school

A look at how the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland fared this week:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game

1. CORONA CENTENNIAL (1-1) lost to Santa Margarita, 21-20; at Mater Dei, Friday

2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (1-1) def. Philadelphia Roman Catholic, 45-25; at Pittsburgh, Friday;

3. SIERRA CANYON (2-0) def. Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade, 24-7; vs. Honolulu St. Louis, Sept. 10

4. SANTA MARGARITA (2-0) def. Corona Centennial, 21-20; vs. Palmdale Highland, Friday

5. ORANGE LUTHERAN (1-1) def. San Diego Cathedral, 38-24; vs. Chandler (Ariz.) Basha, Friday

6. MISSION VIEJO (2-0) def. St. Paul, 77-12; at Folson, Friday

7. MATER DEI (1-0) at Orem (Utah), Saturday; vs. Corona Centennial, Friday

8. SAN CLEMENTE (2-0) did not play; at Chaparral, Friday

9. RANCHO CUCAMONGA (2-0) def. Oaks Christian, 44-14; at Oak Hills, Thursday

10. CHAPARRAL (1-1) def. San Juan Hills, 31-19; vs. San Clemente, Friday

11. HUNTINGTON BEACH EDISON (2-0) def. Los Alamitos, 31-15; at Long Beach Wilson, Friday

12. CREAN LUTHERAN (2-0) def. Mira Costa, 31-10; vs. JSerra, Friday

13. CHAMINADE (3-0) def. Valencia, 35-10; at Beaumont, Sept. 11

14. PALOS VERDES (2-0) def. Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore, 21-18; at Carson, Thursday

15. CARSON (2-0) def. Dorsey, 31-8; vs. Palos Verdes, Thursday

16. SERVITE (1-1) def. Murrieta Valley, 42-10; vs. Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial, Friday

17. JSERRA (1-1) def. Long Beach Wilson, 63-0; at Crean Lutheran, Friday

18. DAMIEN (2-0) def. Vista Murrieta, 27-21; at Las Vegas Faith Lutheran, Friday

19. OXNARD PACIFICA (1-0) vs. San Diego Lincoln, no score reported; at Hart, Friday

20. GARDENA SERRA (1-1) def. L.A. Hamilton, 63-14; at Los Alamitos, Friday

21. BISHOP AMAT (2-0) def. Oak Hills, 22-3; vs. Valencia, Thursday

22. CORONA DEL MAR (2-0) def. Santa Barbara, 37-7; at Huntington Beach Edison, Thursday

23. YORBA LINDA (2-0) def. Long Beach Poly, 27-6; vs. El Dorado, Friday

24. WESTLAKE (2-0) def. Agoura, 38-10; vs. Chatsworth, Thursday

25. ST. BONAVENTURE (2-0) def. St. Pius X-St. Matthias, 34-21; vs. Trabuco Hills, Friday

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

California 17, Sunny Hills 14

Citrus Hill 14, Miller 13

Citrus Valley 42, Los Osos 14

Colton 28, Eisenhower 6

Compton 28, Orange Vista 21

Corona 49, San Gorgonio 0

Desert Mirage 24, San Jacinto Valley Academy 6

El Toro 42, Marina 21

Fontana 64, Jurupa Valley 20

Glendora 41, Walnut 8

Granite Hills 28, Patriot 21

Hesperia 34, Jurupa Hills 0

Hillcrest 34, Vista del Lago 20

Huntington Beach 31, Los Alamitos 15

Indio 28, Indian Springs 7

La Palma Kennedy 14, Woodbridge 10

Liberty 55, Sultana 7

Maranatha 30, Covina 22

Moreno Valley 52, Arroyo Valley 0

Norte Vidta 35, Rancho Christian 0

Palm Springs 35, Grand Terrace 0

Placentia Valencia 22, Santa Ana 13

Redlands East Valley 37, Perris 11

Ridgecrest Burroughs 40, Adelanto 0

San Dimas 44, Chaffey 8

South Torrance 33, Arroyo 10

Temple City 19, La Puente 14

Twentynine Palms 28, Riverside Prep 27

Villa Park 55, Western 20

Western Christian 56, Rim of the World 8

Whittier 41, Gabrielino 6

INTERSECTIONAL

Fallbrook 24, Canyon Springs 7

Fulton 34, St. Jeane de Lestonnac 0

Linfield Christian 46, Mountain Empire 21

Keppel 18, Mendez 7

Palos Verdes 21, Orlando Bishop Moore (Fla.) 18

Sierra Canyon 24, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) 7

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

East Valley 50, Stella 6

INTERSECTIONAL

California School for the Deaf Riverside 58, Animo Robinson 8

Cuyama Valley 14, Tehillah Christian 12

Valley Oaks CES 42, Downey Calvary Chapel 0

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

City Section
Bell 6, Maywood CES 0
GALA 7, Foshay 6

Southern Section
Camarillo 19, Ventura 7
Canyon Country Canyon 33, Saugus 6
Capistrano Valley 7, Segerstrom 6
Compton 35, Hawthorne 0
Eastside 47, Rosamond 0
El Segundo 13, West Torrance 0
Hart 34, Valencia 0
Hueneme 63, Del Sol 0
Irvine 13, Dana Hills 6
Mira Costa 35, Santa Monica 12
North Torrance 37, Peninsula 7
Oaks Christian 19, Simi Valley 13
Orange Lutheran 34, Trabuco Hills 0
San Marcos 36, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6
Santa Margarita 19, Edison 13
South Torrance 39, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 0
Thousand Oaks 21, St. Bonaventure 6
Torrance 20, Carson 19
Westlake 24, Oxnard 13
Woodbridge 40, Beckman 27

Intersectional
Agoura 28, Cleveland 0
North County San Marcos 41, San Clemente 13
Torrance 20, Carson 19

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

City Section
Los Angeles Roosevelt 18, Elizabeth 0
Narbonne 30, Maywood CES 0

Southern Section
Agoura 32, Royal 13
Alhambra 19, El Rancho 18
Aliso Niguel 19, Dana Hills 0
Anaheim Canyon 21, La Habra 13
Antelope Valley 73, Rosamond 0
Ayala 30, Laguna Beach 7
Azusa 27, Mountain View 6
Baldwin Park 48, El Monte 14
Beaumont 36, Palm Desert 0
Bell Gardens 20, Hawthorne 6
Bishop Amat 36, Montebello 6
Bonita 52, Rancho Cucamonga 0
California 20, Bellflower 0
Cathedral City 16, Desert Hot Springs 15
Cerritos 13, Villa Park 6
Cerritos Valley Christian 41, Oxford Academy 0
Chino 21, Charter Oak 14
Colony 25, La Mirada 0
Compton 25, Compton Centennial 0
Compton Early College 12, Dominguez 0
Corona Centennial 26, Murrieta Mesa 0
Corona del Mar 20, Huntington Beach 18
Corona Santiago 27, El Modena 12
Covina 28, Schurr 0
Crean Lutheran 7, Segerstrom 6
Cypress 15, Lakewood 0
Downey 37, Mayfair 6
Estancia 7, Costa Mesa 6
Fullerton 36, Laguna Hills 19
Irvine University 21, San Juan Hills 12
La Canada 18, Village Christian 13
La Serna 32, St. Paul 9
Loara 32, Saddleback 20
Long Beach Cabrillo 26, Whitney 8
Long Beach Wilson 47, Paramount 0
Los Alamitos 13, Fountain Valley 12
Newbury Park 33, Buena 0
Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 46, Capistrano Valley Christian 6
Newport Harbor 25, Edison 6
Northview 27, Pasadena Poly 0
Ocean View 16, Glenn 13
Ontario Christian 34, Pomona 0
Oxnard Pacifica 18, Fillmore 7
Palm Springs 6, Xavier Prep 0
Placentia Valencia 24, Garden Grove 12
Riverside Poly 13, Arlington 6
San Gorgonio 15, Arroyo Valley 0
San Marino 24, Ramona Convent 6
Sierra Canyon 40, Harvard-Westlake 6
Sonora 33, Brea Olinda 6
South El Monte 32, La Puente 7
St. Margaret’s 34, Buena Park 0
Sunny Hills 40, Long Beach Jordan 0
Tesoro 30, Foothill 19
Warren 32, Gahr 0
West Covina 19, Montclair 0

Intersectional
Bishop Montgomery 13, King/Drew 12
JSerra 52, Torrey Pines 26
Southwest EC 40, La Quinta 6

Farah, Mohammed and Jawad are getting ready for the new school year in Masafer Yatta in the southern occupied West Bank.

The children, aged 17, 8, and 7 respectively, attend Shaab al-Butum school in a village with the same name. But the building they’ll return to will be missing two administrative rooms and a storage room after Israeli forces demolished them on August 4.

According to the United Nations, Israel justified the demolitions by saying that the structures were constructed without Israeli-issued building permits. These are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain in the Area C of the occupied West Bank, which is under Israeli administrative and military control.

The rest of the school isn’t safe either – it has also been threatened with demolition, with a court case scheduled for September 15.

The children’s return to education is now uncertain, as they worry about losing the village’s only school completely, and more confrontations with Israeli forces.

Constant fear

The start of the academic year at the beginning of September is supposed to mean a return to learning, but enthusiasm in Shaab al-Butum has now been mixed with anxiety.

Farah explained to Al Jazeera that the school was the only one she had ever attended, and was fearful about what would now happen.

Mohammed echoed that fear and said that he was worried Israeli forces would “return to demolish what remains” of the school. Jawad, meanwhile, spoke of his sadness at seeing the school damaged and said he hoped it could “return as it was”.

For Nidal Younis, the head of the Masafer Yatta local council, those concerns reflect a much wider threat facing education across the area, which has repeatedly been targeted by the Israeli state and settlers over the years. Masafer Yatta was declared part of a closed Israeli military firing zone in the 1980s, which has been used as justification in repeated attempts to force local Palestinians out.

“It is a test renewed with every school year, amidst unprecedented escalation by the occupation authorities,” Younis told Al Jazeera.

“This year comes amid the tightening of the occupation’s policy of demolishing schools, and rampant settler violence that targets everything in these villages,” he added.

That violence, Younis said, follows children throughout their daily lives, targeting “students going to their schools, students while in class, and even inside the home”.

According to Younis, all seven schools in the wider Masafer Yatta area are now threatened with demolition.

“We do not know whether these schools will survive to the end of this academic year, let alone still be standing when the next one begins,” he said, stressing the determination of local Palestinians to stay “despite the pain and [Israeli] barbarism”.

Settler violence

Activist and teacher Tariq Hathaleen said the uncertainty surrounding demolitions, coupled with the continued expansion of settlement outposts, had deepened the sense of insecurity among residents.

“The occupation authorities do not usually tell the residents or the school administration in advance when the bulldozers will arrive,” Hathaleen told Al Jazeera.

Hathaleen added that settlers had stormed Ras Ein al-Auja school in the Jordan Valley the previous academic year, assaulting staff and students.

The attack and the demolition confirmed that schools are “no longer immune from attack”, Hathaleen said.

“[Israel’s actions] do not target merely one aspect, but affects education, housing, freedom of movement and livelihoods,” Hathaleen explained.

Hathaleen described the targeted schools – built by the Palestinian Ministry of Education to serve marginalised areas – as “more than just educational buildings”.

Systematic pattern

Figures from the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission underscore the scale of the threat, with 84 Palestinian schools serving nearly 13,000 students currently facing Israeli demolition or stop-work orders.

Amir Dawoud, a senior official with the commission, said the schools facing the most immediate legal threats were concentrated in the southern Hebron area, particularly Masafer Yatta, as well as at al-Walaja school near Bethlehem, which Israel says lacks a building permit.

“These are not schools that can simply be closed and their students easily transferred elsewhere,” Dawoud told Al Jazeera.

The impact of demolition orders, he said, begins long before any building is actually destroyed, creating uncertainty and disruption for students, teachers, and their families.

“The psychological and educational impact begins before the bulldozer arrives,” he said.

“It is a systematic pattern that transcends individual cases,” Dawoud added, noting that it starts with planning restrictions, accompanied by road restrictions and settler attacks.

“It does not only threaten school buildings,” he said. “It targets the ability of Palestinian communities to survive.”

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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A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland after Week 0:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week’s ranking

1. CORONA CENTENNIAL (1-0) def. Servite, 41-21; vs. Santa Margarita, Friday; 2

2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (0-1) lost to Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, 38-28; vs. Philadelphia Roman Catholic, Friday; 1

3. SIERRA CANYON (1-0) def. JSerra, 42-21; at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade, Thursday; 3

4. SANTA MARGARITA (1-0) def. Orlando (Fla.) Jones, 27-0; at Corona Centennial, Friday; 4

5. ORANGE LUTHERAN (0-1) lost to Miami Central, 23-22; at San Diego Cathedral, Friday; 5

6. MISSION VIEJO (1-0) def. Chaparral, 55-17; vs. St. Paul, Friday; 6

7. MATER DEI (1-0) def. American Fork (Utah), 31-11; at Orem (Utah), Saturday; 7

8. SAN CLEMENTE (2-0) def. Tustin, 17-0; at Chaparral, Sept. 4; 8

9. RANCHO CUCAMONGA (1-0) def. Murrieta Valley, 28-14; vs. Oaks Christian, Friday; 10

10. CHAPARRAL (0-1) lost to Mission Viejo, 55-17; vs. San Juan Hills, Friday; 9

11. HUNTINGTON BEACH EDISON (1-0) did not play; at Phoenix Pinnacle, Friday; 11

12. CREAN LUTHERAN (1-0) def. Loyola, 31-6; at Mira Costa, Friday; 12

13. CHAMINADE (2-0) def. Oaks Christian, 18-0; at Valencia, Friday; 14

14. PALOS VERDES (1-0) def. Gardena Serra, 17-14; vs. Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore, Thursday; 18

15. CARSON (1-0) def. San Diego Lincoln, 35-31; at Dorsey, Friday; 23

16. SERVITE (0-1) lost to Corona Centennial, 41-21; at Murrieta Valley, Friday; 15

17. JSERRA (0-1) lost to Sierra Canyon, 42-21; vs. Long Beach Wilson, Friday; 16

18. DAMIEN (1-0) def. San Bernardino Aquinas, 36-17; at Vista Murrieta, Friday; 17

19. OXNARD PACIFICA (1-0) def. Del Sol, 52-6; vs. San Diego Lincoln, Friday; 19

20. GARDENA SERRA (0-1) lost to Palos Verdes, 17-14; vs. L.A. Hamilton, Friday; 13

21. BISHOP AMAT (1-0) def. St. Paul, 55-0; at Oak Hills, Friday; 21

22. CORONA DEL MAR (1-0) def. Lakewood, 48-3; vs. Santa Barbara, Friday; 24

23. YORBA LINDA (1-0) def. Laguna Beach, 34-21; at Long Beach Poly, Friday; NR

24. WESTLAKE (1-0) def. Newbury Park, 32-26 (3 OT); vs. Agoura, Friday; 22

25. ST. BONAVENTURE (1-0) def. Paraclete, 28-6; at St. Pius X-St. Matthias, Friday; NR

This is my 50th year covering high school sports in Southern California. Here are my most memorable moments since 1976.

Former Crespi quarterback Captain Randy Redell (left) and sportswriter Eric Sondheimer (right) prepare to board an F–16 fighter jet for their 82-minute flight at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., in 1998.

(Freelance)

1: It’s 1998. I’m in Sumter, S.C., invited to fly in an F-16 with former Crespi quarterback Randy Redell, an Air Force graduate, captain and pilot. To get cleared, I have to pass a pre-flight instruction class how to use a parachute and an explanation what to do with the barf bag. Randy, apparently at the egging on by his father, Bill, the football coach at St. Francis, takes the F-16 straight up. The G force is like a roller-coaster ride on steroids. Later he tells me to take control of the plane with the stick as I wear my helmet and oxygen mask and hear his instructions on the radio. Yes, it’s like riding a magic carpet. How can anything top an F-16 ride?

Bret Saberhagen pitched a no-hitter for Cleveland High School during a 13-0 win over Palisades for the City Section championship at Dodger Stadium in 1982.

(Courtesy of Linda Saberhagen)

2: It’s June 14,1982. The City Section championship baseball game is at Dodger Stadium, where Bret Saberhagen of Cleveland High pitches the first and only no-hitter in championship game history. He retired 21 of 22 batters in a 13-0 win over a Palisades team that included an infielder named Steve Kerr. Saberhagen would go on to win two Cy Young Awards.

Associated Press Sports Editors award in 1988 for Eric Sondheimer story on Kentucky basketball recruit.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

3.: The lead story on ESPN’s 11:30 p.m. SportsCenter on April 13, 1988, was a report from the Los Angeles Daily News detailing a package that accidentally opened at an air freight service containing 20 $50 bills addressed to a high school basketball star at Fairfax and sent from the University of Kentucky. It led to NCAA sanctions against Kentucky and lots of resignations. My work gave me a lesson on the impact dedicated local journalism can have with a single story.

In 2001, Marcedes Lewis tries to get past De La Salle defenders.

(David Kawashima)

4: The game of the century that changed high school football forever was Long Beach Poly vs. Concord De La Salle in 2001 before 17,321 fans at Veterans Stadium and a national TV audience. It was 11 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack. It was No. 1 De La Salle, coached by Bob Ladouceur, with a 116-game winning streak and running back Maurice Drew. No. 2 Poly had coach Raul Lara, tight end Marcedes Lewis and many other future college players. De La Salle won 29-15. From that game on, TV games featuring high school football multiplied and schools began to travel around the country for marquee matchups.

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

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

5: Never has there been an ending quite like the 2001 City Section football final at the Coliseum. Taft leads Dorsey 14-13 with seven seconds left. A fourth-down punt from the 32-yard line will run out the clock. But Dorsey’s Jesus Jimenez blocks the punt and Henry Badge picks up the bouncing ball in the end zone with no time left for a 19-14 win. “The ending was the craziest I’ve ever had,” Dorsey Hall of Fame coach Paul Knox said.

.The Northridge Little League All-Star team from 1994 was honored with a ticker-tape parade down Disneyland’s Main Street.

(Kari Rene Hall/The Los Angeles Times)

6.: The Earthquake Kids from Northridge Little League made it to the championship game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., after the destructive 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Some of these 11- and 12-year-olds had unbelievable personalities, like a player named Matt Cassel. I got to see what a Northeast thunderstorm was like and see the big hill that kids slide down.

Former Granada Hills quarterback John Elway from the 1979 yearbook.

(Los Angeles Times)

7: It’s a 1977 City Section football playoff game that has gone into overtime. John Elway is the quarterback for Granada Hills. Jay Schroeder is the quarterback for Palisades. Both would become Super Bowl quarterbacks. But on this day, they had to try to deliver victory in a California tiebreaker, with the ball placed on the 50-yard and the team that advanced the ball farthest after alternating plays wins. On the seventh of eight plays, Elway completed a 28-yard pass to Scott Marshall to clinch victory.

Crespi’s Russell White carries the ball during a game against St. John Bosco on Nov. 7, 1986.

(John McCoy / Los Angeles Times)

8: In 1986, a sophomore running back with stunning skills, Russell White, leads Crespi to the San Fernando Valley’s first and only Southern Section Division 1 football championship with a 49-14 win over St. John Bosco. He goes on to star at Cal and gets drafted by the Rams. He becomes the commissioner of the Oakland Section, then football coach at Flintridge Prep. Forty years later, his son, Zachary, was a star basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

9: I rarely go to City Section Division III championship basketball games — unless my alma mater, Sun Valley Poly, is involved. It was 2019, and right before the start, I learned that Roybal coach Danny O’Fallon was dying of cancer. As the buzzer sounded and Roybal won, 51-47, O’Fallon collasped onto the gym floor in tears. Players came back to form a huddle around him and comfort him. It’s the most emotional, gut-wrenching scene. I get tears each and every time I watch video of the moment. He’d die a year later in 2020 at the age of 49. Bill Plaschke wrote a heart-warming column.

Anaheim Canyon players celebrate after winning the 2015 Division 2AA championship with a 28-point comeback win over Lawndale.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

10: The 2015 Southern Section Division 2AA championship basketball game at Honda Center produced the greatest comeback I’ve witnessed, with Anaheim Canyon rallying from a 28-point deficit in the third quarter and 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Lawndale 103-98 in double overtime. Nick Anderson scored 37 points. Canyon coach Nate Harrison was exhausted and exhilarated afterward.

Harry Welch, the only football coach to win three state titles at three different schools _ Canyon Country Canyon, Santa Margarita and St. Margaret’s.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

11: When it comes to upsets, few were bigger than Canyon Country Canyon beating the nation’s No. 1-ranked football team, De La Salle, 27-13, in the inaugural CIF Division I state championship bowl game in Carson in 2006. Coach Harry Welch, on his way to a Hall of Fame career, orchestrated everything with a little help and belief from his players.

Brisket, ribs and mac and cheese at Pecan Lodge in Dallas.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

12: I always wanted to see what Texas high school football was like after reading the book, “Friday Night Lights,” and experience Texas barbecue. It happened in 2021 when Mater Dei played Duncanville. I spent two days traveling around, seeing Allen High’s $62-million stadium, watching a game at AT&T Stadium and tasting BBQ. All the reports were true _ Texas is one of a kind.

13: One of my first experiences with writing a story about transfers happened in 1981, when a tiny guard, Zach Lieberman, went from Montclair Prep to Taft to Granada Hills Kennedy. Then two 6-10 players suddenly showed up at Kennedy, provoking a City Section investigation. Twenty-one years later, Lieberman revealed the truth in what proved to be an early peek at the current state of affairs in high school basketball.

Harvard-Westlake’s twin towers Jarron (left) and Jason Collins in 1994.

(For the Times)

14: In the 1990s, the Collins twins, 7-foot Jason and 6-11 Jarron, arrived at Harvard-Westlake, and the rest is history. They’d win state championships, star at Stanford and play in the NBA. In 1999, while they were at Stanford, I wrote a story about their special bond. Former UCLA coach John Wooden said of their progress, “I think they’ve improved. I’m sorry [UCLA] didn’t get them. It’s nice to get twins who are talented and good students.” Jarron’s two daughters are playing for Harvard-Westlake and a son is in eighth grade. Jason died May 12, 2026, of brain cancer. He was 47.

Masaki Matsumoto coaching at Bernstein High in 2013.

(Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)

15: People were telling me in 2013 about an innovative, creative football coach named Masaki Matsumoto at Bernstein High in Hollywood. I found out the coach sent home letters to parents asking them to write a letter to their son and say something positive while expressing their love. Reading the letters myself and seeing players read out loud with tears in their eyes provided a powerful example what can happen when parents express their true feelings. It led to a story that became an ESPN documentary. Matsumoto now coaches at Lincoln High in Tacoma, Wash.

In 2014, Caleb Wilson of Gardena Serra tries to make a catch in a playoff game won by Corona Centennial 68-64.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

16: Trying to keep statistics when Corona Centennial is using its no-huddle offense is challenging, but doing it in a wild 2014 playoff game against another no-huddle offense run by Gardena Serra was mind-boggling. Centennial won 68-64 in a game that had 15 lead changes and 12 touchdown passes.

Birmingham’s Peyton Waters, center, tries to outjump Del Norte defenders for a Hail Mary pass in the final seconds of the Division 3-AA regional bowl game. It went off his hands and was caught by teammate Devyn Taylor with no time left for the win.

(Craig Weston)

17: It’s not every night you get to see a miracle play work. In a 2023 regional playoff game in San Diego, Birmingham trailed Del Norte 28-24. Birmingham had one final play from its 48-yard line. Quarterback Kingston Tisdell avoided the rush and threw the ball down the middle. It went off the hands of Peyton Waters and landed in the hands of Devyn Jackson for a game-winning touchdown.

18: The pandemic was about to shut down high school sports in 2020. The final high school basketball game turned out to be a memorable Open Division regional final between Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda at Cal State Northridge. Sierra Canyon rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to win 63-61 on a shot at the buzzer by future NBA player Ziaire Williams. The state championships were canceled.

Former Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School basketball teammates, from left, LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee, appear in their high school gym on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009.

(Amy Sancetta / Associated Press)

19: On Jan. 4, 2003, Los Angeles got its first look at a teenage basketball player everyone said was destined for greatness. The hype was so big he sold out Pauley Pavilion. LeBron James scored 21 points to help St. Vincent-St. Mary’s defeat Mater Dei 64-58. I was not impressed with his three-point shooting, but his work ethic changed that. He’d be drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s entering his 24th NBA season and is the all-time NBA scoring leader. But my biggest memory was the family sending someone to get him food from Burger King instead of Lawry’s at a media event that week.

Chino Hills guard LaMelo Ball pulls up for a shot over Mater Dei’s Michael Wang and Matthew Weyand (21).

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

20: In 2017, a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 showed up at USC’s Galen Center to witness an astounding basketball doubleheader featuring a playoff semifinal matching Chino Hills against Mater Dei and Bishop Montgomery against Sierra Canyon. It was an electric atmosphere and the games lived up to expectations. Mater Dei, led by future NBA player Bol Bol, beat Chino Hills and LaMelo Ball in overtime. Bishop Montgomery upset No. 1-seeded Sierra Canyon and future NBA first-round draft pick Marvin Bagley Jr. Anyone who attended will say it was the best two games of high school playoff basketball they’ve seen.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jered Weaver throws to the plate during the second inning of his no-hitter against the Twins in 2012.

(Uncredited/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

21: Major League Baseball beat writers need occasional breaks during the season, so on May 2, 2012, I was recruited to fill in for Mike DiGiovanna to report on the Angels-Twins game from Angel Stadium. I was excited to get to see former Simi Valley pitcher Jered Weaver on the mound. I’m also the good-luck writer. Whenever I cover a pro game, strange things happen. Sure enough, Weaver threw a no-hitter in my only Angel game of the year. Maybe Shohei Ohtani should invite me to his next start for the Dodgers.

: Right–hand pitcher Lucas Giolito (right) and left–hander Max Fried (left) of Harvard–Westlake in 2012.

(Los Angeles Times)

22: I’m sitting in the Harvard-Westlake dugout in January 2012 interviewing Max Fried and Lucas Giolito, two future first-round draft picks. Fried arrived after Montclair Prep canceled its sports program. They’d go on to be major league pitchers after each endured arm surgeries. Somehow, they got placed in the same classes, starting a friendship that will last a lifetime. Here’s video of that moment.

Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett.

(Robert S. Helfman)

23: Covering the City Section is about telling stories of overcoming road blocks, dealing with adversity and rising up to lead. In 2012, I told the story of three lifers as football coaches — Robert Garrett of Crenshaw, Paul Knox of Dorsey and Mike Walsh of San Pedro.

Former Granada Hills football and baseball coach Darryl Stroh (right) with his former co-football coach Tom Harp.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

24: The legend of coach Darryl Stroh was proven in 1987 when Granada Hills upset unbeaten Carson in the City Section championship football game. He and co-coach Tom Harp would win more City titles in baseball and volleyball, respectively.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame baseball coach Tom Dill with his former pupil, Giancarlo Stanton.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

25: I never thought I’d run into a better all-around athlete than John Elway. Then Mike Stanton, now known as Giancarlo Stanton, showed up at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and by his senior year in 2007, he was All-CIF in football, basketball and baseball. As baseball coach Tom Dill said, “He’s a highlight reel every three or four games.” The only thing he couldn’t do was make free throws. He would lose a contest to Shaquille O’Neal.

Jon Garland pitching for Kennedy High.

(Los Angeles Times)

26: The reason I like baseball best among all the sports in Southern California is because it produces the most pro prospects every year, and it’s not even close. There’s so many top pitchers I’ve seen before they were household names. Paul Skenes. Gerrit Cole. Jack McDowell. Bret Saberhagen. Max Fried. It goes on and on. Here’s a story from 2024 looking at the best pitchers through the years.

Brentwood coach Ryan Bailey.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

27: In 2018, the basketball championships in the City Section and Southern Section became a breakthrough season for Black coaches. It was time to offer thanks to the likes of Willie West at Crenshaw and Reggie Morris of Manual Arts for paving the way for the next generation of Black head coaches.

Hall of Fame basketball player Gail Goodrich returned to Sun Valley Poly High for a ceremony to name the gym after him in 2025.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Anges Times)

28: In 1999, I got to talk to two of my favorite people all-time — John Wooden and Gail Goodrich. Wooden told the story of how he spotted Goodrich at a high school basketball game. I spoke to Wooden numerous times calling him at his Encino condo. Every time he picked up, he was friendly and made me feel so lucky speaking with a living legend. Goodrich became a Hall of Famer out of my alma mater, Poly High in Sun Valley, where the gym was named in his honor last year.

Nine months after brain surgery for a football injury, Nathan Santa Cruz of Venice ran the anchor leg in the 4×400 relay and helped the Gondoliers finish second at the City Section championships and earn spot in state championships.

(Craig Weston)

29: On the opening night of the 2022 high school football season, 15-year-old sophomore Nathan Santa Cruz of Venice suffered a head injury that resulted in emergency brain surgery to save his life. Thanks to the fast action of medical personnel at the game and at the hospital, he was back running track nine months later. It took months of being patient waiting for people to be willing to talk about the emotional scene to explain how his life was saved. He returned to play football in 2023 and 2024.

Long Beach Poly coach Sharrief Metoyer throws his hands up in an act of exasperation along the sidline.

(Los Angeles Times)

30: The frustration with CIF transfer rules reached an unprecedented moment in a 2013 state basketball playoff game between Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei. Poly coach Sharrief Metoyer chose to put into the game an ineligible player in protest. I watched in horror knowing the consequences. He’d never coach another game for Poly. It was sad that a young, promising coach had made a terrible mistake. He was suspended for a year and then resigned.

31: In 2015, I learned a valuable lesson: Don’t tweet that a game is over until it’s really over. With San Marino down 21 points in the fourth quarter to Sierra Canyon in a state football playoff game I tweeted, “Start warming up the bus to Sacramento for Sierra Canyon.” Well, San Marino rallied for a 36-35 victory. I don’t think Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse will ever forgive me for the jinx.

Servite coach Troy Thomas, in 2009, is congratulated by assistant coach Ken Foersch, now the president of Crespi.

(Christine Cotter/Los Angeles Times)

32: I still think Edison had the best football team in 2009. Unfortunately, it rained and rained and Angel Stadium became a soggy field more suitable for ducks. The surfer team couldn’t handle it, with Servite beating the Chargers 16-6 in the Pac-5 championship game. It was Edison’s only loss of the season and the Chargers had beaten Servite in the regular season. I remember walking on the field afterward and ruining my shoes and seeing Servite players love every moment of playing in the rain.

With downtown Los Angeles in the background, Contreras football coach Manuel Guevara prepares for another obstacle this season — ICE raids that strike fear among his players and their parents.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

33: In the summer of 2025, immigration agents, dressed in tactical gear and riding on horses and in armored vehicles, made a show of force through MacArthur Park trying to strike fear into the immigrant community. And they did. More than 20 players skipped football practice at Contreras in downtown Los Angeles. I went there and saw the fear on the faces of players wondering if their parents would even show up to games in the fall. It resulted in an important story how teenagers were being affected by ICE.

34: The Wolf brothers, Jim and Randy, from El Camino Real, were destined to do what they loved best — umpire and pitch, respectively, in the major leagues. Their dreams came true. In 1997, as each was doing the hard preparation work to fulfill their goals, I wrote a story, “Brothers of Summer.” “It’s like trying to get on the Supreme Court,” Randy said of his brother’s umpire journey. “It’s just sticking it out and not giving up,” Jimmy said.

Quarterback Josh Rosen, in a 2013 photo, celebrating St. John Bosco going 16-0.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

35: St. John Bosco finished 16-0 in 2013 with a 20-14 win over De La Salle before a record crowd of 16,791 in Carson to win the Open Division state championship bowl game. The game had drama and excitement but what really stayed in my memory was quarterback Josh Rosen jumping into the stands and getting his photo taken with St. John Bosco fans and students.

In 1992, Eric Sondheimer presents Taft High grad Quincy Watts a gift from winning the 400 meters at the Olympic Games.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

36: It’s 1992, and Taft High graduate Quincy Watts won the 400 meters at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. He came home with two gold medals and his alma mater honored him. I got to present him a framed newspaper copy of his achievement. Twenty years later, I wrote a story with the headline: Quincy Watts is a role model for what is possible.

Former Taft standout Steve Smith had his No. 2 jersey number retired in 2023 and brought his three sons, Jordan (left), Theo and Carter.

(Craig Weston)

37: Steve Smith was a prodigy at Taft High in football and basketball. He made amazing receptions and dunked against anybody. He had his football jersey retired in 2023. He joined the City Section Hall of Fame in 2025. He became a standout receiver for USC and a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants. He and his brother, Malcolm, a linebacker and another Super Bowl winner, were examples of all the good that can happen when raised by parents to be respectful and humble.

Serra High School receiver Robert Woods in 2008.

(Los Angeles Times)

38: In 2008, I met a promising receiver at Gardena Serra, Robert Woods, and learned what his motivation would be for years — make his older sister, Olivia, proud after she had died of cancer in the spring at the age 17. He’d become an All-American at USC and Super Bowl winner with the Rams.

39: Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra was fast. He was so fast that in 2022, I was there at Moorpark High to see him run the fastest wind-legal 100 meters time in state history, 10.14 seconds, as he let out a primal scream.

Windward freshman Juju Watkins could be a trendsetter in women’s basketball. She’s averaging 21 points as a 14-year-old.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

40: First there was Cheryl Miller, then Lisa Leslie. They were the faces of high school girls’ basketball in Southern California. Along came JuJu Watkins, a 14-year-old freshman at Windward who her coach, Vanessa Nygaard, told me in 2020, “Her potential is unknown.” She became The Times’ player of the year as a freshman. Her skills were off the charts, as was her personality. Her great-grandfather, Ted Watkins, was a revered leader in Watts in the 1960s. In the era of NIL, she got an agent, signed a shoe deal, transferred to Sierra Canyon and became the No. 1 player in the country before signing with USC and becoming a national figure.

Jim Toring, then a Harvard-Westlake High School senior, is photographed in the campus pool in Studio City on May 25, 1993.

(Brian Vander Brug/For The Times)

41: It’s May 3, 1998, and I have tears at the celebration of life for Jim Toring, one of America’s greatest athletes in the sport of water polo. I met him when he was a freshman at Harvard-Westlake. His coach, Rich Corso, told me how great he’d become. He led UCLA to two NCAA titles and was destined to be a star for the U.S. Olympic water polo team in 2000. He was killed at the age of 23 in a bus accident in Paris.
`

Former Campbell Hall and Northridge Little Leaguer Michael Frost.

(Los Angeles Times)

42: In 2000, Michael Frost was a senior at Campbell Hall and asked to look back at what happened to him as a 12-year-old. He struck out to end Northridge Little League’s 4-3 loss to Venezuela in the 1994 Little League World Series. I wrote: “He was only 12, too young to think his life was ruined but old enough to understand he had gone through a life-changing experience.” Six years later: “It was very hard to get over that. I learned how to deal with it and it became one of the best life experiences I’ve ever had, to come back from a failure and strive to be better.” The power of moving forward. He ended up pitching in college.

Carson coach Elijah Asante addressing players in the locker room in 2010 before 14-10 upset of Mater Dei.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

43: It was the first football game of the 2010 season, and Carson coach Elijah Asante invited me to be a passenger on the bus to and from Santa Ana Stadium for a game against Mater Dei. He wore a microphone in the locker room and allowed me to give readers a behind-the-scenes look. Incredibly, Carson defeated Mater Dei 14-10 and it was my favorite video ever shot.

Riding in a jeep on a muddy road in Kenya, sportswriter Eric Sondheimer and former North Hollywood basketball coach Steve Miller do a podcast in 2018.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

44: Before Zoom, before podcasts became big, I was taping a weekly show for YouTube with former North Hollywood basketball coach Steve Miller entitled, “Sondy and the Coach.” In 2018, one episode was taped in a jeep while driving on a muddy road in Kenya and shaking back and forth. It was safari time.

Brothers, Jrue and Justin Holiday of the Campbell Hall basketball team in 2005.

(Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times)

45: In 2014, Jrue Holiday of Campbell Hall acted like he was a most normal high school student even though everyone predicted NBA stardom was ahead. The lead of a column was: “Standing at the entrance to the gymnasium at North Hollywood Campbell Hall and wearing a Disneyland hat with the name ‘Grumpy’ emblazoned on its front, a smiling and playful Jrue Holiday hardly fit the profile of an All-American high school basketball player who, in a couple of years, could be playing with or against Kobe Bryant.” He was the manager for the girls’ tennis team and did the dishes at home.

Jack McDowell sent a signed plaque of his 1993 Cy Young Award to Eric Sondheimer, who covered him in 1984 at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

46: Jack McDowell was one of the best and most competitive high school athletes ever. In 1984, he helped pitch Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to a 27-1 record. He became an All-American at Stanford and Cy Young Award winner with the Chicago White Sox. His battle with umpires was legendary. “There were umpires in the Valley who trembled at the thought of being behind home plate with McDowell on the mound,” I wrote. “He might have been only a teenager, but he wasn’t afraid to bark out an expletive if he didn’t like a pitch call.” He sent me a framed and autographed plaque of his 1993 Cy Young Award. It showed me that a journalist can be fair and critical at the same time and earn an athlete’s respect.

47: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame opened its new $3-million baseball field in 2014, and the highlight besides unveiling the field was Neil Diamond showing up to sing, “Sweet Caroline,” with Larry King and Pete Rose watching.

Pablo Suarez, a former Chaminade athlete, owned 30 thoroughbreds in 2006.

(Myung J Chun / Los Angeles Times)

48: It was one of the strangest stories told in 1986. Chaminade student Pablo Suarez pulled off the charade of the year. His mother refused to sign a permission slip for him to play football. His father agreed to sign, and for nine months they kept the secret he was playing quarterback. One time his mother went to clean his closet. “We had a long hallway, and I sprinted down the hallway and opened the window,” he said. “I think I busted the screen to throw the [football] stuff out.” The secret was discovered when a courtesy phone call was made telling his mom about an injury. “My dad spent a couple days sleeping on the couch,” Suarez said.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, formerly of Harvard-Westlake, is now a star player for the Chicago Cubs.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

49: It’s the spring of 2020. The pandemic has shut down all high school sports. I’m sitting at home frustrated and bored. Then-sports editor Chris Stone suggests doing a video series using the new Zoom technology to interview seniors about how they are dealing with the pandemic. It was entitled, “Season Interrupted.” Suddenly, I’m fired up and interviewing athletes every day. The first was future major leaguer Pete Crow-Armstong. It helped save my sanity and re-charge my enthusiasm while keeping high school sports going at a time of uncertainty.

50: It’s late into the night at Dodger Stadium in the 1985 City Section final. Neither Kennedy nor Banning is budging. It’s the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied at 9-9. Up comes sophomore Kevin Farlow of Kennedy with two outs. He hits a game-winning home run down the left-field line. It’s bedlam for the fans who stayed. It’s stunning to see a high school kid hit a walk-off home run in a major league park.

Eric Sondheimer interviews Dominic Dent during his days at Corona Centennial.

(/Nick Koza)

It’s been a great run. Thank you to the many photographers, some of them freelancers who worked for no pay, just wanting to be part of the high school sports experience. And thank you to those who still read newspapers. They may one day go away unless community members, young and old, provide support. There’s many more stories to tell. And I’m not retiring anytime soon.

Eric Sondheimer plays golf in the 1990s with Simi Valley and UCLA star Don MacLean and legendary sportswriter Pete Kokon, who gave Eric his first job at $15 a story for the San Fernando Sun.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Torres at Manual Arts

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Arroyo Valley at Moreno Valley

Colton at Eisenhower

Compton at Orange Vista

El Toro at Marina

Fontana at Jurupa Valley

Glendora at Walnut

Grand Terrace ar Palm Springs

Indian Springs at Indio

Jurupa Hills at Hesperia

Los Alamitos at Huntington Beach

Los Osos at Citrus Valley

Miller at Citrus Hill

Norte Vidta at Rancho Christian

Patriot at Granite Hills

Perris at Redlands East Valley

Placentia Valencia at Santa Ana

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Adelanto

Rim of the World at Western Christian

Riverside Prep at Twentynine Palms

San Gorgonio at Corona

San Dimas at Chaffey

Sultana at Liberty, 7:30 p.m.

Sunny Hills at California

Vista del Lago at Hillcrest

Western at Villa Park

Woodbridge at La Palma Kennedy

INTERSECTIONAL

Fallbrook at Canyon Springs

Long Beach Jordan at Crenshaw

Mendez at Keppel

Orlando Bishop Moore at Palos Verdes, 6 p.m.

Sierra Canyon at Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna, 4p.m.

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Stella at East Valley

INTERSECTIONAL

Animo Robinson at California School for the Deaf Riverside, 6 p.m.

Downey Calvary Chapel at Valley Oaks CES

New Designs Watts vs. Milken at Birmingham

Sherman Oaks CES at Sage Hill

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Arleta ar Bernstein

Canoga Park at Hollywood

Carson at Dorsey

Cleveland at Reseda

Contreras at Los Angeles Wilson

Diego Rivera ar Santee

Franklin at Chatsworth

Gardena at South East

Jefferson at Van Nuys

Los Angeles Marshall at Fairfax

Legacy at Lincoln

Locke at Belmont

Manual Arts at Panorama

Marquez at Bell

Maywood CES at Fremont

Reseda at Cleveland

Sun Valley Poly at San Fernando

Venice at Granada Hills

Washington Prep at Roybal

Wilmington Banning at Huntington Park

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Agoura at Westlake

Alemany at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Alta Loma at St. Francis

Aliso Niguel at Laguna Hills

Antelope Valley at St. Genevieve

Arcadia at San Gabriel

Artesia at Hacienda Heights Wilson

Azusa at Garey

Banning ar Redlands

Barstow at Serrano

Bassett at Hoover

Bellflower at Trabuco Hills

Bell Gardens at Bishop Montgomery

Big Bear at Glendale

Bishop Amat at Oak Hills

Bolsa Grande at Irvine University

Bonita at Diamond Ranch

Buena at Dos Pueblos

Buena Park at Westminster

Calabasas at Rio Mesa

California Military at Firebaugh

Camarillo at Moorpark

Canyon Country Canyon at Glendale

Cathedral City at San Bernardino

Century at Glenn

Cerritos Valley Christian at Mary Star of the Sea

Chaminade at Valencia

Channel Islands at Viewpoint

Charter Oak at Upland

Chino at West Covina

Coachella Valley at Rancho Mirage

Colony at Norco

Compton Centennial at Beverly Hills

Compton Early College at Magnolia \

Corona Santiago at Temescal Canyon

Costa Mesa at Estancia

Crean Lutheran at Mira Costa

Crespi vs. Golden Valley at Canyon Country Canyon

Cypress at Brea Olinda

Damien at Vista Murrieta

Desert at Lancaster Baptist

Desert Chapel at Whittier Christian

Desert Hot Springs at Xavier Prep

Desert Mirage at San Jacinto Valley Academy

Diamond Bar at Claremont

Don Lugo at Carter

Downey at Capistrano Valley

Eastvale Roosevelt at Summit

El Dorado at Fullerton

El Modena at Segerstrom

El Segundo at Northwood

Elsinore at Temecula Valley

Fountain Valley at Esperanza

Gahr at Cerritos

Ganesha at El Monte

Garden Grove at Garden Grove Pacifica

Hart at Newbury Park

Hemet at Tahquitz

Heritage at Kaiser

Highland at Apple Valley

Lakewood at Paramount

La Puente at Temple City

La Salle at San Marino

Leuzinger at Palmdale

Loara at Lakeside

Long Beach Wilson at JSerra

Knight at Crescenta Valley

Maranatha at Covina

Millikan at Loyola

Montclair at Burbank Burroughs

Montebello at Cantwell-Sacred Heart

Murrieta Mesa at Etiwanda

Newport Harbor at Lancaster

Nogales at Sierra Vista

Northview at La Habra

Norwalk at La Mirada

Oaks Christian at Rancho Cucamonga

Oak Park at Fillmore

Ontario at La Sierra

Ontario Christian at St. Anthony

Orange at Laguna Beach

Oxnard at Ventura

Pacific at Rubidoux

Peninsula at Ocean View

Portola at Irvine

Ramona at Arlington

Rancho Alamitos at Godinez

Rancho Verde at Anaheim Canyon

Riverside Notre Dame at Bloomington

Riverside Poly at Riverside North

Rowland at Baldwin Park

Royal at Carpinteria

San Marcos at Del Sol

San Jacinto at Riverside King

San Juan Hills at Chaparral

Santa Ana Foothill at Tustin

Santa Ana Valley at Katella

Santa Barbara at Corona del Mar

Santa Fe at El Rancho

Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial

Santa Monica at La Canada

Santa Paula at Grace

Savanna at Anaheim

Schurr at L:a Serna

Servite at Murrieta Valley

Silverado at Yucaipa

Sonora at Rosemead

South El Monte at Saddleback

South Hills at Ayala

South Torrance at Arroyo

St. Bonaventure at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy

St. Monica at Cathedral

St. Paul at Mission Viejo

Tesoro at Dana Hills

Thousand Oaks at Hueneme

Torrance at Redondo Union

Troy at Rio Hondo Prep

Westminster La Quinta at Pioneer

West Ranch at Bishop Diego

West Valley at Santa Rosa Academy

Whittier at Gabrielino

Workman at Mountain View

Yorba Linda at Long Beach Poly

Yucca Valley at La Quinta

INTERSECTIONAL

Aquinas at Boise (Idaho) Bishop Kelly

Bakersfield at Paraclete

Bakersfield Independence at Cajon

Beckman at Pleasant Hill College Park

Burbank at Las Vegas Centennial

California City at Silver Valley

Central at Palm Desert

Chino Hills at Oceanside El Camino

Eagle Rock at Monrovia

Eastside at Rosamond

Hawkins at Verbum Dei, 5 p.m.

Heritage Christian at El Camino Real

Inglewood at Austin Westlake (Texas), 5 p.m.

King/Drew at Culver City

Las Vegas Shadow Ridge at Simi Valley

Los Altos at South Gate

Los Angeles Hamilton at Gardena Serra

Los Ángeles Jordan at Santa Clara

Los Ángeles Roosevelt at Lawndale

Los Ángeles University at Brentwood

Lynwood at Dymally, 4 p.m.

Mayfair at Bullard

Muir at Henderson (NV) Pinecrest Academy Sloane Canyon, 6 p.m.

North County San Marcos at Great Oak

North Torrance at Narbonne

Orange Lutheran at San Diego Cathedral Catholic

Palisades at Harvard-Westlake

Palo Verde Valley at Shadow Hills

Pasadena at Granada Hills Kennedy

Philadelphia Roman Catholic at St. John Bosco

Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle at Edison

Quartz Hill at San Marcos Mission Hills

Rancho Dominguez at Bosco Tech

Salesian at Mesa (Ariz.) Westwood

San Diego Lincoln at Oxnard Pacifica

Spanish Fork (Utah) Maple Mountain at South Pasadena

Sylmar vs. Saugus at College of the Canyons

Taft at Nordhoff

Temecula Prep at Tri-City Christian

Valley View vs. Sports Leadership & Management at Bishop Gorman

Victor Valley at Mater Academy East Las Vegas (Nev.)

Victory Christian Academy at Anza Hamilton

Village Christian at North Hollywood

Warren at Scripps Ranch

West Adams at Pomona

Westchester at St. Bernard

West Torrance at San Pedro

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Chadwick at Faith Baptist, 4 p.m.

Mammoth at Flintridge Prep

Maricopa at Frazier Mountain, 6 p.m.

Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian at Entrepreneur

Vista Meridian at Calvary Baptist

INTERSECTIONAL

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac at Fulton, 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Webb at Duarte

INTERSECTIONAL

Mater Dei vs. Orem (Utah) at Salt Lake City West

8-MAN

INTERSECTIONAL

Lucerne Valley at San Luis Obispo Classical, 2 p.m.

South L.A. College Prep at Pasadena Poly, 11 a.m.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Hollywood 20, Fairfax 6

Los Angeles Wilson 44, Grant 0

South East 18, Maywood CES 2

Southern Section

Antelope Valley 6, Golden Valley 0

Compton Early College 18, Whitney 12

Sage Hill 13, Villa Park 0

Santa Monica 12, North Torrance 6

West Ranch 20, Harvard-Westlake 6

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Carson 40, Garfield 0

Franklin 26, Wilmington Banning 20

Narbonne 24, Arleta 0

San Pedro 25, L.A. Marshall 0

Southern Section

Ayala 12, Great Oak 0

Beaumont 27, Corona Santiago 13

Bonita 59, Saddleback 0

Bonita 40, West Covina 0

Chaparral 18, Corona Centennial 12

Crean Lutheran 13, Rosary 0

Desert Hot Springs 35, Nogales 30

Glendora 52, Sierra Vista 6

Great Oak 32, Elsinore 7

La Quinta 25, Redlands 15

Long Beach Wilson 2, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0

Murrieta Mesa 13, Patriot 12

Norco 7, Vista Murrieta 6

Norco 24, Riverside King 6

Riverside King 28, Vista Murrieta 14

Riverside Poly 24, Citrus Valley 7

Riverside Poly 24, San Gorgonio 6

Sage Hill 27, Sunny Hills 0

San Gorgonio 20, Citrus Valley 19

St. Bonaventure 27, Del Sol 0

St. Margaret’s 14, Irvine University 13

Vista Murrieta 18, Murrieta Mesa 12

West Covina 38, Saddleback 0

Intersectional

Bellflower 19, Garfield 0

Carson 33, Bellflower 0

Castaic 12, Panorama 6

Granada Hills Kennedy 12, Valencia 12

Inglewood 19, Los Angeles Marshall 12

Narbonne 7, Torrance

Palos Verdes 33, Franklin 12

Palos Verdes 30, Wilmington Banning 15

San Pedro 32, Inglewood 0

Torrance 18, Arleta 0

Aug. 22 (UPI) — A 17-year-old girl is dead after a sword attack at a Swedish high school on Friday.

Three students were injured, two of them seriously, in the attack in Fagersta, Sweden.

The alleged attacker is an 18-year-old, male student of the school who carried out the attack while classes were in session Friday. He was arrested and the police are investigating the case as murder and attempted murder. They said they have no reason to believe there were more attackers involved.

The Brinelskolan School principal told local news Saturday that the attacker was a student there.

Vastmanland County said the two injured boys are ages 12 and 17, ABC News reported. The third person is also younger than 18 and was slightly injured. That person has been discharged from the hospital, Swedish News agency TT reported.

The teen girl’s body was found when police entered the school to secure the premises, authorities said.

Police said they fired shots at the attacker, but didn’t hit him. Sweden’s national police said they have carried out two searches of homes connected to the suspect and that they expect to interview many witnesses.

“That’s why we can’t give out too much information, because we don’t want to influence witnesses,” Police Chief Tommy Alriksson said.

No official information on the attacker’s motive has been released.

On Saturday morning, people gathered at a memorial site that the town created, carrying flowers and lighting candles, CBS News reported.

Fagersta city government said it created a crisis center in a sports hall near the school. Fagersta is a town of about 12,000 about 105 miles northwest of Stockholm.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and opposition party leader Magdalena Andersson visited the memorial site to lay flowers.

“What must never happen has happened again,” Kristersson said.

Sweden’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for September, so the Swedish political parties suspended their campaigning Saturday.

School attacks have happened in Sweden several times in recent history.

In February 2025, 11 people, including the gunman, were killed in an attack on an adult education center in Orebro. It was Sweden’s worst-ever mass shooting. After the attack, the government tightened gun laws because the suspect had legally owned four rifles. He had brought three of them to the attack.

Two teachers were killed with a knife at a high school in Malmo in 2022, and an 18-year-old later confessed to the killings.

In 2015, three people were killed in a sword attack in Trollhattan, Sweden.

A look at the top performers from high school football games across the Southland this week.

RUSHING

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield: Rushed for 277 yards and scored five touchdowns in win over Montebello.

• Jorden Wells, Servite: Rushed for 117 yards and one touchdown in loss to Corona Centennial.

• Sameer Ferguson, Victor Valley: Rushed for 136 yards in win over West Covina.

• Denzel Carter, La Salle: Had 254 yards rushing and four touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes in win over Cantwell-Sacred Heart.

• Tru Warrior Casas, Fairfax: Rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns in win over Hollywood.

• Joshua Jones, Crenshaw: Rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown in win over Palisades.

• Asir Nembhard, Mater Dei: Rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in win over American Fork.

PASSING

• Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach: Completed 24 of 31 passes for 441 yards and six touchdowns in win over Long Beach Millikan.

• Cody King, Castaic: Passed for 357 yards and two touchdowns in win over Buena.

• Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial: Passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns in win over Servite.

• Trent Lux, Great Oak: Passed for 230 yards and four touchdowns in win over Vista Murrieta.

• Chase Curren, Crespi: Passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Donovan Shirley, Salesian: Passed for 348 yards and five touchdowns in win over Western.

• Gibson Turner, Torrance: Passed for 324 yards and four touchdowns in win over Mira Costa.

• Fletch Palmer, Santa Margarita: Passed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in win over Orlando (Fla.) Jones.

• Chris Field III, Carson: Accounted for four touchdowns, including the game-winner, in win over San Diego Lincoln.

• Matthew Escobedo, Cantwell-Sacred Heart: Passed for 452 yards and five touchdowns in loss to La Salle.

RECEIVING

• Dylin Bruce, Huntington Beach: Had 10 receptions for 226 yards and three touchdowns in win over Millikan.

• Ian Do, Cypress: Caught six passes for 182 yards in win over Cerritos.

• Quentin Hale, Corona Centennial: Caught eight passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in wn over Servite.

• Jordan Slye Jr., Salesian: Caught seven passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in win over Western.

DEFENSE

• Vincent Scates, San Dimas: Returned an interception for a touchdown in win over Glendora.

• De’Andre Kirkpatrick, Crenshaw: Had an interception and ran for touchdown vs. Palisades.

• Jaxson Rex, San Clemente: Returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown in win over Tustin.

• Hudson Manning, Chaminade: Had four sacks in shutout of Oaks Christian.

• George Hastings, Agoura: Contributed seven tackles, 103 yards rushing and a kickoff return for a touchdown in win over Saugus.

• Aydan Steen, Santa Margarita: The freshman had seven solo tackles vs. Orlando (Fla.) Jones.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Nevada Ford, Oak Park: Returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in win over Angelou.

• Niko Dragin, Palos Verdes: Made game-winning 22-yard field goal as time expired in win over Gardena Serra.

• Jalen Flowers, Palos Verdes: Returned kickoff 97 yards for touchdown in defeat of Gardena Serra.

• Jonas Mendoza, Long Beach Poly: Made 41-yard field goal in win over Downey.

• Myles Baker, Sierra Canyon: Returned kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in win over JSerra.

Aug. 21 (UPI) — A man wielding a sword entered a Swedish high school and injured three people Friday before being shot and arrested by police.

Police were called at 2 p.m. local time at Brinelskolan School in Fagersta, Sweden. The students had just returned from summer break this week.

Two of the three people were seriously injured. Local media reported that the attacker was shot in the leg by police, the BBC reported.

Eight other area schools were put on lockdown, but that has since been lifted. A state of high alert was declared for the Vastmanland region. Fagersta, a town of about 12,000 residents, is about 105 miles northwest of Stockholm.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson posted on X that a “serious incident” happened in Fagersta.

“There are reports of injured people. We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively. I want to ask everyone to let the police and emergency services work undisturbed. Our thoughts are with all those affected,” the post said.

School attacks have happened in Sweden several times in recent years.

In February 2025, 11 people, including the gunman, were killed in an attack on an adult education center in Orebro. It was Sweden’s worst-ever mass shooting. After the attack, the government tightened gun laws because the suspect had legally owned four rifles. He had brought three of them to the attack.

Two teachers were killed with a knife at a high school in Malmo in 2022, and an 18-year-old later confessed to the killings.

In 2015, three people were killed in a sword attack in Trollhattan, Sweden.

Court cuts Infowars founder’s penalty for false claims that school shooting was a ‘hoax’ from $50m to $1.5m.

A court in the US state of Texas has slashed a fine that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was ordered to pay for capitalising on false claims that the deadly 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting was a “hoax”.

The unanimous opinion by the Texas Third Court of Appeals on Friday reduced the $50m judgment to $1.5m. The court found that parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose six-year-old son was one of 20 children and six staff killed in the shooting, did not provide enough evidence of harassment to pass the state’s $750,000 cap on damages.

“The families care not at all about this irrelevant ruling which affects only two of the 19 claims they all share. Jones still faces over a billion dollars of liability, so this changes absolutely nothing. All it does is highlight the absurdity of Texas law,” said Mark Bankston, an attorney for Heslin and Lewis in Texas.

The decision does not affect a separate ruling against Jones in Connecticut that ordered him to pay $1.25bn for his claims that the shooting was a hoax perpetrated by the government to justify gun regulations.

The case centred on the allegation that Jones knowingly pushed false claims about the victims and their families – including that the children who were killed were actors – to capitalise on attention around the shooting for his Infowars platform, even as his claims led to a torrent of abuse for the families of victims. Many said they faced death threats and were forced to relocate as a result.

Jones and his company have filed for bankruptcy, and he gave up the Infowars brand in April. He has continued to broadcast online and share his shows on the social media platform X.

Jones called the Friday ruling a “gigantic victory for the First Amendment”, which protects freedom of expression in the US Constitution, adding that he will continue to appeal the case to the Texas state Supreme Court in a bid to have the remaining charges dismissed.

“I got lawyers who are good constitutional lawyers and they are not backing down,” Jones said.

Two teenagers have been seriously injured after a sword attack on a high school in Sweden, authorities have said.

Police were called to the Brinell School in Fagersta shortly after 14:00 local time (13:00 BST) on Friday, where officers arrested one man.

A third person was wounded in the attack but the extent of their injuries has not been confirmed, while reports in local media say the suspect was shot in the leg by police.

Eight other schools in the area were placed under lockdown measures – which have now been lifted – while a state of high alert was declared in the Vastmanland region following the attack.

Police have said there is currently no danger to the public.

In a post on X, Sweden’s Prime Minsiter Ulf Kristersson described the attack as a “serious incident,” and said “we do not know what lies behind the act, but we know that police are working very intensively”.

Students at Brinell School had only just returned to the classroom following the summer break, with the new term beginning either on Monday or Wednesday this week, depending on the academic year.

The school has just under 500 students on its roster, according to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT, and is located 170km (105 miles) north-west of the capital, Stockholm.

Sweden has experienced a number of attacks on educational institutions in recent years.

The country experienced it’s worst-ever mass shooting in 2025, where 11 people, including the gunman, died at an adult education centre in Orebro.

This led to the government tightening the country’s gun laws after it was found that the suspect legally owned four rifles, three of which were found in the school where attack took place.

Two teachers were killed in a violent attack on a secondary school in Malmo in 2022 – an 18-year-old student later confessed to the attack.

In 2015, a teacher and a pupil were killed in a sword attack at a school in Trollhattan.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Granada Hills Kennedy 47, SOCES 0

North Hollywood 18, New Designs University Park 0

Sun Valley Magnet 13, New Designs University Park 12

Sun Valley Magnet 6, North Hollywood 0

Southern Section

Aquinas 13, La Sierra 0

Ayala 44, Paramount 0

Beckman 41, San Juan Hills 20

Bishop Amat 6, California 0

Compton Early College 27, Animo Leadership 0

Costa Mesa 31, Pioneer 12

Covina 26, South El Monte 0

Culver City d. Dominguez, forfeit

Desert Hot Springs 28, Long Beach Wilson 0

Downey 47, Santa Monica 12

Eastvale Roosevelt 30, Don Lugo 0

El Dorado 18, Marina 6

Elsinore 33, Lakeside 0

Estancia 7, Tustin 0

Foothill 12, Northwood 8

Fountain Valley 20, San Clemente 19

Gabrielino 41, San Gabriel 0

Garden Grove 26, Bolsa Grande 0

Garden Grove Santiago 18, Valley View 13

Glendora 25, Westminster La Quinta 0

Godinez 13, Santa Ana Valley 6

Hart 9, Santa Paula 6

Indio 19, Cathedral City 13

Irvine 18, Los Osos 0

La Canada 27, Long Beach Jordan 6

Laguna Hills 19, Laguna Beach 13

Lakewood d. St. Anthony, forfeit

Lakewood St. Joseph 33, Mira Costa 0

La Palma Kennedy 12, Garden Grove Pacifica 0

La Serna 15, Upland 6

Los Alamitos 31, Millikan 26

Montclair 33, Bloomington 0

Mountain View 37, Whitney 0

Murrieta Mesa 13, Temescal Canyon 6

Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 36, Oxford Academy 6

Oaks Christian 39, Rio Mesa 12

Ocean View 6, Los Amigos 0

Pomona 6, Bell Gardens 6

Quartz Hill 12, Vasquez 6

Rialto 19, San Dimas 14

South Torrance 7, Bishop Montgomery 0

St. Paul 22, Whittier 6

Sunny Hills 26, Santa Fe 0

Tesoro 41, Segerstrom 0

United Christian Academy 20, San Jacinto Valley Academy 0

Villa Park 12, Placentia Valencia 6

Warren 27, Long Beach Poly 14

West Covina 9, Sierra Vista 6

Western Christian 19, South Hills 18

Westridge 18, Ramona Convent 0

Whittier 22, St. Paul 6

Yorba Linda 13, La Habra 6

Intersectional

Cerritos 38, Garfield 6

Montebello 7, Maywood CES 6

Panorama 2, Alemany 0

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Eagle Rock 33, Granada Hills Kennedy 6

Los Angeles Roosevelt 13, Sotomayor 0

Narbonne 35, Legacy 0

Franklin 31, San Fernando 8

Franklin 32, Los Angeles Hamilton 6

Los Angeles Hamilton 14, San Fernando 0

Van Nuys 39, Magnolia Science Academy Reseda 0

Southern Section

Adelanto 18, Eastside 0

Agoura 50, Simi Valley 14

Burbank Burroughs 13, Saugus 0

Camarillo 19, Thousand Oaks 0

Corona del Mar 14, Anaheim Canyon 12

Dos Pueblos 37, Lompoc 0

Gahr 18, Inglewood 12

Harvard-Westlake 25, Calabasas 6

JSerra 41, Edison 6

Knight 19, PACS 12

Mayfair 6, Cerritos Valley Christian 0

Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 25, Orange 12

Oak Park 18, Chaminade 13

Orange Lutheran 14, La Serna 0

Oxnard 32, Newbury Park 0

Palmdale 32, Rosamond 6

Redondo Union 69, West Torrance 0

Rio Mesa 20, Fillmore 14

Santa Barbara 39, Lompoc Cabrillo 0

San Marcos 25, Hart 0

St. Margaret’s 12, Capistrano Valley 0

Torrance 40, Lakewood 0

Trabuco Hills 13, Santa Margarita 7

Ventura 34, Channel Islands 0

Village Christian 39, Immaculate Heart 0

Westlake 39, Royal 6

Woodbridge 27, San Clemente 0

Intersectional

Canyon Country Canyon 57, Monroe 0

Compton 47, Port of Los Angeles 6

Van Nuys 7, Golden Valley 6

I spent my 10-year-old niece’s last week of summer freedom with her, jumping into and swimming in our family’s lake and overall being feral in nature.

She told me after our trip that she was dreading her return to school, communicating her Gen Alpha feelings via a simple broken heart emoji. It felt too soon for me too.

That energy is what inspired this week’s edition of The Wild, our weekly outdoors newsletter. Below I outline three great hikes around Los Angeles that are kid-friendly and great options to decompress after your family’s first week back to school (including if you’re a kid-free household with a tired educator). I hope you find these trails as rejuvenating as I did!

Before we dive in, a few quick reminders:

• You will not have cellphone reception for at least two of these hikes. Download trail maps ahead of time on your hiking navigation app, and also download an offline map of your driving route on your phone’s GPS navigation app.
• Pack extra water, especially if traveling to the San Gabriel Mountains, as mountain weather can be hard to predict, and it can be hotter than you anticipate.
• Take your time on twisting mountain roads; use paved vehicle turnouts to let faster traffic pass you, and watch out for cyclists; turn on your headlights when entering Angeles National Forest, regardless of the time of day.
• Let someone know where you’re going, including what time you’ll be back. Place a completed version of this form (or something like it) on your vehicle’s dashboard — just in case!
• And practice Leave No Trace principles, including not feeding any wildlife, picking up after yourself (including toilet paper) and not playing any loud music, as it bothers grumpy hikers like me and also the wildlife (the latter being more important than the former).

OK, now that you’re prepared to be safe and good to nature, let’s talk about those hikes!

The view of the L.A. area and our local mountains from Bee Rock in Griffith Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

1. Old Zoo — Bee Rock Loop (Griffith Park Explorer Segment 7)

Distance: 5 miles
Elevation gained: 930 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed: Yes
Nearest to: Atwater Village
Accessible alternative: Rio de Los Angeles Park loop

The Old Zoo — Bee Rock Loop is a 5-mile hike that takes you up to Bee Rock, an epic lookout point in Griffith Park. The route is part of Friends of Griffith Park’s Griffith Park Explorer, which organizes official trails into 15 hikeable segments (rather than you getting lost or ending your hike far from where you parked — not that I’ve ever experienced that).

I have passed Bee Rock at least a dozen times and each time told my hiking companion, “I really need to hike up there sometime!” I finally did last week, and I am already itching to return.

After leaving, I wanted to know how this local monolith got its name. I went to The Times’ archives, where I couldn’t find a precise answer.

Bee Rock as seen from the Bill Eckert Trail in Griffith Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

“Bee Rock acquired its name from the millions of bees which store their honey in its tiny caves which honeycomb it,” a March 1940 Times story read. Seems reasonable.

Retired ranger Bill Eckert told hikers per a 1985 story that Bee Rock got its name “because bees were attracted to the sweets at the old zoo’s refreshment stands and made their homes in the rock’s crevices.”

Eckert has a trail named after him, so I did feel inclined to believe his story.

As I searched for a clear answer, I felt better when I discovered that even experts like Gerry Hans, president of nonprofit Friends of Griffith Park, aren’t sure.

“There are theories and legends,” Hans wrote in a blog post in 2022. “The first is that the outcrop simply looks like a beehive. Another tale describes maintenance workers at the Old Zoo dumping spoiled soda syrup off the cliff, which lured swarms of bees. A third theory suggests that bees naturally take up residence in the holes and pocks on the cliff side overlooking Spring Canyon.”

Hans wrote that he had seen bees in the rock’s small caverns, but to do so, you must have good binoculars.

Armed with those facts and maybe some binocs, you can head out on the trail.

To begin your hike, you’ll park at Merry Go Round Lot One and head to the Lower Beacon Trail just past the southeast corner of the parking lot. Take good care in selecting where to start, as there are about five different paths you could take here.

You will head west on the Lower Beacon Trail, briefly walk southwest along the Fern Canyon Trail before taking the Upper Zoo Trail for much of the way. You’ll reach the Bee Rock Trail at 1 mile into your hike.

Views from the Bee Rock Trail around golden hour in Griffith Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You will follow the Bee Rock trail northwest for a short jag before you come to what might feel like a dead end.

The Bee Rock Trail narrows and heads south. You will take a few switchbacks up, wondering how you suddenly became surrounded in tree canopy. Hopefully the sky is helicopter-free and you can hear the local chatter of acorn woodpeckers and California scrub jays.

You’ll arrive at a chain-link fence where you can take a narrow dirt path to the rocky outcropping atop Bee Rock. If hiking with children, it’d be good for the adults to go first, as there are a few spots where the fence has been cut, and the allure of venturing farther than one should out onto boulders is high.

The view is stunning, and on a Thursday evening, I had it all to myself as the sun lowered near the horizon. It was a clear day, and I could see a large swath of Glendale and nearby Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak in the Verdugos and farther away Josephine Peak, Strawberry Peak and several other summits in the San Gabriel Mountains.

From here, you can turn around and head back to your car, especially if the smaller hikers among you are tired, or continue onward to complete the loop. The rest of the trail is not challenging, as you’re either walking on a flat trail or headed downhill. And it’s generally not crowded. If you’re hiking with a teenager, the rest of the trail offers a quiet few miles to talk together about the school day.

One of the pools along Soldier Creek.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

2. Lewis Falls

Distance: About a mile out and back
Elevation gained: About 300 feet
Difficulty: Easy, but requires proper footwear
Dogs allowed: Yes
Nearest to: North of Azusa
Accessible alternative: West Fork National Scenic Bikeway

The 1-mile out-and-back trek to Lewis Falls offers hikers a gorgeous journey along Soldier Creek, lined with California bay laurels, oak trees and hulking old conifers. The trail runs mostly parallel to the creek until you reach its end, where you must cross the creek, rocks and logs to reach Lewis Falls.

You will start by finding parking, its own adventure, as there is no lot. Rather, you will need to find a spot along Highway 39 near the trailhead. I didn’t have any trouble on a weekday, but on a weekend, it might be more challenging. That is essentially the only real downside of this trail.

A large old conifer provides shade along Soldier Creek.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You will hike slightly northeast for about half a mile before reaching the falls. Along the way, you’ll have ample opportunity to take a dip in Soldier Creek, as multiple pools remain, even this late in our summer.

If you find yourself saying, “Wow, this trail is really steep,” you are likely on the wrong path. You will spot multiple spur trails, likely created by either an impatient human or dexterous deer. You can identify them mostly by looking them over and realizing they offer a quicker, more dangerous option than the trail before you.

Soldier Creek features several shorter waterfalls as well as nearby Lewis Falls.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Although it is generally called Lewis Falls by hikers, the cascade historically had a different name.

“Longtime San Gabriel Mountains visitors and old maps refer to Soldier Creek Falls as ‘Lewis Falls,’ in honor of forest ranger Anselmo Lewis, who once patrolled these parts,” former Times outdoors writer John McKinney wrote in a 1998 article.

Although this trail is short, it does require a bit of technical expertise but nothing too tricky. You will find yourself navigating boulders and, at one point, using a root to step down onto the rest of the trail. It requires just a little patience and looking ahead of yourself to determine the safest route.

I was greeted by small blue dragonflies as I hiked along the creek. Instead of racing back to my car, I lay down on a log and listened to the sounds of rushing water and chirping birds. Soldier Creek provides any hiker willing to slow down with an opportunity to reset, regardless of whether you have homework waiting for you at home.

And if you aren’t ready to go home, consider heading five miles north on Highway 39 to the Crystal Lake Recreation Area, where further adventure — and a snack at the Crystal Lake Cafe — awaits.

Once you reach Mt. Hillyer, you’ll be greeted by large rocks that are fun to scramble along.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

3. Mt. Hillyer via Silver Moccasin Trail

Distance: 5.8-mile lollipop loop
Elevation gained: About 1,100 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed: Yes
Nearest to: About 45 minutes northeast of La Cañada Flintridge
Accessible alternative: Paved paths through Chilao Campground

This 6-mile jaunt along the Silver Moccasin Trail, which is just over 50 miles when fully open, takes you through high desert and pine trees.

Shaped like a lollipop, the trailhead sits about half a mile northwest of the Chilao Visitor Center, which is typically open on the weekend. You will head north for a mile before turning left (or west) off the Silver Moccasin Trail.

You will follow Horse Flats Road to the Rosenita Saddle trailhead, where you’ll take the trail southwest to Mt. Hillyer.

Views of the San Gabriel Mountains from the trail to Mt. Hillyer.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Keep an eye out for Jeffrey pines, which will have deeply furrowed bark and round prickly cones. Their bark smells like butterscotch or vanilla, which I always love pausing to sniff.

The trail also features Coulter pines that produce massive cones nicknamed widowmakers because of their size. The Coulter pine cones can weigh up to 11 pounds. If you’re in the area when it’s windy, please watch your head.

To reach Mt. Hillyer, you’ll follow a short spur trail about half a mile southwest from the Rosenita Saddle trailhead. Mt. Hillyer features several large boulders, perfect for kids to scramble and play on. It’ll also offer you sweeping views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

A hiker takes the path to Mt. Hillyer in the winter in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You can make the trail a loop by continuing south until it jags back east, meeting back up with the paved road you previously took.

And for the ultimate weekend adventure, grab a first-come, first-served campsite at Chilao Campground, and then you can hike and check out the Chilao Visitor Center, which is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday through November. As a bonus, there’s a short, flat nature trail at the east end of the nature center parking lot where you can typically find massive Coulter pine cones to inspect. A seasonal creek flows through this area too.

Regardless of which option you choose, I hope you make great memories in our local public lands.

3 things to do

The Milky Way is seen in the western night sky near Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest.

(Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times)

1. Ponder astrophysics in Pasadena
Caltech will host a stargazing lecture from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (1216 E. California Blvd. in Pasadena). Philosophy professor Charles “Chip” T. Sebens will lecture about basic questions that remain regarding atoms. A Q&A and then guided stargazing will follow. The event is free, and no registration is required. Learn more at events.caltech.edu.

2. Improve insect habitat near Altadena
The Invertebrate Club of Southern California needs volunteers from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Eaton Canyon. Participants will yank invasive plants to help restore the canyon. Volunteers must be 14 years or older. Registration is required. Sign up at signupgenius.com.

3. Peek at sandpipers in Pacoima
The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society will host a bird walk from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday. Guests will meet at the ranger station (10965 Dronfield Ave. in Pacoima) before heading out on a 1- to 3-mile walk through riparian areas, grassy lawns and unique rock formations. Birders can expect to see 30 to 50 species. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.

The must-read

Johnson’s Beach, along the Russian River, is one of the most popular spots along the lower Russian River.

(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The lower Russian River and the small communities along the watercourse in Sonoma County offer visitors every kind of adventure, whether you want to stay in a tent and simply float or you want a high-end outdoors experience. That’s what I gleaned from reading Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds’ article about how to get the most out of a visit to the Northern California sylvan paradise. “On summer weekends, thousands show up in Guerneville with kayaks, canoes, inner tubes — just about anything that will float, preferably with a cooler attached,” Reynolds writes. “Then they spend hours gliding downstream past scenery that might as well be a Northern California highlight reel: vineyards, redwood forests and eventually a beach scene full of driftwood and sea stacks.”

After finishing the piece, I immediately searched online for how far away L.A. is from Guerneville. It’s a long drive, but my colleague makes it sure feel worth it.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

Everyone should feel safe to recreate and work in outdoor spaces. To better ensure Deaf and Hard of Hearing folks feel supported wherever you recreate or volunteer, consider taking CorpsTHAT‘s upcoming “ASL for the Outdoors” virtual classes. Classes run from September to November and range from beginner to advanced. The fee is $250 per student. You can learn more, including how to register, at the organization’s website.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

The sunset of his NFL playing career came almost 30 years ago.

So what is Bucky Brooks doing before sunrise, unlocking the gate outside the Granada Hills High football field?

He’s getting in touch with his roots the way dozens of former NFL players are from coast to coast, teaching the game he loves to the latest generation.

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Granada Hills football coach Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player, talks about why he coaches high school football and why it attracts many former NFL players. (Sam Farmer / Los Angeles Times)

“There’s nothing like it,” said Brooks, 55, of coaching high school football. “The athletic part of you dies when we retire. There’s nothing that gives you that same feel of being the gladiator in the ring. But this is the closest thing. Even though you’re not playing, you live vicariously through their experiences.”

According to USA Today, there are 128 high school head coaches around the country who once played in the NFL. That includes Carson Palmer, the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick from USC, who in his debut season led Santa Margarita to a CIF state Open Division championship and was named MaxPrep’s 2025 national coach of the year.

“I’m where I need to be,” said Palmer, whose son, Fletch, is a quarterback and junior on this season’s team. “I missed so much when I was playing because I was so involved in so much.”

After retiring in 2018, he contemplated going the route of a lot of former players and working NFL games as a color analyst.

“I almost signed a contract doing TV stuff,” said Palmer, whose daughter, Bries, is a freshman at the school. “I wouldn’t be around when my kids come by my office at lunchtime, or when somebody has a stomachache and needs to take a class period to take a nap on my couch. I love that.”

Santa Margarita will open the season Friday by playing host to Jones High of Orlando, Fla. — a team coached by former Atlanta Falcons defensive back Elijah Williams.

“The standard’s been set, the culture’s been built, and now you’ve just got to carry it on,” Palmer said.

“This class that we have right now has done a phenomenal job. We’re running more stuff than we were last year, just because it’s these kids’ second year in the program.” He added the receivers, in particular, are playing with confidence because of their detailed route work — precise depths, footwork, releases that are “NFL routes” as opposed to “seven-on-seven stuff.”

If you’re an up-and-coming quarterback, there has to be an extra layer of pressure and expectation if your father played the position at an elite level. Philip Rivers understands that. His son, Gunner, a four-star quarterback in the class of 2027 who plays for his dad at St. Michael Catholic High in Fairhope, Ala. The younger Rivers will be headed to North Carolina State, following in the sizable footsteps of his father.

Likewise, Philip Rivers followed his own dad, Steve, a legendary Alabama high school coach.

Granada Hills coach Bucky Brooks watches his players run drills during a recent practice.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

“I grew up wanting to be my dad’s quarterback, and now I’m getting to coach my son and relive it all again 30 years later,” said Philip Rivers, who also has a younger son, Pete, on the team. “Everything goes too dang fast. There’s some long days throughout the years, but it all goes too fast. You wish you could slow it all down.”

All of this gives Philip a better understanding of his own father.

“My dad’s in the state Hall of Fame,” he said, “but he never won a state championship. His championship trophies were in his desk drawer, the letters players had written him over the years. We want them to be better men for having been in our football program. That’s the mission.”

Almost three years ago, former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck was hired as varsity football coach at Ensworth High in Nashville. He gave up his job as primary game analyst for “ACC Primetime Football” in part to coach his son, Taylor, now a quarterback at Wyoming.

Granada Hills coach Bucky Brooks huddles with defensive players during a recent practice in preparation for the 2026 high school football season.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Coaching high school football became a family affair, with parents Don and Mary Beth selling their Boston house of 50 years and moving to Tennessee, and Don — the former NFL tight end who died last year — joining his son’s staff. Matt Hasselbeck, Tim’s brother and a former Super Bowl quarterback, came on board as well as Ensworth’s offensive coordinator.

“We all had coaches who made an incredible impact on our lives,” Matt said. “And we probably had coaches who had a negative impact as well. … I didn’t seek out coaching. I said I’d do a three-day clinic. I just don’t remember stopping.”

By Archie Manning’s count, about 30,000 high school players have been enrolled in the 30 years of the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodeaux, La. The weeklong camp focuses on quarterbacks and receivers, and college players from around the country serve as counselors, as do brothers Peyton, Eli and Cooper Manning.

“I tell Peyton and Eli, ‘Listen, when these kids get home, their granddaddy is going to ask them, ‘Did you meet Peyton and Eli?’” said Archie of his two NFL quarterback sons. “And I want them to say, ‘Yes.’ OK, so get your butt around to everyone. They try to get in front of every kid.

“The kids we deal with are just so eager and excited, and that’s what makes it so fun.”

Back at Granada Hills, where he has coached since 2019, Brooks is looking to instill in his players some of the lessons he learned from the all-star cast of NFL coaches he played for as a defensive back — among them Marv Levy, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy, Marty Schottenheimer and Jon Gruden.

“We all feel an obligation to give back,” Brooks said. “Your Pop Warner coach, your high school coach, your college coach. … I want to take those same lessons people gave me and give it to the next people.”

Granada Hills coach Bucky Brooks talks to his players before practice.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

That requires sacrifice. Brooks has worked as a sportswriter for Sports Illustrated and analyst for NFL Network. Now, he’s a commentator for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ TV Network, meaning he finishes a high school game and flies to where the Jaguars are playing.

Sometimes, that means hopping on a plane to London after coaching a Friday night game. His assistant coaches, mostly a group of his former Granada Hills players, have to pick up the slack sometimes with the subsequent practices early in the following week.

“It’s been a great leadership lesson for me,” Brooks said. “I’ve learned to delegate and let other people take over.”

Everyone, it seems, is getting an education.

The high school football season begins this weekend with Week 0 games. Let’s examine storylines and questions to be answered:

Will a lineman be the player of the year?

The last time a lineman was The Times’ player of the year was St. John Bosco offensive tackle Wyatt Davis in 2016. The Braves now have Elisha Mueller, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior transfer from Servite, as one of their blockers, so don’t be surprised if he emerges as an MVP candidate on a team that can go unbeaten. Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.

Can any City Section team beat defending champion Carson?

Call it unlikely. The Colts return versatile quarterback Chris Fields III, who does magical things when you least expect it. There’s linemen to protect him and a nonleague schedule that should have the Colts prepared to run over Marine League teams.

Can Santa Margarita show its 2025 championship in the first year of Carson Palmer as coach was no fluke?

The Eagles don’t have the defensive front from last season that was so dominating and gone to USC is Mr. Big Play, Trent Mosley. Expect the Eagles to put up a good challenge to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League. There’s speed and talent and Steven Fifita is about as good a defensive coordinator as there is. Wait for the young players, led by freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, to come on strong late in season.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer raises the 2025 Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque in his first year as head coach at Santa Margarita.

(Craig Weston)

Is Long Beach Poly ready for a resurgence?

First-year coach Travon Patterson made one of the best hires for his offensive coordinator, former Cathedral and Warren coach Kevin Pearson. He has two cornerbacks second to none in JuJu Johnson and Donte Wright. The key to the Jackrabbits returning to the top in the Moore League will be whether they can develop their offensive line to be effective.

Who will be the most successful first-year coach?

This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches. Servite’s Rick Garretson, Orange Lutheran’s Ray Fenton and JSerra’s Hardy Nickerson have high expectations from their rabid fan base. St. Bernard’s Dean Herrington takes on a rebuilding job. Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom. Jeff Bailey left Yorba Linda for Beverly Hills, which can go nowhere but up. You’ve heard of Storm Watch. This season will be called Rookie Coach Watch.

How many teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs?

Don’t look for more than eight. The Southern Section wants competitive equity, and the leading candidates at the end of the season can already be predicted: St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite, Corona Centennial, Sierra Canyon and Mission Viejo. Remember last season, with the help of rain, the No. 8 seed, Orange Lutheran, stunned the No. 1 seed, St. John Bosco.

Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson is a dual threat quarterback who led the Colts to the City Section Open Division title last season.

(Craig Weston)

Does the City Section still have talent?

Absolutely. The recruiters have already discovered defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez, linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, Fieldsand his heavily recruited Carson teammate and defensive back Bennie Saulter. There are others waiting for their chance. Beware of receiver Paul Turner of Birmingham.

Will there be another eligibility scandal?

Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits. There were rumors throughout the summer of 2025 about Bishop Montgomery turning the other cheek, and sure enough, they were correct. The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.

What are the great games to mark on your calendar?

On Thursday, it’s Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College. On Friday, it’s St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

Aug. 28: Inglewood at Westlake, Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial. Sept. 4: Murrieta Valley at Cajon, San Clemente at Chaparral. Sept. 10: Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor. Sept. 11: Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Cathedral at King/Drew. Sept. 18: Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon. Sept. 25: Oxnard Pacifica at Sierra Canyon, Servite at Damien.

Coach Jason Negro and St. John Bosco open the season as the No. 1 team in California.

(Craig Weston)

Oct. 1: Murrieta Valley at Chaparral. Oct. 2: San Pedro at Banning, Crean Lutheran at Tustin, Bishop Amat at Gardena Serra. Oct. 9: Sierra Canyon at Gardena Serra, Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco. Oct. 15: Norco at Corona Centennial. Oct. 16: King/Drew at Crenshaw, Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco.

Oct. 23: San Pedro at Carson, Corona Centennial at Chaparral, St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica, Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Millikan. Oct. 29: Garfield vs. Roosevelt at East L.A. College, Edison at San Clemente, Valencia vs. Hart at College of the Canyons, St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium.

Which coaches might be under the microscope?

First-year coaches at private schools will start feeling pressure if their players don’t deliver results. There’s little patience these days from boosters, parents and fans. Watch the Corona Centennial staff, because someone there is going to one day succeed future Hall of Famer Matt Logan.

What will be the new trend in 2026?

Watching to see how well PlayOn Sports handles its control of high school sports in California. It owns MaxPreps, the NFHS Network, GoFan.co and just won state playoff TV rights from the CIF, replacing Spectrum, who’s 15-year contract ended in June. People are waiting to see if prices increase or quality decreases. And who will hold them accountable? They are the definition of monopoly for high school sports. Competition always brings out the best in businesses, so the lack of that has to be something to monitor.

What are five predictions that will come true?

St. John Bosco will win the Division 1 title (barring rain). Carson will win the City Section Open Division title (barring injury to Fields). Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach will lead Southern California with the most touchdown passes (barring his receivers doing too much surfing). Corona Centennial will exceed 70 points in a single game (barring a running clock in the first half). Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).