Cleveland High football coach Mario Guzman loves the Nigerian connection of Oluwafemi Okelola and Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi, both running backs.
Spelling their names might be the biggest challenge.
They should be major offensive contributors, joining quarterback Domenik Fuentes to fuel the Cavaliers’ attack.
Last season, Odebunmi rushed for 1,139 yards and 11 touchdowns. Okelola had 111 yards rushing and made 83 tackles and had two interceptions on defense.
The Cavaliers open their season on Friday against Narbonne.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It did not take long for Ty Simpson to acclimate to the NFL.
In his pro debut, the Rams rookie quarterback passed for two touchdowns and made no major errors in a 20-12 preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I definitely felt more comfortable than I ever have in a game,” said Simpson, who completed 21 of 25 attempts for 190 yards.
It was a much-awaited first game for Simpson after the Rams shocked fans and much of the NFL by picking him so high in the draft after he started only 15 games for Alabama.
Fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett played the first two series — the first against many Chiefs starters — and led a field-goal drive on the second one before Simpson came on with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.
Simpson’s first series ended with him bobbling a high snap, and then making a smart decision to throw the ball out of bounds. From that point on, offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase called play-action bootlegs and other rollouts that enabled Simpson to find receivers, many of them wide open.
“Once that first drive kind of got done, I was like, ‘All right, well yeah, this is just like playing in the backyard,’” Simpson said.
Simpson’s parents and brother were in attendance, and he credited family, coaches and teammates for helping him relax and excel. He finished two second-half drives with short touchdown passes to running back Dean Connors.
“I thought Ty had great command all day,” coach Sean McVay said. “It was a great step in the right direction for him.”
During training camp and recent practices, Bennett took first-team snaps when starter Matthew Stafford was held out. He took second-team snaps when Stafford practiced.
So he appeared to enter the game as the presumptive frontrunner to back up the reigning NFL most valuable player.
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson celebrates after a touchdown against the Chiefs on Saturday.
(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
Does Simpson’ performance change anything?
“We’re going to continue to evaluate it like anything else,” McVay said.
Simpson is not getting caught up in whether there is a true competition.
“That’s a head-man decision and executive decision,” he said. “I just know that I’m happy to be here and I’m working to make sure that I do anything the team needs me to do.”
Other takeaways from the Rams’ preseason victory:
Stetson Bennett steady in start
Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett passes in the first quarter against the Chiefs on Saturday.
(David Eulitt / Getty Images)
Bennett, a fourth-year pro making his seventh preseason start, completed four of six passes for 38 yards and led a field-goal drive before giving way to Simpson.
The first series ended when the Chiefs broke up a third-down pass.
During the second series, Bennett completed four passes during a 13-play, 73-yard field-goal drive that stalled at the six-yard line after the Chiefs broke up his third-down pass to rookie tight end Max Klare in the end zone.
“Stetson did a nice job,” McVay said. “He came in and did a nice job orchestrating a nice drive on the second series.”
Offensive lineman Keagen Trost injured
If the Super Bowl-favorite Rams have a potential weakness, it’s offensive line depth.
They selected former Missouri standout Keagen Trost in the third round with the hope that he could provide versatility. And with left tackle Alaric Jackson possibly facing a suspension if the NFL determines that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, Trost could be counted on immediately.
Trost started at right tackle, but he left after two series because of a hamstring injury he apparently sustained as part of the protection unit for a Rams field-goal attempt.
“He was pretty bummed,” McVay said, adding that Trost would undergo tests to determine the severity of the issue.
Receiver Mario Williams also sustained a hamstring injury on a kickoff return, McVay said.
Tight end Max Klare the go-to receiver
Chiefs wide receiver Nikko Remigio is tackled by Rams safety Alex Cook during the first half Saturday.
(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
Max Klare, a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State, was targeted eight times, and caught seven passes for 37 yards.
Klare is part of a loaded position group that includes veterans Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and second-year pro Terrance Ferguson.
But Klare showed skills that could help the Rams this season and beyond.
Receiver CJ Daniels, who made multiple plays during training camp, caught two passes for 18 yards.
Defense holds Chiefs to field goals
Outside linebacker Desjuan Johnson, a rotational player last season, was the most notable member of a defense that played a few series against quarterback Justin Fields and the rest of the game against Garrett Nussmeier and Chris Oladokun.
Johnson sacked Nussmeier in the third quarter. Rookie lineman Tim Keenan also had a sack.
Safety Nick Andersen had a team-best nine tackles for the Rams.
Harrison Mevis picks up where he left off
In his first game under new special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, Harrison Mevis kicked field goals of 25 and 40 yards.
Ethan Evans averaged nearly 61 yards for four punts.
His NFL playing career is over, but Derek Carr is far from done with football.
UCLA announced this week that it has hired Carr as a special advisor to football coach Bob Chesney, and that the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback will assist with the Bruins’ offensive staff in game-planning strategy.
“Coach Chesney is a leader of men,” said Carr, who was at Dodger Stadium on Monday evening and was on the field before the game. “So many guys get hired just based on scheme. This is a guy who stands up in front of the room and leads.”
It might seem a bit random, Carr joining UCLA’s staff. He played at Fresno State, then with the Raiders in Oakland and Las Vegas before finishing his NFL career in New Orleans. But there’s a connection.
Darrick Yray, UCLA football’s general manager, formerly was an offensive assistant and assistant director of football operations at Fresno State. He and Carr got to know each other there.
After attending his first team meeting at UCLA, Carr texted Yray and said, “You’ve got a real one” in Chesney.
“You can feel his presence,” Carr said of Chesney, hired in December after his rise to coaching prominence at Holy Cross then James Madison. “You can feel the team respond to him. … It wasn’t so much what he said, it was how he said it. He was so demanding of the team, yet so encouraging.
“He can demand, demand, demand, but also love them at the same time, to the point where they’re like, `OK, Coach, whatever you want.’”
Carr played 11 NFL seasons, finishing with 41,245 yards passing and 257 touchdowns. He remains the Raiders’ all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions. He retired in May 2025.
Coaching was always in his plans. His brother, Darren, is head football coach at Bakersfield Christian High, and Derek helped coach the quarterbacks there last season. Their brother, David, the quarterback picked No. 1 overall by the expansion Houston Texans in 2002, is Bakersfield Christian’s offensive coordinator.
“I have so much knowledge and things built up that I just want to give to these kids,” Derek Carr said of his interest in coaching in high school and college. “Just like my brother did for me.
“When I got to high school, I was ahead. When I got to college, I was ahead. When I got to the NFL, I was ahead. Because my brother poured into my life. That’s what I feel I want to do for the next generation, too.”
HOUSTON — Amar Johnson saw a flicker of playing time at running back for the Chargers last season.
Thursday, he made a case for a bit more.
Johnson scored two touchdowns in the preseason opener at Houston and turned a short pass into a 55-yard gain.
It’s easy to put too much stock in a preseason performance, seeing as most starters are watching from the sidelines, but Johnson made the most of his opportunity in a 27-7 victory over the Texans.
Chargers running back Amar Johnson runs past Houston Texans cornerback Brandon Codrington after a catch during a preseason game on Thursday.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
He scored on a seven-yard run in the first half and from a yard out in the second. The short touchdown was set up by his quick catch and dash down the sideline, when he was caught from behind just before he could cross the goal line.
The Chargers, who used a first-round pick on running back Omarion Hampton last year, have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon in 2017.
Hampton, who like most starters didn’t play Thursday, showed flashes of promise last season but also battled injuries.
Running backs Jaret Patterson and Greg Desrosiers Jr. also turned in solid performances for the Chargers.
Passing grades
Chargers quarterback Trey Lance passes against the Texans on Thursday.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
There’s some jostling over the job of backing up quarterback Justin Herbert, featuring a replay of last summer’s competition between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei.
“Both have really acquitted themselves well, and the next piece is in the games and how they play,” coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters this week. “That’s something we’ll all see. I imagine, from what I’ve seen in practice, it’s going to be pretty close. They’re both good.”
Lance got the start and played deep into the third quarter, completing 12 of 20 passes for 164 yards with an interception. He ran for 27 yards in three carries.
Uiagalelei, who played at St. John Bosco High, entered with three minutes to play in the third quarter and completed six of nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Front and center
Around this time last year, the Chargers were reeling along the offensive line, having lost left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending knee injury. Early in the season, they also lost bookend tackle Joe Alt. In short, the offensive line was a mess.
Now those players are back, and it’s all about making smaller tweaks along a solid line. The question mark is at left guard, with five candidates in the mix: Kayode Awosika, Branson Taylor, Jake Slaughter, Trey Pipkins III and Trevor Penning.
Slaughter, a rookie second-round pick, started at center Thursday and moved to left guard and appeared to play well. That he can play center in addition to guard is particularly valuable, as he can provide reliable depth behind starting center Tyler Biadasz.
Drop-portunity
Chargers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith had four catches in the first half Thursday but couldn’t pull in this pass against Texans cornerback Collin Wright.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
KeAndre Lambert-Smith had four of the Chargers’ nine receptions in the first half, but a fifth would have been really impressive.
He got a two-step lead on rookie corner Collin Wright on a long pass from Lance, yet couldn’t cash in. Wright mistimed his jump, and the ball hit Lambert-Smith square in the hands before falling to the turf. The top three receiver spots are locked down by Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris, but there’s room for another wideout and maybe two. A rookie to watch is the speedy Brenen Thompson, who doubles as a returner.
Double vanilla
Teams are always circumspect about doing anything too exotic during the preseason, lest they give regular-season opponents something to study. That goes double for the Chargers, seeing as all three of their preseason opponents — Houston, San Francisco and the Rams — will face them again. It’s a bit of a balancing act, though, because it’s got to be tempting to get a look at the offense of coordinator Mike McDaniel outside the structure of a practice.
Regardless, look for the Chargers to be bland, bland, bland as they evaluate the back end of their roster and decide who to keep and who to cut.
Third in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Austin Miller, Bellflower receiver.
Dozens of college football recruiters traveling in their rental cars to powerhouse St. John Bosco have learned there’s a new must-stop place on the way to Bellflower.
“Don’t come through Bellflower and not come through Bellflower,” is the motto of Bellflower High, where the emergence of 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore receiver Austin Miller is proving to be as attractive as a stop at In-N-Out.
“Bosco is a great program, but we don’t take a backseat to anyone,” said the 15-year-old Austin , whose father, Keith, is the head coach. “We’re here to put Bellflower on the map.”
Videographers covering Bellflower games know Austin is capable of dong something spectacular at any moment because of his speed, size, athleticism and jumping ability. He caught 35 passes for 609 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. He rushed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four sacks and 35 tackles.
Imagine the highlight films coming this season with added strength and a maturing body.
He’s been fed hundreds of footballs from a Jugs machine to develop hands that don’t drop passes. He has the size and physicality of a tight end, which creates mismatches with smaller cornerbacks. He has no sympathy.
“As a receiver being bigger than everybody, you play to your advantage,” he said.
Because he has been playing multiple sports since he was young, versatility is his superpower, allowing him to catch passes, block, sack quarterbacks from the edge or play any position his father needs him to play.
Just hearing him describe the importance of blocking as a receiver shows the effect having a coach as a father has had on him.
“My dad taught me staying low, driving through your hips and making sure you block for your teammates like they block for you,” he said. “For receivers, sometimes you watch the play instead of doing your job. The biggest thing is putting your man in the dirt. Being bigger receiver, taking contact and delivering contact is a big thing for me.”
Austin is one of those rare teenagers who looks and acts like someone destined to reach the highest level possible because of his physical gifts and mental outlook. He committed to Ohio State in June even though he has three seasons left of high school football. His goals are high, and he feels the Buckeyes are the perfect landing place to fulfill his dreams.
Austin Miller, a 15-year-old sophomore receiver, is helping bring attention to Bellflower’s football program.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
His parents wanted nothing to do with the flavor of the month, holdbacks. It has become so common that most assume a top freshman or sophomore are holdbacks, which means repeating a grade or two to look for a competitive advantage in high school.
Austin welcomes competition of any and all ages, seeing it as a worthy challenge and a path that will only make him better. He certainly more than held his own as a 14-year-old playing against some 19-year-olds.
To understand his journey, you have to go back years and visualize the scene from his days as an 11-year-old.
“We’d wake up, go to football practice, go to basketball practice, go to baseball practice, then work out more,” he said.
Keith Miller wanted the chance to become a head coach after being an assistant to his brother, Jason, who’s coached at Bellflower, Verbum Dei and Leuzinger among his stops. With Austin and his talented friends serving as the early believers, Miller is trying to build a program from the ground up.
“The college coaches say they respect what we are doing,” Austin said. “We don’t take a back seat to any school.”
There’s also a little bit of pride in father and son proving that talent isn’t just found at top private schools. When a public school kid gains similar attention, it makes him a community hero for life.
Austin is certainly headed on that path. He’s embraced the idea that you can be the youngest on a field and still be one of the best through hard work, dedication, preparation and a belief in yourself.
Friday: Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.
Receivers to watch
Nico Bland, Orange Lutheran, 6-1, 185, Sr.: Arizona State commit led Lancers with 57 catches
Charles Davis, Westlake, 6-5, 205, Sr.: Cal commit has size and speed
First in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Chris Fields III, Carson quarterback.
If you want to motivate quarterback Chris Fields III, doubt his skills. He’ll respond like an underdog boxer delivering a knockout punch. Just when you least expect him to step forward, he’ll find a way to produce.
Last season for Carson High, he was one of the best multidimensional quarterbacks in the Southland, passing for 2,031 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns in leading the Colts to the City Section Open Division championship.
He’s 6 feet 1, which some consider a roadblock to playing at the highest level, but it’s Fields’ intangibles that separate him.
He has spent most of the summer in the weight room, making himself a 205-pound, Marvel-like character capable of super strength.
“Goals don’t get accomplished skipping days,” he said of his training routine.
Every morning, he engages in deep stretching exercises. At night, there are ice baths. Taking care of his body for a season that could reach 14 games is one of his most important priorities.
He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent. She’s so heavily involved in his football activities that she watches and breaks down film with him and comes to practices to support him.
“She could put on shoulder pads and a helmet and tear up a defense any day,” Fields said. “I’ve been through everything with mom.”
He remembers the days when the family struggled to pay for food and a place to stay.
“We came from the bottom,” Fields said. “We were heavily impoverished. If my mom has nowhere to sleep and she’s having to work multiple jobs while going to school to provide for me and my sister, I should be able to pay her back by doing well.”
So whatever anyone thinks, Fields’ drive is to make his mom proud, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or by being respectful to strangers.
“If you’re at our games, you’re going to hear her in the crowd,” Fields said.
One of Fields’ strengths is to improvise. He understands how to make split-second decisions, and many involve whether to stay in the pocket or take off and run with his speed.
“When I determine that I’m going to run, it usually comes from pre-snap read knowing where my guys are,” he said. “If I feel the rush, I try to hang in there, try to extend the play but will do whatever is needed. I feel my legs are just as valuable as my arm.”
And his arm is pretty good — like, throwing a spiral 67 yards good.
He’s tough with the kind of leadership skills that inspire teammates to rally around him.
It’s another season of quality quarterbacks with the class of 2029 particularly strong after terrific freshman seasons by such players as Thaddeus Breaux of L.A. Hamilton, Ford Green of Westlake, Marcus Washington of Cajon, Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan and Steven Moore of La Sierra. Add Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Jeremy Mellalieu of Chaminade and you have the makings of a stellar sophomore class.
Fields said he understands the college recruiting grind. Everyone has their own idea of what kind of quarterback fits their offense.
“With schools who don’t typically have mobile quarterbacks, I always encounter, ‘I have to see the person,’” he said. “But I’ve never heard, ‘You’re too small.’ It’s all a perception. It comes down to whether they like you or not. I really want to play at the highest level of college football. If God has other plans, I’m willing to be humble and walk that path.”
During the summer, Fields committed to Georgetown, where academics and athletics can lead to a great future.
Wednesday: Gardena Serra running back AJ McBean.
Quarterbacks to watch
Thaddeus Breaux, L.A. Hamilton, 6-5, 225, So.: Has physical skills to be national prospect
Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach, 6-5, 225, Sr.: Ohio State commit has been three-year starter
Chris Fields III, Carson, 6-1, 200, Sr.: City player of the year committed to Georgetown
Jack Hurst, Laguna Beach, 6-4, 190, Sr.: Passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior
Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial, 5-10, 170, Sr.: Hawaii commit is dangerous passing or running
Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco, 6-2, 180, Jr.: Will have blockers needed to have MVP season
Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes, 6-0, 180, Sr.: Nevada commit is one of the most accurate passers
Russell Sekona, Mater Dei, 6-3, 230, Jr.: Big adjustment moving to Trinity League
Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica, 6-2, 185, Sr.: Record-setting junior season for Portland State commit
Dane Weber, Chaparral, 6-1, 210, Sr.: California commit passed for 3,645 yards and 41 touchdowns and ran for 14 touchdowns
When Tim Tanner Jr. talks, people listen. When he says he’s going to do something, believe him.
As a junior last season, the 6-foot-1 Sylmar High quarterback in his rookie passed for 2,343 yards and 31 touchdowns and ran for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. If you like quarterbacks who improvise, Tanner is your guy. Then, in basketball, after breaking his collarbone, he returned to play in 16 games (Sylmar went 15-1 with him in the lineup) to average 20 points and help the Spartans reach the Division V state championship game.
This season, he intends to be busier than ever with football, basketball and he hopes a return to baseball, the sport he played since he was 4 until high school. He’s a pitcher and plans to join the team but baseball coach Ray Rivera has never seen him pitch.
“He told me get through football, get through basketball, then we’ll talk,” Tanner said.
The maturity Tanner has achieved in recent years through dealing with adversity has enabled him to be selected a captain for the football team, so he knows he has to keep his composure and show others how to respond in a time of need. He’s growing up after once being academically ineligible.
He has so much sports equipment in his room at home that he could hold his own backyard games. “Footballs everywhere, cleats everywhere, basketballs, jerseys,” he said.
He’s going to need lots of skills in trying to balance his sports commitments with academics. But the coaches know they have someone passionate about succeeding.
It is said that defending a championship is harder than winning one.
That ls the challenge facing the JSerra High flag football team this fall after the skilled girls from San Juan Capistrano completed a perfect season with a last-second goal line stand to secure their 25-20 triumph over defending champion Orange Lutheran in the Southern Section Division 1 final last November.
The Lions defeated their Trinity League rivals three times on the way to a 28-0 record in 2025 and are the preseason favorites to repeat under the guidance of Brian Ong, the reigning section coach of the year, and USA Flag junior national team members Kate Meier (quarterback) and Tessa Russell (receiver/safety).
Also returning is All-American quarterback Ava Van Heerde, who rotated with Meier last season to give opposing defenses fits attempting to solve their contrasting but equally effective styles. Meier passed for 3,729 yards and 58 touchdowns as a freshman while Van Heerde (also a rising star in softball) threw for 3,460 yards and 44 touchdowns as a sophomore. They will miss throwing to their favorite target as leading receiver and Division 1 player of the year Ava Irwin has transferred to Sierra Canyon for its program launch.
Orange Lutheran’s only three losses last season were to JSerra and if the Lancers are to be title contenders again they must overcome the absence of All-CIF quarterback Makena Cook (who threw for 7,083 yards and 112 touchdowns) and receiver Happy Dubois (129 receptions for 1,747 yards and 21 touchdowns), who are joining Irwin at Sierra Canyon. The Lancers also have a new coach, Dennis Hester, after Kristen Sherman announced in March that she was leaving to be an assistant under her husband, Rod Sherman, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Mater Dei went 0-6 in Trinity League action one year ago but has picked up two key transfers in junior quarterback Tymane Allen (who threw for 4,925 yards and 56 touchdowns for Cypress) and senior receiver/safety Allyson Schmida (who caught 74 passes for 744 yards at Crean Lutheran).
JSerra High’s Brian Ong was the Southern Section Division 1 coach of the year last fall when the Lions went unbeaten.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Back for the Monarchs is dual-threat quarterback Kendra Hansen, who had 25 touchdown passes and 20 touchdown runs as a sophomore.
Huntington Beach won 25 of 27 games last year, reaching the Division 1 semifinals, and despite the graduation of All-Southern Section receiver Taylor Savage the Oilers are equipped for another deep playoff run behind quarterback Roxie Shaia (6,692 yards and 89 touchdowns), receiver Shelby Nguyen (96 catches for 1,020 yards and 21 touchdowns) and linebacker Mia Aish (133 flag pulls and eight interceptions).
Trying to dethrone the Sunset League champions will be Newport Harbor, which has quarterback Scarlett Guyser (3,371 yards and 42 touchdowns) and receiver Skylie Cid (105 catches for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns). Division 2 champion Corona del Mar, which brings back every starter but one, including player of the year Addison Stern and receivers Mia Balabanian and AnnaSofia Dickens.
Dos Pueblos went 24-3 and fell to JSerra in the Division 1 semifinals last season. The Chargers return All-Channel League defensive back Brooklyn Hedricks (203 flag pulls, 18 deflections and 14 interceptions) and receiver Ruby Streatfeild (104 catches for 1,101 yards and 18 touchdowns), who helped power the LA Chargers Conquer club team to the NFL Girls Flag National Championship in Westfield, Ind. in July.
Thanks to its high-profile transfers, Sierra Canyon could be the team to beat in the San Fernando Valley. The Trailblazers will play in the Mission League along with Harvard-Westlake, which has hired professional flag player and prominent club coach Asha Prithiraj to guide the Wolverines through their inaugural season.
All-Southern Section quarterback Makena Cook transferred to Sierra Canyon after leading Orange Lutheran to the Division 1 final last season.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
In addition to new programs emerging in 2026 are new rules, like teams having an extra timeout each half (matching the three per half in tackle football), tighter ball-stripping restrictions, a definition for illegal hurdling and teams giving up a safety putting the ball in play via scrimmage kick from the 20-yard line. The most significant change gives a trailing team that has just scored the option to try a fourth-and-20 pass from its own 20-yard line. Should the play result in a first down, the trailing team keeps possession. If it fails, the opponent takes over at the spot the play ended.
The Northern League appears to have supplanted the Marine League as the best in the City Section after Marshall and Eagle Rock faced each other for the Open Division title and Franklin made the Division I semifinals last fall.
Marshall won 20-0 behind three-year starting quarterback Jaylin Macias, whose departure gives her backup, Diana Sandoval, an opportunity to run coach Shane Gerard’s offense. The Barristers will be tested by 23-game winner Wilson and Eagle Rock, which returns quarterback Nylah Moore (51 touchdown passes as a junior last year) and adds Nylah’s freshman sister Cinzia.
Thirty-two Southern California teams (separated into two divisions) will participate in the fourth annual Chargers x Oakley Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.
Friday’s pool play matchups include Sierra Canyon-Long Beach Poly; JSerra-Camarillo; Newport Harbor-Aliso Niguel; Huntington Beach-Redondo Union; Oxnard-Orange Lutheran; Woodbridge-Ventura; Dos Pueblos-Classical Academy; Cypress-Agoura; Warren-St. Margaret’s;and Westlake-Torrey Pines.
Corona del Mar High’s AnnaSofia Dickens runs the ball against Westlake in last season’s Southern Section Division 2 final at El Modena.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Teams to Watch this season
JSerra, Huntington Beach, Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Trabuco Hills, Dos Pueblos, Camarillo, Santa Margarita, Lakewood St. Joseph, Westlake, Anaheim Canyon, Upland, San Marcos, Mater Dei, Etiwanda, Ventura, Downey, Newbury Park.
Players to Watch this season
Ava Irwin, WR/DB Sierra Canyon Makena Cook, QB, Sierra Canyon Kate Meier, QB, JSerra Tessa Russell, WR/DB, JSerra Addison Stern, QB, Corona del Mar Olivia Elsokary, WR/DB, Westlake Ava Van Heerde, QB, JSerra Scarlett Guyser, QB/DB, Newport Harbor Happy Dubois, WR/DB, Sierra Canyon Brooklyn Hedricks, WR/DB, Dos Pueblos London Lefler, QB/WR/DB Newbury Park Skylie Cid, RB, Newport Harbor Roxie Shaia, QB, Huntington Beach Mia Balabanian, Corona del Mar Tymane Allen, QB, Mater Dei Mia Aish, LB, Huntington Beach Madeline Garcia, QB, Downey Sadie Olivares, WR/DB, Edison Leah Vanderveen, WR/S, Mission Viejo Nylah Moore, QB, Eagle Rock AnnaSofia Dickens, WR/LB, Corona del Mar
Quarterback Nylah Moore will try to pass Eagle Rock back to the City Section Open Division flag football championship game.
That is, the Carolina Panthers undrafted rookie quarterback is an NFL star in early August after exactly one preseason game.
Sure, Thursday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame game between the Panthers and Arizona Cardinals was nothing more than a meaningless exhibition in which few, if any, actual starters played.
But NFL fans have been starving for any kind of action for almost six months, and King provided plenty of that during Carolina’s thrilling 33-30 victory in Canton, Ohio — especially on the final play of the game.
Even if his NFL career ends up going nowhere (more on that in a minute), the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year out of Georgia Tech will always have this spectacular, game-winning run for his highlight reel:
After former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis connected with receiver Bryson Green for a one-yard touchdown pass to give Arizona a 30-27 lead, King had 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining in regulation to lead the Panthers to a comeback win.
He completed four passes for 24 yards and also scrambled for 26 yards to help Carolina get to the Arizona five-yard line with two seconds left on the clock. Haynes took the shotgun snap at the 10 and dropped back to the 14 before shooting up the middle, pump faking around the seven and diving into the end zone for the game-winning score.
A massive end zone celebration ensued.
“I’ll tell you what, I couldn’t breathe,” King said afterward. “But it was amazing, just going out there and being able to celebrate with the guys that you’ve been OTAs, all training camp with, and busting your butt, and to finally go out there and celebrate with them and just showcase your talent is very fun.”
Franchise quarterback Bryce Young did not play. Veteran backup Kenny Pickett started the game and played three series before King took over. The 25-year-old rookie completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 39 yards with one touchdown on three carries.
“Haynes did a fantastic job,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said after the game, “just keeping the play alive, doing whatever he had to do, run it, throw it.”
After playing sparingly for three years at Texas A&M, King established himself as a dual threat at Georgia Tech over the last three seasons. During that time, King completed 67.6% of his passes for 7,907 yards with 55 touchdowns and 24 interceptions (including 16 during his first season with the Yellow Jackets). He also rushed for 2,277 yards and 36 touchdowns.
King performed well at the NFL scouting combine earlier this year, running the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.46 seconds. Questions about his age and passing ability may have led teams to skip King during the draft in April, but the Panthers snatched him up in free agency immediately afterward.
Kurt Warner and Warren Moon were undrafted quarterbacks who eventually landed in the Hall of Fame. Tony Romo and Jeff Garcia did pretty well for themselves as well. Will King be able to beat the odds like those guys?
His chances of making Carolina’s 53-man roster improved greatly last month when veteran backup quarterback Will Grier announced his retirement, which bumped King up to No. 3 on the depth chart.
More performances like he had Thursday night certainly won’t hurt King’s cause either. Take a look at his run during the final drive:
Again, it’s only preseason … but, man, he was awesome.
Nylah Moore has been a standout flag football and girls’ basketball player at Eagle Rock High. Now comes the arrival of her freshman sister, Cinzia, which means fans in the bleachers might want to start designing and creating signs to wave each time one or the other scores a touchdown or makes a basket. It will be great exercise for the arms considering how many times the two figure to come through this season.
Nylah, who is 5-foot-11, is Eagle Rock’s versatile quarterback and scoring guard. She helped Eagle Rock to a 20-2 record last season, passing for 51 touchdowns as a junior. The basketball team went 10-0 in the Northern League. She averaged 15 points.
With the Moore sisters, Eagle Rock deserves the favorite’s role to win the City Section Open Division flag football title and compete with Birmingham and Westchester for an Open Division girls’ basketball title. Cinzia, who is 5-9, also excels in both sports.
Their mother, Christine Moore, was principal of the year at Luther Burbank Middle School in 2023 for Region 16. Coaches remember her bringing a young Nylah to sporting events years ago. Her biggest challenge will be finding time to watch her two daughters perform in two sports in her new job serving as region director for the Eagle Rock/Highland Park Network.
Official Nelson Bae explains the new rule this season in flag football that allows the losing team to get the ball after a score on the 20-yard line with one play to get a first down at the 40 to keep the ball. pic.twitter.com/EZ8K8p8JL4
Eagle Rock’s rise in flag football is no surprise. The school has been able to attract multisport athletes with speed and versatility. Basketball is where this season a surprise could happen. Coach Julie Wilkins has her biggest team ever after the arrival of 5-10 Marlborough transfer Amelie Cash. She also has a 6-1 player. Since Wilkins coaches both flag football and girls’ basketball, she’s always looking for “volunteers” to play both sports (wink, wink).
That’s how the successful teams in flag football have emerged — getting players from softball, soccer, track and field, and volleyball to join the sport. And it’s working.
Monroe had 20 players come out last season. This year, at least 36 have been practicing. Coach Jose Ruiz always asks Leo Hernandez, the track and field and cross country coach, for recommendations on his athletes as potential flag football players. Now that middle schools feeding Monroe have flag football programs, the numbers are expected to continue to rise.
LeRoy Irvin, a cornerback and special teams player who made two Pro Bowls with the Rams in the 1980s, has died, the team said Thursday. He was 68.
Irvin holds the Rams record for most non-offensive touchdowns (11 — five interception returns, four punt returns, one fumble recovery return and one blocked field goal return). He also is tied with Janoris Jenkins and Ed Meador for most pick-sixes in team history.
“We mourn the loss of Rams Legend LeRoy Irvin,” the team wrote on social media. “We extend our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
No further details were provided. Freelance sports journalist Eric Geller reported that Irvin died Wednesday after a long battle with throat cancer.
Born Sept. 15, 1957 in Fort Dix, N.J., Irvin played running back at Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Ga. He told Sports Collectors Daily in 2023 that he patterned his running style after O.J. Simpson’s.
“That parlayed into my pro career,” Irvin said. “When I moved to defensive back in college, I always prided myself on being a great runner, which led to me being a great punt returner.”
As a senior at Kansas in 1979, Irvin led the Big Eight Conference with 27 punt returns for 321 yards and two touchdowns. He also intercepted five passes that season. In four years with the Jayhawks, Irvin had 42 punt returns for 454 yards and two touchdowns to go with 10 interceptions.
Selected by the Rams in the third round of the 1980 draft, Irvin played in L.A. for 10 seasons before spending his final season with the Detroit Lions in 1990.
In an NFL record that still stands, Irvin recorded 207 punt return yards during a 37-35 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 11, 1981. Two of his six punt returns that day went for touchdowns, of 75 and 84 yards.
Irvin finished his career with 35 interceptions for 676 yards, and 147 punt returns for 1,457 yards. After retirement, he worked as a coach, broadcaster and businessman.
“Devastated to hear about the passing of my brother, teammate, and Rams legend Leroy Irvin,” his former Rams teammate and business partner Eric Dickerson wrote on Instagram.
“Leroy wasn’t just a lockdown corner and a fierce competitor on the field; he was a true friend and a great man who always brought incredible energy. Rest in peace, my brother. Sending my thoughts and prayers to the Irvin family and all of Rams Nation.”
