harvard-westlake

A look at The Times’ high school top 25 baseball rankings for the Southland after the first week of the season:

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO (0-0): Twins James and Miles Clark commit to Duke; 1

2. ORANGE LUTHERAN (0-0): Lancers begin season Friday against Crespi; 2

3. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (2-0): Texas commit Ira Rootman hits two home runs, gets six RBIs; 3

4. HUNTINGTON BEACH (1-0-1): Jared Grindlinger reclassifies to become potential first-round draft pick; 4

5. CORONA (1-0): Danny DeLaTorre hits two home runs in opening game; 5

6. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (2-0): Three pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in opening win; 6

7. ROYAL (1-0): Face Santa Monica on Tuesday; 8

8. NORCO (2-0): Dylan Seward is already hot at the plate; 14

9. CYPRESS (1-1): Face Harvard-Westlake on Friday; 9

10. SIERRA CANYON (1-1): Host Huntington Beach on Tuesday; 10

11. MATER DEI (0-0): Open on the road on Tuesday against Capistrano Valley; 12

12. EL DORADO (1-0): Win over Sierra Canyon shows off pitching; 18

13. ARCADIA (0-1); Was blanked by Charter Oak in opener; 11

14. AQUINAS (0-0): Open against Grand Terrace on Tuesday; 13

15. LA MIRADA (1-0): Two hits to start season for freshman Blake Barberena; 16

16. CORONA CENTENNIAL (0-1): 3-1 loss to Garden Grove Pacifica; 15

17. SOUTH HILLS (2-0): So far, so good with the pitching; 17

18. OAKS CHRISTIAN (2-0): Carson Sheffer begins season with two doubles, home run; 19

19. JSERRA (0-0): It’s time to get first look at outfielder Blake Bowen; 20

20. LOYOLA (1-0-1): Matthew Favela starts with three hits; 21

21. AYALA (1-0): Caleb Trugman debuts with eight strikeouts; 22

22. BONITA (1-0): Four scoreless innings from Ryder Gibson; 23

23. GAHR (1-0): Hitters came through in 16-3 win; 24

24. VILLA PARK (1-0): Jack McGuire starts with seven strikeouts in five innings; 25

25. MIRA COSTA (3-0): Strong pitching depth to start season; NR

From his first day attending classes at Harvard-Westlake’s middle school campus, which includes seventh- and eighth-graders, Louis Lappe was being recognized as a celebrity.

“A few of the seventh graders I guess they know me kind of,” Lappe said humbly.

Not kind of.

“Every day, I hear them,” freshman teammate Nate Englander said. “‘Are you Louis Lappe, the kid who hit the walk-off home run in the Little League World Series?’ Every grade, seriously.”

It’s time for the Louis Lappe Show to hit the high school ranks. The national hero as a 12-year-old who led El Segundo to the Little League world championship in 2023 is now 15 and set to begin his first year of high school baseball. He’ll be starting at third base for the Wolverines. He’s 6 feet 2 and is joined by two other top freshmen on Harvard-Westlake’s varsity team, the 6-2 Englander, an outfielder-pitcher, and the 6-2 Mateo Mier, a pitcher.

This reminds scouts of the spring of 2021, when Bryce Rainer, Tommy Bridges and Duncan Marsten started on the Wolverines’ varsity team as freshmen. Rainer became a first-round draft pick, Marsten is a standout pitcher at Wake Forest and Bridges went to Northwestern.

Englander still hasn’t forgiven Lappe for eliminating him and Sherman Oaks Little League in the 2023 regional playoffs.

El Segundo’s Louis Lappe celebrates as he rounds second 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 in 2023.

(Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)

“Obviously, it was difficult at the time,” Englander said. “We’re boys now. It’s amazing to reconnect. It’s going to be fun.”

During fall and winter ball, Lappe displayed occasional power, similar to what he did as a 12-year-old that allowed him to hit five home runs at the 2023 Little League World Series, including his walk-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Venezuela.

He had a .445 batting average in winter ball, second only to Vanderbilt-bound senior James Tronstein.

It’s still going to be a transition season for Lappe.

“It’s a whole new game. A whole new chapter I have to get used to,” he said. “The main thing will be getting used to the speed of the game. It’s much faster than 14-, 15-year-old travel ball. Everyone runs faster, throws harder. When we get used to that, we’ll be just fine.”

Lappe and Mier won gold medals during the summer playing for the USA 15U national team.

Mier is going to be placed immediately on the mound as part of a three-man starting pitching rotation used by pitching coach Joe Guntz to deal with some of the best hitters in the Southland.

“I think it’s more about finding your spot on the team,” Mier said. “It’s a team game. Travel ball is very self-centered. The challenge is learning how to pitch and not be a thrower. I feel coach Guntz is the right person to teach me that.”

All three look like they could be playing basketball or football with their physical statures. That will mark them early on as no ordinary freshmen.

“We’re in the Mission League, which is one of the most difficult and prestigious leagues in the country,” Englander said. “There’s a lot more talent, whether it’s guys throwing harder, hitting the ball farther.”

The Mission League has had an influx of outstanding players from the class of 2029, including Jordan Leon at Sierra Canyon and Brody Brooks at Loyola.

“I think we’ll hold our own,” Englander said. “We look the part. Hopefully we can play the part.”

Mark down Harvard-Westlake’s games against Loyola because the Cubs have four former El Segundo players on their team, including the manager, Danny Boehle. Imagine the trash talk that might be transpiring with Lappe on second base talking to Brooks, one of his best friends who plays shortstop.

“It will be fun to mess with them and also beat them,” Lappe said.

It’s going to be a memorable four years of high school baseball for Lappe and his fellow class of 2029 players.

La Mirada finally got its breakthrough win in the Southern Section Open Division basketball playoffs on Friday night, going on the road to defeat St. John Bosco 56-53.

The Matadores (23-7) wanted to be in the Open Division playoffs last season and went 1-3, failing to make the state playoffs. They lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Wednesday, in a pool-play opener, ending their 14-game winning streak, then came back to inflict a rare home defeat on St. John Bosco in a pool play game. St. John Bosco had a chance to tie the score at the end but a three-point attempt failed.

Jordyn Houston led La Mirada with 22 points. St. John Bosco faces Notre Dame on Tuesday. La Mirada is in good position to claim second place in the pool and advance to the quarterfinals.

Harvard-Westlake 67, Damien 62: Joe Sterling finished with 22 points to help the Wolverines get back into the win column in an Open Division pool play game.

Corona Centennial 74, Etiwanda 48: The Huskies rolled to a win in their Open Division opener.

Crespi 82, Corona del Mar 70: The Celts faced a large, enthusiastic road crowd and won their first Open Division game. Isaiah Barnes scored 24 points and Jasiah Williams 23. Maxwell Scott scored 35 points for Corona del Mar.

JSerra 75, Loyola 46: Jaden Bailes scored 22 points in the Division 1 playoff victory.

Mater Dei 85, Westlake 59: It was another dominating win for the Monarchs in Division 2.

Rolling Hills Prep 63, Orange Lutheran 52: Josahn Webster, the son of King/Drew coach Lloyd Webster, contributed 23 points for Rolling Hills Prep.

Shalhevet 42, Palm Springs 41: Sam Jacobsen had the game-winning basket for Shalhevet in a Division 4-A game.

Venice 58, Sun Valley Poly 40: The Gondoliers advanced in the City Section Division I playoffs.

A look at The Times’ top 25 boys’ basketball rankings for the Southland after the regular season.

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. SIERRA CANYON (22-1); vs. Crespi, Wednesday; 1

2. REDONDO UNION (25-3); vs. Etiwanda, Wednesday; 2

3. SANTA MARGARITA (26-3); vs. Damien, Wednesday; 3

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (19-6); vs. La Mirada, Wednesday; 4

5. ST. JOHN BOSCO (20-7); vs. La Mirada, Friday; 5

6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (22-5); vs. Damien, Friday; 6

7. LA MIRADA (22-6); at SO Notre Dame, Wednesday; 7

8. CORONA DEL MAR (27-1); vs. Crespi, Friday; 9

9. DAMIEN (26-5); at Santa Margarita, Wednesday; 8

10. CORONA CENTENNIAL (25-5); vs. Etiwanda, Friday; 10

11. ETIWANDA (26-2); at Redondo Union, Wednesday; 11

12. CRESPI (19-11); at Sierra Canyon, Wednesday; 12

13. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN (22-6); vs. Newport Beach Pacifica Christian, Wednesday; 13

14. INGLEWOOD (25-5); vs. Tesoro, Wednesday; 14

15. CREAN LUTHERAN (21-7); vs. Santa Barbara, Wednesday; 15

16. JSERRA (19-12); vs. Pasadena, Wednesday; 16

17. LOS ALAMITOS (19-9); vs. Loyola, Wednesday; 17

18. BRENTWOOD (25-3); vs. Long Beach Poly, Wednesday 18

19. LOYOLA (15-15); at Los Alamitos, Wednesday; 19

20. ST. FRANCIS (21-8); vs. Rancho Christian, Wednesday; 20

21. ORANGE LUTHERAN (18-9); at Arcadia, Wednesday; 21

22. ELSINORE (28-0); vs. Sonora, Wednesday; 22

23. ROLLING HILLS PREP (21-6); vs. St. Monica, Wednesday; 23

24. NEWPORT BEACH PACIFICA CHRISTIAN (20-7); at Village Christian, Wednesday; NR

25. SAN GABRIEL ACADEMY (19-8); vs. Cypress, Wednesday; 25

A look at The Times’ top 25 boys’ basketball rankings for the Southland after Week 11.

Rk. School (Rec.); Comment; ranking last week

1. SIERRA CANYON (21-1): Hosts Loyola on Tuesday; 1

2. REDONDO UNION (24-3): Plays at Mira Costa on Tuesday; 2

3. SANTA MARGARITA (24-3): No. 2 seed in Trinity League tournament; 4

4. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (18-6): Hosts Crespi on Tuesday in Mission League semifinal; 5

5. ST. JOHN BOSCO (19-6): Top seed in Trinity League tournament; 3

6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (22-5): Wolverines have lost three of their last four games; 5

7. LA MIRADA (21-6): Matadores can enter playoffs with a 14-game win streak; 7

8. DAMIEN (26-4): Hosts Etiwanda for Baseline League title on Tuesday; 8

9. CORONA DEL MAR (26-1): At Newport Harbor on Monday; 9

10. CORONA CENTENNIAL (24-5): Playing in Big VIII League championship game; 10

11. ETIWANDA (25-2): Rematch with Damien on Tuesday; 11

12. CRESPI (19-10): Wins over Loyola, Harvard-Westlake give Celts playoff spot; 13

13. VILLAGE CHRISTIAN (21-6): Needs win over Maranatha for Olympic League title; 11

14. INGLEWOOD (24-5): Jason Crowe Jr. is averaging 44.1 points; 14

15. CREAN LUTHERAN (21-7): Crestview League champion; 15

16. JSERRA (17-11): Big win over Mater Dei thanks to Jaden Bailes; 17

17. LOS ALAMITOS (18-9): Tyler Lopez having all-league season; 18

18. BRENTWOOD (24-3): Big wins over Crossroads, Windward, Campbell Hall; 24

19. LOYOLA (15-14): Win over St. Francis put Cubs in playoffs; 25

20. ST. FRANCIS (21-8): Two losses to Loyola put Golden Knights on the bubble; 20

21. ORANGE LUTHERAN (18-8): Win over St. John Bosco changes everything; NR

22. ELSINORE (26-0): Unbeaten regular season within reach; 22

23. ROLLING HILLS PREP (21-6): Set for Division 1 playoffs; 23

24. MIRA COSTA (23-4): Can Mustangs put up a fight vs. Redondo Union?; 21

25. SAN GABRIEL ACADEMY (17-8): Faces Pacifica Christian on Monday; 16

Mike Erush is the soccer coach at Cal State Los Angeles. He’s also the coach for Harvard-Westlake, which won its third Mission League title in four years Friday by defeating Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 1-0 on an early goal from sophomore Truman Kim.

The Wolverines (16-1-3, 8-0-1) have received strong play from the Chen brothers, JT, a sophomore, and Ollie, a freshman.

“They have some good chemistry,” said goalkeeper Jackson Friedman, one of the best in the Southland.

The Chens take turns passing the ball to each other and pressuring opponents. Landon Marks leads the team in goals.

Cathedral 2, Bishop Amat 1: The Phantoms (14-2-2, 6-0-1) won the Del Rey League championship. Adrian Rivera and Christopher Guzman each scored goals.

Oak Park 2, Moorpark 1: Ryder Cash and Carson Casella (penalty kick) scored goals for the Eagles.

El Camino Real 2, Chatsworth 0: The Royals are closing in on the No. 1 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs with a 7-0-1 mark in the West Valley League. Caleb Haynes and Josh Serrano scored goals.

Girls’ soccer

El Camino Real 1, Chatsworth 0: Jacky Alvarado had the goal for the Royals, who face defending City champion Granada Hills on Wednesday.

Boys’ basketball

Oak Park 61, Moorpark 49: It’s another Coastal Canyon League title for coach Aaron Shaw. Beau Prophete finished with 23 points. Oak Park is 7-0 in league.

St. John Bosco 73, Servite 65: The Braves (19-6) claimed the No. 1 seed for next week’s Trinity League tournament. Christian Collins scored 23 points and Gavin Dean-Moss had 13 points.

JSerra 67, Mater Dei 66: The Lions earned the No. 3 seed for the Trinity League tournament.

Santa Margarita 102, Orange Lutheran 81: Kaiden Bailey scored 31 points and Drew Anderson 30 for the Eagles, which have the No. 2 seed for the Trinity League tournament.

Oaks Christian 64, Newbury Park 28: Brady Sullivan and Andrew Logan each scored 13 points for Oaks Christian.

Thousand Oaks 62, Calabasas 50: The Lancers won the Marmonte League game.

San Pedro 54, Carson 45: Bryce Jackson had 18 points for 20-6 San Pedro.

Palisades 75, Fairfax 47: Jack Levey made eight threes to score 24 points for the Dolphins.

Birmingham 68, Chatsworth 47: X’zavion McKay had 19 points and Tekeio Phillips added 18 points for Birmingham.

Los Alamitos 74, Newport Harbor 60: Tyler Lopez led the way with 18 points.

Brentwood 56, Campball Hall 49: The Eagles (24-3) rallied in the fourth quarter to win the Gold Coast League game.

Heritage Christian 72, Valley Christian 34: Freshman Ty Lazenby had 20 points to set up a showdown Saturday in a rivalry game at Village Christian.

Redondo Union 101, Palos Verdes 67: Chace Holley had 21 points and SJ Madison and Devin Wright each had 18 points as Redondo Union moved closer to the Bay League title.

Girls’ basketball

Sierra Canyon 66, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 27: Jerzy Robinson finished with 20 points for Sierra Canyon (23-2).

Oak Park 89, Moorpark 20: The Eagles (17-6, 6-0) continued their march to a Southern Section Open Division playoff spot. Karisma Lewis scored 19 points and Diana Sorrondo had 18 points.

Windward 67, Crossroads 40: Charis Rainey had 22 points and 13 rebounds for Windward.

St. Margaret’s 53, Rosary 49: Freshman Jayden Witten had a 35-point performance for St. Margaret’s.

Oaks Christian 56, Newbury Park 48: Presley Kushner scored 32 points for Oaks Christian.

It’s time to see which Mission League basketball teams are ready for some March Madness in February.

The tournament is set to begin Thursday after Tuesday’s final results clarified seedings.

The final game of the night was Crespi pulling out a 65-61 win over Loyola when Isaiah Barnes scored while falling down with 15 seconds left for the game-clinching basket. Despite the loss, Loyola claimed fourth place in the seedings while finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with Crespi and St. Francis.

The Cubs, though, are 14-14 and will need a win Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s Bishop Alemany (No. 8) vs. St. Francis (No. 5) game to keep alive their Southern Section playoff hopes. You need a .500 or better record to be considered for an at-large berth.

The other Thursday game has No. 7 Chaminade at No. 6 Crespi. That winner will play at Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.

Crespi was led by 6-foot-9 Rodney Mukendi, who scored 17 points. Deuce Newt had 15 points for Loyola.

Harvard-Westlake 90, St. Francis 56: Joe Sterling got back his shooting touch, making seven threes and finishing with 27 points. Amir Jones added 17 points for Harvard-Westlake. St. Francis did not play center Cherif Millogo.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 81, Bishop Alemany 48: The Knights claimed second place in the Mission League and an automatic spot for the Southern Section playoffs. Zach White had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame played without NaVorro Bowman.

Sierra Canyon 79, Chaminade 28: Brandon McCoy had 18 points and Maxi Adams added 17 points for the Mission League regular-season champions.

Crean Lutheran 76, La Habra 67: The Saints took over first place in the Crestview League.

Mira Costa 53, Peninsula 41: Logan Dugdale has 17 points and 10 rebounds for Mira Costa (23-4).