By Joe Snyder
Serra High named 10 former athletes and one coach to its Wall of Honor, added to five others already named last year.
Included were former track and field and volleyball athlete Ernie Coutee (Class of 1973), former head coach and current baseball assistant Wilmer Aaron, ex-shot put standout Kerry Eskeli (1969), Tirso Ruiz (baseball, 1973), Michael Boyd (boys’ basketball, 1993), Kerry Boagni (boys’ basketball, 1982), Akeli Jackson (boys’ basketball, 1993), Eric McNeal (boys’ basketball, 2002), Ricky Price (boys’ basketball, 1994), Urina Harrell (girls’ track and field, 2012) and legendary ex-football and boys’ track and field standout Adoree Jackson (2014).
Jackson was among the top all-time Serra High football players, along with earlier inductees Robert Woods (2010), Marquise Lee (2011) and Kurt Altenberg (1961). He was an all-American in both sports. As a junior in 2012, Jackson keyed the Cavalier football team to the CIF-State Division II crown as a defensive back and wide receiver. He went on to play at University of Southern California. As a freshman in 2014, Jackson was named to the freshman all-American team and PAC 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. Two years later, Jackson was PAC 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and won the Jim Thorpe (Top Defensive Back in College Football) and Jet (Top Return Specialist in College) Awards. He made first-team all-PAC 12 in 2015 and 2016.
With the Trojan men’s track and field team, Jackson was all-American in the long jump and the 4×100-meter relay teams. He fell just a couple of spots short of making the United States Track and Field Olympic teams in 2016 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and 2020 (Tokyo, Japan) teams.
Jackson was drafted No. 18 by the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League draft in 2017. He played four seasons with the Titans before being traded to the New York Jets in 2021. After his three-year contract with the Jets expired, Jackson is free agent seeing where he will be playing starting in August.
“Jackson is a wonderful human being,” Serra head coach Scott Altenberg said. “He was an elite high school and college player and (now) pro.”
Several players from the Cavaliers’ CIF-Southern Section and CIF-State Division IV boys’ basketball teams were named. That talented squad, which was the first of two state titles (the other being Division III in 2010) and first of seven Southern Section crowns by the late head coach Dwan Hurt (1963-2016), included Boyd, Jackson, McNeal, and Price helped Serra to the banner season. All were all CIF-Southern Section and Daily Breeze all-South Bay players.
Boagni, one of the top all-time Cavalier boys’ basketball players, was named to the McDonald’s all-American team in 1982.
Coutee was an all-American boys’ volleyball player and one of the first that Serra had. That squad was head coached by the legendary Mike Cook, a Manhattan Beach Mira Costa alum who went on to guide the Mustangs to mythical United States national championships in 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2001. He also was one of the Cavaliers’ top 880-yard (now 800 meters) runners with a personal best time of 1:56.3 where he placed third in the CIF-Southern Section Class 2A Championships. He passed away a few years ago.
Aaron was ranked probably the top all-time head baseball coach as he guided the Cavaliers, led by now Washington Nationals player Dominic Smith, to the CIF-Southern Section Division III championship (Serra’s only CIF-Southern Section title team) in 2013 with an 8-1 victory over Mira Costa at Dodger Stadium. Aaron left Serra in 2015 but returned in 2023 to help current Serra head mentor Art Perry, Jr. Aaron is a younger cousin of the late Major League Baseball slugger and former all-time home run record holder Henry Aaron (1934-2021), who played with the Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves from 1954-74 and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1975-76, where he retired. He hit 755 all time home runs that was a record until San Francisco Giants’ Berry Bonds broke it in 2007. Bonds finished his career in 2009 with 782 homers.
Eskeli, who died in 1987, still holds the Serra High shot put record at 61 feet, 11.5 inches. In 1969, Eskeli placed second in state behind former University of Southern California and New England Patriots player Sam Cunningham.
Ruiz was the Camino Real League Most Valuable Baseball player in his senior season in 1973. He was all-league in his junior and senior years.
Harrell still holds the Serra High shot put record at 43-7.25 and was a member of the Lady Cavaliers’ 4×400-meter relay team. She was a four-time CIF shot put and 100-meter hurdle champion. She helped Serra’s girls win their first of three CIF-State championships. Harrell was also the recipient of the Eugene Profit Award for the highest grade point average by a student-athlete and was on the principal’s honor roll all four years.
Serra High’s Immortal Inductees went to former Serra football player-coach Gene Simon (1975), Father Timothy Kenney (1970) and Robert Caniglia (1961). Simon was a successful head football coach at Redondo High from 1996-2011 keying the Sea Hawks to the CIF-Southern Section Division X semifinals in 1997 and league titles in 2002, 2003 and 2007 (tied for Bay title with Palos Verdes). One of his top players was former USC and Buffalo Bills player Keith Ellison, currently the head mentor with the Sea Hawks, and ex-San Diego Chargers player and Keith’s younger brother, Kevin, who died a few years ago. Simon assisted Altenberg from 2015-2020, when he retired.
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Torrance’s Rickman repeats as top South Bay baseballer
For the second consecutive season, Torrance High junior utility player Mateo Rickman was named South Bay Baseball Player of the Year by the Daily Breeze.
Rickman helped the Tartars tie cross town rival West Torrance for the Pioneer League championship with a .420 batting average, five home runs and 31 runs batted in. Despite a 1-2 record as a pitcher, he had a 1.16 earned run average with 14 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Torrance swept the Player and Pitcher of the Year as senior Jared Gallany was top pitcher. With his 7-2 won-loss record, Gallany pitched a total of 68 2/3 innings striking out 93 batters, walking 32 and had an E.R.A. of 1.53. Gallany signed to play baseball at Fresno State University but was also one of the area’s top scholar athletes with a 4.63 weighted grade point average.
Coach of the Year was Carson’s Michael Kuaipo. He keyed the Colts to the semifinals of the prestigious CIF-Southern Section Open Division after winning their second consecutive Marine League crown. Carson lost to Lake Balboa Birmingham 3-0 in the semis on May 30 at Pepperdine University in Malibu. The Patriots would go on to get upset by Bell 4-1 in the finals on June 1 at Dodger Stadium.
Carson had five overall players make all-South Bay, three of them on first team and two on second. On first team included outfielder Noah Gomez, designated hitter Dylan Mares and utility Aiden Brasher, all seniors. Brasher was also a standout pitcher for the Colts.
Pitcher Sergio Padilla and catcher Johnny Munoz, both seniors, were on second team.
The Colts had Brasher and Gomez make the all-CIF Los Angeles City Section Open Division team.
Despite not making the playoffs, Serra had three players make all-area; two on first team and one on second. On first team included junior pitcher Adrian Pineda and junior infielder Amari Hackett. Making second team was junior infielder Marc Emmerman.
North Torrance had one player make second team in junior pitcher Makato Nakawake.
Torrance had two other players make all-South Bay in senior infielder Stater Nunez on first team and sophomore Noriyoshi Mori on second team.
The Tartars played in the prestigious Division I playoffs but were routed at home by a premiere Sherman Oaks Notre Dame team.
West had pitcher Dylan Smith and junior utility Reef Sharman on first team.
South Torrance, which made the CIF-Southern Section Division III semifinals and the Southern California Regional Division III playoffs, also had two first-teamers in senior pitcher Peter Broughton and senior infielder Caden Lewis.
Bishop Montgomery had junior pitcher Pierson Howe and senior first baseman Brody Cuellar land on second team.
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Carson, West get top softball coach, player honors
West Torrance junior utility player Audrey Lopelega was selected as the South Bay Player of the Year, named last week by the Daily Breeze.
Lopelega finished at 14-4 with an outstanding earned run average of 0.94 in keying the Warriors to the Pioneer League championship and the CIF-Southern Section Division III semifinals before falling to eventual Southern Section and Southern California Regional Division III champion Etiwanda from Rancho Cucamonga. The Lady Warriors began the playoffs as the top seed.
She also helped West win the Torrance National Tournament with a 3-0 win over Oxnard Rio Mesa and go 4-2 in the premiere Arizona Classic, one of the toughest tournaments in the United States. Lopelega already committed to play at Long Beach State University after graduation next June.
Carson won the Pitcher and Coach of the Year Awards by junior Gisella Panloja and head mentor Rudy Aguirre. Probably Panloja’s best win was a 14-inning one-hit 1-0 shutout of Granada Hills in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Open Division for the championship on May 25 at Long Beach State. Panloja had a 14-5 won-loss record with an 0.85 E.R.A. She struck out 156 batters.
Aguirre was Coach of the Year for the second straight season in leading the Lady Colts to their second consecutive Open Division crown. Last year, Carson outlasted Granada Hills 12-11 in eight innings for the championship.
Carson had four other players make all-area, three on first team and one on second. Making first team included senior first base Alasna Langford, sophomore infielder Asjammalee Tilialli and sophomore utility Ruby Grajeda. On second team was senior outfielder Riannah Maulupe.
West had two players make first team in junior infielder Kamalee Ho and freshman Bella Narez.
North Torrance, which finished third in the always highly competitive Pioneer, had three all-area players; two on first team and one on second. First teamers were senior outfielders Nichole Orozco and Juliette Roa. Senior infielder Priscilla Iniquez landed on second team. The Lady Saxons lost in the first round to Fullerton Rosary 9-4 in the Southern Section Division II playoffs.
For Torrance, which finished second in the Pioneer, junior pitcher Emma Hayashida and junior utility Mazee Martinez made first team, and freshman designated player Naddie Schepp landed on second team.
