Latest news with #CoronaCentennial
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
High school football will never be the same in era of transfers, NIL money
When Charles Dickens began his 1859 novel 'A Tale of Two Cities' with the legendary line, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' who knew that it would aptly describe the state of amateur football in 2025? From college athletics to high school athletics, if you're a parent, coach, athlete or fan, you have plenty of stories to tell. Take notes, because there's so much material you'll be able to write a book, launch a podcast or participate in court cases still to be decided. Advertisement 'It's all crazy,' said future Hall of Fame football coach Matt Logan of Corona Centennial. Football isn't in a crisis but it is in a black hole with stakeholders seeking an escape path. With final rules still not adopted in how name, image and likeness is supposed to work and college programs not only paying their own athletes but high school recruits, too, everyone is adjusting on the fly. Parents trying to navigate the changes are hiring agents, who are showing up to high school camps trying to find clients. There's the college transfer portal and something similar in high school that saw more than 17,000 students switch schools in California last year. Until NIL rules are figured out, it's roll your eyes and don't be surprised at anything. Advertisement Read more: High school football transfers tracker: Which top players are switching schools? Some elite high school players have been reclassifying their graduation years to take advantage of money opportunities. And that's after parents held them back entering high school to be bigger, stronger and faster as a 16-year-old freshman. It's all legal and even logical but the changing landscape is riddled with pros and cons and bad actors. One big concern in high school sports is that parents might be too focused on scholarships for their kids and earning NIL money while forgetting the real reason people play sports — for the love of the game. Advertisement 'For me, the whole value in sports has been degenerated,' Logan said. 'You don't play sports to get a scholarship. You play to learn how to lead, how to take orders, how to be a good teammate, how to work together. This could be the only chance to have fun, play with their friends, have a great experience.' There have been football scandals in recent years — twice at Narbonne High, which had City Section championships taken away in 2019 and 2024 for using ineligible players. Now the football community is focused on what the Southern Section intends to do this fall about Bishop Montgomery, which supposedly has numerous transfer students (some from Narbonne) and is so confident it'll 'll be declared eligible that a trip to Hawaii and a nonleague game against powerful Mater Dei have been scheduled. Every week, coaches have to decide how to deal with players and parents who have little patience and many options. It's a balancing act, and for the elite of the elite, coaches can't even count on juniors returning as seniors because of opportunities to skip ahead to college. 'I understand why they are doing it. They have my full support,' said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse, who's losing star defensive lineman Richard Wesley to Oregon a year early after he reclassified to the class of 2026. Advertisement Ellinghouse is embracing the idea his job is to "put them into positions to have life-changing opportunities." There are many different paths to success and failure. Remember how LaVar Ball didn't care that his youngest son, LaMelo, was 13 years old playing summer basketball as a freshman for Chino Hills. He threw him in against older players and the rest is history. He averaged 25.2 points this season for the Charlotte Hornets as a 23-year-old in his fifth NBA season. There are others who were 19-year-old seniors in high school, stopped developing, kept switching schools and will probably blame their coaches for not making the pros when the truth is it's difficult to become a professional athlete. It is the best of times with all kinds of money to be given out for being a good athlete. It is the worst of times because many of the treasured lessons from playing amateur sports no longer receive priority treatment. What happened to the importance of getting a college degree? Advertisement It will take someone with magical ideas to return a balance to the amateur sports world. 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
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
High school football will never be the same in era of transfers, NIL money
When Charles Dickens began his 1859 novel 'A Tale of Two Cities' with the legendary line, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,' who knew that it would aptly describe the state of amateur football in 2025? From college athletics to high school athletics, if you're a parent, coach, athlete or fan, you have plenty of stories to tell. Take notes, because there's so much material you'll be able to write a book, launch a podcast or participate in court cases still to be decided. 'It's all crazy,' said future Hall of Fame football coach Matt Logan of Corona Centennial. Football isn't in a crisis but it is in a black hole with stakeholders seeking an escape path. With final rules still not adopted in how name, image and likeness is supposed to work and college programs not only paying their own athletes but high school recruits, too, everyone is adjusting on the fly. Parents trying to navigate the changes are hiring agents, who are showing up to high school camps trying to find clients. There's the college transfer portal and something similar in high school that saw more than 17,000 students switch schools in California last year. Until NIL rules are figured out, it's roll your eyes and don't be surprised at anything. Some elite high school players have been reclassifying their graduation years to take advantage of money opportunities. And that's after parents held them back entering high school to be bigger, stronger and faster as a 16-year-old freshman. It's all legal and even logical but the changing landscape is riddled with pros and cons and bad actors. One big concern in high school sports is that parents might be too focused on scholarships for their kids and earning NIL money while forgetting the real reason people play sports — for the love of the game. 'For me, the whole value in sports has been degenerated,' Logan said. 'You don't play sports to get a scholarship. You play to learn how to lead, how to take orders, how to be a good teammate, how to work together. This could be the only chance to have fun, play with their friends, have a great experience.' There have been football scandals in recent years — twice at Narbonne High, which had City Section championships taken away in 2019 and 2024 for using ineligible players. Now the football community is focused on what the Southern Section intends to do this fall about Bishop Montgomery, which supposedly has numerous transfer students (some from Narbonne) and is so confident it'll 'll be declared eligible that a trip to Hawaii and a nonleague game against powerful Mater Dei have been scheduled. Every week, coaches have to decide how to deal with players and parents who have little patience and many options. It's a balancing act, and for the elite of the elite, coaches can't even count on juniors returning as seniors because of opportunities to skip ahead to college. 'I understand why they are doing it. They have my full support,' said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse, who's losing star defensive lineman Richard Wesley to Oregon a year early after he reclassified to the class of 2026. Ellinghouse is embracing the idea his job is to 'put them into positions to have life-changing opportunities.' There are many different paths to success and failure. Remember how LaVar Ball didn't care that his youngest son, LaMelo, was 13 years old playing summer basketball as a freshman for Chino Hills. He threw him in against older players and the rest is history. He averaged 25.2 points this season for the Charlotte Hornets as a 23-year-old in his fifth NBA season. There are others who were 19-year-old seniors in high school, stopped developing, kept switching schools and will probably blame their coaches for not making the pros when the truth is it's difficult to become a professional athlete. It is the best of times with all kinds of money to be given out for being a good athlete. It is the worst of times because many of the treasured lessons from playing amateur sports no longer receive priority treatment. What happened to the importance of getting a college degree? It will take someone with magical ideas to return a balance to the amateur sports world.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wyatt Brown steps up in competition with transfer to Notre Dame
Spring football practice begins this month, and one of the players with a terrific upside is junior left-handed quarterback Wyatt Brown. For three seasons, he was Santa Monica's star in the making. Then he transferred to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for the spring semester seeking to challenge himself. Advertisement Through running the 400 meters and lifting weights, he's improving his speed, strength and stamina. He has grown to 6 feet 4 and 200 pounds. His legs have been an important part of his game as well as his arm, and Notre Dame certainly knows how to take advantage of a double threat, having deployed the fastest quarterback in the state last season in Steele Pizzella, who is now at Wake Forest. Brown is embracing track as a way to help his football future. 'It's not the most fun thing in the world because I want to get out there and throw the football,' he said. 'The advantages it brings to an athlete, I think every football player should do. Not only does it build physical toughness but mental toughness. Hopefully my times get better week by week.' Brown isn't as fast as Pizzella, but his size and strength should fit in well for a Knights team that returns one of the region's top receivers in Luc Weaver. They used to be teammates as eighth-graders in youth football. 'He was my favorite receiver,' Brown said. 'We had some good plays together. We aren't starting from the ground up but starting from a good point already. I trust him. I think he's the best receiver in L.A. and am excited about what we're going to do.' Advertisement Brown, an A-student who's knowledgeable about the game and the changes taking place around him and in college, recognizes there's many tests ahead when you ask him about life being a quarterback, now and in the future. 'It's crazy with all the stuff going on,' he said. 'I've spent way too much time stressing about that stuff. What I come down to is simplifying for myself. Stay steady-headed, because at the end of the day, if I do what I need to do, things will work out.' Getting to work this spring is the start for Brown facing much tougher competition in the Mission League, where Sierra Canyon and Gardena Serra have risen to the top. 'If there's one guy up for it, it's me and our team,' he said. 'I'm very excited. Since I got to high school, I dig competition. That's all I want. It's not going to be easier, but that's what makes you better, especially for the next level, Division I [college]. Everyone is going to be good, so why not start that now. I'm excited for competition. It brings us up to a higher level.' There's plenty of interesting quarterback competitions that will take place in the spring and summer. At Mater Dei, Ryan Hopkins, a transfer from JSerra, will compete with last season's backup, Furian Inferrera. Sierra Canyon has competition to replace Utah-bound Wyatt Becker with the arrival of Santa Barbara transfer Laird Finkel. Gardena Serra also will have a new quarterback. At Corona Centennial, Dominick Catalano has waited three seasons to finally become the starter at quarterback. Advertisement As for transferring, Brown said, 'I'm a loyal guy. I was Santa Monica through and through. It's not easy coming from a public school with 3,000 people to Notre Dame. I think it was a good move for me. There's nothing but good people here. It's just a start. More to come.' In the City Section, change is happening in the Marine League, where there's new coaches at Banning, Narbonne and Carson. Birmingham could become the City title favorite if it solves its passing issues from last season. In a growing trend, lots of schools are holding showcases next month to attract college coaches and inviting opponents to play in seven-on-seven competitions while using free food as an incentive to get the college recruiters to show up, from barbecue to crawfish on the menu. And, of course, there will be a lot more transfers when the spring semester ends. 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.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep baseball roundup: Norco gets 17 hits in win over Corona Centennial
Prep baseball roundup: Norco gets 17 hits in win over Corona Centennial Sophomore Dylan Steward (left) and freshman Jordan Ayala had big games on Monday for Norco. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) Norco collected 17 hits and hit two home runs to win the first game of a three-game Big VIII League series against Corona Centennial 15-3 on Monday. Kevin Leon hit a three-run home run and finished with seven RBIs. Daniel Luther hit a three-run home run. Freshman Jordan Ayala had three hits and three RBIs. Sophomore Dylan Seward scored four runs. Advertisement Sun Valley Poly 10, Kennedy 3: Brenis Mayorga finished with three hits and five RBIs for Poly, which is 7-0 in the Valley Mission League. Sylmar 10, San Fernando 0: Mike Andrade had three RBIs and Luis Mendoza threw a five-inning shutout for Sylmar in a Valley Mission League game. Garfield 4, Legacy 2: Victor Alvarez struck out nine for Garfield. Bell 4, South Gate 0: Manuel Pasillas struck out eight in five innings and Jayden Rojas had two hits for Bell. Long Beach Millikan 4, Trabuco Hills 0: Adrian Ramirez had three hits and Thomas Ramsey struck out 10 in a complete game for Millikan. Damien 6, Etiwanda 3: Brady Bickham had the key hit during a four-run sixth inning for Damien. Advertisement Temecula Valley 10, Vista Murrieta 2: Chase Hilt threw a complete game in a Southwestern League opener. He also had three hits. 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.
