By Joe Snyder
Hosting the Del Rey League Championships for the third consecutive season on April 24, Serra High’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams showed a good display in qualifying most of their team for the CIF-Southern Section Division IV Prelims this Saturday at Carpinteria High in South Santa Barbara County.
The Lady Cavaliers should be top contenders for the Division IV crown thanks to senior sprinter Mia Flowers. Flowers is expected to be the top seed in the division after sweeping the 100 and 200-meter dashes at 11.58 and 23.86 secondsr. Junior teammate Raelynn Pleasant, cousin of former Serra standout sprinter Roderick Pleasant (now competing in football and track and field at University of Oregon), also advanced to CIF with qualifying times of 12.5 in the 100 and 26.1 in the 200.
Serra’s girls’ 4×100-meter relay team of Jaiya Fletcher, Flowers, Sielle Howard and Sarah Howard also won the league title with a blazing time of 47.4, also ranked No. 1 in the division.
Fletcher captured the 100-meter hurdles clocking 14.93, also among the tops in the division.
Other top qualifiers for the Lady Cavaliers include triple jumper Sielle Howard (32 feet, 11 inches) and sophomore shot putter Lo’ani Atofoa (32-3.5).
In the boys’ division, freshman Wesley Ace recorded his personal best time of 10.81 in winning the 100. It is currently the second-best time in Division IV. Duvay Williams was second in the 100 in 10.93 and won the 200 timing 22.05, the second-ranked time in the division.
Otis “Tre” Harrison advanced in both the 110-meter high and 300-meter intermediate hurdles after he won the 300 in 39.26 and finished second in the 110 clocking 16.35.
Serra’s boys’ 400-meter relay squad of Harrison, Ace, Muhammad Sherrills and Christian Rojas won its race at 42.47.
Damari Howard advanced in the triple jump at 38-11.5.
The prelims start at 9 a.m. and will last until about 6 p.m. at Carpinteria High. Top finishers move to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV Finals on May 11 at Moorpark High. The Masters will also be at Moorpark on May 18 with the CIF-State Championships on May 24-25 at Buchanan High in Clovis.
__________
North, Serra fail to advance in CIF So. Sec. playoffs
Serra High’s slim hopes of advancing to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs was dashed by Paraclete in a two-game Del Rey League sweep last week.
At Serra on April 22, the Cavaliers were shut out by the Spirits 2-0. At Paraclete in Lancaster on April 24, the Spirits rolled over Serra 9-1 ending the Cavaliers’ league record at 4-8 for a sixth-place finish, only ahead of South Bay rival Bishop Montgomery (3-9). La Puente Bishop Amat won the Del Rey at 10-2 and Paraclete (8-4) was second.
At Serra, the Cavaliers had their chances but could not get anybody home. Marc Emmermann was Serra’s bright spot going 2-for-2.
Traveling some 75 miles north to Lancaster, both teams were scoreless through three innings before the Spirts let loose for five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and four in the fifth.
The Cavaliers scored their only run in the top of the fifth on a base hit by Joshua Bronson.
Serra, though, closed its season with a home non-league game against South Torrance as the Cavaliers outlasted the Spartans 8-7.
Daniel Johnson II sparked Serra by going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and one run scored. Henry Sorman was 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run.
South was led by sophomore Logan Sain who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
The Cavaliers ended their season at 10-14 while the Spartans, who finished fourth in the highly competitive Pioneer League, open the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs at Northwood High in Irvine today at 3:15 p.m.
North Torrance had slim hopes of advancing to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs but eventual Pioneer League co-champion West Torrance (with Torrance) proved too much for the Saxons as the Warriors swept them by scores of 2-1 on April 23 at North and 13-0 last Thursday at West.
On April 23, senior ace pitcher Makato Nakawake pitched well with a complete-game four-hitter. The only bad spot was giving up a two-run double to West’s Christian Hernandez, Jr. in the top of the third inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Malachi Garcia drove in North’s only run in the bottom of the fifth.
West pitcher Dylan Smith pitched a complete-game two-hitter with six strikeouts.
Last Thursday, the Warriors finished off the Saxons in their blowout win.
North ended its season at 4-8 in league and 8-18 overall.
West opens the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs at home today at 3:15 p.m. against Yucaipa and if it wins that game, the Warriors will face either top-seeded Westlake or Bay League team Manhattan Beach Mira Costa next Tuesday at the same time.
Torrance, the other co-league champion which swept South Torrance in both games last week, plays in Division I as it hosts Notre Dame High from Sherman Oaks Friday at 3:15 p.m.
Gardena is in its final week of the Marine League with two games against Long Beach Rancho Dominguez Prep this week as it is 0-8 after losses of 11-0 to Narbonne on April 22 at home and at Narbonne 10-0 last Thursday. The Panthers also lost a San Fernando Tiger Classic game at home to Sun Valley Magnet 6-4 on Saturday.
The Panthers visited the Lobos last Monday and closed out on Wednesday at Gardena. The Panthers host West L.A. University in non-league next Monday at 3 p.m.
_________
North finishes third in Pioneer after loss to West
North Torrance High’s softball team ended the Pioneer League in third place after a 5-1 loss to West Torrance on April 24 at North.
The Lady Saxons held a 1-0 lead until the Warriors let loose for two runs in the top of the sixth and three in the seventh.
Two days earlier at South Torrance High, North rallied for an eight-inning 13-8 victory over the Spartans.
The Saxons trailed 8-4 through six innings before rallying for four runs in the top of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
North advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs where it will visit Fullerton Rosary High at Villa Park High today at 3:15 p.m. West is the top seed in the Southern Section Division III playoffs as it opens today at home against Claremont at the same time. North is 16-9-1 overall and 9-3 in league while the Warriors finished league at 11-1, with their only loss to the Saxons earlier in league.
Gardena ended the Marine League at 1-9 but managed to pick up its only win at home over Long Beach Rancho Dominguez Prep 10-0 last Friday.
The Lady Panthers played four league games last week starting with a 16-6 loss to the host Lobos on April 22. At Carson last Thursday, the Colts, last year’s CIF-Los Angeles City Section Open Division champion, routed Gardena 21-2. The Panthers closed their season with a 20-2 home loss to San Pedro last Monday. Gardena finished with a 1-11 overall record.
