Hello, and welcome to a different version of Prep Rally. My title is EricSondheimer. 4 weeks into the highschool soccer season, let’s look at among the gamers who've sneaked up and turn out to be related.
Demanding relevancy
After on a regular basis spent within the preseason rating soccer gamers based mostly on potential, it’s time to salute those that are literally producing and incomes respect based mostly on efficiency.
Junior receiver Marcus Brown of Mater Dei has gone from zero receptions final season to 13 receptions and 6 touchdowns.
Senior working again Delon Thompson of St. Bonaventure rushed for 262 yards towards Inglewood, 369 yards vs. Oxnard Pacifica, 323 yards towards San Diego Lincoln and 136 yards towards Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
Senior working again Roman Sanchez of San Pedro has typically been unstoppable taking part in wildcat quarterback and he’s additionally not a foul as a ballcarrier for the 4-0 Pirates.
Eagle Rock working again/defensive again Anthony Leon has led his crew to a 4-0 begin.
Franklin sophomore quarterback Eduardo Cuevas has accomplished 79% of his passes for 646 yards and 6 touchdowns with one interception for 4-0 Panthers.
Rain involves city
They weren’t fairly anticipating it. All week, the Roosevelt Tough Riders had been stressing about how scorching it was, working again Isiah Wright mentioned — thick, muggy air, temperatures climbing into triple digits.
However when the clouds opened up of their 28-14 win over Dorsey on Friday evening, turning the grass to a Slip-N-Slide, at the least one sideline welcomed the rain.
“It was like pigs in mud,” Roosevelt coach Aldo Parral mentioned. “We beloved it. We’re gonna get soiled.”
Dorsey had a harder time than Roosevelt and their ground-heavy assault, fumbling a slippery soccer a number of occasions, gamers spilling out from the shortage of traction. Coaches had been instructed by referees to get off the sector a number of occasions, solely to complain they couldn’t see the place mentioned subject was as a result of chalk traces had been washed away.
“It’s playoff climate,” Dorsey coach Stafon Johnson mentioned.
The final time Parral had coached a recreation within the rain was six or seven years in the past, he mentioned. However the place the Dons tried to combat the rain, nonetheless launching passes as part of their quick-hitting offense, Roosevelt embraced it — working the clock down on lengthy drives as sidelines turned to mush.
There received’t be many soccer video games like that in Southern California. However the subsequent time a tropical storm drifts close to Los Angeles, the Tough Riders will seemingly bask within the downpour.
— Luca Evans
Soccer rewind
Gardena Serra acquired again into the dialog of high groups by knocking off unbeaten Warren. Right here’s the story. Rodrick Nice had two interceptions and a 90-yard kickoff return for a landing.
San Clemente stayed unbeaten by beating Corona del Mar. Right here’s the story.
Roosevelt stayed unbeaten with a win over Dorsey, utilizing its double-wing offense to perfection. Right here’s the story.
A have a look at different high performances. Right here’s the story.
Right here’s this week’s high 25 rankings by The Occasions.
The massive recreation this week has Santa Margarita taking part in Los Alamitos on Thursday evening at Veterans Stadium. Right here’s the whole week 4 schedule.
Participant arrested
A participant on the Montclair Excessive soccer crew was arrested by the Montclair Police Division on suspicion of submitting falsified paperwork to play, in accordance with a press release emailed to The Occasions by the Chaffey Joint Union Excessive College District.
In line with a Sept. 9 letter obtained by The Occasions, despatched by Montclair athletic director Invoice Blades to the Southern Part, the soccer crew will forfeit 5 wins from final season and one this season “because of having an ineligible participant,” Blades wrote.
Right here’s the report of the unusual happenings.
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Newbury Park stays No. 1
How, precisely, is a boys’ highschool cross-country crew some known as the best ever final season supposed to enhance?
It will likely be the story of the season but once more, mentioned one coach. Simply how good will the Newbury Park boys’ crew be? For a brand new model of that group that swept podiums and shattered data final season in an unprecedented run of dominance, it begins with a child from Florida.
Brayden Seymour, as soon as projected to be the Sunshine State’s high runner in its largest division, in accordance with former Oviedo (Fla.) Hagerty Excessive coach Jay Getty, has transferred to Newbury Park for his senior season. Seymour is an uncannily cerebral runner, Getty mentioned, who brings an elite stage of dedication.
Newbury Park “has developed a self-sustaining mannequin. … He’s going to slip proper into that tradition with no downside,” Getty mentioned.
The Panthers’ touring band of rock stars was well-known final season, a foursome that dazzled its method by means of meets. Lex Younger. Leo Younger.Colin Sahlman. Aaron Sahlman. Two sibling pairs, any of them able to successful a race, all accounting for the highest 4 three-mile occasions within the state in 2021. The Younger brothers are dedicated to Stanford
“That high 4 — two units of brothers, and in some methods, it’s 4 brothers,” Leo Younger mentioned final fall.
Right here’s a cross-country preview.
There have been races run on Saturday. Francisco Rodriguez of Franklin introduced respect to the Metropolis Part, successful the senior class race on the Rosemead Invitational in 14:48.3. Kamrynn Grossman of Valencia recorded a successful ladies time of 17:53.0.
On the Laguna Hills Invitational, Makenzie McRae of Huntington Seaside had the quickest time of the day at 17:22.8 for ladies.
Corridor of Fame honorees
Twenty-three girls and boys from Los Angeles Unified College District colleges who made an affect in highschool sports activities have been chosen to be a part of the seventh induction class into the Metropolis Part Corridor of Fame.
Quite a few excellent coaches had been chosen, together with Darryl Stroh (Granada Hills) and Mike Maio (El Camino Actual) for baseball, Nick Rodinoff (Birmingham) for swimming, Don Gambril (Wilson) for aquatics, Gordon Weisenburger (Belmont) and Bruce Thomson (San Pedro) for cross nation, Dave Yanai (Fremont) and Judi Edwards (Fairfax) for basketball.
Right here’s the report.
Baseball medal winners
Members of the gold-medal successful USA 15U baseball crew have returned from Mexico with a lot to have a good time after successful the event championship over Cuba 4-3.
James Tronstein, a freshman at Harvard-Westlake, mentioned of the 13-day journey, “That was an unbelievable expertise and I’ll at all times be grateful. There’s nothing higher than representing your nation.”
Tronstein, an outfielder, is a Stanford commit. Additionally coming dwelling with a gold medal had been sophomore Brady Ebel from Etiwanda, sophomore Brady Murrietta from Orange Lutheran, sophomore John Quick from Cypress and sophomore Joshua Woodworth from Ventura. Woodworth has no time to relaxation. He’s additionally a high soccer participant for Ventura.
A sports activities prodigy
Sporting a blue polo shirt, tan shorts and black sneakers, JJ Harel simply suits in as simply one other freshman strolling across the campus of Chaminade Excessive in West Hills. He celebrated his 14th birthday on Tuesday, his teenage sister baking him a cookie cake earlier than he left for college.
Besides there’s nothing peculiar about Harel, who has passports from Australia, Israel and the USA. He has sprouted to 6-foot-2, with veins protruding from his arms and muscle tissue bulging from his biceps regardless that he weighs a lean 150 kilos and doesn’t raise weights.
Most of his classmates on the Catholic highschool don't know that the principally quiet, unassuming Jewish child with blond hair and dimension 13 ft might be a future Olympian. At a minimal, together with his 40-inch vertical leap, he’s going to be supplying loads of entertaining dunks throughout freshman basketball video games within the winter. First, although, he has to make the crew later this month throughout tryouts.
He received’t have any bother making the observe crew, for that's the place his future lies. Through the summer season, he set an AAU Junior Olympics document in North Carolina by clearing 6-foot-5 within the excessive leap. He additionally received gold within the triple leap and javelin.
Right here’s a profile on an athlete to look at within the coming years.
Water polo
The massive match between Harvard-Westlake and defending Open Division champion Newport Seaside was pretty much as good as anticipated.
Newport Harbor received 12-11.
Right here’s the story.
Ladies’ volleyball
It’s gentle, soothing sand versus stiff, unforgiving hardwood. It’s heat daylight versus harsh LED lights. It’s the tide’s salty air versus the stink of sweat in dingy gyms.
For Cypress Excessive’s Zoey Henson, the ladies’ indoor Empire League MVP final season, life in membership volleyball was a continuing cycle of rehab. Her shoulder was tousled. Her again was in fixed ache. She virtually tore her meniscus in a event. So regardless of solely taking part in seashore volleyball for 3 years, with indoor Division I presents forward, she dropped membership and switched to the sand.
It’s simpler on the joints. You may end a hard-fought match and splash into the ocean afterward. What’s to not love?
“I can inform that the ratio of women who're selecting indoor over seashore goes to undoubtedly be lots increased,” Henson mentioned.
Introducing the most recent pattern in Southern California sports activities — a wave of seashore curiosity that might have main results on the way forward for school volleyball. Throughout the seashore event circuit this summer season, gamers like Newport Harbor’s Quinn Perry, Mater Dei’s Grace Hong and Marymount’s Julia Capps all made the selection to step away from robust indoor applications to focus solely on seashore.
Right here’s the hyperlink to the ladies’ volleyball pocket book.
Notes . . .
AJ Beltre, the son of former main leaguer Adrian Beltre, has transferred from La Salle to Maranatha. . . .
Freshman pitcher Bryce Morrison of Gahr has dedicated to USC. . . .
Sierra Canyon senior guard Bronny James took his first recruiting go to to Ohio State. . . .
Sophomore pitcher Colt Peterson from Orange Lutheran has dedicated to Stanford. . . .
Los Alamitos defensive lineman TA Cunningham was denied a hardship waiver to play for the Griffins this season. He’s a switch pupil. . . .
Hunter Backstrom from Gardena Serra has dedicated to Fresno State for baseball. . . .
Pitcher Sean Elsee of Hart has dedicated to Occidental Faculty. . . .
Pitcher Mason Edwards of Palisades has dedicated to USC. He had a 1.20 ERA as a junior.
From the archives: Kami Miner
Kami Minerwas Southern California’s greatest ladies’ volleyball participant at Redondo Union. Now she has moved on to be the setter for Stanford and continues to shine.
She’s the daughter of former USC basketball nice Harold Miner.
Right here’s a 2019 story on Miner rising in volleyball.
Suggestions
From the Los Angeles Occasions, a narrative on former Santa Margarita quarterback Josiah Norwood as the newest walk-on to earn a scholarship for UCLA.
From the Sacramento Bee, a narrative on high highschool basketball gamers leaving for Los Angeles and elsewhere.
From SI.com, a narrative on former Etiwanda shortstop Tyler Freeman making an affect with the Cleveland Guardians.
From NFHS.com, a message on why steps should be taken to cease hazing in highschool sports activities.
From goldcountrymedia.com, a narrative on a Del Oro soccer participant collapsing from warmth stroke throughout observe.
From OCRegister.com, a narrative on a St. Margaret’s soccer participant taking part in with two cochlear implants.
Tweets you might need missed
Till subsequent time...
Have a query, remark or one thing you’d prefer to see in a future Prep Rally publication? Electronic mail me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and observe me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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