Basketball player of year races
With one week remaining in the high school basketball season, let’s look at boys’ and girls’ candidates for player of the year. Of course, it’s in the playoffs when individual and team accomplishments count most in determining the best, so there’s plenty of time for someone to finish as most valuable player.
Boys’ player of the year
Jared McCain of Corona Centennial has led the two-time defending Southern Section Open Division champions to a 23-3 record. The Huskies haven’t lost to a team from California. He’s scoring, passing and playing great defense.
Trent Perry of Studio City Harvard-Westlake is a junior point guard who has played with so much consistency and passion that he’s helped the Wolverines to a 26-1 record and No. 1 ranking.
Marcus Adams Jr. of Harbor City Narbonne has become the most dominant player in the City Section. Whether scoring, rebounding or blocking shots, he’s showing his skills.
Andrew Meadow of Santa Clarita West Ranch makes multiple contributions each game for a team that has won 25 of 26 games and could be very tough to beat in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs.
Dusty Stromer of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has demonstrated unselfishness and a willingness to do whatever it takes to lift the Knights, whether that means shutting down the opposing team’s best player or attracting defenders to free up teammates.
There’s also Will Smith of Torrance Bishop Montgomery, Brady Dunlap of Harvard-Westlake and Isaiah Elohim of Chatsworth Sierra Canyon.
Girls’ player of the year
Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon is a McDonald’s All-American selection and continues to show that she’s a once-in-a-generation player with skills to score from anywhere on the court for the unbeaten Trailblazers.
Kennedy Smith of Etiwanda is only a junior but has led the Eagles to a 24-2 record. She’s preparing for a long-anticipated matchup against Sierra Canyon in the playoffs.
Skye Belker is a top scorer for L.A. Windward and her continued development has led the Wildcats to an unbeaten record in the Gold Coast League.
Caia Elisaldez of Santa Ana Mater Dei is a senior point guard and has sparked the Monarchs to a 24-2 record.
Chloe Briggs of Ontario Christian is averaging 26.6 points and closing in on the state career scoring record.
There’s also Mackenly Randolph of Sierra Canyon, Ava Dominguez of Fullerton Rosary and Mariah Blake of Westchester.
Basketball rewind
Senior guard Kristan Yumul of Oxnard set a Ventura County record by making 11 threes in a win over Oxnard Rio Mesa. She had 37 points.
Senior Amanda Edwards of San Juan Capistrano San Juan Hills set school records for points and threes by finishing with 36 points and making nine threes in a win over Las Flores Tesoro.
Watkins scored a careerhigh 45 points and had 16 rebounds and eight assists in Sierra Canyon’s win over Mission Hills Bishop Alemany.
Dominguez of Rosary scored 30 points and made seven threes in a win over Santa Margarita.
Gabby Kay Robinson of Centennial set a school record with 12 threes and had 48 points in a win over Norco.
Eastvale Roosevelt junior guard Darnez Slater scored 52 points in a win over Corona Santiago, giving coach Stephen Singleton his 200th victory.
A crowd of 7,856 was at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion to see Notre Dame defeat Sierra Canyon 66-62.
Adams scored 40 points for Narbonne to help the Gauchos clinch the Marine League title with a win over San Pedro.
Jason Crowe Jr. of Lynwood scored 46 points in a win over Firebaugh.
Long Beach Jordan clinched its first Moore League title since 2009.
Mercy Miller of Notre Dame had 39 points at the Nike Extravaganza.
Baseball
For the first time in years, Orange Lutheran is going to need to retool its batting lineup. There are only three returning starters.
But the Lancers have much better pitching depth and the three returning players are standouts.
It starts with third baseman Casey Borba, a Texas commit and the son of coach Eric Borba. He showed power last season and figures to keep progressing.
There’s also standout junior center fielder Derek Curiel, a Louisiana State commit, and Evan Miranda, a pitcher who committed to Texas.
Junior Ben Reiland is an outfielder/infielder committed to Oklahoma State.
Among the Lancers’ transfers are Vinny Hudson, a junior pitcher from Chino Hills Ayala, and Gabe Fraser, a junior infielder from Huntington Beach.
Orange Lutheran is expected to join Santa Margarita as the top teams to challenge title favorite San Juan Capistrano JSerra.
Corona coach Andy Wise keeps shaking his head when he sees what sophomore shortstop Billy Carlson can do with his glove and bat.
“He’s a freak,” Wise said. Carlson is committed to Vanderbilt and part of a shortstop class in Southern California that is clearly the strongest position for the upcoming season.
All-City pitcher Oscar Lopez looked in midseason form for Woodland Hills El Camino Real in a winter game against Manhattan Beach Mira Costa. He struck out four of the seven batters he faced.
New football coach at JSerra
JSerra might have come up with the football coaching hire of the year when Victor Santa Cruz was recruited to become the Lions’ new coach.
The 50-year-old had been defensive coordinator at Hawaii after being Azusa Pacific’s all-time winningest coach with an 84-69 record for 14 seasons.
He spent five years coaching high school football in the 1990s at Oceanside, then left for the college ranks. Now he’s ready to take on the high expectations of coaching in the Trinity League.
Transfer football tracker
Unlike in college, there’s no official high school transfer portal even though there are hundreds of sports transfers in Southern California each year.
Considering the number of top players moving around, it’s time to launch a transfer tracker for Southern California football.
According to CIF rules, players who transfer and change residences, along with their families, are eligible immediately at the new school. If a player transfers and doesn’t move, there’s a sit-out period of close to 50% of the season. The date athletes become eligible after sitting out is Sept. 22 for the City Section and Sept. 25 for the Southern Section.
Soccer
Mira Costa has been on quite a soccer run the last few seasons. This year’s boys’ team won the Bay League championship with a dramatic goal.
The Mustangs are 19-3-2 overall and 8-0 in league.
JSerra is looking like the No. 1 team in Southern Section Division 1 at 11-1-1 and 6-1-1 in the Trinity League.
In the City Section, Lake Balboa Birmingham is on the verge of winning the West Valley League after a 5-0 win over El Camino Real. The Patriots are 13-1-3 and 5-0-2. They end the regular season in a showdown game against Reseda Cleveland on Friday.
In girls’ soccer, Santiago continues to be the team to beat at 17-1-1 and 7-1 in the league. Roosevelt handed the Sharks their first defeat last week, 3-1. Roosevelt is 15-4-3 and 6-1-1.
Notes
Joshua Knight is the new football coach at Chino Hills Don Lugo. He comes from Baldwin Park, where he was the offensive coordinator . ...
The City Section board of managers rejected a proposal to change schools in the East Valley and Valley Mission Leagues, leaving them intact for another four years . ...
Tony Delgado is the new softball coach at La Puente Bishop Amat . ...
Former Pasadena assistant Robert Maxie is the new football coach at Baldwin Park . ...
Juan Viramontes resigned as football coach at Anaheim Katella . ...
Former Cal Lutheran football coach Ben McEnroe is the new coach at Thousand Oaks . ...
L.A. Cathedral announced that Brother John Montgomery is stepping down after 25 years as principal and will be replaced by Arturo Lopez, who is the school’s soccer coach and vice president . ...
Adam Uballez is the new football coach at Rosemead Bosco Tech . ...
Lalo Diaz took over as distance coach at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame after serving for many years at L.A. Loyola . ...
Football/track standout Rodrick Pleasant of Serra is scheduled to make his college announcement Wednesday morning in the school gym. Oregon, USC and UCLA are the finalists. Wednesday is another letter of intent day for high school seniors . ...
Bellflower St. John Bosco defensive lineman Sua Lefotu committed to Nebraska . ...
Temecula Valley named John Bonaventura as football coach . ...
Garden Grove Pacifica outfielder Alysa Del Val committed to Oregon State for softball . ...
Serra sprinter Brazil Neal committed to Oregon for women’s track.
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