Categoria: High School Sports

LAUSD Strike, Rain And Lack Of Officials Impacting City Section High School Athletics

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Los Angeles Unified School District schools were closed Tuesday, the first day of a three-day strike led by SEIU Local 99, the service worker union representing around 30,000 bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and special education assistants. Members of the teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), walked out in solidarity, too.

No school means no sports, so the strike will heavily impact high school athletics this week.

Many high school coaches are also on-campus teachers who will participate in the strike, which means sports like baseball, softball, boys volleyball and track and field can’t practice or participate in competition without their coach.

Christian Carbajal, a physical education teacher and softball coach at Kennedy High in Granada Hills, was out in the rain at 6:30 a.m. Tureday picketing with her colleagues. Despite knowing she won’t be with her team for the next three days, she made sure to make the stretch a teachable moment.

“Anytime you have an opportunity to stand up for something bigger than yourself, you make it happen,” Carbajal said. “It was cold, but I told the team why I was doing it, and I hope they see that having a voice is important.”

At a quick glance, it’s easy to see why practices and games can’t be carried out while the strike is ongoing, but the weather adds an extra layer of challenges. As the rain continues to pour, baseball and softball coaches have no choice but to hope their respective fields aren’t getting ruined beyond return. If a coach goes onto campus to perform maintenance on their field, it would be considered crossing the picket line.

“There are people on the inside (still on campus) that can help. I offered to take them to dinner if they can drag the field,” Carbajal said laughing. “I’ve already had to reschedule nine games this season, we have to play Friday’s game.”

Local charter schools like Birmingham, Granada Hills and El Camino Real do not fall underneath the footprint of LAUSD, which will allow its spring sports to continue as usual. The charter schools can practice and compete against each other, but if an LAUSD school is scheduled this week, the game will have to be rescheduled. It’s likely any outdoor competition would’ve been canceled anyway due to rain, which Cleveland baseball coach Peter Gunny believes can somewhat even the playing field.

“The rain won’t allow any team to practice or play, so that evens the playing field a bit,” Gunny said. “We play Granada Hills Friday, and the rain is expected to stop Thursday, so they’ll likely get to practice Thursday before the game. We’ll have to play the game with one practice this week, which was Monday.”

Gunny is a physical education teacher at Cleveland and the son of two longtime LAUSD teachers and coaches. Gunny’s mother, Carolyn, is in her 53rd year at Granada Hills and his father, Edmound, was at Taft for 39 years.

“My mother was part of a strike back in the late 1980’s, I think,” Gunny said. “I know she made the decision to strike thinking about our family and I’m doing the same now.”

Grant High athletics director Jon Manocchio says the strike adds a third layer of challenges in his eyes.

“The rain has been one thing, but the other issue for us has been getting officials for the games,” he said. “I’ve had to switch boys volleyball and junior varsity baseball games numerous times already. One assigner told us to have coaches umpire a baseball game.”

“This is just going to back us up more,” Manocchio added.

Grant has yet to have a track meet this spring due to the weather and is still waiting to play its first home game on its new baseball field, which was part of a $170,000 construction project. Since the project has concluded and the grass has been laid down, the baseball team has yet to play a game because of the rain.

“The kids can’t wait. You should see it, it looks like Augusta,” Manocchio said. “But we can’t play on it.”

The strike will delay any baseball games on campus for a bit longer.

LA Daily News Baseball Top 10 Rankings, March 14

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DAILY NEWS TOP 10 BASEBALL RANKINGS 1. Notre Dame (8-1): The Knight sit atop the Mission League at 5-1 with their only loss coming to Chaminade (4-3) last week in a series they won 2-1. What’s possibly more impressive is Notre Dame has avoided any ties, which seem to be going around.

Next up: three-game series with Harvard-Westlake

2. Harvard-Westlake (7-3): The Wolverines won each of their first two Mission League series with St. Francis and Loyola, 2-1. The parity in the league is at an all-time high. Harvard-Westlake is still waiting for the services of pitcher Duncan Marsten.

Next up: three-game series with Notre Dame

3. Sierra Canyon (9-0-2): The Trailblazers are off to a hot start in their debut season in the Mission League, going 4-0-2 in their first six games. Sierra Canyon swept Loyola and had a win and two ties against Crespi last week.

Next up: three-game series with St. Francis

4. Calabasas (6-2): The Coyotes’ only losses are to Crespi and San Dimas this season. Calabasas has quality wins over El Camino Real, Oaks Christian (tournament), and Maranatha.

Next up: vs. Camarillo, Friday

Daily News’ list of the top baseball infielders, outfielders to watch this spring

5. Valencia (8-2): Ricardo Ojeda is emerging as one of the top pitchers in the area after two performances. Ojeda threw the program’s first perfect game in a win over Taft before throwing a one-hitter in the team’s Foothill League win over Saugus last week.

Next up: vs. Castaic, Wednesday

6. Crespi (7-1-3): The Celts are the grittiest team in the area, and it shows in their record, which has three ties. Crespi certainly wants to win games, but it’s showing they don’t want to lose more. Crespi is 2-1-3 in the Mission League.

Next up: three-game series with Loyola

7. West Ranch (7-3): The Wildcats three losses are to Crespi, Maranatha and Clovis Buchanan. West Ranch has started 2-0 in the Foothill League with wins over Canyon, 9-1, and Saugus, 3-2.

Next up: vs. Canyon, Thursday

Daily News’ list of the top baseball pitchers to watch this spring

8. Birmingham (5-4): The Patriots started the season strong, winning their first four game, including a win over Hart. But they’ve lost four of their last five, including its West Valley League opener to Granada Hills (1-0) last week.

Next up: at El Camino Real, Wednesday

9. Hart (5-5): Hart has challenged itself since its come into March, taking on Santa Margarita, San Diego Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos Mission Hills and top team Villa Park. Those teams has a combined record of 20-4 this season. Hart lost to the first three, but beat Villa Park 4-3.

Next up: at Golden Valley, Thursday

10. Granada Hills (6-3): The Highlanders sneak into the top 10 with a shutout win over City favorite Birmingham, 1-0. The team is young, so the question is: where do they go from here? We’ll see.

Next up: at Taft, Wednesday

Bubble teams: Newbury Park (5-2), Chaminade (4-5-1), Royal (6-2), Simi Valley (7-2),

Live High School Updates: CIF State Basketball Finals On Saturday

The high school playoffs conclude today with six CIF State basketball championship games.

Follow along today, Saturday, March 11, for live updates from Southern California News Group reporters who will have scores, stats, video and much more from the sidelines for the boys and girls basketball finals.

Game schedule and TV information for all of the games.

A Twitter List by JHWreporter

James H. Williams | Assistant Sports Editor – Digital James H. Williams joined the Southern California News Group in 2013 with a passion for sports, social media and journalism that has led to his role as an Assistant Sports Editor with an emphasis on digital content. When covering a local sporting event, he can be found roaming the sidelines and at the snack bar during halftime. Williams also covers the UCLA football team (since 2019), esports and other entertainment-related events for the group.

Schedule, TV Info For The CIF State Boys And Girls Basketball Championship Games

Here is the schedule and TV information for the boys and girls basketball CIF State championship games Friday and Saturday.

The games are played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Click here for the live updates from SCNG’s reporters who are the game.

FRIDAY Girls Division IV

10 a.m.: Shalhevet vs. San Anselmo San Domenico | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Boys Division V

Noon: Lynwood vs. Tollhouse Sierra | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Girls Division III

2 p.m.: Los Osos vs. Colfax | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Boys Division III

4 p.m.: Buena vs. Oakland | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Girls Division I

6 p.m.: Corona Santiago vs. Oakland Tech | TV: Spectrum News 1, SportsNet LA

Boys Division I

8 p.m.: Notre Dame/SO vs. Livermore Granada | TV: Spectrum News 1, SportsNet LA

SATURDAY Girls Division V

10 a.m.: Marina vs. Angels Camp Bret Harte | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Boys Division IV

Noon: Valencia vs. Half Moon Bay | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Girls Division II

2 p.m.: Chula Vista Bonita Vista vs. Fresno Central | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Boys Division II

4 p.m.: Pacifica Christian/NB vs. Fresno San Joaquin Memorial | TV: Spectrum SportsNet

Girls Open Division

6 p.m.: Etiwanda vs. San Jose Mitty | TV: Spectrum News 1, SportsNet LA

Boys Open Division

8 p.m.: Harvard-Westlake vs. Santa Maria St. Joseph | TV: Spectrum News 1, SportsNet LA

Daily News Girls Athlete Of The Week: Alexis Nguyen, Hart

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DAILY NEWS GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Name: Alexis Nguyen

School: Hart

Sport: Soccer

Year: Senior

Noteworthy: Nguyen anchored the Hart girls soccer team to a CIF State Division II SoCal Regional crown, scoring a hat-trick in the team’s 4-2 win over San Marcos Saturday afternoon. Nguyen scored two of the three goals in the first half.

“I’ve coached Charlotte for eight years,” coach Brett Croft said. “She’s just somebody that was a consummate team player that always worked hard.”

Hart girls soccer achieves championship trifecta by winning regional title

Tarek Fattal | Sportswriter Tarek was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, a community he now serves as a sportswriter for the LA Daily News covering high school sports since 2015. Tarek also covers the UCLA men’s basketball team for the Southern California News Group and can be seen on CBS Los Angeles on weekends serving as co-host/sports analyst with TV legend Jim Hill.

Boys And Girls Basketball: Saturday’s Scores, Updated Schedule For The CIF SoCal Regional Playoffs

The scores from Saturday’s games in the CIF regional boys and girls basketball playoffs.

CIF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFFS

BOYS BASKETBALL

OPEN DIVISION

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Corona Centennial 89, San Diego St. Augustine 67

Harvard-Westlake 69, St. John Bosco 64

DIVISION I

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 81, Mater Dei 59

Sierra Canyon 64, Bishop Montgomery 47

DIVISION II

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Pacifica Christian/Newport Beach 60, Oxnard 56

Orange Lutheran 51, Tesoro 50

DIVISION III

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Buena 65, Camarillo 55

Culver City 52, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep 50

DIVISION IV

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Valencia 89, Long Beach Jordan 80

St. Bonaventure 71, San Pedro 66 (OT)

DIVISION V

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Lynwood 82, South Gate 46

Santa Monica/Pacifica Christian 71, San Diego County Ramona 52

REGIONAL FINALS

Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Open Division

Harvard-Westlake at Corona Centennial

Division I

Sierra Canyon at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Division II

Pacifica Christian/Newport Beach at Orange Lutheran

Division III

Buena at Culver City

Division IV

St. Bonaventure at Valencia

Division V

Pacifica Christian/Santa Monica at Lynwood

GIRLS BASKETBALL

OPEN DIVISION

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Sierra Canyon 59, Mater Dei 47

Etiwanda 47, La Jolla Country Day 42

DIVISION I

Regional semifinals, Saturday

San Diego Del Norte 67, Orange Lutheran 58

Corona Santiago 72, Spring Valley Mount Miguel 52

DIVISION II

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Chula Vista Bonita Vista 70, Rancho Christian 69

Leuzinger 70, San Juan Hills 55

DIVISION III

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Los Osos 62, Bakersfield Liberty 48

Redondo 56, Oak Park 45

DIVISION IV

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Shalhevet 57, Silverado 44

Campbell Hall 49, Sun Valley Poly 33

DIVISION V

Regional semifinals, Saturday

Marina 62, South Hills 47

San Pedro 53, St. Monica 51 (OT)

REGIONAL FINALS

Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Open Division

Etiwanda at Sierra Canyon

Division I

San Diego Del Norte at Corona Santiago

Division II

Leuzinger at Chula Vista Bonita Vista

Division III

Redondo at Los Osos

Division IV

Campbell Hall at Shalhevet

Division V

Marina at San Pedro

Harvard-Westlake Basketball Holds Off St. John Bosco, Advances To Regional Final Vs. Centennial

BELLFLOWER — The Harvard-Westlake boys basketball team was not going to lose to the same team, the same way, twice in one season.

The scenario Saturday night was eerily similar to when the Wolverines lost to St. John Bosco on Feb. 14. They were up late again in the fourth quarter.

However, this time they withstood their opponent’s final run and pulled out a hard-fought 69-64 win at St. John Bosco in the CIF State Open Division Southern California Regional semifinals.

Harvard Westlake’s Brady Dunlap goes up for the shot in front of St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Nikolas Khamenia and Brady Dunlap try to block St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy’s shot in the Open Division regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Jack Turner tries to push past Harvard Westlake’s Brady Dunlap and Jacob Huggins in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Robert Hinton shoot for three as they take on St. John Bosco in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Kade Bonam goes up against Harvard Westlake’s Jacob Huggins for the tipoff in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco guard Jack Turner, left, puts up a shot for a basket over Centennial Eric Freeny in the CIF-SS Open Division Championship basketball game in Anaheim on Saturday, February 25, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Kade Bonam tries to block Harvard Westlake’s Trent Perry’s shot in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Jacob Huggins tries to block St. John Bosco’s Kade Bonam in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Trent Perry grabs the rebound as they take on St. John Bosco in the Open Division boys basketballsemifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington looks to get past Harvard Westlake’s Robert Hinton in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington shoots for two with Harvard Westlake’s Christian Horry trying to block from the back in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington tries to get past Harvard Westlake’s Jacob Huggins in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington tries to push past Harvard Westlake’s Robert Hinton in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Jack Turner pushes toward the basket in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Jacob Huggins looks to block St. John Bosco’s Amir Meadows shot in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Christian Horry looks to block St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington’s shot in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy goes up for the shot as the Braves take on Harvard Westlake in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Trent Perry looks to get past St. John Bosco’s DJ Harrington in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Christian Horry goes up to block St. John Bosco’s Jack Turner in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Kade Bonam goes up for the shot as the Braves take on Harvard Westlake in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

Harvard Westlake’s Trent Perry tries to get past St. John Bosco’s Amiri Meadows and Xinyi Li in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Xinyi Li tries to block Harvard Westlake’s Trent Perry’s shot in the Open Division boys basketballregional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

St. John Bosco’s Jack Turner tries to block Harvard Westlake’s Christian Horry’s shot in the Open Division boys basketball regional semifinal in Bellflower, CA, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)

A pivotal point in the game came early in the second half.

Harvard-Westlake senior Brady Dunlap made a 3-pointer and was fouled on the play, but he also came down wrong on his lingering ankle injury. Dunlap’s four-point play put the Wolverines up 41-29 with 5:15 left in the third quarter.

After the 6-foot-8 forward made his free throw he went to the bench, visibly ailing but checked back in 25 seconds later and scored the final three of his team-high 18 points that went with his eight rebounds.

“I’ve done it before,” Dunlap said. “This ankle has been bothering me (since) the summer and just looking at my teammates, they were all cheering me on and telling me they need me and that was all the difference. Just them telling me that we’re a family and they need me on the court. It meant the world to me and I had to go out there and battle for them.”

Harvard-Westlake senior forward Brady Dunlap on playing through an ankle injury and scoring a team-high 18 points in @hwathletics’ 69-64 win at St. John Bosco in the CIF State Open Division regional semifinals. @Tarek_Fattal @Drebibo @ladailynews pic.twitter.com/Oe3ILuQTKB

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

I’m breaking down Harvard-Westlake’s 69-64 win at St. John Bosco in @CIFState Open Division Regional Semifinals. HW’s senior Brady Dunlap played through an ankle injury to score a team-high 18 points. Bosco was led by sophomore Elzie Harrington with a game-high 20 points. pic.twitter.com/FnkZ9JrjeY

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

“We stuck together. We dealt with some adversity,” said Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo. “We handled their runs and we came back and responded and I’m really proud of our guys.”

Senior forward Jacob Huggins, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds, provided Harvard-Westlake with a key inside presence.

Junior guard Trent Perry finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Christian Horry scored 11 points. Sophomore guard Nikolas Khamenia added 10 points and four rebounds.

“We’re a true team,” Dunlap continued. “Chemistry is insane. We trust each other.”

The Wolverines (31-2) will play at Centennial of Corona (30-3) in the CIF Southern California Open Division Regional final Tuesday, March 7.

“Can’t wait,” Rebibo said. “This is what we’ve worked for, we’re excited and we’re looking forward to the opportunity and we know it’s going to be a war.”

Harvard-Westlake boys basketball coach David Rebibo (@Drebibo) on his team’s 69-64 win at St. John Bosco Saturday night. @hwathletics is moving on to the Open Division Southern California Regional Final. @Tarek_Fattal @ladailynews pic.twitter.com/Aoazmv1ud4

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

St. John Bosco (26-7) led 10-9 with 2:17 left in the first quarter but Harvard-Westlake closed the first quarter with an 8-0 run and led 17-10 heading into the second quarter.

The Wolverines extended their advantage to 37-29 at halftime.

Harvard-Westlake took a 51-44 lead into the fourth quarter. Huggins made it 56-46 with a free throw with 6:21 to go.

However, that’s when the momentum began swinging Bosco’s way behind the strong play of sophomore point guard Elzie Harrington, who scored eight of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, and freshman guard Brandon McCoy, who scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.

“I love this group. Those two did a great job making plays,” said St. John Bosco coach Matt Dunn. “Obviously, they have a special future ahead of them. This is a special group. This hurts to be done.”

Harrington and McCoy’s aggressiveness was rewarded with multiple trips to the free throw line, cutting HW’s lead to 59-57 and 62-60.

“We know we always have a chance no matter what,” Harrington said. “We kept saying that to ourselves throughout the whole game… We’ve built such a bond off the court and I really love them and it breaks my heart (that our seniors) have to be done with it.”

St. John Bosco sophomore point guard Elzie Harrington finished with a game-high 20 points in Bosco’s 69-64 loss vs. Harvard-Westlake. @ElzieHarringto1 said it breaks his heart that this means the end for @BoscoBasketball seniors from the Class of 2023. @burrellee3 @CoachDunn10 pic.twitter.com/rVZiAijd3d

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

However, the Wolverines responded and led 64-60 with 1:29 to go.

Bosco senior center Xinyi Li muscled his way to the basketball for a layup that cut HW’s lead to 65-62 with 27.4 seconds to go. Li finished with 10 points.

Perry made one of two free throws and HW led 66-62 with 21.5 seconds to go.

Harrington made two free throws, which cut HW’s lead to 67-64 with 1.1 seconds left in the game. Khamenia was fouled and made two free throws with 0.6 seconds left to give Harvard-Westlake a 69-64 win.

“This is a tough one but I still have great pride in what we accomplished,” Dunn said. “I thought they were a little more mature than us. We just struggled to do the right thing for whatever reason, obviously (Harvard-Westlake) is a big part of that. We had some self-inflicted stuff. We didn’t do the right thing enough to win a game at this level.”

St. John Bosco basketball coach Matt Dunn on his team’s 69-64 loss at home to Harvard-Westlake. @CoachDunn10 said this year’s team is a special group and it hurts for @BoscoBasketball’s season to be over. @presstelegram @sjbathletics pic.twitter.com/IPYKDnj4Hy

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

Final: Harvard-Westlake 69, St. John Bosco 64. HW will play at Centennial on Tuesday in the regional final. HW senior Brady Dunlap with a team-high 18 points and 8 rebounds. Bosco sophomore guard Elzie Harrington with a game-high 20 points. @Tarek_Fattal @BoscoBasketball pic.twitter.com/9ZZncvU1zy

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) March 5, 2023

Birmingham Boys Soccer Tops Rival El Camino Real In City Division I Final

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VAN NUYS — Birmingham and El Camino Real is one of the City Section’s premier soccer rivalries, and it was on full display at LA Valley College, where Birmingham topped its rival 3-1 in the Division I final.

“Nothing better than to beat our rivals and take home a championship for Birmingham,” senior Jerry Ramos said.

Ramos was the star of the show for the Patriots. He scored an early goal about six minutes into the match to give Birmingham a quick 1-0 advantage.

Birmingham and El Camino Real goalkeepers, seniors Mauricio Aragon and Mathew Ceja, were very active in the first half. Both recording more than two saves each in the first half.

El Camino Real’s offense kept putting pressure on the Patriots defense. ECR had a chance late in the first half that hit the crossbar with 14 minutes left.

“The defense took pressure all night long. Tonight they stepped up,” Birmingham coach EB Madha said of his defense.

In the second half, Birmingham stepped up its attack and were shooting from all types of distances. Birmingham’s defense also had to prepare for ECR and their counter-attacks from the wings.

The true feeling of a rivalry game was felt when a small scrum of shoving broke out 15 minutes into the second half that saw one of the Birmingham players pulled to the ground.

Senior Oscar Vargas extended Birmingham’s lead to 2-0 with 24 minutes left in the second half that seemed to shut the door on any chance ECR had for a comeback, but senior Edan Lavarovitch connected on a long-range free kick to cut El Camino Real’s deficit to 2-1 with 13 minutes to play.

Ramos, however, did put the way for good with his second goal of the day when he found the back of the net from a breakaway opportunity to grow Birmingham’s lead back to two goals in stoppage time.

“It meant everything to me to score the winner, I am so happy,” Ramos said.

Saturday’s victory clinched Birmingham’s fifth City title all-time.

“I’ve been here 22 years, these guys are family to me, so winning for them means everything to me,” Madha said.

El Camino Real Girls Soccer Blanks Cleveland To Win 15th City Title

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VAN NUYS — Second time’s the charm for El Camino Real girls soccer coach Eric Choi.

The Royals defeated Cleveland 4-0 in the City Section Division I final at LA Valley College Saturday afternoon.

In a rematch of last year’s championship game, in which Cleveland won 4-2, Choi and the Royals got their revenge in dominating fashion.

“They were the defending champs, and we knew we had to go take it from them,” Choi said.

Despite the onslaught of rain, the field conditions weren’t horrendous. The Cavaliers came out, playing physical soccer on the cold and wet pitch. They were making hard drives toward the ball and knocking over anyone who was in their way.

Senior Erin Lee got El Camino Real on the board first with a header four minutes into the match.

“It felt really good to help the team win a City Section title,” Lee said.

Sophomore Sharon Alcocer added to her goal total on the season, making it 18 on the year for her, however, she did leave with about 5:30 left in the first half due to injury. She didn’t start the second half, but was subbed on to finish the match.

The Royals played with intensity early and it showed. ECR had seven shot attempts, with two of them finding the back of the net.

Cleveland couldn’t get the ball into its third of the pitch offensively. ECR was in complete control and wouldn’t allow the Cavaliers to try and mount anything on offense.

The second half was much of the same for Cleveland as they struggled offensively. However, they did have a few chances with about 22 minutes left in the second half, creating two corners within a minute, not resulting in anything.

Senior Taylor Webster joined in on the scoring party 10 minutes into the second half and Junior Nikki Velazco sealed the deal for the Royals with a late second-half goal. Velazco in particular opened up a lot of second-half opportunities for the Royals with her play on the wing.

“Until you beat the champs, you’re not the champ,” Coach Choi reiterated to his team.

El Camino Real celebrated its 15th City title in program history.

CIF-SS Girls Basketball Playoffs: Saturday’s Scores, Pairings For The Finals

Saturday’s scores from the CIF Southern Section girls basketball semifinals and the updated pairings for the championship games on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25.

CIF-SS GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

Saturday’s games

OPEN DIVISION

Pool A

Sierra Canyon 89, Sage Hill 45

Ontario Christian 74, Bishop Montgomery 70

Pool B

Etiwanda 71, Mater Dei 58

Corona Santiago 65, Windward 47

DIVISION 1

Semifinals

Marlborough 63, Rosary 44

Orange Lutheran 78, Chaminade 68

DIVISION 2AA

Semifinals

La Salle 46, Redondo 36

Hart 68, San Juan Hills 65

DIVISION 2A

Semifinals

Brentwood 52, Keppel 33

Leuzinger 70, Village Christian 52

DIVISION 3AA

Semifinals

Los Osos 61, Moreno Valley 52

Flintridge Prep 68, El Dorado 53

DIVISION 3A

Semifinals

Rancho Christian 79, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 34

Chino 55, Campbell Hall 53

DIVISION 4AA

Semifinals

Buena Park 59, Shalhevet 55

Rialto 70, Silverado 43

DIVISION 4A

Semifinals

Notre Dame Academy 57, Bishop Diego 44

Oakwood 43, Laguna Beach 30

DIVISION 5AA

Semifinals

St. Margaret’s 55, South Hills 39

Gahr 39, Marina 38

DIVISION 5A

Semifinals

St. Monica 72, Riverside Prep 39

Oak Park 65, West Valley 27

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Feb. 24-25

Open Division

Sierra Canyon vs. Etiwanda at Honda Center, Saturday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.

Division 1

Marlborough vs. Orange Lutheran at Honda Center, date/time TBA

Division 2AA

La Salle vs. Hart

Division 2A

Brentwood vs. Leuzinger

Division 3AA

Los Osos vs. Flintridge Prep

Division 3A

Rancho Christian vs. Chino

Division 4AA

Buena Park vs. Rialto

Division 4A

Notre Dame Academy vs. Oakwood

Division 5AA

St. Margaret’s vs. Gahr

Division 5A

St. Monica vs. Oak Park