By Joe Snyder
Last season, Serra High’s boys’ basketball team enjoyed its big run by winning its first CIF-Southern Section title in 10 years with a Division V championship win over Pilibos on Feb. 27.
Gone from the Cavaliers is big center Chimeren Anyikwu, now a freshman at Morehouse University in Atlanta, but they return three starters, including an all-CIF Southern Section Division V guard in Drew Carter, along with all-Camino Real League guards Daryl Wasson and Dylan Frost. All are seniors
Head coach DeJon Frazier also received a few other talented players including Santa Monica St. Monica transfer Mason Tarber, a six-foot senior point guard.
Serra returns other key players including six-foot junior forward Zach Suns and 6-foot-3 senior forward Kendrick Santueriz.
The Cavaliers don’t have much height, with no player over 6-feet-3, but are very quick.
“We’re looking to trap and play fast,” Frazier said.
Frazier hopes his tough preseason schedule can carry Serra when it enters the Camino Real League with La Puente Bishop Amat, southeast Los Angeles Verbum Dei Jesuit, L.A. Cathedral, and Santa Fe Springs St. Paul.
The Cavaliers begin play with a non-league game at Long Beach Jordan High next Tuesday at 7 p.m.
In the following week, Serra will play Indian Springs in the Fall Court Feast Showcase in San Bernardino on Nov. 24. On Nov. 28, the Cavaliers take on Beverly Hills in the St. Anthony Showcase in Long Beach. Times of these games are yet to be determined.
Beginning on Dec. 1, Serra will play in the highly competitive Redondo Ryse Williams-Pacific Shores Showcase against a pair of premiere squads including the host Sea Hawks on Dec. 1 and San Pedro Rolling Hills Prep, led by Texas Christian University commit Nick Welch, Jr., on Dec. 4. Redondo is led by returning all-CIF Southern Section Open Division player Chris Sanders.
The Cavaliers’ other games are at home against Lawndale Leuzinger on Dec. 9, at home versus Fullerton Troy on Dec. 11, Huntington Park Marquez in the Cathedral Showcase on Dec. 12, at AGBU in Canoga Park on Dec. 15, and at home against Paramount on Dec. 16.
Right after Christmas from Dec. 26-30, Serra will play in the Ontario Christian Tournament before opening CRL play at home against Bishop Amat on Jan. 6.
“We hope to play fast and hard for the full 32 minutes,” Frazier said. “We want to be as fast as possible.”
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Injury depleted Cavs eliminated by PV
Already without key running back A.J. McBean and a few other players, Serra High’s football team entered Friday’s CIF-Southern Section Division II first-round playoff game at Palos Verdes.
It did not take very long for the Cavaliers to add on to their injury list, losing a pair of key defensive players just five minutes into the contest, then premiere freshman quarterback Hassir Houston, who was a key factor in aiding Serra into the Southern Section playoffs. Houston left the game as returning junior injured quarterback Malik Tunai played until the fourth quarter, then the banged-up Houston came back to finish off the game. The Cavaliers lost the game 38-20 ending the season at 6-5 overall. Serra was tied for third place in the Mission League with West Hills Chaminade and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at 2-3 after defeating the Knights 20-13 in their league finale on Oct. 30 at Notre Dame.
Serra got off to a slow start, gaining just 71 total offensive yards in the first half, trailing 21-6. The Cavaliers’ only first half scores were a pair of field goals by Jovany Barragan.
University of Nevada-bound senior quarterback Ryan Rakowski already threw for two first-half touchdowns, then added a third one of 17 yards to junior wide receiver Aaden Brady for a 28-6 bulge with 8:38 left in the third quarter.
On the pursuing possession, the Cavalier offense got things going as Tunai tossed a 39-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Demiere Wayne, cutting Palos Verdes’ lead to 28-13 with 5:15 to go in the third period.
To start the fourth quarter, the Sea Kings (10-1 overall and 3-1 in the Bay League) added a 30-yard field goal by Niki Dragin, who kicked a walk-off field goal to win this season opener against Serra on Aug. 21 at El Camino College.
From there, each team traded pick-sixes. With 10:51 to go in the game, Westin Reis intercepted a pass by Houston and returned the ball 28 yards for the score increasing P.V.’s lead to 38-13.
Serra’s defense closed out the scoring when junior linebacker Quinton Washington recovered a deflected fumble and returned the ball 40 yards for the touchdown.
“It was a disappointing night,” Serra head coach Scott Altenberg said. “Palos Verdes played really well. I give all the credit to them. We came into the game with significant injuries and with just five minutes into the game, we lost two important defensive starters, then our quarterback. It was frustrating with all the injuries. We do return 18 starters and feel like we will be back next year.”
Rakowski had his typical outstanding game. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. He had a rushing TD and had an 85-yard run that set up a score. His first half touchdown passes went to Jackson Reese of 53 yards and Jalen Flowers from eight yards.
It was the second time the Sea Kings defeated the Cavaliers this season, the other being 17-14 on Aug. 21. Palos Verdes will have another second contest, against Bay League rival Inglewood on Friday at 7 p.m. P.V. High does not have any permanent lights, so it put up portable lights for the playoffs, as it did in its homecoming game in the regular season. The Sentinels, who won the Bay League over the host Sea Kings with a come-from-behind 23-20 victory on Oct. 9, came off topping previously undefeated Huntington Beach 44-35 last Friday at Inglewood’s Coleman Stadium.
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Rebuilding North gets big challenge in the Bay League
North Torrance High’s boys’ basketball team enjoyed big success in the Pioneer League with four consecutive league championships.
This year, the Saxons will get a stiff challenge moving into the prestigious Bay League.
North has no returning starters, including losing premiere guard-forward Giovanni Gilpin who transferred to powerful Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, which captured the CIF-Southern Section and CIF-State Open Division crowns last season.
The Saxons return four players, overall, three of those who saw a lot of playing time. Those include seniors, 6-foot-1 wing-forward Josh Legette, guard Rylan Delatinn, and guard Anthony Maehara.
North head coach Wai Sett, though, welcomes senior transfer Jackson Naer, a 6-foot-3 wing-forward from Madison Academy in Alabama.
Sett is looking at a very promising incoming freshman in 6-foot-4 guard Connor Clark, and sophomore guard Devin Dixon.
“I see impact in Clark right away,” Sett said.
The Saxons will get the challenge being in the Bay that includes powerful Redondo Union, led by returning all-CIF Southern Section Open Division guard Chris Sanders. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa also has several key returning starters from last year’s squad, that placed second behind the Sea Hawks in league. Palos Verdes reportedly looks much improved. The other team in the Bay is El Segundo Wiseburn-DaVinci, which is also returning most of its starters. North begins league at home against Mira Costa on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.
The Saxons begin play next Monday at home against CIF-Los Angeles City Section Marine League school Narbonne from Harbor City next Monday at 7 p.m. but Sett, along with assistant Ed Azzam, will be looking at another non-league contest at Westchester, where Azzam, a 1972 graduate of Gardena High and former standout player there, will be honored as the gym will be named after him and his wife, Darlene, on Nov. 20. The gym will be called “Ed and Darlene Sports Arena.” Azzam guided the Comets to 10 CIF-L.A. City Section crowns and five CIF-State Championships. He coached such outstanding players in former National Basketball Association players Trevor Ariza (Class of 2003) and Dwayne Polee (2010). Ariza spent some time with the L.A. Lakers, including playing on their 2008-09 National Basketball Association championship team. He played with one of the legendary players in Kobe Bryant (1978-2020 and with Lakers from 1996-2016). He left Westchester after the 2021 season.
North plays in the San Gabriel Thanksgiving Tournament where it opens on Nov. 23 against Newbury Park at 6:10 p.m. The Saxons will also play Linfield Christian from Temecula (Nov. 24, 4:45 p.m.) and Sun Valley Poly (Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m.), before the final on Nov. 28. The Saxons will also play in the San Pedro Pirate Shootout from Dec. 19-23, then, after Christmas in the Tony Sellitto Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii from Dec. 26-30.
“We like our group,” Sett said. “They are working real hard. I am high on our guys. We’ll get better as we go along.”
