By Joe Snyder
Serra, Gardena, North Torrance High School and other local football teams officially began their practice for the fall 2026 season, which starts on Aug. 21.
Serra High will return to its own stadium after it was partially destroyed by a fire early last year, while Gardena is currently having its facility rebuilt and will play its three home games at Los Angeles Harbor College in Wilmington with the other seven on the road.
The Cavaliers, though, will play its first game about two miles southwest of the school in a showdown against Bay League power Palos Verdes at El Camino College on Aug. 21 beginning at 7 p.m. The Sea Kings have premiere fourth-year starting quarterback Ryan Rakawski, who is playing his final season before moving on to University of Nevada in the fall. Rakowski is already a preseason all-American. Last year, Serra shut out Palos Verdes 26-0 but, later in the season, injuries ravaged the Cavaliers that saw them miss the CIF-Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Serra, though, will be at home for the first time in two seasons in hosting CIF-L.A. City Section school Hamilton on Aug. 28. On Sept. 4, the Cavaliers travel to face always tough Los Alamitos, a team that defeated Serra last year. The Cavaliers come home for two straight non-league games against always tough opponents in Trinity League school Orange Lutheran on Sept. 11 and Westlake Village Oaks Christian on Sept. 18.
Serra takes a week off before beginning the prestigious Mission League at home against Bishop Amat from La Puente on Oct. 2. The Cavaliers will play their final home game of the regular season against powerful Chatsworth Sierra Canyon on Oct. 9. The Cavaliers finish league on the road against L.A. Loyola (Oct. 16), West Hills Chaminade (Oct. 23), and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (Oct. 30). All games begin at 7 p.m.
Serra hopes to turn things around after the disappointing 2025 season.
Gardena begins its 2026 season at Hawthorne High on Aug. 21 starting at 7 p.m. The Panthers are at South East on Aug. 28 in South Gate. Gardena plays three more away games against King-Drew Medical Magnet on Sept. 3, at Compton on Sept. 11, and at Santa Monica on Sept. 18 before coming to its temporary home field at L.A. Harbor College to take on Gahr High from Cerritos on Sept. 24.
The Panthers begin their five-team Marine League at defending CIF-L.A. City Open Division champion Carson on Oct. 2 before hosting Harbor City Narbonne on Oct. 8. After playing on Oct. 16 at San Pedro at 7:30 p.m., the Panthers take a week off before closing their regular season at home against Wilmington Banning on Oct. 29. Except for at San Pedro on Oct. 16 (7:30 p.m.), all other games begin at 7 p.m.
North Torrance remains in the Pioneer League, with Torrance, West Torrance, Santa Monica, Culver City and El Segundo, where it starts its season on Aug. 21 at Orange High. On Aug. 28, the Saxons visit Narbonne and on Sept. 4 at Mary Star in San Pedro. North has its first home game against Banning from Wilmington on Sept. 11 and remain home against last year’s CIF-L.A. City Section Open Division champion Carson on Sept. 18.
The Saxons take a week off before hosting West Torrance, which moved from the Ocean where it won back-to-back league titles, on Oct. 1. North hosts Santa Monica on Oct. 9 before visiting another Pioneer newcomer in Culver City (from the Bay League) on Oct. 16. On Oct. 23, North visits another new league opponent in El Segundo from the Ocean League before closing league in a possible showdown against Torrance, last year’s Pioneer champion which returns a majority of its top players, at home on Oct. 30. All games start at 7 p.m.
______________
Gardena Seniors, Juniors fall
The Gardena-Rosecrans Park Dodger Dreams fell in last week’s games at Gonzales Park in Compton.
On July 21, Gardena’s senior team fell to South East High from South Gate 9-2. A day later, its junior squad fell short of Gonzales Park I 6-4.
Gardena’s seniors could not get its offense going, mustering just two runs on two hits. Max Garcia drove in Gardena’s first run with a base hit in the top of the second inning that tied the game at one.
From there, South East took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the second and five in the fourth for a 9-1 lead.
Gardena added one unearned run, scored by Juan Castellanos on an error, in the top of the fifth.
Gardena faces Kennedy High from La Palma at Gonzales Park on Friday at 5 p.m.
In the junior game on July 22, Abraham Gonzales had an outstanding game, going 2-for-4 including a run-scoring triple. Damien Gonzalez was 2-for-3. Jaedyn Jackson had an RBI single, and Zeke Wilkerson walked twice, stole two bases and scored a run.
Gardena will take on Gonzales Park II today at 5 p.m.
World Cup Soccer ends but summer events continue
The first half of summer was highlighted by the World Cup Soccer (World Football) Championships being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada with attracting hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world.
The “Great Classic” ended with Spain pulling out a thrilling 1-0 extra time win over 2022 champion Argentina, led by the legendary Lionel Messi, on July 19 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
All three host teams, United States, Mexico and Canada, were eliminated in the Round of 16 as Canada was shut out by Morocco 3-0, Mexico was nosed out by eventual third-place England 3-2 and the U.S. fell to Belgium 4-1. Better luck for those nations in 2030, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
With the World Cup behind, it’s on to those usual events. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a comfortable lead in the Major League Baseball National League Western Division with 67 wins and 39 losses, entering last Tuesday’s home interleague game against the Seattle Mariners. The National Women’s Basketball League is entering its second half of the season after a record crowd in last week’s All-Star game. And yes; there is soccer; the Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Football Club and L.A. Galaxy playing. On July 19, the two cross town rivals squared off with the L.A.F.C. shutting out the host Galaxy 3-0 at Dignity Health Sports Center in Carson.
This week is a big one on the beaches. That is because the United States Pro Surfing Open is being held at Huntington Beach Pier and the International Surf Festival in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
The pro surfing will highlight surfers of all sorts from all over the world; competing in shortboard, longboard and body boards. There will also be skateboard competition on the beach. It began last Saturday and runs through Sunday.
The more local International Surf Festival will also have numerous events, including lifeguard and junior lifeguard competitions; the always popular Charles Saikley Six-Man, Six-Woman Beach Volleyball Tournament at Manhattan Beach Pier; Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach Pier-to-Pier Ocean Swim, the Two-Mile Beach Run in Hermosa Beach, paddleboard racing and youth sailing at King Harbor in Redondo Beach.
The event began on Wednesday with youth sailing and the L.A. County Lifeguard Medal of Valor ceremony at the King Harbor Yacht Club and ends on Sunday.
The Manhattan Beach Association of Volleyball Professionals Open will be held on the south side of Manhattan Beach Pier from Aug. 14-16, then its on to the start of the prep football season that includes Serra facing Palos Verdes at El Camino College, Gardena visiting Hawthorne, and North Torrance at Orange on Aug. 21, all starting at 7 p.m. Torrance, who many observers pick to win its second consecutive Pioneer League title, will begin the season with a bang at home against always-tough Mira Costa from Manhattan Beach on Aug. 21, before visiting a school that moved from the Pioneer to the Bay, Redondo, on Aug. 28. After Torrance defeated the Sea Hawks in their Pioneer opener, Redondo bounced back to upset the top seed Tartars in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division V playoffs. The Sea Hawks went on to the division championship before falling to Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep 29-7. Both games start at 7 p.m. As of now, it appears that the Tartars will be in a close battle with Bay League transfer Culver City for the league crown.
Serra High defensive back Wesley Ace recently committed to playing football at San Jose State University. Despite the Cavaliers’ football team’s disappointing season that saw them miss the CIF-Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 2004, Ace was a first-team all-Mission League and Daily Breeze all-South Bay at the position. Ace is expected to be one of Serra’s top senior athletes, also excelling in track and field where he led the Cavaliers to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV title, as well as their 4×100-meter relay team that won the division and placed fifth in the CIF-State Championships in 40.97 seconds. Ace has run as fast as 10.51 in the 100-meter dash.
A new Serra player in Mira Costa transfer A.J. McBean, who plays as a running back, committed to Stanford. McBean was also a standout sprinter on the Mustangs’ track and field team, running the 100 as fast as 10.53. He led Mira Costa’s boys’ track and field team to the CIF-Southern Section Division I title, its first in the program’s history. He will be a big plus to the Cavaliers in both football and track. In track, it might help the Cavaliers seek to become the second California high school sprint relay to break the 40-second barrier after Anaheim Servite already broke the national record in 39.70 at the Arcadia Invitational on April 11.
Carson quarterback Chris Fields III, who keyed the Colts to the CIF-L.A. City Open Division football championship last season, committed to Georgetown University, located near Washington D.C. Another Carson player in wide receiver Nathan Williams committed to Idaho State University.
