last weekend

Jaden Soong, a freshman golfer at St. Francis High, thrives under pressure.

“I will say I like pressure,” he said.

Twice in the last two weeks, he has won playoffs to keep his season going. But the story of his first playoff win is comedy at its best.

He had left the Temecula Creek Golf Club at the Southern Section individual championships after concluding he had failed to qualify for the SCGA regionals and stopped at Jack in the Box to get food for the ride home. Then he got a phone call from a friend: “Hey dude, we’re in a playoff.”

He was 17 minutes away from the course and needed to be back in 10 minutes. “We hauled it,” he said.

Thankfully, there were no police with radar guns in the vicinity as he was driven back to the course.

The playoff had already started when he arrived. Players were in the fairway. He had no time to change into his golf shoes, so he played in his Nike Air Force shoes. He got a par on the first hole, then a birdie to win the playoff and advance. Last weekend, he won another playoff to reach the state championships on Tuesday at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach.

The 14-year-old is ready for anything.

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

Nick Garcia, the throws coach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, calls shotputter and discus thrower Aja Johnson “the dragon slayer.”

She’s only 5 feet 3 but slays taller girls competing in those events.

Last weekend, she won the Southern Section Division 3 shotput and discus titles. This weekend she will try to qualify for the state championships when competing at the Masters Meet at Moorpark High. She won the state discus title last year. She was state champion in the shotput in 2023.

Aja Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Under Garcia’s guidance, Johnson uses technique, athleticism, agility and explosiveness to excel in the two events. She has committed to Louisville. Notre Dame athletes have won every Division 3 shotput or discus title since 2021. …

The City Section Division I baseball semifinals will be held Wednesday at Stengel Field in Glendale with a trip to Dodger Stadium on Saturday at stake. Carson will play Taft at 3 p.m., followed by Banning taking on Verdugo Hills at 6 p.m.

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