Prep Rally: Get a glimpse of the top high school football players next season

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. These next two weeks are huge opportunities for high school football fans to get an early glimpse of top athletes for the coming season at seven on seven summer competitions. The first one was at Huntington Beach Edison last week.

Mater Dei is good

Stanford-bound quarterback Elijah Brown of Mater Dei fires a pass at Saturday’s Battle of the Beach passing tourney.

(Craig Weston)

It’s tough enough to beat quarterback Elijah Brown of Santa Ana Mater Dei when people can sack him. He’s 29-1. So imagine how tough it is to cause him to sweat in a summer seven on seven passing competition with no rush? He helped guide the Monarchs to an 8-0 record and the championship of the Battle of the Beach tournament at Edison.

With new coach Frank McManus urging his players on with a loud, energetic voice, the Monarchs looked solid in all areas. They defeated surprising Rancho Cucamonga in the final. Rancho Cucamonga, loaded with talented skill-position players in the secondary, knocked off St. John Bosco and Edison to reach the final.

There were some exceptional receivers. Jordan Ross of Warren was outstanding. He just committed to Colorado State and came through with a memorable reception on the final play of a game against Mater Dei.

Everyone knew the pass was going toward him. Mater Dei had four players covering him. He still made the catch.

June Sean Embree of Santa Margarita also made a positive impression catching passes.

Mason York of Edison is the latest quality receiver produced by the Chargers.

(Craig Weston)

But the player who continues to produce at a high level is receiver Mason York of Edison. He’s gotten faster after running the 200 and 400 in track. He’s 6 feet 3, 190 pounds and works his butt off.

“He just gets after it,” coach Jeff Grady said. “He practices every day like he does on Friday night, which is awesome.”

Here’s a look at York and the Edison tournament.

On Saturday, there will be tournaments at St. John Bosco, Mission Viejo, Simi Valley and Baldwin Park.

Summer preview: Offensive line

Paki Finau is a senior offensive lineman at Oak Hills.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

It’s a long drive to Hesperia from Los Angeles, but that hasn’t deterred college recruiters from flying to LAX and heading to Oak Hills High to evaluate the team’s standout offensive lineman — 6-foot-5, 260-pound Paki Finau.

Versatile, agile and tough, Finau has a spot near the top of the list of linemen to watch as the 2023 high school football season nears.

Continuing with a summer preview of players to watch, there’s lots of offensive linemen to get excited about.

Here’s the report.

Sports upgrades in LAUSD

Fairfax High School will be tearing down its historic gym and replacing it with a larger new gym.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Two sports programs that have produced some of the best athletes in the history of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Fairfax basketball and Dorsey football, are getting major facility upgrades after approval from the Los Angeles Board of Education.

Fairfax’s historic gymnasium, considered among the best for shooters in the City Section, will be torn down and replaced by a new, larger structure as part of a $148-million campus improvement project, Principal Leonard Choi said. Construction is expected to begin by 2026.

Dorsey, which has played its home football games at nearby Rancho Cienega Park, will be getting a new stadium so it will be able to play games for the first time on campus. Construction could begin by the end of 2023.

Here’s a look at other upgrades.

Notes . . .

Former Long Beach State assistant Andy Rojo is the new baseball coach at St. John Bosco. . . .

Ted Silva is the new baseball coach at Redondo Union. He has served as a pitching coach at USC, Nebraska and UC Irvine. . . .

Sun Valley Poly has hired former El Camino Real basketball coach Joe Wyatt as its new coach. Poly is opening a new gym this fall. . . .

Fairfax has received a grant of $80,000 from Dr. Clarance Shields and the Team Shields program at Cedars-Sinai so that it can hire a full-time athletic trainer for the coming school year. . . .

Long Beach Millikan receiver Ryan Pellum has committed to USC. . . .

Santa Margarita senior lacrosse standout Layla Montelongo has committed to the University of Alabama in Huntsville. . . .

Quarterback Dermaricus Davis of Etiwanda has committed to Washington. . . .

Defensive end LaVar Talley of Santa Margarita has committed to Nevada. . . .

Marquis Gallegos, the defensive player of the year in the Mission League last season at Chaminade, has committed to USC. The free safety has since transferred to Sierra Canyon for his senior season. . . .

Running back Cameron Jones of St. John Bosco has committed to UCLA. . . .

Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura was named the Gatorade girls’ state track and field athlete of the year. She just completed her sophomore season. . . .

Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra is the Gatorade boys’ state track and field athlete of the year. . . .

Defending City Section soccer champion Birmingham has promoted long-time assistant Gus Villalobos to head boys’ coach, replacing EB Madha. Also Fernando Fernandez is Birmingham’s new cross-country coach. . . .

Former Saugus guard Max Tengan has committed to Cal State San Marcos. . . .

Peyton Waters, the City Section Open Division football player of the year from Birmingham, has committed to Washington. He’s a senior cornerback/receiver. . . .

Corona Centennial guard Eric Freeny has committed to UCLA. . . .

Standout point guard Aaron Powell from Campbell Hall has committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. . . .

Defensive back Dajon Doss of Antelope Valley has committed to Washington State. . . .

Former View Park Prep football coach Ken Henderson is the new head coach at Pasadena Poly. . . .

West Ranch’s 6-foot-7 James Evans has committed to UNLV. . . .

St. Anthony won the Fairfax summer basketball tournament championship.

From the archives: Ava Justman

Former Chatsworth pitcher Ava Justman.

(Los Angeles Times)

After two years pitching for Wisconsin’s softball team, former Chatsworth All-City pitcher Ava Justman has transferred to the University of Central Florida.

Justman was part of the pandemic class of 2020 that had their senior spring seasons cut short.

Here’s video from 2020 during her participation in the L.A. Times series, “Season Interrupted.”

Recommendations

From Spectrum News 1, a look at the inspiring story of Venice’s Nathan Santa Cruz coming back from a serious head injury suffered during the football season.

From the Washington Post, a story on whether surgery is needed for a torn ACL.

From the Union Tribune, a story on why you should not expect state championships in baseball or softball.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the Fletcher brothers from Cypress facing off in the major leagues.

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