Latest news with #CanonKing
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Venice pulls out 9-8 win over Sylmar on walk-off single in eighth inning
"Unreal." That was Canon King's reaction as he crossed home plate in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night to score the winning run on a walk-off single from Jesse Dominguez to give Venice a 9-8 comeback win over Sylmar and a spot in Saturday's City Section Open Division championship game against El Camino Real at Dodger Stadium. King went five for five on the night at Cal State Northridge and tied the score with an RBI double. The Gondoliers then loaded the bases with none out before Dominguez ended it with a single to left. Advertisement Three times, top-seeded Venice had to launch rallies, down 4-0, tying it 4-4, down 7-4, tying it 7-7, then down 8-7 in the eighth before winning it. Players in the dugout afterward were overjoyed. Venice hasn't won a City Section upper division title since 1973 and to get to play at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. is particularly satisfying for a team that has 16 seniors on its roster. El Camino Real is a nine-time champion. The Gondoliers repeatedly showed their grit. Even after Sylmar took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch, the top of the order delivered, starting with a double from Eli Altamirano. Advertisement 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.
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Venice pulls out 9-8 win over Sylmar on walk-off single in eighth inning
'Unreal.' That was Canon King's reaction as he crossed home plate in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night to score the winning run on a walk-off single from Jesse Dominguez to give Venice a 9-8 comeback win over Sylmar and a spot in Saturday's City Section Open Division championship game against El Camino Real at Dodger Stadium. King went five for five on the night at Cal State Northridge and tied the score with an RBI double. The Gondoliers then loaded the bases with none out before Dominguez ended it with a single to left. Three times, top-seeded Venice had to launch rallies, down 4-0, tying it 4-4, down 7-4, tying it 7-7, then down 8-7 in the eighth before winning it. Players in the dugout afterward were overjoyed. Venice hasn't won a City Section upper division title since 1973 and to get to play at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. is particularly satisfying for a team that has 16 seniors on its roster. El Camino Real is a nine-time champion. The Gondoliers repeatedly showed their grit. Even after Sylmar took an 8-7 lead in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch, the top of the order delivered, starting with a double from Eli Altamirano.
Los Angeles Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: A great week for City Section baseball that ends at Dodger Stadium
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. It's the greatest weekend for City Section athletics, because the baseball championship games in Open Division and Division I will be held Saturday at Dodger Stadium. It's the week in City Section sports where dreams come true. The City Section Open Division and Division I baseball championship games will be played Saturday at Dodger Stadium. 'It's magical,' Venice center fielder Canon King said of what the experience would be like. A semifinal doubleheader is set for Tuesday at Cal State Northridge in the Open Division, with Birmingham playing El Camino Real at 3 p.m. and Venice facing Sylmar at 6 p.m. In Division I, the semifinals are Wednesday at Stengel Field in Glendale. Taft will play Carson at 3 p.m., followed by Verdugo Hills against Banning at 6 p.m. Venice, the No. 1 seed, has been led by King, who has hit six home runs. Here's a profile of him and his teammates. It's nervous time in the Southern Section baseball playoffs that resume Tuesday. Top-seeded Corona, which got a first-round bye in Division 1, makes its debut at home against Los Osos and will send out pitcher Seth Hernandez, who is 17-0 in high school baseball. There are no upsets in Division 1 despite the seedings. It's still about ace vs. ace. The one interesting thing to watch is how well the four teams who got first-round byes perform after being inactive for more than a week. That's Corona, Crespi, Huntington Beach and St. John Bosco. They better be ready to perform with their ace pitchers or suffer an early exit. The Trinity League has done best with Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite and Santa Margarita all winning their playoff openers. It was a big day for Oaks Christian and Quentin Young, who hit his 14th home run. Here's the updated schedule. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has become the surprise team in high school softball, eliminating last season's Division 1 runner-up Orange Lutheran in a 9-7 stunner, then beating El Segundo 12-10. Who says you need a standout pitcher with a freshman named Jackie Morales? All Morales did was hit four home runs on the week, including three against Orange Lutheran. Top-seeded Norco remains the favorite in Division 1, but in a season without any dominant pitcher, the Knights' hitting could keep them going far. Notre Dame hosts El Modena in Wednesday's quarterfinals. Here's the complete pairings. The City Section announced its playoff pairings, with Granada Hills seeded No. 1. Here's the pairings. Loyola has been the No. 1 lacrosse team all season and delivered a second Southern Section title with an 11-3 win over Mater Dei in the Division 1 final. Cash Ginsberg scored three goals and Tripp King had two goals. Foothill upset No. 1-seeded Mira Costa 12-7 to win the Division 1 girls title. Foothill lost to Marlborough in last year's final. Brynn Perkins scored five goals. The weather was cool and overcast, but there were some terrific individual and team performances at the Southern Section track and field championships at Moorpark. There were two ties for team titles in Division 4 boys (Serra and Viewpoint) and girls (St. Mary's and Rosary). And Division 3 boys came down to the 4x400 relay with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame prevailing over Servite. Servite's Benjamin Harris, only a sophomore, ran a 10.32 100 meters. Rodney Sermons, a junior USC commit at Rancho Cucamonga, ran a 10.36 100. Here's a rundown on the day's activities. On Saturday, the Southern Section will hold its Masters Meet at Moorpark and for the first time have 18 qualifiers competing in races and field events, up from nine. The City Section will hold its championships Thursday at Birmingham High using the school's new Mondo track surface. El Camino Real stunned top-seeded Venice to win the City Section Open Division championship. The Royals have one of the brightest young coaches in the Southland in Alyssa Lee, who used to play girls volleyball for Tom Harp at Granada Hills. She's now won a boys title, girls title and beach title. Here's the report. Mira Costa won the Southern Section Division 1 championship. The state championships begin this week. Here are the pairings. There are lots of pitchers scheduled to make an impact in the Southern Section baseball playoffs. Here's a look at pitchers to watch over the next couple of weeks. The California Science Center next to the Coliseum has opened a free interactive sports exhibit that will stay open through the 2028 Olympic Games. It's phenomenal, allowing kids and adults to learn about science and participate in baseball, softball, climbing, soccer, basketball and other sports. The first day it was opened saw more than 1,300 visitors. Here's a look at something that should become very popular. Here come the freshmen. At the Northern Regional for individual golf, freshman Brandon Anderson of Buena won with a 63 and second was freshman Jaden Soong of St. Francis. The individual championships will take place Thursday at Temecula Creek Country Club. Team titles are scheduled Monday and Tuesday. It's time to start a weekly help guide for parents, athletes, coaches, even officials. I'm going to ask questions and answer them with help from others. First question: 'How do I get my coach to notice me more?' Get to practices before anyone else. Stay until everyone leaves. That lets the coach know you are passionate and committed to getting better. Volunteer to do the little things that coaches notice, like helping to clean a gym floor or bring out water. Show hustle whenever you can. Be bold and talk to your coach and tell him or her that you want to reach your full potential and would appreciate any feedback. The key is working hard when no one is watching. The coach will see the development and provide a reward known as playing time. If not, keep doing it for yourself and your future. Good grades always bring a smile to any coach. Run extra laps. And you might even tell your coach, 'You're doing a really good job.' They like compliments. Former NFL defensive back Troy Hill is the new head football coach at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure. He becomes the second ex-NFL player recently headed to high school football, joining Carson Palmer, who went to Santa Margarita. . . . Junior receiver Devin Olmande of Newbury Park has committed to San Jose State. . . . Irvine University and Woodbridge won the Southern Section Open Division and Division 1 tennis championships. Here's a report on Woodbridge's win. . . . Mission Viejo won the Millikan seven on seven passing tournament, defeating San Diego Lincoln in the final. Charter Oak won its own passing tournament title, defeating Rancho Cucamonga, and San Juan Hills defeated Capistrano Valley in the championship of the Dana Hills passing tournament. . . . Thatcher Fahlbusch from Mira Costa has committed to Hawaii for volleyball. UCLA was searching for a reliable closer in baseball this season, and look who's emerged late in the season: freshman Easton Hawk from Granada Hills High. He entered the week with four saves in 17 appearances but has come on strong this month to give the Bruins hope he can be a stopper in the NCAA playoffs. UCLA shared the regular season Big 10 championship with Oregon. He's always had good velocity. Throwing strikes is important at the collegiate level. Here's a story from 2023. From ESPN, a story on Palisades High's baseball team rising up despite obstacles from the Palisades fire. From a story on youth sports and mental health challenges.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canon King and Venice High look to earn a trip to Dodger Stadium
There was pure joy as Canon King ran toward his Venice High teammates standing outside the dugout after touching home plate to complete a home run. He launched a group chest bump with Dylan Johnson, who went tumbling through the dirt like a kid playing in a sandbox. "This feels great," King said later. "We've worked so hard for four years." Advertisement Venice (27-2) is tantalizingly close to earning a trip to Dodger Stadium to play for the City Section Open Division baseball championship. The Gondoliers play Sylmar at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Cal State Northridge in the semifinals. The other matchup as part of a doubleheader has El Camino Real facing Birmingham at 3 p.m. In many ways, these two games impose far more pressure on players than reaching the championship game, because each player so badly wants to make it to Dodger Stadium to fulfill dreams of a lifetime. "It's magical," King said. To see King's smile and excitement last week after hitting his sixth home run in a 4-1 playoff win over Chatsworth offered a hint of his value and importance to a surging Gondoliers team. He's a three-time Western League MVP. Advertisement He's committed to Cal State San Marcos, has gotten all A's for four years on his report card except for one B in chemistry freshman year and one B in AP Spanish. He's a born leader and "loves" being named Canon by his father, a high school teacher and former amateur rapper whose best friend had Canon as his last name. "The energy is infectious," he said of the team's success. "It's all coming together. Our team chemistry has been high. Our practices have been so productive." Coach Kevin Brockway has 16 seniors on the roster. The Gondoliers haven't won an upper division championship since 1972 and are trying to follow the same improbable path as last year's champion, Bell, which hadn't been to a final since 1953. Venice was given the No. 1 seed even though El Camino Real and Birmingham came from the stronger West Valley League. But the Gondoliers went 18-0 in the Western League and have the defensive prowess to do well, with a solid catcher in Charlie Nisbet, a dependable shortstop in Daniel Quiroz and King in center field. Advertisement Sylmar, the Valley Mission League champion, went to Dodger Stadium jtwo years ago for the Division I championship game. Pitcher Alex Martinez remembers starting at third base as a freshman. "It's crazy," he said of the atmosphere. "Overwhelming for sure. It looks different, even when the ball is up in the air. It blends in." He threw a shutout last week in Sylmar's Open Division win over Cleveland. Coach Ray Rivera has come to rely on him as a pitcher and hitter. "He trusts me with the ball and in special situations," Martinez said. He thinks the Spartans are coming into Tuesday's game feeling good about themselves. Advertisement "This team is special this year," he said. "This team can beat anyone if we play our game." Venice knows the challenge ahead, first having to get past Sylmar, then one of the two West Valley League powers, El Camino Real or Birmingham. Whatever happens, King is ready, though he's thankful the games are 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Gondoliers don't do well with morning games. "We're notorious for Saturday morning games," he said. He'll get everyone to go to bed early the night before. None of them will sleep well anyway thinking of the possibilities. Advertisement "Surreal," is how King put it if the Gondoliers can make it to Dodger Stadium on Saturday. 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.
