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<\/p>\nThis is my 50th year covering high school sports in Southern California. Here are my most memorable moments since 1976. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Former Crespi quarterback Captain Randy Redell (left) and sportswriter Eric Sondheimer (right) prepare to board an F\u201316 fighter jet for their 82-minute flight at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., in 1998.<\/p>\n
(Freelance)<\/p>\n
1: It\u2019s 1998. I\u2019m in Sumter, S.C., invited to fly in an F-16 with former Crespi quarterback Randy Redell,<\/a> an Air Force graduate, captain and pilot. To get cleared, I have to pass a pre-flight instruction class how to use a parachute and an explanation what to do with the barf bag. Randy, apparently at the egging on by his father, Bill, the football coach at St. Francis, takes the F-16 straight up. The G force is like a roller-coaster ride on steroids. Later he tells me to take control of the plane with the stick as I wear my helmet and oxygen mask and hear his instructions on the radio. Yes, it\u2019s like riding a magic carpet. How can anything top an F-16 ride?<\/p>\n I’m going to have some fun this summer looking back on some memorable moments over nearly 50 years of covering high school sports in Southern California. Here is my most unique experience _ flying in an F-16 flown by former Crespi QB Randy Redell. pic.twitter.com\/KZLPZtSSgr<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) June 30, 2026<\/a> Bret Saberhagen pitched a no-hitter for Cleveland High School during a 13-0 win over Palisades for the City Section championship at Dodger Stadium in 1982.<\/p>\n (Courtesy of Linda Saberhagen)<\/p>\n 2: It\u2019s June 14,1982. The City Section championship baseball game is at Dodger Stadium, where Bret Saberhagen of Cleveland High pitches the first and only no-hitter in championship game history. He retired 21 of 22 batters<\/a> in a 13-0 win over a Palisades team that included an infielder named Steve Kerr. Saberhagen would go on to win two Cy Young Awards.<\/p>\n Associated Press Sports Editors award in 1988 for Eric Sondheimer story on Kentucky basketball recruit.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 3.: The lead story on ESPN\u2019s 11:30 p.m. SportsCenter on April 13, 1988,<\/a> was a report from the Los Angeles Daily News detailing a package that accidentally opened at an air freight service containing 20 $50 bills addressed to a high school basketball star at Fairfax and sent from the University of Kentucky. It led to NCAA sanctions against Kentucky and lots of resignations. My work gave me a lesson on the impact dedicated local journalism can have with a single story.<\/p>\n In 2001, Marcedes Lewis tries to get past De La Salle defenders.<\/p>\n (David Kawashima)<\/p>\n 4: The game of the century that changed high school football forever was Long Beach Poly vs. Concord De La Salle in 2001 <\/a>before 17,321 fans at Veterans Stadium and a national TV audience. It was 11 days after the 9\/11 terrorist attack. It was No. 1 De La Salle, coached by Bob Ladouceur, with a 116-game winning streak and running back Maurice Drew. No. 2 Poly had coach Raul Lara, tight end Marcedes Lewis and many other future college players. De La Salle won 29-15. From that game on, TV games featuring high school football multiplied and schools began to travel around the country for marquee matchups.<\/p>\n Dorsey coach Paul Knox celebrates miracle win in 2001 City championship game at Coliseum.<\/p>\n (Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 5: Never has there been an ending quite like the 2001 City Section football final <\/a>at the Coliseum. Taft leads Dorsey 14-13 with seven seconds left. A fourth-down punt from the 32-yard line will run out the clock. But Dorsey\u2019s Jesus Jimenez blocks the punt and Henry Badge picks up the bouncing ball in the end zone with no time left for a 19-14 win. \u201cThe ending was the craziest I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Dorsey Hall of Fame coach Paul Knox said.<\/p>\n .The Northridge Little League All-Star team from 1994 was honored with a ticker-tape parade down Disneyland\u2019s Main Street.<\/p>\n (Kari Rene Hall\/The Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 6.: The Earthquake Kids from Northridge Little League <\/a>made it to the championship game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., after the destructive 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Some of these 11- and 12-year-olds had unbelievable personalities, like a player named Matt Cassel. <\/a>I got to see what a Northeast thunderstorm was like and see the big hill that kids slide down. <\/p>\n Former Granada Hills quarterback John Elway from the 1979 yearbook.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 7: It\u2019s a 1977 City Section football playoff game that has gone into overtime. John Elway is the quarterback<\/a> for Granada Hills. Jay Schroeder is the quarterback for Palisades. Both would become Super Bowl quarterbacks. But on this day, they had to try to deliver victory in a California tiebreaker, with the ball placed on the 50-yard and the team that advanced the ball farthest after alternating plays wins. On the seventh of eight plays, Elway completed a 28-yard pass to Scott Marshall to clinch victory.<\/p>\n Crespi\u2019s Russell White carries the ball during a game against St. John Bosco on Nov. 7, 1986.<\/p>\n (John McCoy \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 8: In 1986, a sophomore running back with stunning skills, Russell White, leads Crespi to the San Fernando Valley\u2019s first and only Southern Section Division 1 football championship with a 49-14 win over St. John Bosco.<\/a> He goes on to star at Cal and gets drafted by the Rams. He becomes the commissioner of the Oakland Section, then football coach at Flintridge Prep. Forty years later, his son, Zachary, was a star basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.<\/p>\n Five years ago I shot this video of Roybal coach Danny O\u2019Fallon collapsing after his team won City title. He would die of cancer. Beloved coach. pic.twitter.com\/JO8eLhUo8j<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) October 7, 2024<\/a> <\/p>\n 9: I rarely go to City Section Division III championship basketball games \u2014 unless my alma mater, Sun Valley Poly, is involved. It was 2019, and right before the start, I learned that Roybal coach Danny O\u2019Fallon was dying of cancer. As the buzzer sounded and Roybal won, 51-47, O\u2019Fallon collasped onto the gym floor <\/a>in tears. Players came back to form a huddle around him and comfort him. It\u2019s the most emotional, gut-wrenching scene. I get tears each and every time I watch video of the moment. He\u2019d die a year later in 2020 at the age of 49. Bill Plaschke wrote a heart-warming column.<\/a> <\/p>\n Anaheim Canyon players celebrate after winning the 2015 Division 2AA championship with a 28-point comeback win over Lawndale.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 10: The 2015 Southern Section Division 2AA championship basketball game at Honda Center produced the greatest comeback I\u2019ve witnessed, with Anaheim Canyon rallying from a 28-point deficit<\/a> in the third quarter and 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Lawndale 103-98 in double overtime. Nick Anderson scored 37 points. Canyon coach Nate Harrison was exhausted and exhilarated afterward.<\/p>\n Harry Welch, the only football coach to win three state titles at three different schools _ Canyon Country Canyon, Santa Margarita and St. Margaret\u2019s.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 11: When it comes to upsets, few were bigger than Canyon Country Canyon beating the nation\u2019s No. 1-ranked football team, De La Salle, 27-13, in the inaugural CIF Division I state championship bowl game in Carson in 2006. <\/a>Coach Harry Welch, on his way to a Hall of Fame career, orchestrated everything with a little help and belief from his players.<\/p>\n Brisket, ribs and mac and cheese at Pecan Lodge in Dallas.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 12: I always wanted to see what Texas high school football was like after reading the book, \u201cFriday Night Lights,\u201d and experience Texas barbecue. It happened in 2021 when Mater Dei played Duncanville. I spent two days traveling around, seeing Allen High\u2019s $62-million stadium, watching a game at AT&T Stadium and tasting BBQ. All the reports were true _ Texas is one of a kind.<\/a> <\/p>\n You know what keeps me coming back year after year: Talking to high school athletes who show resilience and determination and don’t care what people think. It’s inspiring. They plug ahead and keep getting back up off the floor. Never doubt what a teenager can accomplish.<\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 12, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n 13: One of my first experiences with writing a story about transfers happened in 1981, when a tiny guard, Zach Lieberman, went from Montclair Prep to Taft to Granada Hills Kennedy. Then two 6-10 players suddenly showed up at Kennedy, provoking a City Section investigation. Twenty-one years later, Lieberman revealed the truth in what proved to be an early peek at the current state of affairs in high school basketball<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harvard-Westlake\u2019s twin towers Jarron (left) and Jason Collins in 1994.<\/p>\n (For the Times)<\/p>\n 14: In the 1990s, the Collins twins, 7-foot Jason and 6-11 Jarron, arrived at Harvard-Westlake, and the rest is history. They\u2019d win state championships, star at Stanford and play in the NBA. In 1999, while they were at Stanford, I wrote a story about their special bond. Former UCLA coach John Wooden <\/a>said of their progress, \u201cI think they\u2019ve improved. I\u2019m sorry [UCLA] didn\u2019t get them. It\u2019s nice to get twins who are talented and good students.\u201d Jarron\u2019s two daughters are playing for Harvard-Westlake and a son is in eighth grade. Jason died May 12, 2026, of brain cancer. He was 47.<\/p>\n Masaki Matsumoto coaching at Bernstein High in 2013.<\/p>\n (Cheryl A. Guerrero \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 15: People were telling me in 2013 about an innovative, creative football coach named Masaki Matsumoto at Bernstein High in Hollywood. I found out the coach sent home letters to parents asking them to write a letter to their son and say something positive while expressing their love. Reading the letters myself and seeing players read out loud with tears in their eyes <\/a>provided a powerful example what can happen when parents express their true feelings. It led to a story that became an ESPN documentary.<\/a> Matsumoto now coaches at Lincoln High in Tacoma, Wash.<\/p>\n In 2014, Caleb Wilson of Gardena Serra tries to make a catch in a playoff game won by Corona Centennial 68-64.<\/p>\n (Marcus Yam \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 16: Trying to keep statistics when Corona Centennial is using its no-huddle offense is challenging, but doing it in a wild 2014 playoff game against another no-huddle offense run by Gardena Serra was mind-boggling. Centennial won 68-64 i<\/a>n a game that had 15 lead changes and 12 touchdown passes.<\/p>\n Birmingham\u2019s Peyton Waters, center, tries to outjump Del Norte defenders for a Hail Mary pass in the final seconds of the Division 3-AA regional bowl game. It went off his hands and was caught by teammate Devyn Taylor with no time left for the win.<\/p>\n (Craig Weston)<\/p>\n 17: It\u2019s not every night you get to see a miracle play work. In a 2023 regional playoff game in San Diego, Birmingham trailed Del Norte 28-24. Birmingham had one final play from its 48-yard line. Quarterback Kingston Tisdell avoided the rush and threw the ball down the middle. It went off the hands of Peyton Waters and landed in the hands of Devyn Jackson for a game-winning touchdown.<\/a> <\/p>\n 18: The pandemic was about to shut down high school sports in 2020. The final high school basketball game turned out to be a memorable Open Division regional final between Sierra Canyon and Etiwanda at Cal State Northridge. Sierra Canyon rallied from 11 points down <\/a>in the fourth quarter to win 63-61 on a shot at the buzzer by future NBA player Ziaire Williams. The state championships were canceled.<\/p>\n Former Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School basketball teammates, from left, LeBron James, Dru Joyce III, and Willie McGee, appear in their high school gym on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009.<\/p>\n (Amy Sancetta \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n 19: On Jan. 4, 2003, Los Angeles got its first look at a teenage basketball player everyone said was destined for greatness. The hype was so big he sold out Pauley Pavilion. LeBron James scored 21 points <\/a>to help St. Vincent-St. Mary\u2019s defeat Mater Dei 64-58. I was not impressed with his three-point shooting, but his work ethic changed that. He\u2019d be drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He\u2019s entering his 24th NBA season and is the all-time NBA scoring leader. But my biggest memory was the family sending someone to get him food from Burger King instead of Lawry\u2019s at a media event that week.<\/p>\n Chino Hills guard LaMelo Ball pulls up for a shot over Mater Dei\u2019s Michael Wang and Matthew Weyand (21).<\/p>\n (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 20: In 2017, a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 showed up at USC\u2019s Galen Center <\/a>to witness an astounding basketball doubleheader featuring a playoff semifinal matching Chino Hills against Mater Dei and Bishop Montgomery against Sierra Canyon. It was an electric atmosphere and the games lived up to expectations. Mater Dei, led by future NBA player Bol Bol, beat Chino Hills and LaMelo Ball in overtime. Bishop Montgomery upset No. 1-seeded Sierra Canyon and future NBA first-round draft pick Marvin Bagley Jr. Anyone who attended will say it was the best two games of high school playoff basketball they\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jered Weaver throws to the plate during the second inning of his no-hitter against the Twins in 2012.<\/p>\n (Uncredited\/ASSOCIATED PRESS)<\/p>\n 21: Major League Baseball beat writers need occasional breaks during the season, so on May 2, 2012, I was recruited to fill in for Mike DiGiovanna to report on the Angels-Twins game from Angel Stadium. I was excited to get to see former Simi Valley pitcher Jered Weaver on the mound. I\u2019m also the good-luck writer. Whenever I cover a pro game, strange things happen. Sure enough, Weaver threw a no-hitter in my only Angel game of the year. <\/a>Maybe Shohei Ohtani should invite me to his next start for the Dodgers.<\/p>\n : Right\u2013hand pitcher Lucas Giolito (right) and left\u2013hander Max Fried (left) of Harvard\u2013Westlake in 2012.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 22: I\u2019m sitting in the Harvard-Westlake dugout in January 2012 interviewing Max Fried and Lucas Giolito, two future first-round draft picks. Fried arrived after Montclair Prep canceled its sports program. They\u2019d go on to be major league pitchers after each endured arm surgeries. Somehow, they got placed in the same classes, starting a friendship that will last a lifetime. Here\u2019s video of that moment.<\/a> <\/p>\n Crenshaw football coach Robert Garrett.<\/p>\n (Robert S. Helfman)<\/p>\n 23: Covering the City Section is about telling stories of overcoming road blocks, dealing with adversity and rising up to lead. In 2012, I told the story of three lifers as football coaches \u2014 Robert Garrett of Crenshaw, Paul Knox of Dorsey and Mike Walsh of San Pedro.<\/a> <\/p>\n Former Granada Hills football and baseball coach Darryl Stroh (right) with his former co-football coach Tom Harp.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 24: The legend of coach Darryl Stroh was proven in 1987 when Granada Hills upset unbeaten Carson in the City Section championship football game.<\/a> He and co-coach Tom Harp would win more City titles in baseball and volleyball, respectively. <\/p>\n Sherman Oaks Notre Dame baseball coach Tom Dill with his former pupil, Giancarlo Stanton.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 25: I never thought I\u2019d run into a better all-around athlete than John Elway. Then Mike Stanton, now known as Giancarlo Stanton, showed up at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and by his senior year in 2007, he was All-CIF in football, basketball and baseball. As baseball coach Tom Dill said, \u201cHe\u2019s a highlight reel every three or four games.\u201d<\/a> The only thing he couldn\u2019t do was make free throws. He would lose a contest to Shaquille O\u2019Neal. <\/p>\n Jon Garland pitching for Kennedy High.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 26: The reason I like baseball best among all the sports in Southern California is because it produces the most pro prospects every year, and it\u2019s not even close. There\u2019s so many top pitchers I\u2019ve seen before they were household names. Paul Skenes<\/a>. Gerrit Cole<\/a>. Jack McDowell. Bret Saberhagen. Max Fried. It goes on and on. Here\u2019s a story from 2024 looking at the best pitchers through the years.<\/a> <\/p>\n Brentwood coach Ryan Bailey.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 27: In 2018, the basketball championships in the City Section and Southern Section became a breakthrough season for Black coaches. It was time to offer thanks to the likes of Willie West at Crenshaw and Reggie Morris of Manual Arts for paving the way for the next generation of Black head coaches.<\/a> <\/p>\n Hall of Fame basketball player Gail Goodrich returned to Sun Valley Poly High for a ceremony to name the gym after him in 2025.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Anges Times)<\/p>\n Gail Goodrich scored 29 points in 1961 City final for Poly High. He scored 42 points for UCLA in 1965 NCAA final. He led the Lakers in scoring during the NBA championship year of 1971-72. Los Angeles sports legend. 82 years old and humble as ever. pic.twitter.com\/zr8ddI3O9e<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) November 7, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n 28: In 1999, I got to talk to two of my favorite people all-time \u2014 John Wooden and Gail Goodrich. Wooden told the story of how he spotted Goodrich at a high school basketball game. <\/a> I spoke to Wooden numerous times calling him at his Encino condo. Every time he picked up, he was friendly and made me feel so lucky speaking with a living legend. Goodrich became a Hall of Famer out of my alma mater, Poly High in Sun Valley, where the gym was named in his honor last year.<\/a> <\/p>\n Nine months after brain surgery for a football injury, Nathan Santa Cruz of Venice ran the anchor leg in the 4×400 relay and helped the Gondoliers finish second at the City Section championships and earn spot in state championships.<\/p>\n (Craig Weston)<\/p>\n 29: On the opening night of the 2022 high school football season, 15-year-old sophomore Nathan Santa Cruz of Venice suffered a head injury that resulted in emergency brain surgery to save his life. Thanks to the fast action of medical personnel at the game and at the hospital, he was back running track nine months later. It took months of being patient waiting <\/a>for people to be willing to talk about the emotional scene to explain how his life was saved. He returned to play football in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n Long Beach Poly coach Sharrief Metoyer throws his hands up in an act of exasperation along the sidline.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 30: The frustration with CIF transfer rules reached an unprecedented moment in a 2013 state basketball playoff game between Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei. Poly coach Sharrief Metoyer chose to put into the game an ineligible player in protest. I watched in horror knowing the consequences. He\u2019d never coach another game for Poly.<\/a> It was sad that a young, promising coach had made a terrible mistake. He was suspended for a year and then resigned.<\/a> <\/p>\n End of 3, Sierra Canyon 35, San Marino 14. This game is pretty much done. Start warming up the bus to Sacramento for Sierra Canyon.<\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) December 13, 2015<\/a> <\/p>\n 31: In 2015, I learned a valuable lesson: Don\u2019t tweet that a game is over until it\u2019s really over. With San Marino down 21 points in the fourth quarter to Sierra Canyon in a state football playoff game I tweeted, \u201cStart warming up the bus to Sacramento for Sierra Canyon.\u201d Well, San Marino rallied for a 36-35 victory.<\/a> I don\u2019t think Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse will ever forgive me for the jinx.<\/p>\n Servite coach Troy Thomas, in 2009, is congratulated by assistant coach Ken Foersch, now the president of Crespi.<\/p>\n (Christine Cotter\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 32: I still think Edison had the best football team in 2009. Unfortunately, it rained and rained and Angel Stadium became a soggy field more suitable for ducks. The surfer team couldn\u2019t handle it, with Servite beating the Chargers 16-6 in the Pac-5 championship game.<\/a> It was Edison\u2019s only loss of the season and the Chargers had beaten Servite in the regular season. I remember walking on the field afterward and ruining my shoes and seeing Servite players love every moment of playing in the rain.<\/p>\n With downtown Los Angeles in the background, Contreras football coach Manuel Guevara prepares for another obstacle this season \u2014 ICE raids that strike fear among his players and their parents.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 33: In the summer of 2025, immigration agents, dressed in tactical gear and riding on horses and in armored vehicles, made a show of force through MacArthur Park trying to strike fear into the immigrant community. And they did. More than 20 players skipped football practice at Contreras in downtown Los Angeles. I went there and saw the fear on the faces of players wondering if their parents would even show up to games in the fall. It resulted in an important story how teenagers were being affected by ICE.<\/a> <\/p>\n 34: The Wolf brothers, Jim and Randy, from El Camino Real, were destined to do what they loved best \u2014 umpire and pitch, respectively, in the major leagues. Their dreams came true. In 1997, as each was doing the hard preparation work to fulfill their goals, I wrote a story, \u201cBrothers of Summer.\u201d<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to get on the Supreme Court,\u201d Randy said of his brother\u2019s umpire journey. \u201cIt\u2019s just sticking it out and not giving up,\u201d Jimmy said.<\/p>\n Quarterback Josh Rosen, in a 2013 photo, celebrating St. John Bosco going 16-0.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 35: St. John Bosco finished 16-0 in 2013 with a 20-14 win over De La Salle<\/a> before a record crowd of 16,791 in Carson to win the Open Division state championship bowl game. The game had drama and excitement but what really stayed in my memory was quarterback Josh Rosen jumping into the stands and getting his photo taken with St. John Bosco fans and students. <\/p>\n In 1992, Eric Sondheimer presents Taft High grad Quincy Watts a gift from winning the 400 meters at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 36: It\u2019s 1992, and Taft High graduate Quincy Watts won the 400 meters at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. He came home with two gold medals and his alma mater honored him. I got to present him a framed newspaper copy of his achievement. Twenty years later, I wrote a story with the headline: Quincy Watts is a role model for what is possible.<\/a> <\/p>\n Former Taft standout Steve Smith had his No. 2 jersey number retired in 2023 and brought his three sons, Jordan (left), Theo and Carter.<\/p>\n (Craig Weston)<\/p>\n 37: Steve Smith was a prodigy at Taft High in football and basketball. He made amazing receptions and dunked against anybody. He had his football jersey retired in 2023. <\/a>He joined the City Section Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2025. He became a standout receiver for USC and a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants. He and his brother, Malcolm, a linebacker and another Super Bowl winner, were examples of all the good that can happen when raised by parents to be respectful and humble.<\/p>\n Serra High School receiver Robert Woods in 2008.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 38: In 2008, I met a promising receiver at Gardena Serra, Robert Woods<\/a>, and learned what his motivation would be for years \u2014 make his older sister, Olivia, proud after she had died of cancer in the spring at the age 17. He\u2019d become an All-American at USC and Super Bowl winner with the Rams.<\/p>\n 39: Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra was fast. He was so fast that in 2022, I was there at Moorpark High to see him run the fastest wind-legal 100 meters time in state history, 10.14 seconds, as he let out a primal scream.<\/a> <\/p>\n Windward freshman Juju Watkins could be a trendsetter in women\u2019s basketball. She\u2019s averaging 21 points as a 14-year-old.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 40: First there was Cheryl Miller, then Lisa Leslie. They were the faces of high school girls\u2019 basketball in Southern California. Along came JuJu Watkins, a 14-year-old freshman at Windward who her coach, Vanessa Nygaard, told me in 2020, \u201cHer potential is unknown.\u201d She became The Times\u2019 player of the year as a freshman. <\/a>Her skills were off the charts, as was her personality. <\/a> Her great-grandfather, Ted Watkins<\/a>, was a revered leader in Watts in the 1960s. In the era of NIL, she got an agent, signed a shoe deal, transferred to Sierra Canyon and became the No. 1 player in the country before signing with USC and becoming a national figure.<\/p>\n Jim Toring, then a Harvard-Westlake High School senior, is photographed in the campus pool in Studio City on May 25, 1993. <\/p>\n (Brian Vander Brug\/For The Times)<\/p>\n 41: It\u2019s May 3, 1998, and I have tears at the celebration of life for Jim Toring, one of America\u2019s greatest athletes in the sport of water polo. I met him when he was a freshman at Harvard-Westlake. His coach, Rich Corso, told me how great he\u2019d become. He led UCLA to two NCAA titles and was destined to be a star for the U.S. Olympic water polo team in 2000. He was killed at the age of 23 in a bus accident in Paris. <\/a> Former Campbell Hall and Northridge Little Leaguer Michael Frost.<\/p>\n (Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 42: In 2000, Michael Frost was a senior at Campbell Hall and asked to look back at what happened to him as a 12-year-old. He struck out to end Northridge Little League\u2019s 4-3 loss to Venezuela in the 1994 Little League World Series. I wrote: \u201cHe was only 12, too young to think his life was ruined but old enough to understand he had gone through a life-changing experience.\u201d Six years later: \u201cIt was very hard to get over that. I learned how to deal with it and it became one of the best life experiences I\u2019ve ever had, to come back from a failure and strive to be better.\u201d The power of moving forward.<\/a> He ended up pitching in college.<\/a> <\/p>\n Carson coach Elijah Asante addressing players in the locker room in 2010 before 14-10 upset of Mater Dei.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 43: It was the first football game of the 2010 season, and Carson coach Elijah Asante invited me to be a passenger on the bus to and from Santa Ana Stadium for a game against Mater Dei. He wore a microphone in the locker room and allowed me to give readers a behind-the-scenes look. Incredibly, Carson defeated Mater Dei 14-10 <\/a>and it was my favorite video ever shot.<\/a> <\/p>\n Riding in a jeep on a muddy road in Kenya, sportswriter Eric Sondheimer and former North Hollywood basketball coach Steve Miller do a podcast in 2018.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 44: Before Zoom, before podcasts became big, I was taping a weekly show for YouTube<\/a> with former North Hollywood basketball coach Steve Miller entitled, \u201cSondy and the Coach.\u201d In 2018, one episode was taped in a jeep while driving on a muddy road in Kenya and shaking back and forth. It was safari time. <\/p>\n Brothers, Jrue and Justin Holiday of the Campbell Hall basketball team in 2005.<\/p>\n (Robert Lachman \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 45: In 2014, Jrue Holiday of Campbell Hall acted like he was a most normal high school student<\/a> even though everyone predicted NBA stardom was ahead. The lead of a column was: \u201cStanding at the entrance to the gymnasium at North Hollywood Campbell Hall and wearing a Disneyland hat with the name \u2018Grumpy\u2019 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.\u201d He was the manager for the girls\u2019 tennis team and did the dishes at home.<\/p>\n Jack McDowell sent a signed plaque of his 1993 Cy Young Award to Eric Sondheimer, who covered him in 1984 at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 46: Jack McDowell was one of the best and most competitive high school athletes ever.<\/a> In 1984, he helped pitch Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to a 27-1 record. He became an All-American at Stanford and Cy Young Award winner with the Chicago White Sox. His battle with umpires was legendary. \u201cThere were umpires in the Valley who trembled at the thought of being behind home plate with McDowell on the mound,\u201d I wrote. \u201cHe might have been only a teenager, but he wasn\u2019t afraid to bark out an expletive if he didn\u2019t like a pitch call.\u201d He sent me a framed and autographed plaque of his 1993 Cy Young Award. It showed me that a journalist can be fair and critical at the same time and earn an athlete\u2019s respect.<\/p>\n This is still one of my favorite moments. Neil Diamond showing up to sing “Sweet Caroline” for the opening of Notre Dame High’s $3 million baseball field in 2014. https:\/\/t.co\/f658Y0tsw9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) January 12, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n 47: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame opened its new $3-million baseball field in 2014, and the highlight besides unveiling the field was Neil Diamond showing up to sing, \u201cSweet Caroline,\u201d<\/a> with Larry King and Pete Rose watching.<\/p>\n (Myung J Chun \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 48: It was one of the strangest stories told in 1986.<\/a> Chaminade student Pablo Suarez pulled off the charade of the year. His mother refused to sign a permission slip for him to play football. His father agreed to sign, and for nine months they kept the secret he was playing quarterback. One time his mother went to clean his closet. \u201cWe had a long hallway, and I sprinted down the hallway and opened the window,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I busted the screen to throw the [football] stuff out.\u201d The secret was discovered when a courtesy phone call was made telling his mom about an injury. \u201cMy dad spent a couple days sleeping on the couch,\u201d Suarez said.<\/p>\n Pete Crow-Armstrong, formerly of Harvard-Westlake, is now a star player for the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n 49: It\u2019s the spring of 2020. The pandemic has shut down all high school sports. I\u2019m sitting at home frustrated and bored. Then-sports editor Chris Stone suggests doing a video series using the new Zoom technology to interview seniors about how they are dealing with the pandemic. It was entitled, \u201cSeason Interrupted.\u201d Suddenly, I\u2019m fired up and interviewing athletes every day. The first was future major leaguer Pete Crow-Armstong.<\/a> It helped save my sanity and re-charge my enthusiasm while keeping high school sports going at a time of uncertainty.<\/p>\n 50: It\u2019s late into the night at Dodger Stadium in the 1985 City Section final. Neither Kennedy nor Banning is budging. It\u2019s the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied at 9-9. Up comes sophomore Kevin Farlow of Kennedy with two outs. He hits a game-winning home run down the left-field line. It\u2019s bedlam for the fans who stayed. It\u2019s stunning to see a high school kid hit a walk-off home run in a major league park.<\/a> <\/p>\n Eric Sondheimer interviews Dominic Dent during his days at Corona Centennial.<\/p>\n (\/Nick Koza)<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a great run. Thank you to the many photographers, some of them freelancers who worked for no pay, just wanting to be part of the high school sports experience. And thank you to those who still read newspapers. They may one day go away unless community members, young and old, provide support. There\u2019s many more stories to tell. And I\u2019m not retiring anytime soon.<\/p>\n Eric Sondheimer plays golf in the 1990s with Simi Valley and UCLA star Don MacLean and legendary sportswriter Pete Kokon, who gave Eric his first job at $15 a story for the San Fernando Sun.<\/p>\n (Eric Sondheimer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Bret](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495785_248_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Chino](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495791_705_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n![\":](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495792_741_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Jon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495794_176_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Brentwood](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495794_506_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Serra](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495798_245_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Windward](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495798_80_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Jim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495799_27_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
`<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495799_440_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Carson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495799_599_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n![\"Pablo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495801_411_.jpeg\")
Pablo Suarez, a former Chaminade athlete, owned 30 thoroughbreds in 2006. <\/p>\n![\"Pete](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495801_957_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495802_249_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787495802_482_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n