Sondheimer: A high school championship weekend with memories galore
A busy weekend of high school sports championships deserves a look back at some of the excitement and oddities.In celebrating Westchester’s 16th City Section basketball…
Sondheimer: Meet the Dodgers of high school baseball: the Corona Panthers
Dave Roberts, manager of the World Series champion Dodgers, meet Andy Wise, your high school baseball counterpart at Corona High.Like Roberts, Wise had the best…
Sondheimer: Notre Dame’s Zachary White is special role player
Zachary White of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High has a super power that every coach should appreciate. He blends in with the flashiest players on…
Sondheimer: This City Section soccer rivalry takes it to the limit
They’ve been playing soccer together for four years at Birmingham High, Adrian Diaz, the scorer, and Steven Ramos, the defender.Next season they will move on…
Sondheimer: Isaiah Bennett’s turn to lead winning group at AGBU
Isaiah Bennett, a senior point guard at AGBU High in Canoga Park, has known his coach, Nareg Kopooshian, for so long that there’s a photo…
Sondheimer: Marques Johnson’s daughter begins new era in family legacy
Marques Johnson is a living, breathing legend who’s seen and experienced so many moments of greatness that his story could be part of a museum…
Sondheimer: There’s no competitive equity in Open Division football bowl game
There are 15 CIF state championship football bowl games set for Dec. 13-14 in Southern California, and 14 of the matchups should be fine. The…
Sondheimer: Glendale’s Art Samontina finds solace in coaching after loss of son
For nearly 10 minutes last June, Glendale High basketball coach Art Samontina watched on his cell phone in horror as his 6-year-old son, who had…
Sondheimer: How Southern Section football became must-see TV
Kevin Rooney, the football coach and athletic director at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, was on vacation in Lake Tahoe during the summer of 1997 when…
Sondheimer: City Section football quarterfinal playoff predictions
Narbonne High’s football team, idle since Sept. 27 after four forfeits by Marine League opponents protesting alleged rule violations, is scheduled to return to the…
Sondheimer: SoCal has the best high school basketball anywhere
If you’re a fan of amateur basketball, there’s no better place to spend the next four months than Southern California, where talent at the high…
Sondheimer: Prep football storylines for 2024 playoffs
High school football playoffs begin Thursday and Friday in the City Section and Southern Section. Here are some story lines to follow.Unbeaten Newbury Park gets…
Sondheimer: Plenty to blame in Marine League football fiasco
In one of the strangest occurrences in state high school football history, the City Section’s No. 1-ranked team, Narbonne, is set to go seven weeks…
Column: Former Southland stars balance school and football in Ivy League
When Kai Honda was running a 10.73-second 100 meters last spring at an elite prep school in New Hampshire, Phillips Exeter Academy, many were impressed…
Sondheimer: It’s the year of the linebacker in prep football
At midseason in high school football, with some teams having played five of their scheduled 10 regular-season games, the most obvious trend involves linebackers. They…
QB Jaden Jefferson and his family have Cathedral moving on up
“The Jeffersons” was a hit TV sitcom on CBS from 1975 to 1985, with its famous theme song, “Movin’ On Up.”There’s another hit Jeffersons show…
Sondheimer: Elite athletes to watch for in the 2024-25 high school sports season
The 2024-25 sports season will have a group of elite girls competing in a variety of sports who are so talented they could push the…
Sondheimer: Can CIF committees reshape the future of prep sports?
It’s time for fine-tuning, creativity and some commonsense solutions.The California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports in the state, is holding a series of…
Sondheimer: Looking back on six decades of covering high school football
It’s high school football season No. 48 for someone who loves telling stories about Southern California teenagers making a difference on and off the field.Sitting…
Sondheimer: Summer football gives clues as to what you can expect this fall
When best friends unite, the power they unleash can be magical in terms of chemistry, unselfishness and determination. That’s what Mission Viejo’s football team has…