By Joe Snyder
Serra High football and track and field standout Otis “Tre” Harrison and North Torrance basketball star Keimi Santiago were the Gardena Valley News 2024-25 Boys’ and Girls’ Athletes of the Year, in order.
Harrison played wide receiver and defensive back for the Cavaliers and aided them to a second-place finish, behind champion Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, in the Mission League and the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs where they fell short of Yorba Linda 24-20.
He made the Daily Breeze all-South Bay and all-CIF Southern Section Division II as a defensive back.
Last spring in track and field, Harrison won his second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at 38.23 seconds. He placed second in the 110 highs. Harrison also ran on Serra’s Division IV championship 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays. The Cavaliers advanced to the Southern Section Masters Championships in all events but failed to qualify for state, including Harrison in the 300 intermediates as he placed just No. 14 overall, clocking 38.69. His fastest 300 intermediate time was 38.04 he did on April 11 at the Arcadia Invitational.
Santiago, one of just two senior starters for North’s girls’ basketball team, keyed the Lady Saxons to the Bay League co-championship with Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. North also advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA finals where it lost to Oak Park 68-57. The Saxons ended up being moved up to Division I in the Southern California Regional playoffs and lost in the first round to host Windward 62-49 in the Los Angeles-Mar Vista District.
Santiago averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
Serra swept the boys’ and girls’ Coach of the Year. For the boys, it was track and field coach Princeton Williams and girls’ Coach of the Year went to Serra head basketball mentor McKenzie Hadley.
Williams guided the mostly young Cavalier boys to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV co-championship with Calabasas Viewpoint.
Hadley helped get Serra’s girls’ basketball team back to glory as the Lady Cavaliers made the CIF-Southern Section Division IVAA finals before falling to Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro 59-46. Serra advanced to the Southern California Regional playoffs but fell short to host Santa Ynez 44-40.
Other top boys honors included Jake Silverman (Torrance, senior, football and track and field), De Vohn Moutra (Serra, junior, football), C.J. McBean (Serra, senior, football), Jimmy Butler (Serra, senior, football and track and field), Boogie Anetema (North Torrance, sophomore, football), Jaden O’ Neal (Narbonne, junior, football), Jayden Robinson (Serra, senior, football), Felix Avillar (North Torrance, senior, football), Giovanni Gilpen (North Torrance, basketball), C.J. Hughes (Serra, senior, baseball), Amari Hackett (Serra, senior, baseball), Andy Alvarado (Torrance, senior, soccer), Alden Jafet Orellana (North Torrance, senior, soccer), Willie Denham (Gardena, senior, basketball), Xavier Grant (Gardena, senior, football), Elias Emerson (Torrance, sophomore, basketball), Mateo Rickman (Torrance, senior, baseball), Cole Arationa (North Torrance, junior, volleyball), Preston Howe (Bishop Montgomery, senior, baseball), Xavier Allen (Carson, junior, baseball), Peter Broughton (South Torrance, senior, baseball), Nicolas Obingba (Torrance, junior, track and field), Faiz Ogun (North Torrance, junior, track and field), Lawson Griggs Andrews (Serra, sophomore, track and field), Jayden Rendon (Carson, junior, track and field), and Reef Sharman (West Torrance, senior, football and baseball).
Other top female athletes are Emma Rowell (South Torrance, senior, volleyball), Kiana Greer (Torrance, senior, volleyball, beach volleyball, and track and field), Natasha Zovic (Bishop Montgomery, senior, soccer), Maddie Freeman (South Torrance, senior, soccer), Leila Fitzgerald (North Torrance, junior, basketball), Jardin Blackmon (Bishop Montgomery, senior, basketball), Raelyn Pleasant (Serra, senior, flag football and track and field), Christina Gray (Carson, junior, track and field), Alexis Wolfinger (West Torrance, senior, track and field), Key Gonzalez (North Torrance, sophomore, swimming), Isabella Garcia (Torrance, junior, swimming), Kacia Snelson (Serra, sophomore, basketball), and Jadah Foster (Serra, senior, basketball).
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Cavalier track and field coach Princeton Williams is GVN No. 1
Serra High head track and field coach Princeton Williams was selected as the Daily Breeze South Bay Boys’ Coach of the Year, named a few weeks ago.
Williams, in his third season with the Cavaliers, guided the boys to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV co-championship with Calabasas Viewpoint in the divisional finals on May 10 at Moorpark High.
It was a mostly young team as Serra is seeking to return to glory it had several years ago that included CIF-State boys titles in 2000, 2012 and 2013 and girls in 2012 and 2018.
The Cavalier boys were led by senior hurdler Otis “Tre” Harrison who won two Division IV titles in the 300-meter intermediates. He was second in the 110-meter highs this season. Harrison managed to make only the CIF-Southern Section Masters in the 300 intermediates as he failed to qualify for state, taking No. 14 overall in 37.69.
However, it does not go just that far. Behind sophomores Lawson Griggs-Andrews and Landon Thomas, Serra won Division IV titles in the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays. Griggs-Andrews and Thomas were both finalists in the 100- and 400-meters, in order. Both made all-area. The Cavalier boys also made all-area in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Other all-South Bay boys’ athletes for Serra included Joey Bolder (shot put) and Jimmy Butler (triple jump). Both Butler and Harrison were also standouts on Serra’s football team that finished second in the highly competitive Mission League and made the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs where it suffered a narrow loss to Yorba Linda.
Premiere Carson High junior hurdler Jayden Rendon was named Athlete of the Year. Rendon swept the CIF-Los Angeles City title in the 110-meter high and 300-meter intermediate hurdles and finished second in the state finals at the 300 intermediates at 37.57 seconds. He was eighth in the state in the 110 highs clocking 14.31. Rendon ran as fast as 36.5 in the 300 intermediates; he did in the state prelims on May 30 at Buchanan High in Clovis. His fastest 110 highs time was 13.95.
Junior sprinters Nicolas Obingba (Torrance) and Faiz Ogun (North Torrance) also made the all-South Bay in the 100 and 200. Obingba sparked the CIF-State Prelims by running a 10.2 in the 100, tying the previous record set two years ago by Serra’s Roderick Pleasant, now at UCLA after transferring from University of Oregon last month. Pleasant’s state meet and overall state record of 10.14, though, were both smashed by Jaden Jefferson from Concord De La Salle who performed a 10.01 in the state prelims. The finals, however, were slower as Jefferson won the 100 in 10.27 and Obingba managed only a seventh-place timing 10.62.
Ogun ran as fast as a 10.59 in the 100 in the CIF-Southern Section Masters Championships on May 24 at Moorpark High.
Other local athletes making all-South Bay included Mario Alaizo (Narbonne, 1,600), Liam Miller (South Torrance, 1,600), Andre Quast (West Torrance, 1,600), Denis Woods (Bishop Montgomery, high jump), Elijah Taueetia (North Torrance, shot put) and Logan Thompson (South Torrance, shot put).
For the girls, Serra was led by senior Raelyn Pleasant who was all-area in the long jump and triple jump. Pleasant had a personal best of 38-3 in the triple jump as she was the only Serra athlete to make the state meet. She failed to qualify for the finals.
Other Lady Cavaliers who made all-South Bay were Isabella Samuel (100 and 4×100 relay) and Lo’ani Atofan (shot put). Serra also made all-area in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Carson swept the top track and field honors. Along with Rendon for the boys, junior sprinter Christina Gray was the Girls Athlete of the Year. Gray swept the CIF-L.A. City championship in the 100 and 200 meters as well as keying the Lady Colts to the 4×100 crown and fifth-place in the state finals clocking 46.59. Gray recorded fastest times at 11.47 in the 100 and 23.71 in the 200. In the state finals, Gray placed third in both the 100 and 200.
Tiffany Williams made all-South Bay in the 100 and 400 relays and Kailey Williams was on the team for the 200, 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads.
Also, for Carson, Nuja Carpenter (shot put), Kelis Hicks (long jump) and Kameron Charles (triple jump) made all-area.
The Colts won their fifth consecutive City girls’ track and field crown.
Other local all-South Bay athletes included Kayle Dierling (South Torrance, 400), Kennedy Henderson (Bishop Montgomery, 400), Alexis Wolfinger (West Torrance, 3,200), Bishop Montgomery (4×100), South Torrance (4×400), Kiana Greer (Torrance, shot put), and Bernice Nkenager (triple jump, West Torrance).
Coach of the Year was Robert King from Inglewood St. Mary’s Academy. King sparked the Belles, a big rival of Serra for girls’ track and field who also compete in the Del Rey League, to the CIF-Southern Section Division IV crown.
