Prep baseball roundup: No. 1 Corona, No. 2 Huntington Beach win Boras Classic openers
The Boras Classic began Tuesday with No. 1 Corona, No. 2 Huntington Beach and No. 4 La Mirada all coming away with impressive victories to set up playoff-like matchups in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Corona (8-0) will play Santa Margarita (7-2) at 3 p.m. at JSerra. Huntington Beach (7-0) will play La Mirada (71) at 3 p.m. at Mater Dei.
Corona 6, Gahr 0: For the seventh time in eight games, the Panthers recorded a shutout. This time it was sophomore Mason Sims going the distance, striking out six and giving up three hits. Jesiah Adrade had two doubles
Santa Margarita 13, Paloma Valley 2: Warren Gravely had three RBIs for the Eagles. Gavin Spiridonoff homered and Brody Schumaker had two hits.
Huntington Beach 4, Aquinas 1: Trevor Goldenetz hit a two-run double and Otto Espinoza struck out seven in five innings to help hand Aquinas its first defeat.
La Mirada 7, Birmingham 0: A grand slam in the first inning by Travis Friend and a two-run home run by Bear Calvo gave pitcher Jacob Oropeza all the run support he needed in five shutout innings.
Vista Murrieta 2, Maranatha 1: A sacrifice fly by Michael Velardez in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted Vista Murrieta to a win at the Boras Classic. Vaughn Necker struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. Zach Strickland struck out nine in five innings for Maranatha, which received a home run from Trevor Rivas.
Carlsbad 8, Cypress 4: Lucas Johnson had three hits for Carlsbad. Paul Dominguez homered for Cypress.
Oaks Christian 11, Calabasas 1: The Lions opened Marmonte League play with an impressive victory. James Latshaw went four for four and Carson Sheffer added three hits. Ty Hanley gave up one run in six innings.
Servite 5, Oregon Jesuit 4: The Friars (9-2) won in nine innings. Tomas Cernius homered for Servite.
Crespi 9, Loyola 0: Jackson Eisenhauer threw four scoreless innings to raise his scoreless innings streak to 30 this season as the Celts improved to 11-0 and 6-0 in the Mission League. Josh Stonehouse had three RBIs.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 2, Sierra Canyon 1: The Knights won their fourth straight Mission League game. Juju Diaz-Jones gave up one run in five innings and Patrick Arranaga got the save.
Bishop Alemany 15, St. Francis 2: Sophomore Chase Stevenson collected four hits to help the Warriors pick up their first Mission League win under new coach Randy Thompson.
Harvard-Westlake 12, Chaminade 2: James Tronstein went three for three with two RBIs and Jake Kim had a home run and three RBIs for Harvard-Westlake.
Bishop Amat 4, St. Paul 1: The Lancers scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to win the Del Rey League game. Izaac Muniz struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings. Joaquin Ortiz had three hits.
Thousand Oaks 10, Agoura 5: Dane Holt homered and also drew four walks to lead the Lancers.
Westlake 6, Newbury Park 5: Mason Charles had a walk-off hit in the seventh for Westlake. He finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Newport Harbor 3, Edison 2: Gavin Guy drove in the winning run with two out in the 10th inning for Newport Harbor. Cody Kruis had three hits for Edison.
Marina 7, Los Alamitos 3: A six-run seventh led Marina to victory. Luke Pratali finished with a double and single for Marina.
Corona del Mar 4, Fountain Valley 2: Marc Solomon homered for Corona del Mar.
Granada Hills 20, North Torrance 4: Elysse Diaz contributed three doubles and Annabella Ramirez hit two home runs for Granada Hills.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: The best high school tournaments to watch this summer
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. The summer season has begun. Let's examine what to look for. The 2025-26 season starts with a busy summer of preparation, when freshmen and transfers get their first looks from coaches in the off season. Football teams have begun competing in seven on seven events, hitting the weight room and beginning the process of getting into shape for the start of the season Aug. 22. Fans wanting to get a sneak peek at this season's fall stars, here are some tournaments to watch. The L.A. Chargers are hosting a tournament June 14 in El Segundo. Arroyo High also has a tournament June 14. Palos Verdes has a tournament June 21. The Saugus tournament is June 21 at Central Park. St. John Bosco, Mission Viejo, Simi Valley and Baldwin Park are having tournaments June 28. Edison's Battle at the Beach is July 12 and a must-see event. Long Beach Poly is hosting a tournament July 19 that includes Mater Dei, which is also in the Mission Viejo tournament. In basketball, the California LIVE tournament for girls is June 12-14 in Roseville and for boys June 27-29 at Ladera Sports Center and San Juan Hills High. The Section 7 tournament for boys is June 20-22 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds and June 13-14 for girls. The War on the Floor tournament is June 19-22 at Chaminade and El Camino Real. The Maranatha tournament is June 9-14. The Fairfax tournament is June 16-21. In baseball, the Area Code tournament featuring class of 2026 and 2027 players is Aug. 6-11 at Blair Field in Long Beach. The Area Code underclass tournament is Aug. 1-5. Remember Southern Section schools have to take a mandatory two-week dead period in each sport, where coaches are not allowed to work with athletes. St. John Bosco culminated the greatest baseball season in school history by winning the Southern California Division I regional. The Braves previously won the Trinity League title and the Southern Section Division 1 championship. From shortstop James Clark to relief pitcher Jack Champlin, coach Andy Rojo's Braves finished 30-4 and beat one top team after another. Here's a report on their final win. If you want an early look at top teams for 2026, here they are: 1. St. John Bosco, 2. Harvard-Westlake, 3. Corona, 4. Norco, 5. JSerra. It's awards season, and Corona pitcher Seth Hernandez is going to be busy. Last week, he was named the state player of the year by Gatorade, then the national player of the year by Gatorade. Hernandez went 9-1 this season and should be a top pick in next month's baseball draft. He was home schooled until joining Corona his junior year and finished with a two-year mark of 18-1. Here's the report and video from the announcement. For all the push-ups completed, for all the running drills endured and for all the yelling received during his days playing high school football at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High in the 1990s, Dan Keeler is getting the last laugh later this month when he takes command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Coronado. 'Now I'm going to have to salute him,' former Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney quipped. A story on the impact coaches can have on their players' lives. El Modena finished runner-up in the Division I regional to Chula Vista Mater Dei. Lots of top teams chose to opt out of participating due to club commitments, graduation and other issues. The CIF intends to hold state championships in softball and baseball soon, so finding a way to get the top teams to participate will be a priority. The regular season must end sooner to be held before school lets out or the problems will continue. Southern California is where golf prodigies Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay first began to receive attention as youths, and 15-year-old Jaden Soong, a member of the Class of 2028 at St. Francis High in La Cañada, is on the same path. On Tuesday, he mastered Poppy Hills Country Club, shooting a nine-under 62 to win the CIF state championship in Pebble Beach. He had no bogeys, seven birdies and an eagle. He's believed to be the youngest to win a CIF individual golf title. PGA winners Cantlay (Servite) and Rickie Fowler (Murrieta Valley) are former winners of the event. Here's a look at his amazing performance. Sydney Douglas, who was a 6-foot-7 starting freshman for Ontario Christian's championship girls basketball team, has transferred to Corona Centennial. . . . John Andrade is the new soccer coach at Viewpoint. . . . Offensive lineman Anthony Rodriguez of Long Beach Poly has committed to San Jose State. . . . Junior receiver Gavin Honore of Mater Dei has committed to Georgia. . . . Former Hart, UCLA and major leaguer Trevor Brown is the new baseball coach at West Ranch. He was known for his versatility, playing everything from catcher to the infield. . . . St. Francis basketball coach Todd Wolfson will also be the school's interim athletic director. Matt Luderer has been on leave while battling an illness. . . . Gina Hairapetian has resigned after 22 years as softball coach at Chaminade. . . . Offensive lineman Josh Haney from JSerra has committed to Fresno State. Ralphy Velazquez, a former Huntington Beach baseball standout, is playing in the Cleveland Guardians organization. The 2023 first-round draft pick has eight home runs this season in the minors playing in high-A ball. Here's a story from 2023 discussing his power potential. From the Los Angeles Times, a story on skateboarders in their 50s and 60s. From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Palisades High allowing its graduates to enjoy the Hollywood Bowl as the site for its ceremony with some celebrity speakers. From the Los Angeles Times, the story of a high school track runner being disqualified at the state track championships for using a fire extinguisher. From On3, a story on the new NIL rules approved by a judge for college athletics. 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
02-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: St. John Bosco was the surprise of the baseball season
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. What a weekend it was for championships in baseball and softball. 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 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.
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach boys' volleyball season ends one match short of state finals
MANHATTAN BEACH — For the second time in eight days, Huntington Beach matched up with top-ranked Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in a high-stakes fight. And for the second time in those bouts, the Mustangs walked away with the prize, this time securing a spot in the inaugural CIF State Division I championship match for boys' volleyball. Cooper Keane had 18 kills to lead Mira Costa over visiting Huntington Beach 26-24, 25-20, 25-16 on Saturday in a Southern California regional final, bringing an end to an otherwise remarkable season for the Oilers. 'In any given year, we could have been CIF champs and state champs,' Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti said. 'We were the second best team in our section, second best team in Southern California, we've been one of the top teams in the country all year long, and just give these guys credit. These guys have busted their butts all year long.' Huntington Beach (36-5) took three of its losses against Mira Costa (36-2), including a five-set defeat in the Southern Section Division 1 final on Friday, May 16. The Mustangs will be heavily favored against San Jose Archbishop Mitty (40-2) in the Division I state final on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Fresno City College. 'I feel completely lucky to be a part of it,' Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his team advancing to the state finals. 'To have the team that we have in the first year that it's in existence, I feel like Mira Costa is set up to take it. I have complete respect for [Archbishop Mitty], but I feel like this team is hungry for that win. 'I've been dangling that carrot in front of them the entire season, and now that it's close, I just see this team coming together, gelling and peaking just at the right time. A coach couldn't ask for anymore.' Grayson Bradford had seven kills and seven block assists for Mira Costa. Mateo Fuerbringer added eight kills, Alex Heins provided six kills and four block assists, and Wyatt Davis chipped in with six kills and three block assists. Andrew Chapin spread the ball around for 36 assists, adding two kills and a service ace. The Oilers went undefeated in the Sunset League, delivering the program's first league championship since 2016. Pazanti also noted that Huntington Beach played 21 matches against the top 10 teams in the Southern Section and went 17-4. 'We don't duck anybody,' Pazanti said. 'Year to year, we're going to play against the best competition, and that's how we get better. It would have been nice to get one more match, but can't be disappointed when you have that kind of a season.' Huntington Beach was off to the races in the first set. Snyder utilized his two timeouts after the Mustangs had fallen into deficits of 9-4 and 17-8, respectively. A late run closed the gap, and when outside hitter Colin Choi (five kills) aggravated an ankle injury upon landing after a swing, Mira Costa capitalized by taking eight of the last 11 points to claim the extended set. Mira Costa then won the last six points of the second set to take a commanding lead in the match. 'I thought through two sets, we had probably outplayed them for about 90% of the match,' Pazanti said. 'But they went on a run late in set two, and they went on a run late in set one, and that was the difference. We lose our best passer [Choi] at the end of set one. Who knows — would of, should of, could of — but I'm guessing he doesn't get hurt, we win set one and maybe it's a different mental approach to the rest of the match.' Logan Hutnick had a team-leading 17 kills to go with two block assists and an ace for Huntington Beach. Ben Arguello added nine kills and two block assists. Kai Gan distributed 28 assists. The Oilers played the match without Nick Ganier Jr. available at middle blocker, due to illness. Kaegan Ramdhani stepped up with two kills and four block assists. 'It's just tough,' said Choi, who returned to the action in the second set after having the injury taped. 'I think we just ran out of gas, but I think we put our best foot forward today, and I can't really complain.' Also in the CIF State Southern California regional finals: Sage Hill 3, San Diego Clairemont 0: The top-seeded Lightning earned a 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 win at home on Saturday to advance to the CIF State Division III final. Jackson Cryst had 32 kills to lead Sage Hill (22-11), which has won a dozen matches in a row. The Lightning will face San Francisco International (27-7) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the state championship match at Fresno City College.
