Prep Rally: St. John Bosco was the surprise of the baseball season
Going into the 2025 baseball season, St. John Bosco was hardly on anyone's mind as a potential Southern Section Division 1 champion. It was going to be the super team, Corona, or last season's runner-up Huntington Beach. But coach Andy Rojo built the most consistent team of all, going 27-4, eliminating Corona 2-0 in the semifinals, then enduring nine innings to defeat Santa Margarita 3-2 on a walk-off hit by Miles Clark in the Division 1 final.
There were so many big moments by big-time players in the Division 1 final. Few were more impressive than St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin, who saved the Braves' win over Corona and then threw four scoreless innings against Santa Margarita with key strikeouts in moments of pressure. He may become a starting pitcher next season, but he's got a future as a closer because of his ability to thrive under pressure and his complete confidence in being able to do the job.
The Division 2 final saw West Ranch defeat Mater Dei 2-1 behind pitcher Hunter Manning. Here's the report.
Manning finished 10-0 on the mound and is headed to UC Irvine.
The drought is over for Granada Hills softball. After losing heartbreaking championship games to Carson the last two seasons, the Highlanders beat the Colts in the City Section Open Division final 11-2. Here's the report.
Norco ended the softball season No. 1 in Southern California after a 3-0 win in the Southern Section Division 1 final over El Modena behind pitcher Coral Williams, who threw a one-hitter. Here's the report.
The Southern California regional playoffs for baseball and softball begin Tuesday, continue Thursday and end Saturday. Here's the baseball pairings. Here's the softball pairings.
Led by a talented group of freshmen athletes, Servite won the state championship in boys track and field in Clovis on Saturday. Long Beach Wilson won the girls title.
There were terrific individual performances, from Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley winning the 400 meters to Leo Francis of Santa Margarita going 25-feet plus to win the long jump. Jayden Rendon of Carson wion the 300 hurdles. Here are the complete results.
Here's the report from Clovis on the finals. Here's a closer look at Servite's Fab Four.
Jaden Soong, a freshman golfer at St. Francis, thrives under pressure.
'I will say I like pressure,' he said.
Twice in the last two weeks, he's won playoffs to keep his season going. But the story of his first playoff win is comedy at its best.
He had left the Temecula Creek golf course at the individual championships after concluding he had failed to qualify for the SCGA regionals and had stopped at Jack in the Box while headed home. Then he got a phone call from a friend: 'Hey dude, we're in a playoff.'
He was 17 minutes away and needed to be back at the course in 10 minutes. 'We hauled it,' he said. Thankfully, there were no police cars in the vicinity as he was driven back to the course.
The playoff had started when he arrived. Players were in the fairway. He had no time to change into his golf shoes, so he played in his Nike Air Force shoes. He got a par on the first hole, then a birdie to win the playoff and advance. Last weekend, he won another playoff to reach the state championships Tuesday at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach.
He's ready for anything.
Brady McHenry of Buena won the SCGA Southern California regional championship with a playoff win to be the No. 1 qualifier for the state championships Tuesday at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger Woods, won his first juniors tournament. Here's the report.
The Bradford family in Manhattan Beach loves volleyball and everyone is tall. Here's a look at their love for volleyball and big shoes.
Mira Costa won the first state Division 1 championship with a 25-14, 25-16, 25-21 win over San Jose Archbishop Mitty. Mater Dei defeated Buchanan 3-1 to win Division 2. Sage Hill won Division 3 with a 3-0 win over International.
Here's the Daily Pilot report on Mira Costa winning against Huntington Beach the previous week.
With major league baseball seeking to increase Black player participation, St. John Bosco has five Black players starting on its championship team. Here's a report.
Lots of SoCal players are participating in the NCAA baseball playoffs. Here's a look.
Brentwood sophomore to be Shaelen Sheppard has been selected to be on the U16 USA Basketball national team. . . .
Austin Maziasz, a standout basketball player at Westlake, has committed to Johns Hopkins. . . .
April Schilling is the new girls basketball coach at Oak Park. . . .
Capistrano Valley has begun building a new $21.5 million football stadium that is supposed to be completed by the spring of 2026. . . .
Chris Allen has resigned as baseball coach at Charter Oak. . . .
The JSerra doubles team of Brady Schaefgen and Riley Anson won the Southern Section championship. Freshman Andrew Johnson from Palos Verdes won the singles title. . . .
Roy Walker Jr., an assistant basketball coach at Westchester, has been hired as Taft's new basketball coach. . . .
Dee Pinkard is the new girls' basketball coach at St. Bonaventure. . . .
Mark Bowman, the top tight end in California if not America, has committed to USC. He was supposed to be a junior this coming season at Mater Dei but changed his classification to the class of 2026.
Irvine University won the state Division 1 tennis championship.
Griffin Canning is the best pitcher in the history of Santa Margarita. He led the Eagles to the 2014 Southern Section Division 1 championship, went on to star at UCLA and became a starting pitcher for the Angels.
But this season he's enjoying a breakthrough pitching for the New York Mets. He's 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA.
Here's a story from 2014 on how Canning pitched Santa Margarita to the Division 1 title.
Here's a story from 2015 on the 'Griffin Canning rule' in the Trinity League.
From Projectplay.org, a story looking at a survey of parents whether their kids will become pro athletes.
From the Washington Post, a story on how a gymnast ended up getting a track and field scholarship.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on three L.A. students who earned college scholarships by caddying.
From Spectrum News1, a story on USA volleyball using the 2028 Olympic Games to boost the sport.
From the Los Angeles Times, a look at how the state track championship was affected by the participation of a transgender athlete.
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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: These are the best defensive backs and kickers/punters in SoCal high school football
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. The Times begins a nine-part series previewing Southern California's top high school football players Tuesday. In a final sneak peek, let's look at defensive backs and kickers/punters. The hardest projection this coming season involves which school has the best secondary. That's how much depth and talent some teams have at defensive back. Sierra Canyon has two USC commits, Madden Riordan and Brandon Lockhart, plus an LSU commit, Havon Finney Jr., and a terrific junior safety, Myles Baker. Gardena Serra is loaded with Duvay Williams, Marcellous Ryan, Wesley Arce and Devohn Moutra Jr. Mater Dei has Cory Lavender, Aaryn Washington and Ace Leutele. St. John Bosco counters with USC commit Josh Holland, standout junior safety Isala Wiley-Ava and improving junior cornerback Dorian Franklin. Murrieta Valley has the Johnson brothers, Derrick Johnson Jr., an Oklahoma commit, and junior Darius Johnson. Long Beach Poly has juniors Julius Johnson and Donte Wright Jr. Rancho Cucamonga has cornerbacks Joshua Mensah and Justin Lewis, both committed to UCLA. There's top defensive backs throughout the region, from Jeron Jones of Mission Viejo to Davon Benjamin of Oaks Christian. Sophomore Jalen Flowers of Palos Verdes is coming off an exceptional freshman season and keeps getting better and better. Sophomore Jordan Slye Jr. of Salesian is someone to keep your eye on because of his athleticism and size. Sophomore Micah Hannah of Simi Valley already has proven himself as a freshman. The band of kickers and punters keeps getting better aided by an army of private coaches. Aiden Migirdichian of Orange Lutheran was nine of nine on field goals last season. Jacob Kreinberg of Loyola could be doing double duty after making 11 field goals. Dylan Moreno of San Pedro is headed for All-City honors for his accuracy. Oscar Reyes Ramirez of Hemet returns after making 15 field goals as a junior. Jackson Shevin of Mira Costa is headed toward averaging better than 40 yards on punts. Washington commit CJ Wallace of St. John Bosco reaches his senior year ready for a big season. Sophomore Jerry Shifman has left Agoura for Mater Dei and junior Carter Sobel has left Chaminade for Sierra Canyon. Each has shown strong kicking skills. Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake is a junior who figures to receive lots of kicking opportunities. Carter Montgomery of Claremont holds a school-record 48-yard field goal. Drum roll, please. The Times' top 25 preseason football rankings are out, and Mater Dei starts out as the No. 1 team. The Monarchs went unbeaten last season and there's no reason they can't go unbeaten again. Their receiving group is exceptional but there are top players throughout positions. Here's a look at the top 25 rankings. Los Alamitos and Inglewood will open the football season on Friday night at Inglewood in an official game a week ahead of most schools. Los Alamitos has a game scheduled in Hawaii on Aug. 22, so it gets to have a double zero week game. Simi Valley is playing Spanish Springs at Simi Valley. Santa Monica is traveling to Honolulu to play Kaimuki on Saturday. Long Beach Millikan is also opening on Friday in Nevada against Foothill in Henderson. Most schools will be playing scrimmages this week, such as Corona Centennial hosting Sierra Canyon on Thursday night. Scrimmages are considered practices, so players who won't be eligible because of a sit-out transfer period are allowed to play. The Moore League, led by Millikan and Long Beach Poly, held its first media preview session. Here's a report. Mira Costa is turning to twins Liam and Luke Meeker, surfer and football dudes. Here's a report. The Tri County League held a media day in Ventura. Here's a report. The Marmonte League held its media day at Oaks Christian. Here's a report. 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The girls volleyball season begins this weekend with teams traveling to Hawaii for the Ann King Invitational. Top teams entered include Mira Costa, Sierra Canyon, Redondo Union, JSerra, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach and Harvard-Westlake. . . . Golfer Hill Wang from La Serna has committed to Pepperdine. . . . Standout girls soccer and flag football quarterback Makena Cook of Orange Lutheran has committed to Georgia. . . . Pitcher Juju Diaz-Jones from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has committed to Cal. . . . Junior pitcher Roy Kim from Great Oak has committed to Stanford. . . . Softball pitcher Liliana Escobar of JSerra has committed to Florida. . . . Outfielder Ethan Price of Harvard-Westlake has committed to Santa Clara. . . . Cory Skinner is the new softball coach at Chaminade. . . . Standout junior guard Grayson Coleman is leaving Calabasas for Milken. His father, Ryan, will take over the Milken program after being head coach for many years at Shalhevet. . . . 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Here's a story from 2007 when Stanton's first name was Mike and his skills were becoming known. From FIBA basketball, a story that shows former Harvard-Westlake guard Robert Hinton playing for Taiwan. From a story on a high school in Georgia opening its $62 million stadium. From a story on a high school football player in Tacoma who got too big to be a UFC fighter. Have a question, comment or something you'd like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer. Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
QB Yadhira Hermenegildo set to make impact for Panorama flag football team
Panorama High's flag football team won the Valley Mission League last season, and there's even more excitement when the season begins this month because the passing duo of quarterback Yadhira Hermenegildo and receiver Livier Andrade returns. Hermenegildo passed for 47 touchdowns as a sophomore. Andrade caught 25 touchdowns. Panorama opens its season Aug. 20 at Bishop Alemany. Defending City Section Open Division champion Banning remains the favorite, with San Pedro and Birmingham expected to provide strong competition. New rules that allow defenses to be within one yard of the line of scrimmage at the snap instead of seven yards will test quarterbacks in early season games as they perhaps need to rely more on using their legs to create time to throw or make quick outlet passes.
Los Angeles Times
04-08-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: Looking at the best high school defensive linemen in Southern California
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. With one week to go before The Times begins a nine-part series looking at the top players by positions on Aug. 12, let's give a sneak peek at the strongest position in Southern California this season: defensive line. And look at some talented linebackers. Defensive line, in my opinion, is the strongest position in Southern California when it comes to elite players who could make an impact at the college and even NFL level one day. Tomuhini Topui of Mater Dei is a 320-pound man among boys. He will be the crown jewel in the USC 2026 recruiting class. He's so athletic he'll also be seeing time on Mater Dei's offensive line. But make no mistake about it — he causes havoc in the middle for the Monarchs. Marcus Fakatou of Orange Lutheran is a 6-foot-7, 265-pound sophomore who continues to grow into his body and becomes meaner every game. Khary Wilder of Gardena Serra is an Ohio State commit who routinely sees double teams. 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Tristan Phillips of Ventura is an Oregon commit and tackling machine. Shaun Scott of Mater Dei is a USC commit with the speed to sack quarterbacks. Samu Moala of Leuzinger is a Texas A&M commit who keeps getting bigger and stronger. Dash Fifita of Santa Margarita is an Arizona commit who fills up the middle better than anyone even though his 5-9. Isaiah Leilua of Servite and Isaiah Phelps of Oxnard Pacifica who are two juniors ready for big seasons. Taylor Johnson of Cajon is a USC commit who averaged double-digit tackles. St. John Bosco is filled with quality linebackers, led by UCLA commit Matthew Muasau. Jackson Reach at Mira Costa is a top tackler and long snapper. Official football practice began on Monday. Senior quarterback Jeremy Pacheco of University was particularly happy. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game last season. To get back onto the field healthy was something he had worked hard to accomplish. Here's a report. 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The high school basketball player who has made big-time progress in terms of attracting attention from elite college programs this summer is Maximo Adams of Sierra Canyon, younger brother of Arizona State's Marcus Adams. Duke is the latest program to offer Adams. . . . Corona Centennial guard Isaiah Rogers has committed to Stanford. . . . Left-handed pitcher Drew Slevcove of Cypress has committed to UC Santa Barbara. . . . Oaks Christian cornerback Davon Benjamin has committed to Oregon. . . . Southern Section high school football television games are moving to Spectrum this season. The first game will be Sierra Canyon vs. Oaks Christian. Bally Sports has been the primary TV channel in years past. . . . Standout point guard Acen Jimenez from La Habra has committed to Dartmouth. . . . Mater Dei's football team will make an early appearance on ESPN, traveling to Florida to face St. Thomas Aquinas on Aug. 23 at 12:30 p.m. . . . 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Former Santa Monica and USC guard Jonah Mathews was a standout player for Besiktas in leading the team to the Turkish finals in June. Mathews was a top scorer during his Santa Monica and USC days. Here's a story from 2016 when he led Santa Monica to the 1A championship. Here's a story from 2016 about the rise of Mathews. From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former NFL punter Chris Kluwe suing the Huntington Beach Union School District. From Oaks Christian, a story on Quentin Young starting his pro baseball journey. From the Los Angeles Times, a story about renewed concerns about getting CTE playing football. Have a question, comment or something you'd like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer. Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.
