By Joe Snyder
North Torrance High’s football team was led by an amazing freshman-brother passing combination of quarterback Boogie Anetema and Kingston, leading the Saxons to the Pioneer League championship.
Pioneer League coaches chose wide receiver-defensive back Kingston Anetema as the league’s Player of the Year. Anetema had a spectacular first season. As a receiver, he had 70 receptions for 1,205 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a defensive back, Anetema had four interceptions.
He helped the Saxons to an 8-3 record that included their first league title in five years. North lost in the first round to eventual CIF-Southern Section Division VIII finalist Covina Charter Oak 21-14 in overtime. Charter Oak had a 2-8 season but included a rigorous preseason schedule against almost all teams in higher divisions, including Division II Rancho Cucamonga.
North also had defensive back J.D. Noa is co-Defensive Player of the Year with Torrance’s Jake Silverman.
Boogie ended up first-team all-league as a quarterback where he completed most of his passes to his brother but several others, including touchdowns.
Other Saxons who made first team offense included senior lineman Landen Datre, along with senior running backs Ben Fonseca and Marquette Carter.
On first-team defense for North were linebackers Koa Moran (sophomore), Trysten Henry (senior) and Will Pineda (junior).
Second team offensive players for the Saxons included junior lineman Ryan Castro and junior wide receiver Felix Alvillar. On second defense were end Moses Sutia and back Ethan Edwards.
Torrance, which won its first ever CIF-Southern Section title when it captured the Division X title with a 23-7 win over host West Covina on Nov. 25, had a good display of all-leaguers.
The Tartars had junior tackle Jake Silverman as co-Defensive Player of the Year with North’s Noa.
On first team offense for the Tartars included junior lineman Anthony Perez, senior running back Ryan Young and senior kicker Jaden Frauchiter.
First team defensive players for Torrance were senior lineman Makaio Sanders and senior back David Johnson.
The Tartars, who ended their season at 10-5 after losing to Southern Section Division XI champion Ramona High from Riverside 21-16 in the Southern California Regional Division VAA Bowl Championship Game on Dec. 1, had senior lineman Michael King land on second team offense.
Torrance had four players make second team defense including senior linemen Joshua Rivas and Colin Huntley, senior linebacker Anthony Bushmeyer and senior back Caden Ezawa.
Other local players on first team offense were senior lineman Austin McGuire (South Torrance), junior lineman John Guifoyle (West Torrance), sophomore tight end Jake Kerekes (South) and junior wide receiver Jaden Frauchiter (South).
First team defensive players included junior lineman Ryan Stole (South) and junior lineman Jordan Ryolno (West).
On second team offense for the Spartans were senior quarterback Matt Espinoza, senior lineman Omar Azzam and sophomore running back Soren Hong.
On second team defense included senior lineman Dennis Yanes (West), senior linebacker Luc Johnson (South), junior linebacker Tyler Black (West), senior back Owen Maloney (South) and junior back Justin James (West).
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Moves being made in sports on every level
By Joe Snyder
This year has gone crazy all around in various moves in all levels of sports.
Perhaps the most interesting thing that all Los Angeles sports fans will be is that big $700 million signing by all-around Major League Baseball sensation Shohi Ohtani sign with the Dodgers last week.
It was very unfortunate for Ohtani that neither he nor Mike Trout could help the Los Angeles-Anaheim Angels to any playoffs and, now being with a little more successful Dodgers, can finally give him hopes of helping the team finally win a World Series.
Of course, the Dodgers won the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays in that shortened COVID-19 Pandemic shortened 2020 season that reduced the 162-game season to just 60 and the World Series held at a neutral site at Arlington Stadium, home of the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers. Back-to-back years saw the top World Series contending Dodgers fall in the Divisional Series including a three-game sweep by their National League Western Division foe Arizona Diamondbacks, which lost to the Rangers in the World Series.
Of course last year, the 111-win Dodgers fell to another National League Western Division rival San Diego Padres three games to one.
We will see if the Dodgers can finish the 2020’s in dominating fashion with more World Series titles or will it be bust?
Meanwhile, Dodger fans will have to dig out about twice the money from their pockets to attend the games. Ohtani’s popularity is driving the prices of what was once, the Best Deal in Town, to what could align with the Rams at So Fi Stadium where regular season tickets begin at about $400.
College football it now in bowl games with numerous teams already playing without several players who all opted for the transfer portal, including several from UCLA and University of Southern California. Some juniors and seniors even left early awaiting the National Football League draft in April. Meanwhile, UCLA’s five-star freshman quarterback, who opted to the portal, just committed to PAC 12 and future Big 10 rival University of Oregon last Monday.
With a dismal 5-9 record after an embarrassing 63-21 loss to the host Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football, the L.A. Chargers opted to fire coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco and they are looking for replacements. Look for Staley to possibly become UCLA’s next defensive coordinator as, according to sources, he is one of head coach Chip Kelly’s interests, along with former UCLA and San Francisco 49’s player, and NFL coach, Ken Norton, Jr. Ken Norton, Jr. played football and baseball for Westchester where he graduated in 1984.
The Rams, meanwhile, are still alive for a playoff spot after a 28-20 win over the Washington Commanders last Sunday at So Fi Stadium in Inglewood. They will host the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football today beginning at 5:15 p.m. It is expected to be on FOX TV, Channel 11.
Starting next year, South Bay Prep leagues will return to the ability format like they had several years ago. In football, Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, Redondo, and Santa Monica will move out of the Bay League to the Pioneer with North Torrance, South Torrance, and Torrance, as they will be replaced in the Bay by Inglewood, Lawndale, and Lawndale Leuzinger. West Torrance will move from the Pioneer to the Ocean with Beverly Hills, Compton Centennial, Hawthorne, and Inglewood Morningside. Culver City, Manhattan Beach Mira Costa and Palos Verdes remains in the Bay which should be a very highly competitive league, maybe even competing with the prestigious Trinity League (led by national powers Santa Ana Mater Dei and Bellflower St. John Bosco) and the Mission League (with the likes of Gardena Serra and Chatsworth Sierra Canyon). Look for much more competitive leagues and not see such scores like when Inglewood crushed cross town rival Morningside 106-0 two years ago at El Camino College.
