Eric Sondheimer

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Dana Hills High is riding the crest of the wave

Dana Hills High is riding the crest of the wave

November 9, 2009

The city of Dana Point is filled with coastal bluffs and rolling hills along the Pacific Ocean. Besides the spectacular views, refreshing air and expensive houses, Dana Point has just about everything but a top high school football team -- but that's changing.

  • San Marino teen prepares to paddle off to college

    November 9, 2009

    Under dark clouds, cool temperatures and occasional rain, more than a dozen teenage girls dressed in T-shirts and shorts are paddling up and down the back channels of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.

  • California Flag has quite a team behind him

    November 8, 2009

    It was a World War II veteran, a former quarter horse trainer and a teenager from Louisiana who combined their talents Saturday to end up in the winner's circle on Breeders' Cup day at Santa Anita.

  • Artificial tracks provided false hopes

    November 6, 2009

    Death is a sad but common part of thoroughbred racing, but in California the sight of medical vans on racetracks was a grim reminder that this state had problems far greater than others.

  • San Marino teen prepares to paddle off to college

    November 5, 2009

    Under dark clouds, cool temperatures and occasional rain, more than a dozen teenage girls dressed in T-shirts and shorts are paddling up and down the back channels of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.

  • No pain, no season for Placentia El Dorado senior

    November 5, 2009

    The risk: more damage to an already severely injured knee, and a future of arthritis.

  • There is no shortage of big football matchups this week

    November 2, 2009

    If there were ever a time to rent a helicopter on a Friday night to avoid the traffic-snarled Southland freeways, this is the weekend to do it.

  • Santa Anita pulling out all the stops for Breeders' Cup

    November 1, 2009

    For the first time in the 26-year history of the Breeders' Cup, it is being held in consecutive years at the same track, and that makes this week's world championships at Santa Anita a rare opportunity to implement lessons learned.

  • Notre Dame pulls out victory over Crespi

    October 30, 2009

    A sense of urgency was the message sent all week by both coaching staffs leading up to Friday night's Serra League football game between Encino Crespi and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

  • Carson lineman Wade Yandall is no typical nerd

    October 30, 2009

    Carson High students who have been identified as "nerds" and are feeling insecure should know that Wade Yandall has your back.

  • First place is on the line when Taft and El Camino Real meet

    October 28, 2009

    In Woodland Hills, the two public high schools, Taft and El Camino Real, have each won national academic decathlon titles. But in sports, the similarities have been few and far between.

  • St. Francis quarterback makes a big comeback

    October 26, 2009

    From the "lessons learned" file comes the story of senior quarterback Justin Posthuma of La Canada St. Francis.

  • These streaks find their own end zone

    October 25, 2009

    Some ingenious, confident Anaheim Servite supporter had the audacity to think the Friars might actually win Friday night for the first time since 1988 against Santa Ana Mater Dei. We know that because fireworks went off after Servite's 30-20 victory in front of more than 10,000 at Santa Ana Stadium.

  • Servite finally has its Dei

    October 24, 2009

    On the day Troy Thomas was hired as football coach at Anaheim Servite five years ago, one question kept being repeated as he walked around campus: "Are you going to beat Mater Dei?"

  • At 7-0, a revived St. Genevieve football program merits a parade

    October 23, 2009

    There were teenage zombies running around St. Genevieve High in Panorama City this week as part of homecoming activities, their faces red and their T-shirts torn. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the homecoming theme, and that could be the motto for Southern California's only 7-0 football team.

  • Marmonte League changes are great for football

    October 23, 2009

    Football fans can rejoice over the decision of the Southern Section Council on Thursday to put Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Ventura St. Bonaventure in a 10-team Marmonte League starting in 2010.

  • USC faces Oregon State on Saturday, but Friday's Mater Dei-Servite matchup has Trojans pumped as well

    October 22, 2009

    USC Coach Pete Carroll might want to double the bed-check Friday night for his players who happen to be graduates of Santa Ana Mater Dei or Anaheim Servite high schools. He needs to make sure they don't sneak out from the team hotel for a couple of hours to watch the Mater Dei-Servite football game at Santa Ana Stadium.

  • Oaks Christian's bid to join Marmonte League to be voted on Thursday

    October 20, 2009

    The sports future for the next four years of Westlake Village Oaks Christian, which is trying to move to the Marmonte League, will be decided Thursday.

  • When politics was sidelined

    October 19, 2009

    When politics, race or religion prevents people from talking or even shaking hands, it's left to sports competition to save the day.

  • Citrus Hill's Deontae Cooper is having a super season

    October 17, 2009

    When it comes to wearing a Superman costume on Halloween, the only high school football player who truly qualifies for such an honor is running back Deontae Cooper of Perris Citrus Hill.

  • Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Hilinski learning far away from Friday nights

    October 16, 2009

    In this era of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and ESPN, if you're a sports prodigy, don't expect anonymity to last long.

  • L.A. Unified coaches face 50% cut in stipend pay

    October 14, 2009

    Coaches in the Los Angeles Unified School District could face a 50% reduction in their stipend pay under a proposal that the Los Angeles Board of Education is considering for the 2010-11 school year, according to Barbara Fiege, the City Section commissioner.

  • Football coach retools El Camino Real

    October 12, 2009

    Kevin Williams had been an assistant football coach at Granada Hills Kennedy happily toiling around behind the scenes for 11 years when he was plucked from obscurity in 2007 to become coach at Woodland Hills El Camino Real, known for its powerful baseball program and underachieving football teams.

  • English import wins the Goodwood

    October 11, 2009

    Forget about a European invasion for next month's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. It's more likely to be a stampede after the lightly raced 3-year-old Gitano Hernando showed up from England on Saturday and came away victorious against Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and top older horses in the Grade I, $350,000 Goodwood Stakes.

  • Lakewood rallies to halt Long Beach Poly's win streak

    October 10, 2009

    Streakbusters. That's going to be the legacy of the Lakewood High football team after the Lancers made history Friday night by ending Long Beach Poly's state-record 80-game Moore League winning streak with a 21-14 victory at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

  • Midseason report: After undefeated Crenshaw, it's a fierce battle for No. 2 in City Section

    October 9, 2009

    For those who don't understand the magic of high school sports, let me tell you about a phone conversation with Huntington Beach Edison defensive tackle Luke Gane after his team's 36-29 double-overtime victory against Santa Ana Mater Dei last week.

  • Unbeaten Los Alamitos gears up for Narbonne

    October 6, 2009

    Thursday night's football schedule has the makings of a top game: Unbeaten Los Alamitos (4-0), ranked No. 9 by The Times, taking on defending City Section co-champion Harbor City Narbonne (2-2) at 7 o'clock at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.

  • Kevin Ervin emerging as one of City Section's top running backs

    October 5, 2009

    In a season where there are many top running backs in the City Section, from D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft to DeAnthony Thomas of Los Angeles Crenshaw, Sun Valley Poly has a running back, Kevin Ervin, who's thrusting himself into consideration as one of the best.

  • Trainer Bob Baffert enjoying a 'Lucky streak

    October 5, 2009

    As if Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert isn't having enough fun these days, now he has an unbeaten 2-year-old colt, Lookin At Lucky, who could be blossoming into a Kentucky Derby hopeful.

  • Grim turn at California Cup

    October 4, 2009

    The San Gabriel Mountains were glistening on a picture-perfect day for racing at Santa Anita on Saturday, but an injury to the card's biggest name, Grazen, brought a stunned silence to the Arcadia track on California Cup day.

  • Grazen likely to be heavy favorite for California Cup Classic at Santa Anita

    October 3, 2009

    Grazen, a promising 3-year-old who's trying to build the credentials to become a top California sire, is expected to be the heavy favorite for the $200,000 California Cup Classic, the highlight race for today's Oak Tree card at Santa Anita that features nine races offering $950,000 in purse money for horses bred in California. First post is at noon.

  • LAUSD warns coaches on hazing

    October 3, 2009

    The Los Angeles Unified School District athletics office distributed an e-mail Friday to its coaches, instructing them to counsel their athletes about hazing and warning that they could be held responsible for "negative consequences."

  • No one can laugh at Crenshaw's success

    October 2, 2009

    Talking smack about City Section football is a yearly ritual. The blabber goes on and on about players lacking discipline, teams not having enough depth, offensive lines with no size, offenses that can't complete a pass. . . .

  • Edison defeats Mater Dei in double overtime, 36-29

    October 2, 2009

    As far as drama and excitement go, high school football games don't get much better than what transpired Thursday night at Santa Ana Stadium, where No. 3-ranked Huntington Beach Edison pulled out a 36-29 victory over No. 14 Santa Ana Mater Dei in double overtime.

  • Venice has good vibrations for Jonathan McNeal

    October 2, 2009

    As the youngest of nine children, Jonathan McNeal has learned right from wrong.

  • Edison, Mater Dei ready for Thursday football showdown

    October 1, 2009

    There's another football showdown in Orange County on Thursday night, with Huntington Beach Edison (4-0), ranked No. 3 in the Southland by The Times, taking on No. 14 Santa Ana Mater Dei (3-1) at Santa Ana Stadium.

  • Santa Anita Oak Tree meeting begins Wednesday

    September 30, 2009

    Get ready for lots of twists and turns during the 31-day Oak Tree meeting that begins today at Santa Anita.

  • Westlake's Nelson Spruce finds ways to make the plays

    September 28, 2009

    Call it a kinetic anomaly. That's what happens when receiver Nelson Spruce of Westlake Village Westlake decides to twist, turn or contort his body, then somehow make a catch while defying gravity.

  • Huntington Beach Edison puts some hard knocks on Anaheim Servite

    September 26, 2009

    For those who thought Huntington Beach Edison was a mere passing-league power, take notice. The Chargers inflicted so many tattoos on hard hits against Anaheim Servite on Friday night at Huntington Beach High that the Friars are going to need buckets of ice to recover.

  • Special teams getting special attention

    September 25, 2009

    When it comes to trends in high school football, there's a big one underway involving special teams.

  • Matt Viles and Cody Fajardo are typified by character

    September 21, 2009

    Football is about tackling, blocking and executing fundamentals, but success also comes from the character of a team's quarterback, which makes Friday's showdown between No. 2 Anaheim Servite (3-0) and No. 6 Huntington Beach Edison (3-0) at Huntington Beach High so intriguing.

  • Serra beats Carson in physical matchup

    September 19, 2009

    There are so many prolific offensive weapons for Gardena Serra quarterback Conner Preston to work with that Coach Scott Altenberg has to warn him to stop trying to produce a touchdown on every play.

  • Valencia High football's secret weapon: Steven Manfro

    September 18, 2009

    On the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Steven Manfro of Valencia did his best to make a statement that life must go on.

  • Jeff Trojan leads Huntington Beach Edison to win

    September 18, 2009

    How can anyone named Trojan not be attending USC?

  • Transfer of players is ruining basketball

    September 15, 2009

    Professional sports have their free-agent periods, and now high school basketball has one too. It's called the late spring and summer, when top prospects review their options while playing for club teams.

  • Moorpark coach maintains balancing act with two No. 1 quarterbacks

    September 14, 2009

    Close your eyes and think about trying to walk through a dark tunnel that smells of gas while holding a match and knowing that if you light it, there might be a big boom.

  • Moorpark upsets No. 6 Notre Dame

    September 13, 2009

    Call it the biggest nonleague victory in Coach Tim Lins' 11 seasons as football coach at Moorpark.

  • Bishop Amat's Isaiah Bowens is on a collision course with stardom

    August 31, 2008

    Seventh in a series previewing top high school players:

  • Kirifi Taula gets a new start at Servite

    August 30, 2008

    Sixth in a series previewing top high school players:

  • Carson's Morrell Presley is new breed of tight end

    August 28, 2008

    Fourth in a series previewing top high school players.

  • A break in the fencing

    June 19, 2008

    Sweat drips from Brennan Louie's face as the 16-year-old twists and turns in a series of acrobatic break dance movements that produce both pleasure and pain.

  • Malibu's Williams has plenty of class

    April 25, 2008

    Autographs can become very valuable. Just ask someone who got reclusive Dodger Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax to sign a baseball.

  • This track is not completely meter made

    April 23, 2008

    Call it the "Incredible Shrinking Track."

  • Demands of some club soccer coaches test high school ethics

    April 19, 2008

    If Mario Ledezma had his way, he would have become invisible at the conclusion of a tension-filled City Section semifinal soccer playoff game on the last day of February.

  • Southland is brimming with top baseball prospects

    April 16, 2008

    Anthony Gose of Bellflower is a left-handed pitcher who can throw a fastball 95 mph. There are major league teams that have paid million-dollar signing bonuses to teenagers with similar skills.

  • Taft hurdler D.J. Morgan has a jumping-off point

    April 11, 2008

    When sophomore track standout D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft was 5, he tried to leap over a thorn bush in the frontyard of his parents' house in Pacoima while his older brothers watched in amusement.

  • Parent-coaches must find the right balance

    April 4, 2008

    Whenever a parent decides to coach his son or daughter on a sports team, their relationship faces potential risks as well as possible rewards.

  • Newhall Hart pitcher Trevor Bauer keeps head in game

    March 21, 2008

    Last July, while many teenagers were hanging out at the beach on their summer vacations, Trevor Bauer of Newhall Hart was spending three weeks in 95-degree temperatures and 85% humidity at a baseball camp in Texas.

  • Blind swimmer is true inspiration

    March 19, 2008

    A loud beep tells the six swimmers standing on starting blocks to dive into the pool. Andrew Luk of Diamond Bar, wearing goggles, pushes off from the wall as his competitors splash and dart ahead in the 500-yard freestyle race.

  • UCLA-bound Holiday soars to new heights

    March 14, 2008

    Standing at the entrance to the gymnasium at North Hollywood Campbell Hall and wearing a Disneyland hat with the name "Grumpy" emblazoned on its front, a smiling and playful Jrue Holiday hardly fit the profile of an All-American high school basketball player who, in a couple of years, could be playing with or against Kobe Bryant.

  • Shooting death of his father drives Riverside King's Leonard

    March 8, 2008

    The last time Riverside King and Compton Dominguez played in a high school basketball game was Jan. 19 at Pauley Pavilion, and Kawhi Leonard was grieving.

  • Separate playoff divisions isn't the answer

    March 5, 2008

    A leap of faith is necessary to support the idea that creating separate public and private school playoff divisions in the Southern Section would be good for Southern California's high school sports.

  • Open enrollment is a magnet for Taft success

    February 29, 2008

    If Woodland Hills Taft wins the City Championship Division boys' basketball title Saturday night at the Sports Arena, give some of the credit to the state legislature for passing the open enrollment law that went into effect in the fall of 1994.

  • Orange Lutheran's Cole is a pitcher with options

    February 27, 2008

    Long before Gerrit Cole's junior baseball season, UCLA Coach John Savage identified the Orange Lutheran right-hander as having one of the better pitching arms in the Southland. Savage got an early commitment from Cole and started to make plans for when Cole would arrive for the 2009 college season.

  • Villanueva's journey has him back at Roosevelt

    February 24, 2008

    There are spider webs not nearly as entangled or twisted as the strange odyssey involving left-handed pitcher Martin Villanueva of Los Angeles Roosevelt.

  • Harris wins over a tough crowd

    February 20, 2008

    On Sundays in the Mojave Desert town of Twentynine Palms, home to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 17-year-old Montreal Harris likes to travel to a gym on base to test himself against some former athletes who offer him no sympathy.

  • Sophomore takes her best shot at Olympic glory

    January 11, 2008

    Marisa Berger, a 15-year-old sophomore at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, would have no problem toting a .44 Magnum while spouting, "Go ahead, make my day."

  • Showing their Wares

    January 9, 2008

    Those who followed City Section boys' basketball in the late 1970s know that it was a time of oohing and aahing over the magnificent displays of athletic talent.

  • After Serna is switched to QB, St. Bonaventure lights it up

    December 14, 2007

    While munching on a carne asada taco at a coaches' barbecue, Ventura St. Bonaventure's youthful first-year football coach, Todd Therrien, made a decision that proved to be a decisive moment in helping the Seraphs (13-1) earn an invitation to Saturday's CIF state Division III championship bowl game.

  • Corona Centennial has quite the spread

    December 12, 2007

    There can't be anything more frightening for a high school football coach these days than trying to figure out how to stop Corona Centennial's seemingly unstoppable spread offense.

  • Pain never slows Dorsey's Franklin

    November 30, 2007

    It was Thanksgiving morning, and running back Johnathan Franklin of Los Angeles Dorsey woke up feeling the pain of a hard night's work.

  • She's got a ticket to ride

    November 28, 2007

    If Ryan Sheckler, the skateboarding MTV heartthrob from San Clemente, ever needs a companion with X Games-like fearlessness, 15-year-old Kate Hansen of La Cañada could be the perfect match.

  • Crespi defense creates a buzz

    November 22, 2007

    Defensive coordinator Joe McLaughlin expects his Encino Crespi players to act like a bunch of crazed bees.

  • Olmos makes family proud

    November 21, 2007

    With temperatures in the 90s, Jesus Olmos spent last Wednesday building a fence. Almost every hour, while sweating and full of dirt, he thought about his son, Edgar.

  • Fairfax center Sidney brings complete set of skills

    November 14, 2007

    At 6 feet 10, 235 pounds, with the ability to dribble like a point guard, dunk as if he were Shaquille O'Neal and shoot three-pointers with relative ease, Renardo Sidney is no ordinary high school basketball player.

  • Top Southland boys' basketball players like it hot

    November 14, 2007

    The rumors started on the Internet and spread to the gyms around Southern California. DeMar DeRozan of Compton was transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill to join Brandon Jennings. Then he was going to New York Lincoln, where Lance Stephenson holds court.

  • Ward, Jakubiec learn from best

    November 9, 2007

    Two giant 16-year-old sophomores who didn't play tackle football until they reached high school have discovered that smashing their smaller opponents to the turf can be fun and rewarding.

  • Notre Dame's Crist is defined by more than football

    November 7, 2007

    Coach Kevin Rooney held a meeting with his Sherman Oaks Notre Dame football team on Halloween, and he found that keeping a straight face was extremely difficult. Linebacker Anthony McDonald showed up as Dog the Bounty Hunter. A teammate was Scooby-Doo and another was dressed as Superman.

  • Beverly Hills senior still growing

    November 2, 2007

    Shaquille O'Neal is 7 feet 1 and wears size 23 shoes. UCLA freshman Kevin Love is 6-10 and wears size 19 shoes.

  • Taking a new stance on football

    October 31, 2007

    In fall 2004, Datone Jones was a freshman at Compton High, dreaming of becoming a basketball standout. He ignored the repeated pleas of his P.E. teacher, Calvin Bryant, to try football.

  • Gretzky living baseball dream through son

    October 27, 2007

    The greatest ice hockey player in history, Wayne Gretzky, a nine-time NHL most valuable player and 10-time scoring champion, had a pen in his hand Wednesday night and was signing jerseys, hockey sticks and wine bottles in such rapid fashion that it seemed as if he might develop carpal tunnel syndrome before the night was over.

  • Baca goes from zero to hero at Ayala

    October 24, 2007

    Matt Baca of Chino Hills Ayala has already mastered one of the most important skills necessary to becoming a top athlete: blocking out miserable memories.

  • Barkley stands tall for Mater Dei

    October 19, 2007

    At midseason, it's time to look at who's doing well, who's exceeding expectations and who's come out of nowhere to make an impact on the 2007 high school football season.

  • El Segundo's Bundy has the right (and left) stuff

    October 17, 2007

    As a 747 jumbo jet began its full-throttle climb from Los Angeles International Airport, far below stood left-handed quarterback Michael Bundy on the football field at El Segundo High, lofting one 20-yard spiral after another.

  • A little variety doesn't hurt

    October 12, 2007

    There's an urgent need to restore the concept of cross-training to the vocabulary of high school coaches, athletes and parents.

  • Hart's Ewart on a mission after being injured in fire

    October 10, 2007

    Five days before Christmas 2005, Mike Ewart was jolted awake in the early morning by the piercing screams of his younger brother.

  • It's a family thing for Garfield standout

    October 3, 2007

    For 26 years, Maria and Jesus Lopez have lived in a two-bedroom house in City Terrace, sending seven sons to Garfield High, where each learned to play football and gained an appreciation for the difference between right and wrong.

  • UCLA becomes a detour choice for Ivy League son

    September 28, 2007

    If anyone seemed destined to become an Ivy Leaguer, it was Jonathan Martin. After all, his father went to Harvard. His mother went to Harvard and her parents went to Harvard. Even his mother's cousin went to Harvard.

  • A standout stays close to home

    September 26, 2007

    The start of school each September can be cruel for any high school basketball coach waiting to learn if rumors of summer transfers out of his program turn out to be true.

  • Old-school style for new school

    September 21, 2007

    Julio Segura had never played tackle football until he came out for spring practice at the urging of a couple of football coaches who saw him play basketball as a sophomore at South East, a new high school in South Gate.

  • Big Bear's Kriss Proctor thrives under pressure

    September 19, 2007

    Nestled in the mountains of the San Bernardino National Forest is Big Bear, hometown of Kriss Proctor, a 17-year-old senior quarterback whose life tales are filled with enthralling moments.

  • Evans has the right attitude on and off the field

    September 14, 2007

    When a teenager loves to play football, his attitude can become contagious, inspiring teammates and even coaches.

  • They're off and running with the shotgun formation

    September 12, 2007

    It took 25 years of coaching high school football at the varsity level before a skeptical Kevin Rooney of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame finally embraced the shotgun formation in 2004.

  • Mascarenas corners the market on big plays

    September 7, 2007

    Something special seems to happen every time cornerback Alex Mascarenas of Mission Viejo is on the football field.

  • Loyola's Thompson is answering the call

    September 5, 2007

    There's an interesting way to determine whether a high school athlete has attained big-time status in the college recruiting world.

  • Mater Dei's Barkley figures to stay on course

    August 30, 2007

    When the final story is written years from now, chronicling the football achievements of quarterback Matt Barkley, don't let anyone downplay the significance of what happened in the fall of 2005.

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