Bishop Amat

Heading into the Southern Section playoffs, Long Beach Poly Coach Raul Lara was unsure if his team was a legitimate title contender. The Jackrabbits emphatically answered that question with a 40-25 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat on Friday night in a first-round Pac-5 Division playoff game at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. "We haven't redeemed ourselves just yet, but we played good enough to move on," said Lara, whose team has reeled off seven consecutive wins since losing its last three nonleague games.

With the CIF championship riding on every dribble, Ashleigh Sparks knew precisely what to do in the closing moments of Friday night's Southern Section Division 1A final. The 5-5 senior guard caught the inbounds pass, broke to the sideline, drove the length of the court and made a layup as time expired to lift Moreno Valley Canyon Springs to a 48-46 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat at the Anaheim Convention Center. Cheyenne Greenhouse had 24 points and eight rebounds and sank a free throw to give the second-seeded Cougars (20-9)

La Puente Bishop Amat, the Southland's last unbeaten girls' basketball team, defeated Del Rey League rival Bishop Montgomery for the third time, 46-39, Saturday in the Southern Section Division III-A championship game at Azusa Pacific. Juanise Cornell, a 5-foot-10 junior, scored 14 points and Candice Brown, a 6-2 sophomore, had 11 points and 12 rebounds for top-seeded Bishop Amat (31-0), which won its second section title in a row.

Heading into the Southern Section playoffs, Long Beach Poly Coach Raul Lara was unsure if his team was a legitimate title contender. The Jackrabbits emphatically answered that question with a 40-25 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat on Friday night in a first-round Pac-5 Division playoff game at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. "We haven't redeemed ourselves just yet, but we played good enough to move on," said Lara, whose team has reeled off seven consecutive wins since losing its last three nonleague games.

Anthony Hidalgo pitched a six-hitter and struck out 11 in his first start of the season to lead La Puente Bishop Amat High to a 6-2 victory over Westminster La Quinta in the championship baseball game of the Toyo Tires National Classic on Thursday at Cal State Fullerton. It was the second consecutive National Classic title for Bishop Amat (13-2), the No. 2-ranked team in the region by The Times. Hidalgo, a senior right-hander, struck out the side in the first and third innings.

Undoubtedly looking for improvement after an 0-2 start this season, La Puente Bishop Amat went to the right place Friday night. The visiting Lancers dominated every facet against Covina Charter Oak, gaining 260 yards rushing in a 28-0 nonleague victory. Bishop Amat, ranked No. 21 in the Southland by The Times, did not look anything like the team that had given up 84 points in its first two games and appeared especially porous in a 45-7 loss to Valencia two weeks ago.

Juanise Cornell, a second-year captain for the girls' basketball team at La Puente Bishop Amat, remembers the seminal moment of the 2004-05 season coming in a Southern Section Division III-A semifinal against Santa Ynez. "It seemed like we became predators," Cornell recalled of the 57-30 victory that ignited a historic run. "We wanted teams to be fearful of us, make them feel like it was going to be a long night."

Camarillo High hosts No. 3-seeded Bishop Amat on Tuesday in the second round of the Southern Section Division I baseball playoffs. The Scorpions routed Crescenta Valley, 13-0, in their opener. Bishop Amat beat Schurr, 11-1. In Division II second-round games Tuesday, Thousand Oaks plays at Woodbridge, Hart travels to Calexico and Palmdale goes to La Mirada. Westlake is at Paso Robles and Burroughs hosts Charter Oak in Division III. In Division IV, Notre Dame hosts St.

Teams with .500 records typically aren't expected to do much in the Southern Section football playoffs. La Puente Bishop Amat might be an exception. The Lancers rolled up 397 yards rushing and thoroughly dominated two-time defending Serra League champion Santa Margarita during a 37-20 victory Friday night at Saddleback College, solidifying Bishop Amat's once-shaky playoff aspirations.

The La Puente Bishop Amat high baseball team is enjoying its finest season in school history with a 21-0 record. With two weeks left in the regular season, the Lancers have clinched the Del Rey League title and a berth in the Southern Section playoffs. But Coach Glenn Martinez said he is both happy with and embarrassed by his team's accomplishments. He said the record might be more meaningful if the school were competing in Division 5-A, made up of the section's largest schools.

Westlake Village Oaks Christian (8-2) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (7-3), 7 p.m. Oaks Christian is making its Pac-5 Division playoff debut. The Lions opened a 21-0 lead over top-seeded Ventura St. Bonaventure last week before losing in the Marmonte League championship game, so it's clear they have the ability to play against the best,. They're led by quarterback Brandon Dawkins and linebacker Cameron Judge. Notre Dame's offense has reached peak form in Week 11, led by standout running back Khalfani Muhammad and improving quarterback Kelly Hilinski.

The new gunslingers First-year quarterbacks making impact Cade Apsay, C.C. Canyon, Jr. Has 26 touchdown passes. Ian Fieber, Mission Viejo, Jr. Has passed for 1,754 yards, 18 TDs. Ajene Harris, Crenshaw, Jr. Strong arm, fearless. Koa Haynes, Bishop Amat, Jr. Athletic, smart, versatile. Brad Kaaya, Chaminade, Jr. He's 6-4, smart and improving. Tyler Peterson, Diamond Bar, So. Has passed for 1,573 yards, 18 TDs. Nick Robinson, JSerra, So. Passed for 325 yards against St. John Bosco.

Can the high school football season produce any more excitement and drama than what transpired Friday night? From Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, there were upsets and amazing performances. There was Santa Ana Mater Dei knocking off No. 1 Santa Margarita, 24-7. There was Lake Forest El Toro upsetting No. 4 Tesoro, 41-31. There was Sherman Oaks Notre Dame stunning No. 12 Encino Crespi, 40-34, in four overtimes. There was No. 9 Bellflower St. John Bosco holding off JSerra, 44-41, in overtime.

La Puente Bishop Amat (5-0-1, 0-0) at Mission Hills Alemany (6-1, 1-0), 7 p.m. - Alemany hasn't lost a Serra League game since it joined the league in 2010, going 9-0. This should be one of the Warriors' toughest tests. Bishop Amat has balance on offense with quarterback Koa Haynes and running back Dionza Blue. Darren Andrews is a terrific receiver-defensive back. Alemany gave up 42 points last week in a win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. The offense scored 49 points and might need to equal that, putting the pressure on quarterback Devon Dunn and receivers Steven Mitchell and Devin Ross.

San Clemente (8-0, 2-0) at Mission Viejo (5-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.: The outcome of this South Coast League showdown could be determined by whether Mission Viejo running backs Jahleel Pinner and Buzzy Yokoyama are able to make it back from injuries. The Diablos are at their best when they can run the ball effectively, something that San Clemente has done all season because of a dominant offensive line, led by All-American Kyle Murphy. Mission Viejo has had two weeks to prepare for San Clemente.

Now that the Rio Ruiz drama is over (he's not leaving to play for the 18U national baseball team), La Puente Bishop Amat Coach Steve Hagerty wants everyone to focus on his team's game against No. 1-ranked Anaheim Servite on Friday night at Cerritos College. "We're facing one of the best defenses around," Hagerty said. Last week, Bishop Amat defeated Los Angeles Garfield, 14-0, with quarterback Ruiz and receiver Adam Alcantara both not starting because they missed practice to play baseball.

Can the high school football season produce any more excitement and drama than what transpired Friday night? From Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, there were upsets and amazing performances. There was Santa Ana Mater Dei knocking off No. 1 Santa Margarita, 24-7. There was Lake Forest El Toro upsetting No. 4 Tesoro, 41-31. There was Sherman Oaks Notre Dame stunning No. 12 Encino Crespi, 40-34, in four overtimes. There was No. 9 Bellflower St. John Bosco holding off JSerra, 44-41, in overtime.

It's astounding that people have paid me for some 35 years to watch and report on high school sports. It's more privilege than job because there's nothing like chronicling the stories and accomplishments of teenage athletes in Southern California, where future college and professional icons are raised and tutored. I witnessed another moment of wonder Friday night at Dodger Stadium. There was Rio Ruiz, an extraordinary baseball-football standout at La Puente Bishop Amat, hitting a two-run home run into the seats down the right-field line in the third inning, then touching home plate and pointing his fingers toward the sky as a salute to Austin Lacy, his former football teammate who died earlier in the day at the age of 18 of an undisclosed illness.

SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS FRIDAY AT DODGER STADIUM DIVISION 4 LA PUENTE BISHOP AMAT (28-4) VS. PALM DESERT (28-4), 4:30 P.M. Scouting report: There's not a better matchup of teams all weekend at Dodger Stadium. Bishop Amat lost to Palm Desert, 5-1, in its season opener. The Lancers won the National Classic and have played and beaten top teams all season. Sophomore Adam Alcantar is having a terrific season with a .485 average. Third baseman Rio Ruiz is a future first-round draft pick.