Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It was an early sneak peek of potential CIF track champions on Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational. Let’s examine the positive impressions.
Moving on up
Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley won the 400 in 45.92 at Arcadia. Noah Smith of Long Beach Poly (left) finished second in 46.56.
(Craig Weston)
What the Servite foursome of Benjamin Harris, Jorden Wells, Jaelen Hunter and Robert Gardner pulled off at the Arcadia Invitational was astounding. They set a state record in the 4×100 relay at 40.00 seconds and also won the 4×400 relay. Harris and Gardner are sophomores, Wells and Hunter are freshmen. And there’s still weeks left to keep getting faster.
Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley won the 400 in 45.92 even though he has been battling an injury. Imagine what he might do healthy when the Southern Section championships approach.
Loren Webster of Long Beach Wilson won the girls’ long jump at 19-10 at Arcadia.
(Steve Galluzzo)
Camren Smith of Quartz Hill won the triple jump at 49 feet, 6 inches. Leo Francis of Santa Margarita won the long jump at 23-9.
Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel and Aja Johnson of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame are going to be squaring off several times in the coming weeks. Massey won the girls’ shot put at 48-9 1/2. Johnson was second at 48-1. Johnson won the discus.
Here’s a wider look at the Arcadia Invitational results.
The next big invitational comes this week at Mt. SAC.
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From basketball to track
Tesoro High School athlete Griffin Kushen, 17, is a top miler headed to Duke.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
When Griffin Kushen was leading the freshman basketball team in scoring at Tesoro High, he was certain about his future.
“Basketball was my life,” he said.
He was a shooting guard who had played club basketball since he was 9. Two older brothers had been cross-country and track athletes at Tesoro, so his parents kept nagging him to stay open-minded.
“I was really anti-cross-country and anti-running,” he said.
He still went out for cross-country and track to please his parents. And something magical happened — he was good at it.
Here’s his story as he prepares to head to Duke on a track and cross-country scholarship.
Let the transfer debate begin
Discussions are getting serious within the California Interscholastic Federation over the idea of establishing a one-time free transfer rule for athletes during their four years of high school.
There are questions about what happens after the free transfer takes place. Should a second transfer result in a one-year ineligibility for varsity competition? Should a valid change of residence be allowed to establish eligibility after the one-time free transfer is used? What kind of hardship waivers will be allowed?
Here’s a look at the debate unfolding.
Baseball
Westlake’s baseball team keeps celebrating after five consecutive walk-off victories at home.
(Tom Moore)
Six straight times Westlake has won home games via walk-offs in final at-bats. On Tuesday Mason Charles hit a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat Thousand Oaks. Here’s the report. Then it happened again on Friday with Charles getting a walk-off single in the eighth inning. Here’s what Charles has to say why this is happening.
There’s a big surprise in Trinity League baseball. St. John Bosco has opened a two-game lead even though it has played the two preseason favorites, Orange Lutheran and Santa Margarita. Junior shortstop James Clark has been outstanding.
Congratulations to Coach Dan Maye on achieving his 600th win as Head Coach of the Royal Baseball Team! This incredible milestone is a testament to his leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the team and the sport. Here’s to celebrating a legacy of excellence— pic.twitter.com/vDapf986eQ
— Royal Athletics (@AthleticsRoyal) April 10, 2025
Royal coach Dan Maye earned victory No. 600 in his coaching career.
Corona suffered its first defeat in the National High School Baseball Invitational in Cary, N.C. In fact, the Panthers almost lost three times at the tournament but ended up going 3-1. Huntington Beach also went 3-1.
Here’s this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.
It’s spring break this week for a number of schools, with tournaments in Fresno and Las Vegas, among other places.
But Corona, Huntington Beach and La Mirada resume league play with big matchups. Corona faces Corona Santiago. Huntington Beach takes on Los Alamitos. La Mirada faces Gahr.
In the City Section, El Camino Real has won eight straight games in West Valley League play to stay within a game of Birmingham. Here’s a look at teams wanting to challenge Birmingham.
Sun Valley Poly is unbeaten in the Valley Mission League.
Maria De La Rosa had a son playing for Cleveland and El Camino Real this past week, so she wore a custom-made jersey to support both.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The De La Rosa brothers play for El Camino Real and Cleveland. Here’s a look at the family issues from last week’s matchup.
Softball
Santa Margarita did something no school in the Trinity League has accomplished since the 2022 season: beat Orange Lutheran.
Jazmine Leyva of South El Monte has set a Southern Section record with 57 career doubles.
Mia Gomez of Agoura has hit 14 home runs.
Hottest softball hitter in the Inland Empire at the moment might be Roosevelt junior SS Loto Sivas.
The BYU commit has homered in four straight games and in 7 of her past 8 games. She had four HRs at the recent Michelle Carew Classic.
— Eric-Paul Johnson (@CallMeEPJ) April 10, 2025
Norco and Orange Lutheran continue to be the teams to beat in the Southern Section. Here’s last week’s top 20 rankings.
Norco pitcher Coral Williams.
(Steve Galluzzo)
One reason there’s no clear-cut championship favorite is the lack of a dominant pitcher. Let’s see if someone begins to separate herself in the final weeks before the playoffs.
Huntington Beach coach Jeff Forsberg won his 300th game. Here’s a report.
Volleyball
Huntington Beach clinched the Sunset League title. Here’s a look at the team.
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Notes . . .
Brayden Burries committed to Arizona.
(Greg Stein For The Times)
Brayden Burries, The Times’ basketball player of the year from Eastvale Roosevelt, has committed to Arizona. . . .
BJ Davis-Ray, one of the top basketball players in the Trinity League from JSerra, has committed to SMU. . . .
Daniel Dunbar has resigned as basketball coach at Orange Lutheran. . . .
Joe Khouzam has resigned as basketball coach at Walnut after 11 seasons as head coach. . . .
Quarterback Corin Berry of Charter Oak has committed to Purdue after previously being committed to Boston College. . . .
Moises Delgado is the new soccer coach at Salesian. . . .
Rachael Ziemann is the new girls basketball coach at JSerra after being the co-coach at Crean Lutheran. . . .
Rolling Hills Prep basketball coach Harvey Kitani has sent off two of his assistants to become head coaches. Nephew Corey Kitani is the new head coach at Carson. Manasa Chanaiwa is returning to LACES to become head coach. . . .
SCHOOL RECORD
Max Emberson fired a bogey-free 63 yesterday at Los Robles Golf Course to claim the best round in Oaks Christian boys’ golf history. Emberson broke his previous best, 64, that he set last year in the CIF playoffs en route to his Individual State Title. pic.twitter.com/FSkdV3ilTK
— Oaks Christian Lions (@OaksChrstnLions) April 11, 2025
Max Emberson of Oaks Christian set a school record with a 63 at Los Robles Golf Course. He won the state individual title last season. . . .
Dave White, the former Edison football coach who has continued to help out as an assistant, said he is stepping away this coming season so he can travel and see his sons and grandchildren. He’s been involved with Edison football for 43 years. . . .
Former Edison and Stanford receiver Jeff Trojan has died. He was 33. He had just become a doctor and was beloved in both communities. He had been diagnosed with ALS. . . .
Hudson Mayes from Redondo Union has committed to UC San Diego basketball. . . .
Ryan Hopkins, the quarterback at Mater Dei who transferred from JSerra, has committed to Wisconsin. . . .
New national rules for flag football are expected to be announced next month. Big changes are likely to change the way the games have been played.
From the archives: Cody Riley
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin talks to player Cody Riley (2) during an NCAA college basketball game against Notre Dame in 2019.
(Robert Franklin/AP)
Former Sierra Canyon and UCLA basketball player Cody Riley has been playing for E.Ashkelon in Israel. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds and three rebounds during a recent game. Riley, 27, has also played in Belgium, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Here’s a look from 2021 when Riley was playing for UCLA in the NCAA tournament.
Here’s a look at the 2017 game against Bishop Montgomery before a sold-out crowd at Galen Cener that Riley participated in.
Recommendations
From Signalscv.com, a story on the Saugus baseball team rising up under a first-year coach.
From the Washington Post, a story on an athlete who turned to basketball during the pandemic and now could be a future NBA player.
From Baseball America, a story on the performance by Seth Hernandez of Corona in North Carolina.
From ESPN.com, a story on how former Servite receiver Tetairoa McMillan used volleyball to become a top receiver prospect.
Tweets you might have missed
Luke Ringkamp of Palm Desert has won the Champions Invitational at 18-under-par for three rounds after shooting 68, 63, 65. Palm Desert won the team title.
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 8, 2025
It’s Max Fried of the Yankees pitching against Jack Flaherty of the Tigers at 10:10 a.m. Who is Matt LaCour, who coached both at Harvard-Westlake, rooting for? “I’m rooting for 0-0 game going into eighth inning,” he said. Who was the better hitter? It stumped LaCour. “Fried.”
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 9, 2025
Every time I interview a high school athlete who talks about long-term goals instead of short-term observations, it inspires me that some teenagers understand the magic of maturity and embrace the future. One game, one at-bat, one TD doesn’t change anything. It’s part of journey.
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 10, 2025
Made it just on time to catch the ending of this match. Huntington Beach swept Edison 25-21, 25-18, 26-24 to clinch a share of the Sunset League title. I also heard this was Craig Pazanti’s 1,000th win as a head coach (in boys and girls volleyball). Historic night for the Oilers. pic.twitter.com/oKmEcVsrAM
— OC Boys Volleyball (@ocboysvball) April 10, 2025
FINAL | Loyola 24, Crespi 4
Cubs (16-3) are moving on to the Mission League Tournament championship game!
UP NEXT: Finals at home on Tues (Apr. 15) at 7PM vs the winner of (2) St. Francis or (3) Sierra Canyon • #GoCubs pic.twitter.com/t2OiKOqoEJ
— Loyola Lacrosse (@LoyolaLX) April 11, 2025
Times have changed. Money is going up in sports. What should mom and dad try to raise at home?
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 12, 2025
Who knew there was a possible heavyweight boxing champion playing football for Venice High? Thomas Kensinger, representing Air Force, has made it to the championship bout for NCBA on Saturday. He used to chase QBs. Last fight here https://t.co/QAxJMeGrrH
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 12, 2025
Until next time…
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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