By Joe Snyder
It’s been just a month past by since the 2025-26 prep sports year ended that included North Torrance High’s baseball team winning the CIF-Southern California Regional Division IV Championship by rolling over Francis Parker 9-3 on June 6 in San Diego.
A week earlier at Cal State Fullerton, the Saxons routed South El Monte 7-1 for the CIF-Southern Section Division VII championship, making it their first Southern Section title since 1974. North went on to win its first ever regional crown. There were no state regional playoffs 52 years ago.
As a result, senior shortstop Lucas Blackwood was named the CIF-Southern Section Division VII Player of the Year and head coach Diego Alarcon, in his first season after being an assistant coach at El Camino College, was Coach of the Year. Other top players, who were also all-CIF, included senior outfielder Josiah Reed and junior pitcher Mason Matsumoto.
North won the Southern Section after going just 4-8 in the Pioneer League and 11-16 overall but its third-place finish was enough to advance. They went on to win all eight playoff games to end their season at 19-16.
Carson’s baseball team, which won its first CIF-Los Angeles City championship by winning the Division I crown over Marine League rival Wilmington Banning last year, won its second consecutive Marine League crown and qualified for the L.A. City Open Division as the No. 4 seed. The Colts, however, fell in the semifinals to top-seed Lake Balboa Birmingham.
Serra High’s men’s basketball team went from the bottom of the Del Rey League in the 2024-25 season to winning the CIF-Southern Section Division V crown with a thrilling 57-51 win over Pilibos High from L.A. on Feb. 27 at Azusa-Pacific University.
In that contest, returning four-year senior forward Chinemeren Anyikwa led the Cavaliers with a game-high 25 points to aid the Cavaliers to their first Southern Section crown since 2016, when Serra, under the late head coach Dwan Hurt, topped Sherman Oaks Notre Dame for the Division IVAA crown. Hurt died in his sleep just hours after Thanksgiving in that year.
Anyikwa was named Southern Section Division V Player of the Year and head coach DaJon Frazier was Coach of the Year.
Serra went on to lose in the first round of the Southern California Regional Division IIIA playoffs to Birmingham.
Over this past spring, Serra High’s boys’ track and field team captured its second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Division IV crown, behind its outstanding sprinters, on May 16 at Moorpark High.
The Cavaliers were sparked by their 4×100-meter relay team of sophomore Lamar Roberson, junior Landon Thomas, sophomore Lawon-Griggs Andrew and junior Wesley Ace winning the division with a time of 41.47 seconds. Serra went on to make the CIF-State Championships where it placed fifth with a season best time of 40.97 seconds and with all four runners back for next season, it might even eyeing being the second team in California to break the 40-second barrier. That’s because during this past season, another all-underclassman squad from Anaheim Servite already got under the United States national record at 39.70 in the event on April 11 in the Arcadia Invitational. The Friars won the CIF-State crown going away clocking 39.73 smashing the previous record of 40.24 set in 1989 by Hawthorne, which was in its final season of its track and field dynasty days. An all-sophomore Servite 4×400 team also busted the state meet record in 3:07.62, breaking the previous record of 3:08.42 set in 2010 by Serra and is just .22 of a second away from that long standing national 1985 record of 3:07.40 by Hawthorne.
Ace recorded a personal best time of 10.51 in the 100 meters in the Redondo Nike Invitational on March 14 and Thomas has a personal best time of 47.35 in the 400. They have another year to go. Both won Division IV crowns in those events.
Torrance High sprinter Nicolas Obimgba closed out his impressive prep career recording best times of 10.24 in the 100 meters and 20.66 in the 200 but did not excel as well in state. He took seventh in the 100 (10.47) and did not qualify for the finals at the 200. He has a personal best time of 10.20 he did at the California State Prelims as a junior last year.
Serra High’s girls’ basketball team captured the Camino Real League but was placed in the Southern Section Division II where it lost to host Chino Hills.
North Torrance High’s girls’ basketball team also had another fine season in the Bay League where it finished second behind champion Redondo. It made it to the second round of the Division II playoffs.
After finishing just fourth in the Marine League, Gardena High’s girls’ basketball team advanced to the CIF-L.A. City Section Division III finals but its run ended in a loss to Washington 45-31 on Feb. 27 at L.A. Southwest College.
Gardena High’s boys’ soccer team was looking to win the CIF-L.A. City Section Division III crown and already defeated Sun Valley Magnet 3-1 in the semifinals to advance. Then, bad news struck. The L.A. City Section discovered that one of its players played on another team during the early part of the 2025-26 season and forfeited out of the finals against East L.A. Garfield.
Carson’s girls’ softball team, behind four-year senior Ashannalie Titialii, captured the CIF-L.A. City Open Division by routing Granada Hills 12-1 on May 30.
During the past football season, an unusual thing happened to Serra. For the first time since 2004, it did not make the playoffs due to its 4-6 overall record and placing fifth in the rugged Mission League at 1-4. That was because a rash of injuries depleted the potentially very talented squad. The Cavaliers were led by defensive tackle Khary Wilder, who will start his college football at NCAA powerhouse Ohio State University in the fall. He is, most likely, already there gearing for the 2026 season.
Gardena had a good showing with a third-place finish in the Marine League; behind champion and eventual CIF-L.A. City Open Division champion Carson and second-place San Pedro. In the Division I playoffs, the Panthers began with a thrilling 30-26 win over Hamilton before falling in overtime to host South Gate 32-24 after leading 24-8 entering the fourth quarter.
North Torrance enjoyed three straight Pioneer League championships but found last season tougher going as the Saxons settled for fourth place, behind champion Torrance, runner-up Redondo and third-place Santa Monica. The Saxons finished 6-5 overall after falling in the first round to Apple Valley in the Southern Section Division VII playoffs. North was led by quarterback Ethan Edwards, now at Utah Tech University.
Torrance won the Pioneer and was 10-0 overall in the regular season. The Tartars were the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Division V playoffs and hosted league rival Redondo in the first round; defeating the Sea Hawks 34-24 in their league opener. The Sea Hawks, who had some key players returning from injuries and some transfers starting after their eligibility wait, returned the favor with a come-from-behind 21-14 victory. Redondo, led by running back Bo Ausmus, went on to the finals before falling to Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep 29-7. The Tartars return a large majority of their team which could be a banner 2026 season.
Carson went on to win the City Open Division crown by shutting out Crenshaw 36-0. The Colts lost in the Southern California Regional Division IIIAA championship bowl game to host Delano Robert F. Kennedy High in a close game. The Colts were led by quarterback Chris Fields.
Over in the colleges, Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s soccer team captured the California Collegiate Athletic Association at 8-0-2 and was 12-4-4 overall but lost in the first round of the NCAA Division II Western Regionals to University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 3-1.
The Toro men’s basketball team did not have the season they had a year earlier when they advanced to the NCAA Division II finals and a younger and lesser experienced squad still managed to go 22-9 overall and 17-5 in the CCAA for a second-place finish. CSDH made the second round of the NCAA Division II Western Regionals before losing to conference foe Cal State East Bay from Hayward 76-67.
Last fall, El Camino College’s football team made the Southern California Regional semifinals before losing a blockbusting five-overtime game to Mt. San Antonio College 42-40 in Walnut.
The Warrior baseball team had a spectacular season going 33-9 overall and winning the South Coast Conference at 19-5 seeking to go deep in the state playoffs. ECC hosted the regional but was swept out by Southwestern 5-4 and Fullerton 7-5.
ECC’s softball team made the regionals by defeating Fullerton in two of three games before falling to San Diego Mesa.
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Carson’s Titialii is top softball player SB softball player
Ashannalae Titialii closed out her prep softball career in a big fashion keying Carson’s softball team to its third CIF-Los Angeles City Open Division championship by crushing championship playoff rival Granada Hills 12-1.
Titialii hit a two-run home run in that contest that ignited the Colts’ championship win, avenging last year’s 12-11 eight inning loss to the Highlanders last season.
Titialii hit a sizzling .642. Titialii signed at University of Hawaii and was also L.A. City Section Open Division Player of the Year as well as being the Daily Breeze South Bay Player of the Year. Titialii plays in the infield.
The Colts’ head coach Rudy Aguirre was Coach of the Year and has enjoyed a lot of success at Carson. Aguirre keyed the Colts to their third City title in the past four seasons; also winning in 2023 and 2024. Carson rolled to the championship with routs of 12-2 over Lake Balboa Birmingham and 12-1 against Granada Hills.
Making first-team was Carson senior infielder Ruby Grajeda, North Torrance utility Brooklyn Khilardi, junior utility Lexie Horodner (Torrance), freshman outfielder Seriah Sala-Tuaaion (Torrance), senior catcher Raleigh Chung (West Torrance), and sophomore pitcher Danica Buchanan (Torrance).
Included on second-team were junior pitcher Kloie Iboy (North Torrance), junior Bella Narez (West Torrance), junior catcher Maddie Schepp (Torrance), sophomore infielder Miley Guerrero (Torrance), junior outfielder Sofia Ayabarreni (South Torrance), sophomore utility Duannina Amarel (West Torrance), and sophomore utility Kiarah Chukwude Carson).
On third-team included sophomore pitcher Lilah Cortes (Carson), junior pitcher Isis Jones (North Torrance), sophomore infielder Corina Alvillar (North Torrance), freshman infielder London Gant (Serra), senior designated hitter Letu’u Simi-Mafoe (Carson), senior utility Danielle Eredia (Torrance) and junior utility Emily Laralin (Bishop Montgomery).
North Torrance only barely made the CIF-Southern Section Division III playoffs but advanced to the semifinals. It has virtually the entire team returning next season
Pitcher of the Year was junior Danieila Bocomfuco of Pioneer League champion Palos Verdes. She was also all-CIF Southern Section Division I.
Horaodner made all-CIF Southern Section Division II. On all-Southern Section Division III was Khilardi. Cyannie Cisneros of Environmental Charter, with campuses located in Gardena, Lawndale and Inglewood, was all-Southern Section Division IX.
