Now he’s pulled off the track equivalent with the announcement that 2024 Olympian Quincy Wilson, from Bullis School in Potomac, Md., is coming on April 11 to compete at the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High.
Wilson competed at the 2024 Olympic Games as a 16-year-old running a leg in the qualifying for the 4×400 relay and earning a gold medal when the team won in the finals. The 400 meters is his specialty, and he’s scheduled to run in that event along with the school’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. That means he’ll get to face Servite, which has California’s best 400-meter relay team. It also means no one is going to leave the meet early since the final event is the 4×400 relay. Loyola, Servite and Long Beach Poly will be challenging Bullis.
Another star committed is from the girls ranks, Natalie Dumas from Eastern Regional High in Voorhees Township, N.J. She’s coming to try to break the national record in the 300 intermediate hurdles held by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Wilson is committed to Maryland and Dumas to Arkansas.
The meet begins at 5 p.m. on April 11. Tickets will go on sale this week.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
This week began with Orange Lutheran having played in only four baseball games while others had played in 10 or more. The Lancers were saving their best to come and it certainly showed when they won four consecutive games to capture the National High School Invitational on Saturday in Cary, N.C.
After needing consecutive walk-off hits to win in the quarterfinals and semifinals, Orange Lutheran (7-1) had more nerve-racking moments before knocking off defending champion Venice (Fla.) 7-6. In the bottom of the seventh, Venice put two runners on with two outs before Anthony Tomminelli got a strikeout to secure the win.
Orange Lutheran started fast with a two-run triple by CJ Weinstein in the first inning. Eric Zdunek finished with two hits and two RBIs while Brady Murrietta added two hits. The Lancers have about 24 hours to celebrate because next week they face St. John Bosco in a critical three-game series in the Trinity League.
Harvard-Westlake 10, Arizona Casteel 8: Jake Kim flexed his muscles for the second consecutive game, hitting a home run and double to finish with three RBIs. Ethan Price had a two-run double. Freshman Nate Englander had two hits and three RBIs.
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian 5, St. John Bosco 0: The Braves return home from North Carolina with a 9-2 record and set to face Orange Lutheran this week in a three-game Trinity League series. Jack Champlin had two hits in the loss.
Aquinas 4, Gloucester 0: Eli Martinez threw the shutout with seven strikeouts.
Corona High baseball coaches have been joking about seeking an NIL deal for sophomore pitcher Chris Woodson regarding his hair that moves in many directions while blowing in the wind as he tries to keep his hat on.
Think former NFL star Troy Polamalu, who has been featured in Head & Shoulders shampoo commercials showing off his hair.
When Woodson and Corona Santiago’s Striker Pence were facing each other on Wednesday, it was the battle for hair supremacy. Pence still has blond hair sticking out from the back of his hat after he recently got his hair cut.
“Me and his dad are both bald and both had hair when we were young,” Corona coach Andy Wise said of Woodson. “We’re both not letting him cut it. It’s flowing. He has a 4.0 GPA and is an awesome kid that everyone loves.”
During his days coaching at Granada Hills, starting in the 1970s, Darryl Stroh used to require players to cut their hair to a certain length. Think Army.
As long as Woodson isn’t distracted, Wise is fine with it.
“Be yourself kid,” he tells him.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
One month into the high school baseball season, it’s clear that junior third baseman and relief pitcher Troy Randall of Corona Santiago is headed to standout status.
So far, he’s batting .444 with 20 hits and only two strikeouts in 45 at-bats. As a pitcher, he’s given up no earned runs in eight innings with 13 strikeouts.
“He’s just been maturing,” coach Ty De Trinidad said.
Randall showed up as a 6-foot freshman and played junior varsity. Now he’s 6-2 and healthy after a broken foot last year interrupted his first season on varsity.
He made two terrific defensive plays on Wednesday in a loss to Corona and also had two hits.
His development has been important for Santiago, which is 10-3.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Two future high major-league draft picks, Anthony Murphy of Corona and Striker Pence of Corona Santiago, showed off their talents Tuesday. Corona rallied for a 9-7 victory.
Pence, who touched 99 mph, struck out Murphy for one of his six strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. He left the game with a 3-2 lead. Then Murphy hit a home run off Pence’s replacement, Thomas Padilla, to tie the score. Murphy was on the mound in the seventh to strike out Pence and get the save. Pence finished with two RBI singles.
“Those are two amazing baseball players and what a treat for them to get after it,” Corona coach Andy Wise said.
Striker Pence of Corona Santiago gets excited against Corona.
(Craig Weston)
The two went to middle school together. Murphy, a senior center fielder, is shaping up as a potential first-round pick. Pence, a sophomore, might reclassify to be eligible for the 2027 draft.
Errors played a big part in the game. Corona committed three errors, making it 20 errors in its last three games. An error by Santiago opened the door for a six-run sixth by the Panthers. Danny De La Torre had the big hit, a two-run double.
Corona’s defense is expected to get a lot better come Friday when infielders Joseph Flores and Kobee Finnikin become eligible after the sit-out transfer period ends.
Southern California teams got their first chance to show how good Southern California baseball is during Wednesday’s opening games of the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C. Three came away with dominant wins.
Orange Lutheran received 16 strikeouts from Gary Morse, tying a tournament record, in a 3-0 win over Colorado Regis.
Unbeaten St. John Bosco (8-0) got two hits and two RBIs from Jack Champlin in a 14-1 win over Tennessee Nolensville.
Harvard-Westlake took care of North Carolina Wakefield 16-0 in five innings. Justin Kirchner struck out 10 and Ethan Price had three hits.
In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Harvard-Westlake will play Florida Venice, Orange Lutheran will face Florida Trinity Christian Academy and St. John Bosco will take on Arizona Casteel.
Servite 11, Santa Margarita 2: Eli Rubel had a triple, double and three RBIs for the Friars.
Tesoro 2, Aliso Niguel 1: Corwin Allard threw a complete game with six strikeouts and one walk for Tesoro.
Newport Harbor 8, Edison 2: Keaton Anderson struck out four in six innings. Grant Horsley had two hits.
Huntington Beach 8, Edison 4: Dane Cunningham, Ely Mason and Jaxon Greer hit home runs for Huntington Beach. Cunningham had three hits.
Villa Park 13, Foothill 0: Aiden Young went four for four with five RBIs and Logan Hoppie threw the shutout.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 11, Crespi 1: AJ LaSota struck out five, walked none and gave up two hits in five scoreless innings. Troy Trejo and Benett Pace each had two hits and two RBIs. Freshman Anthony Daniel had three hits.
Bishop Alemany 5, St. Francis 1: Matthew Serrano gave up two hits in six innings and Alex Noble contributed three hits for the Warriors.
Sierra Canyon 11, Chaminade 2: Brayden Goldstein went three for three with three RBIs.
Hart 3, Ventura 2: Jaiden Chan had the walk-off hit for Hart. Malachi Wobrock threw a complete game.
West Ranch 11, Canyon 1: Blake Johnson hit a three-run home run for West Ranch. Josh Price had two hits and four RBIs.
Saugus 11, Valencia 2: Joey Nuttall finished with three hits for Saugus. Logan Feldman added four RBIs.
Simi Valley 11, Camarillo 1: Ryan Whitson and Kai Stones each had three RBIs for Simi Valley.
Rancho Christian 3, Valley View 2: Jake Brande struck out 10 in a complete game.
Since he became head coach at Birmingham in 2007, Matt Mowry is 0 for 18 when it comes to winning a West Valley League baseball title. He’s won five City titles but the Patriots haven’t been able to figure out how to win a league title.
A showdown against defending City champion El Camino Real on Tuesday didn’t start or end well for the Patriots. The Royals (10-3, 4-0) scored five runs in the first inning on six hits and coasted to an 8-3 win over Birmingham (10-2, 3-1).
The big hits in the first inning were an RBI double by JJ Saffie, a two-run double by Blake Dubin and an RBI single by Ryan Hauptman. For the second consecutive game, Birmingham pitcher Nathan Soto couldn’t make it out of the first inning. ECR starter Jackson Sellz, celebrating his 17th birthday, threw six innings before Hauptman came in to get the save. Ryan Glassman, Macai Friedman and Shane Bogacz each had two hits.
Birmingham is getting help starting Friday when transfers Masen Ruiz (Chatsworth), Toni Mendoza (Chatsworth) and Larkin Fleming (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) become eligible. All could become starters. The two teams play again twice next month.
Fullerton 7, Ocean View 5: Luke Gonzalez had two doubles to help Fullerton come back from a 5-3 deficit.
Los Alamitos 4, Marina 0: Ryan Deck struck out seven, walked none and gave up two hits in the shutout. Cruz Derrico finished with three hits.
St. Bernard 5, Bishop Amat 4: Juan Sandoval struck out five in a complete game for St. Bernard.
Newport Beach 9, Edison 0: Gavin Guy struck out six in 5 1/3 innings and also hit a three-run home run.
Santa Margarita 2, Servite 0: Sophomore Tyler George struck out four, walked none and threw a two-hit shutout. He also hit a home run.
Santa Monica 10, Leuzinger 1: Ryan Breslo had three hits for Santa Monica.
Oaks Christian 5, Newbury Park 2: Luke Puls, Ryan Sheffer and Oliver Dauskurdas each had two hits for Oaks Christian (9-2).
Calabasas 10, Thousand Oaks 9: The Coyotes handed Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 10 consecutive victories in a wild Marmonte League opener. The Lancers wiped out an 8-1 deficit with seven runs in the fifth inning to tie the score. Conner Kingston ended the game with a scoreless seventh for the save. Landon Carson had four RBIs for the Lancers. Michael Morales had three hits for the Coyotes.
Westlake 2, Agoura 1: Jaxson Neckien had two hits for the Warriors.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 10, Crespi 0: Malakye Matsumoto hit a grand slam and threw two scoreless innings of relief for 11-0 Notre Dame. Beckett Berg threw five scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Sierra Canyon 8, Chaminade 2: Isaias Tirado and Aiden Jahng each hit home runs and Armando Solorio threw four shutout innings.
St. Francis 6, Bishop Alemany 4: Daniel Izaguirre had three hits for St. Francis in the Mission League win. Brody Thompson, Chase Stevenson and Alex Noble hit home runs for Alemany.
La Mirada 5, Gahr 1: Jacob Oropeza threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
El Modena 3, Villa Park 0: Three pitchers combined on a no-hitter.
Softball
Huntington Beach 17, Fountain Valley 0: Bree Carlson hit three home runs for the Oilers.
Murrieta Mesa 7, Great Oak 0: Lilly Hauser struck out 13 and also had a two-run double to lead unbeaten Murrieta Mesa.
Oaks Christian 9, Newbury Park 3: Giabella Otani had two hits and three RBIs.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. One month into the high school baseball season, the top teams in the City Section are becoming clear.
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Top City teams emerge
With league play having begun, top teams are stepping forward in City Section baseball one month into the season.
To no one’s surprise, West Valley League rivals Birmingham (10-1, 3-0) and El Camino Real (9-3, 3-0) deserve to be ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the City Section going into their first matchup of the season Tuesday at Birmingham. They are slated to play three league games. Both teams’ pitching has been outstanding.
Birmingham junior Nathan Soto is 3-0 with an 0.34 ERA. Sophomore Carlos Acuna is 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA. El Camino Real’s Jackson Sellz is 3-0 with an 0.54 ERA. Hudson December and Andrew Katz have also contributed on the mound. Look for a low-scoring game with some bunts Tuesday.
Bell (12-1, 2-0) is back to playing the way the Eagles performed in 2024 when they won the City title. Jayden Rojas, the City player of the year as a sophomore, is batting .421 and 4-0 on the mound with an 0.32 ERA. The Eagles are the heavy favorite to win the Eastern League.
Carson (9-1-1, 3-0) has taken early charge of the Marine League race, getting some clutch hits from Skylar Vinson.
Sun Valley Poly (6-3, 3-0) already has wins over Sylmar, North Hollywood and Kennedy in the Valley Mission League. Fabian Bravo is the pitcher/hitter to watch.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Monroe at 11-0 and now the favorite to win the East Valley League. Four-year varsity pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is 4-0 with an 0.85 ERA and 32 strikeouts and only three walks in 24 2/3 innings. The leading hitter with 21 hits is junior Luis Martinez. The Vikings have yet to face a top opponent, so it remains to be seen which playoff division they will end up in.
Garfield, Sylmar, San Fernando, Cleveland and Narbonne are all capable of working their way into an Open Division playoff berths after slow starts.
Basketball awards time
Maxi Adams of Sierra Canyon was The Times’ boys’ basketball player of the year.
(Craig Weston)
During a season in which the individual talent for boys and girls basketball was extraordinary, earning all-star recognition became quite an achievement.
The Times’ boys’ basketball player is Maxi Adams of Sierra Canyon. Here’s the report.
The versatile Anthony Murphy of Corona showed off his speed and power in 8-3 win over King, getting a home run, triple, double and single. That’s called hitting for a cycle. And he almost did it again in the next game with a home run, a double and two singles. He also struck out all three batters he faced in a relief role.
Corona (7-0) is set to face Corona Santiago (9-2) in a three-game series this week. To say scouts will be out en masse when Santiago’s Striker Pence pitches Wednesday might be an understatement. He’s only a sophomore with a fastball that can reach 100 mph. The games are Monday at Santiago, Wednesday at Corona and Friday at Santiago.
Santa Margarita has lost standout shortstop Brody Schumaker for the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury. Freshman Cooper Holland provided a lift in Las Vegas with 11 RBIs. The new shortstop is sophomore Warren Wulfemeyer, whose grandfather, Mark, is one of the most recognizable names in Orange County basketball history.
Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame pitcher Justin Lee, the 2023 player of the year by The Times, was clocked throwing his fastball between 97 and 99 mph pitching for UCLA.
Two unbeaten teams, St. John Bosco and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in this week’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times. St. John Bosco has shut out five of its seven opponents. Jack Champlin is creating options for the St. John Bosco coaching staff. He continues to be a great closer but is also effective as a starter.
The National High School Invitational begins Wednesday in Cary, N.C. Southern California is well represented with Orange Lutheran, St. John Bosco, Aquinas and Harvard-Westlakek participating.
Friday marks the end of the sit-out transfer period in the Southern Section. Players who did not move become eligible. Bishop Alemany could be the team to watch. Mikey Martinez, who helped Crespi win the Mission League title last season as a pitcher and outfielder, will join the Warriors.
Softball
Murrieta Mesa continues to dominate with 14 consecutive wins to start the season. Sophomore Tatum Wolff is hitting .533 with 24 hits, including eight doubles.
Chaminade is 9-0 and came through with a break-through win over defending Mission League champion Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 7-6, scoring five runs in the seventh. The Eagles have an outstanding sophomore pitcher in Finley Suppan, the daughter of former major leaguer Jeff Suppan. Here’s the report.
JSerra (13-2), Fullerton (11-1), Norco (9-2), Oaks Christian (10-1) and Etiwanda (14-1) continue to be teams on the rise.
City Section softball is wide open as teams test themselves against Southern Section opponents. Defending champion Granada Hills is 5-5.
Banning is 7-6. Carson is 7-5. They will join San Pedro in another tough Marine League battle.
Track and field
The impressive early marks in the 100 meters for boys signals some real fast times will be coming later in the spring.
Benjamin Harris of Servite leads the way at 10.23 seconds. Next are Quran Clayton Jr. of Oak Hills and Jorden Wells of Servite at 10.28. Others include Nicolas Obimgba of Torrance (10.34), Zion Phelps of Loyola (10.39), Jaden Griffin of Newbury Park (10.43), Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra (10.51), Quincy Hearn of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (10.52) and AJ McBean of Mira Costa (10.55).
Many are football players using track to get faster, and college recruiters are noticing.
Ejam Yohannes of Loyola has stamped himself the favorite in the 400 with a time of 46.11. Imagine if he improves a little what he might be running coming June.
Dean Guzman of Moorpark cleared 6-9 in the high jump at the Maurice Greene Invitational.
For girls, Olivia Kirk of Calabasas ran a state-leading 11.51 in the 100 meters at Oaks Christian. Teammate Malia Rainey ran 11.76. Kirk also has the leading 200 time at 23.46.
Sophomore Grace Smith from Claremont ran the 800 in 2:08.80 at the Hi-Racer Meet of Champions.
Volleyball
Loyola’s JP Wardy, left, tries to tip the ball past Mira Costa’s Colby Graham, center, and Miles Crotty during a match at Mira Costa in Manhattan Beach on March 20, 2026.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Always expect drama and excitement when volleyball rivals Loyola and Mira Costa meet. It happened again Friday, with Mira Costa rallying from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Cubs in five sets. It was a remarkable performance turned in by junior Mateo Fuerbringer, who recorded 37 kills. He’s committed to UCLA.
Boys Volleyball: Full Playoff Results From The 9th Annual Chatsworth Invitational Tournament Are In. Saugus Defeats Host Chatsworth To Capture Gold, Village Christian Takes Silver, East Valley Earns Bronze, And Van Nuys Finishes With Copper. @CIFLACS#RepTheCitypic.twitter.com/yQdRlZf6tc
Saugus defeated the host Chancellors to win the Chatsworth tournament championship.
So long Angelo Gasca
Venice coach Angelo Gasca showing off City Division I title trophy in 2021.
(Cliff Kensinger)
The high school sports community was in mourning after the death of Venice football coach Angelo Gasca. He was 65.
Few have made a bigger impact for their community on and off the field than Gasca, who was involved as a coach at Venice for 36 years and also played for the Gondoliers.
Todd Quinsey is the new football coach at Ayala. . . .
Christian Collins of St. John Bosco, a McDonald’s All-American, has committed to USC. . . .
Inglewood guard Jason Crowe Jr. was selected the Gatorade state player of the year. . . .
Jon Palarz has resigned after 17 years as basketball coach at Calabasas. . . .
Former Granada Hills Kennedy football coach Dion Lambert is the new defensive coordinator at Simi Valley. . . .
Brandon Clifford has been named the basketball coach at Campbell Hall. He last coached in Greensboro, N.C. . ..
Derek Allen is the new boys water polo coach at Agoura. . . .
United Teachers Los Angeles has announced members would strike on April 14 if no deal is reached with the Los Angeles Unified School District. That would disrupt spring sports in the City Section, likely forcing games to be postponed or canceled based on previous strikes. Charter schools such as Birmingham and Granada Hills would not be affected since their teachers have separate contracts. . . .
Dylan O’Leary is the new football coach at San Dimas after being an assistant at South Hills. . . .
In 2021, JSerra pitcher Gage Jump delivers a pitch against Harvard-Westlake.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Former JSerra pitcher Gage Jump has become one of the top pitching prospects in the Oakland Athletics organization. The left-hander originally signed with UCLA before transferring to LSU. He was drafted No. 74 overall in 2024. He’s listed at 6-feet tall but throws with power.
From On3, a story on the controversy in Nevada, where public schools in Clark County are moving to independent status as protest against Bishop Gorman’s powerful football program.
Granada Hills Kennedy QB Diego Montes has been accepted to UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science with Civil Engineering. What an achievement. Ringer for intramural football team.
Incredibly, former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame pitcher Jack McDowell is not in the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He was an All-American at Stanford, a Cy Young Award winner with the White Sox. That needs to change. One of the greatest high school and college pitchers of the 1980s.
The new shortstop for Santa Margarita is sophomore Warren Wulfemeyer. His grandfather, Mark, is one of the best basketball players produced in Orange County. A look back at what grandpa did at Troy. https://t.co/CRXwYqZUPt
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Harvard-Westlake doesn’t drop too many series in baseball these days, but if there’s one coach who gives the Wolverines fits, it’s Randy Thompson of Bishop Alemany. The reminder happened years ago when Harvard-Westlake had three future first-round draft picks on the same team in Max Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty, and Alemany defeated that powerful Wolverines team with Giolito on the mound.
On Friday, Alemany (8-3, 4-1 Mission League) completed a week in which it took two of three games from the Wolverines with a 10-4 victory. Apparently success against Harvard-Westlake isn’t just limited to the head coach. Thompson’s son, Brody, hit two home runs and a double and finished with three RBIs. Also hitting two home runs was Chase Stevenson, who had three hits and two RBIs.
Alemany had 16 hits on the day.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 5, Chaminade 4: The Knights (10-0) stayed unbeaten, with Dru Wilson’s RBI single in the sixth breaking a 4-4 tie. Malakye Matsumoto had three hits and three RBIs, including a home run. Lachlan Clark threw four innings of scoreless relief with seven strikeouts and no walks. Andrew Chute had a home run and three RBIs for Chaminade.
Loyola 5, St. Francis 4: Freshman Anthony Adame closed out the win with two innings of stellar relief and three strikeouts in the eight-inning contest. Austin Junk drove in the winning run with a double.
Sierra Canyon 19, Crespi 2: Charlie Cummings had two doubles, a single and three RBIs for Sierra Canyon.
Royal 6, Simi Valley 2: Dustin Dunwoody struck out 16 in six innings for Royal.
Hart 15, Valencia 14: The Hawks survived a four-run rally by Valencia in the seventh to win a wild Foothill League game. Justin Gaisford had a home run and five RBIs for Valencia. Hart received four hits and three RBIs for Matix Frithsmith. Josh Whitson had three hits and four RBIs and Hayden Rhodes hit a three-run home run. The two teams combined for 49 runs and 11 errors in two games. Another game ended in a 10-10 tie.
El Camino Real 6, Chatsworth 3: RJ De La Rosa and Jackson Sellz each had two RBIs to help El Camino Real stay unbeaten in the West Valley League.
Birmingham 8, Granada Hills 2: Carlos Acuna struck out five in six innings, Aidan Martinez struck out three in one inning of relief and Julius Monroe-Truitt had three RBIs for Birmingham.
Cleveland 3, Taft 2: Ezra Preis had two hits and two RBIs for the Cavaliers.
Bell 17, Huntington Park 1: Daniel Garcia had two triples and three RBIs for 12-1 Bell.
Carson 6, Banning 4: The Colts took control of the Marine League race this week. Skylar Vinson had two hits.
St. John Bosco 13, JSerra 0: For the fifth time in seven games, St. John Bosco (7-0), ranked No. 1 by The Times, recorded a shutout. Jack Champlin started and gave up one hit in five innings. Jhett Ohira had three hits and three RBIs. Ohira was seven for 12 in the Braves’ three-game sweep of JSerra.
Corona del Mar 8, Newport Harbor 1: Stevie Jones gave up one run in 6⅔ innings and Ryan Williams and Grant Horsley each had two hits.
La Canada 6, San Marino 0: Joe Bell threw a five-hit shutout and had two hits and three RBIs.
El Dorado 4, Villa Park 2: Brady Abner had the tying triple and Xavi Cadena hit the winning home run.
Corona 19, King 7: Anthony Murphy had a home run, a double and two singles. He also struck out three batters in his one inning of relief. Trey Ebel added two hits and three RBIs.
Norco 7, Corona Centennial 4: Dylan Seward and Jordan Ayala hit home runs for Norco.
Corona Santiago 9, Eastvale Roosevelt 1: Striker Pence hit a two-run home run and Joshua Angulo had two hits and three RBIs for Santiago. Ayden White threw three innings of hitless relief.
Redondo Union 6, Mira Costa 2: Robby Zimmerman struck out eight in 5⅔ innings.
Cypress 7, Mater Dei 5: Austin Gerken hit a three-run home run for Mater Dei, but Drew Slevcove got the save for Cypress.
Los Alamitos 6, Edison 5: A two-run double by Willie Adams keyed the comeback win.
Bishop Amat 7, St. Paul 0: Ashton Chavez, Kevin Martin and Izaac Muniz combined on the shutout. Omar Arretche had three hits for Bishop Amat.
Softball
Norco 14, Corona Centennial 0: Leighton Gray hit two home runs for Norco.
Strong pitching, good hitting and solid hitting has led to a 9-0 start for the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame baseball team.
On Wednesday, Malakye Matsumoto threw two scoreless innings of relief and had three hits and four RBIs in Notre Dame’s 11-0 win over Chaminade. The Knights are 4-0 in Mission League play. Dru Wilson homered and had two RBIs. Troy Trejo added two RBIs.
Corona 8, King 3: Anthony Murphy hit for the cycle — home run, triple, double and single — in the Big VIII League win.
Norco 12, Corona Centennial 4: Dylan Seward had three hits and Zion Martinez added three hits and four RBIs.
Corona Santiago 9, Roosevelt 4: Striker Pence struck out eight and gave up no hits in four innings.
Sierra Canyon 14, Crespi 3: Bryaden Goldstein and Cody Gallegos each had two hits and three RBIs.
Loyola 11, St. Francis 0: Robert Rapp had three hits and five RBIs.
Harvard-Westlake 17, Bishop Alemany 0: Avenging its first loss in Mission League play Tuesday, the Wolverines received home runs from James Tronstein and Jake Kim. Ethan Alexander gave up one hit in 5 1/3 innings.
Carson 3, San Pedro 1: Sal Carrillo picked up the save in the Marine League.
Banning 4, Narbonne 3: Santiago Meza had the game-winning single in the ninth and AJ Herrera threw all nine innings for Banning.
El Camino Real 5, Taft 0: Jackson Sellz struck out 10 and RJ De La Rosa had two hits and three RBIs.
Cleveland 10, Granada Hills 4: Joshua Pearlstein and Elliot Schoenwald each had three hits for Cleveland.
Birmingham 9, Chatsworth 3: Julius Monroe-Truitt broke through for three hits in the West Valley League win.
Bell 12, Huntington Park 0: Vincent Rubio led Bell with three hits and four RBIs in a five-inning win. Jayden Rojas struck out six in three innings.
Garfield 6, Roosevelt 1: Mayo Robles went three for three to lead the Bulldogs.
St. John Bosco 5, JSerra 1: Jhett Ohira hit a two-run home run and Jack Champlin continued perfection as a closer for the Braves.
Orange Lutheran 8, Damien 5: Gavin Hottie hit two home runs for Orange Lutheran.
Santa Margarita 15, Brother Rice 3: Freshman Cooper Holland continued his impressive hitting in Las Vegas
Los Alamitos 7, Edison 6: Rowan Shelley had two hits and four RBIs in the eight-inning victory.
Fountain Valley 7, Capistrano Valley 2: Ethan Cortez had two hits and two RBIs for Fountain Valley.
Huntington Beach 5, Marina 3: Tanner Brown homered and Christian Haupt threw four innings of scoreless relief for Huntington Beach.
Newport Harbor 4, Corona del Mar 2: Henry Mann’s two-run triple in the fifth broke a 2-2 tie.
Palos Verdes 7, Torrance 3: Charles Hoye finished with three hits for Palos Verdes.
Ayala 7, Northview 1: Jaden Valenzuela and Caleb Trugman each had three hits for Ayala.
No. 1-ranked St. John Bosco began Trinity League baseball play on Tuesday the same way it has done early in the season — with more good pitching.
Julian Garcia struck out seven, walked one and gave up three hits in five innings of a 6-0 win over JSerra. It was the fourth shutout in five games this season for the Braves (5-0). Jhett Ohira had three hits and Jaden Jackson and Noah Everly added two hits apiece.
Bishop Alemany 6, Harvard-Westlake 5: The Warriors handed Harvard-Westlake its first Mission League loss. Alex Noble had two hits for Alemany (8-2, 3-0).
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 13, Chaminade 2: Unbeaten Notre Dame (7-0) was led by Benett Pace, who hit two home runs and finished with four RBIs. Jacob Madrid added two hits and two RBIs. Beckett Berg struck out six and gave up one hit in five innings.
St. Francis 6, Loyola 2: Lucas Becerra contributed three hits in the Mission League win. Donovan Udell threw two scoreless innings of relief.
Sierra Canyon 3, Crespi 1: Armando Solorio threw a complete game with six strikeouts and no walks.
Florida Stoneman Douglas 7, Santa Margarita 6: The Eagles couldn’t hold on after opening a 6-1 lead. Warren Gravely III had a home run.
Servite 6, Aliso Niguel 2: The Friars received scoreless innings of relief from Wyatt Karges, Eli Rubel and Isaiah Camacho.
Los Alamitos 5, Edison 3: Will McCullough had three hits for Los Alamitos.
Arcadia 18, Hoover 2: Matt Manzo had four RBIs and Jordan Vogel had three hits.
La Mirada 4, Etiwanda 2: Ian Nunez had a three-run home run for La Mirada.
Huntington Beach 6, Marina 1: Jared Grindlinger struck out four with no walks in four innings. Ely Mason had a double and single.
Cypress 5, Villa Park 3: Tate Belfanti struck out eight in 3 2/3 innings for Cypress.
Newport Harbor 5, Corona del Mar 1: Ryan Williams homered and Gavin Guy picked up the win.
Softball
Murrieta Mesa 12, Temecula Valley 0: Macy Clark hit two home runs in the five-inning win for No. 1-ranked Murrieta Mesa.
JSerra 8, Aliso Niguel 2: Zena Edwards hit a two-run home run and Margenta De Arte had a two-run double for JSerra.
Garden Grove Pacifica 6, Eastvale Roosevelt 5: The Mariners got a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh from Jenna Valladares.
Harvard-Westlake 11, Louisville 7: Izzy Whelan drove in three runs in the loss.
Downey 21, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6: The Vikings (10-2) routed Notre Dame behind Hazel Renteria. Delilah Navarro and Kayla Gutierrez each had four hits.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The champions have been crowned in high school basketball and soccer. What a weekend it was in Sacramento.
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Damien players celebrate their state Division I boys’ basketball title victory over Folsom at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on March 13, 2026.
(Greg Stein)
In the highest divisions at the CIF state championships at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Southern California basketball teams continue to dominate.
Sierra Canyon and Ontario Christian were crowned Open Division boys and girls champions, respectively. Sierra Canyon overcame the loss of Maxi Adams to an ankle injury in the first quarter to defeat Richmond Salesian 78-70. Here’s the report.
Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian gets emotional in the first half at Golden 1 Center against Archbishop Mitty.
(Greg Stein)
Ontario Christian received another standout performance from junior guard Kaleena Smith to defeat Archbishop Mitty 56-49. Here’s the report.
Damien won Division I for coach Mike LeDuc. Here’s the report. Corona Centennial’s one-two punch of Sydney Douglas and Cyndee Bryant led the Huskies to the Division I girls title. Here’s the report.
Sylmar and Birmingham came up short trying to become the first City Section teams from the San Fernando Valley to win state titles. Sylmar was beaten in Division V. Here’s the report. Birmingham settled for runner-up in Division III. Here’s the report.
El Dorado’s girls’ team broke through in Division III. Here’s the report.
Soccer
Garfield goalkeeper Javier Zarate gets his photo taken with CIF executive director Ron Nocetti at state soccer finals. Garfield lost 2-0 in Division V.
(CIF)
Garfield was beaten in the Division V state boys final 2-0 by Branson. But sophomore goalie Javier Zarate continues to impress. Here’s a look at his impact.
Mater Dei deserves the name soccer school of the West. The Monarchs won boys and girls state titles in Division I. The boys defeated Salinas Everett Alvarez 2-1. The girls defeated unbeaten Bishop O’Dowd 2-0. Los Alamitos won Division III boys over Watsonville 1-0. Irvine University won Division IV 3-2.
Baseball
Freshman Louis Lappe of Harvard-Westlake receives congratulations after his first high school hit.
(Craig Weston)
Freshman Louis Lappe of Harvard-Westlake, the former El Segundo Little League star who gained national fame for his walk-off home run at the Little League World Series in 2023, hit his first high school home run on Wednesday.
A moment in time. The first career home run for freshman Louis Lappe. Courtesy Harvard-Westlake. I think he’s going to hit plenty more. pic.twitter.com/jESpnQC6YN
Brody Schumaker of Santa Margarita had four hits, including a grand slam, and seven RBIs in a win over Los Osos. He has struck out once in 34 at-bats.
Landon Hovermale of Norco has allowed no runs in 18 2/3 innings this season.
(Nick Koza)
Norco has one of the hottest pitchers around in Landon Hovermale, who has given up no runs in 18 2/3 innings. Here was his latest performance.
It appears Southern Section is considering reducing teams to the Division 1 baseball playoffs with a smaller division and multiple games. Rest of teams would go in other divisions. Recommended by advisory committee. Only D1. Let’s see what turns out. Sounds like soccer playoffs.
Foothill pitchers have thrown three consecutive shutouts.
There’s every indication that the Southern Section is going to introduce a new playoff format for Division 1 baseball only. It’s expected to be a 16-team tournament broken into four pools with double elimination leading to the quarterfinals with the top two teams in each pool advancing, followed by single elimination. The baseball advisory committee has been pushing for such a tournament in Division 1 for years.
California state leader and meet record 10.27 wind legal for Servite’s Benjamin Harris at the Redondo Nike Track Festival! 📸: Bob Leetch pic.twitter.com/SXr4bESsVJ
Benjamin Harris of Servite turned on the speed at Redondo Union on Saturday, running a wind legal 10.27 seconds in the 100 meters.
Moorpark Track & Field throws down the hammer!! Varsity Boys & JV sweep, Varsity Girls takes down Camarillo for the 1st time in a decade! Jr. Davis Benson sets TWO school records 14.30 110H, 38.82 300H and our Girls 4×100 Record gets broken at 48.26!! WHAT A DAY! @davistbensonpic.twitter.com/GBN8FxWwDZ
One of the most versatile track and field athletes this season has to be junior Davis Benson of Moorpark. He’s putting up good marks in a variety of events. He’s already set school records in the 110 hurdles of 14.30 and the 300 hurdles in 38.82. And he’s gearing up for a high jump showdown later in the season with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s JJ Harel. Benson has gone 6-10.
Carson’s Jayden Rendon stamped himself as a state contender in the 110 hurdles with a time of 13.91 at Redondo Union.
Lawrence Kensinger of Venice, another pupil of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame throwing coach Nick Garcia, is closing in on 60 feet in the shotput. He recorded a career-best 59-8.
Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel, already No. 1 in the state in the discus, won the Nike Indoor Nationals in the shotput at 54-2.75, seventh-best mark in California history. She also got a mark of 188-7 in the discus, second-best all-time.
Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes ran 400 meters in a state-leading 46.24. It was a school record.
Bob Johnson dies
Former Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson died last week. He was 80.
(Los Angeles Times)
High school football fans across Southern California were offering memories of Hall of Fame coach Bob Johnson after his passing Wednesay. He was 80.
Johnson won nine Southern Section titles coaching at Mission Viejo and El Toro.
One of the best sporting events of the year happens Friday night when volleyball powers Mira Costa and Loyola face off at Mira Costa. . . .
Alfred Rowe has resigned after one season as football coach at Long Beach Jordan. . . .
Earl Sanchez has resigned as basketball coach at Sierra Vista. . . .
Former Gardena Serra and UCLA tight end Caleb Wilson has been hired as an assistant coach at Colorado State under former UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. . . .
Luis Cruz Jr. is the new football coach at Sunny Hills. . . .
The top football player in the state for next season, Honor Fa’alave-Johnson of Cathedral Catholic, announced he has committed to USC.
From the archives: Mason Edwards
In 2023, Left-hander Mason Edwards of Palisades was one top pitchers in the City Section. Now he’s the ace at USC.
(Steve Galluzzo)
Mason Edwards, a junior at USC from Palisades High, is off to one of the best starts by a pitcher in the nation. He entered last week having allowed no runs and only three hits in 24 innings while recording a 3-0 record. He gave up his first run of the season on Friday. He’s left-handed and has 42 strikeouts. He throws between 90 and 93 mph.
Edwards has continued to improve at USC since his arrive in the fall of 2023.
Recommendations
From the Players Tribune, former El Toro pitcher pitcher Paul Skenes offers advice to Little Leaguers.
From the Daily Bruin, a story on Brentwood basketball coach Ryan Bailey, a former UCLA basketball standout.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Chatsworth guard Alijah Arenas keeping his NBA dreams alive.
Tweets you might have missed
Trent McDuffie (St. John Bosco), Colby Parkinson (Oaks Christian), Coleman Shelton (Loyola), Quentin Lake (Mater Dei) are going to be Southern California heroes as they try to help the Rams win a Super Bowl in 2027.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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With the CIF state basketball championships set for Friday and Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, how about a look back at some of the greatest individual performances in state history.
There was nothing quite like Tracy Murray scoring 64 points for Glendora in the 1989 Division II final at the Oakland Coliseum. Damien coach Mike LeDuc was then Glendora’s coach. Glendora lost to Menlo 89-83. Here’s a look back.
Last season, Brayden Burries scored 44 points to deliver an Open Division championship to Eastvale Roosevelt at Golden 1 Center. Here’s the report.
In 2008, Klay Thompson of Santa Margarita scored 37 points and made a record seven three-pointers at the notoriously tough Arco Arena in Sacramento to help the Eagles win the Division III title over Sacramento 72-55. Here’s the report.
Let’s not forget Josh Shipp delivering five threes to help Fairfax win the Division I title in 2004 over De La Salle 51-35, again at the tough-to-shoot Arco Arena. Here’s the report.
And how about the 2006 final when Palo Alto stunned Mater Dei 51-47 in Division II in which Jeremy Lin made a 25-foot bank shot from the top of the key. Here’s the report.
For girls, Cheryl Miller still holds the most points scored at 41 when Riverside Poly won Division I in 1982 at the Oakland Coliseum over Los Gatos 77-44. Both teams entered 33-0.
Lisa Leslie of Morningside scored 35 points in the 1990 Division 1 final in a 67-56 win over Berkeley at the Oakland Coliseum. Here’s the report.
In 2018, Charisma Osborne of Windward made six threes and finished with 26 points to help her team win the Open Division title over Pinewood 58-47. Here’s the report.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
What a start to the high school baseball season for pitcher Landon Hovermale of Norco. On Wednesday in his latest stellar outing, he threw six shutout innings in Norco’s 3-0 win over Gahr.
In 18 2/3 innings this season, Hovermale has allowed zero runs while striking out 27 and walking one. That’s called great pitching for the 5-1 Cougars. He’s committed to Grand Canyon.
Mira Costa 6, Torrance 4: Joaquin Scholer had two doubles in Mira Costa’s Bay League win.
Rancho Christian 13, Hillcrest 0: Jake Brande retired all 15 batters and had seven strikeouts while Sean Downs hit a grand slam in the five-inning win.
Bell 4, San Pedro 0: The Eagles (9-1) received six scoreless innings from Jayden Rojas, who gave up one hit and struck out seven.
San Fernando 9, Cleveland 5: Armando Villegas had a three-run double to lead the Tigers.
Carson 7, Granada Hills 5: Kris Sinclair went three for four with two RBIs for Carson.
Chatsworth 1, Sylmar 0: Isaiah Sanchez threw the shutout and Vicente Martinez had two hits.
Monroe 3, Eagle Rock 1: The Vikings (8-0) received 10 strikeouts from Miguel Gonzalez, who gave up two hits.
Hart 15, Canyon Country Canyon 2: Joaquin Durazo hit a three-run home run and Matix Frithsmith finished with four RBIs in Hart’s Foothill League opener. Hayden Rhodes and Anthony Cavarretta also hit home runs.
West Ranch 15, Golden Valley 1: Ty Diaz hit two home runs and had a double to lead West Ranch. Connor Clayton and Caydin Wilson also hit home runs.
Los Alamitos 9, Fountain Valley 5: Cruz D’Errico had four hits to lead a Los Alamitos comebacik.
St. John Bosco 11, Damien 0: Twins James and Miles Clark had a big day for the No. 1-ranked Braves. James contributed four hits, including two doubles, and Miles had a home run and three RBIs. Jack Champlin showed he’s not only a closer, throwing four scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks as a starting pitcher.
Servite 9, San Juan Hills 6: Mikey Cabral led the way with three hits and two RBIs and John Sullivan had two doubles for Servite.
Newport Harbor 11, Marina 2: Henry Mann had two hits, Gavin Guy had a two-run double and Ryan Williams homered to help Newport Harbor improve to 7-0.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6, St. Francis 2: Dru Wilson, Malakye Matsumoto, Jake Noroian and Troy Trejo each had two hits for Notre Dame (6-0, 2-0).
Bishop Alemany 6, Crespi 0: DC Ravago threw five scoreless innings and Chase Stevenson hit a two-run home run.
Loyola 8, Chaminade 0: Sheriff Hall threw five scoreless innings and Magnus Mayer had a two-run double for Loyola.
A moment in time. The first career home run for freshman Louis Lappe. Courtesy Harvard-Westlake. I think he’s going to hit plenty more. pic.twitter.com/jESpnQC6YN
Harvard-Westlake 6, Sierra Canyon 0: Evan Alexander struck out nine and gave up one hit in six innings and freshman Louis Lappe of El Segundo Little League fame hit his first high school home run for Harvard-Westlake. Ethan Price also homered.
Huntington Beach 13, Edison 3: Owen Bone finished with three hits, including a home run, and Jared Grindlinger had two hits and two RBIs for the Oilers.
Etiwanda 4, Rancho Cucamonga 1: Adam Ornelas had three hits and Luke Severns had a two-run single. Michael Aleman threw a complete game.
Softball
Simi Valley 4, Carson 2: Parker Ong struck out eight for Simi Valley. Ruby Grajeda homered for Carson.
Santa Monica 2, Carson 1: Ruby Grajeda had three hits for Carson.
Bell’s baseball team has started in a similar fashion as it did in 2024, when the Eagles surprised everyone by winning the City Section Open Division championship at Dodger Stadium.
The Eagles are 8-1 with wins over Palos Verdes and West Torrance. Gustavo Ramirez had a grand slam last week in a mercy-rule win over Granada Hills Kennedy.
Many of the players who were sophomores on the 2024 team are coming through this season, led by pitcher/infielder Jayden Rojas, who’s 2-0 on the mound and hitting .385.
Bell won the 2024 City title at Dodger Stadium.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Senior pitcher Adolfo Esquivel is 3-0 with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. He also leads the team with 10 hits.
Bell faces San Pedro in its next nonleague game on Wednesday against San Pedro.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
When it comes to high school lacrosse, Loyola has one of its best teams this season and that’s reflected in the margins of victories this past week — 29-0 over Sierra Canyon and 28-1 over Crespi.
“It’s very unusual,” coach Jimmy Borell said of the few goals allowed.
Much of the credit goes to the defense and to Andrew Goldman, a junior who handles face-offs. He’s at 92.4% winning face-offs for the 5-1 Cubs, whose only loss came to San Francisco’s St. Ignatius 12-11.
The top goal scorer has been Tripp King, the reigning Southern Section player of the year and North Carolina commit. He has 22 goals and 17 assists Senior Chase Hellie (Tufts commit) and Everett Rolph have been leading the defense, making things easy for goaltenders Will Russo and Garrett Flynn.
Loyola is set to take a trip to Florida and the University of Notre Dame to play top East Coast teams starting Saturday.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
There was some excitement this week at El Camino Real High during batting practice.
JJ Saffie, the best power hitter on the baseball team, hit a ball down the line and over the left-field fence. When a teammate went to retrieve the ball, he discovered that the rear windshield of a car driven by pitcher Jackson Sellz was shattered. He took a photo and showed it to Sellz, who worried what his parents would say.
“We had a good laugh,” father Stu Sellz said.
It turns out the Sellz family has been on the opposite side of breaking windows by hitting home runs since the 1990s. Stu and brothers Scott and Brandon played at Chatsworth. Scott was the family’s best window breaker. Stu’s other son, Braden, also has broken windows.
Now Jackson and the insurance company are paying for him parking too close to the foul pole off Burbank Boulevard.
“This is the baseball god getting back at us,” Stu said.
Jackson usually parks closer to center field, but his preferred parking spot was taken before school began in the morning.
What lesson was learned?
“He now knows to get to school earlier,” Stu said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The state basketball playoff pairings are out, but let’s look back on quite a weekend of championship basketball.
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Sierra Canyon’s Jerzy Robinson drives against Ontario Christian’s Kaleena Smith in the first half of the Southern Section Open Division championship game.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
For the first time in the history of the Southern Section Open Division, one school swept the boys and girls titles: Sierra Canyon.
The girls final drew the largest individual game crowd at Toyota Arena, with Sierra Canyon and All-American Jerzy Robinson upsetting Ontario Christian and All-American Kaleena Smith 69-62. Robinson scored 32 points. Smith scored 30 points.
“What a battle,” Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Komaki said. “There were a lot of top players on that court.”
The duel between Robinson and Smith, however, was one to remember. The 5-foot-4 Smith was purposely being guarded by the 6-1 Robinson.
“Jerzy is an elite defender and can guard anybody,” Komaki said. “She was going to do whatever she could to win.”
Maxi Adams of Sierra Canyon rises to deliver a dunk against Harvard-Westlake in Open Division championship game.
(Steve Galluzzo)
In the boys final, heavily favored Sierra Canyon saw its lead drop to three points with 19.3 seconds left before prevailing over a stubborn Harvard-Westlake team 59-53. Here’s the report.
In Southern Section Division 1, Crean Lutheran held off JSerra. In Division 2, Bishop Amat routed Hesperia. Here’s the report.
Palisades’ OJ Popoola, right, grabs an offensive rebound during Palisades’ 75-56 win over Cleveland in the City Section Open Division championship game on Feb. 27, 2026.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Palisades won the City Section Open Division boys title, the first upper division title for the Dolphins since 1969. Here’s the report.
State playoffs
The state basketball playoffs begin this week with regional action. The finals are March 13-14 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Here’s the link to pairings.
Sierra Canyon received the No. 1 seed for boys and girls in the Open Division. The teams will host a doubleheader Saturday night, with the boys hosting the winner of Santa Margarita-Redondo Union and girls playing Sage Hills. Redondo Union was once considered to be the strongest challenger to Sierra Canyon but was upset in the Open Division playoffs. That matchup of two pressing teams would be quite interesting if Redondo Union can get past Santa Margarita.
Harvard-Westiake boys will host the winner of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Santa Maria St. Joseph on Saturday. The top girls game will take place Saturday matching Etiwanda at Ontario Christian.
Division 1 boys looks like a strong 16-team field with La Mirada seeded No. 1 and hosting Mater Dei on Tuesday.
Baseball
Star center fielder Anthony Murphy of Corona has added closing duties this season. The Panthers are 4-0.
(Nick Koza)
Last season, Corona had as its closer shortstop Billy Carlson, who became a first-round draft pick. This season, center fielder Anthony Murphy has taken over as a closer, throwing 92 mph fastball for the 4-0 Panthers.
Oaks Christian won the Easton tournament championship and is 5-0. The Sheffer brothers, Carson and Ryan, have been performing well.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is 4-0 and getting strong hitting from catcher Jacob Madrid, who had two home runs in a win over El Dorado. James Tronstein of Harvard-Westlake has seven hits in 10 at-bats.
El Segundo has several players off the 2023 El Segundo Little League championshp team making major contributions during its 4-0 start. Logan Brooks, the older brother of Loyola freshman Brody Brooks, has 10 RBIs.
No. 1-ranked Norco is 4-0 behind its two college-bound pitchers, Coral Williams and Parker May.
Oaks Christian has started 6-0 and picked up wins over Huntington Beach and Mater Dei last week.
1 am proud to announce that in my junior year l was able to beat my freshman year record by getting 19 strikeouts! This means so much to me because this game was mentally and physically tough, despite the situation I knew my team mates me needed so I continued to work hard! pic.twitter.com/eo7ykL27e7
Granada Hills, one of the top teams in the City Section, will be tested this week with games against Sierra Canyon and Oaks Christian.
Track and field
Servite’s 4 x 100 relay team ran the second-fast time in state history at 40.05 in a stunning display of speed for this early in the track season at the Mustang Roundup at Trabuco Hills. The team was made up of Jorden Wells, Benjamin Harris, Kamil Pelovello and Jace Wells.
Maximo Zavaleta of King ran the 3,200 in 9:07.81 and the 1,600 in 4:09.86. Harris won the 100 in 10.46. Pelovello ran the 200 in 21.19.
Rosary’s girls 4 x 100 relay team won in 45.96 seconds. Maliyah Collins, a sophomore at Rosary, won the 100 in 11.77 and the 200 in 24.13
Best individual mark of the day in California so far is Oak Hills junior Quran Clayton Jr. rocketing to a wind-legal 10.29 for 100 meters at the Saddle Up Invitational! That’s equal #9 in state history and the fastest ever in February!! OHHHH MYYYY!!!
El Camino Real’s boys soccer team celebrates winning the City Section Open Division title for a second consecutive season.
(Eliza Lotterstein)
Rivals El Camino Real and Birmingham had another dramatic City Section Open Division boys final, with El Camino Real winning on penalty kicks. Here’s the report. Cleveland won the girls Open Division championship over Granada Hills.
Mater Dei boys and Santa Margarita girls won Southern Section championships in the Open Division.
The regional playoffs begin Tuesday with the first state championships taking place March 13-14 in Sacramento.
To say the City Section soccer playoffs were a mess would be an understatement.
Six teams were removed from the playoffs via forfeits for having ineligible players who broke CIF rule 600 by playing in an outside competition during their season. The Southern Section had one school forfeit in its playoffs, Calabasas, in Division 3, allowing Los Alamitos to be named champion.
From 2011, longtime Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett talks to De’Anthony Thomas, one of his best former players.
(Robert S. Helfman)
The mysterious absence of Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett continues. The winningest coach in City Section history with 300 victories was put on administrative leave last August on the eve of the team’s season opener. March marks the eighth month of no action on his case. He sits at home, checks in on his computer, receives full pay and waits.
At the state wrestling championships, among the winners was Birmingham’s Slava Shahbazyan at 165 and two St. John Bosco wrestlers, Jesse Grajeda at144 pounds and Michael Romero at 150 pounds. Here’s the link to complete results. . . .
Chris Williams is the new football coach at Covina. He was head coach at Diamond Ranch. . . .
Ed Hematsiraki, 21, is the new boys basketball coach at Glendale High. . . .
Jeff Bailey is the new Head Football Coach & District’s Asst Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach at Beverly Hills High School. He was board approved and introduced tonight at their board meeting. This video was shown. pic.twitter.com/6nVex23JDe
Jeff Bailey has left Yorba Linda after 16 years as football coach and two Southern Section titles to become head coach at Beverly Hills, which was 0-9 last season. He’ll be making $205,000 a year. Here’s the report. . . . .
Scott Dodge is the new boys basketball coach at Godinez. . . .
Troy has opening for boys basketball coach. . . .
Will Burr is out at Harvard-Westlake after just one season as girls basketball coach. . . .
Anthony Jackson, who had a successful nine-year run as head football coach at Los Angeles High, is the new head coach at South East. . . .
Greg Fontenette has resigned as boys basketball coach at Valencia. . . .
VIDEO: Tara Davis-Woodhall, the amazing young woman and Olympic gold medalist with the multi-million-dollar smile put her money where that smile is, making a tremendous $100K donation to the @AHS_Chargers Agoura HS track and field program at today’s Tara Davis Invitational!… pic.twitter.com/fSMFesh9jb
Tara Davis-Woodhall, an Olympic track and field champion from Agoura who sponsored the school’s invitational Saturday, announced she was making a $100,000 donation to the track and field program. . . .
Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco won the Servite Invitational. Here’s the report.
From the archives: Marques Johnson
One of the greatest former City Section high school basketball players, Marques Johnson, celebrated his 70th birthday with his annual dunk. The former Crenshaw High and UCLA player is a beloved basketball legend from Los Angeles. He has a daughter playing basketball for Windward.
His call on radio when UCLA’s Tyus Edney scored on a layup in 1995 during the Bruins’ title run and he yelled, “Yeah baby!” remains something UCLA fans never forget.
Recommendations
From ESPN, a story about the growing concern about street agents in the high school NIL business.
From SI.com, a story on a high school basketball team in Arizona being removed from the playoffs for racial taunts by its fans.
From the Daily Pilot, a story on Sage Hill girls basketball.
Tweets you might have missed
Former Loyola and Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina is supposed to be on the next Bachelorette. Let’s see if he brings a tee somewhere.
Amalia Holgun, the last high school player from Kobe and Gigi’s Mambas basketball team, was honored with a concrete Kobe mural from the opposing Ontario Christian girls team.
Amalia has committed to the University of Texas where she will wear number 2. 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/BRQl7DxVWq
— Kobe Bryant Stories & Motivation (@kobehighlight) February 26, 2026
It’s true the ability to attend high schools with online classes no matter where you live is changing high school sports in California. Palisades basketball is on the verge of winning City title with several key players online outside of their main attendance area.
People in high school baseball still don’t get it. They celebrate a pitcher throwing 90 mph and giving up runs vs. a pitcher throwing 84 mph and giving up no runs. I’ll take the no runs guy every time.
Villeda was the Gatorade & CIF Player of the Year his senior season at Servite after leading the Friars to a Trinity League, CIF and Regional State Championship. He went on play 4 years at UCSB before turning pro. #credo#ForeverAFriarpic.twitter.com/bJaijEpSzL
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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Local chapters of National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame have begun honoring the top senior football student-athletes, with the Coastal Canyon area banquet set for Sunday in Agoura.
Players are selected based on their grade-point averages and leadership skills, among other attributes, honoring the best of the best.
Such players as James Moffat from Crespi, Mateo Bilaver from Chaminade, Jacob Paisano of Hart, Diego and James Montes from Granada Hills Kennedy will represent their schools on Sunday.
The Los Angeles chapter will hold its gathering in Manhattan Beach on Friday.
Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert has taken over running the Coastal Canyon group with dozens of individual student-athletes set to be honored.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
