Latest news with #All-CIF
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
After heart surgery, flag football champ Sophie Guitron is chasing L.A. Olympics bid
At age 10, Sophie Guitron began to suspect that something was wrong. For two weeks, her high fever and rashes did not respond to any treatment. 'I went to the hospital and they couldn't find what was wrong with me. I had very high fevers, rashes all over my body and nothing controlled the symptoms,' Guitron recalled. She was initially diagnosed with arthritis, but after a series of tests, doctors detected something much more serious: a rare congenital heart disease that required open-heart surgery. 'The final diagnosis was systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Instead of my joints becoming inflamed, my organs were inflamed, and that's how they discovered the heart disease I was born with,' explained the Mira Costa High graduate. Guitron was born with an anomaly in the aortic portion of the left coronary artery, an extremely rare condition. Her father, José, recalls that despite the pain, his daughter never lost her composure. 'She has always had a very high pain tolerance,' he said. In August 2018, Sophie Guitron underwent successful surgery at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto. Although her recovery was long and emotionally difficult, especially because she couldn't immediately return to soccer, her sport since the age of 6, that moment marked the beginning of a new chapter. During school breaks, while watching her classmates play flag football, something awakened in her. She learned the rules, decided to give it a try and fell in love with this new sport. She joined a recreational team and won a championship in a local league, as well as the respect of her teammates, being the only girl on the team. The title was especially meaningful: Guitron scored the winning touchdown and was named most valuable player of the tournament. With her passion for this new sport growing, she joined a co-ed club where she continued to develop. In high school, she realized that Mira Costa did not have a women's team. So she wrote directly to the Chargers for help. The NFL franchise responded by sponsoring the creation of the first women's flag football team in the school's history. The effort paid off. During her senior year, Guitron and Mira Costa won the Bay League championship and achieved the school's first playoff victory. Playing various positions, but excelling mainly as a wide receiver, Guitron was recognized as the league's most valuable player and received Division 2 All-CIF honors. Her development was partly thanks to the Conquer Chargers club in Irvine. Her parents supported her by driving her to practice, a trip that took more than an hour each way to and from Orange County. Guitron's Conquer Chargers coach, Justin Schulman, highlighted not only her skill but also her mindset: 'She knew what she wanted, she sought us out on social media, and she earned her spot. She's a very talented runner, but above all, she's determined.' In 2024, she represented the United States in the Junior International Flag Football Cup, winning the gold medal against teams from Canada, Japan, Panama and Mexico. Her growth did not go unnoticed. The NFL recently chose her to be part of the 'Chase Something' campaign, alongside quarterback Jayden Daniels and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. The campaign urges young athletes to pursue their dreams. She had previously been awarded the NFL Latino Youth Honors 2024 in New Orleans, an event that celebrates Latino seniors with athletic and academic achievements. With a 4.2 GPA and nominated by the Rams, she received $25,000 for her college education. Guitron, 18, will play flag football for Keiser University in Florida, alongside other emerging stars of the sport such as Janasia Wilson and Ashlea Klam. She plans to study sports management and has already represented the United States at the U17 level. But her biggest dream is clear: to make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where flag football will make its debut in the Olympic program. 'I'm working very hard to be at the 2028 Games, but my career won't end there. I'm young and I also want to make it to the 2032 Olympics,' said Guitron, who is 5-foot-5. Schulman, Guitron's coach, says there is no doubt that she will succeed. 'She is so dedicated to the sport,' he said. '... I've already asked her to save me tickets to see her in Los Angeles.' With deep Latino roots, the daughter of Lilia, born in Mexico, and José, a Californian with Mexican parents, Guitron is also aware she is a role model. 'I am proud to be American, but also Mexican American. It is an honor to represent Latinas in sports. I love being that person,' Guitron said. Her father agrees: 'I remind her that she is a pioneer. She is part of a movement that, in the future, will be history.' Although her arthritis is still present, in remission but with occasional flares of pain, Guitron believes that her experiences have made her stronger. 'I am very grateful for everything I have been through, even though it has been difficult,' Guitron said. 'It has made me who I am.' This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
Los Angeles Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sage Hill boys' volleyball sweeps Hillcrest to start CIF repeat bid
Sage Hill romped to take its first step in what it hopes will be another CIF Southern Section boys' volleyball championship run, and the focal point — again, and of course — was Jackson Cryst. The 6-foot-10 senior outside hitter, who last year transformed the Lightning from a middling program into something of a powerhouse, delivered 18 kills and served up five aces as the No. 10 seed swept visiting Riverside Hillcrest, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, in Wednesday evening's Division 4 opener. Cryst is a devastating presence, all over the court, but if Sage Hill (15-11) is to conquer four more foes — starting with a second-round trek to Pasadena Poly (15-3) on Saturday at 4 p.m. — it's because it's no longer all about him. First-year head coach Jordan Hoppe's 6-2 spread offense, far beyond last year's set-it-for-Cryst approach, requires contributions from everyone. It took a rugged regular-season campaign, with playoff aspirations teetering until the finish, to get things right, and now the Lightning is humming: four wins in a row, starting with a five-set comeback win two weeks ago over Portola, a pivotal result in its at-large playoff berth. 'I feel like we're playing our best volleyball,' said the Long Beach State-bound Cryst, last year's Division 5 Player of the Year. 'All year, it just kind of felt so off. Last year, we had this confidence, this chip on our shoulder. We didn't really have that [this year] until I'd say the Portola win. '[That] was just a moment for us where you had to find it. You know, you either do it or you don't.' Hoppe, an AVP Beach pro who played at Orange Coast College and Concordia University in Irvine and was a Lightning assistant coach five years ago, has brought to the program superior tactical and organizational sophistication, emphasizing team over superstar. Playing vital roles are outside hitter Ryan Manesh (six kills, three aces and a block against Hillcrest), Connor Gapp (four kills, one ace, one block), who has transitioned from All-CIF opposite to chief setter in the 6-2 scheme, and fellow junior Dylan Han, an All-CIF hitter now at opposite. '[Last year there was] too much reliance on some of our bigger guys, and we needed to find a way to spread the love, spread the ball,' Hoppe said. 'We've been able to really grill that in practice and make sure guys were really working hard, getting the middles involved, getting everyone involved, giving everybody a chance to get going. We want those guys as involved as possible.' It was evident in Wednesday's victory, in which the Lightning shared the ball while using mid-game runs (11-4 in the first set, 8-2 in the second, 14-6 in the third) to pull away from Hillcrest (23-8), an Ivy League co-champion. The service game, led by back-to-back Cryst aces twice in the second set, often handcuffed the Trojans' attack, and the net battle was won largely through Cryst's work limiting standout sophomore outside hitter Evan Eugene (10 kills). A good first step. More will be needed. 'We can't get it in our heads that it's going to be a breeze again because we were able to win a championship last year,' Manesh said. 'Now we're in a higher division. So we have to push even harder. ... I think we have it in us.' Cryst said it's 'easy to be, like, 'Oh, we won it last year, we'll just do it again.'' 'It's easy to be complacent,' he said. 'But this is a whole new year, new offense, new guys. And I think that's also inspiring for some guys, because they're, like, 'It's my turn now to get this. I don't just have to be behind Jackson hitting a bunch of high balls.' 'It would be a really good team win.'
Los Angeles Times
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: The greatest All-star team in high school basketball history
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It was 50 years ago when perhaps the greatest All-CIF basketball team was put together. Let's reminisce. When sportswriters got together to select the 1974-75 All-CIF basketball team in Los Angeles, it was one of the easiest teams to put together because the talent was so obvious. It became clear in the years ahead, because seven of the 10 first-team picks made it to the NBA. The MVP on that team was David Greenwood from Verbum Dei. His teammate, point guard Roy Hamilton, also was on the team. Both would lead UCLA in the coming years. The other future NBA players were Brad Holland from Crescenta Valley, Bill Laimbeer from Palos Verdes, Reggie Theus from Inglewood, James Hardy from Long Beach Jordan and Paul Mokeski from Crespi. Here's a look back at what made that season so special. Nick Khatchikian of Mesrobian set a state record by scoring 102 points in a 119-25 win over Waverly. Incredibly, the state record was held by another player from Mesrobian, Tigran Grigoryan, who scored 100 points in 2003. Here's the report. Mater Dei unveiled its new Gary McKnight Court, named after the winningest coach in California history. Harvard-Westlake, the new No. 1 team in Southern California, came away with a decisive Mission League victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame behind Isaiah Carroll. Here's the report. Brayden Burries had 36 points in Roosevelt's league win over Corona. Cleveland pulled off the biggest upset in the City Section, knocking off Chatsworth in overtime. That puts the Cavaliers in the City Section Open Division playoffs. Westchester has moved into the favorite role to be the No. 1 seed after winning three games behind Tajh Ariza. There are big events this week. Intuit Dome is the site for Trinity and Mission league games Saturday. Pilibos is hosting AGBU on Friday in a game the Armenian community can't wait to attend. Brentwood and Windward are playing Monday at Windward for first place in the Gold Coast League. Harvard-Westlake is hosting Sierra Canyon on Tuesday for first place in Mission League. Marcos Ramirez of Oxnard, the son of former Ventura College coach Joey Ramirez, is having a big season on and off the court. Here's the report. Here's this week's top 25 rankings by The Times. It was only fitting that freshman Hamiley Arenas of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame reached 500 points in her career by doing it at Grant High, where her father, Gilbert, was a standout guard during his high school days. Kaleena Smith scored 37 points to help Ontario Christian improve to 24-1 with a win over La Jolla Country Day. Etiwanda is going to win its 25th consecutive Baseline League title. Tressa Beatty of Bonita had 40 points in a win over Shalhevet. Brentwood players wanted to make sure they played every game that was postponed during the Palisades fire, so coach Charles Solomon is doing just that. Three times the Eagles have played two games in one day. Their record is up to 18-5 and they still have an outside chance of making the Open Division. They have a big Gold Coast League game Monday night against Windward. Mater Dei (23-2) suffered an injury to star player Kaeli Wynn on Saturday. The right leg injury happened against Rancho Christian. She was carried off the court. Her mother, Jody, is the coach. JSerra third-year coach Chyanne Butler is no longer coaching the team. Phil Talleur is the interim coach. Here's last week's Southern Section rankings. Three top players in Southern Section girls soccer have been ruled ineligible for the rest of the season for taking part in a training camp organized by a pro team. Losing their eligibility were Zamorah Malinoski of Los Alamitos, Peyton Trayer of Santa Margarita and Kai Tsakiris of Corona del Mar, according to the Orange County Register. Redondo Union, Oaks Christian and Santa Margarita entered last week unbeaten and ranked as the top three teams in the Southern Section girls rankings. JSerra's boys soccer team is 10-0 and 7-0 in the Trinity League. Bishop Amat is having one of its best seasons in recent years with a 20-2-1 record. JSerra and Mira Costa are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Southern. Section rankings. Zachary White of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High has a super power that every coach should appreciate. He blends in with the flashiest players on a court, sometimes almost invisible, but if you watch closely and know the game, he's the glue that helps the team seal a victory. He's like the unsung team manager doing all the little things that a coach takes for granted but can't do without. 'People have a misunderstanding what kind of player leads to winning, and Zach only does things that lead to winning, and it's not flashy and it's not something for a mixtape,' coach Matt Sargeant said. 'If you know basketball and you're really watching the game, all he's doing is affecting winning. It's his defense, it's his communication, it's his rebounding. He's constantly doing stuff that helps us win basketball games.' Here's a profile on White, the son of football great Russell White. Devin Moody of Manual Arts has become one of the top players in the City Section while going on a scoring barrage. He's had games of 64 and 58 points recently. Here's a profile on Moody. Before Max Fried played high school baseball at Harvard-Westlake, he was a star at Encino Little League. So he knows how important it is to help the community. The New York Yankees pitcher was out signing autographs and sponsoring an event at O'Malley Family Field through the Fried Foundation on Saturday helping Altadena Little League that was directly affected by the Eton fires. His good friend, Christian Yelich from the Milwaukee Brewers, also stopped by. Harvard-Westlake baseball and its parents organize the event. Here's a look at the impact that was made. After a change in offensive coordinators at Florida State, junior quarterback Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park has withdrawn his commitment and opened his recruiting. . . . Erick Jackson is the new football coach at Paraclete. . . . Mark Paredes is the new football coach at Mountain View. He won Southern Section titles at Bishop Amat and JW North and also coached at Damien. . . . Marcus Galan has resigned as football coach at San Gabriel. . . . Jude Lee from Orange Lutheran and Ronin Banerjee of Santa Margarita have made the girls and boys teams, respectively, for the U.S. National Junior team in golf. . . . Standout tight end Mark Bowman from Mater Dei has reclassified from the class of 2027 to the class of 2026. . . . Junior tight end Jaden Hernandez of Long Beach Poly has committed to Sacramento State. . . . Mater Dei's girls' water polo team won the Newport Invitational with a 13-11 overtime win over Orange Lutheran. That's three tournament championships this season for the Monarchs . . . The latest from the high school football transfer tracker. Spencer Freedman, a former Mater Dei basketball standout and elite student, went on to play at Harvard and NYU. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in computer science and went to NYU grad school in management and systems. He played professionally in Costa Rica for a few months, then came home to study for the LSAT and to apply for law school and use his education to begin a tech company. The family home was destroyed in the Palisades fire. Here's a story from 2017 on Freedman at Mater Dei. From the Los Angerles Times, a story on Angel City's new training facility in Thousand Oaks. From a story on how high school sports should be a place for positivity. From the Los Angeles Times, a look at school re-starting on line for students at damaged Palisades High.
