By Joe Snyder
Serra High’s track and field athletes exceled in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV Championships on May 17 at Moorpark High but saw the more prestigious Southern Section Masters Championships (with Divisions I, II, III and IV combined) way tougher and more competitive last Saturday at the same place.
As of last Saturday, the Cavaliers advanced just one athlete in Raelyn Pleasant to the CIF-State Meet after she finished fifth in the girls’ triple jump at 37 feet, five inches. Pleasant, a senior who is a cousin of former Serra High football and track and field sprinter Roderick Pleasant, who will be transferring to UCLA from University of Oregon for both sports over the summer, was 12th in the long jump with a leap of 17-4 but not enough to qualify.
Last season, Otis “Tre” Harrison made it to the state finals in his big event, the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, but the repeating Division IV champion was, as of the remaining of the Memorial Day weekend, awaiting the decision after a controversial time of 38.69 for a 14th place. This time was claimed to be nearly a second faster than the qualifying time necessary for the state meet on Friday and Saturday (championships) at Buchanan High in Clovis.
He hopes to hear the good news by as of Tuesday this week, when state CIF and Southern Section track and field officials return to business after Monday’s Memorial Day Holiday. On May 17, Harrison won the Division IV 300 hurdles title clocking 38.2. Culver City High’s Kingston Waring, already ranked among the tops in the United States this year, won the race in 36.91 at the Masters.
Serra’s boys 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams also competed but was well short of making state. Both finished 16th overall timing 42.54 in the 400 relay and 3:24.93 at the 1,600.
Also, for the boys, Torrance High junior sprinter Nicolas Obimgba made it to state in the 100 and 200 with fifth-place-finishes in 10.51 and 21.16, in order. North Torrance junior sprinter Faiz Ogun advanced to state in the 200 by taking 12th overall with a qualifying time of 21.65 but missed the cut in the 100 by placing 14th clocking 10.77.
Obimgba was the Southern Section Division II champion in the 100 and second at the 200.
North’s Sean Lowe also competed in the Masters but failed to qualify finishing 17th at 39.1 in the 300 intermediate hurdles.
For the girls, Torrance High’s Kiana Greer advanced in the shot put, placing fifth at 42-8.5.
In the Los Angeles City Championships last Thursday at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa, Carson’s girls sprinters exceled. Premiere junior Christina Gray won the 100 (12.07) and 200 (24.62). The Lady Colts had a one-three-four finish in the 100 with seniors Tiffany Williams (12.34) and Kaitlyn Williams (12.5) taking second and fourth, respectively. Kaitlyn Williams also had a third-place-finish in the 200 at 25.12.
Carson swept both relays. In the 4×100, the Colts, including Tiffany Williams, Kaitlyn Williams, Kelis Hicks and Gray, won handily clocking 46.84. Carson’s 4×400, with Tiffany Williams, Londyn Cosley, Kaitlyn Williams and Samaron Miller, topped the field in 4:02.07.
Junior Kelis Hicks captured the long jump at 17-5.25.
Despite dominance in the sprints, the Colts fell short of winning the meet, falling to champion Granada Hills 105-98. Palisades took third at 44.
For the boys, Carson’s Jayden Rendon swept the hurdles, winning the 110-meter highs (14.43) and 300 intermediates (37.63).
The Colts, as a team, placed eighth with 21 points. Granada Hills also won the boys’ title with 110 points to 78 for Marine League team San Pedro, behind its outstanding distance running group. Birmingham finished third with 34 points.
Gardena failed to qualify any athletes in the major City finals, but had some success in the Inclusive Division, which are athletes with developmental disabilities. Junior Kendall Washington had a strong showing for the Lady Panthers, winning the long jump at 15-6 as well as leading Gardena’s 4×100 relay team to victory timing 1:08.28.
For the inclusive boys, Xavier Aleman placed second in the 400 (1:08.27) and led the Panthers to third place in the 4×100 (1:08.28).
The CIF-State Track and Field Championships will begin with the Prelims starting at 1 p.m. on Friday and the Championships beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Buchanan High.
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Carson rallies to top Banning for Los Angeles City Division I crown
For both the Carson and Wilmington Banning High baseball teams, it has been a long time coming for CIF-Los Angeles City Section baseball championships.
Entering last Saturday’s Division I championship all-Marine League rivalry showdown at Dodger Stadium, Carson, which opened its doors in 1963, had yet to win a City title, while the Pilots havem8 not won since 1961.
In the end, the Colts rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh inning, then winning pitcher Anthony Dorado held Banning scoreless as Carson made history with its first ever L.A. City championship with a 3-1 victory.
Down 1-0 entering the top of the seventh, junior Kris Sinclair began the rally with a single but the ball got under the glove of Banning’s Ibanze Eddy and Sinclair went all the way to third base. Issac Hernandez walked before stealing second base. Sinclair scored the tying run on a fielder’s choice hit by Damien Rwalcaba. With runners on second and third and two outs, Juan Carrillo brought both runners home. Dorado pitched the scoreless seventh to preserve for the Colts’ crown.
Entering the bottom of the sixth with a scoreless tie, the Pilots grabbed a 1-0 lead when Jared Nakazawa singled home Pedro Ibanez.
In the Open Division, El Camino Real of Woodland Hills resumed the San Fernando Valley dominance by shutting out top seed Venice 2-0. Last year, the Valley streak of 15 straight titles was ended by Bell High.
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Errors end Torrance High’s baseball run in Division II loss
Torrance High’s baseball team saw its 2025 season come to an end with a 5-2 loss to Fountain Valley in the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs last Thursday at Kendall Field on the grounds of Torrance Park.
The Tartar defense committed four errors, including three in the top of the sixth inning that led to three unearned runs.
Torrance started things well leaving the game scoreless through two innings as starting pitcher Aiden Anaya needed just 15 pitches for the six outs.
The Tartars, in fact, even had a chance to take a lead in the top of the second. Aiden Rau walked and stole second base and went to third on a fielder’s choice. The rally attempt, however, was thwarted when Bui Hunt was picked off at second base.
Things, however, began to unravel in the top of the third. Drake Robinson began the inning with a single, before advancing to second base on a sacrifice bunt and third on a wild pitch. Robinson went on to score on a run-scoring groundout from Anthony Zamoras.
The Barons added one more run in the fourth on back-to-back hits by Josh Grack and Ethan Cortez. Grack went on to score on Anaya’s errant throw.
In the sixth, the Tartars could not field the ball as Fountain Valley added three runs (two unearned). Grack started the one-out rally with a base hit. Cortez reached first base on an error before both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Grack went on to score on Issac Lomeli’s squeeze bunt before Cortez scored on Anaya’s second errant throw of the game keying Fountain Valley to a 4-0 lead. Lomeli advanced to third and Miles Hishezkte scored the Barons’ fifth run as Vaughn Reinert overthrew the ball.
Torrance, which ended its season at 19-11 after finishing second behind Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in the Bay League at 7-5, got two runs in the bottom of the seventh after being held hitless by Fountain Valley pitcher Logan Hunt.
The Tartars broke up Hunt’s no-hitter when River Martinez doubled. He scored Torrance’s first run on a single by Luke Tabata. Gibson Turner drove in another run on a hit. With the bases loaded, closer Tyler Peshke got Chavez to ground out ending Torrance’s threat and season.
Mira Costa, meanwhile, saw its season come to an end with a nine-inning 3-2 loss to host and second-seed Crespi Friday in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals Friday in Encino. The loss ended the Mustangs’ (28-3 overall and 12-0 in Bay) 26-game winning streak.
