The City Section might have a contender for small-schools basketball success in Sylmar-based Triumph, a charter school that opened in 2010 and is having its best season ever.
The Jaguars, under coach Fabian Avila, have been led by the Garcia brothers, Antonio, a 6-foot-3 senior, and Damian, a freshman point guard.
Antonio was one of the leading scorers in the City Section last season and is averaging 19 points this season.
“He’s very strong and physical,” Avila said.
His brother is averaging 11 points.
Probably the best win for Triumph was over AGBU when Antonio scored 22 points.
Triumph, which has an enrollment of fewer than 400 students, relies on multiple-sport athletes. One of the players is playing basketball and soccer simultaneously.
Avila is in his ninth year and said this is his best team. There are no transfers and all are students from the Sylmar area.
Last season, the team made it to the Division IV semifinals before losing when it was down to five players because of injuries. This season, the roster is at 13 with freshmen helping out.
The school has won one City title — in boys’ volleyball.
The big question is where Triumph will be placed in the playoffs depending on computer rankings.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2026 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former ones), coaches and fans:
JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, armed with passports from the United States, Israel and Australia, will soar so far past 7 feet in the high jump that national organizations from three different countries will fight to have him represent their team. …
Striker Pence, a sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball, will receive an endorsement deal from a radar gun company. …
The UCLA-USC women’s basketball games will have so many celebrities and former players wanting to be seen that TMZ won’t need to pay for video. …
The high school soccer debut of incoming freshman Zoe Thompson, sister of Alyssa and Giselle, will be so big that Harvard-Westlake will need to give out red bibs to photographers to identify who’s real media. …
Norco junior shortstop Dylan Seward will hit for the cycle. …
Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis on July 11, 2024.
(SCGA)
St. Francis sophomore golfer Jaden Soong will win a second straight CIF championship, then have to answer the same question over and over, “When are you turning pro?” …
Gary Morse, a 6-foot-8 senior pitcher at Orange Lutheran, should be one of the best in the Southland in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Orange Lutheran 6-foot-8 senior pitcher Gary Morse will throw a no-hitter, then find a hoop and celebrate with a dunk. …
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay (left) and sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna will be key players for Birmingham in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The Birmingham sophomore pitcher/catcher duo of Carlos Acuna and Jordan Lindsay will lead the Patriots to the City Section baseball title, then celebrate with a dogpile at Dodger Stadium in which the 6-2, 200-pound Lindsay protects Acuna from being suffocated at the bottom by teammates. …
Santa Margarita shortstop Brody Schumaker (left) and his father, Skip, the manager of the Texas Rangers.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker, who had eight bunt singles last season, will be asked by his father, Skip, the new manager of the Texas Rangers, to show off his bunting skills at spring training. …
Brian Prince of Cathedral will break 47 seconds in the 400 meters. …
Rickee Luevano of Sylmar and Xavier Allen of Carson will battle to be the home run champion in the City Section. …
Eastvale Roosevelt’s Aubrey McLaughlin, who won a gold medal playing for the Team USA U-18 softball team in the World Cup, will break out her new jewelry for a showdown game against Norco. …
All-City linebackers De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw and Elyjah Staples of Marquez will become among the first City Section players to receive NIL deals. …
You always know someone is an old time baseball coach when you see a pencil attached to an ear. Some kids don’t know what a pencil is. Cypress’ John Weber. pic.twitter.com/FWcpNdA2Jk
Cypress baseball coach John Weber will receive an NIL deal from a pencil company because he’s always walking around with a pencil tucked behind his ear. …
The amazing Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial will try anything. 10 interceptions as a junior. Snowboarder. Starting center fielder. Now he’s on the mound. pic.twitter.com/3QBbu8XCb8
Corona Centennial’s All-CIF defensive back Jaden Walk-Green, who also starts in center field for the baseball team, will show so much promise snowboarding that he’ll decide to seek an Olympic Games berth in 2028. …
George Hastings of Agoura will try to play every position in a football game this season. …
There will be so many quarterbacks transferring that MaxPreps’ digital rosters will go down from too many clicks. …
PlayOn, which owns MaxPreps, GoFan and the NFHS Network, will go for a California prep sports monopoly by bidding for the CIF state playoffs contract that runs out in June. …
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite will record so many pancake blocks that IHOP will sign him to promote a week of all-you-can eat pancakes for anyone who weighs 280 pounds and up. . . .
A basketball official, tired of hearing a parent complain about his calls, will stop the game, give his whistle to the parent and dare him to take over. …
Louis Lappe, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo walk-off home run off Curacao’s Jay-Dlynn Wiel during the sixth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game iin 2023.
Shohei Ohtani will be spotted working out at a high school baseball field, causing multiple helicopters to be dispatched to provide commentary like an L.A. car chase. …
USC will resolve any red-zone scoring deficiencies by installing freshman Trent Mosley at wildcat quarterback. …
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will be UCLA’s closer this season.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will become the long-sought standout closer to lead UCLA to the NCAA baseball title. …
With four Southern California players on its roster, led by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame grad Ella Parker, Oklahoma’s softball team will hold a beach day at practice to make sure its SoCal players are not feeling homesick. …
Freshman tight end Austin Miller of Bellflower will be the first to motivate new UCLA coach Bob Chesney to drop by campus for a personal introduction. …
Valencia sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister will be a breakout passing star. …
After nine consecutive years of Northern California teams losing in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl final, the CIF will agree to allow postseason transfers to De La Salle or San Mateo Serra so they can be competitive. …
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner, shows her medals after returning from the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)
Bailey Turner of Huntington Beach, the ISA World Junior Surf Championhip winner, will continue her preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games by riding one big wave after another. …
After the Cleveland Browns’ Carson Schwesinger is named defensive rookie of the year, all the people who didn’t rate him highly at Oaks Christian during his high school days will use magic markers to update their star rankings.
The 2026 high school football transfer tracker is officially launched to identify top players switching schools in Southern California.
There were more than 17,000 transfers statewide last school year, and football is the sport that consistently has more than any.
According to CIF rules, players who transfer and physically move along with their family are eligible immediately to play at the new school. If a player transfers and his family doesn’t move, there’s a sit-out period of close to 50% of the season. The date athletes become eligible in the fall after sitting out is Sept. 28, 2026, for the Southern Section and Sept. 24, 2026, for the City Section.
Listed players are confirmed as having switched schools through social media or from coaches, parents or players. Their transfer eligibility remains uncertain until paperwork is submitted to the Southern Section or City Section. Names will be updated each week, with the latest at the top. Students have been known to change their minds, too, before the season begins.
Jaden Jefferson
Previous school: Cathedral
New school: Corona Centennial
Position: Quarterback
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: He’s a small but dynamic quarterback with tremendous ability to pass and run. He has been a starter since freshman year.
Quentin Hale
Previous school: Cathedral
New school: Corona Centennial
Position: Receiver
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: Had 62 receptions and 12 touchdown catches in 2025.
Simote Tupou
Previous school: Henderson (Nev.) Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon
New school: St. John Bosco
Position: Defensive line
Year in the fall of 2026: Junior
Buzz: Had 19 sacks as a 6-1, 230-pound sophomore.
Koa Smith-Mayall
Previous school: JSerra
New school: Santa Margarita
Position: Quarterback
Year in the fall of 2026: Senior
Buzz: Was briefly JSerra’s starting QB and overcame injuries early in high school.
