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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Servite's ‘Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
CLOVIS, Calif. — Call them the 'Fab Four.' Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval. Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April. Friday was all about the 'youth movement.' They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989. 'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.' Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time. Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38). Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimga of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth. Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals. 'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me.' Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70). Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters to advance to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimga (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year. USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49. 'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a 10th-grader from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat him at the start I can beat him in the race. He [Jefferson] is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!' Carson's Christina Gray anchored the Colts' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat. Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the 200 while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals. 'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day. Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches. Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00).
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Granada baseball tops No. 1 De La Salle for EBAL championship
If every season is its own animal, as Granada-Livermore baseball coach Corrigan Willis says, 2024 was a whale — a blue whale, mammoth and spectacular. The Matadors won East Bay Athletic League, North Coast Section and Northern Region Division 1 titles, a first for each, while finishing 32-1 and ranking in the top five in every national poll. The odds of a repeat season appeared mammoth, yet host Granada pulled off the first stage Thursday in the EBAL championship game with a 5-1 win over Chronicle No. 1 De La Salle-Concord as winning pitcher Tyler Kennedy allowed just four hits and a run and struck out seven before giving way to Mason Ravera in the seventh. Fresno State-bound third baseman Mikey Boyd drove in four runs, including two on a double, and Joey Marasco and Tommy Brown each had two hits to lift the fourth-ranked Matadors (21-5) to their second straight win this season over the Spartans (22-4) and sixth straight overall. Granada shut out De La Salle twice in the playoffs last year and held the Spartans scoreless until the sixth inning when Alec Blair hit an RBI double. Clearly, the Matadors are far from intimidated by the Spartans, who have built a remarkable resume under David Jeans, winner of his 300th game last week. De La Salle, led currently by the Oklahoma-bound Blair and top junior shortstop prospect Tyler Spangler, a Stanford commit, won six straight NCS titles before Granada's championship last season. De La Salle had won 12 straight this season before Thursday by a 110-13 run differential thanks in part to the big bats of outfielder Blair (.439 average), junior catcher Zach Tchejeyan (.387), Spangler (.385, 34 RBIs, nine home runs) and senior infielder Antonio Castro (.351, five homers, 29 RBIs) and pitching of Stanford-bound junior Graham Schlicht (8-0, 0.52 ERA). Granada has countered with big seasons from seniors Boyd (nine doubles, 22 RBIs), Pacific outfield signee Peyton Richards (.390, 30 doubles, 32 hits), Marasco (.338) and Arizona State-bound catcher Brown (.328, 22 runs, eight doubles), along with the pitching of Kennedy (6-1, 0.95) and Alex Piscotty (8-0, 0.42). 'We have a dedicated group of seniors who work hard and are hungry,' Willis said Friday morning. 'It's a lesson learned from the 2024 campaign and one that we hope will continue on with next year's group.' More impressive on Granada's run is it has done it without USC-bound ace pitcher Jake Sekany, who went 10-1 last season with a 1.85 ERA. He pitched 12 innings early this season, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA, but then was shut down. 'Something wasn't quite right,' Willis said. 'We are being extra careful because of his bright future. Literally, we're taking him day by day.' The NCS playoff seedings will be announced this weekend and Granada and De La Salle will no doubt be the top two seeds, and could face off again. 'We're looking forward to NCS and we're playing well,' Willis said. 'But as a coach, I've learned to take a moment and appreciate winning in this very tough league.' Bellarmine shocker: The only tougher Northern California league than the EBAL is the West Catholic Athletic League, and when Bellarmine started 0-5, the Bells became an afterthought. After losing four more in a row starting on April 25, the season looked cooked. But now the Bells are doing the cooking, claiming a WCAL playoff championship by defeating ninth-ranked St. Francis (4-1), No. 2 Serra (1-0) and No. 3 Valley Christian (3-1) in succession this week. The Bells (17-13), who were fifth in the WCAL in the regular season, became the first bottom-four seed to win the conference tournament. Christian Duarte, a 6-foot-6 commit to Santa Clara, threw a four-hitter Thursday at Valley Christian to clinch the title. He struck out just two, walked two and didn't allow an extra-base hit. Vincent Kim had an RBI double and Dash Knight singled in a run for the Bells. Rohan Kasanagottu pitched 3⅓ scoreless and hitless innings of relief for Valley Christian (23-6-1), which had won 10 straight coming into the game and will likely get a top-two seed in next week's Central Coast Section playoffs. Briefly: From a busy Thursday — No. 12 Livermore (23-11) won the EBAL softball playoff title with a 7-4 win over No. 11 California as Payten Williams drilled a three-run homer and winning pitcher Kaci Norton struck out five. … Northgate-Walnut Creek (Division 1), International (Division 2), Washington-Fremont (Division 3) and Berean Christian-Walnut Creek (Division 4) all won NCS boys volleyball titles and advanced to next week's Northern California regionals with those champions advancing to the first CIF State championships May 31 at Fresno City College. … NCS lacrosse champions crowned: Marin Catholic-Kentfield (Division 1 boys), University (Division 2 boys), Redwood-Larkspur (Division 1 girls), College Park-Pleasant Hill (Division 2 girls).
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ten players we're watching at OT7 Week 4
DALLAS -- OT7's fourth season of 7-on-7 competition returned to the Lone Star State earlier this spring, and we're gearing up for Week 4 of the competition -- the final weekend of action before the Golden Ticket Tournament next week and the OT7 Championships on June 26-29 in Florida. This season, 18 teams have been competing over this four-weekend season. More on the OT7 Tournament here. Advertisement The field has featured several blue-chip recruits in the 2026, 2027, and even 2028 classes so far. Previous top performing prospects included USC-bound QB Jonas Williams, Texas WR commit Chris Stewart, and five-star CB Havon Finney Jr. Here are 10 more players Rivals will be watching closely during Week 4 action at OT7: FOUR-STAR QB LANDON DUCKWORTH, RWE Landon Duckworth is one of six quarterback ranked inside the top 30 of the Rivals250 in the 2026 cycle. The four-star passer from Alabama possesses as much -- or more -- upside than anyone in this class. Duckworth is an efficient distributor with big-play ability attacking vertically and extending plays outside of the pocket. In this 7-on-7 setting, the elite QB will have an opportunity to showcase his processing and decision-making early and often. FOUR-STAR ATH JOEY O'BRIEN, LEVEL82 Four-star Joey O'Brien has been tabbed as an ATH in the Rivals250 given the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder's ability to make plays at receiver and at defensive back in various settings. The four-star has found a home playing safety and is a prospect with size, range, length, and playmaking ability at the position. O'Brien's should see plenty of action against a stout group of pass-catchers this weekend. FOUR-STAR WR VANCE SPAFFORD (GEORGIA COMMIT), CALIFORNIA POWER Four-star Vance Spafford was absolutely electric in this setting this time last year -- and is very much in the conversation to be the No. 1 SLOT WR in the Rivals250 by the end of this recruiting cycle. The Georgia verbal from the West Coast will get an opportunity to line up against various NICKEL defenders. We're excited to see Spafford at work and how he directs coverages with so much star power around him on the Cali Power offense. FIVE-STAR QB RYDER LYONS, COLD HEARTS Ryder Lyons made his 7-on-7 debut Week 1 of the OT7 season. After two days of action, the five-star QB was well-acclimated to the speed of the game and found a rhythm. Lyons has a live arm and a talented cast of receivers around him. He wasn't shy about taking shots downfield -- and we anticipate seeing a different version of the touted passer this weekend. FOUR-STAR TE MARK BOWMAN, CALIFORNIA POWER Elite TE Mark Bowman is one of a handful of prospects to reclassify into the 2026 cycle. The top-30 recruit from California moves at a different speed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds. He also should be a mismatch in the red zone. Bowman should draw the attention of several talented linebackers and safeties along the way. FOUR-STAR WR JABARI MACK (LSU COMMIT) Four-star WR Jabari Mack has been enjoying a stellar off-season so far -- shining in various settings, including Week 1 of the OT7 season last month. The speedy pass-catcher from The Boot is up to 200 pounds this spring -- and has continued to deliver big plays downfield and highlight catches each and every event this spring. Mack is one of the several elite WR committed to LSU in this cycle. FOUR-STAR ATH SALESI MOA, COLD HEARTS Four-star ATH Salesi Moa was superb in his last outing at OT7 in Week 1. The dynamic two-way player from Utah was one of Lyons' top receiving targets -- making deep catches downfield and also working underneath effectively. Moa was equally as good in coverage playing cornerback. Moa's father played in the NFL and a brother at Michigan State, and he has a skill-set to follow suit. FOUR-STAR SAF JETT WASHINGTON, LO-PRO Jett Washington is known for being the late great Kobe Bryant's nephew -- and he also has an established reputation as one of the top defensive backs at OT7 the past two seasons. The top-100 SAF has outstanding range and length patrolling the back end of the secondary and can fly to the football. Washington, unsurprisingly, is also a standout basketball player. THREE-STAR WR JAMES SCOTT, TUCSON TURF Touted 2026 WR James Scott out of the Lone Star State was one of top performers in OT7 Week 1. The big-framed pass-catcher was outstanding by the goal -- playing above the rim and consistently winning one-on-one matchups inside and also working on the perimeter. Scott was one of the biggest stock-up recruits at the position so far this spring -- and has programs like Houston, , TCU, Texas A&M, and USC in pursuit. THREE-STAR SAF KENTAVION ANDERSON, RWE We're ecstatic about our first live evaluation of touted 2026 SAF Kentavion Anderson. The South Carolina native constantly puts himself by the football. Anderson largely works in in the box and covers a ton of ground -- and his skill-set should translate well in this 7-on-7 setting. Anderson is set to make his college commitment on May 16.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Local players get to play in Tuesday's McDonald's All-American Games
Prep talk: Local players get to play in Tuesday's McDonald's All-American Games It's the all-star basketball game every high school player aspires to play in. The McDonald's All-American Games will take place Tuesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Southern California will be well represented in the boys' and girls' games. Advertisement The boys' game, set for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN, includes Brayden Burries from Eastvale Roosevelt, USC-bound Alijah Arenas from Chatsworth and Duke-bound Nikolas Khamenia from Harvard-Westlake. The girls game, set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2, includes LSU-bound Grace Knox from Etiwanda, Cal-bound Aliyahna Morris from Etiwanda and Iowa-bound Addie Deal from Mater Dei. Also in the game is Baylor-bound Tounde Yessoufou from Santa Maria St. Joseph. Burries is uncommitted and being recruited by USC and Arizona, among others.... There are four starting pitchers beginning the week with 0.00 ERAs: Otto Graham of JSerra, Jackson Eisenhauer of Crespi, Seth Hernandez of Corona and Brandon Thomas of Mater Dei. Advertisement This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email 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
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep talk: Local players get to play in Tuesday's McDonald's All-American Games
It's the all-star basketball game every high school player aspires to play in. The McDonald's All-American Games will take place Tuesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Southern California will be well represented in the boys' and girls' games. The boys' game, set for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN, includes Brayden Burries from Eastvale Roosevelt, USC-bound Alijah Arenas from Chatsworth and Duke-bound Nikolas Khamenia from Harvard-Westlake. The girls game, set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2, includes LSU-bound Grace Knox from Etiwanda, Cal-bound Aliyahna Morris from Etiwanda and Iowa-bound Addie Deal from Mater Dei. Also in the game is Baylor-bound Tounde Yessoufou from Santa Maria St. Joseph. Burries is uncommitted and being recruited by USC and Arizona, among others.... There are four starting pitchers beginning the week with 0.00 ERAs: Otto Graham of JSerra, Jackson Eisenhauer of Crespi, Seth Hernandez of Corona and Brandon Thomas of Mater Dei. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email
