Latest news with #SouthernSectionDivision1
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Times' softball coach of the year: Rick Robinson of Norco
During a softball season when top pitchers were hard to find, coach Rick Robinson of Norco High was patient, wise and comforting in helping sophomore Coral Williams make the kind of improvement that could lead to a championship. Then came the biggest game of the season — the Southern Section Division 1 final against El Modena. And all Williams did was complete a one-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory, rewarding Robinson and Norco with an eighth championship. For guiding his team to a 29-3 record while mixing in a combination of young and veteran players, Robinson has been selected The Times' softball coach of the year for 2025. The Cougars were seeded No. 1 and started the season 11-0 before losing to El Modena 5-4. That loss immediately punctured the invincibility of Norco and had Robinson making sure his players kept working hard. Then there was a 1-0 loss to Orange Lutheran in April. His players responded by dominating in the Division 1 playoffs.
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Times' 2025 All-Star softball team
A look at the Los Angeles Times' 2025 All-Star softball team: Pitcher, Coral Williams, Norco, So.: She threw a one-hit shutout in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game while finishing the season with a 17-0 record. Pitcher, Mia Valbuena, Marina, Jr. : The Michigan commit led Marina to the Division 3 championship. She had 293 strikeouts in 175 1/3 innings while going 19-10 with a 1.88 ERA. Utility, Aliyah Garcia, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Jr.: She led the Knights to the Mission League title while batting .465 and was the league MVP pitcher. Cather, Alyssa Torres, Valley View, Jr.: She had 22 home runs while batting .506 and driving in 46 runs. Infielder, Ki'ele Ho-Ching, Long Beach Poly, Jr.: The Oklahoma commit led the Jackrabbits to the Division 4 championship. Infielder, Leighton Gray, Norco, So.: She led the Division 1 champions in hitting with a .435 average, including eight home runs. Infielder, Kaitlyn Galasso, El Modena, Sr.: The Loyola Marymount commit led her team in hitting with a .462 average, including 48 hits and 12 home runs. Infielder, Taelyn Holley, Murrieta Mesa, Sr.: The Tennessee commit batted .598 with 52 hits, 40 runs, 40 RBIs and 15 home runs. Outfielder, Tamryn Shorter, Norco, Sr.: The Boise State commit batted .404 with nine home runs. Outfielder, Jazmine Leyva, South El Monte, Sr.: The UCLA commit had 47 hits, a .691 batting average and hit 16 home runs. Outfielder, Kai Minor, Orange Lutheran, Sr.: The Oklahoma commit concluded a fabulous four-year career by hitting .500 with 44 hits and 34 RBIs.
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
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: St. John Bosco was the surprise of the baseball season
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. What a weekend it was for championships in baseball and softball. Going into the 2025 baseball season, St. John Bosco was hardly on anyone's mind as a potential Southern Section Division 1 champion. It was going to be the super team, Corona, or last season's runner-up Huntington Beach. But coach Andy Rojo built the most consistent team of all, going 27-4, eliminating Corona 2-0 in the semifinals, then enduring nine innings to defeat Santa Margarita 3-2 on a walk-off hit by Miles Clark in the Division 1 final. There were so many big moments by big-time players in the Division 1 final. Few were more impressive than St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin, who saved the Braves' win over Corona and then threw four scoreless innings against Santa Margarita with key strikeouts in moments of pressure. He may become a starting pitcher next season, but he's got a future as a closer because of his ability to thrive under pressure and his complete confidence in being able to do the job. The Division 2 final saw West Ranch defeat Mater Dei 2-1 behind pitcher Hunter Manning. Here's the report. Manning finished 10-0 on the mound and is headed to UC Irvine. The drought is over for Granada Hills softball. After losing heartbreaking championship games to Carson the last two seasons, the Highlanders beat the Colts in the City Section Open Division final 11-2. Here's the report. Norco ended the softball season No. 1 in Southern California after a 3-0 win in the Southern Section Division 1 final over El Modena behind pitcher Coral Williams, who threw a one-hitter. Here's the report. The Southern California regional playoffs for baseball and softball begin Tuesday, continue Thursday and end Saturday. Here's the baseball pairings. Here's the softball pairings. Led by a talented group of freshmen athletes, Servite won the state championship in boys track and field in Clovis on Saturday. Long Beach Wilson won the girls title. There were terrific individual performances, from Jack Stadlman of Temecula Valley winning the 400 meters to Leo Francis of Santa Margarita going 25-feet plus to win the long jump. Jayden Rendon of Carson wion the 300 hurdles. Here are the complete results. Here's the report from Clovis on the finals. Here's a closer look at Servite's Fab Four. Jaden Soong, a freshman golfer at St. Francis, thrives under pressure. 'I will say I like pressure,' he said. Twice in the last two weeks, he's won playoffs to keep his season going. But the story of his first playoff win is comedy at its best. He had left the Temecula Creek golf course at the individual championships after concluding he had failed to qualify for the SCGA regionals and had stopped at Jack in the Box while headed home. Then he got a phone call from a friend: 'Hey dude, we're in a playoff.' He was 17 minutes away and needed to be back at the course in 10 minutes. 'We hauled it,' he said. Thankfully, there were no police cars in the vicinity as he was driven back to the course. The playoff had started when he arrived. Players were in the fairway. He had no time to change into his golf shoes, so he played in his Nike Air Force shoes. He got a par on the first hole, then a birdie to win the playoff and advance. Last weekend, he won another playoff to reach the state championships Tuesday at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. He's ready for anything. Brady McHenry of Buena won the SCGA Southern California regional championship with a playoff win to be the No. 1 qualifier for the state championships Tuesday at Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. Charlie Woods, son of Tiger Woods, won his first juniors tournament. Here's the report. The Bradford family in Manhattan Beach loves volleyball and everyone is tall. Here's a look at their love for volleyball and big shoes. Mira Costa won the first state Division 1 championship with a 25-14, 25-16, 25-21 win over San Jose Archbishop Mitty. Mater Dei defeated Buchanan 3-1 to win Division 2. Sage Hill won Division 3 with a 3-0 win over International. Here's the Daily Pilot report on Mira Costa winning against Huntington Beach the previous week. With major league baseball seeking to increase Black player participation, St. John Bosco has five Black players starting on its championship team. Here's a report. Lots of SoCal players are participating in the NCAA baseball playoffs. Here's a look. Brentwood sophomore to be Shaelen Sheppard has been selected to be on the U16 USA Basketball national team. . . . Austin Maziasz, a standout basketball player at Westlake, has committed to Johns Hopkins. . . . April Schilling is the new girls basketball coach at Oak Park. . . . Capistrano Valley has begun building a new $21.5 million football stadium that is supposed to be completed by the spring of 2026. . . . Chris Allen has resigned as baseball coach at Charter Oak. . . . The JSerra doubles team of Brady Schaefgen and Riley Anson won the Southern Section championship. Freshman Andrew Johnson from Palos Verdes won the singles title. . . . Roy Walker Jr., an assistant basketball coach at Westchester, has been hired as Taft's new basketball coach. . . . Dee Pinkard is the new girls' basketball coach at St. Bonaventure. . . . Mark Bowman, the top tight end in California if not America, has committed to USC. He was supposed to be a junior this coming season at Mater Dei but changed his classification to the class of 2026. Irvine University won the state Division 1 tennis championship. Griffin Canning is the best pitcher in the history of Santa Margarita. He led the Eagles to the 2014 Southern Section Division 1 championship, went on to star at UCLA and became a starting pitcher for the Angels. But this season he's enjoying a breakthrough pitching for the New York Mets. He's 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA. Here's a story from 2014 on how Canning pitched Santa Margarita to the Division 1 title. Here's a story from 2015 on the 'Griffin Canning rule' in the Trinity League. From a story looking at a survey of parents whether their kids will become pro athletes. From the Washington Post, a story on how a gymnast ended up getting a track and field scholarship. From the Los Angeles Times, a story on three L.A. students who earned college scholarships by caddying. From Spectrum News1, a story on USA volleyball using the 2028 Olympic Games to boost the sport. From the Los Angeles Times, a look at how the state track championship was affected by the participation of a transgender athlete.
Los Angeles Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
St. John Bosco wins Division 1 baseball championship on Miles Clark's walk-off single
To say that St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita engaged in a championship baseball game on Friday night that will be remembered for a lifetime would be an understatement. 'This game was special, something I'll remember for the rest of my life. You really had to fight for it,' said St. John Bosco left fielder Noah Everly. It was a Southern Section Division 1 final filled with drama. Teenagers came through with big play after big play until finally in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, Miles Clark hit a walk-off single up the middle to give St. John Bosco a 3-2 victory and its first baseball championship before a sold-out crowd of 3,010 at Cal State Fullerton. 'It hurts a lot,' Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec said. 'It was a great effort by both sides. There were so many amazing moments.' Let's start with Santa Margarita pitcher Brennan Bauer, who threw five scoreless innings of relief and somehow escaped twice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game going. First he had a 3-and-1 count to Everly and got a pop fly with one out. Then he had a 3-2 count with Moises Razo and got a fly out to the warning track. 'That's all Brennan,' Malec said. In 22 1/3 playoff innings, Brenann won four games and gave up one earned run. Then there was Everly coming through with a stunning catch on the run in left field in the top of the ninth inning to prevent a Santa Margarita extra base hit with a runner on first. 'That was an extraordinary catch,' Malec said. Said Clark: 'Oh my goodness, Noah came through.' So did Clark against relief pitcher Ethan Russell in the bottom of the ninth. Bauer had run out of innings, having reached his 10-inning max after throwing five innings against Crespi in the semifinals. Russell walked Razo on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Clark. 'We were locked in the whole game,' Clark said. 'We didn't lose our mental focus. I kept telling my guys we have to stay focused.' Razo had a two-run double in the first inning to give the Braves an early lead. Santa Margarita took advantage of an error and closed it to 2-1 in the second on Brody Schumaker's second hit. The Eagles tied tied it at 2-2 in the fifth with a squeeze bunt by Blake Ankrum, the third sacrifice of the game. After Gavin Cervantes started on the mound and freshman Brayden Krakowski pitched into the sixth inning, St. John Bosco turned to its closer, Jack Champlin, who was magnificent. In four scoreless innings, he allowed one hit with four strikeouts. At one point, a Santa Margarita batter appeared to challenge Champlin after the count went to 3-0. Champlin proceeded to strike him out, unleashing a fist pump. St. John Bosco ended up being the most consistent team in the Southland for the 2025 season. The Braves went 27-4 and became the first Trinity League champion to win a Division 1 title. All the other Trinity League teams that have won Division 1 never won the league title. And beating top-seeded Corona 2-0 on Tuesday was quite an accomplishment itself.
