Under first year head coach Martel London, Serra High’s baseball team is 7-3 after winning two of three games last week.
The Cavaliers started last week with a 4-3 home Del Rey League home win over St. Paul High from Santa Fe Springs on March 21. On March 22, the Cavaliers used a strong pitching performance from junior ace Cardinal Fernandzees in a 6-1 victory over La Canada St. Francis High in a St. Paul Tournament game. In another tournament contest at Downey High last Saturday, the Cavaliers lost to Carson 4-2.
Under first year head coach Martel London, Serra High’s baseball team is 7-3 after winning two of three games last week.
The Cavaliers started last week with a 4-3 home Del Rey League home win over St. Paul High from Santa Fe Springs on March 21. On March 22, the Cavaliers used a strong pitching performance from junior ace Cardinal Fernandzees in a 6-1 victory over La Canada St. Francis High in a St. Paul Tournament game. In another tournament contest at Downey High last Saturday, the Cavaliers lost to Carson 4-2.
In Serra’s league victory that evened the Cavaliers’ Del Rey record to 1-1, senior pitcher Tom Bothwell hurled a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk in its win over the Swordsmen. Ryan Castaneda went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Adam Morales was 2-for-3, drove in a run and scored one.
Fernandzees, a junior who is already a returning two-time all-leaguer, continued to dominate his opponents. Against St. Francis, he limited the Golden Knights to five hits, struck out 15 batters and gave up just one earned run. Tyler Morrison went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI’s and two runs Jalen Bolton went 2-for-3 and scored once. Sophomore Brian Sanders went 1-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Serra fell to the Colts in St. Paul Tournament play on Saturday. The Cavaliers continue the St. Paul Tournament which lasted through Wednesday. Serra resumes league at home against Bishop Amat from La Puente next Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.
London replaces the departed Wilmer Aaron, who stepped down as head mentor over last summer. London assisted Aaron at Serra from 2011-13. In 2013, Serra, led by Dominic Smith who is now with the New York Mets organization, won the CIF-Southern Section Division III championship over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa 8-1 at Dodger Stadium. Since then, Wilmer worked with the RBI (Revival of Baseball in the Inner Cities) Academy in Compton. Also over the past few basketball seasons, he worked with head coach McKenzie Hadley with Serra’s girls’ basketball team that included a CIF-State Division IV championship in 2013.
London is pleased with how the Cavaliers are doing, so far. “So far, it’s coming together,” London, who graduated from Inglewood High where he stood out in basketball and baseball in 2002, said. “We’re playing bang, bang, run, run baseball. Our defense is stellar and our pitching is lights out. We’re averaging about six to seven runs per game and our team batting average is around .350. Our guys are working and it’s great.”
Serra continues in the Del Rey with some top contenders that will include traditional power Bishop Amat, Los Angeles Cathedral, St. Paul and Pasadena La Salle.
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Track and Field
Local prep tracksters have strong showing at Mira Costa
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High’s track and field team continues to have hopes at contending for the CIF-Southern Section Division IV and possible California State championships and its boys and girls had several very good showings in last Saturday’s Mira Costa Mustang Relays in Manhattan Beach.
The Cavaliers proved dominant in the sprinting events. In the girls’ division, Serra took three of the top four spots in the 100-meter dash led by the win from Jazmyne Frost at 12.22 seconds. She edged Mira Costa standout Shante Robinson, who was second clocking 12.31. Finishing third and fourth, in order, for the Cavaliers were Madison Golden (12.36) and Jasmine Reed (12.38) in the very close race. They also led Serra’s 4×200-meter relay team to a win in 1:41.39.
For the Cavalier boys, Isaiah Diego-Williams, a standout wide receiver on Serra’s Mission League championship and CIF-Southern Section PAC Five Division quarterfinalist football team, won the 100 timing 10.77 and helped the Cavaliers’ 4×200 relay team to a win in 1:31.51. Diego-Williams also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 2 ½ inches. Serra’s 4×100 squad was second behind Del Rey rival Torrance Bishop Montgomery (win at 43.57) clocking 43.64.
Carson, which swept the CIF-Los Angeles City Section for boys and girls last season, had very showing by its girls. Tyjai Boyle won the 300-meter hurdles (47.37) and placed third in the third in the 100 hurdles (15.97). The Lady Colts also won the 4×100 relay in a blazing time of 46.59, edging second place Serra (47.32), and the 4×400 at 3:50.84.
North Torrance’s boys were led by Josh Vargas who won the 300 intermediate hurdles clocking 40.47 and took fourth in the 110 highs in 15.46. The Saxons also had a third place finish by Henry Nguyen in the discus at 129 feet.
For the Saxon girls, Madison Kawaguchi finished second in the high jump (5-2) and placed second in the long jump (16-6 ½).
West Torrance had fine showings by its distance runners. The Lady Warriors won the distance medley clocking 13:16.04, followed by runner-up South Torrance (13:41.93). West finished second in the 4×800 relay in 10:30.8. The Warrior boys had a second place finish by their distance medley (11:00.52) and third in the 4×800 (8:25.98).
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Sports Scoop
ECC hires Londheim as head football coach
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
More than four months after John Featherstone finished his 31-year head football coaching job at El Camino College with a 38-36 loss to Long Beach City College, recent Santa Monica City College head mentor Gifford Lindheim was hired to replace the now retired Featherstone.
Lindheim was the head coach for the Corsairs since 2010. Last season, Santa Monica won the Western States Conference champions that ended its season at 11-0. The Corsairs went on to rout Victor Valley College 63-0 in the American Bowl last November. Santa Monica was led by former Narbonne High standout quarterback Troy Williams.
Santa Monica had the top ranked defense in Southern California and was second in offense.
Lindheim was a co-defensive coordinator, under Featherstone, in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2009, the Warriors were had one of the top five defenses in California. After that, Lindheim was hired to head the Corsairs.
Lindheim will begin this fall as the new Murdock Stadium II opens in September. Murdock Stadium II replaces Murdock Stadium I, which was demolished two years ago after 64 years in existence.
Lindheim also coached at West L.A. University High, Venice High, Whittier College, West L.A. College and University of Nevada.
In Featherstone’s last season, ECC finished at 3-7. Featherstone, though, guided the Warriors to the United States national championship in 1987 with a 24-6 PONY Bowl championship over Taft College from the Central Valley at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and the state title in 2006 by defeating City College of San Francisco 49-35 in Fresno.
Top All-Time Prep Basketball team?: Last Saturday at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Chino Hills’ boys’ basketball team finished its incredible season at 35-0 by overcoming an early 10-point deficit to defeat De La Salle from Concord 70-50 for the California State Open Division championship.
Behind the Ball brother trio of senior Lonzo, junior LiAngelo and freshman LaMelo, the Huskies won all of their games by an average of 30 points and their show time offense averaged 98 points per contest, including scoring 100 or more 18 times. In the Southern California Regional Open Division championship game on March 19 at the Cal State Long Beach Pyramid, Chino Hills rolled over Torrance Bishop Montgomery 84-62. On Jan. 31 in the Fairfax Showcase Classic, the Huskies barely got by the Knights 71-67.
Lonzo, meanwhile, will continue his basketball stint at UCLA next season, as his junior brother, LiAngelo, already committed with the Bruins when he graduates in 2017.
Many prep boys’ basketball fans feel that this year’s Chino Hills squad could be the best of all time in Southern California. It’s a possibility. The 2016 Huskies contend with other top all time squads in Compton 1968, Compton Dominguez 2000, Westchester 2003 and Santa Ana Mater Dei 2014. All of those teams had players who have gone on to play in the National Basketball Association. The 2000 Don squad was led by Tyson Chandler, still in the NBA today. The Comets’ 2003 squad was led by Trevor Ariza, who spent a few seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and helped them to the NBA title in 2009. Mater Dei’s squad, behind Stanley Johnson, had won its fourth straight California State championship two years ago. Sources are that Compton’s 1968 squad had a player go on to the NBA. This year’s Chino Hills team, the 2014 Mater Dei squad, Dominguez 2000 and Compton 1968 were also ranked No. 1 in the nation but Westchester’s 2003 squad was only second behind the La Bron James-led St. Mary’s-St. Vincent squad from Akron, Ohio. James was drafted out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers; played with the Miami Heat and returned to the Cavaliers. He keyed the Heat to NBA titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12. St. Mary’s-St. Vincent, in fact, rolled Westchester in a non-league game that season. That Comet squad was and still is, today, head coached by former Gardena High player Ed Azzam (Class of 1972).
There were some teams ranked No. 1 nationally before upset losses ended that. Among those is what could be another top all-time squad in the Southeast L.A. Verbum Dei squad of 1975, which was upset by Palos Verdes 61-58 in the CIF-Southern Section Class 4A semifinals. That Eagle squad had three players who have gone on to play Major Division I college and in the NBA in Marquis Johnson, David Greenwood and Roy Hamilton. The Sea Kings were led by another player who starred with the Detroit Pistons in Bill Laimbeir. Laimbeir went on to become a successful coach in the NBA and WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). Laimbeir keyed the Pistons to NBA titles with the Pistons in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons, including sweeping the Lakers in the first of those two seasons. Verbum Dei, though, won CIF-Southern Section 4A crowns in 1972, 1973 and 1974, as well as winning in the lower divisions the previous three seasons. Palos Verdes, head coached by the legendary John Mejalivich, went on to win the 1975 Division 4A crown over Huntington Beach Marina High.
Another team that could challenge the all-time list is the Dwayne Polee-led 2010 Westchester team that won the California State Division I title. There was still no Open Division, which was inaugurated at the state level in 2013. A year later, it was placed in the CIF-Southern Section and last year in the L.A. City Section. Some of the South L.A. Jefferson High squads of the 1950’s and 1960’s might be a challenge. In the 1965-66 season, the Democrats averaged 111 points per game, still a state record today. It was harder in those days due to not yet having the three-point basket rule. That began in the NBA in 1979; in the NCAA in 1983 and the California high schools in 1987.
The first known Southern California boys’ basketball power was Whittier High, which won the first CIF-Southern Section crown in the section’s first year in 1913-14. The Cardinals won five state championships in the earlier years it was held from 1915-28 and continued to be a power into the 1950’s. Sources are unknown if there were any national rankings at that time. Basketball was played differently and the scores were way lower in the early 20th century. For instance in 1924, Inglewood won its first Southern Section title over Chino 24-18. Some scores were lower and more like baseball scores. Inventions of one-handed shots and other ways players would shoot made scores higher as time went on.
Give Alford one more chance: After UCLA’s men’s basketball team finished this season at 15-17 and was 6-12 for 10th place in the PAC 12, many UCLA fans felt that head coach Steve Alford should be fired.
Next season, Alford is expected to receive an outstanding freshman class, that includes United States National Prep Player of the Year Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills, and, if they can play up to their potential, look for the Bruins to turn things around and be top PAC 10 and, possibly, national contenders.
Also, Alford returns a majority of other top starters, including his son, Bryce. Alford enjoyed good seasons his previous few times. Let’s hope UCLA can get back on its feet. If not, then the action of firing Alford probably should be taken.
Can Knights be nation’s No. 1: Bishop Montgomery High’s boys’ basketball team’s starting five is all underclassmen with a 31-2 record and was CIF-Southern California Regional Open Division runner-up to eventual state and national champion Chino Hills.
The Knights return all five starters and 13 players overall and could have a shot at being No. 1 in the nation. Among those are nationally ranked juniors Jordan Schakel and Ethan Thompson and nationally ranked sophomore David Singleton.
Chino Hills, though, only loses Lonzo Ball as others return including also UCLA-bound LiAngelo Ball, LaMelo Ball and Elizjah Scott. Look for the Huskies and Knights to be neck-to-neck for 2016-17.
Serra, meanwhile, returns a majority of its players and might even contend with rival Bishop Montgomery for the Del Rey League title. The Cavaliers should go further in the playoffs, depending on where they are placed.
