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Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Marina doubles team repeat bid ends in CIF Individuals boys' tennis semifinals
CLAREMONT — Marina High senior Trevor Nguyen and junior David Tran helped orchestrate a historic season for the boys' tennis team. The Vikings advanced to their first CIF championship match in program history. Individually, Nguyen and Tran were not quite able to repeat as the best doubles team in the CIF Southern Section. They lost to the top-seeded JSerra duo of Brady Schaefgen and Riley Anson, 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals of the CIF Individuals tournament on Thursday morning at Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont. 'I think we all played well this year, us and our team,' Tran said. 'We came really close. The Ojai final, that could have gone either way, and also the team final. We all played really well, got really close. We just wish we could have pulled it through, winning.' Nguyen, the powerful left-hander, exits as possibly the most accomplished tennis player in school history, coach Chuck Kingman said, at least on par with 2023 graduate Mika Ikemori on the girls' side. Nguyen is attending UC San Diego next year and hopes to walk on to the men's tennis team there. Nguyen and Tran, the Sunset League champions, started well against Trinity League champions Schaefgen and Anson. The defending CIF doubles champions from Marina quickly earned a 3-0 lead in the first set. But the JSerra tandem ran off six straight games to capture the set. 'We started slow, but they were also playing unbelievable for the first three games,' Anson said. 'Everything was working. After 0-3, I think we just slowed our game down a little bit, made the right shots. Didn't go for anything flashy, just played basic doubles and played the right high-percentage shots. 'I played Trevor previously, and I know he's a monster at the net. The plan was just to try to keep it away from him, extend the points and try to have us attack the net and finish.' The second set stayed on serve until the very end. Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Tran held in a game that went to three deuces. Schaefgen then quickly held serve at love himself, putting the pressure back on Marina. Nguyen went up 30-love on his serve, but JSerra rallied to capture the game and the match. A good return by Anson on match point forced Nguyen's subsequent shot long. JSerra's duo had its serve broken just once all match. 'Credit to our guys, they hung in there and didn't get disillusioned and batted,' Kingman said. 'And all credit to Riley and his partner, they played really well from the third game on. They never had any lapses. Our guys never really got a look at anything. They served well, they returned well, our guys just never quite got a look.' Nguyen and Tran got to the CIF semifinals with a pair of wins Wednesday, beating a team from University in the round of 16 and a team from Palos Verdes in the quarterfinals. In two years together as a doubles team, they advanced to at least the semifinals twice at both the prestigious Ojai Tournament and the CIF Individuals tournament. 'I'm really proud of what we've achieved over my career,' Nguyen said. 'I'm sad that this is my last chance. We came so close. We got to the finals of Ojai, the [team] finals of CIF and the semifinals of this tournament. It's just kind of sad that we couldn't pull it through with all of those chances.' Edison's Dylan Trinh and Kai Stolaruk were the other local players to advance to the final stages of the tournament. Trinh and Stolaruk, the Sunset League runners up, fell to Langston Walter-Wu and Humam Alajeely of University 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- 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.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep baseball roundup: Seth Hernandez hits two three-run home runs for No. 1 Corona
Leave it up to Seth Hernandez of top-seeded Corona High to find a way to impress the many pro baseball scouts attending Tuesday's Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener with not just his arm but his bat. He hit two three-run home runs to help Corona defeat Los Osos 11-2. Corona trailed 2-0 into the third inning until the Panthers started going deep. First was a home run by Jesiah Andrade. Then Hernandez started sending balls over the fence. He also struck out 10 and walked one in six innings. Advertisement Corona advances to play Big VIII rival Norco in Friday's quarterfinals. Norco 4, Laguna Beach 2: Dylan Seward had three hits and four RBIs while Landon Hovermale threw a complete game. Crespi 5, El Dorado 2: The Celts rallied for four runs in the sixth inning. Diego Velazquez had a two-run double. Jackson Eisenhauer threw a complete game, striking out seven. Crespi will play Mira Costa in the quarterfinals. Mira Costa 5, Arcadia 4: An RBI double by Joaquin Scholer in the fifth inning broke a 4-4 tie. He finished with two doubles. Los Alamitos 8, Orange Lutheran 0: Tyler Smith drove in four runs and three pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout to eliminate the Lancers. Los Alamitos will play Santa Margarita on Friday. Advertisement Santa Margarita 6, Huntington Beach 5: Chase Marlow singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning to give the Eagles an upset over Sunset League champion Huntington Beach. Brennan Bauer struck out four in 4 1/3 innings of relief. Villa Park 8, Aquinas 2: Jake Nobles struck out five with no walks over five innings and Val Lopez had three hits and two RBIs. Villa Park will play St. John Bosco on Friday. St. John Bosco 5, Vista Murrieta 4: Noah Everly had three hits and two RBIs while Miles Clark homered for the Braves, who rallied with a three-run sixth inning. West Ranch 12, Crean Lutheran 0: Mikey Murr and Matt Castellon combined on a no-hitter in Division 2. Advertisement Sultana 6, Loyola 5: The Cubs dropped the Division 2 game on an error in the ninth inning. Servite 12, Anaheim Canyon 1: Tomas Cernius hit a three-run home run and Michael Cabral had four RBIs. Servite will play Etiwanda in the Division 2 quarterfinals. Etiwanda 6, Gahr 1: Angel Mejia finished with four RBIs and Nico Hamilton threw six innings for the Eagles. Torrance 3, Oaks Christian 2: Mateo Rickman hit a three-run home run to power Torrance, which will face Fountain Valley on Friday. Fountain Valley 7, Trabuco Hills 0: Josh Grack threw the shutout and also contributed two RBIs. Foothill 3, San Clemente 2: Ezekiel Vargas and Aidan Colburn each had two hits for Foothill, which plays Mater Dei on Friday. Advertisement Mater Dei 6, Simi Valley 4: The Monarchs eliminated second-seeded Sim Valley by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning. Brady Guth hit a three-run home run. 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
Prep baseball roundup: Seth Hernandez hits two three-run home runs for No. 1 Corona
Leave it up to Seth Hernandez of top-seeded Corona High to find a way to impress the many pro baseball scouts attending Tuesday's Southern Section Division 1 playoff opener with not just his arm but his bat. He hit two three-run home runs to help Corona defeat Los Osos 11-2. Corona trailed 2-0 into the third inning until the Panthers started going deep. First was a home run by Jesiah Andrade. Then Hernandez started sending balls over the fence. He also struck out 10 and walked one in six innings. Corona advances to play Big VIII rival Norco in Friday's quarterfinals. Norco 4, Laguna Beach 2: Dylan Seward had three hits and four RBIs while Landon Hovermale threw a complete game. Crespi 5, El Dorado 2: The Celts rallied for four runs in the sixth inning. Diego Velazquez had a two-run double. Jackson Eisenhauer threw a complete game, striking out seven. Crespi will play Mira Costa in the quarterfinals. Mira Costa 5, Arcadia 4: An RBI double by Joaquin Scholer in the fifth inning broke a 4-4 tie. He finished with two doubles. Los Alamitos 8, Orange Lutheran 0: Tyler Smith drove in four runs and three pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout to eliminate the Lancers. Los Alamitos will play Santa Margarita on Friday. Santa Margarita 6, Huntington Beach 5: Chase Marlow singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning to give the Eagles an upset over Sunset League champion Huntington Beach. Brennan Bauer struck out four in 4 1/3 innings of relief. Villa Park 8, Aquinas 2: Jake Nobles struck out five with no walks over five innings and Val Lopez had three hits and two RBIs. Villa Park will play St. John Bosco on Friday. St. John Bosco 5, Vista Murrieta 4: Noah Everly had three hits and two RBIs while Miles Clark homered for the Braves, who rallied with a three-run sixth inning. West Ranch 12, Crean Lutheran 0: Mikey Murr and Matt Castellon combined on a no-hitter in Division 2. Sultana 6, Loyola 5: The Cubs dropped the Division 2 game on an error in the ninth inning. Servite 12, Anaheim Canyon 1: Tomas Cernius hit a three-run home run and Michael Cabral had four RBIs. Servite will play Etiwanda in the Division 2 quarterfinals. Etiwanda 6, Gahr 1: Angel Mejia finished with four RBIs and Nico Hamilton threw six innings for the Eagles. Torrance 3, Oaks Christian 2: Mateo Rickman hit a three-run home run to power Torrance, which will face Fountain Valley on Friday. Fountain Valley 7, Trabuco Hills 0: Josh Grack threw the shutout and also contributed two RBIs. Foothill 3, San Clemente 2: Ezekiel Vargas and Aidan Colburn each had two hits for Foothill, which plays Mater Dei on Friday. Mater Dei 6, Simi Valley 4: The Monarchs eliminated second-seeded Sim Valley by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning. Brady Guth hit a three-run home run.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
High School Roundup: Marina softball mashes at the plate in CIF opener
Ava Kim homered and drove in three runs, as Marina tallied a dozen hits en route to a 10-0 win over visiting Arcadia on Thursday in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. Liz Byer supplied three hits, two runs scored, and a run batted in. Gabby DiBenedetto, Mia Valbuena and Byer each had a double. Byer, DiBenedetto and Valbuena each picked up multiple hits in the contest. The Vikings scored nine runs in the third inning, and the game was called after five innings with the mercy rule in effect. Valbuena allowed just three batters to reach base safely (one hit) while recording 12 strikeouts in a complete game. Marina (15-13) plays host to Sea View League champion San Clemente (21-7-1) on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Huntington Beach 8, Covina Charter Oak 7: Morgan Drotter and Tea Gutierrez homered for the visiting Oilers, who scored the first six runs of the game, then held on to win in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs on Thursday. Maleah Humble, Zariah Billinger and Gutierrez each had three hits for Huntington Beach (22-7), which also got two-hit performances from Bree Carlson, Willow Kellen and Drotter. Humble had a pair of stolen bases and scored twice. Gutierrez scored three times. Huntington Beach plays host to Chino Hills (20-8) on Saturday at 11 a.m. Both sides are co-league champions. The Oilers shared the Sunset League title with Los Alamitos, while the Huskies matched Etiwanda for the best record in the Baseline League. Long Beach Poly 5, Edison 1: The visiting Chargers were held to six hits on Thursday in the first round of the Division 4 playoffs. Aubrey Catron had two hits to lead Edison (11-15), while Kaila Arakaki and Savannah Fisher each drew a pair of walks. Sophia Hannappel, Elina Garcia, Hannah Stolba and Fisher each had one hit. Los Amigos 15, Capistrano Valley Christian 7: Alina Mendez had three hits, four runs batted in and two runs scored to lead the Lobos past the Eagles at home on Thursday in the opening round of the Division 7 bracket. Sophia Gutierrez turned a two-hit afternoon into three runs scored and three runs batted in. Maria Castillo added four hits, scoring two runs and driving in a pair. Andrea Contreras also drove in two runs for Los Amigos (16-6), which travels to take on Culver City (10-14) in the second round. Leah Lemusu scored three runs, and Melenny Andrade scored twice.
