mission viejo

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

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

1. ORANGE LUTHERAN (16-3): Went 4-0, won Boras Classic championship game; 1

2. NORCO (18-2): Three-game series this week vs. Corona Santiago; 2

3. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (17-4): Swept Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to take first place in Mission League; 3

4. ST. JOHN BOSCO (16-5): Big two home-run game for Noah Everly vs. Santa Margarita; 4

5. HUNTINGTON BEACH (16-4-1): 12-0 in Sunset League; 5

6. CORONA (15-4): Anthony Murphy raises home run total to seven this season; 6

7. SIERRA CANYON (16-4): Brayden Goldstein is delivering big hits; 8

8. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (14-6): Critical three-game series vs. Sierra Canyon this week; 7

9. LA MIRADA (17-4): Three-game series this week versus Downey; 9

10. ROYAL (18-2): So far, Highlanders have overcome pitching injuries; 10

11. BISHOP ALEMANY (15-5): A 14-13 win over Chaminade with seven runs in the bottom of the seventh was madness; 11

12. AYALA (18-2): Caleb Trugman (7-1) and Easton Sarmiento (6-1) are good pitching duo; 12

13. CYPRESS (17-5): Impressive three-game sweep of El Dorado; 13

14. OAKS CHRISTIAN (15-5): One game behind Westlake in Marmonte League title race; 14

15. GANESHA (15-1-1): Logan Schmidt hit two home runs, struck out 14 in single game; 15

16. SOUTH HILLS (17-4): Faces Alta Loma in three-game series this week; 16

17. SANTA MARGARITA (14-8): Faces No. 1 Orange Lutheran this week; 18

18. THOUSAND OAKS (15-6): Jake Ange continues to drive in runs; 19

19. GAHR (10-9-1): Important three-game series this week versus Warren; 20

20. NEWPORT HARBOR (16-6): Next up is Fountain Valley; 21

21. CORONA SANTIAGO (15-7): Troy Randall continues to hit and hit; 23

22. AQUINAS (14-7): Showdown with 18-4 Linfield Christian this week; 24

23. MATER DEI (11-7): Battling for automatic playoff berth in Trinity League; NR

24. VILLA PARK (14-7-1): Jack McGuire struck out 16 in win over Foothill; 25

25. SERVITE (13-8): Ends regular season with games versus St. John Bosco, Orange Lutheran, Cypress; 17

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

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

1. ORANGE LUTHERAN (12-3): Won Boras Classic South championship; 2

2. NORCO (15-2): Transfers Jacob Melendez and Codey Brown making big impact; 3

3. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (14-4): Upcoming three-game series with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; 5

4. ST. JOHN BOSCO (13-5): Braves got humbled with three-game losing streak; 1

5. HUNTINGTON BEACH (15-4-1): Big week of hitting for Ely Mason; 6

6. CORONA (13-3): Danie De La Torre leads team in hitting at .486; 4

7. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (14-3): It’s final test time versus Harvard-Westlake this week; 7

8. SIERRA CANYON (14-3): Upcoming three-game series with St. Francis; 8

9. LA MIRADA (14-4): If all goes well, Matadores should win out rest of regular season; 9

10. ROYAL (16-2): Dustin Dunwoody’s ERA is 0.18; 10

11. BISHOP ALEMANY (13-4): Upcoming three-game series vs. Chaminade; 11

12. AYALA (15-1): Went 3-1 in Boras Classic; 12

13. CYPRESS (14-5): Holding down first place in tough Crestview League; 13

14. OAKS CHRISTIAN (13-4): Upcoming three-game series vs. Thousand Oaks; 15

15. GANESHA (13-1-1): Westlake inflicted first defeat; 14

16. SOUTH HILLS (14-4): Upcoming three-game series vs. Colony; 16

17. SERVITE (12-6): Upcoming three-game series vs. Mater Dei; 17

18. SANTA MARGARITA (14-5): After week of rest, Eagles face St. John Bosco; 18

19. THOUSAND OAKS (14-4): Andrew Albrecht is 5-0 pitching; 20

20. GAHR (10-9-1): Took Orange Lutheran to eight innings before losing; 22

21. NEWPORT HARBOR (16-6): Rough week playing in Boras Classic; 19

22. FOOTHILL (14-6): Upcoming two-game series with Villa Park; 23

23. CORONA SANTIAGO (12-7): Upcoming three-game series with King; 24

24. AQUINAS (11-7): Made it to Boras Classic semifinals; NR

25. VILLA PARK (13-6-1): 31 hits for Justin Lopez; NR

It was Brady Murrietta’s silence rounding the bases, then his Darth Vader-like stare directed at St. John Bosco pitcher Jack Champlin after touching third base on Thursday and slowly jogging toward home plate that sent a clear message: Don’t poke the bear.

His two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie and keyed a 5-4 win to prevent the No. 1-ranked Lancers from suffering a three-game Trinity League baseball sweep by No. 2 St. John Bosco.

One day earlier, the intensity level between the two teams reached such a crescendo that after the fiery Champlin got the final out in a 4-1 win at Hart Park, he decided to offer a taunt.

“I was hearing them all game at third base,” Champlin said. “I pointed to the ground and was saying, ‘This is my field.’ A bunch ran out of the dugout toward me and it got bigger than it needed to be.”

There was pushing and shoving as St. John Bosco went nuclear on security for Thursday’s home game, so much so that a security person refused to let a 5-foot-4 sportswriter walk into the Orange Lutheran bullpen after the game until calmer heads prevailed.

Jack Champlin of St. John Bosco is fired up after a two-run triple on Thursday against Orange Lutheran.

(Nick Koza)

The two teams declined to shake hands in a precautionary measure. It was almost comedic, since Orange Lutheran pitcher Gary Morse has played with St. John Bosco pitcher Julian Garcia since they were 8 and texted him Thursday morning to congratulate him on his Wednesday pitching performance. And Murrietta intended to text his friends on the Braves, too.

“It was more to get my boys hyped up,” Murrietta said of staring at Champlin.

Wednesday’s game was particularly important with each team’s ace on the mound. The 6-foot-8 Morse had a 95 mph fastball and gave up two hits and one run with eight strikeouts over six innings. Garcia, who missed his junior season after arm surgery, touched 97 mph while striking out 10 and giving up three hits in six innings. The Braves broke the 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh inning, keyed by a two-run single from James Clark.

On Tuesday, in St. John Bosco’s 7-4 win, Clark had another big game with two hits and three RBIs.

“Two best teams in the country,” Morse said.

Orange Lutheran (8-3, 1-2) was coming off a championship at the National High School Invitational in North Carolina. It showed off a top pitcher to join Morse in Cooper Sides, a senior transfer from Red Buff who struck out eight in five innings on Thursday in front of dozens of pro scouts.

Asked what he learned about his 11-3 defending Division 1 championship team this week, St. John Bosco coach Andy Rojo said, “I think it continues what we already know that it’s a tough team, a resilient team. We’ve had a lot of high-pressure, high-level games. A ton of one-run games.”

Said Garcia: “It pushed us to show we’re a great team.”

Orange Lutheran coach RJ Farrell saw his team fight back from adversity, and in the Texas-bound Murrietta, he has an MVP candidate capable of igniting the Lancers with his bat, glove and leadership skills.

The two teams could meet again next week during the Boras Classic in Orange County. Otherwise, it would come during a new-look Southern Section Division 1 playoff format that will have 16 teams and start with a best two-out-of-three series to advance. Both teams have shown they have the pitching to advance.

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

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

1. ORANGE LUTHERAN (7-1): Gary Morse had 16-strikeout performance; 4

2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (9-2): Three-game series with Orange Lutheran this week; 1

3. NORCO (10-1): Three-game series with King; 5

4. CORONA (9-1): Two home runs from Anthony Murphy; 3

5. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (12-1): 12-game winning streak ends; 2

6. HARVARD-WESTLAKE (10-4): Two home runs in North Carolina for Jake Kim; 6

7. HUNTINGTON BEACH (8-2-1): Dane Cunningham is hitting .458; 7

8. LA MIRADA (11-3): Three-game sweep of Gahr; 17

9. SIERRA CANYON (12-3): 5-2 record in Mission League 9

10. ROYAL (11-1): Dustin Dunwoody is 5-0 with 50 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings and 0.00 ERA; 10

11. AQUINAS (6-2): 13 hits in eight games for Johnny Tena; 11

12. BISHOP ALEMANY (9-4): Warriors finally at full strength; 13

13. AYALA (10-1): Big series with Bonita this week; 18

14. CYPRESS (9-3): 2-0 start in tough Crestview League; 16

15. OAKS CHRISTIAN (10-3): Dane Disney, Carson Sheffer eah have 18 hits; 14

16. SOUTH HILLS (12-2): Took two of three from San Dimas; 15

17. SERVITE (9-4): Took two of three games from Santa Margarita; 24

18. SANTA MARGARITA (12-4): Three-game series with Mater Dei; 12

19. THOUSAND OAKS (12-1): Jake Ange hit two grand slams vs. Calabasas; 20

20. NEWPORT HARBOR (12-2): Big Sunset League series vs. Los Alamitos; 21

21. GANESHA (8-0): Wins over Foothill, Mission Viejo; NR

22. SOUTH TORRANCE (11-1): Headed to San Diego for tournament; 22

23 CORONA SANTIAGO (10-5): Put up strong fight vs. Corona; 25

24. EL DORADO (8-6): Hosting National Classic this week 19

25. GAHR (5-7): Tough schedule taking toll; 8

Friday’s Results

BASEBALL

CITY SECTION

Arleta 4, VAAS 2

Bell 17, Huntington Park 1

Carson 6, Wilmington Banning 4

Cleveland 3, Taft 2

Eagle Rock 6, Sotomayor 0

El Camino Real 6, Chatsworth 3

Hollywood 22, Contreras 3

LA Wilson 14, Roybal 2

Jefferson 14, Diego Rivera 3

LACES 6, Fairfax 2

Monroe 14, Van Nuys 2

Palisades 13, LA Hamilton 2

San Pedro 4, Narbonne 3

SOCES 18, Panorama 2

South Gate 17, South East 2

Triumph Charter 12, CALS Early College 1

Vaughn 11, Grant 1

SOUTHERN SECTION

AAE 14, Lucerne Valley 4

Alemany 10, Harvard-Westlake 4

Anaheim 2, Saddleback 0

Anaheim Canyon 5, Crean Lutheran 4

Apple Valley 3, Ridgecrest Burroughs 2

Arcadia 10, Hoover 0

Ayala 6, Chino Hills 1

Bassett 5, La Puente 4

Beaumont 6, La Quinta 0

Big Bear 13, Loma Linda Academy 7

Bishop Amat 7, St. Paul 0

Buena 16, Oxnard 6

Camarillo 8, Oak Park 3

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 5, St. Monica 1

Castaic 4, West Ranch 3

Chadwick 4, Rio Hondo Prep 2

CIMSA 23, Victor Valley Christian 4

Corona del Mar 8, Newport Harbor 1

Corona Santiago 9, Eastvale Roosevelt 1

Costa Mesa 4, Bonita 2

Crescenta Valley 3, Pasadena 1

Dana Hills 6, Capistrano Valley 1

Dos Pueblos 6, Oxnard Pacifica 3

El Dorado 4, Villa Park 2

El Modena 3, Brea Olinda 2

Estancia 6, Savanna 5

Fillmore 8, Carpinteria 6

Ganesha 4, Edgewood 1

Great Oak 8, San Clemente 2

Hart 15, Valencia 14

Hawthorne 6, HMSA 3

Hemet 12, Perris 1

Heritage Christian 13, Village Christian 3

Hesperia 19, Sultana 10

Hesperia Christian 14, Bethel Christian 6

Highland 4, Quartz Hill 2

Hillcrest 19, Lakeside 1

Hueneme 9, Santa Paula 5

Huntington Beach 13, Marina 1

Irvine 11, Irvine University 5

Kaiser 7, Northview 4

Katella 12, Buena Park 5

Knight 13, Antelope Valley 0

La Canada 6, San Marino 0

Laguna Beach 2, Sage Hill 1

Laguna Hills 7, Ocean View 4

Lancaster 15, Palmdale 4

Loara 3, Century 2

Liberty 8, Heritage 1

Long Beach Jordan 11, Rolling Hills Prep 8

Long Beach Poly 2, Lakewood 1

Long Beach Wilson 1, Millikan 0

Los Alamitos 6, Edison 5

Loyola 5, St. Francis 4

Magnolia 10, Santa Ana Valley 5

Maranatha 6, Whittier Christian 3

Mark Keppel 4, Bell Gardens 1

Mary Star of the Sea 31, Verbum Dei 0

Mission Viejo 7, Capistrano Valley Christian 0

Monrovia 5, South Pasadena 3

Montebello 12, Oxford Academy 0

Norco 7, Corona Centennial 4

Norwalk 4, Firebaugh 0

Nuview Bridge 11, San Jacinto Leadership 1

Oak Hills 11, Serrano 7

Orange 17, Balsa Grande 11

Paramount 18, Lynwood 1

Patriot 7, Jurupa Valley 6

Pioneer Valley 10, Bishop Diego 0

Placentia Valencia 8, Santa Ana 4

Pomona 15, Workman 5

Ramona 10, Rubidoux 0

Rancho Christian 6 Citrus Hill 4

Rancho Verde 12, Vista del Lago 0

Redondo Union 6, Mira Costa 2

Riverside North 11, Canyon Springs 6

Riverside Poly 1, Arlington 0

Rosemead 11, Pioneer 5

Royal 6, Simi Valley 2

Salesian 14, SAt. Genevieve 4

San Bernardino 19, Pacific 11

Santa Barbara 4, Rio Mesa 3

Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 11, Southlands Christian 9

Santa Ynez 15, Malibu 9

Saugus 10, Canyon Country Canyon 3

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 5, Chaminade 4

Sierra Canton 19, Crespi 2

Silver Valley 19, ACE 18

South Torrance 9, North Torrance 2

St. Anthony 1, Bosco Tech 0

St. Bonaventure 12, Grace 4

St. John Bosco 13, JSerra 0

St. Margaret’s 6, Portola 2

Tesoro 3, Murrieta Valley 0

Valley View 6, Orange Vista 0

Ventura 3, San Marcos 2

Warren 6, Downey 5

Western 14, Garden Grove Santiago 13

Westminster 15, Whitney 6

Woodbridge 7, Northwood 1

INTERSECTIONAL

Fullerton 12, Idaho Owyhee 2

Marquez 4, Mountain View 2

SOFTBALL

CITY SECTION

Animo Leadership 23, Alliance Ouchi 18

Chatsworth 5, Chavez 1

Cleveland 13, SOCES 3

Fremont 14, Diego Rivera 4

Harbor Teacher 11, LA Roosevelt 2

Marquez 11, Eagle Rock 3

Monroe 31, Canoga Park 30

Sylmar 9, Van Nuys 2

Taft 11, Northridge Academy 5

SOUTHERN SECTION

ACE 21, Silver Valley 0

Anaheim 12, Loara 1

Apple Valley 5, Quartz Hill 1

Aquinas 10, Carter 4

Arbor View 11, Sultana 0

Ayala 8, Diamond Bar 0

Azusa 6, Baldwin Park 4

Big Bear 18, Lucerne Valley 0

Bishop Montgomery 5, Rosary Academy 4

Canyon Springs 7, West Valley 1

Cathedral City 10, Palm Springs 0

Colony 10, Don Lugo 6

Coronado 7, Lakewood 6

Costa Mesa 17, Samueli Academy 6

Dana Hills 13, Northwood 3

Dos Pueblos 12, Oxnard Pacifica 2

Duarte 10, Gahr 0

Heritage Christian 14, Village Christian 3

Hesperia 18, Granite Hills 17

Hesperia Christian 20, Bethel Christian 8

Jurupa Valley 7, Patriot 6

La Canada 15, Muir 11

La Puente 13, Bassett 1

Mission Bay 10, Mayfield 0

Monrovia 25, Blair 1

Norte Vista 20, La Sierra 9

Northview 2, Los Osos 2

Oceanside 9, Santa Ana Foothill 6

Orange 10, Western 0

Ramona 16, Rubidoux 0

Rancho Christian 17, Sherman Indian 7

Rancho Cucamonga 12, Ontario Christian 7

Redlands East Valley 14, Heritage 2

Riverside King 10, Corona 1

Riverside Poly 10, Santa Margarita 0

San Bernardino 32, Pacific 4

San Clemente 6, Spanish Springs 2

San Dimas 10, South El Monte 6

San Marcos 6, Ventura 4

Sierra Canyon 12, Shadow Ridge 2

Sierra Vista 11, Nogales 9

South Pasadena 8, San Marino 7

Valley View 4, Riverside North 1

INTERSECTIONAL

Bakersfield Frontier 4, Paraclete 2

Carson 15, Galena 0

Carson 9, Louisville 2

Eastside 2, Bakersfield Ridgeview 0

Eastside 9, Chavez 5

Flintridge Scared Heart 12, La Jolla Country Day 0

Louisville 3, Nevada Foothill 3

Mission Viejo 6, Nevada Douglas 5

Paraclete 8, Tulare Union 4

Santa Margarita 6, Nevada Reed 0

Trabuco Hills 18, Galena 4

Utah Lehi 3, Mission Viejo 0

Hall of Fame high school football coach Bob Johnson, who turned El Toro and Mission Viejo into powerhouse high school football programs and became one of the winningest coaches in state history, has died. He was 80. He had been battling Alzheimer’s.

“I feel for the family,” Mission Viejo football coach Chad Johnson (no relation) said Wednesday.

Johnson passed early Wednesday morning,

Johnson won six Southern Section titles coaching at Mission Viejo and three at El Toro while winning 338 games, the second winningest in Orange County history and in the top five in state history, according to the Orange County Register.

He retired after the 2017 season and was inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

His two sons, Rob and Bret, were standout high school quarterbacks before enrolling at USC and UCLA, respectively. Rob made it to the NFL. Both became coaches after their playing days were completed. Rob still coaches as an assistant at Mission Viejo.