It’s the third season of girls’ flag football in California, with athletes and teams getting better and better, which raises expectations for the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals on Saturday. Unbeaten JSerra plays at Dos Pueblos and defending champion Orange Lutheran hosts Huntington Beach.
Dos Pueblos (24-2) faces the most difficult task, trying to defeat a 26-0 JSerra team that owns two wins over No. 2-seeded Orange Lutheran. The good news for Dos Pueblos is that it has already proven it can compete against the best, having taken Orange Lutheran to overtime early in the season before losing.
“We definitely get to say we’ve faced the top,” Dos Pueblos coach Doug Caines said. “They have some crazy athletic girls.”
Dos Pueblos will have to avoid turnovers, relying on quarterback Kacey Hurley to stay away from interceptions. She has 4,603 yards passing and 84 touchdowns. Brooklyn Hendricks is the team’s standout receiver.
The other semifinal matchup involving Orange County teams will determine if Orange Lutheran can repeat as champion behind quarterback Makena Cook. Huntington Beach is 25-1. The Oilers’ only loss was to Newport Harbor. Roxie Shaia has made an impact at quarterback and on defense.
The winners advance to next weekend’s final at Fred Kelly Stadium next to El Modena High.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
Right above the shores of Huntington Beach, a retired American subsonic T-33 fighter jet darted across the blue canvas of a clear afternoon sky, leaving a spiraling plume of smoke in its wake.
The aeronautical scene is a familiar sight in the coastal city this time of year. The Pacific Airshow, an annual three-day civilian and military aerobatic display that touts advanced maneuvers and aerial military might, has drawn thousands of aviation enthusiasts to Huntington Beach and the Australian Gold Coast since its inception in 2016.
Janet Cardena, who has attended every Pacific Airshow, said experiencing the raw physical power of the planes keeps her coming back.
“I’m down by the water and I feel the jets while they do their flyover, and the rumble — your body shakes like a building when there’s an earthquake,” Cardena said. “Then the smell of the gas. …It’s amazing for me.”
However, this year, there was a notable force of nature and technology missing from the spectacle.
Due to the congressional deadlock over the budget and subsequent federal shutdown, the U.S. military — perhaps the most prominent Pacific Airshow draw — would not be in attendance over the October 3-5 weekend.
“We have been advised that U.S. military assets will not be able to participate in this year’s event,” Airshow Director Kevin Elliott said in a statement. “While this is certainly disappointing news, we are excited to share that Pacific Airshow Huntington Beach will continue as scheduled.”
People line the beach to watch the Grumman Albatross Water Landing aircraft during the Pacific Airshow.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
To some, the sky might as well have fallen.
“When we’re trying to bring our kids out here to have fun, and I’m like, ‘well, sorry, no Marine Corps planes,’ it’s pretty disappointing,” said Ryan, a former Marine who chose not to share his last name out of privacy concerns. “I was in the invasion of Iraq, and so we had a lot of fixed wings coming over, dropping bombs, so I tend to get kind of emotional.”
The Pacific Airshow has had its fair share of hitches before — many outside of organizer’s control. Last year, viewers were subject to a thick marine layer that clouded the skies and nearly obstructed the view of the few planes that still went up. In 2021, an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach forced a cancellation of the last day of the weekend.
This year, the show went on, though without what many believe is the main attraction. There was still a beachful of attendees, staring at the sky in anxious anticipation of the intestine-rattling blast of plane engines from not-so-far above.
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly in formation over the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
The British Royal Air Force and Canadian Armed Forces acted as substitutes for the U.S. Air Force, some members of which strolled around the event uniformed and at booths hosting pull-up challenges and recruitment efforts near the food vendors.
“That’s one thing I do miss, is the scene where the F-35s and the Thunderbirds play,” said Janet Kondos, an Air Force veteran. “It is what it is, they got to do what they have to do.”
Royal Air Force paratroopers drew a grand applause after a coordinated display of parachute work that saw them float down to the shores. After a Red Bull aerobatic helicopter improbably flipped over its rotor and pulled itself out of a dive at the last second, a group of children near the shore started imitating the maneuver in somersaults.
Emma McDonald, an Australian pilot who flew a petite Extra 300L aerobatics plane, darted directly into the sky at a near-90-degree angle about midway through the program, which caused the audience to hold their collective breath as the aircraft plateaued. McDonald yanked the plane from an upright position and tumbled over into a glide, drawing gasps that transformed into cheers.
“That’s it!” one attendee shouted. “Keep it up!”
A crowd formed on the beach to watch the Pacific Airshow on the first day Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Although there was little American military spirit in the sky, the patriotic spirit on the ground was indelible, reminiscent of a Fourth of July celebration. Children ran and played in the water, couples with full beach setups caught a slight buzz in the sweltering heat and American flags decorated the sands like a planet conquered.
“We did the Miramar Air Show before and they had a whole Marine Corps infantry display where they get off the helicopters and then they do the whole attack,” Ryan said. “It would be pretty cool with our equipment here, as opposed to the Royal Air Force.”
Despite not having the most current U.S. fleets, crowds were still privy to a history lesson in American aviationthroughout the program. A World War II B-29 Superfortress, a B-25 Mitchell bomber and Vietnam-era Grumman Albatross all made impressionable appearances.
A helicopter flown by Aaron Fitzgerald flips during the Pacific Airshow on Friday. .
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
To some, the opportunity to be so close to some of the crowning achievements in aeronautics was personal.
“Out of all the dreams that I had as a kid, that’s the one thing I wanted to do, like I want to fly an Apache, I wanted to fly a jet,” said Cardena. “But growing up, there weren’t women that were pilots and so this is as good as it gets for me — this is as close as I can get to them.”
Cardena still found herself slightly disappointed with the consequences of a federal shutdown. She had looked forward to seeing the planes and helicopters she grew up wishing she could fly, but unfortunately, it was not her year.
As Cardena reflected, a Royal Air Force C-17 temporarily blotted out the sun and covered the beachgoers with a gargantuan shadow as it passed over Huntington.
In 2019, Oregon bookseller Billie Bloebaum saw an author raise a question on X she had heard many times before: “Why should I support independent bookstores when independent bookstores don’t support romance?”
“For a long time, and still somewhat to this day, independent bookstores have had a reputation as being not as welcoming to romance readers and books as they could be,” Bloebaum told The Times. “There were a lot of booksellers that I knew who read romance, who championed romance, who had it on their shelves in the bookstores where they worked or that they owned.”
Determined to rewrite the narrative, Bloebaum launched Bookstore Romance Day in August — Romance Awareness Month — that same year. The inaugural event had less than 200 participating bookstores across the U.S. Now, in 2025, there are more than 600 registered locations around the world.
“It really was a way to get the word out that independent bookstores are not romance-unfriendly,” Bloebaum said, “to bring those two communities together, the romance community and the independent bookstore community.”
There are now 103 brick-and-mortar, romance-only bookstores in the U.S., according to Romancing the Data, including the Ripped Bodice in Culver City, Heartbound in Anaheim and Mystic Box in Huntington Beach. Over the past three years, Pages: A Bookstore in Manhattan Beach has doubled its space dedicated to romance titles, said general manager Jeff Resnik.
“We take romance seriously,” Resnik said.
Across Los Angeles, independent storefronts are observing Bookstore Romance Day on Saturday, Aug. 9, with author talks, book bedazzling, giveaways and more. For those who can’t attend the festivities in person, Bloebaum also offers free virtual events all weekend.
Mission Viejo High’s offense is Luke Fahey’s now — and it might be one that’s hard to stop if Saturday was a sneak peak of what’s to come.
A drive into Mission Viejo’s first pool game of the 30th edition of its seven-on-seven passing tournament, the senior quarterback wasn’t satisfied. Mission Viejo failed to score against Oceanside, a drop causing Fahey, wearing a relaxed-fit shirt and shorts, to yell toward his team.
“Offense, over here,” Fahey called out to his teammates as he hustled off to the sidelines.
The next five drives ended in the same way, the budding college football prospect — holding offers from Ohio State, Stanford and Indiana — dotting passes to his younger wide receivers on the regular, a trend that would continue throughout Saturday on Mission Viejo’s way to a 35-23 tournament final victory over Mater Dei.
Fahey is ready to take the next step. He split reps with Drai Trudeau two seasons in a row, and learned how to become a leader sitting behind Kadin Semonza as a freshman. Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said playcalling was up to Fahey, who picked up on his successes and helped his teammates through their mistakes.
“It’s his turn to take over,” Johnson said. “He’s the leader of our team. Every single break we have is led by him. He’s another coach on the field.”
Fahey pulled over a freshman teammate to the side midway through a game Saturday, helping explain to him the intricacies of routes so that he’d better understand what to do in a game. With standout wide receiver Vance Spafford unavailable, Johnson said, it was Fahey’s turn to teach.
After passing for 17 touchdowns and 1,638 yards as a junior, Fahey could be set for a big senior year for the Diablos.
“When we come out here, we want to be the best,” Fahey said. “We want to do everything right, 100%, no matter what it is, no matter who we play.”
Saturday, Fahey and Mission Viejo were the best — but he was not the only quarterback to showcase his skill in seven-on-seven action.
Mater Dei, with Dash Beierly out of the picture, primarily split the series between JSerra senior transfer Ryan Hopkins and junior Furian Inferrera (Beierly’s backup in 2024).
Hopkins, more of a prototypical pocket passer, seemed to have a strong connection with star tight end Mark Bowman — a passing display between the duo that was featured early in Mater Dei’s contests. Mater Dei coach Raul Lara said that Hopkins, a Wisconsin commit, and Inferrera, a Minnesota commit, are battling for the starting position.
“The two kids that are battling out for the first spot at quarterback, I just love their competitiveness,” Lara said. “They’re both buddies. It’s neat to see.”
Crean Lutheran quarterback Lucas Wong.
(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)
Among younger quarterbacks, Crean Lutheran freshman Lucas Wong emerged poised and controlled in the pocket — enjoying a standout moment Saturday when he tossed a 30-plus yard touchdown pass on the last play of regulation to defeat Huntington Beach 21-19 in one of its five games.
“We saw a lot of confidence in him,” Crean Lutheran coach Rick Curtis said, adding that expected starting quarterback Caden Jones was out for the tournament. “We said, ‘Hey, let’s put his feet for the fire, and we’ll see what he can do.’ He’s doing a great job today.”
Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds, listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds despite being two years from fulfilling his current Ohio State commitment, was far and away the most physically imposing quarterback in the tournament.
Edmunds’ touch on his passes was hit or miss Saturday — Huntington Beach scoring the third-fewest points in pool play — but his power behind every throw kept the Oilers in every contest.
La Habra quarterback DJ Mitchell.
(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)
One of the sneakier standout back-and-forth games ended in a tie — thanks to La Habra junior DJ Mitchell and Oaks Christian sophomore Treyvone Towns Jr. matching each other blow for blow.
Mitchell ended the dueling programs’ pool-play game with a touchdown pass and two-point conversion as the time limit expired to secure a split.
“We practice it every day,” Mitchell said. “Two-minute drill — I know how to execute, make my reads and just hit it. Hit a touchdown.”
Both Mitchell and Towns appear primed for breakout years as they grow into their respective frames.
Etc.
Corona Centennial primarily used Dominick Catalano as its quarterback in Mission Viejo. Catalano backed up Husan Longstreet — now at USC — last year. …
Corona Centennial quarterback Dominick Catalano at the Mission Viejo passing tournament on Saturday.
(Benjamin Royer / Los Angeles Times)
San Juan Hills senior quarterback Timmy Herr, one of a couple southpaws at Mission Viejo, was accurate and controlled, much like he was last year for the Stallions and coach Rob Frith. Mater Dei third-string quarterback Trevor Scott is a left-hander standing 6–foot-4, whose skill set showed rawness as well as potential. Lara said the seven-on-seven tournament was a perfect place for Scott to get his feet wet against Southern Section competition. …
San Clemente won the St. John Bosco passing tournament, defeating the hosts in the final. … Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte led Burbank to the title at the Simi Valley tournament, defeating the hosts in the final and taking down Sierra Canyon and Chaminade along the way.
These are such crazy times that when I found myself desperate to cover some good news amid deportations and Trump overreach, I visited … Huntington Beach?!
It was a resounding rebuke of H.B.’s conservatives, who had steamrolled over city politics for the past two and a half years and turned what was a 4-3 Democratic council majority three years ago into a 7-0 MAGA supermajority.
Among the pet projects for the new guard was the library, which council members alleged was little better than a smut shop because the young adult section featured books about puberty and LGBTQ+ issues. Earlier this year, the council approved a plaque commemorating the library’s 50th anniversary that will read, “Magical. Alluring. Galvanizing. Adventurous.”
MAGA.
“They went too far, too fast, and it’s not what people signed up for,” said Oscar Rodriguez, an H.B. native.
We were at a private residence near downtown H.B. that was hosting a victory party for the library measures. The line to get in stretched onto the sidewalk. A sign near the door proclaimed, “Not All of Us in H.B. Wear Red Hats.” A banner on the balcony of the two-story home screamed, “Protect Our Kids From Chad,” referring to City Councilmember Chad Williams, who bankrolled much-ridiculed “Protect Children from Porn” signs against Measures A and B.
“Look, Huntington Beach is very conservative, very MAGA — always will be,” Rodriguez continued. We stood in the kitchen as people loaded their plates with salad and pizza. Canvas bags emblazoned with “Protect HB” and the Huntington Beach Pier — the logo for the coalition that pushed for the measures — hung from many shoulders. “But people of all politics were finally disgusted and did something together to stand up.”
People line up to enter a house in Huntington Beach that hosted a victory pary for the passage of Measures A and B, which addressed issues with the city’s library.
(John McCoy/For The Times)
“On election night, I was jumping up and down, because it was happening here,” said former Councilmember Natalie Moser, who lost her reelection bid last year and volunteered for Protect HB. “It creates joy and enthusiasm, and I hope others can see what we did and take hope.”
There was no chatter about the ICE raids that were terrorizing swaths of Southern California. A Spotify mix blared “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” AC/DC and the ever-annoying “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. The crowd of about 90 volunteers was mostly white and boomers. More than a few bore tans so dark that they were browner than me.
We were in Huntington Beach, after all.
And yet these were the folks that fueled Protect HB’s successful campaign. They leaned on social media outreach, door knocking, rallies and a nonpartisan message stressing the common good that was the city library.
Christine Padesky and Cindy Forsthoff staffed tables around the city in the lead-up to Election Day.
“Time and time again, I had people come up to me say, ‘We’re Republican, we’re Christian, we voted for this council, but they’ve gone too far,’” Padesky said.
Forsthoff, a Huntington Beach resident for 36 years, agreed. She had never participated in a political campaign before Measures A and B. “When they [politicians] take such extreme steps, people will come,” she said.
The bro-rock soundtrack faded out and the program began.
“My gosh, we did this!” exclaimed Protect HB co-chair Pat Goodman, who had been checking people in at the door just a few moments earlier.
“I don’t think those neighbors know who we are,” cracked Protect HB co-chair Cathey Ryder, hinting at the uphill battle they faced in a city where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats. “Show them you’re a supporter of good government.”
She led everyone in the cheesy, liberty-minded chant that had inspired volunteers throughout the campaign.
What do we want to do?
Read!
How do we want to read?
Free!
We were in Huntington Beach, after all.
The speeches lasted no more than seven minutes total. The volunteers wanted to enjoy the brisk evening and gather around an outdoor fireplace to make S’mores and enjoy a beer or two. Besides, they deserved to revel in their accomplishment and discuss what was next — not just in Huntington Beach, but how to translate what happened there into a replicable lesson for others outside the city.
The key, according to Dave Rynerson, is to accept political differences and remind everyone that what’s happening in this country — whether on the Huntington Beach City Council or in the White House — isn’t normal.
“As bad as things may seem, you can’t give up,” the retired systems engineer said. “You have to remind people this is our country, our lives, and we need to take care of it together.”
Mayor of Huntington Beach Pat Burns listens to speakers discuss the city’s plan to make Huntington Beach “a non-sanctuary city for illegal immigration” during the Huntington Beach City Council meeting at the Huntington Beach City Hall in Huntington Beach.
But feeling the happiness at the Protect HB dinner, even if just for an evening, was a much-needed balm at a time when it seems nothing can stop Trump. And meeting regular people like Greg and Carryl Hytopoulos should inspire anyone to get involved.
Married for 50 years and Surf City residents for 44, they own a water pipeline protection service and had never bothered with city politics. But the council’s censorious plans for the library made them “outraged, and this was enough,” said Carryl. “We needed to make an impact, and we couldn’t just sit idly by.”
They outfitted one of their work trucks with large poster boards in favor of Measures A and B and parked it around the city. More crucially, the couple, both Democrats, talked about the issue with their neighbors in Huntington Harbour, an exclusive neighborhood that Trump easily won in 2024.
“When we explained what were the stakes, they listened,” Greg said.
Carryl smiled.
“There’s a quiet majority that, when provoked, can rise up and save the day.”
