positive happening

Dominic Perfetti is a 6-foot-7 starting basketball player for St. John Bosco. Even more impressive is that he’s one of the top high school lacrosse players in the nation and has committed to Syracuse.

He became interested in lacrosse when a friend gave him a stick when he was 6 years old. He started fooling around with it and has been playing lacrosse ever since. He got so good that top programs on the East Coast reached out. And he’s been playing for a club team, too.

He’s so tall as a defender that it makes him a unique player.

“I might be the tallest lacrosse player in history,” Perfetti joked.

His size, combined with 6-9 Christian Collins and 7-1 Howie Wu, gives St. John Bosco a formidable trio in basketball. If his team is busy in the basketball playoffs, he’ll also try to play lacrosse simultaneously for the Braves.

He’ll gladly demonstrate his shooting ability in lacrosse if anyone presents him with a stick and ball. And he can dunk, too.

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

Sometimes you have to sacrifice having great statistics to lead your team to victory. That’s what 5-foot-8 running back Journee Tonga has done for Leuzinger this season.

A year ago, he rushed for 2,267 yards and 29 touchdowns. This season, to help Leuzinger win the Bay League championship, go 9-1 and earn a Division 2 playoff matchup against unbeaten Crean Lutheran on Friday, Tonga has been doing everything, from playing quarterback to slot.

“He’s been our Swiss Army Knife,” coach Jason Miller said.

A hand injury to starting quarterback Russell Sekona forced Tonga into a wildcat formation to fill in. Sekona will find out this week if he can return.

If that happens, Tonga will be providing help with his running and catching skills.

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

If you want to see a player whose impact is growing, go watch South Gate junior quarterback Michael Gonzalez. He’s listed as 5 feet 9 on the Rams’ roster, but what an arm he has and he can run, too.

He passed for 273 yards last week in a loss to Garfield. He has passed for 1,999 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight games. He’s also scored six touchdowns.

Receiver Nicholas Fonseca, another junior, has 52 receptions for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the City Section Division II player of the year last season.

South Gate is 5-3, with the duo leading the way. The Rams’ passing attack could set them apart for the Division I playoffs.

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

It’s Viva Las Vegas for the top girls volleyball teams in Southern California. They’ll be in Las Vegas this weekend for the 30th Durango Classic that will be played at four sites beginning Friday.

Seven of MaxPreps’ top 10 teams nationally are scheduled to compete, including Sierra Canyon, Mater Dei, Redondo Union, Marymount and Mira Costa.

Sierra Canyon is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section power rankings after knocking off Redondo Union last week.

It’s also one of the first chances to see teams strengthened by players who had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring without moving. The sit-out period ended Sept. 13. …

The Ivy League football season begins on Saturday, and there are 39 players from Southern Section high school teams listed on Ivy League rosters.

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

Sophomore running back Arman Papazyan was supposed to be the backup to his brother, Gev, this season at Glendale High. Then Gev went down with a season-ending injury. Little brother Arman came to the rescue.

He had 215 yards rushing in 32 carries in a loss to Marshall. He has continued to be a productive offensive weapon for 1-2 Glendale. He has 349 yards and five touchdowns in three games.

“He’s been carrying the load,” coach Manuel Lemus said. …

Several football teams are enjoying turnaround seasons. Westlake has gone from 0-10 to 4-0. Bellflower is 3-0 after going 0-10. L.A. University is 4-0 after going 2-9 last season, while L.A. Marshall and Norco are 4-0 after finishing 3-7 last season. …

Banning improved to 4-0 on Friday night with a 21-20 win over Garfield in which the Pilots stopped a two-point conversion attempt to win. Mauricio Ortiz Jr. made the game-saving tackle.

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

Moyo Odebunmi, a junior running back at Cleveland High and native of Nigeria who had never played varsity football until this season, is quickly adjusting to the speed of the game.

On Thursday night against Arleta, his first three carries resulted in touchdown runs of 68, 85 and 59 yards. He also caught a touchdown and had a 99-yard kickoff return in Cleveland’s 70-37 win. He finished with 303 yards rushing.

Odebunmi, who is 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, didn’t play football as a freshman, came out last season and learned the game on junior varsity. Now coach Mario Guzman can’t find enough spots to use him.

“We had him all over the field,” Guzman said. “He’s just an athlete we have to have out there.”

Another big contributor for Cleveland was soccer athlete Samael Cerritos, who was 10 for 10 on PATs.

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

During an interview that will be aired on Thursday for “Friday Night Live” on The Times’ X account, Kennedy All-City quarterback Diego Montes was asked about players in the City Section being overlooked.

That produced a response, “Do not sleep on the City Section.”

“I can’t afford to play for a private school,” he said. “I don’t think where you play should matter that great. You’re telling me if I play for a private school, that makes me any better than I am now? No. There’s talent in the City Section.”

The complete interview can be seen at 5 p.m. Thursday via X at LATSondheimer.

Montes accounted for seven touchdowns (four running) in a 56-51 win over Eagle Rock last week.

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

Whatever Canon King of Venice High had done earlier this season — he had six home runs — his performance on Tuesday night in the City Section Open Division semifinal game against Sylmar at Cal State Northridge earned him a lofty place few others have attained.

He was five for five with three RBIs and scored the winning run in the eighth inning of a 9-8 victory.

“It felt amazing,” he said. “My approach all day, get on base.”

He repeatedly looked for holes in Sylmar’s defense and sent the ball wherever they existed. It was an amazing display of bat discipline and knowledge. He had a single in the first inning, a two-run single in the second, a single in the fourth, a single in the sixth and a run-scoring double in the eighth.

Now he gets to play in the Open Division final against El Camino Real at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dodger Stadium. He’s committed to Cal State San Marcos and is a three-time Western League MVP.

“Best hitter in the City in my time doing this,” Westchester coach Joshua Saperstein said.

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