It's time to look into my crystal ball and see what 2026 has in store for Southland High School athletes (and some former ones), coaches and fans:
JJ Harel Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, armed with U.S., Israeli and Australian passports, will soar over 7 feet in the high jump that national organizations in three different countries will vie for him to represent their team. …
Forward PensA sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball will get the nod from a radar gun company. …
There will be so many celebrities and former players wanting to be seen at the UCLA-USC women's basketball games that TMZ won't have to pay for the video. …
Freshman High School Football Debut Zoe Thompsonsister Alyssa And Gisellewill be so big that Harvard-Westlake will have to hand out red bibs to photographers so they can determine who the media really is. …
Norco junior buddy Dylan Seward will hit the cycle. …
Jayden Sung celebrates winning the Southern California Golf Association title. Amateur Championship at the Saticoy Club in Somis on July 11, 2024.
(SKGA)
Saint Francis sophomore golfer Jayden Sung win a second CIF championship in a row, and then have to answer the same question over and over again: “When are you going to turn pro?” …
Gary Morse, a 6-foot-8 senior pitcher for Orange Lutheran, should be one of the Southland's best in the 2026 class.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Orange Lutheran 6-foot-8 senior pitcher Gary Morse will throw out a no-hitter, then find the hoop and celebrate with a dunk. …
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay (left) and sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna will be key players for Birmingham in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Birmingham's sophomore pitcher-catcher duo Carlos Acuna And Jordan Lindsay lead the Patriots to a city section baseball title and then celebrate with a dog pile at Dodger Stadium, where the 6-2, 200-pound Lindsay defended Acuna from being choked out below by teammates. …
Santa Margarita player Brody Shoemaker (left) and his father Skip, manager of the Texas Rangers.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Santa Margherita Brody Shoemakerwho had eight singles last season, his father will ask: Missnew manager of the Texas Rangers to show off his bunting skills in spring training. …
Brian Prince The department will cover 47 seconds at a distance of 400 meters. …
Ricky Luevano Sylmar and Xavier Allen Carson will compete for the City Section home run championship. …
Eastvale Roosevelt Aubrey McLaughlin who won gold medal while playing for the U.S. Under-18 team. The world championship softball team will break out their new jewelry for the critical game against Norco. …
All-City midfielders De'Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw and Elijah Staples Marquesa will be one of the first City Section players to receive ZERO deals. …
Cypress, baseball coach John Weber will get a zero deal from the pencil company because he always walks around with a pencil tucked behind his ear. …
All-CIF Corona Centennial Defensive Lineman Jayden Walk-Greenwho also starts in center field for the baseball team, will show such promise on snowboarding that he will decide to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2028. …
George Hastings Agouri will try to play every position in a football game this season. …
There will be so many quarterback transfers that MaxPreps digital rosters will crash due to too many clicks. …
PlayOn, which owns MaxPreps, GoFan and the NFHS Network, will seek a monopoly in California's prep sports industry by bidding for a CIF state playoff contract that expires in June. …
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite will record so many blocks of pancakes that IHOP will sign him to a deal to promote all-you-can-eat pancakes for a week to everyone who weighs 280 pounds and above. . . .
A basketball official, tired of hearing parents complain about his calls, stops the game, blows the whistle for the parent and asks him to take over. …
(Gene J. Pushkar/AP)
Freshman Louis Lappe, Known for his home run for El Segundo in the championship game of the 2023 Little League World Series.hit a home run in his high school debut for Harvard-Westlake. …
Shohei Ohtani will be seen practicing on a high school baseball field, resulting in several helicopters being sent in to provide commentary, similar to a car chase in Los Angeles. …
USC will address any deficiencies in red zone evaluation by installing freshman Trent Mosley at the Wildcat quarterback. …
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will be UCLA's closer this season.
(Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times)
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will be the long-awaited standout to lead UCLA closer to an NCAA baseball title. …
It features four players from Southern California, led by a Sherman Oaks Notre Dame graduate. Ella Parker, The Oklahoma softball team will hold practice on the beach to make sure SoCal players don't get homesick. …
Freshman Tight End Austin Miller from Bellflower will be first to motivate new UCLA coach Bob ChesneI can come to campus for a personal introduction. …
Valencia Sophomore Defender Evan McCallister will be a breakthrough passing star. …
After nine straight years of Northern California teams losing in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl final, the CIF will agree to allow postseason transfers to De La Salle or San Mateo Serra so they can be competitive. …
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner shows off her medals after returning from the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)
Bailey Turner of Huntington Beach, the ISA Junior World Surfing Championship winner, will continue her preparation for the 2028 Olympics by riding one big wave after another. …
After the Cleveland Browns Carson Schwesinger named Defensive Rookie of the Year, all the people who didn't rate him highly at Oaks Christian when he was in high school will be using magic markers to update their star rating.
