prep talk

It was the end of an era on Friday night at Canoga Park High, where Mark Nogy completed his final high school football home game as the public address announcer on the 30th anniversary of his debut.

He’s a Canoga Park graduate who later became a school counselor and also announced Pierce College football games.

Former Canoga Park principal Denny Thompson wrote on Facebook, “Mark has never been shy about telling anyone who will listen just how great the community, staff, and students are. Thank you for being such a great Ambassador for our school. We will miss you on the mic at games. You are one of the reasons that ‘every day is a GREAT day at Canoga Park High.’”

The person who has been sitting next to him for 30 years in the press box running the scoreboard clock, Anthony Villalobos, will take over announcing for the rest of the season.

Canoga Park is set to get a new grass field, new scoreboard and new all-weather track next year.

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].

It was a week Crescenta Valley football coach Hudson Gossard will never forget.

It began with him having to switch from defensive coordinator to offensive coordinator after coaching changes. Then his wife had to undergo surgery. Then he had to take care of final preparations for Crescenta Valley to open its new stadium on Sept. 5.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere,” Gossard said. “High school kids dream of playing on their own high school campus. It was something awesome, something special.”

Gossard was almost in tears after what happened before the game against South Pasadena. He said before every game he receives a kiss from his wife, Codi. She was driven from the hospital and surprised him with a kiss.

“She’s a saint,” he said.

Gossard went to the press box to call the plays just like his father, Dennis, who passed in June after some 50 years being involved with Crescenta Valley football.

Crescenta Valley ended up winning the game 42-21. The emotions and memories won’t be forgotten.

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

In his 36th season coaching, Angelo Gasca has been known for his quarterbacks and passing the ball at Venice High. Well, Air Gasca is taking a back seat to defense this season.

Last week, the Gondoliers improved to 2-1 with a 17-3 win over Harvard-Westlake that featured six tackles for losses by Jon Sharp and 11 tackles by Donner Livingston. Donte Ross had two interceptions. Gasca also points out Joseph Iwunze, Nicholas Stratman, Will Oeser, Joshua Aaron and Hector Lopez.

The team’s defensive coordinator, Iggy Porchia, is a Venice grad, so Gasca is enthused that his defense can make Venice a Western League title contender.

Most of the defensive players have grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher, which helps give options to the coaches because of their intelligence.

“Hard workers and very fast,” Gasca said.

Why does Gasca keep coaching?

“It’s taking your guys, a group of kids every year, and shaping them, developing them, on and off the field,” he said. “While ultimately helping them live out their dreams on the football field. All of this while they are navigating growing up. It’s everything and more, way more, than I could have ever imagined it being. That’s what being a part of this for so long has been. I am very grateful, to say the least, and also very proud.”

Venice plays at Norwalk on Friday night.

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

Dominick Catalano waited four years to be the starting quarterback at Corona Centennial. He’s taken control of a team that’s 2-1 and facing No. 1 Mater Dei at home on Friday night.

Catalano, though, got a start in the season opener last season because of an injury to Husan Longstreet and made the most of his debut against one of the best defenses in the state — Mater Dei. He completed 17 of 32 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in a 42-25 loss.

He’s more mature and confident going into Friday’s game. He still gets all A’s on his report card and is headed to Pomona-Pitzer, which isn’t exactly easy to get into.

His brother, Anthony, served as Centennial’s interim coach two weeks ago against Santa Margarita, and the Catalano brothers almost pulled off a victory in overtime.

Coach Matt Logan appreciated Dominick’s loyalty waiting his turn to be a starter, but it was inevitable. He’s a former Centennial ball boy. He’s passed for 757 yards and eight touchdowns and must deal with the expected Mater Dei pass rush on Friday.

It’s the third Trinity League team the Huskies are playing in nonleague games, having beaten Servite and lost to Santa Margarita.

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

Derwin Henderson was not intending to coach this season. He hadn’t been a head coach since 2019 at Hawthorne. But he lives in the Inland Empire, and Rialto High kept asking him to take the open position. He finally relented, and big changes are already taking place.

Rialto is off to a 3-0 start with wins over Ontario, Temecula Prep and Indio. That’s notable because the team was 0-10 last season and 1-9 in 2023.

Henderson has been a head coach at Morningside, South East and Hawthorne. He was in the LAPD for 33 years, rising to sergeant. His son, Bryce, is a freshman football player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Linebacker Alberto Tapia has been a standout for Rialto on defense. Noah Valdez is a top athlete on offense and defense.

The games figure to get tougher in the coming weeks, but there’s a culture change at Rialto that certainly is good for the players and the student body.

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

The Slye brothers at Salesian High, Jordan Jr., a sophomore defensive back/receiver, and Marty, a freshman quarterback, certainly have the genes to succeed.

Their mother, Dena, a counselor at the school, was a softball standout at Washington. Their father, Jordan, was a receiver at Washington.

Now the boys have helped Salesian to a 2-1 start. Jordan Jr. is a 6-foot-1 cornerback with big-time potential. Marty got the size in the family at 6-4 and 235 pounds. He’s been the starting quarterback in three games, asked to contribute immediately as a freshman.

Jordan Jr. said it’s fun playing together on the same team. Jordan caught a touchdown pass from Marty on Thursday night against Bishop Alemany, but it was called back because of a penalty.

“It’s amazing having them, and a third one is on the way,” coach Anthony Atkins said.

Yes, a third Slye brother, Michael, will be a freshman next fall, so prepare for the era of the Slye brothers at Salesian.

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

There’s already two games in the books for some high school football players, so let’s take a look at the impressive two-game statistical performances.

Quarterback Deshawn Laporte of Burbank has nine touchdown passes with one interception. Ditto for quarterback Cooper Berry of Maranatha. Quarterback Caden Jones of Crean Lutheran has passed for 601 yards with five touchdowns and one interception.

Quentin Pacelli of Garden Grove is averaging 11.2 yards per carry with 584 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

Blake Wong of Norco has six touchdown receptions among his 18 catches. Mahseiah Banks of La Palma Kennedy has caught eight touchdowns.

Kane Casani of Loyola has been credited with 31 tackles in two games. Samu Moala of Leuzinger has 5 1/2 sacks with Khary Wilder of Gardena Serra has five sacks. King Butler of Norte Vista has four interceptions. Ernest Nunley of Western and Tareq Abdul of L.A. University have three interceptions.

Aaron Rivera of El Monte is five of six on field-goals attempts. Parker Wilson of San Marino has six punts with a 49.7-yard average.

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

Kami Miner, an All-American volleyball player at Redondo Union and Stanford, dropped by her alma mater’s match last week before heading to Italy to play pro volleyball.

Coach Tommy Chaffins knew what to do.

“Hey, you want to come into the team room?” he asked.

“‘I’d love to,” Miner said.

Redondo Union players got a good pep talk before a win over Long Beach Poly.

“She loves Redondo,” Chaffins said.

Redondo Union is 13-1 heading into a competitive home match on Tuesday against Marymount, followed by a showdown against Mater Dei on the road.

Abby Zimmerman, a four-year starter and captain headed to Cal, has been leading the Sea Hawks.

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].

Ty Plinski, a 6-foot-3 senior receiver at Corona Centennial Hifh who made one catch all last season, became a media sensation on Friday night when he pulled off a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch in a win over Servite, landing him the No. 1 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“I barely played last year,” he said Saturday.

When he woke up, he said his phone was “blowing up.” He said he received more than 50 text messages from friends, coaches and recruiters.

“I’ve been training a lot, and it’s been part of my training routine,” he said of making one-handed catches. “It was the perfect opportunity, and I just fully extended.”

Quarterback Dominick Catalano dropped the ball, picked it up and found Plinski, who also used his lacrosse skills to make the catch.

“The zip how fast that ball comes in, it’s a lot of hand-eye coordination,” he said of lacrosse.

Plinski finished with four receptions in a 42-14 victory.

Asked why he’s kept playing, Plinski said, “It’s my passion. I love it. All my teammates are amazing.”

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

For all the warnings, lectures and advice given to high school football players before their first game of the season to hydrate so they can avoid cramping, it still happens. For whatever reason, the pain begins, gets even more painful, then walking off the field becomes a chore.

“Game 1, for some reason in football, they cramp,” said Loyola High athletic trainer Tim Moscicki, in his 37th year. “Whether it’s lactic acid building up, anxiety or excitement, I’ve seen it for years.”

North Hollywood players were cramping repeatedly in their opening game on Thursday night against Granada Hills. Certainly hot weather doesn’t help, but everyone seemingly has a different strategy for dealing with cramps. There are so many supplements people could try a different one each day of the week.

“Once they start to cramp, it’s usually an uphill battle,” Moscicki said. “I don’t think it’s just the weather. I’ve seen cramps in cold weather, hot weather, in rain. Everyone has their own list how to treat — coconut water, bananas, pickle juice, mustard, Gatorade.”

St. John Bosco is using a supplement added to water called Lytening Hydration during its trip to Florida to help with cramping.

“There’s no cure-all for cramps,” Moscicki said.

He advises players prepare two or three days before games with hydration. Just starting on game day won’t work.

What’s certain is players cramping on opening weekend and coaches asking their athletic trainers, “Why are we cramping?”

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

Maybe it’s knowing the beach is a short walk from their high school campus, but the special teams trio of punter Jackson Shevin, long snapper Jackson Reach and kicker Nico Talbott are feeling relaxed, comfortable and confident for Mira Costa High‘s football team.

Early in the season, fans sometimes need to close their eyes and pray when there’s a punt or PAT attempt. The special teams play can be that bad.

At Mira Costa, this coming season should be a good one for the special teams. The two Jacksons, Shevin and Reach, did their roles last season. Shevin is also a holder on field goals. Talbott assumes the No. 1 role for kicking. And Reach rarely leaves the field, because he’s also the team’s standout linebacker.

On any football team, it’s always intriguing to see how the special teams players blend in. Many are soccer players trying to learn the football culture.

The Mira Costa trio work well together, and it helps with their versatility. Mira Costa opens its season Aug. 29 against St. Francis. …

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

With the high school sports season resuming, it can’t be stressed enough about the importance of schools having athletic trainers to help keep athletes safe when emergencies happen.

That was never more evident than last spring during a track and field meet at Culver City High.

At the end of a 400-meters freshman race, a runner dropped to the ground on his chest near the finish line. The initial impression by most observers was just another exhausted athlete from a grueling race.

Culver City first-year athletic trainer Jonathan Rivas, fresh out of graduating from Cal State Northridge, was immediately on the scene to evaluate. That’s when things got serious.

“He didn’t have a pulse,” Rivas said.

He determined the athlete from Inglewood High was in full cardiac arrest.

He instructed one of his assistants to call 911 and the other to retrieve the AED defibrillator. He started compressions. He hooked up the unresponsive athlete to the automatic defibrillator. It advised one shock. Rivas pushed the button. It worked. The shock brought the athlete back.

Paramedics arrived within five minutes to take over and transport him to the hospital. The athlete would learn he needed a pacemaker. The quick action by the athletic trainer helped save him.

Athletic trainer Jonathan Rivas of Culver City.

(George Laase)

“This was my first cardiac arrest,” the 28-year-old Rivas said. “I was super stressful. Honestly, I went on auto pilot. My main goal was to get this kid help as fast as possible.”

The majority of high schools don’t have athletic trainers. In the City Section, there’s only 12 out of 71 that have 11-man football teams.

Adam Cady, an athletic trainer for Kaiser Permanente, has started a nonprofit trying to help athletes gain access to trainers.

“It’s super important,” Rivas said of schools having an athletic trainer.

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

Seth Hernandez, the senior pitching standout at Corona High, has been chosen the national baseball player of the year by Gatorade.

Hernandez learned of the prestigious honor during a surprise presentation at Corona on Thursday. He was named state player of the year on Tuesday.

“Super surprised,” he said after a presentation in which he was told by coach Andy Wise that he’d be taking a team photo and instead found former major leaguer Dexter Fowler greeting him with the player of the year trophy while family, friends and teammates were cheering him on.

The Gatorade national baseball player of the year award that was presented to Corona pitcher Seth Hernandez.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Hernandez joined Corona last season after two years of being home schooled. He has developed into the top high school pitching prospect available in next month’s MLB amateur draft.

“At the end of the day, I have brothers for life and I’ll never forget the memories I spent with them,” he said of his high school days.

He went 9-1 this season with an 0.39 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings with only seven walks.

If there were an MVP of the Southern Section baseball playoffs, Jack Champlin of St. John Bosco High would be the runaway winner.

In 8 1/3 scoreless innings of relief pitching over five playoff games, he has struck out nine and earned two wins and three saves. He starts at third base until the Braves send him to the mound.

The junior began the season as a starting pitcher, was injured and returned in a closing role that he has come to cherish.

“I like closing way more than starting,” he said.

He has helped Division 1 champion St. John Bosco move into Thursday’s semifinals of the regional playoffs with a home game against Villa Park. He hopes to celebrate his 17th birthday playing for a regional championship on Saturday.

Opponents better find a way to get the lead before Champlin comes in because he says he has no blown saves this season. He has a 4.1 grade-point average, too.

“I throw the ball and they don’t hit it,” he said as any true closer would say.

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

On Feb. 22, Antrell Harris of Birmingham High started the track season running the 100 meters in 11.07 seconds. Then, at last week’s state championship, on the first day of qualifying, he ran a stunning 10.24 seconds to finish third in a race Jaden Jefferson of Concord De La Salle set a state record at 10.01 seconds.

Harris, the City Section champion, ended up eighth in the final on Saturday, but his 10.24 100-meter time would have broken the City Section record held by Quincy Watts (the record has to happen at the City finals).

Asked how he made so much improvement (his previous fastest time was a wind-aided 10.62 at Mt. SAC), Harris said, “To be honest, I don’t know. I had a great start and trusted everything Coach Carruth put me through.”

Yes, there’s always a coach behind someone who makes dramatic improvement, and the arrival of Kertic Carruth in March made a huge difference. He noticed Harris was fast but not strong. He got him working in the weight room, had him gain 10 pounds and made him run the 400 instead of sprints leading up to the City finals.

He kept telling Harris to “trust the science.”

With a 4.1 grade-point average and having been a star receiver for Birmingham’s successful football teams, Harris would appear to be a top college prospect for track programs. But he said on Monday he had received no calls after his 10.24 performance.

Antrell Harris of Birmingham running at the state championships.

(Steve Galluzzo)

Carruth said it will happen. Harris just needs someone to believe that he’s getting faster and faster. Times don’t lie. His grades don’t lie. His work ethic is outstanding.

“He’s an easy sign,” Carruth said.

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

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].

Norco High’s softball program under coach Richard Robinson has been setting the standard for excellence in the Southern Section for years. The top-seeded Cougars will seek to add a seventh section title on Saturday in the Division 1 final against El Modena in a 7 p.m. game at Bill Barber Park in Irvine.

This team has lots of top hitters. Leighton Gray is batting .455 with 40 hits, eight home runs and 25 RBIs. Ashley Duran has six home runs, 34 RBIs and a .438 batting average. Tamryn Shorter is hitting .407 with 37 hits, nine home runs and 24 RBIs. Sophomore Coral Williams has emerged as a quality pitcher with a 16-0 record, backed by junior Peyton May.

El Modena has gotten hot in the playoffs behind second baseman Kaitlyn Galasso and shortstop Kylie Tafua. Don’t doubt that the Vanguards can score runs if needed. They were able to knock off high-scoring Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6-4 in the quarterfinals and scored 13 runs in a semifinal win over Temescal Canyon. …

Cal State Northridge will be the site for three City Section softball championship games on Saturday, with the featured matchup at 3 p.m. in the Open Division in which Carson will try to defeat Granada Hills for a third consecutive year. The Division I final at noon has Port of Los Angeles facing Legacy. Taft faces Marquez in the Division II final at 9 a.m.

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

Major League Baseball has been trying for years to increase the number of Black players participating in the sport, creating such programs as the Compton Youth Academy and the DREAM Series. There were 59 Black players on opening day MLB rosters, a slight increase from the previous year but far from the numbers in the 1980s.

St. John Bosco’s baseball team, which plays for a Southern Section Division 1 championship on Friday against Santa Margarita at Cal State Fullerton, offers hope for the future with five Black players in the starting lineup.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” center fielder Miles Clark said.

The sports of football and basketball have been taking away Black athletes, but St. John Bosco’s group of Clark, his twin brother James, Noah Everly, Jaden Jackson and Macade Maxwell have embraced baseball and put themselves in position to pursue college baseball and beyond.

Each player offers speed and athleticism. Maxwell had an RBI single in the semifinals against Seth Hernandez of Corona. James Clark and Everly lead the team in hitting at .394 and .347, respectively. St. John Bosco won its first Trinity League title since 2017 and is 24-5. …

Santa Margarita is much improved after getting players back from injuries, so ignore the fact it has 12 losses. Carter Enoch came back to add hitting to the Eagles’ lineup and Brennan Bauer has been the winning pitcher in all four playoff games. Seventeen seniors are graduating at 10 a.m. at the Honda Center.

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