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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
St. John Bosco wins Division I regional baseball title with a shutout
On the day he turned 17, Jack Champlin gave himself his own best birthday present, one he got to share with his teammates. The junior right-hander needed 27 pitches to retire all seven batters he faced to wrap up St. John Bosch's 4-0 shutout of Patrick Henry in the Southern California Regional Division I championship game. 'I'm going to dinner with my family and my girlfriend,' he said when asked what he would do to celebrate. 'I'm not sure where yet, but there are a lot of good places around here and we'll make a decision.' Champlin pitched in all eight playoff games for the Braves, picking up two wins and five saves with zero runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings. 'I don't really feel the pressure… as a closer you need to have confidence in your stuff and I'm just happy to be put in that position,' said Champlin, who fielded a grounder back to the mound and underhanded a toss to first base for the final out of the season. 'We knew our starter [Brayden Krakowski] had pitched earlier in the week and only had 14 outs remaining, so the gameplan was for me to come in after that or before if necessary. As it turned out I was able to finish each playoff game with the ball in my hand every single time.' Krakowksi allowed three hits and got all the support he needed in the first inning, as James Clark led off the bottom half with a triple and scored on a single by Noah Everly. Miles Clark added a two-out RBI single. In the next inning St. John Bosco doubled its lead when James Clark hit an RBI double and later scored on an infield single by Jaden Jackson. St. John Bosco beat eighth-seeded San Diego St. Augustine 2-1 in the first round and No. 5 Villa Park 7-4 in the semifinals in a rematch of the Braves' 4-3 nine-inning triumph in the Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals. Patrick Henry had lost 3-0 to Granite Hills in the San Diego Section Open Division final but after back-to-back victories over two of the best Southern Section teams in Santa Margarita and Crespi, the Patriots (23-11-2) came to Bellflower confident they could upset the No. 1-ranked team in California. It did not happen. Instead, the Braves notched their 19th straight win, 30th in 34 games and capped an historic campaign, which included a 3-2 walk-off victory over Santa Margarita to capture the program's first section crown May 30 after losing to Beckman 2-1 in eight innings in the CIF-SS Division 3 title game last season. 'We've proven ourselves,' Champlin said in the midst of a celebration on the same field where he and his returning teammates rallied to defeat Bakersfield Christian 5-4 and claim the Division III regional championship last June. Champlin took the hill with one out in the top of the seventh inning in last year's regional final, got the final two outs, and was credited with the win when the Braves scored the game-ending run on a balk in the bottom frame. Saturday's achievement was even sweeter because it was accomplished at the highest level and was a testament to second-year coach Andy Rojo, who held the first-place plaque high and declared 'We won the west!' as his players surrounded him. 'It'll take a lot for any team to match what we've done winning by three titles in one year—the Trinity League championship, the Southern Section Division 1 championship and the regional Division I championship,' said Rojo who got his squad to the top of the mountain despite losing 12 players to graduation—including pitcher Anthony Cosme (Cal Poly Pomona), center fielder Julian Villasenor (Washington State) and first baseman Zach Woodson (Pepperdine). 'Tomorrow will be two months since we lost a game (the Braves last suffered defeat on April 8 against Santa Margarita). I couldn't be more proud.'
Los Angeles Times
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Gavin Hightower and Maximo Adams lead Sierra Canyon to basketball state title game
The 'James' era at Sierra Canyon is not over quite yet. There is still one game left to be won. Bryce James, the younger son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, deferred to his teammates for most of Tuesday night's Southern California Regional Division I final, scoring only three points, but Gavin Hightower and Maximo Adams picked up the slack, finishing with 25 ands 22, respectively, in a 74-68 victory over visiting Redondo Union in Chatsworth. Like the teams' first encounter in pool play of the Southern Section Open Division playoffs on Feb. 12, which the Trailblazers won by three in overtime, the talented rosters full of four- and five-star recruits traded baskets until the final minute. Hightower leaped high to rebound a missed Adams jumper, whirled and made a layup while being fouled to put the top seed ahead, 69-68, with 49 seconds left. He made the free throw to make it a two-point game and Redondo never scored again. The game not only featured many of the finest basketball players in California, it also saw two of the state's winningest coaches matching wits in Redondo Union's Reggie Morris and Sierra Canyon's Andre Chevalier, who got a big hug from Adams when the buzzer sounded. 'This year's been a long road with lots injuries and lots of ups and downs,' said Chevalier, who has guided the Trailblazers to their first regional crown since 2020, when Bryce's older brother Bronny was on the squad. The state finals were canceled that season because of the COVID-19 outbreak, so Bryce and company have a chance to finish the job this time around. 'Reggie's an absolutely amazing coach and an even better man. He gave us a different look tonight, which I knew he would, and we had to adjust.' An Arizona commit, Bryce took pictures with fans while hugging the regional hardware. 'He had the love of his brother holding up the trophy with him and that was beautiful to see,' Chevalier said. Sierra Canyon (26-7) plays Stockton Lincoln (31-4), the Northern California champion, Friday at 8 p.m. at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. 'Man, I've never won [the title] so I want to put a banner in the gym,' Hightower said. 'God's given us the opportunity. Bryce is a key piece to our team, but we all love each other. We don't care who scores more points.' The third-seeded Seahawks (28-6) controlled the first half before Stephen Kankole's three-pointer with 25 seconds left gave Sierra Canyon its first lead, 37-35. Bryce Cofield added 14 points for the Trailblazers and Hudson Mayes scored 19 for Redondo, which finished 14-of-15 at the foul line. 'It was a great team win,' Adams said. 'We fought to the end. I wasn't aggressive enough last time we played them. Now it's about staying locked in for Friday. The job's not done.'
