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Los Angeles Times
07-06-2025
- 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
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Third annual ‘Battle in the Bay' moves Back Bay water polo rivals from pool to ocean
It's been a big week for Newport Harbor High junior Connor Ohl. The sharp-shooting boys' water polo player committed to Stanford earlier this week. He then turned 18 on Thursday, the same day the Sailors hosted the third annual 'Battle in the Bay' showcase against rival Corona del Mar in the water next to Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula. Ohl gave himself a birthday gift. He was named the KAP7 Player of the Game for the boys' match, earning a stand-up paddleboard for his efforts. Newport Harbor swept the two games, winning the girls' game 17-5 before earning a 15-8 win in the boys' game. 'We really came together and our crash defense was just amazing,' said Ohl, who led the Sailors with four goals in the boys' game. 'When you play good defense, the offense will come, and that's what happened today. Our defense complemented our offense.' The Battle in the Bay has become an annual event that the Newport Beach water polo community circles on its calendar. Newport Harbor looked the part of a team that was a CIF Southern Section Open Division champion in the boys' season last fall, and an Open Division finalist in the girls' season in the winter. 'It's such a unique spot,' Sailors coach Ross Sinclair said. 'It's unique to play in the Battle of the Bay, and I think this is another added element of celebrating the community and being able to play in the bay. It's a novelty.' Kai Kaneko added three goals for the Sailors boys, while Dash D'Ambrosia, Hudson Parks and Mason Netzer scored twice each. Koosha Mirrafati led CdM with three goals. 'It's a cool thing for our community to come together and do something that no other programs in the country get to do,' CdM coach Lucas Reynolds said, adding that he was a bit jealous the event wasn't around when he was a CdM student. 'Being able to play in the bay, play so close to home in a really cool environment, I think it's an awesome opportunity for our kids.' Newport Harbor senior goalkeeper Lydia Soderberg was the Player of the Game for the girls' match. Some of her Sailors teammates blew up her inflatable paddleboard and watched the boys' game while perched on it. Caitlin Stayt and Gabby Alexson led the Sailors with three goals each, while Josie Alaluf had two goals for CdM. Newport Harbor also benefited from strong play from freshmen, including Lily Tomalas, Vivian Muir, Olivia Bryant and goalkeeper Sutton Lohman. They stepped up, as four Sailors — Madison Mack, Kennedy Fahey, Addison Ting and Caroline Daniels — are currently playing for the U.S. Cadet National Team at the PanAm Aquatics Water Polo Championships in Colombia. 'This is just a really unique experience,' Stayt said. 'We love coming out here and being with the community, being with each other.'
