{"id":253990,"date":"2026-04-06T12:26:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/253990\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T12:26:10","slug":"arcadia-invitational-set-to-be-a-celebration-of-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/253990\/","title":{"rendered":"Arcadia Invitational set to be a celebration of speed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I\u2019m Eric Sondheimer. It\u2019s time to put the focus on track and field with the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday at Arcadia High.<\/p>\n

Servite up for challenge \"Loyola's <\/p>\n

Loyola\u2019s Zion Phelps, left, and Ejam Yohannes are ready to perform at the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Craig Weston)<\/p>\n

Fans will be treated to quite a scene Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational with Olympian Quincy Wilson coming to town with his team from Maryland\u2018s Bullis School.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Servite\u2019s 4×100 relay team that might present a tough test for Wilson and Bullis. The Friars\u2019 Jace Wells, Jorden Wells, Kamil Pelovello and Benjamin Harris became the first boys\u2019 team in state history to break the 40-second barrier Saturday with a time of 39.82 at the Trabuco Hills Invitational. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s a sweep of the 200m with all sub-21 times & the top 3\ufe0f\u20e3 wind legal times in CA this season\u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Benjamin Harris runs a 20.77 to just beat out Max Thomas \u201822 (20.78) for the meet record while Jorden Wells (20.90) and Kamil Pelovello (20.97) finish just behind in 2nd & 3rd! pic.twitter.com\/DX8tViRtJG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Servite Athletics (@ServiteSports) April 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Coach Brandon Thomas is producing great sprinters at Servite.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udea8FINALLY! Cali Sub-40!\ud83d\udea8 @Servite_XC_TF<\/a> @ServiteSports<\/a> becomes the first boys 4×100 squad in state history to crack the elusive 40-second barrier! The Friars blazed 39.82 at today\u2019s Trabuco Hills Invit\u2019l to cook their own record of 40.00 from last year! Oh my!! \ud83d\udcf8:\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/OKwBvpIDzW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rich Gonzalez (@PrepCalTrack) April 4, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Two Loyola runners, Ejam Yohannes and Zion Phelps, are gearing up for the 400 and 100 at Arcadia. Here\u2019s a look at how both seemingly have come out of nowhere to become top athletes.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Another athlete to watch is Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel. She\u2019s one of the premier shotputters and discus throwers in the nation.<\/p>\n

The night portion of the invitational begins at 5. Here\u2019s the link for tickets.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Baseball<\/p>\n

The Boras Classic begins Tuesday at Mater Dei and JSerra. No. 1 St. John Bosco and No. 2 Orange Lutheran are in opposite brackets and could meet in Friday\u2019s final. But St. John Bosco is in the toughest bracket and faces an early test from Norco on Tuesday at 9 a.m. at Mater Dei, then a possible second-round game against Huntington Beach.<\/p>\n

Orange Lutheran and St. John Bosco enjoyed a memorable three-game series last week, with St. John Bosco winning two. Here\u2019s a look back at the intensity of the series.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The top individual performance of the week belongs to Santa Margarita sophomore Tyler George, who threw nine innings and made 104 pitches in a 1-0 win over Mater Dei. He struck out seven with no walks. His season stats include a 7-0 record, 0.85 ERA and just two walks in 41 innings.<\/p>\n

Justin Kirchner of Harvard-Westlake came through with a 13-strikeout no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Loyola.<\/p>\n

Get our high school sports newsletter <\/p>\n

Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.<\/p>\n

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n

Jayden Rojas of Bell created real drama in an 8-7 win over Miami\u2019s Gulliver Prep. He hit a walk-off, three-run triple in the bottom of the seventh. Bell is off to a 16-1 start.<\/p>\n

Jake Ange of Thousand Oaks is up to seven home runs. He had two grand slams in one game against Calabasas. He\u2019s also a starter for the boys\u2019 basketball team.<\/p>\n

Los Alamitos has forfeited six Sunset League games because of a situation similar to what several schools saw during the soccer season, with a player participating on an outside team, according to the Orange County Register.<\/p>\n

The 16-team field for the Division 1 playoffs remains wide open and should include two rising teams in unbeaten Ganesha and 16-1 Linfield Christian, which upset La Mirada 2-1 last week.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s this week\u2019s top 25 rankings by The Times.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Air Force man \"6-foot-5 <\/p>\n

6-foot-5 third baseman\/pitcher Malakye Matsumoto has come on strong this season for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. He\u2019s committed to Air Force.<\/p>\n

(Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Malakye Matsumoto of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame was destined to end up at Air Force. His father and grandfather were in the Air Force and his uncle was in the Army. But he\u2019s also headed there for his blossoming baseball skills. He\u2019s hoping to be on the same path as Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, who came out of El Toro and went to Air Force for two years.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the report.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Softball \"Norco <\/p>\n

Norco pitcher Coral Williams.<\/p>\n

(Steve Galluzzo)<\/p>\n

Norco lost its No. 1 ranking to unbeaten Murrieta Mesa weeks ago, but the Cougars let everyone know they are not going away after winning the Michelle Carew tournament championship. Here\u2019s the report.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Mesa is 16-0 and resumes action this week with a two-game series against Murrieta Valley.<\/p>\n

Chaminade pitcher Finley Suppan has been a big help for her team. Here\u2019s the report.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Lacrosse<\/p>\n

Loyola\u2019s boys\u2019 team continues to be ranked No. 1 in the state.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Santa Margarita and Mira Costa are in the girls\u2019 rankings.<\/a><\/p>\n

Notes…<\/p>\n

Evan Barry is the new boys\u2019 basketball coach at La Habra. He\u2019s been a longtime assistant. …<\/p>\n

The Jordan Brand Classic will be held April 17 at El Camino College with free admission. Girls game 5:30, boys at 7:30 p.m. Among players scheduled to participate are Jason Crowe Jr., Christian Collins, Maxi Adams, Cydee Bryant, Amalia Holquin.<\/p>\n

\u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 30, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

The Jordan Brand Classic all-star game for senior basketball players will be held April 17 at El Camino College with free admission for fans. The girls\u2019 game is at 5:30 p.m. and the boys\u2019 game at 7:30 p.m. …<\/p>\n

Former Long Beach Poly and USC running back Hershel Dennis is the new coach at Bellarmine Prep in Washington. …<\/p>\n

Former Carson football player and coach Arnold Ale is now coach at Westlake in Saratoga Springs, Utah. …<\/p>\n

Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood was named co-MVP of the McDonald\u2019s All-American game, scoring 16 points and handing out five assists. …<\/p>\n

Standout pitcher Jared Grindlinger of Huntington Beach committed to Tennessee, where his brother plays. Grindlinger, however, is expected to be drafted this summer. …<\/p>\n

Erik Zimmerman has resigned as boys\u2019 water polo coach at Mater Dei. …<\/p>\n

Chaminade offensive lineman Jackson Hill committed to UCLA. …<\/p>\n

All-American guard Brandon McCoy from Sierra Canyon announced he committed to Michigan.<\/p>\n

From the archives: Joel Schaeffer \"Former <\/p>\n

Former Reseda football coach Joel Schaeffer with his wife before his death in 2013.<\/p>\n

(Schaeffer family.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 13 years since former Reseda High football coach Joel Schaeffer<\/a> died in 2013. He had been coach for 23 years<\/a> and helped create the school\u2019s police academy. Several of his assistants went on to become coaches, and the field was named after him. He was known for \u201cthree yards and a cloud of dust\u201d football and never apologized.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important things I learned from coach was that I needed to know how important it was to help these kids become young men,\u201d former Reseda coach Alonso Arreola said in 2013. \u201cAnd that we had to find ways to use football as a resource to accomplish that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a story from 2001 on Schaeffer searching for answers after a player\u2019s death.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a story from 1997 when Schaeffer commented about the lack of pay for City Section coaches.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Recommendations<\/p>\n

From Footballscoop.com,<\/a> a story on a small rural Texas high school deciding to build a $21-million sports facility.<\/p>\n

From Chargers.com,<\/a> a look at the promising players in girls\u2019 flag football.<\/p>\n

From Andscape.com,<\/a> a profile of Inglewood guard Jason Crowe Jr.<\/p>\n

From The Los Angeles Times<\/a>, a story on how Westlake athletes are putting smiles on the faces of elementary school students.<\/p>\n

Tweets you might have missed <\/p>\n

It’s so shocking to see all these college basketball players transferring who also transferred in high school basketball. Just no idea in the world to figure out the trend.<\/p>\n

\u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) March 31, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

That\u2019s USC freshman QB Jonas Williams airing it long and connecting with freshman WR Trent Mosley for 6.<\/p>\n

This duo has been absolutely tearing it up this Spring. The future is SO bright for USC \u270c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/CYmAEItdRG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Trojan Football \u270c\ufe0f \u1da0\u1d43\u207f (@TrojanFBx) March 31, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if this is new thing but I\u2019m seeing batters all season creep as close as possible in the on deck circle to see pitchers. Umpires have to intervene. pic.twitter.com\/wiOuthnfaC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 2, 2026<\/a> Until next time….<\/p>\n

Have a question, comment or something you\u2019d like to see in a Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com<\/a>, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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