Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The opening weekend of high school football provided some thrills and surprises. Let’s offer some observations.
Corona Centennial’s Quentin Hale makes one-handed catch against Servite on Aug. 20, 2026.
(Craig Weston)
In Las Vegas, St. John Bosco came out against Bishop Gorman looking overwhelmed on offense. The Braves suffered sacks, an interception, a fumble, erratic blocking, no ground game. They fell behind 21-0 and most thought the game was over. Then St. John Bosco came out of the locker room playing like a different team, rallying to tie the score 28-28 before losing 38-28. Here’s the report.
A couple of concerns for the Braves. They have a veteran secondary that surprisingly had communication issues, leaving running backs going out for passes uncovered. Also veteran quarterback Koa Malau’ulu rallied the team in the second half after struggling to throw the ball on the run. The defensive line produced little pressure, requiring lots of blitzing. Coach Jason Negro said everything is “fixable” but clearly the Braves have a lot more to prove.
Corona Centennial took care of its first of three games against Trinity League opponents, beating Servite 41-21. Quarterback Jaden Jefferson and receiver Quentin Hale picked up where they left off during their previous three years at Cathedral. Here’s the report. Next up is a home game Friday against Santa Margarita that’s a rematch of last year’s Division 1 final.
Crenshaw showed off a lot more offense than usual in winning its opener against a Palisades team that enjoyed its first home football game since the Palisades Fire in 2025. Here’s the report.
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer chose his son, Fletcher, to start at quarterback and he delivered in a 27-0 win over Orlando (Fla.) Jones. He threw two touchdowns. The Eagles showed off some promising freshmen, including linebacker Aydan Steen and receiver Kiyan Collins.
Sierra Canyon’s defensive line was as good as advertised in a win over JSerra.
Granada Hills Kennedy opened with a 42-14 win over Eagle Rock. That’s surprising since the Golden Cougars lost to graduation their do-everything quarterback Diego Fuentes. Matthew Quintanilla scored three touchdowns and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown.
Chaminade blanked Oaks Christian behind four sacks by Hudson Manning. But the Eagles didn’t have standout offensive tackle Jackson Hill, who has been lost for the season after knee surgery. He’s a Notre Dame commit.
Rancho Cucamonga demonstrated it’s another Inland Empire team to watch, grinding out a 28-14 win over Murrieta Valley.
Carson picked up one of the City Section’s best nonleague wins in several years by beating San Diego power Lincoln 35-31. Chris Fields III accounted for four touchdowns.
Jazmin Gamble, the only female head football coach in California, won her debut when Hawthorne defeated Gardena 26-20.
The San Pedro vs. King/Drew game was halted in the third quarter when fans and others thought there was a gunshot, leading to a scramble out of the stadium. Here’s the report.
Former Garfield coach Lorenzo Hernandez won his debut coaching Whittier, 49-6 over Temple City.
Here’s a look at top performances from last week’s openers.
Here’s the latest top 25 rankings by The Times.
Here’s the schedule for the upcoming week.
50 years and counting
Eric Sondheimer interviewing Donovan Dent at end of state championship in Sacramento March 2022.
(Nick Koza)
It’s my 50th year covering high school sports in Southern California, so I thought long and hard to present 50 moments in 50 years when I could have done 200.
Here’s the look.
Columnist Bill Plaschke took time out of his busy schedule and unleashed his beautiful writing skills, humbling me with a column that I never expected honoring high school sportswriters everywhere. Here’s the report.
Standout JSerra receiver Tessa Russell.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Panorama pulled off the biggest upset of the week, defeating Eagle Rock in four overtimes.
No. 1 JSerra continues to win and win. Here’s the report.
Here’s this week’s top 10 rankings by The Times.
El Camino Real turmoil
There’s still no resolution involving multiple El Camino Real coaches escorted off campus while the school conducts an investigation as to why their CPR and first-aid cards weren’t showing up in the Red Cross database.
Brad Wright, president of the school’s governing board, said, “At this time, I believe it is important to allow the investigation to proceed and respect the process and the privacy of everyone involved.”
Here’s the report.
Notes . . .
Former Huntington Beach star Ralphy Velazquez had a three-home run game in the minors for the Guardians.
Standout receiver Gavin Honore has returned to Mater Dei after transferring to Bishop Gorman….
Baseball coach Michael Gonzales of South El Monte has resigned….
Brody Brooks (Loyola) and Mattias Di Maggio (Dos Pueblos) are part of a final group of 32 baseball players trying to make the USA 15U national team….
Elijah Menzies is the new girls basketball coach at Villa Park. Brad Willis has taken over the boys program….
Addison Archer, who averaged 26.6 points as a freshman at Rancho Christian, has transferred to Mater Dei. The Monarchs also have freshman Janai Turner, the daughter of former Beverly Hills boys coach Jarvis Turner. She is highly regarded….
Junior pitcher Christian De La O of Corona Centennial has committed to UCLA….
Royal football coach Adam Brubaker is no longer coaching the team after a video surfaced that showed him kicking a football into the groin area of a player during practice. Here’s the report. Royal defeated Monroe 62-0 with an interim coaching staff on Friday…
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit for a second time filed against the CIF seeking to change transfer and NIL rules. Here’s the report.
From the archives: Jeff Engilman
Former Sylmar High footbal coach Jeff Engilman in 2000.
(George Wilhelm/ Los Angeles Times)
Jeff Engilman is long retired but never forgotten. He was old school, his face turning bright red when chewing out players. He was head coach at Sylmar, Arleta, Grant and Manual Arts. He won two upper division City Section titles at Sylmar. He won two City titles at Manual Arts. Golden Valley coach Dan Kelley was his assistant for 15 years at Sylmar.
Here’s a story from 1987 talking about his Manual Arts days.
Here’s a story from 1992 explaining his passion.
He lives in Vazquez and keeps track of Kelley.
Recommendations
From the Los Angeles Times, an appreciation of Russell Westbrook after his retirement.
From the San Diego Union-Tribune, a look at the top 25 high school football players in San Diego.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the demolition and plans for a new Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.
From the Los Angeles Times, a look at former NFL players taking to coaching high school football.
Tweets you might have missed
Until next time….
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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