mira costa

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
SEMIFINALS

DIVISION 1
Norco 5, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2
St. John Bosco 3, Harvard-Westlake 1

DIVISION 2
Ganesha 2, Newport Harbor 1
Loyola 6, Santa Ana Foothill 3

DIVISION 3
Mira Costa 12, St. Francis 0
Agoura 3, Millikan 1

DIVISION 4
Glendora 3, Rio Mesa 0
Laguna Beach 2, Grand Terrace 1

DIVISION 5
Kaiser 3, Irvine 2
Culver City 4, Long Beach Wilson 3

DIVISION 6
Brentwood 8, Trinity Classical Academy 0
Covina 6, Lakewood 1

DIVISION 7
North Torrance 9, Santa Paula 3
South El Monte 3, Norwalk 0

DIVISION 8
Rancho Alamitos 3, Oxford Academy 0
Schurr 4, Duarte 2

DIVISION 9
Webb 24, Crossroads Christian 15
Rolling Hills Prep 5, Temecula Prep 3

Note: Finals in all divisions May 29-30.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION 1

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 7, Corona 2

Norco 3, Orange Lutheran 0

St. John Bosco at La Mirada, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Harvard-Westlake 2, Cypress 1

DIVISION 2

Ganesha 4, Elsinore 0

Newport Harbor 8, Aquinas 0

Santa Ana Foothill 3, Yucaipa 1

Loyola 3, Alemany 0

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa 13, Dos Pueblos 6

St. Francis 3, Warren 1

Agoura 4, Fullerton 1

Millikan 1, Summit 0

DIVISION 4

Rio Mesa 2, Saugus 1

Glendora 4, Anaheim Canyon 3

Grand Terrace 4, Marina 1

Laguna Beach 6, Moorpark 4

DIVISION 5

Irvine 2, Cathedral 1

Kaiser 7, Santa Barbara 0

Long Beach Wilson 6, Temescal Canyon 1

Culver City 11, St. Bernard 6

DIVISION 6

Brentwood 9, Foothill Tech 7

Trinity Classical Academy 7, El Rancho 6

Covina 11, Western Christian 6

Lakewood 5, Muir 3

DIVISION 7

North Torrance 10, Carpinteria 0

Santa Paula 7, Patriot 1

South El Monte 5, Golden Valley 2

Norwalk 7, Arroyo 1

DIVISION 8

Rancho Alamitos 4, Chadwick 2

Oxford Academy 7, Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 6

Duarte 7, Nuview Bridge 5

Schurr 2, Artesia 1

DIVISION 9

Crossroads Christian 6, Lennox Academy 3

Webb Ojai 14, Valley 4

Rolling Hills Prep 10, Riverside Bethel Christian 1

Temecula Prep 6, Garden Grove Santiago 3

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)

SEMIFINALS

DIVISION 1

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Norco

Harvard-Westlake vs. St. John Bosco or La Mirada

DIVISION 2

Newport Harbor at Ganesha

Santa Ana Foothill at Loyola

DIVISION 3

St. Francis at Mira Costa

Millikan at Agoura

DIVISION 4

Rio Mesa at Glendora

Grand Terrace at Laguna Beach

DIVISION 5

Kaiser at Irvine

Long Beach Wilson at Culver City

DIVISION 6

Trinity Classical Academy at Brentwood

Covina at Lakewood

DIVISION 7

North Torrance at Santa Paula

Norwalk at South El Monte

DIVISION 8

Oxford Academy at Rancho Alamitos

Schurr at Duarte

DIVISION 9

Webb at Crossroads Christian

Rolling Hills Prep at Temecula Prep

Note: Finals in all divisions May 29-30.

CITY SECTION BASEBALL FINALS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

At Stengel Field

DIVISION II

#5 LA Roosevelt 5, #6 South East 3

At Fremont

DIVISION III

#7 Fremont 2, LA Hamilton 0

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

At Dodger Stadium

FINALS

OPEN DIVISION

#2 El Camino Real (21-9) vs. #1 Birmingham (26-4), 1 p.m.

DIVISION I

#10 Taft (13-17) vs. #13 Verdugo Hills (13-18), 10 a.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
THIRD ROUND

DIVISION 1

Pool A

Norco 9, Ayala 2

Pool D

Corona 6, Corona Santiago 1

Pool C

Cypress 8, Sierra Canyon 0

Pool B

La Mirada 11, Huntington Beach 1

SECOND ROUND

DIVISION 2

Elsinore 6, Santa Margarita 4

Ganesha 5, South Hills 2

Newport Harbor 4, Great Oak 1

Aquinas 5, Gahr 3

Santa Ana Foothill 3, Servite 0

Yucaipa 17, Royal 2

Loyola 7, Chaminade 6

Alemany 9, Westlake 6

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa 6, Redondo Union 3

Dos Pueblos 10, Edison 7

Warren 10, Palos Verdes 1

St. Francis 5, Cajon 2

Agoura 3, Garden Grove Pacifica 0

Fullerton 7, Corona del Mar 6

Millikan 3, Beckman 1

Summit 5, Arcadia 4

DIVISION 4

Saugus 11, San Marino 10

Rio Mesa 4, Claremont 2

Glendora at Katella, Wednesday

Anaheim Canyon 4, Upland 1

Marina 11, La Quinta 4

Grand Terrace 4, Palm Desert 0

Laguna Beach 7, Woodbridge 2

Moorpark 8, Monrovia 6

DIVISION 5

Irvine 3, Citrus Valley 2

Cathedral 2, Long Beach Poly 1

Kaiser 5, Quartz Hill 4

Santa Barbara 12, Paramount 5

Long Beach Wilson 2, Jurupa Hills 1

Temescal Canyon 7, Riverside Prep 6

Culver City 6, St. Bonaventure 2

St. Bernard 4, Bishop Montgomery 0

DIVISION 6

Brentwood 9, Ontario 7

Foothill Tech 4, Canyon Springs 0

Trinity Classical Academy 5, Troy 3

El Rancho 8, Northwood 0

Western Christian 5, Savanna 3

Covina 15, Alhambra 5

Muir at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, late

Lakewood 6, Crossroads 2

DIVISION 7

Carpinteria 7, New Roads 2

North Torrance 7, Grace 0

Santa Paula 11, Fontana 1

Patriot 3, Victor Valley 2

South El Monte 3, Hemet 2

Golden Valley 6, Jurupa Valley 3

Arroyo 4, Carter 3

Norwalk 4, Garden Grove 1

DIVISION 8

Rancho Alamitos 13, Edgewood 10

Chadwick 26, Pasadena Marshall 23

Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 7, Rio Hondo Prep 3

Oxford Academy 4, Rosemead 3

Duarte 4, Santa Clarita Christian 2

Nuview Bridge 3, Nordhoff 2

Artesia 10, Magnolia 5

Anaheim vs. Schurr at Rio Hondo College

DIVISION 9

Lennox Academy 6, Dunn 4

Crossroads Christian 9, St. Monica Academy 8

Ojai Valley 2, San Bernardino 0

Webb 5, Yucca Valley 3

Rolling Hills Prep 11, Ambassador Christian 3

Riverside Bethel Christian 6, Westminster 4

Temecula Prep 22, Cobalt 1

Garden Grove Santiago 7, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 6

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION 1

Corona at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Norco at Orange Lutheran

St. John Bosco at La Mirada, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Cypress at Harvard-Westlake

DIVISION 2

Ganesha at Elsinore

Aquinas at Newport Harbor

Foothill at Yucaipa

Loyola at Alemany

DIVISION 3

Mira Costa at Dos Pueblos

St. Francis at Warren

Fullerton at Agoura

Summit at Millikan

DIVISION 4

Saugus at Rio Mesa

Glendora / Katella vs. Anaheim Canyon

Marina at Grand Terrace

Laguna Beach at Moorpark

DIVISION 5

Irvine at Cathedral

Santa Barbara at Kaiser

Temescal Canyon at Long Beach Wilson

Culver City at St. Bernard

DIVISION 6

Foothill Tech at Brentwood

El Rancho at Trinity Classical Academy

Covina at Western Christian

Lakewood vs. Muir /Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

DIVISION 7

Carpinteria at North Torrance

Santa Paula at Patriot

South El Monte at Golden Valley

Norwalk at Arroyo

DIVISION 8

Chadwick at Rancho Alamitos

Oxford Academy at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian

Duarte at Nuview Bridge

Schurr at Artesia

DIVISION 9

Crossroads Christian at Lennox Academy

HajI Valley at Webb

Riverside Bethel Christian at Rolling Hills Prep

Temecula Prep at Garden Grove Santiago

Note: Semifinals in all divisions May 26; Finals in all divisions May 29-30.

Whether Mira Costa has the best high school volleyball team in America is open to debate, but the Mustangs left little doubt they are No. 1 in the Southern Section on Friday night, sweeping Loyola 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 at Cerritos College to repeat as Division 1 champions.

UCLA-bound Mateo Fuerbringer was ready from the start, ending Loyola’s first three rallies with thunderous kills and the fourth with an emphatic stuff block. Ten points into the match, the 6-foot-4 junior hitter already had five kills and he ended the first set with his 12th as Mira Costa was ahead from start to finish.

“He’s always had the IQ, now you add the power on top of that?” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his star. “There are no answers. It’s a deadly combination. Mateo has no weaknesses.”

The teams traded leads throughout the second set until the Mustangs created separation late on the serving of Fuerbringer and Enzo Barker before Loyola’s Pax Stetson served into the twine to put Mira Costa up two sets to none.

The third-seeded Cubs took a 17-11 lead in the third set, but Mira Costa got in front 20-19 on Barker’s ace and Fuerbringer sent the green-and-white clad fans into delirium with his right-side smash on match point. He finished with 27 kills while Barker and UC Santa Barbara commit Wyatt Davis each added six. Mater Dei transfer Jake Newman had 38 assists and Dane Del Riego had 15 digs.

Loyola’s Brendan Maffel flings the ball past Mira Costa blocker Miles Crotty during the Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball championship on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I always try to set the tone and Jake gave me great sets,” Fuerbringer said. “They were bombing serves in that third set and got up on us, but we stuck with it and closed it strong. We didn’t want to give them any momentum.”

Mira Costa won its 10th section title and improved to 10-8 in finals. It also won back-to-back titles for the second time in school history, the first coming in Division 2 in 2001 and 2002. Mira Costa is 2-3 in finals against Loyola, having fallen to the Cubs in four sets in 2005 and 2010, prevailing in five sets in 2012 and getting swept in 2024.

Mira Costa has won 10 straight matches (dropping only three sets) since its five-set defeat at Bay League rival Redondo Union on March 26. It avenged that loss in four sets April 20 to earn the top seed.

The teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country when they faced off in a nonleague match March 21 in Manhattan Beach, where the Mustangs rallied from a two-set deficit to win 15-11 in the fifth in a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. That time, Fuerbringer had 37 kills.

“The first time we didn’t come out as strong,” he said. “This time we were ready to play and came out hot.”

In the semifinals six days earlier, Loyola upset No. 2 Redondo Union in five sets, avenging a close loss in the Redondo Varsity Classic final on April 18. Mira Costa swept No. 4 Huntington Beach — its third victory over the Oilers this season.

Mira Costa won the inaugural Division I state championship last spring and will begin its quest for a repeat Tuesday night (regional seedings will be released Sunday afternoon). If it runs the table, Mira Costa would equal its 37-2 record in 2025.

Pepperdine commit JP Wardy had 13 kills and Rafa Milchan added 12 for the Cubs (23-4), but senior captain Blake Fahlbusch, who is headed to USC, was held to nine. Libero Matt Kelly, a Loyola Chicago commit, had 12 digs.

“We know where everyone wants to swing and we know Blake’s their catalyst,” Snyder said. “When they need a kill they usually go to him.”

The teams did not meet in the postseason last year. Mira Costa defeated Huntington Beach to win the section and regional crowns while Loyola fell to the Oilers in the section semifinals and did not play in regionals.

Snyder has guided the Mustangs into the finals in each of his three seasons, winning the last two. He was with the program for 12 years prior, seven as a varsity assistant under Avery Drost.

Loyola’s JP Wardy gets blocked by Mira Costa’s Miles Crotty and Colby Graham during the Mustangs’ win Friday night.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Loyola, making its 19th appearance in a section final, dropped to 13-6 all-time and 7-6 in 28 seasons under 1984 Cubs alum Michael Boehle.

In the preceding Division 4 final, Sunny Hills beat Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23 for its second title since coach Albert Soliguen started the program in 2020.

Owen Filadelfia had 18 kills and eight digs, Christian Lee added 17 kills and 11 digs, Jacob Sueki had 16 digs and Parker Mesnik dished out 47 assists for the Lancers (21-14), who swept Carpinteria in the Division 5 final in 2022 at Long Beach City College.

Grant Herzer had 19 kills, Donald Fleming had 18 and each added nine digs for the Highlanders (16-11), who were seeking their sixth section title in their 11th trip to the finals, having won Division 2-A in 1989 and 1990, 3-A in 1992, Division II in 1994 and Division 3 in 2022.

Tom Harp has been coaching volleyball at Granada Hills High for so long that few remember he won a City Section championship as a co-head football coach with Darryl Stroh in 1987.

In the 1990s, he turned exclusively to coaching boys’ and girls’ volleyball, winning a combined 15 City titles and making 28 finals appearances. The top-seeded Highlanders will try to deliver a seventh Open Division championship on Saturday when they face West Valley League rival Chatsworth in a 4 p.m. final at Birmingham.

The league rivals split their two West Valley matches, with each going five games. Chatsworth knocked off 17-time champion Palisades in the semifinals. MIT-bound Grant Chang is Chatsworth’s 6-foot-6 powerful outside hitter.

All-City volleyball player RJ Francisco of Granada Hills shows off his hitting skills against Chatsworth.

(Craig Weston)

Granada Hills has RJ Francisco, who had 19 kills in a win over Chatsworth.

The Southern Section Division 1 final is Friday night, with Mira Costa taking on Loyola in a 7:30 p.m. match at Cerritos College.

Regional and state playoffs begin next week.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

SOUTHERN SECTION LACROSSE PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

SEMIFINALS

BOYS

DIVISION 1

Loyola 19, Mater Dei 5

Santa Margarita 14, St, Margaret’s 8

DIVISION 2

Mira Costa 10, Los Alamitos 4

St. Francis 17, Village Christian 4

DIVISION 3

Oaks Christian 11, El Dorado 6

Dana Hills 16, Riverside King 15

GIRLS

DIVISION 1

Santa Margarita 11, Marlborough 10

Mira Costa 17, Mater Dei 11

DIVISION 2

Huntington Beach 8, Corona del Mar 7

El Segundo 14, Eastvale Roosevelt 3

DIVISION 3

Westridge at Glendale, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Great Oak at Northwood, Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Note: Boys finals in all divisions Friday, May 15 at Fred Kelly Stadium (times TBA); Girls finals in all divisions Saturday, May 16 (times TBA) at Fred Kelly Stadium.

Get ready for the best high school boys’ volleyball action in the nation on Saturday when four powers face off in the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals.

First up is Huntington Beach hosting No. 1-seeded Mira Costa at 1 p.m. Then it’s Loyola hosting Redondo Union at 5 p.m.

All are capable of beating each other.

Teams are finally healthy, so there could be two five-game matches.

Mira Costa remains the team to beat with a 31-2 record and having the No. 1 college recruit from the class of 2027, Mateo Fuerbringer. Redondo Union owns one of those losses. Loyola is healthier than it’s ever been and has a five-game win over Redondo Union and a five-game loss to Mira Costa. Huntington Beach has two three-game losses to Mira Costa.

The championship match will be next weekend at Cerritos College, followed by the Southern California regional and state championships.

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 for Mira Costa to try to wipe away the disappointing memory from last season’s Southern Section Division 1 girls’ beach volleyball final, where the Mustangs lost to Redondo Union 3-2.

Mira Costa faces JSerra at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Long Beach City College in this season’s championship game.

Key returnees for Mira Costa are Lily Vandeweghe, Lily Enfield, Harper Terry and Izzy Elston.

JSerra has succeeded in breaking up the Mira Costa-Redondo Union beach volleyball domination. Those teams had met in the final for the previous three years.

The Mustangs swept San Marcos 5-0 in the semifinals on Thursday. JSerra eliminated No. 2-seeded Redondo Union 3-2.

Venice won the City Section title over Taft on Friday.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com