Rally

WASHINGTON — Andrew Alvarez pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, and the Washington Nationals earned a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Angels on Saturday when CJ Abrams scored on an error despite another bullpen collapse.

Andrés Chaparro’s single off Angels closer Ben Joyce tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Abrams scored an inning later against José Fermín (4-3) when shortstop Zach Neto could not handle Harry Ford’s grounder with the infield in. The Angels fell to 4-14 in extra innings.

Before that, the Angels rallied to a 5-4 lead while handing Washington’s bullpen a record-extending 39th blown save. Vaughn Grissom connected for a two-run homer in a three-run eighth against Brad Lord, and Wade Meckler, Denzer Guzman and Moisés Ballesteros also had RBIs.

Washington’s Abimelec Ortiz hit a two-run single during a three-run second. Jacob Young and Keibert Ruiz also drove in runs to help Washington to a 4-0 lead against Angels ace Walbert Ureña, who gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits in six innings.

Alvarez struck out a career-best eight — including three-time MVP Mike Trout twice — while working around four walks and Jose Siri’s sixth-inning double inside the left-field line.

The 27-year-old Alvarez threw 61 of 97 pitches for strikes in his 20th and longest career start, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

Jack Sinclair (1-0) retired four batters for his first career win.

Up next: Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (4-7, 6.28 ERA) faces Nationals righty Jake Irvin (2-9, 5.52).

RIYADH: Gulf and Muslim organizations on Saturday condemned a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, expressing solidarity with the Kingdom and warning that the strikes represented a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and vital infrastructure.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Muslim World League (MWL), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Qatar and Bahrain issued statements early Saturday after several drones originating from Iraqi territory targeted the pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, causing injuries and material damage.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” describing it as “a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable threat” to Saudi Arabia’s security, territorial integrity and vital installations. He said the attack was also a “flagrant violation” of international law.

Albudaiwi reiterated the GCC’s categorical rejection of actions targeting Saudi Arabia’s security, stability and national assets. He called on the Iraqi government to intensify its efforts and take “necessary, decisive measures” to prevent its territory from being used as a launchpad for attacks, stop such operations and deter their recurrence.

He reaffirmed the GCC’s “complete and steadfast solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and its support for measures the Kingdom takes to protect its security, sovereignty, facilities, citizens and residents.

Qatar likewise condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” saying the targeting of civilian and economic facilities was a “flagrant violation of international law” and a dangerous escalation that could undermine regional security and stability.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry commended what it described as Saudi Arabia’s responsible approach in supporting the Iraqi government’s efforts to prevent its territory from being used to launch attacks against Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. It expressed full solidarity with the Kingdom and support for measures to protect its sovereignty, security and facilities.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter and the principles of good neighborliness. It said the targeting of vital civilian facilities threatened the security of energy supplies.

Bahrain affirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stressing that the Kingdom’s security and stability were “an integral part” of Bahrain’s own security and stability. It also recognized Saudi Arabia’s right to take all necessary measures under international law to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, citizens and residents, and expressed wishes for a speedy recovery for those injured.

The Bahraini ministry called for preventing the territory of any country from being used as a launching pad for attacks against neighboring states. It voiced support for Iraq’s efforts to prevent a recurrence and urged the international community to assume its responsibilities in confronting attacks aimed at harming energy security and destabilizing regional security and stability.

The Muslim World League also strongly condemned the strikes. Its secretary-general, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, described the attacks as “treacherous criminal attacks” that violate religious values, laws, international norms and humanitarian principles.

Al-Issa said the league, its bodies and global councils, as well as Muslims under its umbrella, stood in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia in measures taken to deter the attackers, preserve its security and sovereignty, and protect citizens and residents.

The OIC also strongly condemned the attack, Al-Ekhbariyah said in a post on X.

Temporary shutdown

The Saudi Energy Ministry said Friday that the pipeline had been temporarily shut down as a precaution after multiple attacks Thursday morning. Several people were injured and received medical treatment, while emergency and specialized technical teams were deployed to secure the pipeline and assess its condition.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the drones were launched from Iraq and that Riyadh had decided not to retaliate at this stage following a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi.

Saudi Arabia said it would give the Iraqi government an opportunity to take the necessary measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the Kingdom and neighboring countries, while reserving the right to take all measures necessary to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, citizens and residents.

Iraq condemned attacks threatening Saudi security and stability and ordered an urgent investigation into the militia responsible and parties supporting it. Baghdad said its territory and airspace would not be allowed to serve as a launchpad for attacks against any country.

The pipeline shutdown comes as the East-West route has assumed greater importance amid the wider regional conflict and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The roughly 1,200-kilometer pipeline carries Saudi crude from fields in the Kingdom’s east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, providing an alternative route that bypasses Hormuz.

The attack also followed a series of strikes by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen against Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure. Earlier in the week, attacks targeted Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, causing fires at oil facilities and temporarily disrupting some operations, according to the Saudi Energy Ministry. Those attacks wounded 73 civilians, including women and children.

The latest pipeline attack has heightened concerns over the security of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure at a time when regional hostilities are threatening multiple routes for Gulf oil exports.

KATIE Piper has called out cruel abuse from online trolls over her National Television Awards look – as celebs rallied with their support.

Taking to Instagram, the writer and presenter shared a video addressing upsetting online comments she’d received.

In 2008, Katie, 42, was left with severe facial burns and blindness in one eye following an acid attack.

The star explained she hadn’t originally planned to make a video and had woken up feeling positive after the NTAs.

She continued: “I went to the NTAs the other night, I felt really good.

“I thought I looked really nice, I felt really pretty. I think I was even singing to myself, driving along.

speaking out

Katie Piper slams trolls who used AI to ‘fix her face’ – 18 years after attack

EYE AGONY

Loose Women star Katie Piper rushed to hospital with severe eye pain

Katie noticed notifications popping up on her phone after Woman & Home posted a red carpet interview featuring her.

She continued: “The comments are going mad. I thought, “Oh why?” and it’s just endless.

“Oh, look at her. What happened to her face? Oh, she’s overdone it on the filler.

“Oh my God, why are we talking about the hair, the hair’s not the problem. The face, blah blah.”

“And you’re just like, “I am a normal person, I am a real person”. I’m just out here trying to do my best, trying to live my life.

Katie added she had replied to these commenters, but later felt it wasn’t the right move.

She said: “I started replying to them all saying, “What’s it got to do with you how I look? Why are you policing women’s appearance?

“What if this was even a choice? Why does it matter to you how I look?”

Celebrities soon offered support, as Lisa Snowdon wrote: “You are the most beautiful inside and out Katie- never forget that.”

Morning Live‘s Rav Wilding penned: “Pipes, as your husband knows as your kids know and how all your friends know, you ARE beautiful.”

Strictly Come Dancing‘s Dianne Buswell commented: “You are a super woman and yes you are beautiful.”

Matt Goss shared: “This breaks my heart you’re amazing and you have every right to let people know how you feel.

“You are genuinely an inspiration. sending so much love.”

Myleene Klass posted: “Katie. I was with you that night and I was over the moon to be with you.

“Your company, your energy, your funny one liners….and you also happened to look incredibly BEAUTIFUL. They don’t matter. They’re trying to. They just don’t x.”

Dannii Minogue wrote: “Katie – you, your words, your kindness and your digital footprint, you can be proud of. By all means take time for you, but do not let them take your light.”

Thousands of union workers, their family members and supporters marched through the streets of industrial Wilmington on Monday, taking part in a Labor Day parade whose festive mood overshadowed their serious concerns about the future.

Jesse Munoz, a 63-year-old longshoreman, who belongs to International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, talked of how automation has eliminated more than 2,000 jobs over the last 15 years or so and worries that foreign-owned companies will do more to shrink the workforce and worsen working conditions.

“The concern is the future,” Munoz said. “I have a son that’s on a list to become a casual worker, which is a worker that will accumulate his hours, and then hopefully within time become a regular member of the union. But the future is not as promising as we would like it to be.”

“If you eliminate the workforce, you eliminate taxes. You eliminate pensions,” he said.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union members throw candy to onlookers at Monday’s Labor Day parade.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

The Wilmington rally joined Labor Day events throughout the nation Monday, a holiday that also marks a prime campaign opportunity for candidates in midterm elections and other political races.

The first U.S. Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, with 10,000 marchers. In 1894, President Cleveland signed a congressional act establishing the first Monday of September as a legal holiday, which has become known for promotional sales as well as a day off for many.

The holiday has particular resonance in Southern California, where the labor movement remains large in numbers and powerful in political influence. Across the nation, that’s far from a given.

The number of workers represented by unions rose by 463,000 in 2025, according to data collected by the pro-labor American Prospect, and national density — meaning the number of U.S. workers who are unionized — edged from 9.9% to 10.0%. However, private-sector union density stayed at 5.9%, meaning the numerical gain came chiefly from government employment.

Munoz said he has a message for President Trump, who has used steep tariffs on foreign-made goods in an attempt to return more manufacturing to the United States, leading to price increases domestically.

“Stop those tariffs and stop this automation,” Munoz said. “Just get the people back to work. Help the economy build itself up again with the workers, not with politicians.”

Giovanna Mendez, right, hugs her sibling’s elementary school teacher during the Labor Day parade in Wilmington.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

While the Wilmington crowd was heavily Democratic, one longshoreman in his early 60s showed it was possible to be pro-labor and pro-Trump.

“We’re a lot better than when [President] Biden was in, way better,” said the worker, who also spoke of his union as “wonderful.”

Jordan Gonzales, a 20-year longshoreman, expressed worries about the future of trade work.

“A lot of people would rather be in the office and in the AC,” said Gonzales. “We’ve lost our workers that are outside of an office.”

He was enjoying a hearty free breakfast at a union hall and looking forward to his 12-year-old’s marching band performance in the parade, where she played a glockenspiel.

Participating school bands included San Pedro High, Banning High, Harry Bridges Middle, Port of Los Angeles High and Garfield High.

Delegations from many unions marched with their local chapters and a procession of restored and souped-up cars completed the picture. L.A. Mayor Bass was front and center behind the banner of the shore workers.

Politicians at work on Labor Day

In the pre-parade free breakfast inside the Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Memorial Assn. cavernous meeting hall, a parade of elected and aspiring politicians introduced themselves, straining to be heard and noticed in brief remarks over a sometimes inattentive din.

Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor spoke briefly, thanking union members for their daily labors and campaign support.

“None of us should forget where we came from,” Becerra said. “Let us work hard,” he said, referring to election day. “November 3rd belongs to us just the way Labor Day belongs to us.”

Also on hand were both Los Angeles mayoral candidates: incumbent Bass and challenger Nithya Raman.

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1. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass speaks to security during the Labor Day parade in Wilmington. 2. L.A. mayoral candidate Nithya Raman greets parade watchers. (Photographs by Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Bass praised the city and union movement for positive strides “even in the midst of Donald Trump, who has done everything he can do against working people, including invading our city, but we are back, and we stay united, and we’re going to continue to do that,” she said. “L.A. is a labor city, and I am there with you 100%.”

Labor leaders also are almost 100% behind her in terms of endorsements. One exception is the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, which endorsed Raman. The union represents about 65,000 members across 10 states.

“We need more housing in L.A.,” said Doug Hicks, the union’s vice president and director of organizing. “How many cranes are there in downtown Los Angeles today?”

In her brief breakfast remarks, Raman, an L.A. City councilmember, said that “automation, AI, are taking away jobs all over this country, and it is up to us to step up and fight back, and that is why I’m here to stand alongside the workers of this country.”

Master carpenter Joseph W., who did not want to give his last name, declined to speak about endorsements, focusing instead on the challenges of workers.

“We build the houses, but we can’t buy them,” he said. In 1977, his dad bought a house in Norwalk in 1977 for less than $50,000. Now that property is worth close to a million dollars.

“That’s 20 times what my dad paid for it,” said Joseph, who is 55 and rents his own home. “I don’t make 20 times what my dad got paid.”

The younger workers included members of ILWU Local 56, the “ship scalers” union, which cleans up hazardous materials and provides environmental remediation both in the ports and beyond. Its members were involved in wildfire cleanups and removing waste from the hazardous Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights in June.

Two members of the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters bump fists after Monday’s Labor Day parade.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Evan Briseno, 18, would like to move on to safer work before his health is potentially affected. But fellow union member Francisco, 21 — who declined to give his last name, wants to move up in the trade, while noting that some areas are so dangerous that every patch of skin needs to be covered.

Neither follows politics, but they’re both concerned with workplace safety issues.

Other unions included Teamsters, Service Employees International, SAG-AFTRA (for performers) and teachers — along with their students.

Mark Ramos wore multiple hats as chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Western States Council and UFCW Local 1428.

Ramos said one current union battle is to make self-serve checkout lines manageable for the workers who must supervise them.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The high school football season is rolling along with some very good games this week. Let’s take a look.

Big games

Week three in high school football has so many intriguing games that fans will have lots of choices this week. Let’s look.

Thursday

Corona del Mar (3-0) at Newport Harbor (2-1). The annual Battle of the Bay brings out the fans and pumps up the players so much you never can trust who’s the favorite. Corona del Mar has the favorite’s role after knocking off Edison last week. Corona del Mar has three standout athletes in tight end Jake Haley, receiver Tucker Murray and linebacker Nolan Scott. The pick: Corona del Mar.

Laguna Beach (1-2) at Westlake (3-0). The Breakers wanted tougher nonleague opponents, which has led to a slow start in the win column, but beware if quarterback Jack Hurst can get the passing game going. Westlake had a scare in its opening, beating Newbury Park in three overtimes, then routed two outmanned opponents. This opponent has some very good athletes to challenge the Warriors. The pick: Westlake.

Friday

Corona Centennial (1-1) vs. Mater Dei (3-0) at Santa Ana College. The Monarchs were not happy Centennial beat them twice last season. They’re coming in very motivated. Mater Dei has a strong defense and an offense that continues to use three quarterbacks — senior Cameron Pooley, junior Russell Sekona and freshman Paytyn Guess. It’s clear that running the ball successfully will be the key to victory to both teams. Centennial has had blocking issues because of injuries, but the dynamic duo of quarterback Jaden Jefferson and receiver Quentin Hale will give fans a reason to watch. The pick: Corona Centennial.

San Pedro (3-0) at Bell (3-0). This is an important game for City Section playoff seeding purposes and also provides more evidence which of these teams will compete for a league title. San Pedro has relied on the passing of Seth Solorio, who set a school record last week with seven touchdown passes against Westchester. Bell has been running the ball with Jordan Medrano and Christopher Luna. The pick: San Pedro.

University (2-1) at Crenshaw (3-0). Brothers Bryan and Jason Robinson grew up playing youth football for Crenshaw. Now they’re the head coach and defensive coordinator at University, and their father, former Locke coach EC Robinson, is a consultant. EC gave former Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett his first job. The brothers always get pumped up for this game. It’s a great matchup between two of the City Section’s best linebackers, De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw and D’Elliott Jones of University. It’s the battle of the apostrophes. The pick: Crenshaw.

Orange Lutheran (2-1) at Gardena Serra (2-1). This is Orange Lutheran’s final tuneup before an epic game next week against unbeaten Sierra Canyon. The Lancers have the kind of balance on offense that gives Serra trouble. But Serra has running back AJ McBean, who can help his team chew up time on the clock. The pick: Orange Lutheran.

Rancho Cucamonga (2-1) at Chaparral (1-2). Chaparral has been without its standout quarterback, Dane Weber, because a thumb injury, so it has been a big adjustment for a team loaded with outstanding receivers. Rancho Cucamonga was upset by Oak Hills last week. Expect lots of points in this one. The pick: Chaparral.

La Cañada at South Pasadena (2-1). For those who like neighborhood teams, this is a good matchup. The Spartans have been relying on quarterback Joe Bell and his best friends from the baseball team. Evan Hyun has scored five touchdowns for South Pasadena. The pick: La Cañada.

The battle of the South Bay between Carson and Palos Verdes was played before a standing-room only crowd at Carson. Fans were treated to a game that lived up to expectations when it came to the play at quarterback.

Palos Verdes won 35-20. Here’s the report.

Orange Lutheran has one of the toughest nonleague schedules and knocked off nationally ranked Basha from Chandler, Ariz. Here’s the report.

Corona del Mar is 3-0 going into its rivalry game against Newport Harbor this week and proved this could be a special season with a big win over Edison. Here’s the report.

Northern California received a boost with Folsom defeating Mission Viejo 35-21. Corona Centennial travels to play De La Salle at Memorial Stadium later this month.

Mater Dei is 3-0 using three quarterbacks after a 38-22 win over Valor Christian from Colorado. The Monarchs are still strong along the offensive line and have a defense performing well under new co-defensive coordinator Ivan Stephenson, who came over from Gardena Serra.

The best individual performance of the week might have been the school-record rushing total of 306 yards from junior Rocky Martinez of Redondo Union in a win Culver City. Culver City quarterback Nick Hoang passed for 436 yards and four touchdowns.

Despite a loss to Moorpark, Birmingham made major improvement in its second game. Freshman quarterback Exavier Johnson passed for 171 yards and two touchdowns. As he gains experience, the Patriots’ chances in the City Section will grow stronger.

Crenshaw came away with a 34-13 win over Hamilton. The Cougars are looking like the No. 2 team in the City Section behind Carson.

First-year Narbonne coach Patrick Goodpaster picked up his first victory with a 28-18 win over Fairfax. Here’s the report on his efforts to start from scratch after sanctions sent the program reeling.

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

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

Here’s this week’s schedule.

Playing multiple sports

Quarterback Joe Bell (left) and his sophomore brother, Jake, a linebacker, are two of seven baseball players on La Canada football team.

(Yary Photography)

There’s seven high school baseball players playing on the La Cañada football team this season, and the happiest of all is quarterback Joe Bell and star left-handed pitcher.

He loves to tell people how playing multiple sports has helped him in his main sport, baseball.

Here’s a look at the special story unfolding at La Cañada.

Bell High’s football team is also relying on baseball players. The Eagles are 3-0. Here’s the report.

Powerful offensive line

Mission Viejo linemen work on blocking during football practice.

(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)

Mission Viejo has one of its best offensive lines, with all five starters headed to colleges.

It has helped sophomore quarterback Brett Burnor transition more smoothly to varsity football.

Here’s a look at the offensive line.

Moorpark’s Davis Benson is a multisport athlete, competing in football as well as multiple track and field events.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Davis Benson is a terrific receiver at Moorpark. He’s also a decathlete who won Southern Section championships last spring in the long jump and 110 hurdles while finishing second in the high jump.

Not since the days of NFL receiver Drake London has Moorpark had such a talented athlete.

Here’s a profile on what makes Benson one of the best athletes in California.

Girls volleyball

Sierra Canyon might be No. 1 in California, but Mater Dei is not far behind. The Monarchs won the Dave Mohs tournament, defeating Marymount in the final 25-11, 25-21.

Mater Dei also defeated Mira Costa earlier in the week. Mater Dei is unbeaten has has matches against San Diego powers Cathedral Catholic and Torrey Pines this week.

Sierra Canyon is 13-0 and opens Mission League play Tuesday at Marymount.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is hosting Harvard-Westlake on Saturday night at 7 in a unique outdoor volleyball match on the school’s baseball diamond, helped by Nike, which is flying in a custom-made volleyball court. There will be food trucks, a DJ and a party atmosphere celebrating volleyball and women’s sports.

MaxPreps is sponsoring a tournament Friday and Saturday in Chula Vista. No. 1 JSerra is among the schools participating.

St. Joseph in Lakewood continues to quietly keep winning at 9-0.

In the City Section, it still looks like the Open Division champion will come from the Northern League. Wilson is 4-0, Eagle Rock 3-1 and Franklin 9-2.

Cross country

The unofficial start of cross-country season happens with the first big invitational of the year, and that will be held Friday and Saturday with the Woodbridge Classic at the Great Park in Irvine. Saturday’s top competition will happen at night, always a fun and interesting experience.

Redondo Union’s boys team won the Saddleback Cup over Trabuco Hills. Mario Montoya of Redondo won the two-mile race in 8:59.5. Santa Margarita took the girls competition.

Water polo

JSerra and Oaks Christian had an intense early season match, with the Lions prevailing 8-7. The Lions face 3-0 Mira Costa on Tuesday.

Loyola has started off 3-0 in the Mission League and lost to Cathedral Catholic in a nonleague match. Harvard-Westlake is 4-0 and has matches coming up against Mira Costa and Corona del Mar.

Newport Harbor suffered a rare 12-10 defeat to Cathedral Catholic.

Santa Margarita is 2-0 and faces Mater Dei on Sept. 23 in a Trinity League showdown.

Notes . . .

Brad Wright, the 6-foot-11 former UCLA basketball player, announced his resignation from El Camino Real’s Board of Directors on Sunday.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Wright announced Sunday that he is resigning from El Camino Real’s board of directors after weeks of growing pressure after the placement of three coaches on administrative live. Here’s the report….

Junior shortstop Lennex Minor of St. Bernard has committed to UCLA baseball….

Pitcher Sam Principe from Orange Lutheran has committed to Cal State Northridge….

The court case filed against the CIF challenging transfer and NIL rules has been “terminated,” according to court documents. It was Calhoun vs. CIF. Now the CIF can move forward with discussions on policy changes, though the plaintiff can still appeal to a higher court….

Former UCLA basketball player Bobby Webb, who was a successful boys and girls basketball coach at Montclair Prep, has died, his good friend and former Montclair Prep player KJ Johnson announced….

Standout junior softball player Destinee Herrera from Oxnard announced she has committed to UCLA.

From the archives: Jeff Cirillo

Jeff Cirillo in 2013 at Providence High School.

(DAN WATSON/Dan Watson / The Burbank Leader)

One of the best hitters produced from the San Fernando Valley came from tiny Providence High in Burbank. Jeff Cirillo made it the major leagues and played for 14 years, the longest with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1994-1999. He also played baseball at USC and has been a pro baseball scout.

Here’s a story from 2014 on Cirillo.

Here’s a story from 2000 when he was having one of his best MLB seasons.

Recommendations

From ABC7news.com, a story on former Newbury Park and Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer.

From the Riverside Press Enterprise, a story on a 462-yards passing night.

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 eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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Buenos Aires, Argentina – In the La Boca neighbourhood, home to the Boca Juniors stadium and a place which lives and breathes football, people are taking turns to be photographed in front of huge murals depicting football legend Lionel Messi holding the 2022 World Cup.

Across the city, monuments have been illuminated in Argentina’s blue and white in honour of the national hero, who has announced his retirement from international football after two decades during which he was transformed from young prodigy to national icon.

On Monday, football clubs around the country were singing songs for Messi and mounting banners showing him holding the World Cup he helped to win for his country. The Argentine Football Association is planning a farewell match to thank him for his extraordinary service.

Messi announced his departure from the national team this week on social media with a handwritten letter that he says he wrote two days after losing the World Cup final against Spain this year. He said he had “nothing else to give”.

“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come,” he wrote on Instagram on Monday.

While the news has not come as a total surprise – Messi is 39 years old and has recently lost his father, Jorge Messi, who played a crucial role in his career – fans are nevertheless devastated.

“We are going to continue loving Messi, not just for football but for his humility, for who he is; that’s the most important thing about Messi,” fan Sebastian Luna tells Al Jazeera. “It’s football; it’s over, but Messi will always be in our hearts”.

Some are calling for his number 10 jersey to be retired along with him. Alas, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) rules won’t allow it – the team has already tried.

‘Like a bucket of cold water’

Messi played six World Cups for Argentina, and for years, he struggled with constant criticism for failing to win one.

The ⁠former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, who now plays ⁠for Inter Miami, has been repeatedly compared unfavourably with the football legend Diego Maradona – who also helped Argentina win one World Cup in 1986. But that all changed when Argentina won in Qatar, propelling Messi to the status of national symbol for all Argentinians across political and social divides. Now, they have two heroes to celebrate.

“I saw Maradona; I saw many players – Kempes – but Messi is superlative,” says fan Carlos Sciata in Buenos Aires. His retirement is “like a bucket of cold water, but well, it was something that could happen, especially after his father’s death. But we are going to miss him a lot. There is no one else like him,” he adds.

The record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner became his country’s record appearance maker and scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, ⁠having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph.

Tributes have poured in since his announcement on Monday.

Angel Di Maria, who played alongside Messi in their FIFA 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, said it was “so hard” to know fans will not be able to see the talismanic forward in the sky blue and white colours of Argentina any more.

“I only know that I was born in the right century to be able to see you, enjoy you, and on top of that, to share all these years with you on the national team,” Di Maria declared.

Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s Argentinian teammate at his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, applauded the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s “unconditional love” for the country.

“Just thank you, the greatest of all time, thank you for making us so, so happy, you can’t imagine how many smiles you brought!!” he added.

“You are eternal.”

Enormous void

Despite hoping for a final triumph at the World Cup this year, Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.

Now, Argentina is preparing for what comes next.

Messi’s departure leaves an enormous void for football fans, and questions are being raised about the future of coach Lionel Scaloni and the team he built around the star player.

Off the pitch, Argentinian football is facing problems of its own, with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) under investigation amid serious allegations of corruption and financial irregularities.

But for today, it is all about saying goodbye at the end of an era. Messi represents a collective source of happiness in a country that has endured economic and political upheaval.

The one man who makes all Argentinians proud summed it up in his farewell message on Monday: “I leave with the ‌peace ‌of mind and pride of having given you – alongside my teammates – moments we once only dreamed of,” he wrote.

Steven Kwan hit a tying double in the ninth inning, Travis Bazzana followed with a sacrifice fly and the Cleveland Guardians rallied past the Angels 4-3 on Wednesday for their seventh straight victory.

Hunter Gaddis (2-3) retired the final two batters in the eighth to earn the win. Erik Sabrowski worked a scoreless ninth for his second major league save and first since 2024.

With a runner on second, Sabrowski struck out pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud and got pinch-hitter Oswald Peraza to pop up to second as Cleveland completed a three-game sweep.

Chase DeLauter, slowed this week by left hamstring tightness, sparked the winning rally with a one-out single off reliever Ryan Watson (1-1) in the ninth.

Petey Halpin ran for DeLauter and went to second on Brayan Rocchio’s single. Kwan roped a ground-rule double to right field for a 3-all tie, and Bazzana’s sacrifice fly sent the Angels to their 10th loss this season when leading after eight innings.

Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez gave up one run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one. Guardians starter Joey Cantillo gave up two hits in six innings but issued a career-high seven walks and committed a first-inning error that led to a run.

Zach Neto led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored when Cantillo fielded Vaughn Grissom’s one-out dribbler and threw the ball into right field.

The Angels extended the lead to 3-0 in the second when Cantillo walked the bases loaded with one out, hit Neto with a pitch to force in a run, and Mike Trout added a sacrifice fly.

Cleveland cut it to 3-1 in the fifth when Rocchio doubled, went to third on Kwan’s groundout and scored on Bazzana’s sacrifice fly. The Guardians pulled to 3-2 in the eighth when Bazzana bunted for a single, Jo Adell walked and Nathaniel Lowe flared an RBI single to left-center.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The opening weekend of high school football provided some thrills and surprises. Let’s offer some observations.

Corona Centennial’s Quentin Hale makes one-handed catch against Servite on Aug. 20, 2026.

(Craig Weston)

In Las Vegas, St. John Bosco came out against Bishop Gorman looking overwhelmed on offense. The Braves suffered sacks, an interception, a fumble, erratic blocking, no ground game. They fell behind 21-0 and most thought the game was over. Then St. John Bosco came out of the locker room playing like a different team, rallying to tie the score 28-28 before losing 38-28. Here’s the report.

A couple of concerns for the Braves. They have a veteran secondary that surprisingly had communication issues, leaving running backs going out for passes uncovered. Also veteran quarterback Koa Malau’ulu rallied the team in the second half after struggling to throw the ball on the run. The defensive line produced little pressure, requiring lots of blitzing. Coach Jason Negro said everything is “fixable” but clearly the Braves have a lot more to prove.

Corona Centennial took care of its first of three games against Trinity League opponents, beating Servite 41-21. Quarterback Jaden Jefferson and receiver Quentin Hale picked up where they left off during their previous three years at Cathedral. Here’s the report. Next up is a home game Friday against Santa Margarita that’s a rematch of last year’s Division 1 final.

Crenshaw showed off a lot more offense than usual in winning its opener against a Palisades team that enjoyed its first home football game since the Palisades Fire in 2025. Here’s the report.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer chose his son, Fletcher, to start at quarterback and he delivered in a 27-0 win over Orlando (Fla.) Jones. He threw two touchdowns. The Eagles showed off some promising freshmen, including linebacker Aydan Steen and receiver Kiyan Collins.

Sierra Canyon’s defensive line was as good as advertised in a win over JSerra.

Granada Hills Kennedy opened with a 42-14 win over Eagle Rock. That’s surprising since the Golden Cougars lost to graduation their do-everything quarterback Diego Fuentes. Matthew Quintanilla scored three touchdowns and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown.

Chaminade blanked Oaks Christian behind four sacks by Hudson Manning. But the Eagles didn’t have standout offensive tackle Jackson Hill, who has been lost for the season after knee surgery. He’s a Notre Dame commit.

Rancho Cucamonga demonstrated it’s another Inland Empire team to watch, grinding out a 28-14 win over Murrieta Valley.

Carson picked up one of the City Section’s best nonleague wins in several years by beating San Diego power Lincoln 35-31. Chris Fields III accounted for four touchdowns.

Jazmin Gamble, the only female head football coach in California, won her debut when Hawthorne defeated Gardena 26-20.

The San Pedro vs. King/Drew game was halted in the third quarter when fans and others thought there was a gunshot, leading to a scramble out of the stadium. Here’s the report.

Former Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez won his debut coaching Whittier, 49-6 over Temple City.

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

Here’s the latest top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s the schedule for the upcoming week.

50 years and counting

Eric Sondheimer interviewing Donovan Dent at end of state championship in Sacramento March 2022.

(Nick Koza)

It’s my 50th year covering high school sports in Southern California, so I thought long and hard to present 50 moments in 50 years when I could have done 200.

Here’s the look.

Columnist Bill Plaschke took time out of his busy schedule and unleashed his beautiful writing skills, humbling me with a column that I never expected honoring high school sportswriters everywhere. Here’s the report.

Standout JSerra receiver Tessa Russell.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Panorama pulled off the biggest upset of the week, defeating Eagle Rock in four overtimes.

No. 1 JSerra continues to win and win. Here’s the report.

Here’s this week’s top 10 rankings by The Times.

El Camino Real turmoil

There’s still no resolution involving multiple El Camino Real coaches escorted off campus while the school conducts an investigation as to why their CPR and first-aid cards weren’t showing up in the Red Cross database.

Brad Wright, president of the school’s governing board, said, “At this time, I believe it is important to allow the investigation to proceed and respect the process and the privacy of everyone involved.”

Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

Former Huntington Beach star Ralphy Velazquez had a three-home run game in the minors for the Guardians.

Standout receiver Gavin Honore has returned to Mater Dei after transferring to Bishop Gorman….

Baseball coach Michael Gonzales of South El Monte has resigned….

Brody Brooks (Loyola) and Mattias Di Maggio (Dos Pueblos) are part of a final group of 32 baseball players trying to make the USA 15U national team….

Elijah Menzies is the new girls basketball coach at Villa Park. Brad Willis has taken over the boys program….

Addison Archer, who averaged 26.6 points as a freshman at Rancho Christian, has transferred to Mater Dei. The Monarchs also have freshman Janai Turner, the daughter of former Beverly Hills boys coach Jarvis Turner. She is highly regarded….

Junior pitcher Christian De La O of Corona Centennial has committed to UCLA….

Royal football coach Adam Brubaker is no longer coaching the team after a video surfaced that showed him kicking a football into the groin area of a player during practice. Here’s the report. Royal defeated Monroe 62-0 with an interim coaching staff on Friday…

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit for a second time filed against the CIF seeking to change transfer and NIL rules. Here’s the report.

From the archives: Jeff Engilman

Former Sylmar High footbal coach Jeff Engilman in 2000.

(George Wilhelm/ Los Angeles Times)

Jeff Engilman is long retired but never forgotten. He was old school, his face turning bright red when chewing out players. He was head coach at Sylmar, Arleta, Grant and Manual Arts. He won two upper division City Section titles at Sylmar. He won two City titles at Manual Arts. Golden Valley coach Dan Kelley was his assistant for 15 years at Sylmar.

Here’s a story from 1987 talking about his Manual Arts days.

Here’s a story from 1992 explaining his passion.

He lives in Vazquez and keeps track of Kelley.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, an appreciation of Russell Westbrook after his retirement.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a look at the top 25 high school football players in San Diego.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the demolition and plans for a new Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

From the Los Angeles Times, a look at former NFL players taking to coaching high school football.

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 eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, 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.

LAS VEGAS — Call it St. John Bosco’s Nightmare on South Hualapai Way on Friday night.

Why St. John Bosco traveled on three buses to the desert to play in 104 degree temperature against Bishop Gorman was on everyone’s mind, because the Braves were either unprepared or uninterested at the outset for a high school football team ranked No. 1 in the nation by several national publications. A sold-out crowd of 5,000 was surprised when the Braves were down by 21 points at halftime and the offense looked deader than Elvis.

“It was almost like the moment was too big,” Braves coach Jason Negro said.

Then the real St. John Bosco team came out of the locker room after halftime and almost pulled off a Hollywood ending, rallying to tie the score before losing 38-28.

“We showed a lot of resolve, a lot of fight,” Negro said.

The Braves didn’t get a first down until 7:35 left in the second quarter. Their first offensive play from scrimmage was a botched snap landing quarterback Koa Malau’ulu on the three-yard line. The third play resulted in Malau’ulu getting sacked and losing the ball on a fumble in the end zone for a Bishop Gorman touchdown.

The Gaels (2-0) cruised to a 21-0 halftime lead. They’re ranked No. 2 nationally and repeatedly hurt the Braves with the mobility and decision-making of quarterback Ace Amina, who finished with 212 yards passing and four touchdowns. He guided the offense on an 80-yard drive to start the game. St. John Bosco struggled to adjust covering Bishop Gorman running backs going out for passes.

In the third quarter, everything changed. A 10-yard touchdown catch by fiery sophomore Kuika Moaalii on fourth down was the moment St. John Bosco got its mojo back. Then DJ Tubbs followed with a touchdown catch to make it 21-14. Bishop Gorman went back up 28-14 on a 53-yard touchdown reception by Zyren Menor. But the quarter ended with the Braves’ Maliq Allen scoring on a 29-yard run. The noise in the stadium was rising on both sides.

The Braves finally tied it 28-28 on Tubbs’ punt return for a touchdown with 9:52 left after Dillon Davis’ third-down sack.

As if the fourth quarter weren’t wild enough, the Gaels regained the lead with 6:49 left on a 54-yard touchdown reception by Corey Hinton. And what a game-changer it turned out to be. Hinton played for St. John Bosco the last two seasons until returning to Las Vegas, the city he grew up in.

Asked if he wanted to leave, Hinton said, “I didn’t but it looks like God did this.”

On the winning touchdown, Hinton said, “It was surreal. It was something I prayed for and it meant everything.”

Afterward, he was hugging former teammates. “No hate. Those are my boys,” he said.

Bishop Gorman’s Maximiliano Fuentes clinched the win with a 49-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Negro said all the mistakes made by his team are fixable, so he believes the Braves can get back on the winning track. “We just have to execute better,” he said.

Malau’ulu was under duress much of the night. He had two passes intercepted, was sacked three times and did not look comfortable throwing on the run. He did rally the Braves and ended up with 210 yards passing.

There was an “extreme heat warning” on Friday, with the daytime temperature reaching 109 degrees. St. John Bosco began its preparation to be hydrated and avoid cramps on Monday with constant reminders on taking fluids all week by athletic trainer Daisy Martinez.

“It’s 108 out there. It’s good for us,” a Bishop Gorman coach told players 3 1/2 hours before kickoff during their pregame meal in a room on the second floor of their gymnasium complex. Players began to eat in total silence focused on their task at hand.

The Braves hadn’t faced Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas since their 34-31 loss in 2014 to the Gaels amid thunder, lightning, wind and a downpour of rain. They were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation just like Friday’s matchup.

Bishop Gorman (2-0) looks talented and executed well, but the Braves, like their final game of 2025 when they were upset as the No. 1 seed in the first round of Division 1 playoffs by Orange Lutheran, have plenty to work on.

St. John Bosco is starting the season without its two prized transfer students, offensive tackle Elisha Mueller and defensive back Kingston Fatu, who will will be eligible on Sept. 28. It still hasn’t been determined if Mueller will be a sit-out period player.

For the first time since becoming vice president of the United States, JD Vance has returned to his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, with a goal of rallying Republican voters ahead of November’s pivotal midterm elections.

Vance delivered Friday’s speech at a symbolic location: the steel plant where his late grandfather once worked.

He used the appearance to tout a $1bn investment from the steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs that was supported by $500m in government awards.

That funding, he said, illustrated his party’s commitment to the manufacturing sector and reinvigorating the US economy overall.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy – or it’s all going to happen overnight – but in just 18 months, we have seen an explosion of rebuilding in the American heartland,” Vance said, crediting the growth to policies under President Donald Trump.

Vance’s speech comes at a critical time for the Republican Party and Trump in particular.

November’s midterm races will decide whether Republicans are able to maintain control over both chambers of Congress. Should their hold on the legislature slip, Democrats could stymie Trump’s policy priorities for the last two years of his presidency — or even impeach him, as Trump himself has suggested.

Polls have shown that the state of the economy remains the top issue ahead of the midterms.

But how voters perceive each party’s ability to address economic strain has shifted. Before the start of Trump’s second term, the Pew Research Center found that voters were more likely to favour Republican policies on the economy.

In July, however, the dynamic had switched: Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed backed the Democratic approach to the economy, compared with 36 percent for Republicans.

Another poll this month from the news agency Reuters and the firm Ipsos likewise found slightly more respondents siding with the Democrats on economic policy than Republicans, upending a longtime trend that stretched back to 2017.

Trump, for his part, has publicly appeared to dismiss cost-of-living issues as a partisan invention, calling questions of affordability a “hoax” and a “con job” engineered by Democrats.

At Friday’s speech, Vance took a different approach, trying to assuage concerns about the administration’s handling of the economy.

“We got a lot of work to do, but we’re making progress on all the things that matter the most,” Vance said, citing efforts to make homeownership more affordable.

The speech is part of an intensifying campaign under Trump to boost the prospects of Republican candidates ahead of the midterms, with the president and other top officials holding rallies for their party’s candidates.

Ohio, part of a historic manufacturing region known as the Rust Belt, has become increasingly conservative since Trump’s first White House victory in 2016.

But amid rising dissatisfaction with Republican leadership, Democrats see a chance to win back the state’s governor’s office, as well as the US Senate seat left vacant when Vance became vice president.

Whoever wins the special election in November will serve the remainder of Vance’s Senate term, which would have ended in January 2029.

The Republican nominee in the race, Senator Jon Husted, joined Vance on stage at the Middletown rally on Friday. Husted was appointed to fill Vance’s Senate seat until a special election could be held.

Vance, for his part, dedicated part of his speech to attacking Husted’s Democratic rival, former Senator Sherrod Brown, who lost his re-election race to Republican Bernie Moreno two years ago.

He accused Brown of being among the politicians “who pretend to be friends of the workers in this facility”, while instead advancing their own priorities.

“It’s hard to understand what these modern Democrats actually stand for,” Vance said, characterising the party as having strayed from its ideals.

He pointed to Brown’s record of siding with the policies of former Democratic President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential race.

“[Brown] was a man who claimed to represent this state but never once raised his voice against Joe Biden’s border crisis or against the inflation that was brought on by Joe Biden underinvesting and trying to destroy American industry,” Vance said.

The vice president also singled out Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed, repeating a false claim that the Democratic Senate candidate called for “Sharia law” in the US.

“I’d love to go back in time and tell my papaw that there’s a man who claims to stand for working people, who says not only should we have Sharia law, but if you criticise it, you are a white supremacist,” Vance said about El-Sayed.

Trump’s approval rating currently sits at 33 percent, according to Reuters-Ipsos polling from this month.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The high school football season begins this weekend with zero week games. Let’s review some of the top openers.

Big opening games

Thursday

Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College: It’s a challenging debut for first-year Servite coach Rick Garretson going against a Matt Logan offense that should be one of his best with quarterback Jaden Jefferson, running back Malaki Davis and receiver Quentin Hale. Servite has lots of speed and a trio of outstanding linebackers, plus new quarterback Gino Wang, so let’s see if the Friars can stay close. The pick: Corona Centennial.

Murrieta Valley at Rancho Cucamonga: These two top 25 teams exude toughness. Murrieta Valley is known for daring anyone to stop their running game. Rancho Cucamonga has had a year to get quarterback Trey Towns comfortable with the offense. The pick: Murrieta Valley.

Paraclete vs. St. Bonaventure at Ventura College: Former NFL defensive back Troy Hill, in his second year as head coach, had his first off season and the results should be good. The offense will be explosive behind improving junior quarterback Jaxson Carper and a group of speedy receivers. Angelus League favorite Paraclete has St. Francis transfer Shawn Sanders.

Friday

St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman: This is a real national championship game. Whomever wins can finish unbeaten by season end. St. John Bosco’s experience on defense should be beneficial, but priority No. 1 is stopping running back Terrance Grant Jr., who has a huge offensive line to support him. Junior quarterback Koa Malau’ulu is in his third season as a starter. The receiving corp was hit hard by graduation but the offensive line should be much improved with the addition of Servite transfer Elisha Mueller. The pick: St. John Bosco.

Crenshaw at Palisades: Robert Garrett has left Crenshaw after 300 career victories. Interim coach Terrence Whitehead and his group of Garrett-trained assistants have worked hard to increase the roster level. There’s lots of athleticism at quarterback with Ethan Grant, a transfer from Los Angeles, and returnee Danniel Flowers. This is the first campus football game at Palisades since the Palisades Fire in January of 2025, so emotions will be high. The pick: Crenshaw.

Chaparral at Mission Viejo: Get ready for an entertaining TV opener in which both teams have a terrific group of receivers, so it will come down to who can protect their quarterback best. That’s where Mission Viejo has an advantage with probably the best offensive line since coach Chad Johnson arrived. The pick: Mission Viejo.

Loyola at Crean Lutheran: The Cubs go on the road to face a veteran team that has added lots of transfers, and the only question is how many will be eligible come game time. There are five Crean Lutheran players committed to Arizona. The pick: Crean Lutheran.

Gardena Serra vs. Palos Verdes at El Camino College: Get ready for Serra to pound the ball with its five returning offensive linemen and new running back AJ McBean. Palos Verdes has four-year starter Ryan Rakowski at quarterback to work his magic. Look for Serra’s speed advantage to be tough to stop. The pick: Serra.

Tustin at San Clemente: The Tritons won their game in Hawaii. Their defense faces a challenge from a Tustin team that has standout receiver Hayden Koo among a number of college prospect. But with Jaxson Rex leading the way, San Clemente figures to get some turnovers. The pick: San Clemente.

Here’s the complete zero week schedule.

All-City linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw has grown to 6 feet 3, 220 pounds entering his senior season.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Times’ nine-part series previewing some of Southern California’s best football players continues on Monday with a profile of Crenshaw linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick, who had to overcome the loss of his mother and father within weeks of each other. Here’s the profile.

If you missed any of the profiles, here’s the link.

Southern California teams traveled to Hawaii last week and came away 9-0. Chaminade, Villa Park, San Juan Hills, Viewpoint, Edison, Beaumont, San Clemente, Newport Harbor and Capistrano Valley all won their openers.

Chaminade receiver Andrew Cordero had two touchdown catches from sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu in a 38-9 win over Leilehua.

San Juan Hills beat Castle 67-0. Nikos Ioja rushed for 93 yards.

Bellflower showed off two promising freshmen receivers in a scrimmage: Ke’Ondre Smith and Ryan Clark. They could help with Austin Miller out with an injury.

JSerra quarterback Kate Meier reaches across the goal line for the winning touchdown an instant before her flag is pulled.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Defending Southern Section Division 1 champion JSerra showed Saturday that it remains the team to beat in 2026 by winning the Chargers tournament Gold Division championship over Newport Harbor.

Sophomore quarterback Kate Meier and a terrific defense sparked the Lions to victory. JSerra defeated Orange Lutheran in the semifinals in a rematch of last year’s Division 1 final.

Right before its opening game of the season and its first game in school history, Sierra Canyon was able to get eligible quarterback Makena Cook, who transferred from Orange Lutheran. The Trailblazers played in the Chargers tournament and should be much stronger when the transfer sit-out period ends for those who did not change residences.

Here’s The Times’ top 10 Southern California rankings.

Girls volleyball

Coach Morgan Wijay of Harvard-Westlake has her team playing well to start the girls volleyball season.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

In a season-opening matchup between reigning state champions, Harvard-Westlake pushed Mater Dei to five sets before senior outside hitter Westley Matavao took control in the Monarchs’ 26-28, 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 15-8 victory in Studio City. The UCLA commit had 16 kills, 19 digs and six aces while Cal-bound middle blocker Emma Kingston had 13 kills for Mater Dei, which has won the CIF Open Division state championship twice in the last three years.

Brooke Cotter and Ruby Sampson had 12 kills apiece and Princeton commit Sophia Cotter added 11 kills for Harvard-Westlake, which won the Division 1 state title last fall under first-year coach Morgan Wijay, who had spent the previous 10 seasons at Alemany and guided that program to section titles in 2021 and 2022. The Wolverines finished third in the Mission League last year after being swept twice by Sierra Canyon and Marymount and are projected to be third again.

Mater Dei is the heavy favorite to repeat as Trinity League champion having added five transfers — two of those from its own league.

Sierra Canyon won the prestigious Ann Kang tournament in Hawaii, beating one top team after another.

Here’s the girls’ volleyball preview from The Times.

Jake Bauers’ journey

Former Marina first baseman Jake Bauers has 21 home runs for the Milwaukee Brewers.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

From not making the varsity at Marina High until his junior year to hitting 21 home runs this season for the Milwaukee Brewers to marrying the girl he met in 10th grade, Jake Bauers’ journey has been quite rewarding. He went four for four on Sunday at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers.

Here’s a look after speaking with him last week at Petco Park.

Interesting nicknames

High schools sometimes come up with the strangest nicknames for their sports teams.

Now someone has come up with the 50 most interesting nicknames.

Here’s the report.

CIF media rights contract with PlayOn Sports and the NFHS Network.

(Los Angeles Times)

The CIF has reached agreement with PlayOn Sports, the owner of MaxPreps, the NFHS Network and GoFan, on a 10-year, $11.1 million broadcast rights deal.

Here’s the report.

Trouble at El Camino Real

El Camino Real players celebrate winning a 10th City Section baseball title at Dodger Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

As if replacing its executive director and assistant principal in charge of athletics wasn’t enough summer drama for El Camino Real, now the school has put on leave multiple coaches and launched an investigation over a dispute about first-aid cards and why they couldn’t be found in the Red Cross database.

Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

Multiple El Camino Real coaches have been placed on administrative leave because of a school investigation. The school has been in turmoil since the summer when the executive director and assistant principal in charge of athletics were both ousted. Here’s the report.…

Former Crespi pitcher Tim Leveque is the interim pitching coach for the Angels….

La Mirada Junior Little League won the World Series championship, beating Taipei 6-3 on a 10th-inning three-run home run from Jaylen Valdez, who is one of seven players on the team already enrolled as freshmen at La Mirada High….

Infielder Ian Nunez from La Mirada has committed to Cal State Northridge….

St. Bernard will be getting a new all-weather turf field in 2027….

Linebacker Ezekiel Su’a of Mater Dei has committed to Dartmouth….

Catcher Maddie Schepp from Torrance has committed to Fresno State softball….

Jaylee Moore of Etiwanda has committed to Hawaii for women’s basketball….

Arcadia will not use its longtime nickname Apaches this school year as it transitions to a different mascot after a new state law. It will use only Arcadia this year.

From the archives: Cody Fajardo

Former Servite quarterback Cody Fajardo has found a home in the Canadian Football League. He was MVP of the Grey Cup in 2023 in leading the Montreal Alouettes to the championship. He’s with the Edmonton Elks, his fifth team. This season, he’s completing 70% of his passes.

The 34-year-old helped Servite win the 2009 Southern Section Division 1 championship, then became starting quarterback at Nevada. He’s always been known for his ability to pass and run while showing toughness.

Here’s a story from 2009 on Fajardo’s magic as a high school quarterback.

Here’s a story from 2023 after he won the Grey Cup.

Recommendations

From MLB.com, a story on former Thousand Oaks shortstop Jacob Wilson setting a major league record with 111 consecutive games without making an error.

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 eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, 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.

WASHINGTON — Sonia Citron scored 21 points, Shakira Austin had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Washington Mystics rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Sparks 80-70 on Saturday night.

Former USC star Kiki Iriafen added 19 points and eight rebounds for Washington (20-14), which was coming off two straight losses at Las Vegas. Citron had eight assists and six rebounds.

Austin’s layup with six minutes left in the fourth quarter gave Washington a 65-64 lead, its first advantage since it was 41-39 at halftime. With three minutes left, Citron hit a three-pointer for a 74-69 lead and the Mystics closed it out with a 9-1 run.

Washington outscored the Sparks 25-12 in the fourth quarter.

Rae Burrell scored 20 points, Nneka Ogwumike had 15 and Dearica Hamby added 11 for the Sparks (12-22).

The Sparks led 26-24 one minute into the second quarter before Washington went on an 11-2 run in the next three minutes to lead 35-28. Two three-pointers from Burrell and one from Erica Wheeler got the Sparks within 41-39 at halftime.

Wheeler and Burrell opened the second half with back-to-back threes and the Sparks led 52-43 three minutes into the third quarter. The Mystics scored the next eight points and the Sparks held a 58-55 lead heading to the fourth.

The Mystics had won seven straight before their back-to-back losses to the Aces.

The Sparks have lost four straight and 11 of 13. Cameron Brink (ribs) did not play, two days after she took a shoulder to the midsection from New York’s Breanna Stewart.

Up next: The Sparks visit Connecticut on Tuesday.