning max after throwing five innings against Crespi in the semifinals. Russell walked Razo on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Clark.

“We were locked in the whole game,” Clark said. “We didn’t lose our mental focus. I kept telling my guys we have to stay focused.”

Razo had a two-run double in the first inning to give the Braves an early lead. Santa Margarita took advantage of an error and closed it to 2-1 in the second on Brody Schumaker’s second hit. The Eagles tied tied it at 2-2 in the fifth with a squeeze bunt by Blake Ankrum, the third sacrifice of the game.

After Gavin Cervantes started on the mound and freshman Brayden Krakowski pitched into the sixth inning, St. John Bosco turned to its closer, Jack Champlin, who was magnificent. In four scoreless innings, he gave up one hit with four strikeouts. At one point, a Santa Margarita batter appeared to challenge Champlin after the count went to 3-0. Champlin struck him out, unleashing a fist pump.

St. John Bosco ended up being the most consistent team in the Southland for the 2025 season. The Braves went 27-4 and became the first Trinity League champion to win a Division 1 title. All the other Trinity League teams that have won Division 1 never won the league title. And beating top-seeded Corona 2-0 on Tuesday was quite an accomplishment itself.

Major League Baseball has been trying for years to increase the number of Black players participating in the sport, creating such programs as the Compton Youth Academy and the DREAM Series. There were 59 Black players on opening day MLB rosters, a slight increase from the previous year but far from the numbers in the 1980s.

St. John Bosco’s baseball team, which plays for a Southern Section Division 1 championship on Friday against Santa Margarita at Cal State Fullerton, offers hope for the future with five Black players in the starting lineup.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” center fielder Miles Clark said.

The sports of football and basketball have been taking away Black athletes, but St. John Bosco’s group of Clark, his twin brother James, Noah Everly, Jaden Jackson and Macade Maxwell have embraced baseball and put themselves in position to pursue college baseball and beyond.

Each player offers speed and athleticism. Maxwell had an RBI single in the semifinals against Seth Hernandez of Corona. James Clark and Everly lead the team in hitting at .394 and .347, respectively. St. John Bosco won its first Trinity League title since 2017 and is 24-5. …

Santa Margarita is much improved after getting players back from injuries, so ignore the fact it has 12 losses. Carter Enoch came back to add hitting to the Eagles’ lineup and Brennan Bauer has been the winning pitcher in all four playoff games. Seventeen seniors are graduating at 10 a.m. at the Honda Center.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Jack Champlin, a junior pitcher for St. John Bosco, surveyed the memorable scene Tuesday afternoon. There were fans standing everywhere — down the lines, around the outfield walls, in the press box. It was the top of the seventh inning, and No. 1 Corona had two runners aboard trying to rally in the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.

“I love it,” he said. “There’s close to 1,000 people and it’s electric. I didn’t feel any pressure, didn’t feel nervous.”

He got a strikeout and fly ball to save St. John Bosco’s stunning 2-0 victory over Corona and unbeaten pitcher Seth Hernandez, who had never lost in two years of high school baseball.

“Tough day for people who don’t normally have tough days,” said Corona coach Andy Wise, who guided the Panthers to the Division 1 title last season and saw his team’s record drop to 28-3.

The Braves will play Trinity League rival Santa Margarita in Friday’s 7 p.m. Division 1 championship game at Cal State Fullerton.

Everything St. John Bosco needed to do to pull off victory happened. Left-hander Trevor Heishman gave up one hit in 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He struck out Corona’s hottest hitter, Anthony Murphy, three times.

The Braves refused to be intimidated by the 99-mph fastball of Hernandez, who came in with just four walks and 96 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings and an 18-0 record in high school baseball. He struck out nine, walked three and gave up a run in the second inning on consecutive singles by Champlin and Macade Maxwell. St. John Bosco scored another run in the fifth on a Hernandez balk.

“He’s just another player like us,” Champlin said of the Braves’ attitude toward Hernandez, one of the top pro prospects in the nation. “We weren’t scared. We came out with confidence we were going to win from the time we stepped on the field.

Second-year coach Andy Rojo has St. John Bosco in the Division 1 final.

(Nick Koza)

In two years as head coach, Andy Rojo has taken the Braves to the Division 3 final (last season) and now the Division 1 final on Friday.

His batters made Hernandez throw 92 pitches in five innings and hit the ball hard when they needed. “The key for us we wanted to put the ball in play,” he said.

St. John Bosco has never won a section baseball title after all the success the football and basketball teams have had. But this 26-4 team won the Trinity League championship for the first time since 2017 and has beaten Santa Margarita two of three times this season.

And they’ve got Champlin ready to be the closer again on Friday.

“I haven’t had a blown save,” he said with the confidence of a true closer.

Santa Margarita 12, Crespi 0: Ben Finnegan had three hits and four RBIs and Brennan Bauer gave up two hits in five scoreless innings to send the Eagles into the Division 1 championship game.

Mater Dei 5, Fountain Valley 4: A three-run sixth inning propelled the Monarchs to the comeback win in the Division 2 semifinals. Lawson Olmstead broke a 4-4 tie with an RBI single. Brandon Thomas picked up the save in the seventh and will pitch in the championship game.

West Ranch 8, Etiwanda 7: Ty Diaz had a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning, culminating in a three-run comeback victory in the Division 2 semifinals. Etiwanda took a 7-5 lead with two runs in the top of the eighth. Diaz finished with three hits and two RBIs.

San Dimas 4, Beckman 1: The Saints advance to the Division 3 championship game. They will face Glendora, a 7-5 winner over Temecula Valley.

There was drama, clutch hitting and a little luck in Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game between Crespi and Mira Costa.

“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky,” Crespi coach Mike Glendenning said.

The game ended in the bottom of the ninth with a Nate Lopez pop fly falling in left field as Mira Costa’s shortstop, left fielder and center fielder tried to catch it. It scored the winning run in the Celts’ 3-2 victory.

What a game it was. Tyler Walton was cruising along with a one-hitter and a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning for Crespi. With one swing, Lucas Schermer of Mira Costa sent an 89 mph fastball far over the left-field wall to give the Mustangs a 2-1 lead. Crespi fans were stunned and suddenly silent.

Just before Crespi players went to hit in the bottom of the seventh, catcher Landon Hodge gathered his teammates in the dugout and reminded them to trust each other.

“We’ve been here before and came through,” he said.

Up came Gavin Huff, one of 11 seniors set to graduate Friday night. He hit a ball to left field into the wind down the line. It carried to the foul pole, struck it, then caromed back onto the field. The umpires signaled home run to tie the game.

Mira Costa junior pitcher Garrett Jacobs was magnificent, striking out six in seven innings. Hodge finished with three hits for Crespi (24-2). Diego Velazquez threw three scoreless innings of relief. Mira Costa (28-3) had its 26-game winning streak come to an end. Crespi advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals against host Santa Margarita.

Gavin Huff of Crespi gets hug in dugout after his game-tying home run in the bottom of the seventh.

(Craig Weston)

Afterward, Crespi’s seniors were hustled into two vans and driven from Hartunian Field to the Celts’ Encino campus to shower, change and participate in graduation ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. Hodge’s uniform, hands and arms were so covered in dirt from three hours of catching, sliding and hitting that he might have needed a car wash to make it to graduation.

More drama happened at Villa Park, where Trinity League champion St. John Bosco pulled out a 4-3 win in nine innings. Jaden Jefferson had an RBI double in the top of the ninth. But the big moment was the bottom of the seventh, when Villa Park came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game and had the winning run on third with two outs. Jack Champlin came out of the bullpen to record a strikeout for the Braves.

Top-seeded Corona received a leadoff home run from Anthony Murphy, his 11th of the season, and relied on a one-hitter from Ethin Bingaman to get past Norco 2-0. Norco freshman pitcher Jordan Ayala impressed with his performance. It will be Corona at St. John Bosco in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Santa Margarita got a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh from Warren Gravely IV to defeat Los Alamitos 5-4. Before that, Los Alamitos tied the game on a Sutton Deninno home run in the seventh.

Division 2

West Ranch 10, Sultana 0: Hunter Manning threw a no-hitter and struck out eight to move West Ranch into the Division 2 semifinals. It was the second no-hitter this week by West Ranch pitchers. Nolan Stoll and Mikey Murr hit home runs.

Etiwanda 8, Servite 3: Derick Kim had two hits and four RBIs and LJ Roellig and Josh Adams hit home runs to send the Eagles into the Division 2 semifinals.

Fountain Valley 5, Torrrance 2: Logan Hunt threw five scoreless innings while allowing one hit for Fountain Valley.

Mater Dei 2, Foothill 0: Brandon Thomas struck out 13 with no walks for the Monarchs, his second shutout of the Division 2 playoffs. Gavin Lauridsen struck out nine for Foothill.

City Section

University 8, Jefferson 1: Evan Han had two hits and two RBIs in the City Section Division III championship game.