By Joe Snyder
Since running back Xavier Grant began his varsity football stint at Gardena High three years ago, head Panther coach Monty Gilbreath knew he was going to be a top Major Division I college prospect.
Three seasons ago, Grant was just a freshman and he was among 18 freshmen and sophomores with Gardena, which consisted of just 27 players that year.
Grant has progressed and so has the team. In 2021, the Panthers continued to struggle in the brutal Marine League finishing last and a rash of injuries caused Gardena’s team to be left with a roster of some 14 players as it failed to make any division of the CIF-Los Angeles City Section playoffs. Also, the whole world was still during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-2019) Pandemic still causing numerous cancels of contests.
In Grant’s junior season in 2022 despite still finishing last in Marine action, Gardena made the L.A. City Section Division I playoffs losing in the first round to Mervyn Dymally High in South L.A. Then came last year. Grant keyed the Panthers to a 3-1 Marine League record as they ended up winning their first league crown since 1974. As a result, Gardena advanced to the L.A. City Open Division playoffs, winning the first game at home over Palisades before falling in the semifinals to host Garfield in East L.A.
In 2023, Grant totaled 1,077 all-purpose yards that included 850 yards rushing and 100 receiving. He scored 10 touchdowns. He also had a 7-yard interception for a TD.
Probably Grant’s most memorable moment was scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns that enabled the Panthers to pull off a 14-12 homecoming victory over King-Drew Medical Magnet High on Sept. 13. The contest was played in front of a crowd that included players from Gardena’s last L.A. City Major Division championship squad from 1973, celebrating their 50th anniversary of the accomplishment.
Grant played football since he was six years old. He played his youth football with the Carson Ravens, L.A. Harbor Panthers, and South Bay Spartans. In 2018, Grant keyed the Panthers to the California Youth Football Association title.
He was born in Bellflower and raised there before moving to Gardena to start his freshman year.
On defense, Grant plays defensive end and linebacker.
Grant knows that the Panthers will continue to have it very challenging in the always rigid Marine where Carson, Harbor City Narbonne, Wilmington Banning and San Pedro. The Gauchos, which Gardena routed 28-3 in its Marine finale on Oct. 27, 2023, returns nearly their entire team but added University of Oklahoma-bound Jaden O’ Neal, a junior who transferred from Newport Harbor High. He passed for more than 2,000 yards as a sophomore for the Sailors last season.
Grant nearly played club football with O’ Neal four years ago but everything was canceled due to the COVID outbreak.
“We were going to play together in youth but COVID stopped that,” Grant said. “We’re good friends.” However, that will not happen when the two teams play at Gardena on Oct. 25.
Carson picked up some key players from Lawndale, which lost premiere head coach Travis Clarke, who opted to become head mentor at Long Beach Wilson High, hoping to make improvements for the Bruins, who struggled the past few seasons.
Grant, who already committed to play football at Air Force Academy in Boulder, Colo., is seeking to lead the Panthers to championships in the Marine and L.A. City Section Open Division and get to the state championship.
He is also hoping to rush for more than 2,000 yards. “I want to have fun but work hard,” Grant said. “I want to work on speed. I am coming to work, have fun and dominate.”
Gilbreath, in his fourth season as head coach, feels that Grant is someone very special.
“I feel that Grant is the best player in the City,” Gilbreath said. “It’s not to take away from anyone else.”
Grant and the rest of the Gardena squad begin their season with a non-league game at Crespi High in Encino on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.
________
Aguilar to continue success at North
During last season, North Torrance High wide receiver Felix Aguilar joined with the passing brother combination of Boogie and Kingston Anetema in helping the Saxons win the Pioneer League title and a spot in the CIF-Southern Section Division VIII playoffs.
All three players are back for this season with Aguilar being a returning senior and the Anetemas being sophomores after a stellar freshman season.
The Anetema brothers received a lot of publicity, seeking a very promising next three seasons with the Saxons, but Aguilar holds his own. In 2023, he caught 35 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
This is Aguilar’s third season with North’s varsity squad as he hopes to help the Saxons win their second straight league title but the Pioneer could be tougher with three ex-Bay League teams in Redondo, Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula and Santa Monica entering the league. All are expecting very good squads this year.
Two years ago, as a sophomore, Aguilar caught one TD pass and had just under 150 yards in receptions.
Aguilar also is a sprinter with the Saxon boys’ track and field team with personal best times of 11.64 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 23.52 in the 200.
He is also an outstanding student with a 3.6 unweighted grade point average as he seeks a scholarship; probably at an NCAA Division II or III, or NAIA university.
Aguilar hopes for more improvement. “I would like to get a minimum of 500 yards in receptions and catch, at least, 20 passes. I would like to score, at least, 10 touchdowns.”
He also hopes that North will get its second straight league crown and defeat the likes of Redondo, Peninsula, Santa Monica and Torrance. The Sea Hawks will be expected to have two outstanding quarterbacks in returning all-Bay League senior Niko London and Newport Harbor junior transfer Cole Leinart, son of former University of Southern California and National Football League quarterback Matt Leinart. Reports are that the Sea Hawks return some good receivers, as well. Peninsula returns a large majority of starters that will include a total of 32 seniors on the roster. The Vikings, who were CIF-Southern Section Division IX finalists in 2023, have a very good junior quarterback in Wyatt Brown and returns most of their starters. Last year’s CIF-Southern Section Division X champion Torrance returns all-CIF Southern Section linebacker Jake Silverman, who is bound for University of Nevada, along with several other key starters.
North begins its season at home against Long Beach Jordan on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.
_____________
Paris Olympics over, but L.A. gears for 2028
Last Sunday, the Olympic torch was extinguished as the XXXIIIrd Olympiad in Paris came to an end with a lot of accomplishments.
The United States continued to be first in most overall medals at 126 to 91 for second place China and 64 for host France.
The Americans recorded a men’s and women’s basketball sweep as, last Saturday, the U.S. men, behind Los Angeles Laker standout La Bron “King” James and Golden State Warriors star Stefan Curry, defeated host France 98-87. On Sunday morning, the U.S. women more lucked out as a French player scored what she thought was a buzzer-beating three-point basket that could have sent the game into overtime but officials discovered that part of her toes were inside the three-point line and her basket was worth just two. As a result, the U.S. held on to edge France 67-66.
The Americans had a good showing in track and field as both of their 4×400-meter relay teams won gold medals, along with in the 400-meter hurdles. The U.S. men’s 4×100-meter relay continued its baton mishap as it was, again, disqualified but the women’s team of Gretchen Walsh, Lilly King, Regan Smith, and Torri Kauke won at 41.78.
Paris will begin its second part of the Olympics, the Paralympics, on Aug. 28 and will run through Sept. 8.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles area Olympic fans will be looking forward to 2028 as it hosts the Olympics for the third time, previously hosting it in 1932 and 1984. There will be several new sports added that includes squash (played with a racket with four walls; rather like racquetball), flag football, lacrosse, and cricket. Also returning sports that were not held in Paris are baseball and softball.
The opening and closing ceremonies are expected to be continued at the now 101-year-old L.A. Memorial Coliseum, along with track and field. So Fi Stadium in Inglewood will host swimming, which has turned into one of the most popular spectator Olympic sports. A temporary pool will be put into the stadium. Basketball will be held at the very soon to be opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the new home of the NBA L.A. Clippers, while Crypto.com Arena will host gymnastics. Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson is expected to host field hockey and rugby.
Sources are that two South Bay cities, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, are candidates to host beach volleyball with others being at Marina Greens in Long Beach and Santa Monica State Beach. Indoor volleyball will be at Anaheim Convention Center and surfing in Huntington Beach. Long Beach will host a good number of events that include the triathlon, kayaking, canoeing and open water swimming.
If interested, following Los Angeles will be in Brisbane, Australia in 2032, while several cities, led by Berlin, Germany, are up for 2036, which is expected to be announced next year. Berlin, under the Adolf Hitler nazi regime, hosted its previous Olympics in 1936 so officials are hoping for much better things 100 years later. Other reported cities up for 2036 include Antwerp, Belgium (host of 1920 Olympics), Stockholm, Sweden (host of 1912 Olympics), Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Meanwhile, several other local prep teams, along with Gardena, North Torrance, and Serra, begin their season on Aug. 23. Torrance will look to win another CIF-Southern Section title, led by returning all-CIF Southern Section Division X player Jake Silverman, as it begins at home against always premiere CIF-L.A. City Section Marine League team San Pedro. Carson starts on Aug. 23 at home against Hawthorne and Torrance Bishop Montgomery begins at home against Boron, located about 20 miles north of Lancaster. Other teams, including West Torrance and South Torrance, begin on Aug. 30. The Warriors, probable favorites in the Ocean League, will play three of their non-league games against other Torrance schools, North, South and Torrance, as they open at Torrance. The Spartans begin at Compton Early College. All games begin at 7 p.m., except for the Carson-Hawthorne contest that starts at 7:30 p.m.
