Rally

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.

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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.

Aug. 11 (UPI) — About 500 South Korean civic, political and religious leaders, North Korean defectors, separated families and academics gathered at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on Tuesday to reject the permanent division of the Korean Peninsula and call for a national movement for peaceful reunification.

The “Liberation 81 One Korea Unification Rally,” held four days before South Korea marks the 81st anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonial rule, was jointly hosted by Citizens’ Solidarity for One Korea and Rep. Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party, chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

Participants rallied under the slogan “Two Koreas No! One Korea Yes!” and framed the debate as a choice over whether South Korea should institutionalize the peninsula’s division or preserve reunification as a constitutional objective, a human rights issue and a long-term national vision.

The gathering comes as both Koreas are redefining their relationship.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared in late 2023 that North and South Korea should no longer be regarded as partners pursuing reunification but as two hostile states. North Korea has since revised its constitution to remove references to reunification and define its territory as bordering the Republic of Korea to the south.

In South Korea, President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has pursued a policy of “peaceful coexistence” aimed at reducing tensions and restoring dialogue with Pyongyang.

The shift has been reflected in government policy and education materials.

In March, the National Institute for Peaceful Unification Education, which is affiliated with the Unification Ministry, published its 2026 textbooks incorporating what it described as a “peaceful two-state” framework.

The materials acknowledged the current reality of two separate systems while calling for inter-Korean relations to develop into a cooperative relationship aimed at eventual reunification. The definition of reunification was also revised from one emphasizing integration under a liberal democratic order and market economy to “the process of forming a new, unified community.”

The policy direction became clearer last week when Unification Minister Chung Dong-young presented President Lee with a blueprint for “peaceful coexistence” that includes what the ministry calls a “two-state relationship oriented toward unification,” while leaving the question of eventual reunification to future generations.

The plan also calls for referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and replacing terminology the ministry considers confrontational, including the “main enemy” label.

South Korea has traditionally treated inter-Korean relations as a special relationship rather than ordinary relations between two foreign states, a principle reflected in the 1991 Inter-Korean Basic Agreement.

Organizers of Tuesday’s rally said they support peace and dialogue but argued that institutionalizing the two Koreas as separate states, even under a framework intended to promote peaceful coexistence, could ultimately normalize permanent division.

In welcoming remarks, Song said the South Korean Constitution “clearly aims for peaceful unification based on the basic free and democratic order,” adding that with North Korea’s nuclear threats and a grave international environment, South Koreans “must not ignore or misjudge the reality of division.”

Jang Man-soon, co-chairman of Citizens’ Solidarity for One Korea and chairman of the Committee for Ten Million Separated Families, said recognizing North Korea as an entirely separate state could conflict with South Korea’s constitutional framework and affect the identity and rights of separated families, people displaced from North Korea and North Korean defectors.

South Korea’s Constitution defines the territory of the Republic of Korea in Article 3 as “the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.” Article 4 requires the country to seek peaceful unification based on the basic free and democratic order.

Jang, a second-generation member of a separated family, also questioned whether Pyongyang’s two-state policy could be characterized as mutual respect while North Korea continues to threaten South Korea with nuclear weapons and missiles.

For separated families, he argued, the issue extends beyond diplomatic terminology. Permanently recognizing the peninsula as two foreign states could change how South Korea views people whose hometowns and relatives remain north of the border.

“True peace begins with restoring the freedom and human rights of North Korean residents,” Jang said, according to organizers.

Former lawmaker Thae Yong-ho, who defected after serving as a senior North Korean diplomat, said in a keynote speech that Pyongyang has removed concepts such as national reunification and one Korean people from its constitution and political framework, even as a “peaceful two-state” discourse has emerged in the South.

Thae warned that such an approach “could lead to the permanent division of the Korean Peninsula.”

Speakers also argued that reunification should be viewed as a human rights question involving North Korea’s roughly 25 million people, rather than solely as a territorial or political issue.

Korean American Kenneth Bae, president of New Korea Foundation International, who was detained in North Korea for 735 days, said reunification should mean more than combining two territories.

He said it should reconnect separated families and create conditions in which North Koreans can live with freedom, dignity and basic human rights.

Kang Chol-hwan, head of the North Korea Strategy Center, who spent 10 years in a North Korean political prison camp, called for expanding North Koreans’ access to outside information and making human rights a central part of reunification efforts.

The rally also sought to present an alternative national vision rather than simply oppose a two-state framework.

Seo In-taek, permanent co-chairman of Action for Korea United, proposed a civic movement centered on the “Korean Dream,” a vision of a unified Korea grounded in freedom, human rights, freedom of religion, peace and shared prosperity.

“People are moved not by slogans but by a clear vision they can share,” Seo said, according to organizers.

Seo said reunification should not belong to a single political party, ideology or administration and called for a nationwide civic movement to change perceptions that division is permanent and reunification impossible.

Citizens’ Solidarity for One Korea sent a questionnaire on the two-state debate to all 299 members of the National Assembly on Aug. 4, asking lawmakers about permanent two-state relations and South Korea’s constitutional commitment to peaceful reunification. Eight lawmakers responded, the rally’s moderator announced during the event.

Representatives of youth, Protestant and Buddhist communities, separated families, overseas Koreans and North Korean defectors then took the stage in turn to deliver “One Korea” resolutions pledging a unified Korea grounded in liberal democracy and human rights.

The rally concluded with young representatives born in the two Koreas reading a joint resolution calling for denuclearization, improvements in North Korean human rights and peaceful reunification under South Korea’s constitutional order, followed by a unification performance in which participants sang “Our Wish Is Unification” and chanted “Two Koreas No! One Korea Yes!”

Organizers said the campaign will continue with the 2026 Korean Dream Han River Festival, a public event focused on Korean reunification planned for Oct. 3 at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Drum roll, please. With the high school football season set for zero week Aug. 20-21, The Times begins a nine-part series profiling some of the area’s top players with a top 10 position list.

Let the series begin

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson passed for two touchdowns and ran for three touchdowns in loss to Delano Kennedy.

(Craig Weston)

The Times’ nine-part series previewing top high school football players begins Tuesday with a profile of Carson quarterback Chris Fields III, the reigning City Section player of the year. Headed to Georgetown, he has risen from the bottom to earn his place as a top quarterback.

Here’s the other profiles:

Running back AJ McBean of Mira Costa ran a 10.61 100 meters in his first meet of the season.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Wednesday: Running back AJ McBean of Gardena Serra worked hard when no one was watching to gain a scholarship to Stanford and establish himself as a bruising ball carrier.

Austin Miller a 15-year-old sophomore receiver, is helping bring attention to Bellflower’s football program.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Thursday: Sophomore receiver Austin Miller of Bellflower decided to earn respect by attending his local public school and proved his point by earning a scholarship offer from Ohio State, then committing.

Luke Gazzaniga is a tight end for Santa Margarita who dares people to try to tackle him.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Friday: As the youngest of three brothers, tight end Luke Gazzaniga of Santa Margarita used to engage in the Oklhoma drill with his brothers growing up, showing his toughest that he retains.

Offensive tackle Vincent Shields of Murrieta Valley in the middle.

(Sandy Huffaker/for The Los Angeles Times)

Saturday: Offensive lineman Vincent Shields of Murrieta Valley is rising fast as a college prospect, and if you like dogs, you’ll love Shields, whose family owns a dog-training business.

Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra is a basketball player turned football player at JSerra.

(Craig Weston)

Sunday: Defensive lineman Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra is a native of Nigeria learning the sport and becoming more than good.

Crenshaw wide receiver Deance’ Lewis (11) celebrates his touchdown with tight end De’Andre Kirkpatrick (10).

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Monday, Aug. 17: Linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw has overcome family tragedy to become one of the best in the City Section.

Orange Lutheran quarterback TJ Lateef goes airborne hurdling over Wesley Ace (18) of Gardena Serra.

(Craig Weston)

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Defensive back Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra is switching to cornerback and can’t wait to show off his speed.

Kicker Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake enters the 2026 football season as one of the best for his position.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Kicker Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake has a 4.7 GPA, a scholarship to Stanford and can kick or punt with the best.

Top kickers/punters

Special teams is important for winning football games, so let’s take a look at kickers/punters to watch for this season.

Westlake’s Gabriel Goroyan has distinguished himself with his strong leg, making him an outstanding kicker and punter. He’s committed to Stanford.

Ethan Miller of San Clemente had nine field goals last season and was cool under pressure. Jerry Shifman of Mater Dei should be a candidate for a field goal beyond 50 yards. Carter Sobel of Sierra Canyon had nine field goals. Caleb Sylvia of Mission Viejo made a 49-yard field goal in 2025.

Colin Elia of Temecula Valley was 10 of 11 on field goals. Ayden Brannum of Fontana averaged 48 yards on punts. Noah Ahari of Chino Hills had nine field goals. Peter Batsaras of Cypress earned an invitation to an all-star game with his kicking skills. Jackson Hauducoeur of Upland is a returning All-CIF kicker. Kasra Maghami of Harvard-Westlake showed potential as a freshman. Dylan Moreno of San Pedro is back for his senior year trying to return to his All-City form as a sophomore.

If you look closely at the CIF participation survey for 2025-26, there’s a notable stat. While there’s record overall participation of 835,088 for boys and girls sports, the number for the most popular sport, football, dropped to its lowest level since 2022 at 87,718.

The CIF looks for trends, so next year’s numbers will be the most important.

There is a rise in eight-man football, but that also shows how schools might be struggling to field 11-man teams. Lots of City Section teams have failed to recover since the 2021 COVID season in no longer having junior varsity programs.

LAUSD teams began practices last week but some have struggled to get players cleared because school nurses have to clear physicals and some aren’t around. The LAUSD has money to pay the nurses to come in early before school starts but this issue continues to happen seemingly every season, disrupting teams’ practice schedules.

Crenshaw has received a new football locker room courtesy of Nike.

Reseda, Eagle Rock and Canoga Park are having their fields worked on and will be all road games this season.

Corona Centennial and De La Salle have finalized an agreement to play their football game at Cal’s Memorial Stadium on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m.

Bishop Diego has 370-pound tackle Donovan Tupa’i (left) and 270-pound tackle Terrence Tasila.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Marmonte League is filled with big linemen, which should make for some interesting clashes. Bishop Diego has perhaps the biggest in 6-foot-3, 370-pound Donovan Tupa’i. Teammate Terrence Tasila can hold his own in the buffet line at 6-1, 270 pounds. Speaking of buffets, Tupa’i said he once went for five visits to the buffet, filling each plate. Call him the Buffet Buster.

Teams traveling to Hawaii will be playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week to open their seasons. Here’s this week’s schedule.

JSerra High quarterback Kate Meier threw for 3,729 yards and 58 touchdowns as a freshman last fall when the Lions went 28-0.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Flag football action begin on Saturday, with Oxnard and Oaks Christian among the teams opening with wins.

Here’s a preview of teams and players to watch, with defending Division 1 champion JSerra expected to compete for another title.

One of the best tournaments of the year is set for Friday and Saturday in Costa Mesa, bringing out most of the top teams in the Southern Section and City Section. It’s first look at Sierra Canyon joining flag football with a new coach and lots of top transfer students from Orange County.

Alums return to Dorsey

Dorsey High alum and former major league Don Buford sits under a towering ficus tree on campus Saturday during the school’s all sports reunion.

(Caleb Otte / For The Times)

A reunion of those who attended Dorsey High and played sports took place Saturday. It was organized by Hall of Fame football coach Paul Knox and drew plenty of alumni.

Here’s a look at the activities.

Notes . . .

Former Orange Lutheran baseball coach Eric Borba has been hired as the new head coach at Servite. He served 16 years as coach at Orange Lutheran before stepping down in 2024….

Former San Fernando football coach Bill Marsh died last Monday. He was 79. It was his wishbone offense that led the Tigers to back-to-back City titles in 1974 and 1975. Here’s the report.

Safety Sean Byrnes from Villa Park has committed to Idaho State….

Former UCLA softball player Anna Vines is the new softball coach at Village Christiain….

Aiden Echavarria of Whittier Christian has committed to Pepperdine baseball….

Outfielder Dru Wilson from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has transferred to Sierra Canyon, joining Mateo Mier, who came from Harvard-Westlake….

Sophomore Brett Burnor has been named the starting quarterback at Mission Viejo….

Infielder Sebastian Navarro of Mater Dei has committed to UC Davis….

Pitcher Carson Caras from Harvard-Westlake has committed to Pepperdine….

Jackson Alba of Palos Verdes has committed to UC Irvine baseball…..

Pitcher Mac Kennedy from Sierra Canyon has committed to Santa Clara….

Catcher Logan Miller from Mater Dei has committed to San Diego State….

Vaughn Sharp from Yorba Linda has committed to Cal State Northridge baseball….

Standout left-handed pitcher Roy Kim from Great Oak has transferred to Norco, the likely No. 1 baseball team in preseason rankings in 2027. Kim is committed to Stanford and gives Norco three top pitchers with the return of Jordan Ayala and Jacob Melendez.…

Defensive back Jacob Whitehead from Crean Lutheran has committed to Arizona. He’s the fifth Crean Lutheran player to commit to Arizona, joining Braylen Ross, Caden Jones, Evan Mack and Ty Johnson.…

Noelle Quinn is returning to UCLA women’s basketball to be an assistant coach. She was a standout guard for the Bruins, played 12 years in the WNBA, became head coach at Bishop Montgomery, then left to be head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm….

Eva Madarang is the new girls soccer coach at Agoura….

The 13U PONY baseball team from Placentia won the World Series championship, the fourth time in five years that the group of players have won a title. The MVP was eighth-grader Finn Knapp, who had 71 stolen bases on the season and had three triples and three doubles in the tournament. He has a brother who plays for El Dorado High….

Justin Siegel has resigned as softball coach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to become an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount. Assistant Brian Luderer is the leading candidate to take over. Luderer has two daughters in the program….

The girls volleyball season picks up steam this week with a number of local teams traveling to Hawaii for the Ann Kang tournament, including Division 1 powers Sierra Canyon and Mira Costa.

From the archives: Jordin Canada

Jordin Canada in 2022.

(Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press)

Back during her days playing basketball for Windward, Jordin Canada said one goal was to become a nurse. But she became so good at basketball, from UCLA to the WNBA, the nursing days were put on hold.

Playing for Atlanta this season, she’s averaging 11.3 points and 7.7 assists. She graduated from UCLA in 2018 after a standout career at Windward, where she was a two-time player of the year by The Times in 2013 and 2014.

Here’s a story from 2013 about her magic on the court.

Recommendations

From The562.org, a look at Moore League football.

From the Star-Telegram, a story on a Texas high school football coach being suspended for the season for conducting illegal practices in May.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Gardena Serra defensive back Rodrick Pleasant.

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.

Caracas, August 5, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan grassroots movements have taken to the streets to oppose US control over the country’s resources and political affairs.

On Tuesday, around 150 people gathered in Caracas’ Plaza El Venezolano in a demonstration organized by a coalition of leftist political groups, including Comunes, the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), and the League of Socialist Workers (LTS).

“This is a protest against the imperialist plundering of our resources,” LTS’ Ángel Arias declared. “Anti-imperialism is not merely a discourse, it is a necessity for the Venezuelan working class.”

He decried that “the resources are far away from the Venezuelan people, with the decisions in Trump’s hands.”

Since the January 3 military strikes and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, Washington has seized control over the Venezuelan energy sector. Trump officials have been closely involved in an overhaul of the country’s Hydrocarbon Law and have brokered negotiations with Western corporations under the revised pro-business framework. Furthermore, Venezuelan export revenues, especially from crude sales, are deposited in a US Treasury account before an undisclosed portion is returned to Caracas at US officials’ discretion.

Arias criticized Venezuelan authorities for their “complicity,” including in reforming laws to favor Western capital. He also lambasted the Venezuelan far-right opposition for being “totally servile to Washington’s interests.”

Pedro Eusse, secretary-general of the CUTV trade union confederation, urged political unity against “colonial domination.”

“Beyond our political differences, we need to unite all those who oppose the imposition of a colonial protectorate,” he affirmed. “We need to have a common flag, which is to drive imperialism out of Venezuela.”

Speakers also condemned the US’ January 3 attacks and the continuing unilateral sanctions against the Caribbean nation.

A “Twitter storm” on Monday night placed #FueraTrumpdeVenezuela (“Trump out of Venezuela”) as the top X/Twitter trending hashtag in the country.

Tuesday’s protest followed a Saturday rally organized by the Popular Anti-Imperialist Front, a coalition of Caracas grassroots movements that called for “the defense of the Constitution and Hugo Chávez’s legacy.”

“We are on the streets to vehemently reject the presence of the US empire in our country,“ veteran organizer Juan Contreras from the Coordinadora Simón Bolívar told local media as over 100 protesters marched through the popular barrio of La Vega. “We are going to continue to mobilize and call on people to join our efforts.“

Contreras likewise criticized US-arbitrated negotiations between the acting Delcy Rodríguez government and an opposition faction. “If there is dialogue, it must be with the Venezuelan people and their organized movements.”

The Coordinadora Simón Bolívar, a historic collective from the combative 23 de Enero barrio, had previously denounced an alleged plot, orchestrated by the DEA, to assassinate grassroots leaders in working-class neighborhoods.

Both recent demonstrations also fiercely rejected the acting government’s recent rapprochement with Israel. Protesters held Palestinian flags and condemned the US ally’s genocide in Gaza and Lebanon.

An Israeli diplomatic and military mission, alongside several state-aligned NGOs, arrived in the Caribbean nation in the wake of the June 24 double earthquake. Rodríguez thanked the delegation and praised it as “highly trained and professional.” Former President Hugo Chávez severed ties with Tel Aviv in 2009. Both he and Maduro were stalwart supporters of the Palestinian cause, repeatedly excoriating Israel for its colonial occupation, war crimes, and genocide.

Venezuelan popular movements had previously mobilized on July 24 in a protest “against imperialism and Zionism” in Caracas’ Plaza Bolívar.

In addition to the public demonstrations, a group of Chavista political activists and intellectuals published the “Maracay Declaration” on July 28, defending the urgent need for national unity in “the struggle to recover independence.”

“In this hour, the homeland calls for unity and a national project that responds to the interests of the Venezuelan people, and we will work permanently to achieve these goals,” the statement read. Signees included former Vice President Elías Jaua and ex-congressman Tony Boza.

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Philadelphia, USA.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Let’s examine some top linebackers and running backs to watch.

Speed matters

Los Alamitos’ Kamden Tillis, right, celebrates a touchdown with teammate Ashton Gogue (13) against Edison on Thursday in an Alpha League football game at SoFi Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

Top teams have top linebackers, and representing the City Section is De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, a San Diego State commit who one day has the chance to be compared to former Crenshaw standouts Hayes Pullard and Daiyan Henley.

Kirkpatrick is 6 feet 3, 220 pounds and doesn’t like running backs. He throws them to the turf like a rag doll.

Another outstanding City Section linebacker/defensive end is Elyjah Staples of Marquez, a Cal commit who plays wherever his team needs him.

One school with multiple top linebackers is Servite with Allen Kennett and Isaiah Leilua. St. John Bosco’s Josiah Poyer has improved so much that he’s a USC commit and now covers offensive players going out for passes with expertise and confidence.

Isaiah Phelps of Oxnard Pacifica is a tackling machine. George Hastings of Agoura is only 5-11 but versatile, smart and repeatedly making an impact. Sevelino Taliauli of Long Beach Poly is a Colorado State commit. Noah Curtin of Chino Hills had 122 tackles.

Kane Casani of Loyola has worked nonstop in the weight room to become stronger and faster after averaging 13 tackles a game. Matthew Charles of Chaminade is ready for a breakout junior season, and the Eagles also have Washington State commit Josiah Rand. Wyatt Bogdan, 6-3, 220 pounds, had 81 solo tackles for Laguna Beach as a junior.

Among running backs, Stanford-bound AJ McBean has moved from Mira Costa to Gardena Serra and will have five returning starters up front to help him look good.

Noel Washington of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore. Malachi McFarland of Damien is going to get the chance to handle the ball much more to take advantage of his speed.

Jaxsen Stokes of Sierra Canyon has convinced his coach that there’s no smarter play call than giving him the ball. Kamden Tillis of Los Alamitos is coming off a 1,500 yards season. Sophomores Adrian Petero of Santa Margarita and Asir Nembhard of Mater Dei picked up valuable experience as freshmen contributors.

Malaki Davis of Corona Centennial is 215 pounds with speed. Maliq Allen of St. John Bosco came back after transferring to Inglewood and adds experience and speed to the backfield. Malaki Buchanan of Victor Valley is a sophomore with a 10.37 100 meters time. Kevika Mata’utia-Martinez of La Habra rushed for more than 1,400 yards as a junior.

Aidan Crecion (left) has grown to 6 feet 5 and passed his father, Gabe, who was a tight end at Chaminade and UCLA. Aidan will be a junior receiver at Oaks Chrisitan.

(Crecion family)

The opening game between Oaks Christian and Chaminade on Aug. 21 will have special meaning for Gabe Crecion, who was a star tight end and baseball player at Chaminade before moving on to UCLA. His son, Aidan, has grown to 6 feet 5 and is a promising junior receiver for Oaks Christian.

Orange Lutheran has recently added two highly regarded transfers in tight end Hudson Ploog from Troy and offensive lineman Austin Attalah from Cajon. But remember, first-year coach Ray Fenton talked last season at Los Alamitos how much fun it was coaching neighborhood kids instead of transfers. Unfortunately, this is what the Trinity League has become known for — transfers. Coaches get fired for losing records in the Trinity League.

Junior receiver and 100 meters standout Benjamin Harris of Servite has committed to Oregon State.

First-year St. Bernard coach Dean Herrington is getting used to his new drive from Valencia to Playa del Rey. Once school starts, he’ll be leaving at 5 a.m. trying to beat the traffic. Asked how his new team was doing, Herrington said, “It’s trying to change the culture and gets to practice all the time.” Herrington’s 13-year-old grandson, Bradley Rees, is a quarterback in waiting and two years away from high school.

Former Edison standout Hunter White has returned to take over coaching defensive backs at his alma mater. It’s the first time he’s been coaching since helping out his father, Dave, some 10 years ago.

With the arrival of quarterback Ethan Grant from Los Angeles, Crenshaw has the luxury of having two competent quarterbacks. Danniel Flowers started as a junior but also could see action as a receiver this season.

The Moore sisters, Nylah (left), a senior, and freshman Cinzia will be standouts at Eagle Rock in flag football and basketball.

(Eristheo Raif)

The arrival of freshman Cinzia Moore to join her sister, Nylah, at Eagle Rock is big news in City Section flag football. Nylah is Eagle Rock’s returning quarterback. Cinzia is 5 feet 9. Both will also be standouts for the girls basketball team.

Here’s the report.

Flag football practices officially begin for Southern Section teams Monday, with first games allowed Saturday.

Sierra Canyon, which has a team for the first time this season, keeps picking up transfers from Orange County (maybe the housing is cheaper in Chatsworth). The latest is sophomore Angelina Dubois from Orange Lutheran. She joins Orange Lutheran teammate, quarterback Makena Cook, at Sierra Canyon, along with last year’s Division 1 player of the year, Ava Irwin from JSerra.

The NFL Chargers are hosting a huge flag football tournament Aug. 14 and 15 that will provide an early look at top teams.

Notes . . .

Jaden Soong of St. Francis High added the Junior PGA Championship on Friday to his golf resume.

(Courtesy Chris Soong)

Jaden Soong, who will be a junior golfer at St. Francis this fall, won the Junior PGA Championship last week, continuing to build upon a resume that’s off the charts. He won the CIF state championship as a freshman. Here’s the report.…

Call it the passing of the high jump torch. Former Olympic high jump Dwight Stones presents JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame the high school player of the year award from the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame .

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame high jumper JJ Harel, the two-time state champion, announced he will compete for Israel at the U20 World Championships. That means he will probably represent Israel for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He will be a freshman at USC this coming school year….

Harvard-Westlake is nearing completion of its $200-million River Park Sports Complex that began construction in 2024. Here’s the report and video...

Rolling Hills Prep, under basketball coach Harvey Kitani, left for China last week for a 10-day trip that will have the team playing three exhibition games….

Narbonne is appealing its three-year playoff ban in football for City Section rules violations. Last year was the first season of no playoffs. The appeal is expected to be heard in September….

Fountain Valley and Edison have played football games against each other for 57 consecutive years. Fountain Valley is pausing that game this season as it tries to build up its program. It’s not unusual. Crespi paused playing rival Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for the last two years and will resume the rivalry this season after going from 0-10 in 2022 to 10-1 last season….

Pitcher Timmy Carey from Cypress has committed to Pepperdine….

Former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and UCLA pitcher Justin Lee signed with the Phillies after being selected in the 20th round of the amateur draft. Former Loyola and USC catcher Augie Lopez signed with the Padres….

Baseball player Grant Horsley from Newport Harbor has committed to Navy….

Camren Hughes of Palos Verdes came on strong last spring running the 200 and 400 and now he’s headed to UCLA in September. He’d be a first-round pick for intramural football.

From the archives: Jaquez brother/sister duo

Jaime Jaquez Jr. poses for a photo with his sister Gabriela Jaquez in 2021.

(UCLA Athletics/UCLA Athletics)

Time is flying by with lots of changes for Jaime and Gabriela Jaquez, the brother/sister duo from Camarillo who became stars at UCLA and are now pro basketball players.

Jaime was was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks from Miami in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. After helping UCLA’s women’s team win the NCAA championship, Gabriela was a first-round WNBA draft pick by the Chicago Sky and is averaging 8.3 points in her rookie season.

Here’s a story from 2022 on how Gabriela would not be denied getting a scholarship from her dream school.

Here’s a story from 2025 of Jaime returning to Camarillo to have his jersey number retired.

Recommendations

From the562.org, a story on Lakewood dropping boys and girls lacrosse after failing to find coaches.

From the Orange County Register, a story looking at JSerra first-year football coach Hardy Nickerson, the first Black head coach in the Trinity League.

From Athlon sports, a story on St. Francis phenom golfer Jaden Soong.

From USA Baseball, a story on Harvard-Westlake pitchers Justin Kirchner and James Venick.

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.

Published on
04/08/2026 – 8:09 GMT+2

In addition to earnings reports this week, investors were also still weighing the impact from last week’s joint US-Japan currency intervention, analysts said.

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Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3% to 63,585.58, as the US dollar inched up to 157.51 Japanese yen from 157.18 yen. The euro cost $1.1511, little changed from $1.1514. The dollar was trading at 160-yen levels before regulators stepped in to boost the yen’s value after it fell to nearly 40-year lows.

Some analysts said the effectiveness of such an intervention remains uncertain as it doesn’t address the fundamental economic reasons behind the currency fluctuations, including inflation, interest rates and the relative strengths of the economies.

“A US-backed operation carries far more signaling weight than Tokyo acting alone, and the pledge of further action will give speculators pause. But any US contribution will probably be constrained by size,” a report by BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, said.

Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at global financial services firm Ebury, noted the latest effort could have some impact because it appears to signal a real change in monetary policy rather than just a one-time defensive move.

“This is an historic and meaningful development for the yen, which materially improves confidence in our mildly bullish call for the currency,” he said.

Markets unsettled

South Korea’s Kospi sank 1.3% to 6,174.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 1.2% to 9,129.00. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.5% to 25,881.99, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.2% to 3,802.61.

Markets remain unsettled by swings for stocks of companies that make computer chips. They’ve been veering up and down for weeks on worries about whether their surging revenues because of the artificial-intelligence boom are sustainable.

Dow hits all-time high

On Wall Street, share prices rallied Monday after easing oil prices helped calm worries over inflation. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5% and is just 0.1% below its record set earlier this summer.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which measures a narrower slice of the US stock market, climbed 693 points or 1.3% to an all-time high, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.1%.

Oil prices rebound

In energy trading in Asia early Tuesday, benchmark US crude gained 84 cents to $81.18 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped $1.15 to $84.92 a barrel.

A day earlier, oil prices dropped more than 5% after US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he had decided to hold off on new strikes against Iran at the urging of allies in the region.

Brent’s price careened between $72 and $102 last month as worries rose and fell over the war in Iran and when oil tankers would be allowed to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude to customers worldwide.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.68% from 4.75% late Friday. It remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran.

Additional sources • AP

After he took his first win in Estonia, Pajari made it back-to-back WRC victories to move into second in the standings behind Evans.

Pajari was the beneficiary when nine-time champion Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the lead on Saturday’s penultimate stage on a high-speed right-hand corner on the fast gravel roads.

Both Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to hospital after the accident but the French driver posted on social media on Saturday night that the pair would remain in hospital overnight as a precaution but “we both feel okay, which is the most important”.

Oliver Solberg, who was battling back pain on the fast jumps on the stages, and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished in second place to complete a Toyota lock-out of the podium places.

The Hyundai duo of Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville were fourth and fifth, while Takamoto Katsuta and Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnston crashed into trees on the final stage but recovered to finish in sixth place.

After the issues for Katsuta and Ogier, Pajari is now second in the standings behind Evans ahead 11th round of the season in Paraguay from 27-30 August.

Motorsport Ireland driver Josh McErlean finished the rally in seventh position as the best of the M-Sport Ford drivers.

Team-mate Martins Sesks crashed heavily on Saturday to drop out of fifth place, while Jon Armstrong’s chances of a strong result came to an end on Friday after he spun and got stuck in a ditch.

“It’s been a crazy weekend in terms of all the crews,” McErlean said.

“A lot of new stages, a lot of new pace notes and whenever you come to a rally this fast it is super-difficult to get right.

“So we have to be pleased to get through cleanly”.

Rally Finland results

1. Sami Pajari FIN/Marko Salminen FIN (Toyota) 2:27.358.0

2. Oliver Solberg SWE/Elliott Edmundson GB (Toyota) +26.7 seconds

3. Elfyn Evans GB/Scott Martin GB (Toyota) +1:19.5

4. Adrien Fourmaux FRA/Alex Coria FRA (Hyundai) +1:35.4

5. Thierry Neuville BEL/Martijn Wydaeghe BEL (Hyundai) +3:52.5

6. Takamoto Katsuta JPN/Aaron Johnston IRL (Toyota) +4:18.2

7. Josh McErlean IRL/Eoin Treacy IRL (M-Sport Ford) +4:32.7

….

43. Martins Sesks LAT/Francis Renars LAT (M-Sport Ford) +51:52.4

47. Jon Armstrong IRL/Shane Byrne IRL (M-Sport Ford) +1:21.39.6

DNF. Sebastien Ogier FRA/Julian Ingrassia FRA (Toyota)

DNF. Esapekka Lappi FIN/Enni Malkonen FIN (Hyundai)

World Rally Championship standings (after round 10/14)

1. Elfyn Evans GB (Toyota) 201 points

2. Sami Pajari FIN (Toyota) 171

3. Takamoto Katsuta JPN (Toyota) 160

4. Oliver Solberg SWE (Toyota) 156

5. Sebastien Ogier FRA (Toyota) 139

6. Adrien Fourmaux FRA (Hyundai) 129

7. Thierry Neuville BEL (Hyundai) 125

8. Esapekka Lappi FIN (Hyundai) 25

9. Hayden Paddon NZL (Hyundai) 21

10. Josh McErlean IRL (M-Sport Ford) 21

Hundreds of residents in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta gathered to oppose a planned far-right anti-migrant rally, forcing organisers to cancel the event amid heightened tensions following a temporary influx of migrants crossing from Morocco.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Isabella Villareal practiced with the Los Angeles Queens for the first time on Saturday morning, hours before the team’s first game.

She ended up being in the center of the most important moment in the first game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League’s history.

Villareal hit a pinch-hit double with two outs in the top of the seventh to give the Queens a 10-8 lead they’d hold onto to clinch the first WPBL victory.

“The adrenaline was pumping, but I was also nervous,” Villareal said. “But I’m so stoked that I got to go in. I blacked out, I don’t even know what I was thinking, I’m just glad I got to prove myself.”

The Los Angeles Queens’ Ashton Lansdell, left, and Meggie Meidlinger celebrate after beating the New York Heights during the Women’s Pro Baseball League debut game on Saturday in Springfield, Ill.

(Jessie Alcheh / Getty Images)

Second baseman Amira Hondras, coming off a strong women’s baseball World Cup debut last week, tied the game in the at-bat prior with a single up the middle to set up Villareal’s heroics.

“I told her, ‘This is your moment,’ and walked away,” Queens manager Eric Young said of Villareal. “And she went and got the big hit even though she just joined us today. You never know who is going to do it, because everyone is going to play.”

The Queens trailed 7-2 in the second inning but slowly chipped away. Maggie Foxx, whose two-run single in the first inning was the first hit in league history, went 2-for-2 with two runs, a walk and a stolen base and pitched two innings while giving up one run.

Villareal, who turned 20 just two days prior, didn’t know she would play at all on Saturday. Young decided to pinch hit her for designated hitter Thaima Maximiliana despite having never seen her hit in person.

“I was standing next to [Young] before he told Bella she was going to hit and she was in shock,” said Mo’ne Davis (0-for-4, one run). “But you know, she stayed calm the whole time, and everyone was just so supportive throughout the entire game.”

The first WPBL game was delayed 90 minutes by rainy conditions that went on to affect that seventh inning, when Michelle Roche popped up to right field and New York’s Natsuki Yonetani lost the ball in the wind.

Davis, who played center field all night, said the conditions made it difficult to field cleanly.

“We just relied on each other,” she said. “We were all just talking on every single pitch. The last inning was very, very tough. We were getting directions from our coaches and we could not see. But you know we’ll talk over that during practice. But we were just just making sure we had each other’s back, you know, putting each other in the right position, and communication is key.”

Former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player Maybelle Blair, left, and Los Angeles Queens’ Elodie O’Sullivan, right, talk before the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League game Saturday in Springfield, Ill.

(Lexie Knight / Associated Press)

Fans wrapped around the concourse and emptied the merchandise stand before the delayed first pitch and witnessed a torch passing between the league’s current players and past women’s baseball legends.

One of those legends, 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, threw the ceremonial first pitch to San Francisco pitcher Kelsie Whitmore.

“Kelsie was very emotional, and I just went over there and gave her a hug, and I know how much this means to her, and then also Maybellel Blair,” Davis said. “I went up to her. She’s the same person she has always been. Just super high energy. I told her to throw a strike, and she was like, ‘You know I will throw a strike.’ She gave me that sass.”

Foxx is also 20 years old and is listed as a catcher but played in the outfield and pitched on Saturday. New York manager Rocky Henley noted that most players are going to have to play multiple positions, including pitch, because teams have just 15-player rosters.

Foxx, Maximiliana, Hondras and Villareal make up a young core around stars like Davis and Ashton Lansdell that make the Queens, one of the favorites to win the league.

The bats coming alive late on Saturday were a good sign of that.

“This is something that we’ve all been working towards, culminating this event, and it feels like it kind of feels like another baseball game, but it feels like something that we’ve been putting in the work for for 70 years now,” Foxx said.

The Queens won’t play again until Wednesday when they take on the Boston Hunters.

“When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant, and how much it meant to everybody,” Foxx said. “It means everything to us.”

PORTLAND, Ore. — Sophie Cunningham said she’s unconcerned that the rallies against transgender participation in women’s sports that have accompanied the Indiana’s Fever’s recent games are a distraction for the WNBA team.

Cunningham made the comments before the Fever’s game Friday night against the Portland Fire. Outside, a group rallied for the second consecutive game in support of Cunningham and her recent comments about transgender athletes.

“I think at the end of the day, I come in and I do my job,” Cunningham said. “I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me. I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds.

“And again, I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not gonna like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”

Portland’s rally came after a similar rally for Cunningham earlier in the week before the Fever’s game at the Seattle Storm. Both rallies only attracted about two dozen participants and a bevy of onlookers.

“I have honestly had nothing to do with them,” Cunningham said. “I think it’s people just practicing their rights of freedom of speech and doing what other fans have been doing since the WNBA has started. And so props to them, props to everyone who is able to be competent and be bold and courageous enough to to speak their truths.”

People rally in Portland to support WNBA star Sophie Cunningham after her comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports.

(Craig Mitchelldyer / Associated Press)

Another rally was planned for Sunday in Minneapolis when the Fever play the Minnesota Lynx.

In Seattle on Tuesday, two Cunningham supporters sat courtside at Climate Change Arena holding signs. A co-owner of the Storm, Celeste Keaton was later fined an undisclosed amount and suspended for five games by the WNBA for an exchange with the two supporters.

The Storm also apologized for the incident, but did not provide details about the exchange, releasing a statement that said: “We remain committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for anyone who attends a Storm game.”

The Seattle rally promoted statewide ballot initiative, IL26-638, that would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington schools. It also praised Cunningham, who voiced support for barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in recent interviews.

“I am here to be a cheerleader for Sophie Cunningham, who has so bravely put her head above the parapet to protect women and girls in our sports and in our locker rooms,” said Amy Souza, who was among those at the Portland rally. “I was an organizer of this event, I was a co-organizer of the Seattle event. I’m also here, standing in solidarity with those teen girls who, unfortunately, were harassed when they were just trying to be fans of the sport, fans of Sophie Cunningham.”

Cunningham was booed by the Moda Center crowd in Portland when she entered the game midway though the first quarter. Many waved small pink, blue and white transgender flags.

The Fever defeated the Fire 112-98 for their fifth straight win. Cunningham finished with 13 points and Caitlin Clark had her fourth career triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Coach Stephanie White said she was concerned that the controversy was distracting from the team’s play.

“You know there is a frustration, of course, because we want to we want to talk about basketball and we want to continue to work on our game and we want to continue to grow as a team.,” White said. “But I also understand this is part of our growth edge as a league, right?

“It’s part of our growth as a league, and we have to to be able to manage, we have to be able to insulate as much as we can, and then we have to be able to lead with conversation.”

Police detained several protesters in Lahore, Pakistan as they rallied in solidarity with Pakistan-administered Kashmir. A banned Kashmiri activist group says that at least 30 people have been killed in clashes during regional elections this past week.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s time to give some love to the linemen doing the dirty work in high school football. Let’s examine the offensive and defensive linemen to watch.

Big men in spotlight

Size certainly helps playing on the offensive line and has become much in demand from college recruiters. The Trinity League is home to an outstanding group of blockers that includes Drew Fielder of Servite, Lucas Rhoa of Orange Lutheran, Jack Schein of JSerra, Elisha Mueller of St. John Bosco and Lex Mailangi of Mater Dei. Fielder is going to USC, Roha to Texas and Mailangi to Oregon.

The extremely big linemen list includes 360-pound Amaziah Siale of Mission Viejo, an LSU commit, 300-pound Jackson Hill of Chaminade, a Notre Dame commit, and 350-pound junior Lincoln Fa’alafi of JSerra. Vincent Shields, a 6-5, 285-pound junior from Murrieta Valley, is gaining traction as an improving blocker and top college prospect.

Sierra Canyon has 6-6, 270-pound junior Lance Ciechanowski. San Pedro’s David Medina isn’t tall but his strength and passion comes through as an All-City player. Birmingham’s Pablo Granados enters his senior season with high expectations to continue his development.

The matchups this fall featuring top blockers against top defensive linemen will be electric. Sierra Canyon’s Marcus Fakatou transferred from Orange Lutheran and reclassified to be a senior. He’s committed to Ohio State. The Trailblazers also have Kasi Currie. Call them the Great Wall of Chatsworth.

Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra is 6-5, 260 pounds and still learning the game as a UCLA commit. Elija Harmon of Inglewood is an Oklahoma commit returning from an injury.

Caleb Pasina of St. Bonaventure is a 6-4, 270-pound junior just beginning to show his dominance. Siave Seti of Bishop Amat was All-CIF and all-Mission League as a freshman.

Sione Felila of Oak Hills is 6-3, 290 pounds and had 18 tackles for losses. Isaia Vandermade of Santa Margarita was one of the best players during last season’s Division 1 playoffs. Opponents couldn’t block the USC commit. Hunter Taylor from Mira Costa is an Army commit with lots of agility. Hunter Eligon starred for Division 2 champion Los Alamitos last season and now is at Western. Miles Schirmer of Corona Centennial is a 6-5, 260-pound disruptor.

Oaks Christian has improving Aliseleti Tuihalamaka. Junior edge Elijah Tuua of St. John Bosco will be turned loose to harass quarterbacks. David Nansen of Bellflower is a sophomore coming off a standout freshman season. Jon Ioane of Tustin was heavily recruited and ended up committing to Washington. Elyjah Staples of Marquez, a Cal commit, had nine sacks last season. Kingston Sula of Carson had 16 sacks as a sophomore. Kenneth Webb of King/Drew had nine sacks. Will Gelt of Agoura contributed 11 sacks.

Taft High football player Carter Wallace, who has been deaf since birth, works with interpreter Jo Beth during practice.

(Craig Weston)

Taft High’s Carter Wallace is not letting being deaf serving as a roadblock to prevent him from playing football.

Here’s a profile of a player making an impact.

And so it begins

Official high school football practice begins Monday for Southern Section teams with zero week games and in the City Section. There’s a five-day acclimatization period before pads go on. Each player needs 14 days of practice before being able to compete in a game. Scrimmages count as a practice day.

Here’s a look at how much change has come to practices from the days when schools were doing two-a-days.

Preseason top 25

Santa Margarita celebrates after winning the CIF State Football Championship Open Division game in 2025.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

St. John Bosco begins the 2026 season ranked No. 1 in The Times’ preseason high school football rankings. Last year’s No. 1 team, Santa Margarita, begins at No. 4.

Here’s the link to the top 25 rankings.

National title game?

The Aug. 21 football opener in Las Vegas between Bishop Gorman and St. John Bosco might as well be called a national championship game, though Bishop Gorman is expected to participate in a postseason competition run by Overtime that began in 2025.

It was 108 degrees earlier this week in Las Vegas and Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browning is predicting 110 degrees with a chance of a thunderstorm or two when St. John Bosco makes the trip.

In fact, during the Josh Rosen quarterback days at St. John Bosco, the Braves lost to Bishop Gorman 34-31 during a memorable thunderstorm in 2014 when the Braves’ band kept playing despite getting a downpour.

Bishop Gorman also has a nonleague game with Mater Dei, so the Gaels are trying to win the Trinity League, which they would gladly join if the CIF allowed non-California teams to participate.

Notes . . .

Linebacker Wyatt Bogdan from Laguna Beach has committed to Portland State….

Receiver Nathan Williams of Carson has committed to Idaho State….

Standout St. John Bosco pitcher Julian Garcia signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for $1.5 million. He was a fourth-round draft pick….

Grace McCabe has been named the first girls lacrosse coach at Harvard-Westlake, which is adding the sport this year along with flag football as the school prepares to open its new sports complex in Studio City….

Spectrum will once again televise Southern Section football games this fall, with Chaparral facing Mission Viejo in the opening game….

Former Yucaipa baseball coach Ralph Grajeda is the new head coach at Citrus Valley….

Santa Margarita will play its home football games at Saddleback College this season. It’s a return for the Eagles, who once played all their home games at Saddleback….

Jordan Vogel of Arcadia has committed to St. Mary’s baseball…..

Pitcher Robbie Erspamer of San Clemente has committed to UC San Diego….

Cal Lutheran assistant Alec Iniguez is the new baseball coach at Thousand Oaks….

JSerra’s girls’ basketball program could be facing a Southern Section investigation after possible rules violations were detailed in court documents. Here’s the report. …

Johnny Garcia is the new girls basketball coach at Bishop Alemany….

The Area Code Games in baseball begin this weekend with underclassmen at Blair Field in Long Beach, followed by upperclassmen next weekend….

Former Newbury Park cross country coach Sean Brosnan has taken over the program at USC….

Rafael Segura is the new lacrosse coach at St. John Bosco….

Delvon Rose is the new boys basketball coach at South Pasadena….

Isabella Dolce, a girls soccer standout at Santa Margarita, has committed to the University of Louisiana Lafayette….

St. Monica basketball coach Allen Caveness has resigned to become head coach at Long Beach Jordan….

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford presented a $10,000 equipment grant to Dominguez High on Sunday to help purchase blocking sleds, uniforms and practice gear, among other items, for the upcoming season….

Encino Little League’s team made up of 11- and 12-year-olds won its opening game of the state championships in Aliso Niguel to advance to the winner’s bracket semifinals Tuesday. The state champion advances to the Western Regional finals tournament in San Bernardino, with a berth in the Little League World Series on the line.

From the archives: Gabe York

Former Orange Lutheran basketball player Gabe York has found a way to become a pro basketball player since going undrafted in 2016 after leaving the University of Arizona. At age 32, he keeps finding opportunities in overseas leagues, the latest being with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Assn.

He has always been known for his shooting prowess. He averaged almost 25 points at Orange Lutheran and had a 43-point performance. Always well liked for giving his all, York keeps finding ways to contribute.

Here’s a story from 2015 on York playing for Arizona.

Here’s a story from 2011 on York’s scoring potential.

Recommendations

From Globenewswire, a story from 2019 that projected youth sports spending.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story looking into the Hall of Fame induction of former Edison High and Dodger second baseman Jeff Kent.

From Wired, a story on how elite young runners are becoming freakishly fast.

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.

Thousands marched in Tunisia’s capital to demand the resignation of President Kais Saied five years after he suspended parliament. Protesters revived the 2011 revolution’s slogan ‘the people want the fall of the regime’ as they decried democratic backsliding, economic hardship and political repression.

Vaughn Grissom drove in the tying run with a one-out double in the ninth inning and Jo Adell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Angels a 3-2 comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Nolan Schanuel, batting .367 since June 21, sparked the late rally with a one-out single off All-Star closer Riley O’Brien, who is tied for the National League lead with 25 saves.

Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch and Grissom sent a line drive off the right-field wall that eluded a leaping Jordan Walker. Pinch-runner Oswald Peraza scored from second base and pinch-runner Jose Siri reached third.

Josh Lowe was walked intentionally to load the bases. Adell, who homered in the third inning, took three straight balls from O’Brien (3-4) before getting plunked by the next pitch to force in the winning run.

Angels reliever José Fermín (3-1) struck out two in a scoreless ninth.

O’Brien’s fifth blown save laid to waste a strong start by St. Louis right-hander Kyle Leahy, who gave up one run and three hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked none.

Angels starter José Soriano threw his best game since early May, giving up two runs and four hits in seven innings while striking out seven and walking one.

The right-hander, who went 3-6 with a 5.15 ERA in his previous 14 starts, retired the side in order five times and became the first Angels starter to get an out in the seventh since June 16.

Walker sparked the Cardinals’ second-inning rally with a leadoff double over Lowe’s head in left field. He went to third on Lars Nootbaar’s single and scored on Nathan Church’s one-out single for a 1-0 lead.

Blaze Jordan followed with a potential inning-ending, double-play grounder to third base, but Denzer Guzman bobbled the ball and his only play was to first as Nootbaar scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Angels cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third when Adell, mired in an 0-for-24 slump that dropped his batting average to .237 entering the game, led off with his 14th homer of the season.

Up next: Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (5-6, 5.00 ERA) faces Angels RHP Walbert Ureña (5-7, 2.88) on Tuesday night.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Here’s a look at receivers to watch in 2026.

Lots of pass catchers

Hayden Koo of Tustin makes catch between two St. John Bosco defenders.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

A quarterback is only as good as his receivers catching passes, and there are a lot of competent receivers in Southern California for the 2026 football season.

Juniors DJ Tubbs of St. John Bosco and Hayden Koo of Tustin have been earning rave reviews in summer passing competitions and camps. Their ability to catch passes, run routes and show off quickness is creating excitement.

Quentin Hale, who was very good as a sophomore and junior at Cathedral, has moved over to Corona Centennial and looks confident with his USC scholarship awaiting him. Austin Miller of Bellflower committed to Ohio State before anyone has seen him play his sophmore season, but all signs point toward him leading the class of 2029.

Westlake has the dynamic duo of 6-foot-5 Charles Davis and Palisades transfer Demare Dezeurn, known for his speed. Both are Cal commits. Chaparral’s Eli Woodard was subject of an intense recruiting fight this summer before committing to Miami. Chaparral also has Tycen Johnson (Arizona State) and Michael Farinas (UCLA).

Blake Wong of Norco uses his speed to be a big-play weapon. He had 14 receptions last season against Centennial. Jack Junker of Mission Viejo has among the best hands. Benjamin Harris of Servite is the state sprint champion. Grant Mosley of Santa Margarita has lots of talent but is trying to get healthy after injury issues. Orange Lutheran’s Nico Bland and Chris Flores can be a top duo.

Calabasas’ Kingston Celifie became a track star in the spring and should use that additional speed this fall. Crean Lutheran’s Ty Johnson figures to catch lots of passes.

Laguna Beach has the acrobatic Brady Stringham back at receiver. Emmanuel Pullins of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is ready for a breakout junior season. Chaminade’s Andrew Cordero has been impressive in summer competitions. Hart’s Matix Frithsmith is one of the most versatile players. San Juan Hills’ Luke Frith is coming off an outstanding junior season. Burbank’s Tyler Hudson had 88 receptions last seson.

Sierra Canyon, which won the Mission Viejo passing tournament Saturday, showed off junior receivers Micah Slade and King Webb. Tustin’s Jeremiah Salvant is another receiver with great hands.

South Gate’s Nicholas Fonseca had 10 touchdown catches. Birmingham’s Paul Turner has speed and big-play skills. Palisades’ Malachi Ross showed potential as a junior.

There are four top tight ends in Santa Margarita’s Luke Gazzaniga, Rancho Cucamonga’s Jaylin Smalls, Mission Viejo’s Max Markofski and Corona del Mar’s JJ Haley.

Book on El Segundo LL

Danny Boehle’s new book about managing the El Segundo League League championship team in the summer of 2023.

(LA TImes)

Danny Boehle, the manager of the 2023 El Segundo Little League championship team, has published a book looking at the experience then.

El Segundo, Calif.’s Louis Lappe (19) celebrates as he rounds second after hitting a walk-off home run off Curacao’s Jay-Dlynn Wiel in 2023.

(Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)

Co-written with Dan Coonan, “Second to None” explores the fun, excitement and lessons learned from El Segundo winning in Williamsport, Pa., on a dramatic walk-off home run by Louis Lappe.

Encino Little League is trying to repeat the journey of El Segundo this year. The group of 11- and 12-year-olds begins action in the state tournament July 25 in Laguna Niguel.

Eagle Rock quarterback Nylah Moore Is chased out of the pocket by L.A. Marshall’s Charlie Gibson in the City Section Open Division flag football championship game last season.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Eagle Rock and Franklin have shown promise this summer of becoming strong teams in City Section flag football this fall.

Senior quarterback Nylah Moore is back for Eagle Rock, which lost in last season’s Open Division final to Marshall 20-0. The two-sport standout uses her athleticism and instincts to create chaos for defenses. Zoe Duran is a receiver with speed also back.

The Northern League, with defending champion Marshall, will once again provide lots of top flag football teams.

AGBU coach brings home title

AGBU coach Nareg Kopooshian (second from the right) guided the U16 Armenian national team to gold medal, along with assistant coach Chris Tchamkertenian, incoming freshman Jivan Dorian and junior Ethan Kazanjian.

(Arto Shahinian)

AGBU basketball coach Nareg Kopooshian has come home with a gold medal after guiding the U16 Armenian national team in the C Division to the FIBA Eurobasketball championship.

AGBU was well represented with players Jivan Dorian and Ethan Kazanjian along with assistant coach Chris Tchamkertenian.

Dorian will be a freshman at AGBU in Canoga Park this coming season.

Notes . . .

Former Sierra Canyon standout Ziaire Williams has signed with the Lakers. Let’s not forget he had the last shot of the 2020 high school season before COVID ended it….

The 18U U.S. national baseball team is holding training camp with lots of Southern California players participating. Here’s the roster. …

Justin Maidenberg is the new girls basketball coach at South Pasadena….

Nicole Wise has resigned as softball coach at Mater Dei….

Santa Margarita’s girls golf team won the 2026 Girl’s NHSGA National Invitational at Pinehurst Resort….

After 17 years as volleyball coach at Servite, Matt Marrujo is stepping down to focus on athletic director duties. Assistant Paka Dutro has been promoted to head coach….

Dylan Smith, who was coaching at Upland, is the new baseball coach at Damien….

George Chace is the new baseball coach at Capistrano Valley. He’s a former head coach at Orange and was an assistant at Huntington Beach….

Davis Towne is the new baseball coach at Long Beach Poly. He was pitching coach at Lakewood….

Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes is lifted up by Angel Jimenez. He rushed for school-record 420 yards in win over South Gate.

(Nick Koza)

In a big development for Garfield’s football program, All-City running back Ceasar Reyes has returned to the school after transferring to Salesian in the spring. Reyes would have had to sit out the first part of the football season if he had stayed at Salesian….

Tommy Leach, a veteran football coach around Southern California, is the new head coach at Esperanza….

Defensive back Dorian Franklin of St. John Bosco has committed to Harvard….

Bellflower won the Buena Park passing tourney behind quarterback E’lacion Saxton….

Corona grad Anthony Murphy, previously committed to LSU for baseball, has switched to Miami….

Catcher Taehan Kim from Redondo Union has committed to Loyola Marymount….

From the archives: Paul Knox

Dorsey coach Paul Knox celebrates miracle win in 2001 City championship game at Coliseum.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

City Section Hall of Fame football coach Paul Knox has been organizing a celebration of Dorsey’s prominence in the Los Angeles sports community, with Aug. 8 the day anyone who has been associated with the school is invited to a campus celebration.

With Knox involved, expect the crowd to be large and enthusiastic. His teams won City titles in 1989, 1991, 1995 and 2001. He sent numerous players to college.

Here’s a story from 2019 when he was nearing retirement coaching at Washington Prep.

Here’s a story from 2020 looking back at Dorsey’s amazing comeback win on the final play to beat Taft in the City final at the Coliseum in 2001.

Recommendations

From Sportsjounalisminstitute.org, a story on a former USC football player using what he learned studying journalism to help him in coaching.

From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a story on summer passing tournaments.

From MLB.com, a story on 17-year-old Jared Grindlinger from Huntington Beach signing with the Angels after being a first-round draft choice.

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.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Let me say right now what is the strongest football position in Southern California this season: defensive backs.

Talent is overflowing

Standout safety Gavin Williams of Damien.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

When it comes to talent, the group of defensive backs this season are in a class by themselves. There are so many that it’s useless to debate who’s best. The 2026 season will reveal the winner.

For now, let’s look at the overwhelming group. First up is safety Gavin Williams of Damien. He’s a USC commit with speed, power and looks the part of a man among boys. The Long Beach Poly cornerback duo of Donte Wright (Miami commit) and JuJu Johnson (UCLA) is outstanding. Don’t forget Myles Baker, a UCLA commit from Sierra Canyon who’s physical enough to play anywhere on a football field. Jaxson Rex of San Clemente is a Brigham Young commit who’s also a top receiver. He does everything well.

St. John Bosco is going to have a six-man rotation in the secondary because of its outstanding depth. Washington commit Isala Wily-Ava and talented junior Brandon Nash lead the way. Salesian junior Jordan Slye is a playmaker. to watch. Mission Viejo has two top juniors in Jordan Hicks and Orange Lutheran transfer Kiingbaraka Kizzee. Khalil Terry of Tustin is a UCLA commit.

Jalen Flowers of Redondo Union is a junior with terrific coverage skills. Chauncey Washington of Orange Lutheran is part of a strong group of Trinity League players. The Lancers also have junior twins King Rich and Anhor Johnson. Ca’ron Williams of Santa Margarita was All-CIF as a sophomore.

Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial, a Washington commit, is known for his versatility playing safety and led the state with 10 interceptions. Teammate Brett Smith Jr. is a terrific cornerback. Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra moves from safety to cornerback to prepare himself for San Jose State. Ace Leutele and Danny Lang of Mater Dei are experienced and effective. Duvay Williams was a standout at Serra for three years before transferring to Inglewood in the spring. Pakipole Moala of Leuzinger is a UCLA commit with an immense upside. Loyola’s Zion Phelps is ready to show off his 10.31 100 meters speed, along with junior Malique Pollard. Blaise Burwell from Edison isn’t just a good defensive back _ returns kickoffs with the best.

Tahj Skinner of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is an athletic safety committed to UC Davis. Simi Valley junior Micah Hannah is a 6-foot-2 cornerback starting since freshman season. Rancho Cucamonga has plenty of talent in its secondary, led by Nathaniel Mensah (Oregon State).

Carson’s duo of Bennie Saulter and Michael O’Dell form a dynamic one-two punch. Shane Anderson of Viewpoint had eight interceptions as a junior. Hamilton’s Jacob Riley had seven interceptions.

Robert Garrett leaves Crenshaw

Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett.

(Robert S. Helfman)

Robert Garrett, the head football coach at Crenshaw since 1988, is officially out. He was on administrative leave throughout the 2025 season and confirmed he was reassigned to teaching at Dodman Middle School in March and won’t be back.

He coached Crenshaw to seven City titles and was the NFL high school coach of the year in 2017.

Here’s a report.

St. John Bosco’s Prentice Jones Jr. knocks down a pass during Saturday’s Battle at the Beach seven on seven passing tournament. The Braves won the championship.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

St. John Bosco went unbeaten and defeated Corona Centennial in the championship game of the Battle at the Beach seven on seven passing tournament at Edison.

Here’s the report.

Defending City Section champion Carson made it to the semifinals of the Ocean View tournament before losing to San Juan Hills. That’s a sign the Colts’ skill-position players are very good.

“Time for real football,” Carson coach William Lowe said.

San Clemente won the championship.

Culver City won its own tournament over Mira Costa.

Challenges in college sports

With dwindling roster sports and rising numbers in the college transfer portal, a new trend that isn’t really new but is accelerating involves coaches telling players they will have little chance to play as motivation for the player to leave and open up a roster spot.

Here’s the report.

Notes . . .

James Tronstein, The Times’ baseball player of the year from Harvard-Westlake, was drafted in the 15th round on Sunday by the Astros. He’s committed to Vanderbilt….

Golden Valley has named 24-year-old Miguel Mayorga its new boys basketball coach. He’s a Hart graduate…

Senior infielder Ricardo Hurtado of Orange Lutheran has committed to UCLA…

Offensive lineman Seth Sullivan from Redondo Union has committed to San Diego State….

Justin Wright is the new girls soccer coach at Campbell Hall….

Pitcher Michael Flink from Bishop Montgomery has committed to Loyola Marymount….

Starting next season, high school baseball coaches can choose to communicate with the catcher and/or pitcher electronically one way for calling pitches. The same rule goes into effect for softball. Previously, communication devices were limited to the coach and catcher. In baseball, starting in 2028, there’s bat changes. Here’s the report. …

There’s a rule change for girls lacrosse. Starting with the 2027 season, state high school associations may establish a 90-second possession clock….

Pitcher Eli Phillips of Orange Lutheran has committed to UC San Diego….

Pitcher Kyle Casey from Simi Valley has committed to UC Riverside….

Carter Athens, a 6-7 basketball player at Riverside Poly, has committed to Cal Baptist….

Woodbridge senior Maddi Haferling won a gold medal in speed climbing.

(Haferling family)

Maddi Haferling, a senior to be at Woodbridge, won a gold medal in speed climbing. Here’s a report…

Joel Hartmann has been named director of athletics at JSerra. He previously worked at Servite and Mater Dei….

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to a partnership to help run St. John Bosco. The Catholic Schools superintendent, Paul Escala, said, “The young men of St. John Bosco HS will continue to compete athletically in the Trinity League. The standard of excellence the school represents in all aspects of formation and education will only improve as a result of this partnership. We are excited to be meaningful partners in this ministry.”…

The Area Code Games are set for next month in Long Beach, and Harvard-Westlake had three players selected for the Brewers’ roster. Here’s the complete roster. …

Robert Morales is the new softball coach at La Habra….

Super Bowl hero Sam Darnold was inducted into the San Clemente Hall of Fame last week….

Luke Pope is the new boys volleyball coach at St. John Bosco….

Recommendations

From MLB.com, a story on former Corona pitcher Seth Hernandez.

From NJ.com, a story on New Jersey becoming concerned about sports holdbacks.

From USAbaseball.com, a story on former Corona outfielder Anthony Murphy.

From AZCentral.com, a story on former Servite quarterback Noah Fifita.

From the archives: Westlake soccer duo

It was 1994. The World Cup was played in the United States and two USA players from Westlake High, Cobi Jones and Eric Wynalda, helped become hometown soccer heroes.

Here’s a story from 1994 how Westlake Village became soccer central.

Here’s a story from 1994 explaining how Wynalda and Jones learned soccer in the neighborhood.

Here’s a story from 2002 when Wynalda and Jones became teammates again for the Galaxy.

Former Harvard-Westlake star Bryce Rainer.

(Craig Weston)

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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