Prep Rally: Arcadia Invitational set to be a need-for-speed showcase

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. The best track and field meet of the season is set for Saturday at Arcadia High. The Arcadia Invitational always produces great marks, great times and great excitement.

The need for speed

A record 793 schools registered for the two-day Arcadia Invitational on Friday and Saturday, including 362 from outside California. The invitational portion takes places Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Arcadia High. Last year Granada Hills showed off its 4×100 relay team along with 400 runner Dijon Stanley and sprinter Jordan Coleman.

Stanley has moved on to Utah for football. Coleman is back but has been taking care of an injury after competing in the sprints on the indoor circuit and won’t be ready to go Saturday.

But there’s plenty of stars to be found, including Bishop Alemany freshman sprinter Demare Dezeurn, who has run a 10.47 100. There’s another freshman rising in Calabasas’ Kingston Celifie, who keeps lowering his times in the 100, 200 and 400. Like Dezeurn, he’s also a football player.

No one is bigger than the reigning Gatorade state cross-country runner of the year Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura. She has been setting high standards in her early season runs in the 800 and 1,500.

Also competing will be UCLA quarterback commit Karson Gordon, the nation’s No. 1 triple jumper. He’s from Bellaire, Texas, and went 53 feet, 1½ inches last week at the Texas Relays, a national record.

This is the meet that attracts top athletes from outside California. Here’s a link to entries by schools.

Baseball rewind

Corona begins action in Boras Classic with all-star group. From left to right: Trey Ebel, Seth Hernandez, Josh Springer, Anthony Murphy and Billy Carlson.

(Nick Koza)

Orange County will be the site for two prestigious baseball tournaments this week.

The Boras Classic begins its SoCal competition on Tuesday at JSerra and Mater Dei. No. 1-ranked Corona tops the 16-team field. Here’s the link to complete pairings. The early games are always entertaining because the teams usually go with their top pitchers. The championship game is set for Friday at 6 p.m. at Mater Dei. Granite Hills won the Northern California division.

The National Classic also begins on Tuesday at El Dorado, Cypress, Servite and Santa Margarita. Santa Margarita did not play last week after taking two of three games from Orange Lutheran.

In a big nonleague game Wednesday, Harvard-Westlake is playing Orange Lutheran at Concordia University at 5 p.m.

Corona came through with a sweep of Corona Santiago this past weekend. The team had to rally for four runs in the seventh to overcome a 3-2 defict on Friday. Catcher Josh Springer went four for four.

Hunter Manning struck out 12 in West Ranch’s 3-0 win over Valencia.

Saugus pulled off two stunning wins over previously ranked Hart in the Foothill League.

Sylmar won its division of the Lions tournament in San Diego.

Chaminade inflicted a rare defeat on Harvard-Westlake closer Bryce Rainer. Rainer is exceeding expectations with his bat, having 26 hits and a .510 batting average.

Huntington Beach had a combined no-hitter in 2-0 win over Los Alamitos. Here’s a report on the Oilers.

Here’s this week’s top 25 baseball rankings by The Times.

Softball

It was a week of surprise in softball. No. 1-ranked Pacifica had a 15-game winning streak ended by Anaheim Canyon, then lost a second straight game to Orange Lutheran. There’s nothing wrong with a little adversity before the playoffs begin.

Norco ended up winning the co-championship of the Michelle Carew tournament with St. Francis from Northern California after rain forced the final to be canceled on Saturday.

Norco is 15-3.

Marina won three of four games at the Carew Classic. Here’s a report.

Here’s last week’s top Southern California softball rankings.

47 years coaching

Granada Hills volleyball coach Tom Harp has been coaching since 1977, from football to volleyball to soccer.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Tom Harp has been coaching high school sports for so long (47 years) that no one probably remembers he used to be one of the best football coaches in the City Section. He and co-coach Darryl Stroh pulled off the monumental upset of 1987, winning a City title when Granada Hills stunned Carson, which was ranked among the best teams in the country.

Coaching volleyball started to enter his calling in 1982. “Some kid at Cleveland came up to me, ‘Let’s start a volleyball team,’” he said.

He’d go on to coach 15 years of girls’ volleyball at Granada Hills, winning seven City titles. He has won eight City titles coaching boys, where he continues to put his focus at age 70 after surpassing 500 career victories this season for the Highlanders. He even coached three years of girls’ soccer, getting to the championship match.

A profile on a future City Section Hall of Fame coach.

Lacrosse breakthrough

Austin Hicks of St. Margaret’s is headed to Duke and had 84 points last season for the lacrosse team.

(TJ Talbot)

When Austin Hicks was in third grade, he lost interest in playing baseball. His mother signed him up for lacrosse camp.

“I found my calling,” he said.

He soon joined a recreation league and remembers seeing his coach demonstrating how to put the ball into the goal with the stick.

“The coach was doing a drill and showing us how to shoot,” he said. “He put in a perfect shot in the corner of the goal. The shot was so pretty and mesmerizing. I remember, ‘I want to shoot like that, I want to play like that’ watching him put the ball so effortlessly in the goal.”

Hicks, 18 and a senior at St. Margaret’s High, has become a breakthrough lacrosse talent in California, ranked No. 1 in Southern California and headed to Duke. He’s 5 feet 11, 195 pounds and an example of how players in California can reach the skill level of their counterparts from the East Coast with the right passion and commitment.

Here’s a look at Hicks and lacrosse’s challenges in Southern California.

Golf

Alani Soto of St. Mary’s Academy is one of five students from Los Angeles awarded a Chick Evans Scholarship for golf caddying.

(Western Golf Assn.)

Five high school students from Los Angeles were awarded the Western Golf Assn.’s Chick Evans Scholarship.

It provides a four-year housing and tuition scholarship for golf caddies.

Four are girls from St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood _ Sara Garcia Jimenez, Diana Salas, Kedie Lucas-Delgadillo and Alani Soto. Geovanny Gonzazlez from Salesian also earned a scholarship.

Water polo

The Girls ODP national championships in water polo concluded in Riverside. Here’s a link to champions and players selected for youth and cadet national competitions.

The boys competed earlier and the Coastal Red team won the cadet division.

Among the players was Nathan You from Harvard-Westlake, Lucas Pearce and Flynn Guenther from Mira Costa, Austin Miller from El Segundo and Wyatt Williamson from Oaks Christian.

Notes . . .

Former La Mirada pitcher Jared Jones, who was The Times’ player of the year in 2019, has made the opening day roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates. . . .

The All-CIF Southern Section boys and girls basketball teams have been released. Here’s the boys’ team. Here’s the girls’ team. . . .

Burbank Burroughs softball player Emerson Colblentz has committed to Hawaii. . . .

Brandon Camarillo has been named the new football coach at Capistrano Valley Christian. . . .

Baseball player Keenan Anzai of Mission Viejo has committed to UC Davis. . . .

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman donated $500,000 to his alma mater, El Modena High, and the school now has a new baseball clubhouse. . . .

Former Westlake football coach Mark Servé is the new head coach at La Salle. . . .

Former Arcadia assistant Eric Elias is returning to become head football coach. . . .

Bryan Bartley is the new boys’ basketball coach at West Ranch. He has coached on the East Coast and helped out as a scout last season for Heritage Christian. . . .

Senior outfielder Zach Woodson of St. John Bosco has committed to Pepperdine. . . .

Laguna Beach quarterback Jackson Kollock has committed to Minnesota. . . .

Josh Beaty is leaving Fountain Valley to become the boys’ basketball coach at Edison. . . .

Greg Fontenette is the new boys’ basketball coach at Valencia, replacing Bill Bedgood, who has retired. Fontenette was an assistant coach. . . .

The McDonald’s All-American games for boys and girls will be held Tuesday at Houston’s Toyota Center. . . .

Eastvale Roosevelt’s boys’ basketball team traveled to New Jersey to compete in a national tournament and won it behind Brayden Burries. . . .

From the archives: Bryce Louie

Bryce Louie, a Campbell Hall grad, won the NCAA foil championship as a senior at Penn.

(Penn Athletics)

Bryce Louie has been fencing since he was 8 years old. During his days going to Campbell Hall in North Hollywood, he was competing in youth competitions.

Then a week ago, he fulfilled a dream, becoming NCAA champion in the foil in his senior year at Penn. It’s been a long journey but his work ethic and talent has always been there.

Fencer Bryce Louie in 2019.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

Here’s a story from 2019 about his passion and love for fencing.

Recommendations

From Burlisonbasketball.com, a story on the top juniors from Southern California this past season.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Hart pitcher Tyler Glasnow adding SoCal cool to the Dodgers.

From Sportskeeda.com, a story on 400 track phenom Quincy Wilson.

From TOAcorn.com, a story on Westlake’s baseball team.

From Fayobserver.com, a story on former Corona Centennial guard Jared McCain of Duke and his social media success.

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