Prep

At the City Section breakfast on Wednesday morning for teams competing this weekend in championship football games, two linebackers from the class of 2027 were asked to take a photo together, because one day, it could be historic.

Elyjah Staples, a 6-foot-3 junior from Marquez, and De’Andre Kirkpatrick, a 6-3 junior from Crenshaw, can match their skills against anyone in the state. College recruiters are paying attention and one day NFL scouts will too. They are helping destroy the stereotype that City Section football is lacking in talent.

Add versatile junior quarterback Chris Fields III from Carson and senior running back Darnell Miller from Santee, who has surpassed the 3,000-yard mark rushing this season, and you have a group of players you’ll be watching on television in the coming years.

Here’s the schedule for games at Birmingham on Friday and L.A. Southwest College on Saturday.

Marquez coach Rudy Fortiz has been hearing from friends through text messages. He’s in a bit of a bind. His team is facing his alma mater, South Gate, for the Division I title on Saturday. Fortiz says he always roots for South Gate — except for this week. South Gate was 0-10 two seasons ago.

Hawkins coach Ronald Coltress is the one who had the put the program back together after it went 0-13 in 2016 because of forfeits and firings of coaches. In 2017, he was JV coach when the varsity went 0-11 following an exodus of players. He took over in 2018 and the team went 1-9. The administration told him to stay the course and make sure players were going to class, behaving and graduating. Now Hawkins is 10-2 and playing for the Division III championship on Friday against Santee at Birmingham.

“There was nobody left,” Coltress said. “I had to find kids who wanted to play.”

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

Rio Hondo Prep in Arcadia is like “The Little Engine That Could.” The Kares are 13-0 and set to play for a 17th Southern Section football title on Saturday night despite having a student body of only 150, of which 82 are boys. Their opponent in the Division 5 final is host Redondo Union, which has a student body of nearly 3,000.

Coach Mark Carson said he embraces the challenge of his team moving up, from winning Division 9 two years ago to winning Division 7 last season after years of competing in Division XIII under old playoff systems based on size, geography and past performance. Now a computer algorithm decides divisional placement. The school has grades seven through 12, so Carson starts training players in middle school with the same offense through high school.

“The key is we have a great middle school tackle football program,” he said.

Every boy in the school knows they’re going to play football or work in the program as a manager. Many are multiple-sport athletes. The chemistry and knowledge they build together is apparent on the football field.

“We don’t really pay attention to numbers on the other team,” Carson said.

Quarterback Yanick Diaz said he has been with some of his teammates since kindergarten. They trust each other.

“I’ve known some of these guys for 15, 16 years,” Diaz said. “It’s still 11 versus 11. I’ll take my 11 over yours.”

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

Davey Harris of Windward finally scored his first points in high school basketball Monday night after waiting two seasons to recover from a knee injury. He scored 21 points in a 66-51 win over Knight at Chaminade.

The 6-foot-4 Harris is no ordinary junior. Coach DJ Gay said Harris picked up 10 scholarship offers just from his summer performances, with recruiters seeing a hint of his potential. He’s the younger brother of former Windward standout JJ Harris, a Loyola Marymount commit.

Harris said he felt well and is looking forward to being 100% later this season. Amare Larane scored 19 points for Knight.

Santa Paula 75, Garden Grove Santiago 35: Andrew Valdovinos made eight three-pointers and finished with 24 points. David Alvarez added 19 points.

Chatsworth 62, Burroughs 32: Aaron Krueger had 24 points for Chatsworth.

Canyon Country Canyon 74, Victor Valley 49: Isaac Yuhico scored 36 points for the Cowboys.

Granada Hills 61, Gardena Serra 52: Jacob Bautista finished with 20 points for Granada Hills.

Rolling Hills Prep 60, West Torrance 48: Kawika Suter had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Nick Welch Jr. added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Loyola 69, Palisades 58: Mattai Carter led Loyola with 17 points. Freshman Phillip Green had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Palisades.

Girls basketball

Sage Hill 64, Harvard-Westlake 29: Sage Hill showed why it will be an Open Division team, routing the Wolverines in a Redondo Union tournament game. Texas-bound Amalia Holguin was making threes from NBA range. She had 19 points. Kamdyn Klamberg had 21 points.

Etiwanda 98, Santa Maria St. Joseph 31: The Eagles (2-0) received 22 points from Chasity Rice and 21 points from Arynn Finley at Redondo Union.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s championship week in high school football. It’s also the 10-year anniversary of one of best and most entertaining high school basketball teams in history — the unbeaten 2015-16 Chino Hills Huskies, led by the Ball brothers

Looking back at greatness

LiAngelo Ball, center, is flanked by his brothers Lonzo, second from left, and LaMelo in 2016.

(Los Angeles Times)

High school basketball fans, sportswriters and coaches had the time of their lives watching the creation of Chino Hills’ 35-0 team from 2015, with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball in starring roles. They helped entertain and draw so many Oohs and Aahs that they became nationally recognized, along with their always talkative father, LaVar.

The tales of showing up with a lawn chair two hours before a game to make sure you got a seat before the gym sold out are legendary. The talent and chemistry of the Balls, along with Onyeka Okongwu and Eli Scott, was something to behold all the way to Chino Hills winning the state championship in March of 2016 in Sacramento.

Here’s a look back from a sportswriter’s perspective and that of the head coach, Steve Baik.

Keawe Browne (2) celebrates after a blocked Mater Dei field-goal attempt gives Corona Centennial 28-27 win.

(Craig Weston)

Who had Santa Margarita facing Corona Centennial in Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 final at the Rose Bowl? Both teams earned the spot, the first time St. John Bosco or Mater Dei have failed to participate in the championship game since 2012.

Here’s how Centennial beat Mater Dei 28-27 in the semifinals with a blocked field goal at the end of the game.

Santa Margarita took care of business in the other semifinal to defeat Orange Lutheran. The Eagles are surging because of their terrific defense and the threat Trent Mosley offers any time he touches the ball. Here’s the report.

Here’s a look at how Santa Margarita and Centennial cracked the code to create a new championship game.

In Division 2, two league rivals, Los Alamitos and San Clemente, will play for a second time this season on Saturday night at San Clemente.

Here’s this weekend’s championship schedule.

Here’s a look at the top individual performances from last week.

Crenshaw pulled off the win that few expected when the City Section season began last August. The Cougars handed Birmingham its first defeat after 55 consecutive wins over City opponents 12-7 in the City Open Division semifinals. What a coaching job by interim coach Terrence Whitehead. His team will face Carson for the City title on Saturday at L.A. Southwest College. Here’s a look at Crenshaw’s journey this season.

Carson first-year coach William Lowe has his team trying for a 12th City title.

(Nick Koza)

Carson is playing like a No. 1 seed after dominating Garfield in the semifinals. With quarterback Chris Fields’ ability to run or pass, the Colts will have an advantage against a Crenshaw team that hasn’t faced many teams with balanced offenses.

South Gate quarterback Michael Gonzalez tries to console William Smith of Dorsey in an act of sportsmanship after South Gate win.

(Nick Koza)

In Division I, South Gate will take on Marquez on Saturday. South Gate defeated Dorsey in its semifinal and Marquez toppled top-seeded Venice. Here’s a look at South Gate players showing sportsmanship after their game. Dorsey had to play on Monday after playoff game against Eagle Rock had a power blackout. Here’s a look at the Dons’ win.

In Division II, Cleveland rallied for a win over Fairfax and will face San Fernando. Here’s a report. In Division III, Hawkins will play Santee.

Basketball

Brandon McCoy of Sierra Canyon had nine dunks and 25 points in win over JSerra.

(Craig Weston)

The Trinity-Mission League Challenge at Pauley Pavilion produced lots of dunks and competitive games. The best game ended up being the last, with St. John Bosco beating Harvard-Westlake 57-55. Santa Margarita rallied for a 77-73 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame behind 28 points from Brayden Kyman. Brandon McCoy had nine dunks in his Sierra Canyon debut, a win over JSerra.

Here’s a look at the games and top performances.

Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

In girls basketball, defending Southern Section Open Division champion Ontarior Christian started with two wins and Kaleena Smith scoring 45 and 35 points.

Redondo Union is hosting a tournament beginning Monday that includes Etiwanda.

Harvard-Westlake unveiled freshman Lucia Khamenia, the sister of Nikolas. Here’s a report.

Legacy of the Kymans

Brayden Kyman of Santa Margarita.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Kymans have been a sports family for years. Bernie Kyman was a coach and athletic direct. Son Coley starred in football and volleyball at Reseda and Cal State Northridge. His son Jake won a CIF title at Santa Margarita before playing for UCLA basketball.

Now Brayden is a senior basketball player at Santa Margarita. The family is moving to Montana after this season. A look at the impact and legacy of the Kymans.

Girls tennis

The Calabasas High girls tennis team won the Southern Section Division 2 championship.

(Courtesy Calabasas High)

Corona del Mar completed an unbeaten Southern Section girls tennis season with a victory over Portola in the Division 1 championship match. Here’s a report.

Calabasas defeated Harvard-Westlake for the Division 2 title. Here’s a report.

Alexa Guerrero holds the championship plaque as she and her Marshall teammates celebrate their City Section Open Division flag football championship win over Eagle Rock.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Marshall has climbed to the top in City Section flag football with a 20-0 win over Eagle Rock in the Open Division final.

Here’s a look at the newest City champions.

Cross country

Irvine senior Summer Wilson won the Southern Section Division 2 cross-country title.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

On the rain course at Mount San Antonio College, Summer Wilson ran away with the Division 2 championship at the Southern Section cross-country championships. Here’s the report.

The City championships were held at Elysian Park, and Palisades won boys and girls titles. Here’s the report.

The state championships will be held Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Girls volleyball

Mater Dei, Harvard-Westlake and Cypress won state championships in girls volleyball.

Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

Justin Utupo is out after one season as football coach at Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits (5-5) lost six players to ineligibility by the Southern Section and the school administration refused to allow the team to participate in the playoffs. The program has won 20 Southern Section football championships but last won a Division 1 title in 2012 under Raul Lara. Here’s the report. . . .

Aaron Huerta has resigned after one season as football coach at Bishop Alemany. . ..

The CIF state championship football games will be played Dec. 11-12 at Buena Park High, Fullerton High and Saddleback College. . . .

Bo Beatty, the co-head football coach at Bonita, has resigned to return to Azusa Pacific where he was a long-time assistant coach. Steve Bogan is the co-head coach. . . .

Defensive lineman James Moffat of Crespi has committed to UCLA. . . .

Santa Margarita won its third state title in girls golf at Poppy Hills Golf Course. . . .

It was the year of Newport Harbor in boys water polo. The team lost one match all season and avenged its only defeat with a win over Cathedral Catholic in the regional final. . . .

Kacey Norwood has been named interim girls’ lacrosse coach at St. Margaret’s. . . .

JD Hill, a defensive lineman at Mission Viejo, has committed to Washington. . . .

Cooper Javorsky, a lineman from San Juan Hills who decommitted as a UCLA recruit after the firing of DeShaun Foster, has recommitted to the Bruins. . . .

Here’s a report and update on former San Juan Hills linebacker Weston Port and his Mormon mission in Spain. . . .

From the archives: Carson Schwesinger

Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

Former Oaks Christian and UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger is having a successful rookie season for the Cleveland Browns. After being selected No. 33 overall in the NFL draft, he’s been starting and earning rave reviews.

He went to UCLA as a walk-on and became a star.

Here’s a story from 2021 on Schwesinger walking on at UCLA.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on a high school football lineman who didn’t know how to put on pads three years ago and became an Oregon recruit.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a look at the top high school basketball teams in San Diego.

From NFHS.org, a story of sportsmanship across the country in high school sports.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal, a story on changes in Nevada’s football playoff system that will allow Bishop Gorman only one nonleague game starting in 2026.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s semifinals week in the high school football playoffs. This is the week players cry if they come up short and scream if they make it to the final. And it comes as the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs are on the verge of making history.

Semifinals week

The versatile Trent Mosley makes a run during Santa Margarita’s playoff win against Sierra Canyon.

(Craig Weston)

Carson Palmer held up well whenever he experienced rain in his 15 years as an NFL quarterback because of his big hands to help grasp the football. In his first experience last week as a high school head coach in the rain, he got one of his most memorable victories when Santa Margarita knocked off previously unbeaten Sierra Canyon on the road, 21-9, to advance to the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. His quarterback, Trace Johnson, threw for two touchdowns. He played in Florida’s rain last season. Here’s the report.

It sets up one of the most unlikely semifinals, Santa Margarita playing Trinity League rival Orange Lutheran on Friday night at Orange Coast College. Orange Lutheran pulled off the biggest upset in California, if not the nation, with a 20-19 victory over top-seeded St. John Bosco. Orange Lutheran lost to St. John Bosco in the regular season 48-0.

The Lancers have Santa Margarita right where they want them. They lost to the Eagles 28-7 during the regular season. Coach Rod Sherman has his team believing. Quarterback Reagan Toki and defensive back King Rich Johnson came through with big plays against the Braves, who lost back-to-back games for the first time under coach Jason Negro. Santa Margarita remains the favorite with its outstanding defense and the versatile Trent Mosley.

The other semifinal is another rematch with Corona Centennial hosting Mater Dei. Centennial won a wild game in September 43-36 in which the Monarchs fell behind 28-0 and 33-7 at halftime, only to rally and take the lead before losing. Mater Dei had seven turnovers. The last time either Mater Dei or St. John Bosco did not win the Division 1 championship was 2015. Centennial won it, so history could be made if the Huskies eliminate Mater Dei.

The Division 2 semifinals are also outstanding. Los Alamitos is at Murrieta Valley in a game in which both teams love to run the football. Red-hot San Clemente plays at Leuzinger, which is riding high with the return of quarterback Russell Sekona and a tough defense.

Here’s the complete schedule for this weekend.

Here’s a look at top individual performances from the quarterfinals.

City Section

Garfield running back Zastice Jauregui cuts off a block to pick up some of his 440 yards rushing against Palisades on Friday night.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Garfield ended Palisades’ magical unbeaten football season with 42-21 victory. The Dolphins have had issues all season on defense, and the Bulldogs made them pay. Zastice Jauregui rushed for 440 yards and five touchdowns. Here’s the report.

It sets up an Open Division semifinal between top-seeded Carson and a Garfield team that’s surging and used to playing in big games.

The other semifinal will have Birmingham, unbeaten in 55 games against City Section opponents, taking on the surprise team of the year, 9-1 Crenshaw, which upset San Pedro on the road 30-0. The Cougars’ long-time head coach, Robert Garrett, has not coached all season while being on administrative leave. Terrence Whitehead has been running things. The Cougars are a dangerous team motivated to win a title for Whitehead and Garrett.

Aaron Minter of Venice enjoys the mud in a 35-8 win over Franklin in a City Division I playoff game.

(Nick Koza)

In Division I, Venice is top-seeded but Marquez will be a formidable semifinal opponent. South Gate has advanced to the other semifinal but its opponent won’t be decided until Eagle Rock hosts Dorsey on Monday at 4 p.m. after a power failure on Friday forced the postponement.

In Division II, Fairfax is at Cleveland ant Marshall at San Fernando. Marshall overcame a 12-11 deficit to Chatsworth by returning an onside kick for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

In Division III, Contreras entered this season having never won a playoff game since the school opened in 2007. Contreras plays at top-seeded Santee and Wilson is at Hawkins.

Here’s a look at teams thriving in the mud.

Girls’ basketball

Kaleena Smith draws contact on her way to the basket for Ontario Christian. She’s a junior this season.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Monday marks the beginning of the high school basketball season.

Top girls teams have added to their rosters with transfer students similar to what’s been happening in the boys ranks.

Ontario Christian is the defending Southern Section Open Division champion. Etiwanda has won three straight state titles. Here’s a preview of the teams and players to watch and lots of players switching schools.

Top junior guard Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian visited USC last week. UCLA is next. Don’t expect a commitment any time soon.

The state’s winningest coach, Kevin Kiernan, is back coaching at Troy. Here’s the report.

Westchester and Palisades look to be the top teams in City Section girls basketball.

Boys basketball

This week’s opening schedule includes the Mission League vs. Trinity League challenge on Saturday at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. The featured games include Harvard-Westlake vs. St. John Bosco at 8:30 p.m. and Santa Margarita vs. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Here’s the link for tickets.

Tom Hofman begins his 39th season as head coach at La Canada. Here’s a look at his motivation to keep coaching.

San Marino has a player showing how to play with hearing aids. Here’s the report.

Here’s The Times’ preseason top 25 boys rankings.

Water polo

Newport Harbor goalie Conner Clougherty helped lead his team to Southern Section championship.

(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)

Close to a perfection. That’s how to describe the season enjoyed by the Newport Harbor boys’ water polo team, which repeated as Southern Section Open Division champions with a 10-3 win over rival Corona del Mar. Newport Harbor is 30-1, has won four titles in the last five years and 16th championship overall.

Here’s the report.

Newport Harbor is seeded No. 1 for the Division I state regional water polo playoffs that begin Tuesday. Here are the pairings.

Loyola won the Division 1 championship over Mater Dei. Capistrano Valley, Bonita, Charter Oak and Fontana also won titles.

Cleveland won its third straight City Section championship. Here’s the report.

Cross country

It’s championship time in cross country. The City Section will hold its finals Thursday in Elysian Park. The Southern Section finals are Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.

The Southern Section created a rain course for last weekend’s prelims at Mt. SAC. Here’s the link to results.

Maximo Zavaleta of King had the fastest Division 1 boys time at 14:21.3. Charlotte Hopkins led Division 1 girls in 16:56.5.

Interception machine

Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial makes interception and returns it for touchdown against Mater Dei.

(Craig Weston)

There’s one defensive player who has thrust himself into the conversation for player of the year. Jaden Walk-Green, a junior at Corona Centennial, has made 10 interceptions, returning five for touchdowns.

Here’s a profile on an athlete who played almost every sport growing up and starts in center field for the baseball team.

Notes . . .

The City Section flag football championships were postponed Saturday because of rain and have been rescheduled for Saturday. Eagle Rock plays Marshall in the Open Division final at 6 p.m. at Garfield. . . .

The Southern California girls volleyball regional finals are set for Tuesday. Here’s the schedule. Winners advances to the state championships Friday and Saturday at Santiago Canyon College. . . .

Price has dropped its boys basketball progam. It was a long-time small schools power, winning numerous championships during the era of Michael Lynch . . .

Standout forward Maximo Adams of Sierra Canyon has committed to North Carolina. . . .

Vince Gomez has resigned as girls basketball coach at Anaheim. . . .

Sierra Canyon standout girls basketball player Jerzy Robinson hasn’t practiced in more than a month because of an injury. She’s waiting for doctor’s clearance to resume practices. . . .

Mater Dei senior basketball standout Kaeli Wynn has committed to South Carolina. . . .

Alyson Fullbright is the new girls beach volleyball coach at St. Margaret’s. . . .

Softball standout Shea Gonzalez of Villa Park has committed to Washington. . . .

Santa Margarita won the Southern California regional girls’ golf title for the fourth straight season to advance to the state championships on Wednesday at Poppy Hills. . . .

Junior infielder Parker Leoff of Huntington Beach has committed to UCLA. . . .

Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame basketball player Tyran Stokes has enrolled at Rainer Beach in Seattle. . . .

TJ Yonkers has resigned as football coach at West Ranch.

From the archives: Sam Darnold

In 2017, USC quarterback Sam Darnold visits his former teammates at San Clemente.

(Los Angeles Times)

Sam Darnold is a hero in his home town of San Clemente. He starred at San Clemente High, USC and now is having success in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He struggled Sunday in his homecoming to SoFi Stadium, with the Rams intercepting him four times.

Here’s a story on Darnold’s reflecting on hs football journey.

Here’s a story from 2017 on Darnold dealing with fame shortly before his 20th birthday.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Thousand Oaks linebacker Alex Singleton revealing he has cancer.

From the Washington Post, a story on a high school athlete who grew up on basketball but her ticket to college might be flag football.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on UCLA’s 16-year-old women’s soccer player.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

Whether he knows it or not, 6-foot-5 Zane Daoud of San Marino High is going to be a role model for kids born deaf.

He was one of them, 60% deaf since birth. He rebelled against wearing hearing aids. He’d take them off constantly while growing up. By high school, he says he figured out how much they could help him and stopped worrying what people thought. He should be a top basketball player for Rio Hondo League favorite San Marino this season.

“I’ve accepted I have hearing loss,” he said. “When I was younger, I didn’t really want to come to terms with it. I didn’t want to wear my hearing aids all the time. I didn’t want to use my accommodations. I denied I had it and acted like I could go through my life without my hearing aids. As I got older, I realized I can’t hear without them..”

He’s a straight-A student and discovered his parents were right.

“My parents were always telling me, ‘You need to wear them,’” he said. “I said I didn’t need to wear them.”

In high school, he learned he could hear better talking to people and listening to his coach. Maturity and experiences have taught him how to succeed.

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

People discovered who were true mudders on a rainy Friday night in the City Section football playoffs.

Crenshaw routed No. 3-seeded San Pedro 30-0 to advance to the Open Division semifinals next week at Birmingham. The Cougars received a punt return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown from Kyron Rattler. Deance’ Lewis had a long touchdown on the opening possession and De’Andre Kirkpatrick contributed double digits in tackles.

Crenshaw is 9-1 under interim coach Terrence Whitehead. That means Robert Garrett, on administrative leave, has 299 career victories. Birmingham defeated Granada Hills Kennedy 49-20.

Garfield received 440 yards rushing from Zastice Jauregui to end Palisades’ unbeaten season, 42-21. Garfield will play at No. 1 Carson, which defeated King/Drew 27-2.

Venice was unstoppable on its grass field, beating Franklin 35-8 in the Division I playoffs.

The Dorsey at Eagle Rock game was postponed until Monday because of a power failure at Eagle Rock.

Tom Hofman is set for his 41st season coaching basketball at La Cañada High, including 39 as varsity coach. He’s a future Hall of Famer who keeps coaching at age 73.

The key is his wife, Cindy, still enjoying basketball, which means Tom gets to keep coaching. They’ve been married for 53 years.

“I like the kids,” he said. “My wife still loves it.”

This will be the final season of the Rio Hondo League. La Cañada has won 31 league titles under Hofman. The Rio Hondo will combine with the Pacific League next season.

“I don’t like it,” Hofman said. “It’s a shame.”

La Cañada has been running the same offense since Day 1, copied from the days of Bobby Knight at Indiana. “We tweaked it a little,” Hofman said.

That offense is the reason opposing coaches like to play zone defense against La Cañada. Players get beat for too many layups playing man-to-man against La Cañada.

Hofman is most proud of coaching neighborhood kids and making sure everyone knows he never has recruited players.

“We did it the right way,” he said. “I’ve never really made an initial contact.”

The Rio Hondo League held a media day Thursday at South Pasadena, with coaches paying respect to Hofman’s longevity at the same school.

“His passing game is amazing,” Blair coach Derrick Taylor said. “Going 41 years is a long time. He’s really amazing. He’s a first-class guy.”

He’s one of a kind as another basketball season begins next week. And he says this won’t be his final season as long as his wife keeps enjoying the game.

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

It’s more than two hours before Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s football team plays in a Southern Section playoff game, and there’s one big teenager lying on his back at the 50-yard line with headphones on. Samson Fatu, 6 feet 5 and 305 pounds, is using the all-weather turf as his “Sleep Number bed.”

“Here I Am,” a song by J Boog, is playing on his headphones. This is the way Fatu focuses before a game.

He’s a starting offensive tackle for Notre Dame, which hosts Chino Hills in a Division 3 playoff game on Friday. His father, Rikishi, is in the WWE Hall of Fame. Three brothers are pro wrestlers and don’t be surprised if Samson one day becomes the latest Samoan family member to start throwing people down. He’s that big and strong and anyone named Samson has star power.

He’s finally healthy after getting injured last season. Get your photos of the big kid with lots of hair. One day you might be watching him on TV in football or wrestling.

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

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. High school basketball season is a week away from beginning, so let’s start discussing top players and top teams.

Mission League talent surge

Brandon McCoy has left St. John Bosco for Sierra Canyon.

(Greg Stein)

The Mission League has continued to have a surge in basketball talent through transfers and development of young players. Harvard-Westlake won consecutive state titles until Eastvale Roosevelt broke through last season and has won seven straight league championships.

Sierra Canyon will start out as No. 1 in the state in many rankings and polls with an influx of transfers, including St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy and JSerra’s Brannon Martinsen to team up with Maximo Adams, who previously played at Narbonne and Gardena Serra before starring for the Trailblazers last season.

Here’s a look at the talent and top teams in the Mission League.

The Trinity League is not far behind, led by Santa Margarita, which returns four starters and has Georgia Tech commit Kaiden Bailey, Washington State commit Brayden Kyman and Oregon State commit Drew Anderson. Mater Dei has Kansas commit Luke Barnett. St. John Bosco has one of the nation’s top seniors in 6-foot-9 Christian Collins. The Braves also have one of the nation’s top lacrosse players who’s also 6-7, Dominic Perfetti.

Missouri commit Jason Crowe Jr. is back to lead Inglewood. Crossroads has added two sensational sophomore transfers in Evan Willis from Mater Dei and Shalen Sheppard from Brentwood. Pasadena’s 6-11 Josh Irving is committed to Texas A&M. Gene Roebuck from La Mirada is a high-scoring junior guard.

Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame shows off the thrill of victory in 44-28 Division 3 playoff win over Laguna Beach.

(Craig Weston)

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame needed a strong offensive performance to hold off Laguna Beach 44-28 in a Division 3 opener. Quarterback Wyatt Brown made plays and running back Noel Washington had three touchdowns to offset 413 yards passing and four TD passes from Jack Hurst. Here’s the report.

Here’s a look at Hurst, a 6-foot-4 junior quarterback who finished with 45 touchdown passes this season.

Five No. 1 teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. It was also a tough week for unbeaten teams, with Crespi, Torrance, Crean Lutheran and Rowland losing in the opening round.

Leuzinger might have pulled off the most impressive win over Crean Lutheran 34-17 in Division 2 behind the return of quarterback Russell Sekona, who had four touchdown passes after being sidelined with a hand injury. Los Alamitos rallied for a 35-28 win over Yorba Linda. San Juan Hills got a walk-off field goal from Kyle Donahue to defeat Downey 28-27.

In Chaparral’s 63-42 win over Chaminade, quarterback Dane Weber completed 24 of 31 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns with one interception and ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns in win over Chaminade.

The Division 1 playoffs begin Friday: Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco, Servite at Corona Centennial, Mission Viejo vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s playoff schedule.

Here’s a look at top individual performances.

Carson quarterback Chris Fields.

(Nick Koza)

No. 1-seeded Carson and quarterback Chris Fields begin the Open Division playoffs Friday against King/Drew. The other opening matchups have Kennedy at Birmingham, Garfield playing Palisades at site to be announced and Crenshaw at San Pedro.

Van Nuys pulled off the biggest upset in Division I with a victory over No. 4-seeded Banning, Kudos to coach Ken Osorio, who resurrected a program that didn’t have many wins or many players before he took over in 2023. Van Nuys is at Marquez on Friday. Another good quarterfinal matchup has Franklin at No. 1 Venice.

In Division II, Western League schools University and Fairfax meet for a second time. University lost the first time 21-20. Chatsworth upset No. 3 Roosevelt and now plays at No. 6 Marshall. In Division III, top-seeded Santee received 241 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Darnell Miller, pushing his season total to 2,485 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Ava Irwin (2) celebrates with her teammates after catching two TD passes in JSerra’s 25-20 victory over Orange Lutheran for the Southern Section Division 1 flag football title.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Perfection. It was achieved by the JSerra flag football team with a 25-20 win over Orange Lutheran to win the Southern Section Division 1 championship.

Three times JSerra faced the defending Division 1 champions. Three times JSerra found a way to beat Orange Lutheran. The Lions finish 28-0.

Here’s a look at the drama and celebration.

The City Section will hold its flag football championships Saturday at Garfield High.

Here are the updated City Section pairings.

The legend returns

Hall of Fame basketball player Gail Goodrich came to Sun Valley Poly High on Friday to have the school’s gym named after him.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Anges Times)

Gail Goodrich, one of the greatest basketball players in Los Angeles history, returned to town to have his alma mater, Sun Valley Poly, name its new gym, “The Gail Goodrich Sports Complex.”

Goodrich, 82, was emotional and appreciative. He’s one of the few athletes to have won a City title, NCAA title and NBA title with Poly, UCLA and the Lakers. He’s a basketball Hall of Famer and beloved by many Los Angeles sports fans.

Here’s a look at the ceremony and his humbleness.

Girls volleyball

Sierra Canyon players celebrate their five-set victory over Marymount in the Southern Section Division I semifinals Nov. 1,2025, in Chatsworth, CA. Sierra Canyon went on to win the girls’ volleyball title. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Sierra Canyon won the Southern Section Division 1 girls’ volleyball championship over Mater Dei. Here’s the report. Here’s a look at divisional champions.

Palisades knocked off Western League rival Venice to win the City Section Open Division title. Here’s the report.

Sierra Canyon received the No. 1 seed for the Open Division state volleyball playoffs that begin this week. Here are the pairings.

Water polo

Corona del Mar’s Sam Macias (20) fires in a goal at close range against Santa Margarita.

(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)

The Final Four is set for the Southern Section Open Division boys water polo semifinals Wednesday at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatic Center. It will be No. 1-seeded Newport Harbor facing No. 6 Mira Costa and No. 3 Corona del Mar taking on No. 4 Oaks Christian.

Here’s a look at Corona del Mar’s win over Santa Margarita to decide a Final Four berth.

Notes . . .

Harvard-Westlake basketball coach David Rebibo and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Ferkel have been elected to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be June 28 at the Skirball Cultural Center in the Sepulveda Basin. . . .

Freshman Layla Phillips of Harbor Teacher Prep poses for a photo.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

The City Section has another freshman phenom to promote. Freshman Layla Phillips from Harbor Teacher Prep won the City Section girls’ golf championship, and it wasn’t even close. Here’s a profile on a player whose name is going to be known nationally. . . .

Moanikeala Finau from Diamond Bar won the Southern Section individual girls’ golf championship. . . .

A free heart screening for students and kids ages 10 to 25 will take place Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at La Mirada High. . . .

St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin has committed to UC Irvine. . . .

Daniel Robles has resigned as football coach at Don Lugo. . . .

Joe Jurado, who criticized the Southern Section when his 9-1 Rim of the World football team failed to make the playoffs at an at-large team, has resigned as head coach. . . .

Sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou from Orange Lutheran has reclassified to the class of 2027. He’s 6 feet 7, 275 pounds. . . .

Dean Herrington has been let go as football coach at St. Francis. Here’s the report. . . .

St. Francis is advertising its position as paying its new football coach from $125,000 to $175,000. JSerra is advertising from $150,000 to $200,000. The Catholic schools think football is a wise investment. . . .

Terrance Smith is no longer the football coach at Ayala. . . .

Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte of Burbank has committed to Delaware State. . . .

Johnny Dukes is the new basketball coach at Eastvale Roosevelt. . . .

Linebacker Ryder Barnes from Crean Lutheran has committed to Cal Poly. . . .

Former Sun Valley Poly assistant football coach Steve Smith is the new head coach at Reseda. . . .

The Southern Section cross-country prelims will take place Friday and Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.

From the archives: Tyler Glasnow

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow with former Hart coach Jim Ozella, who coached him in high school.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Former Hart High pitcher Tyler Glasnow followed former Harvard-Westlake pitcher Jack Flaherty in coming to the Dodgers and becoming a world champion by contributing on the mound during the World Series. Glasnow was injured during last year’s World Series but finally came through for his home-town team.

Here’s a story from 2024 about Glasnow adding California cool to the Dodgers.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on former San Clemente quarterback Sam Darnold becoming an NFL MVP candidate.

From Westridgespyglass.org, a story on a high school journalist bringing to light how her school tried to keep quiet a volleyball match against Jurupa Valley.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the growth of former Los Alamitos receiver Makai Lemon, now a star at USC.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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Laguna Beach’s football season came to an end on Friday night after the Breakers lost to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 44-28 in a Division 3 playoff opener. But if you saw the performances of three freshmen starters, you’d know how promising the future looks for Laguna Beach.

Luke Bogdan, 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, and Winston Darrow, 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, are 14 years old. Both start on the offensive line. Bogdan also played on the defensive line. Then there’s Charlie Christian, a running back and linebacker who is 15 and never wants to go down without a fight.

To have players so young holding their own on an offensive line in Division 3 was remarkable. Quarterback Jack Hurst was sacked once. Then there’s Christian, who caught five passes for 85 yards while also taking on Notre Dame’s huge offensive line on defense at his linebacker position.

When college recruiters see these freshmen on film and imagine how big and strong they might become in the coming years, they’ll be impressed.

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

Get ready for Troy High to again be a girls’ basketball team to watch.

Kevin Kiernan, the winningest girls’ coach in state history with 900 career wins, according to CalHiSports, has come out of retirement for a second stint at Troy, where he coached for 11 years before heading over to Mater Dei for an 18-year run as girls’ coach and later athletic director. He’s also coached at Westminster La Quinta as well as boys’ basketball and was women’s coach at Cypress College.

Kiernan served as athletic director at Mater Dei last season. Two issues that he dealt with — an injured hip and throat surgery to help his voice — have been taken care of.

“Voice is great,” said Kiernan, whose daughter, Kaidyn, is a junior on the team.

That’s bad news for opponents, players and maybe some officials.

His experience alone should be beneficial to Troy, which is scheduled to be in eight tournaments and showcases. There’s only one returning player, Allyson Tan, but plenty of freshmen and sophomores, which is challenging but invigorating for Kiernan, known as a great teacher of the game.

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].

When Dwayne Finley graduated from Van Nuys High in 1984, he had ideas of becoming a high school sports official.

For 35 years, he has been working as a football, basketball and baseball official for both the City Section and Southern Section.

He became such a good umpire that he has worked college baseball for 30 years.

Finley has always been known for keeping his cool and keeping games under control.

Coaches appreciate his ability to speak with them to clarify questions. And he’s nowhere near ready to retire.

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