Last season, Gardena High’s football team advanced to the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division II quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Fairfax.
This year, the Panthers lost numerous top players and appear to be in for rebuilding.
Under third year head coach Vince Smith, the Panthers only have a handful of returning starters but should have some good size on the line, behind 6-foot-2, 280-pound senior tackle Zion Love and 5-foot-11, 260-pound sophomore tackle Imir Mitchell.
Last season, Gardena High’s football team advanced to the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division II quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Fairfax.
This year, the Panthers lost numerous top players and appear to be in for rebuilding.
Under third year head coach Vince Smith, the Panthers only have a handful of returning starters but should have some good size on the line, behind 6-foot-2, 280-pound senior tackle Zion Love and 5-foot-11, 260-pound sophomore tackle Imir Mitchell.
Expected to start at quarterback will be senior Aaron Williams and senior wide receiver Tyler Cater appears to be a key player.
The Panthers begin their season at South East High in South Gate Friday at 7 p.m.
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Serra Football
Saguaro wears down Serra
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High’s football team got off to an early start as it traveled to Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Arizona for a non-league game last Friday.
The Cavaliers held a 20-14 halftime lead but Saguaro, the defending three-time Arizona State Division II champion, shut out Serra 21-0 in the second half to take a 35-20 victory.
The first half was mostly see-saw. Serra took a 6-0 lead when Randy Anyanwu scored on a 3-yard run, but Saguaro came back and scored and converted on a touchdown for a 7-6 lead.
Toward the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers came back to grab a 13-7 lead when John Jackson sprinted 78 yards for a TD.
Saguaro, which is ranked 25th in the United States by Maxpreps, took a one-point lead but Serra came back to lead by six points on a scoring pass from quarterback Jalani Eason to receiver Bryan Addison. The touchdown was set up by Eason’s 62-yard run.
Saguaro, though, proved too much for the Cavaliers in the second half. It scored three TD’s and shut down Serra.
The Cavaliers will resume their rigid preseason schedule as they face the second of three straight games against last year’s state champions. Serra will host defending CIF-State Division IA champion Narbonne at El Camino College on Friday at 7 p.m. The Gauchos are also defending two-time CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I champions and won it four of the past five seasons.
Serra’s third straight game against a state champion is in the Honor Bowl against St. Joseph Regional, the New Jersey state Division II champion, on Sept. 3 at Mission Viejo High.
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Torrance Babe Ruth Baseball
Torrance captures Babe Ruth 15 World Series
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
The Torrance 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Star Baseball team won the World Series title by downing Atlantic Shore of New Jersey 6-1 in the final last Saturday at Ardean Aafedt Stadium in Williston, North Dakota.
For Torrance, it was its third World Series crown and the first since 2008.
Winning pitcher Kevin Ishimaru pitched a complete game three-hitter. He had six strikeouts and walked only one.
Torrance started its scoring with two runs in the third inning, behind RBI (run batted in) singles by Jesse Esphorst and Cary Arbolida.
Atlantic City cut Torrance’s lead to 2-1 with an unearned run in the bottom of the third but Torrance pulled away from there.
Arbolida sparked Torrance’s offense by going 2-for-4 with one RBI. Tanner Schafer had a hit and drove in two runs. Kai Hershberger went 1-for-2 with two RBI’s.
A day earlier, Torrance advanced with an 8-7 victory over Tallahassee, Fla.
Torrance took the lead for good when Keanu Yamashiro drove in a run with a base hit in the bottom of the sixth. Yamashiro had two hits and drove in two runs.
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Football Roundup
North hopes to excel despite life after Juarez
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Mique Juarez moved on from North Torrance High’s football team to UCLA as the Saxons have some rebuilding to do.
The Saxons, however, have some talent that can make them a contender for their second straight Pioneer League title.
North head coach Todd Croce could be depending on another outstanding player in Malik Welch. Last season Welch was a defensive back and running back but is expected to move to wide receiver. Like Juarez, Welch has a few NCAA Division I college football offers including Universities of Nevada and Northern Arizona.
On the defensive secondary, the Saxons could get some help from sophomore Beau McGlinti.
North, though, could hurt as it lost returning all-league linebacker Jacob Jurado to a torn ACL and will, most likely, be lost for the season.
Expected to start at quarterback for the Saxons will be last year’s backup Glenn Searcy, but he is being faced with competition against last season’s junior varsity starter and Most Valuable Player Jevin Grayson.
North begins its season at home against Banning High from Wilmington Friday at 7 p.m. The Saxons appear to be in a battle with rival West Torrance and Lawndale Leuzinger for the Pioneer title.
