Rally

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.

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

South Korean stocks closed higher Friday, extending their winning streak to a second consecutive session, as semiconductor shares rallied following overnight gains on Wall Street. The local currency gained ground against the U.S. dollar.

After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 184.03 points, or 2.52 percent, to close at 7,475.94.

Trade volume was moderate at 449.53 million shares worth 31.16 trillion won (US$20.73 billion), with gainers far outnumbering losers 799 to 92.

Institutions purchased a net 1.13 trillion won worth of shares, while individuals and foreigners sold a net 772.82 billion won and 322.56 billion won, respectively. Foreign investors turned net sellers after two consecutive sessions of net buying.

After opening more than 3 percent higher, the KOSPI climbed as much as 5.7 percent during the session, triggering a buy-side sidecar that temporarily halted program trading in KOSPI-listed shares for five minutes. It marked the third activation of the trading curb this week.

The KOSPI gave up some of its earlier gains in afternoon trading as investors locked in profits.

Investor sentiment improved after U.S. stocks closed higher overnight, supported by a strong rebound in semiconductor shares and easing oil prices.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.27 percent, while the S&P 500 rose 0.81 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.3 percent.

In Seoul, large-cap stocks finished broadly higher.

Semiconductor heavyweight Samsung Electronics went up 2.52 percent to 285,000 won.

In contrast, SK hynix edged down 0.27 percent to 2.18 million won after opening higher. The company is set to make its debut on the tech-heavy Nasdaq through the listing of its American depositary receipts (ADRs).

“Investor sentiment toward the semiconductor sector improved as Meta’s capital spending plans and Micron’s investment outlook helped ease concerns about the industry’s prospects,” said Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daeshin Securities. “Strong investor demand for SK hynix’s ADR offering also supported sentiment toward semiconductor stocks, adding upward momentum to the broader market.”

Artificial intelligence investment firm SK Square advanced 6.18 percent to 1.41 million won, while chip components maker Samsung Electro-Mechanics gained 6.1 percent to 1.58 million won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,501.4 won against the U.S. dollar at 3:30 p.m., up 4.7 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys went down 1 basis point to 3.768 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds lost 0.8 basis point at 4.008 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Wyatt Langford lined a shot off the wall in left field to bring home Alejandro Osuna in the ninth inning, lifting Texas to a 7-6 victory over the Angels after the Rangers blew a five-run lead Thursday night.

Langford struck out three of his first four times up as the designated hitter after getting activated from the 10-day injured list in his return from a left hamstring strain.

Osuna led off the ninth with a single and went to second on pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez’s sacrifice bunt. Langford lined a 1-and-1 fastball from former Texas closer Kirby Yates (0-4) over Jose Siri’s head for the winning single.

Jo Adell had a tying, pinch-hit single to cap a five-run seventh a night after homering twice in the Angels’ 13-1 victory.

Cole Winn (4-2) got Adell on a sharp liner to center field to end the ninth with the potential go-ahead run at third after replacing All-Star closer Jacob Latz, who went 1⅔ innings in his first outing in nine days.

Nathan Eovaldi struck out a season-high 10 for Texas but failed to get his 10th win for the fifth consecutive start. He exited with no outs in the seventh after Dezner Guzman reached on catcher’s interference, Logan O’Hoppe walked and Wade Meckler’s single scored Guzman.

Peyton Gray replaced Eovaldi and gave up a two-run single to Nolan Schanuel, who had four hits, and an RBI single to Jorge Soler.

Brandon Nimmo, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue homered for Texas in the first four innings against Reid Detmers. The left-hander hadn’t given up more than one long ball in any of his first 18 starts.

Up next: Neither team announced the rotation for its final series before the All-Star break. Indications are the Angels will go with RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-2, 8.06 ERA) on Friday at Minnesota. He has been on the injured list since mid-June because of lower back tightness. Texas is home against Houston.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s time to begin a weekly look at players to watch by position in Southern California high school football. First up is quarterback.

QBs to watch

Junior quarterback Chase Curren of Crespi.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Class of 2029 might be the best class to get excited about for this coming season, though there’s plenty of quarterbacks from every class to single out.

Seniors already committed include Huntington Beach’s Brady Edmunds (Ohio State), Corona Centennial’s Jaden Jefferson (Hawaii), Palos Verdes’ Ryan Rakowski (Nevada), Oxnard Pacifica’s Taylor Lee (Portland State), Chaparral’s Dane Weber (Cal) and Carson’s Chris Fields III (Georgetown). Laguna Beach’s Jack Hurst is coming off a season in which he threw for 45 touchdowns. Matthew Smith transferred from Villa Park to Santa Margarita and is committed to Vanderbilt. Caden Jones of Crean Lutheran is committed to Arizona.

DJ Mitchell from La Habra is a dual threat quarterback. Michael Gonzalez of South Gate passed for 3,842 yards and 41 touchdowns last season.

Among the juniors with great resumes are St. John Bosco’s Koa Malau’ulu, Mater Dei’s Russell Sekona, a transfer from Leuzinger, Crespi’s Chase Curren, St. Bonaventure’s Jaxson Carper, Star Thomas of Orange, Ayden Edwards of Tustin and Vista del Lago’s Josiah Dupree-Boyd. Talon Spencer of Capistrano Valley had 21 touchdown passes and 11 touchdown runs as a sophomore. Treyvone Towns of Rancho Cucamoga gets a restart after leaving Oaks Christian last season.

Quarterback Evan McCalister of Valencia is part of an outstanding class of 2029 quarterbacks.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Then there’s the sophomores who made memorable first impressions as freshmen. Let’s see how much they develop. The group is led by Thaddeus Breaux of Hamilton, Ford Green of Westlake, Marcus Washington of Cajon, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran, Steven Moore of La Sierra, Levi Dean of Vista Murrieta, Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan, Evan McCalister of Valencia and Jeremy Melialieu of Chaminade.

Edison passing tournament

The Edison Battle at the Beach passing tournament is set for Saturday at Edison High. It’s like a who’s who of top players and teams. Five of the six Trinity League teams are participating, with only Mater Dei not entered.

Also competing is Cathedral Catholic, which might be the best team in San Diego.

Here’s a tournament preview.

MLB Futures Game

The All-Star Futures game is set for Sunday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, and Corona High fans will get to see pitcher Seth Hernandez represent the Pirates.

Also selected were Ralphy Velazquez from Huntington Beach, Mason McGwire from Capistrano Valley, Josiah Hartshorn from Orange Lutheran, Anthony Eyanson from Lakewood. Here’s the complete roster.

Pete Crow-Armstrong (Harvard-Westlake), Freddie Freeman (El Modena) and Paul Skenes (El Toro) were chosen for the MLB All-Star game.

Notes . . .

Tim Cunningham, a character actor from the 1980s hit TV series “Cheers,” still makes them laugh coaching baseball at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Tim Cunningham, a much beloved former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame assistant baseball coach who spent 11 years acting as a bar patron on the 1980s hit sitcom “Cheers,” died Friday in South Carolina. He was 80. He had humor, loved to read and loved baseball. His earliest coaching was serving as an assistant for the Northridge Little League team that included son Matt and finished second at the 1994 World Series.

In 2003, as head coach at Harvard-Westlake, he was The Times’ coach of the year, guiding his team to runner-up in Division 3. The Wolverines lost to Crespi 1-0. Future major leaguer Trevor Plouffe pitched for Crespi. Harvad-Westlake had a pitcher, Jason Gluson, who barely hit 80 mph. Glushon went on to become a sports agent.

Notre Dame will hold a celebration of his life at a later date, coach Tom Dill said. He is survived by his wife, Pat, son Matt, daughter Elizabeth and several grandchildren.

Former Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly has joined the coaching staff at Corona High. Here’s the report.…

Orange Lutheran grad CJ Weinstein, a standout second baseman, has changed his commitment from LSU to UCLA….

Jardiel Ochoa is the new baseball coach at Sun Valley Poly….

Defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou of Sierra Canyon has committed to Ohio State….

Former San Juan Hills linebacker Weston Port has committed to Michigan. He previously was committed to UCLA, went on his two-year Mormon Mission and will return next year to enroll at Michigan….

Receiver Eli Woodard of Chaparral has committed to Miami….

Defensive back Myles Baker of Sierra Canyon has changed his commitment from Cal to UCLA….

DeAnthony Wiley has resigned as girls basketball coach at Buena Park….

The new baseball coach at UC Riverside is Greg Wallis, a Chatsworth High graduate….

Brandon Granger of St. Bernard has committed to UC San Diego for basketball….

Vince Nolasco is returning to Salesian as athletic director. He previously was at St. Anthony….

From the archives: Kurt Stillwell

Kurt Stillwell was the No. 2 player taken in the 1983 MLB amateur draft out of Thousand Oaks High by the Cincinnati Reds as a shortstop. His father, Ron, was Thousand Oaks’ head coach. Kurt had a nine-year MLB career.

Now he works for agent Scott Boras, who was his agent in 1983 when he signed for $135,000, tops in the draft. Roger Clemens was taken No. 4 by the Red Sox and signed for $121,000. After his playing days, Stillwell became a fishing guide before joining the Boras Corporation.

Here’s a story from 1992 explaining Stillwell’s easy-going personality.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the return of JuJu Watkins to USC basketball practice.

From Burlinson on basketball, a story on the competition in Nevada and Rocklin.

From Texashsfootball.com, a story on transfers in high school football.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. I’m back from a two-week vacation in Japan. Did you miss me? There are two weeks to go before the MLB amateur draft July 11-14. Let’s take a look where things stand for local players.

Draft prospects

Major-league baseball’s amateur draft is set to begin July 11. The Chicago White Sox have the first pick and are expected to select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky.

There’s a strong contingent of college and high school players from Southern California who could be taken in the first three rounds.

Former Orange Lutheran outfielder Derek Curiel from LSU and former Villa Park outfielder Gavin Grahovac from Texas A&M are both tracking as first-round draft picks. UCLA third baseman Roman Miller from Servite and first baseman Mulivai Levu from Ocean View are considered top hitters and helped the Bruins be the No. 1 team in the regular season. Let’s see how they are selected.

UCLA pitcher Logan Reddemann from Quartz Hill should be a first-round pick. Harvard-Westlake grad Will Gasparino is another Bruin likely in the top three rounds.

USC pitcher Mason Edwards from Palisades established himself as a first-round prospect.

It’s also a good year for high school graduates. Jared Grindlinger, a pitcher and outfielder from Huntington Beach, is 17 and a certain first-round draft pick after reclassifying to be taken next month. Other potential high picks include outfielder Blake Bowen from JSerra, pitcher Logan Schmidt from Ganesha and the Corona duo of shortstop Trey Ebel and outfielder Anthony Murphy.

Few players helped themselves more with an outstanding senior season than St. John Bosco pitcher Julian Garcia and Harvard-Westlake shortstop James Tronstein. Tronstein, The Times’ player of the year, is committed to Vanderbilt.

Since MLB has made a proposal to no longer make high school baseball players eligible to be drafted starting in 2028, more players similar to Grindlinger could be expected to reclassify next year if such a proposal were to be enacted. But the players’ union must agree and there would be legal challenges.

New NCAA rule

The NCAA approved new age-based eligibility rules, giving athletes five years to complete their college eligibility. The clock begins upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier. Here’s the report.

It’s a big deal that will affect high school recruits. Already some recent graduates are being told by schools they no longer have room on their rosters for them.

Here’s a look at what parents need to know.

Julian Savery of Crescenta Valley missed his junior year because of a torn ACL. He switched positions, from running back to quarterback, and the Falcons are thrilled.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

The seven-on-seven passing competition continues. Crescenta Valley has an unlikely new starting quarterback in Julian Savery, who was a running back before suffering a torn ACL and missing the 2025 season. He has returned as a quarterback, and the Falcons are happy. Here’s the report along with other summer notes.

In one of the biggest offseason transfers yet, running back AJ McBean, a Stanford commit, has left Mira Costa for Gardena Serra. Here’s a look. Here’s the transfer tracker. …

Top Jewish athletes

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)

The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame held its latest induction ceremony Sunday. The boys and girls high school athletes of the year were high jumper JJ Harel from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and basketball player Shira Abramson from YULA.

Harvard-Westlake basketball coach David Rebibo was inducted into the coaching category. Here’s the complete list of inductees.

Notes . . .

Julian Garcia of St. John Bosco was named Division 1 p;layer of the year in baseball. Here’s the All-CIF team….

Liliana Escobar of JSerra was named Division 1 player of the year in softball. Here’s the All-CIF team.…

Dorian Clark is the new boys basketball coach at St. Bonaventure….

Standout junior basketball player Tatianna Griffin from Ontario Christian has transferred to Mater Dei, breaking up one of the most successful girls basketball duos the last two seasons. Griffin and Kaleena Smith helped Ontario Christian rise to the top in Southern California girls basketball….

Iggy Porchia is the new football coach at Venice, replacing his mentor, Angelo Gasca, who died earlier this year. He’s a former Venice player and served as an assistant coach. Gasca encourged him to become a teacher and coach. He played at UNLV….

Receiver Jay Williams of Long Beach Millikan has committed to Kansas….

Defensive back Wesley Ace of Gardena Serra has committed to San Jose State….

Defensive back Jaden Walk-Green of Corona Centennial has committed to Washington….

Offensive lineman Kota Seshimo of Irvine has committed to Fresno State….

Offensive lineman Tyson Seidman of Sierra Canyon has committed to San Diego State….

Offensive lineman Lucas Rhoa of Orange Lutheran has committed to Texas….

Standout Royal pitcher Dustin Dunwoody has committed to USC….

Corona Centennial’s basketball team is looking to be an Open Division title contender. The Huskies picked up 6-foot-4 sophomore guard transfer Juleeyan Williams from Monterey Trail in Elk Grove….

Dominic Loehle, a senior guard at Heritage Christian, has transferred to Loyola….

Charlie Adams, who started at guard for St. Bonaventure as a freshman, then Cleveland as a sophomore, has transferred to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame….

Brentwood, Crespi and Palisades were among the local schools winning basketball championship in the Section 7 tournament in Arizona….

Chavez in San Fernando has changed its named to Arroyo High….

Former St. Bonaventure football coach Joe Goyeneche is the new head coach at Walnut….

Thomas Silverman is the new basketball coach at Sierra Vista….

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson, the reigning City Section player of the year, has committed to Georgetown…

Quarterback Ryan Rakowski of Palos Verdes has committed to Nevada….

Receiver Blake Wong of Norco has committed to Brigham Young….

Offensive lineman Micah Butler of Hamilton has committed to Sacramento State….

Offensive lineman Amaziah Siale of Mission Viejo has committed to LSU….

Defensive back Jaxson Rex of San Clemente has committed to Brigham Young….

Sophomore receiver Austin Miller of Bellflower has committed to Ohio State….

Offensive lineman Lex Mailangi of Mater Dei has committed to Oregon….

Receiver Jack Junker from Mission Viejo has committed to San Jose State….

Two former Crespi pitchers are on the move. Diego Velasquez has left USC for LSU. Standout Hawaii pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno has entered the transfer portal. He’s also draft eligible…

All-City closer Aidan Martinez of City Section Open Division champion Birmingham has committed to UC San Diego. He came back from Tommy John surgery to throw 92 mph….

Standout guard Lauren Wolfe from Villa Park has transferred to Orange Lutheran….

Junior girls’ soccer player Kendra Hansen of Mater Dei has committed to Stanford….

Ella Bott, star girls’ soccer player from the Santa Margarita class of 2028, has committed to Stanford….

The No. 1 kicker in Southern California, Westlake’s Gabriel Goroyan, has committed to Stanford….

Receiver Mason Maddox of St. Francis has committed to Princeton….

Keith McGill is the new football coach at Whittier Christian…

Nick Heinle will be the interim football coach at Esperanza….

Pitcher Shane Wendler of Servite has committed to USC….

The nation’s top volleyball player from the class of 2027, Mateo Fuerbringer of Mira Costa, has been selected for the U21 national team….

Vista Murrieta has hired Murrieta Valley offensive coordinator Alex Rosenblum to coach its offensive line. He’s a head coach in waiting. He’s a Calabasas grad who once coached at Sierra Canyon….

Mater Dei has hired Brett Luch to be the boys water polo coach….

Madison Gillinger of Edison has committed to UCLA for beach volleyball….

Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel has been named the Gatorade state girls player of the year in track and field for her record-breaking performances in the shot put and discus. Maximo Zavaleta of King is the boys state player of the year for his distance running….

Max Gamboa is the new boys volleyball coach at Corona del Mar. He has been the school’s girls volleyball coach….

From the archives: Hal Harkness

Former City Section commissioner and long-time track expert Hal Harkness turns 88 in September. He’s been a state rules interpreter in track and field and helped with the Arcadia Invitational and many others.

He served as City Section commissioner from 1986 to 1993 and once was cross-country coach at UCLA.

Here’s a story from 1986 on him becoming City Section commissioner.

Here’s a story from 1993 regarding his retirement.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Harvard-Westlake tennis player Chase Klugo promoting expanded coverage of hearing aids.

From MyBurbank.com, a story on the firing of longtime baseball coach Bob Hart at Burbank.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story explaining the changes in high school soccer through the eyes of former El Rancho High star Cristian Roldan, perhaps the last high school player to make the World Cup team.

From 12sportsconsulting.com, a story on how the 105-man roster limit in college football is changing the preferred walk-on path.

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 03/07/2026 – 10:07 GMT+2•Updated
10:11

Stock markets across Asia mostly advanced on Friday, taking their cue from a fresh record close for the Dow on Wall Street, as some of the AI-linked shares battered in this week’s sell-off found their feet again while others kept falling.

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The volatility was calmer than the heavy selling seen a day earlier, when worries about stretched technology valuations sent semiconductor shares tumbling across the region.

At the time of writing, South Korea’s Kospi led the bounce, climbing over 4% to recoup part of the nearly 8% plunge it suffered on Thursday. Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest company and a major chipmaker, jumped 7%, while smaller memory rival SK Hynix rose 4.9%.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 1%, helped by a 6.6% leap in memory maker Kioxia, although chip-equipment supplier Tokyo Electron slipped 2.5%.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.7% and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 1.3% and Taiwan’s Taiex bucked the trend, easing 0.6%.

As for European markets, both the Euro Stoxx 50 and the broader pan-European Stoxx 600 opened within a 0.3% range.

The UK’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX 30, France’s CAC 40 and Italy’s FTSE MI, all traded between 0.1% and 0.3% higher.

Spain’s IBEX 35taly’s FTSE MIB led the pack and rose about 0.4%.

Wall Street’s record, a cooler jobs report and oil

US stocks were mixed on Thursday, but the Dow still managed a fresh peak, rising 1.1% to 52,900.

The broader S&P 500 ended virtually flat despite seven in ten of its members gaining, held back by another retreat in chip stocks, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.8%.

Sentiment drew support from data showing US employers added 57,000 jobs last month, well below the 100,000 forecast and a slowdown on May.

A softer labour market could ease inflation pressure and, with oil back below its pre-war levels, may lessen the case for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates repeatedly this year, an outcome investors would welcome.

Crypto-linked shares also firmed as Bitcoin rose about 2%, lifting Robinhood and Coinbase alongside it.

Still, the AI trade remained under strain.

Micron gave up an early gain to fall 5.5%, a day after a 10.6% slump, while Lam Research sank more than 10% and Nvidia, now worth close to $4.7 trillion, edged 1.4% lower.

On oil, Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1% to around $73 a barrel early Friday, while US crude added 0.5% to about $69, with prices still sitting below where they were before the Iran war began in late February.

Additional sources • AP

Students and supporters of a Luxembourg teacher fired over social media posts held a demonstration for her this week. Fatima Kurtic was fired in October over a post deemed anti-Israel. She told Al Jazeera about the motivations and costs behind her pro-Palestinian activism.

South Korean stocks soared by more than 5 percent Thursday, briefly topping the 9,000-point level again, driven by a tech rally ignited by U.S. chip giant Micron Technology’s expectation-beating earnings report. The Korean won fell against the U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 459.28 points, or 5.42 percent, to close at 8,930.30, following a 3.26 percent gain the previous day.

The index briefly topped the 9,000-point threshold, rising as high as 9,044.04.

Finishing at an all-time high of 9,114.55 on Monday, the KOSPI has remained in the 8,000-point range since it dived 9.99 percent Tuesday.

The index pulled off a strong start, with a buy-side sidecar issued shortly after the market opened, as Micron, the world’s No. 3 memory chipmaker, released its stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, brushing off lingering concerns about the sustainability of an artificial intelligence (AI) rally.

Micron is a major beneficiary of the AI infrastructure spending boom along with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix thanks to rising demand for memory chips and high-bandwidth memory (HBM).

Trade volume was heavy at 449.3 million shares worth 50.4 trillion won (US$32.7 billion), with losers beating winners 588 to 289.

Institutions purchased a net 3.3 trillion won worth of stocks, while foreigners and individuals dumped a net 819.7 billion won and 2.5 trillion won, respectively.

“Micron’s strong financial report pushed up semiconductor shares here,” Kim Seok-hwan, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, said. “Airline shares also rose as the Strait of Hormuz seemed to reopen and global oil prices dropped.”

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, jumped 5.29 percent to 358,500 won, and No. 2 SK hynix surged 13.06 percent to 2.9 million won.

SK Square, the parent of SK hynix, advanced 5.56 percent to 1.9 million won, and Samsung C&T, which holds a stake in Samsung Electronics, soared 7.79 percent to 519,000 won.

Flag air carrier Korean Air vaulted 6.4 percent to 29,100 won, and Asiana Airlines mounted 6.2 percent to 7,710 won.

Brokerages were also strong as Samsung Securities rose 3.07 percent to 110,800 won, and Kiwoom Securities gained 7.48 percent to 337,500 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,542.7 won per U.S. dollar as of 3:30 p.m., down 0.9 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys fell 1.5 basis points to 3.757 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds declined 2.2 basis points to 3.992 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

Nolan Schanuel reached third on an error and Logan O’Hoppe drove him in on a soft ground ball in the 10th inning as the Angels rallied back to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 7-6 on Wednesday.

It was the 12th come-from-behind victory for the Halos and sixth walk-off win.

Pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom started the rally with an RBI single in the eighth, and Wade Meckler tied the game with a two-run single.

Pete Alonso gave the Orioles the lead again with a 10th-inning RBI single, but Oswald Peraza scored on Schanuel’s soft grounder to tie after Keegan Akin mishandled the toss while covering first.

With Schanuel advancing to third on the error, Logan O’Hoppe tried to check his swing on a 1-2 changeup, but made contact. Samuel Basallo attempted to tag Schanuel, but missed, and the Angels completed their improbable comeback.

Basallo’s missed tag spoiled an otherwise stellar day, as the 21-year-old collected his first multihomer game. He joined the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez as the only catcher aged 21 or younger with a multihomer game in MLB history.

Jorge Soler had a first-inning two-run homer that gave the Angels an early lead.

Chase Silseth (3-1) collected the win in relief, allowing two hits and a run in the 10th. Starter José Soriano allowed six hits, five runs, and struck out four over three innings.

Akin (0-1) took the loss and a blown save. He allowed one hit and two runs in 2/3 innings.

Up next

The Angels continue their homestand Friday against the Athletics. Angels RHP Walbert Ureña (5-5, 2.41 ERA) will start.

Seoul stocks surged by more than 2 percent past another historic landmark, surpassing the 9,000-point level for the first time in history, as investors bet on chipmakers in the face of a hawkish stance by the Federal Reserve and Iran uncertainty.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed up 199.6 points, or 2.25 percent, to 9,063.84, after rising as high as 9,106.07.

The KOSPI continued its winning streak for the sixth consecutive session on the back of optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) and related sectors.

Trade volume was heavy at 505.9 million shares worth 49.9 trillion won (US$32.7 billion). Foreigners were net buyers, snatching up 1.3 trillion won, while retail and institutional investors net sold a combined 1.2 trillion won.

Losers outnumbered gainers 109 to 788.

The index bucked overnight losses on Wall Street caused by Fed policymakers’ remarks that a rate hike would be inevitable to tame inflation.

The continued rally was led by the country’s two major chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, said analyst Kim Seok-hwan from Mirae Asset Securities.

“Investors are anticipating that semiconductor companies could gain better bargaining power due to a sustained supply bottleneck,” the analyst said.

A risk appetite was also revived on anticipation the U.S.-Iran war is nearing its end. The United States has said Iran has agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, and revealed a signed memorandum of understanding on ending the war.

The rate freeze from the Fed, the fourth consecutive on-hold decision, appeared to have a limited impact on investor sentiment.

Market top cap Samsung Electronics rose 4.62 percent to 362,500 won, while its rival SK hynix jumped 6.51 percent to 2,685,000 won.

Non-semiconductor sectors lost ground.

Defense giant Hanwha Aerospace fell 2.86 percent to 1,189,000 won, ship builder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries retreated 3.25 percent to 684,000 won, and major financial firm KB Financial inched down 0.55 percent to 163,100 won.

The Korean won was quoted at 1,527.1 won against the U.S. dollar, down 13.7 won from the previous session.

Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed lower. The yield on three-year Treasurys rose 4 basis points to 3.75 percent, and the return on the benchmark five-year government bonds added 5.2 basis points to 3.949 percent.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

Brent crude drops as much as 1.6 percent, while key stock indices in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan climb.

Oil prices have dropped following the United States and Iran’s signing of an interim peace agreement, resuming a slide interrupted by US President Donald Trump’s warning that he could restart his military campaign.

Brent crude fell as much as 1.6 percent on Thursday morning in Asia, returning the international benchmark to almost exactly where it was 24 hours previously.

Brent futures for delivery in August stood at $78.23 as of 04:00 GMT, only about 7 percent higher than before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28.

After several days of declines, Brent briefly spiked above $81 a barrel on Wednesday after Trump warned that the US could “go right back to dropping bombs” on Iran if it doesn’t “behave”.

Asian stock markets rallied on Thursday on renewed optimism for an end to nearly four months of disruption to global energy supply chains.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s Kospi both hit all-time highs, gaining 1.8 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.

Taiwan’s Taiex rose as much as 1.3 percent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index bucked the trend, dropping 1.7 percent.

US stock futures, which are traded outside of regular market hours and often foreshadow the next day’s performance, climbed, with those tied to the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbing about 0.8 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, said on Wednesday that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) had entered into force with “immediate effect”.

Sharif said Iran would “instantly reopen” the Strait of Hormuz and the US would “immediately” lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, though it was not immediately clear if the announcement had any effect on boosting maritime traffic in the critical waterway.

Shipping in the strait has been reduced to a fraction of peacetime levels due to the threat of Iranian missiles, drones and mines, as well as the US blockade.

While more than 500 vessels are estimated to be waiting to exit the Gulf through the strait, shipping companies have expressed concern about the lack of clarity on how to ensure the safety of their vessels and crews in the channel.

In a statement earlier this week, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), one of the world’s largest associations for shipowners, said the US and Iran had yet to provide information about “key aspects such as timings and safe routes”.

“Due to lack of details and a history of overly optimistic reassurances, we believe the security situation for the shipping industry remains volatile, and we still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits at this point,” Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at BIMCO, said in a statement on Monday, responding to the initial announcement of the MoU.

“We advise shipowners to continue doing thorough risk assessments and appeal to all parties to put the safety of seafarers first.”

Los Angeles – “I’m sure when we score a goal today, everyone will be cheering.”

That was the prediction of Iranian fan Parsa Tafreshi, who had travelled from New York to Los Angeles to see Iran take on New Zealand on Monday.

His words would prove largely true.

The game ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, and each time Iran – known as Team Melli – scored, the stadium erupted in deafening celebrations.

There were two opposing sets of Iranian flags in Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian American community that is largely staunchly opposed to the governing system in Tehran.

Some fans waved the Islamic Republic flag, adorned with the name of God. Others opted for the pre-1979-revolution flag featuring the lion and sun, used by the Iranian opposition.

But when Team Melli were building up an attack, their supporters sang in unison.

Chants of “Iran, Iran” rang throughout the stadium, and the fans held their breath collectively each time Iran’s attackers came near New Zealand’s goal.

Concerns of unrest around the game did not materialise. Iranian fans vastly outnumbered their New Zealand counterparts at the stadium, and the game ended without any major incident.

Anti-team protest

A small group of demonstrators had gathered outside the venue, waving Israeli flags and chanting in support of opposition figure Reza Pahlavi.

They also called on United States President Donald Trump to resume the war with Iran, although Washington and Tehran have already reached a ceasefire deal.

“President Trump, finish the job,” they chanted on a loud megaphone.

Protesters also shouted slogans against the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

One of the demonstrators held a banner featuring the faces of Team Melli players with red crosses on them.

“IRGC Team,” it said, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with red ink meant to resemble blood dripping from the letters.

Protester Kourosh Kiumarsi told Al Jazeera that the Iranian squad is the “regime team”.

Asked about the Israeli flags at the demonstration, he said: “Israel and the USA attacked the regime and helped the people of Iran. They are not at war with Iran. They are at war with the Islamic Republic regime.”

Despite the intensity of the slogans at the protest, it was small and contained.

“I love that all the hype was just outside of the stadium,” said Sudi Farokhnia, who wore a green, white and red wig and a shirt featuring the lion and sun flag.

“Once you walked into the stadium, all you could hear was Iran, Iran, Iran. The energy was amazing. The people were amazing,” she told Al Jazeera after the match.

But that does not mean the entire affair was apolitical.

It would be difficult to argue that the pre-revolution flag is not a political statement.

FIFA bans political symbols at international matches, but thousands of Iranian fans on Monday were able to come in with lion-and-sun flags, shirts and hats.

Many also wore political slogans like “Make Iran Great Again” and “free Iran”.

FIFA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on the issue.

Minab message

There were also other political expressions at the match.

Arash, an Iranian fan who asked to be identified by his first name only, wore a shirt that said “Mibab 168” on the back.

The US-Israel war on Iran killed hundreds of civilians, including 168 children at a girl’s school in the southern city of Minab, during the first day of the conflict.

“This is not a political shirt. This is not just to send a political message,” Arash told Al Jazeera.

“It’s a simple, simple statement: Schools are sanctuaries, whether it’s school shootings, bombings. School is a place of virtue. It’s a place of learning. It’s a place that – no matter who you are, what you believe in, what country – school should be off limits.”

Inside the stadium, a group of Iranian fans also revealed a “MINAB 168” message during the game.

There were also Palestinian and Israeli flags visible in the stands.

The match kicked off with a political message: Many fans jeered the Iranian national anthem, which opposition activists see as representative of the government.

Iran’s participation in the tournament was in peril earlier this year because of the war. Team Melli were forced to stay in Mexico as their base camp, while all their group-stage matches were in the US, because the Trump administration refused to host them.

Once the ball was kicked, however, that all faded into the background.

It was 11 versus 11. And the football delivered excitement, joy and disappointment.

Iran dropped two valuable points against a lower-ranked team, but came twice from behind and hit the woodwork once.

And each of the two times the net bulged, the goals brought happiness to a nation with two flags at home and abroad that has gone through war and immense hardship.

There was a number of protesters outside.

But when Iran scored, almost all Iranians cheered.

Protesters chant ‘Albania is not for sale’ as demonstrations swell against Kushner-backed luxury resort plan.

Thousands of Albanians have taken to the streets of the country’s capital, Tirana, in the ⁠largest protest yet against a luxury resort development backed by United States President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Protesters on Wednesday held signs that said “Albania is not for sale” and chanted “New Albania” outside Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office as the crowd stretched half a mile down one of the city’s main boulevards.

The project, expected to cost about 5 ⁠billion euros ($5.8bn), has provoked outrage in the Balkan country because of its location near a protected wetland home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites.

Critics have also raised concerns about a lack of transparency surrounding the plans designed by foreign investors.

“This is the prime example of what has been happening in Albania for the last 35 years,” protester Leand Lakrori told the Reuters news agency. “So today, enough is enough.”

The protests, which erupted in the village of Zvernec on the southern coastline where the resort is planned, have been dubbed the Flamingo Revolution, in reference to the protected wetland at the development site that serves as a migratory stop for the birds.

Rama has sought to play down the ecological concerns, saying an environmental impact assessment would be completed and that the project would proceed responsibly.

“We are very proud of what we have done for the wildlife in Albania,” he said. “The ‌European Commission has no reason to doubt our firm will to protect whatever has to be protected when it comes to wildlife and nature.”

EU warning

The European Union, which has said it could admit Albania and other Balkan countries by 2030, warned that alignment with European environmental law would be a condition of accession.

“Albania should refrain from action that could undermine the fulfilment of the closing benchmark,” said EU spokesman Guillaume Mercier. “We expect the Albanian authorities to act without delay.”

The protests are the latest test for Rama, who has been in power since 2013 and who many now blame for not eradicating widespread corruption or doing enough to improve basic services like healthcare.

Rama said he has made strides to deal with corruption by creating a special prosecution office, which has opened a series of ⁠high-profile investigations.

Still, clashes also broke out earlier this year as protesters demanded the resignation of Rama’s deputy, ⁠Belinda Balluku, over alleged corruption. Rama fired Balluku, but ⁠the mistrust remains.

“I’m here to protest, to finish this saga of the Albanian government. It’s always the same two parties,” protester Fabio Bracaj told Reuters. “We want a new era. We want a better country.”

The resort development is the ‌brainchild of Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, who described falling in love with Albania a few years ago while visiting on a yacht.

Opposition ignited last month when developers erected a fence around part of the Zvernec site. The fence was later removed following an outcry.

Rama has said the project will go ahead regardless.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s awards time for baseball and softball as school ends and summer workouts begin.

And the winner is . . .

Shortstop James Tronstein went four for four on Tuesday in Harvard-Westlake’s 8-0 win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Craig Weston)

When the high school baseball season began, James Tronstein of Harvard-Westlake was focused and eager to show what he learned after not being selected for the U18 national baseball team in the fall. He proceeded to bat .531 with 52 hits and 10 home runs. Here’s his story as The Times’ player of the year.

St. John Boscoo pitcher Julian Garcia (right) celebrates with shortstop James Clark after throwing a one-hit shutout to beat Norco 2-0 in the Division 1 final.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

The baseball all-star team is loaded with major league prospects and future top college players. Here’s a look at Southern California’s best this season.

The Birmingham co-coaching duo of Gus Rico (left) and Matt Mowry guided the Patriots to league and City titles for the first time in Mowry’s 20 seasons of coaching.

(Birmingham HS)

This season, Birmingham coach Matt Mowry added co-coach duties to pitching coach Gus Rico. The two guided the Patriots to their first West Valley League title in 20 years, followed by a sixth City Open Division title. Here’s a look at why they are the coaches of the year.

St. John Bosco is No. 1 in The Times’ final top 25 rankings. Here’s a look.

Liliana Escobar is The Times’ softball player of the year.

(Dylan Stewart)

Liliana Escobar was the pitcher to watch all season, and she helped JSerra win their first Southern Section Division 1 softball championship. She is The Times’ player of the year. Here’s a look at what she accomplished.

Softball coach Katie Stith of JSerra is The Times’ coach of the year for 2026.

(JSerra)

When it comes to future college softball players, The Times’ all-star team is filled to capacity. Here’s a look at the All-Star team.

The coach of the year is JSerra’s Katie Stith. Here’s a look how she built the Lions into a champion.

Here are the final rankings for The Times produced by CalHiSports.com.

Regional champs

Jared Grindlinger, center, stands with his older brothers Trent, left, and Bradley after Huntington Beach’s 5-3 win over San Diego Cathedral in the Southern California Regional Division I final on June 6, 2026.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

It’s the end of an era at Huntington Beach, where three Grindlingers made an impact on and off the baseball diamond and the final one, Jared, saved the best for last, delivering a two-run home run and getting the final out so the Oilers could win the Southern California Division I regional title over Cathedral Catholic 5-3. Here’s the report.

The example Jared set, ignoring that he’s going to be a first-round draft pick next month and deciding to play with his best friends to the very last game, will be long remembered by Oiler faithful.

Another Sunset League team, Newport Harbor, won the Division II regional title with UC Santa Barbara-bound Gavin Guy leading the way on the mound.

Then there was Glendora rallying to win the Division III championship over Kaiser. North Torrance won Division IV with Sei Nagashima going four for four in the final.

Verdugo Hills appeared headed to the Division V final with a 5-1 lead over Roosevelt in the bottom of the sixth. That’s when a rundown play happened, and both benches emptied. Both schools were disqualified from playing in the final. Under CIF rules, players are not allowed to leave the bench. They faced a one-game suspension. Coast Academy in Oceanside was awarded the title.

In softball, San Bernardino won Division V over Arroyo Valley. Riverside Prep took Division II.

Steve Baik is back

Steve Baik coaching Chino Hills in 2015.

(Los Angeles Times)

Steve Baik, who guided Chino Hills to an unbeaten basketball season in 2015-16 when the Ball brothers were playing, is returning to high school basketball as the new head coach at Calabasas.

Here’s the report.

Quarterback Ford Green of Westlake.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Let the summer football action begin, and one player to watch is sophomore quarterback Ford Green of Westlake. Here’s a profile of a rising inquarterback who earned an Ohio State scholarship offer this spring.

There will be extensive passing tournaments in June and July. Saugus is hosting its annual tournament at Central Park on June 20 beginning at 4 p.m.. Simi Valley has its tournament on June 27. The Edison Battle at the Beach is July 11. Ocean View has its own tournament on that day. The Mission Viejo tournament is July 18.

Gardena Serra is hosting weekly seven-on-seven competitions on Wednesdays beginning June 17 with some great teams dropping by.

Chaminade won the Western tournament last weekend.

Nike has relaunched The Opening, which will be held June 24-26 in Oregon.

Basketball

The Section 7 boys and girls tournaments will be in Mesa, Ariz. The boys tournament is June 20-22 and the girls June 13-14.

The Boys Cal Live tournament is June 26-28 in Rocklin. The Girls Cal Live tournament is June 18-20 in Ladera.

The annual Fairfax tournament will be June 15-20 at Fairfax High.

Prep talk

The final week of the 2025-26 sports season offers a look at people making a difference.

City Section hurdles champion Jayden Rendon with his mother, Denise.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Here’s Carson hurdler Jayden Rendon leaving for USC as a hometown hero.

The Rams donated equipment and other football materials to LAUSD, which sent them to 69 high schools in the district.

(Angelo HS)

Here’s a look at the Rams donating football equipment to 69 Los Angeles Unified School District teams.

Here’s a look at the Clausen brothers creating youth flag football league for boys and girs.

Notes . . .

The Bonita and Murrieta Mesa softball teams are facing sanctions from the CIF after pulling out of the regional softball playoffs and having to forfeit their opening games. Each had the option of opting out but didn’t and are especially in trouble for not pulling out before seedings were made. Doubtful either will be invited to next year’s state playoffs when the first state championship in softball will be held…

David Armendariz is the new baseball coach at Sierra Canyon. He’s been an assistant the last three years and was a standout player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and played briefly in MLB with Cleveland….

Warren Snyder is the new boys water polo coach at Agoura…

John Gabriel is the new girls lacrosse coach at St. Margaret’s….

James Tronstein of Harvard-Westlake has been named the Gatorade state player of the year in baseball….

Offensive lineman Amaziah Siale of Mission Viejo has committed to Cal….

Point guard Earl Bryson is leaving JSerra for Crean Lutheran, which returns two top guards….

Mater Dei’s basketball team has added two large transfers, 6-9 Ryan Doane from JSerra and 6-11 Ender Berg from Legacy Christian….

The Southern Section has decided not to move from its office in Los Alamitos and will remodel to handle its additional employees approved by membership….

Corona Santiago pitcher Striker Pence announced he has reclassified to become part of the class of 2027….

Justin Torres is out as baseball coach at West Covina….

Joe Wyatt, who coached El Camino Real and Sun Valley Poly to City Section basketball championships, has resigned at Poly to become head coach at rival North Hollywood….

Bob Hart, Burbank’s longtime baseball coach, is no longer head coach….

Girls point guard Madison McDonald from Westlake has committed to Arizona Western….

Sierra Canyon has hired Camarillo coach Michaeltore Smith to be its first flag football coach. He had great success coaching quarterbacks, and he’ll have the best this season in Orange Lutheran transfer Makena Cook….

The high school football transfer portal is about to gain more steam with school out and players switching before the fall semester. Here’s the list that keeps growing…

Nick Hernandez is the new baseball coach at Glendale….

Infielder Justin Lopez from Villa Park has committed to Cal State Fullerton.

From the archives: Nate Castellon

Nate Castellon, a former Calabasas shortstop, helped Cal Poly reach the Super Regionals. He entered this week as the team’s second-leading hitter with a .328 batting average, including 14 doubles.

The sophomore has been as consistent as he was at Calabasas, where he hit .500 his senior year. He was a freshman All-American for the Mustangs.

Here’s a story from 2023 when he hit a grand slam.

Recommendations

From The562.org, a story on Anthony Razo, the new Lakewood baseball coach who’s agreed to replace the legendary Spud O’Neil.

From Yahoo, a story on New Mexico nearing a final decision to allow one free transfer for high school athletes.

From Ouresquina.com, a story on former Cypress and current USC shortstop Abbrie Covarrubias and his Latino background.

From Texashsfootball, a story on a school district spending $6 million to cover a sports facility to help with hot weather.

Summer vacation

Prep Rally will be taking the next couple of weeks off. Everyone enjoy your break — if you get one. And if you don’t, please find a way for a day off or two to refresh, regroup and prepare for 2026-27.

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.

Police crack down down on supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee, which plans to hold a rally Tuesday.

At least 11 people have been killed as police clashed with supporters of an outlawed group in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, officials said on Monday, a day before a planned protest over political rights and legislative representation.

Dozens of others, including police officers and civilians, were wounded in the violence that erupted Sunday after the Supreme Court of Pakistan-administered Kashmir ruled that 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan are constitutionally protected and cannot be abolished without a constitutional amendment.

The landmark ruling came before a rally planned for Tuesday by the outlawed Joint Awami Action Committee, or JAAC, which has long demanded greater political rights for people in the region and the abolition of the refugee seats, on the grounds that the refugees have disproportionate influence.

The group has organised large protests in recent years, a number of which have turned violent.

“Four police officers and a passer-by died after miscreants shot at them,” Sardar Waheed Khan, commissioner of the Poonch sector in the region, told the Reuters news agency. “As the result of the law enforcers’ response, six protesters were killed,” he said.

Police Chief Liaqat Malik said ‌23 security officials and 50 protesters were among the injured in Sunday’s incident, with 30 offenders arrested in the Himalayan region that is a flashpoint with neighbouring India.

According to the regional police, armed supporters of the JAAC opened fire on security forces in Rawalakot, a city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and later surrounded the Combined Military Hospital, disrupting medical services.

Authorities said security forces eventually dispersed the crowd and restored order.

Police accused protesters of setting fires and damaging government and private property.

“The state has begun a massacre of our people in Rawalakot,” Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a JAAC leader, said in a video message on X, referring to the district where the incident happened. He pledged that the group would stay united to take part in the ⁠June 9 rally.

On Friday, the regional government ‌designated the JAAC as a proscribed group under an anti-terror law, and advised domestic and foreign tourists to leave the region before June 9.

Mass demonstrations in the last two years ‌by the JAAC against the rising costs of flour and electricity have turned deadly after violent crackdowns on protesters by security forces.

Khan, the police commissioner of the Poonch sector, said, “The JAAC leadership is misleading the ⁠masses by terming it a massacre. The state’s action was meant to restore law and order.”

When security forces tried to disperse the protesters, activists used automatic rifles, petrol bombs, and other weapons to target ⁠them, he said.

PORTLAND, Maine — Graham Platner, the insurgent Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, will hold his first major campaign rally Friday night as reports continue emerging about his history with women.

Last weekend, his campaign wrestled with stories about sexually explicit messages that Platner sent to several women while he was married. Then on Thursday, The New York Times reported about his relationships with previous girlfriends. Some viewed him positively but others described him as volatile and insulting.

One woman said Platner twisted her arm during an argument and locked her in a room. Platner called that allegation untrue.

But with Maine’s primary around the corner Tuesday and Democrats desperate to rally behind a candidate who can defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, there’s been little sign of voters or political allies backing away from Platner, who has pitched himself as an imperfect person who has redeemed himself.

Some dismissed news of the text messages as a private matter, one that should be addressed solely by the married couple. Others argue that the need for Democrats to take back control of the U.S. Senate from Republicans is too important to cast aside imperfect candidates.

Yet they’re also wrestling with the question of whether more controversial information surrounding Platner could come out ahead of the November election.

“I think a lot of people are afraid,” said Deb Dagnan, chair of Maine’s Piscataquis County Democrats. “They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop after he gets the nomination. Then what do we do?”

Key to the Senate

Platner is key to Democrats hopes’ to take back the U.S. Senate this year. Yet he’s been bedeviled by near-constant controversies involving his disclosure of a since-covered tattoo of a Nazi symbol, his history of inflammatory online comments and the texting revelations.

Nevertheless, Platner’s most prominent supporters have continued to back the candidate, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego. Platner is scheduled to appear in Bar Harbor Friday evening with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna of California, as well as Democratic candidates for U.S. House and governor, as a part of a “get out the vote” rally in the coastal resort town.

The event is taking place just days ahead of the state’s June 9 primary election, where Platner is expected to secure the Democratic nomination. His top opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April.

He’ll do so under reignited scrutiny amid reports that he and his wife, Amy Gertner, have had marital difficulties and sought counseling after he allegedly sent sexually explicit text messages to other women.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gertner had told the campaign in August about the messages, which she had discovered on his phone last year, to make sure they weren’t a liability to the campaign. Platner’s campaign team reportedly decided that the texts were private and being handled by the couple, who were married in 2023.

Genevieve McDonald, a former campaign staffer for Platner, told The Associated Press that the candidate was “sexting multiple women while married” and that “the campaign tried to assess that as an election vulnerability.”

Shortly after the news came out, Platner posted a five-minute video taken by Gertner, who avoided speaking directly about her husband’s reported texts but dubbed the broader coverage as “gossip” and said “being married is hard.”

Voters worry that more scandals lurk

Gertner’s emotional comments about working on her marriage have resonated with some women, who say they are shocked that a former campaign aide would betray someone’s trust and the issue should remain between the couple.

“It’s none of my business as far as I’m concerned,” said Joanne Mason, a local Democratic leader from south-central Maine. “And I would hope that people wouldn’t judge any one person on their own private marriage.”

Valerie Tate, a Democrat from Belfast, described Gertner’s honesty about trying to work on their mental health and marriage as admirable.

“That is not a scandal,” Tate wrote in an email. “That is integrity. Personal growth is not a disqualification from public life. For many of us, it is precisely what made us worthy of it.”

However, Tate conceded that her mind wasn’t fully at ease. With the public still learning about Platner’s past, there is a chance something could emerge as a dealbreaker for voters.

“Of course, there is that concern as there would be in any race with somebody we don’t know all the dramas and the journeys they’ve been on,” she wrote. “Something could come out that would be disqualifying.”

Past controversies simmer

This isn’t the first time Platner has faced questions about his past. He had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he had covered up after starting his campaign.

Platner has said he didn’t realize the meaning of the tattoo. However, a former girlfriend told the Times he joked about it being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”

There’s also been much attention on Platner’s former Reddit posts, which were dismissive of military sexual assaults and used homophobic slurs, for which he has apologized.

Platner has never held elected office and has fashioned a straight-talking, progressive, populist-style campaign focusing on issues such as income inequality, lack of health care accessibility and the rising cost of housing. In return, he’s attracted thousands at his rallies and campaign events and collected millions in campaign funds to further boost his messaging.

“People want somebody new,” said Paige Zeigler, a former Maine Democratic lawmaker and head of the Waldo County Democrats, on why Platner’s staying power has remained strong. “They want somebody that they feel that they can embrace. And Platner is riding that wave.”

Whittle and Kruesi write for the Associated Press. Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I.

The New York Knicks’ winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 on Wednesday night.

OG Anunoby had 17 points for New York — which has won 12 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history.

And the Knicks, who finished on an 11-0 run, made a little more history. They became the first team to beat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the title series — the Spurs were 6-0 in those — and this is also the first time the Spurs have trailed a finals before the finish.

Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, but he shot six for 21 from the field in his finals debut. Stephon Castle scored 17, while Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each had 16 for the Spurs.

Game 2 is Friday in San Antonio.

Former San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was at the game, as he’s been for every finals game in Spurs history, albeit watching from a suite and not stomping the San Antonio sideline. The Spurs legends — David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and more — were there, too.

So were Knicks great Patrick Ewing and the world’s most recognizable New York fans: Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe, Timothée Chalamet and more. Plenty of non-celeb Knicks fans made the trip as well; Tommy Sherlock, an auto sales manager from Brooklyn, said it cost less for two Game 1 tickets in San Antonio, with hotel and airfare, than Game 3 tickets in New York would have set him back.

“First-class air, too,” Sherlock said. “By a lot.”

Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs shoots over Og Anunoby in the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

(Eric Gay / AP)

The Knicks led 14-7 early, the Spurs answered with a 20-13 run to go up by 10, the Knicks rallied and the second quarter saw six lead changes before San Antonio took a 55-48 lead into the break.

San Antonio pushed the lead to 14 midway through the third quarter before the Knicks stormed back, finishing the period on a 22-9 run and sending the game into the fourth tied at 76.

New York’s lead was eight midway through the final period. Wembanyama made a pair of free throws with 2:16 left to put San Antonio up 95-94, but Brunson made a corner three on the next possession to put the Knicks on top for good.

San Antonio’s run of never trailing the finals had some close calls over the years. The Spurs were tied twice with New Jersey in 2003 finals, tied with Detroit twice in 2005, tied with Miami three times in 2013 — they lost that series in seven games, so they only trailed when it was over — and then were tied with the Heat once more in 2014.

Global markets are navigating two powerful and competing forces: escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and continued investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence-related stocks. While concerns over renewed conflict between the United States and Iran have boosted oil prices and supported demand for safe-haven assets, the AI-driven technology rally has continued to push stock markets higher, particularly in Asia.

What Happened

Oil prices rose for a third consecutive session on Wednesday after fresh hostilities emerged in the Gulf region. Brent crude climbed 1% to $94.74 per barrel as hopes for a quick resolution to tensions between Washington and Tehran faded.

The U.S. military reported that Iranian missile attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional locations were either intercepted or failed. The developments came after negotiations aimed at ending the conflict between the United States and Iran stalled despite both sides announcing a tentative agreement last week.

Meanwhile, financial markets showed mixed reactions. U.S. stock futures were largely unchanged, while European futures edged lower. In Asia, however, technology shares continued their strong advance, helping stock indexes in Japan and Taiwan reach record highs.

Why Markets Are Reacting to Middle East Risks

Investors had previously expected the United States and Iran to formalize an agreement that would reduce regional tensions and ease concerns about energy supplies. The lack of progress in negotiations has instead revived fears of a prolonged conflict that could disrupt oil shipments from the Gulf, a critical region for global energy markets.

Higher oil prices typically reflect concerns about potential supply disruptions. The latest military developments prompted traders to unwind some of their earlier bets on a diplomatic breakthrough, contributing to the rise in crude prices.

Currency markets also reflected growing caution. The U.S. dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen, briefly touching the closely watched 160 level before retreating amid concerns that Japanese authorities could intervene to support their currency.

AI Stocks Continue to Defy Market Uncertainty

Despite geopolitical concerns, enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence remained a major driver of equity markets. Wall Street indexes posted modest gains on Tuesday, supported by technology shares.

Chipmaker Marvell Technology surged more than 32% after Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang described the company as a potential trillion-dollar business. Investor optimism surrounding AI also helped propel SoftBank Group above Toyota Motor Corporation as Japan’s most valuable listed company.

The AI boom has continued to attract investment even as broader markets grapple with geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about interest rates.

What Comes Next

Investors are now closely watching upcoming U.S. economic data, including services sector activity, private payroll figures and Friday’s employment report. Strong labor market data could reinforce expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer or even consider further increases.

Bond markets remained relatively stable, while traders adjusted expectations from potential rate cuts earlier in the year to the possibility of additional rate hikes. Markets have also priced in the likelihood of monetary tightening in Europe and Japan.

At the same time, developments in the Middle East remain a key risk factor. Any further escalation between the United States and Iran could push oil prices higher and increase volatility across global financial markets, while continued strength in AI-related stocks may help support broader equity markets despite geopolitical headwinds.

With information from Reuters.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It was championship weekend for Southern Section baseball and softball. And there were some crazy moments and performances.

Greatness on display

It’s tough enough to win one Southern Section Division 1 baseball title going through the gauntlet of top teams. St. John Bosco did it back to back in a 2-0 win over Norco.

Julian Garcia turned in one of the best pitching performances in championship game history. He gave up a first-inning double to Codey Brown and that was the last hit by a good-hitting Norco team. He struck out 14 and walked none. Here’s the report from Cal State Fullerton.

Here’s a look where Garcia’s individual performance ranks in some past championship games.

Things got bizarre leading up to the Division 2 final when Ganesha was prepared to only send backups to the game because its head coach and players were committed to traveling to Mississippi for a camp.

The superintendent intervened and asked them to stay because Ganesha would have faced severe sanctions from the Southern Section. All the players showed up Saturday and the team beat Loyola 6-3. Here’s the report.

Mira Costa, which lost its top two pitchers to injuries before the season and early in league, rallied from a 6-1 deficit to beat Agoura 9-7 to win the Division 3 title. Quite an achievement for coach Andy Diver and his players.

Despite lots of teams opting out, the Southern California regional championships begin this week. St. John Bosco is playing to defend its regional title and was seeded No. 1 in Division I.

Here are the pairings.

Softball

JSerra High ace Liliana Escobar strides forward as she windmills a pitch against La Mirada in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game on Friday night.

(Nick Koza)

JSerra won its first Southern Section Division 1 championship in softball behind pitcher Liliana Escobar, who was the best all season. The Lions defeated La Mirada 3-2. She struck out 12. Here’s the report.

Whittier Christian went into rally mode to defeat Mater Dei 5-3 in the Division 2 final, getting two-run home runs in the seventh and eighth innings from Mia Camacho and Bella Perez.

Carson came away as City Section Open Division champions with a 12-1 win over defending champion Granada Hills. The Colts and Highlanders have met the last four years in the final, with Carson prevailing three times. Home runs by Anaiyah Popoalii and Ashannalee Titialii keyed the win.

Here are the regional playoff pairings that begin Tuesday.

Track

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior JJ Harel won his second consecutive state high jump championship.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

The state track and field championships in Clovis were very good for Southern California athletes.

Servite won the boys championships as its sprinters, led by 100 meters champion Benjamin Harris, put on a show.

JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame cleared 7-2 in the high jump to defend his state title.

Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel set a state record in the girls discus.

Here’s the report from Clovis.

Determined to succeed

Jonah Jeovany Vasquez of Cathedral has made it to the state track championships in the 1,600 in his first year running track.

(Vasquez family)

Things didn’t go as well as Cathedral’s Jonah Vasquez had hoped at the CIF track and field championships. He just missed qualifying for the finals in the 1,600.

But his story is just beginning in his first season running track.

Here’s a look at his story and where he intends to go.

Volleyball

Mateo Fuerbringer, center, celebrates with his Mira Costa teammates following a five-set win over Loyola on March 20, 2026.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

It was a season to remember for Mira Costa’s volleyball team, which won the state championship Saturday in Fresno.

The Southern Section Division 1 champions faced top teams all season and prevailed, with junior Mateo Fuerbringer stamping himself as the top player for his class in the nation.

End of an era

Tom Meusborn announced his retirement as head baseball coach at Chatsworth.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Tom Meusborn and Spud O’Neil, two high school baseball coaching giants, have retired from head coaching duties.

Meusborn coached for nearly 35 years at Chatsworth and Sierra Canyon. His eight City Section championships remains the most by any coach in City Section history.

“It’s time,” he said after four seasons at Sierra Canyon.

O’Neil, the head coach at Lakewood since 1984, lost in the Southern Section Division 6 playoffs and retires with 985 career victories.

Notes . . .

Former St. John Bosco and UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen has received his MBA from the Wharton School of Business….

Damien has begun a search for a new baseball coach. AJ LaMonda was head coach for five years….

Devin Davis is the new baseball coach at Castaic….

Ernest Baskerville is the new basketball coach at Pasadena….

Western quarterback Chance Thomas is transferring to Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, which opens the season hosting St. John Bosco in August….

Tight end Luke Karby of Mission Viejo has committed to Duke….

Kevin McCaffrey has been dismissed as baseball coach at Corona del Mar after eight seasons….

Kevin Nichols is the new football coach at Garden Grove…

Katey Thompson has stepped down as boys volleyball coach at Corona del Mar….

Standout junior pitcher Justin Kirchner (11-0) of Harvard-Westlake has committed to Vanderbilt. He was previously committed to Yale….

Brad Willis is the new boys basketball coach at Villa Park. He had been coaching girls basketball at the school….

Standout quarterback Dane Weber of Chaparral has committed to Cal….

Tight end Luke Gazzaniga of Santa Margarita has committed to Kansas….

Defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez has committed to Cal….

Matteo Huarte of Mater Dei won the Southern Section individual title. He’s the grandson of Heisman Trophy winner and Mater Dei grad John Huarte….

Makena Cook, the top flag football quarterback for Orange Lutheran, is transferring to Sierra Canyon, which is starting a flag football program this fall….

Cole Kim of Sunny Hills won the Southern California Regional golf tournament last week and will be the player to beat at the state championships Wednesday at San Gabriel Country Club….

Pitcher Jake Brande of Rancho Christian has committed to Cal Poly….

Laura Browder has resigned as boys and girls volleyball coach at La Canada.

From the archives: Kaniya Bragg

UCLA shortstop Kaniya Bragg was a star at Garden Grove Pacifica.

(Nick Koza)

Kaniya Bragg, who was The Times’ softball player of the year in 2024, is living up to expectations and more for UCLA this season.

She entered this week as a key player for the Bruins in the College World Series with a .387 batting average and 18 home runs.

Here’s a story from 2024 outlining why she was the best high school player.

Recommendations

From Texas, a school district continues bureaucratic hurdles for media trying to cover high school sports.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Palisades pitcher Mason Edwards becoming an ace for USC.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Zoe Thompson, an eighth-grader at Harvard-Westlake who might be the best soccer player in a famous family of soccer players.

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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