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Los Angeles Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep Rally: A sneak peak of our breakdown of Southern California's top quarterbacks
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It's time to start previewing top football players for the coming season. The Times' nine-part series looking at each position begins Aug. 12, but let's start providing a sneak peek. Quarterbacks can be broken down into three groups — exceptional returnees, rising players entering their senior seasons and newcomers with potential. Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park returns for his senior year having thrown 147 career touchdowns. Bryson Beaver of Vista Murrieta surged in the off season as a college prospect before committing to Oregon after passing for 3,214 yards. Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo is an Ohio State commit with big ambitions for his senior season. Brady Edmunds of Huntington Beach enters his junior season after passing for 3,222 yards as a sophomore. He's also committed to Ohio State. Corin Berry of Charter Oak passed for 3,034 and committed to Purdue. Oscar Rios of Downey is committed to Arizona and one of the best passers and runners. Jackson Taylor of Thousand Oaks committed to Boise State. Alexander Lundsberg of Anaheim Canyon was one of the state leaders in passing at 3,646 yards. Travis Frazier of Esperanza is a 6-foot-4 senior who passed for 2,600 yards. Ryan Hopkins of Mater Dei moves from JSerra as one of the fastest quarterbacks in the state and is a Wisconsin commit. Koa Malau'ulu of St. John Bosco should continue his rise after a freshman season that saw him get the Braves into the Division 1 final. Wyatt Brown moves from Santa Monica to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame ready to test himself against Mission League competition. Cathedral's Jaden Jefferson had 2,641 yards and 30 touchdowns as a sophomore. Edison's Sam Thomson led his team to a state title as a sophomore. Santa Margarita turns to Tulane commit Trace Johnson, a transfer from Florida. Agoura gets back from injury Gavin Gray, who had more than 1,100 yards passing in four games. Chaparral's Dane Weber completed 67% of his passes as a sophomore. Dominik Hardy of Calabasas passed for 2,100 yards as a sophomore. Deshawn Laporte of Burbank had 2,600 yards passing as a sophomore for a 9-3 team. Joseph Mesa of Paraclete passed for 3,414 yards and 30 touchdowns. Isaiah Arriaza of Damien passed for 2,892 yards and was Baseline League MVP. Russell Sekona of Leuzinger is coming off a freshman season in which he passed for 1,600 yards. Caden Jones of Crean Lutheran might be the best football/basketball athlete in the Southland entering his junior season. Jacob Paisano of Hart and Brady Bretthauer of Valencia are both senior quarterbacks with strong arms and proven performances from the Foothill League. The City Section could have its best collection of quarterbacks in years, led by Eagle Rock's Liam Pasten, who had 3,602 yards passing last season. There's also Chris Fields at Carson, Jack Thomas at Palisades, Elijah McDaniel at Dorsey, Diego Montes at Kennedy, Seth Solorio at San Pedro and freshman Thaddeus Breaux at Hamilton. Speaking of freshmen, the class of 2029 quarterbacks look promising. Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Marcus Washington of Cajon have already made positive impressions this summer. In girls flag football, Makena Cook of Orange Lutheran, injured during the girls' soccer season, is expected back this fall to lead the defending Southern Section champion Lancers. Here's the report. San Pedro is up to nearly 30 players going out for flag football. The Pirates have lost in the City Open Division finals the last two seasons. King/Drew is joining the Pirates in the Marine League this season. It's my favorite week of the summer, because Edison's Battle at the Beach seven on seven passing tournament is set for Saturday. The 9 a.m. games are some of the best matchups, with Cathedral vs. St. John Bosco and Edison vs. Santa Margarita. St. John Bosco, Mission Viejo, Santa Margarita, Servite, Los Alamitos, Palos Verdes, Long Beach Poly and L.A. Cathedral are among the schools scheduled to participate. Mission Viejo gets the favorite nod, having beaten Mater Dei in its own tournament on June 28. Action starts at 9 a.m. and ends by early afternoon. Bring a lawn chair, then sit back and enjoy lots of outstanding skill-position players. Ocean View is hosting its own tournament on Saturday. The transfer portal continues nonstop. Matt Smith, who took over starting quarterback duties during last season's playoffs as a sophomore, has left Loyola for Villa Park. Two other Loyola players have also left, defensive back Brandon Lockhart to Sierra Canyon and running back Sean Morris to Orange Lutheran. The Cubs have lost at least eight players since January. Richard Dunn, a linebacker and running back who was All-City selection as a freshman at Hamilton, has transferred to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Jordan Spigarelli, a 6-foot-3 junior quarterback, has left JSerra for Newport Harbor. Here's the transfer tracker. Rivals Garfield and Roosevelt will unveil new football fields and stadiums this fall. Construction could be finished by the end of this month. Here's a report. Unsung defensive end Andrew Williams of Fremont should serve as inspiration for City Section players this season after committing to USC last February. It's a story that gives others hope. Here's the report. The Section 7 tournament in Arizona revealed lots of top boys basketball teams for the coming season. Among the teams winning bracket championships were Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Crespi, Crean Lutheran, Sierra Canyon and Orange Lutheran. Among the new stars emerging were junior Davy Harris of Windward and junior NaVorro Bowman of Notre Dame. Bowman received a scholarship offer from UCLA. Brentwood's girls' team made a positive impressive at the CaliLive competition. Guards were standouts in the CaliLive boys competition. Jason Crowe Jr. (Inglewood), Luke Barnett (Mater Dei), Joe Sterling (Harvard-Westlake), Kaiden Bailey (Santa Margarita) all indicated they are ready for big senior seasons. Notre Dame or St. John Bosco will be the the No. 1 team to start the season. Transfers have moved into Crespi, JSerra, Campbell Hall, Sierra Canyon, La Mirada and St. John Bosco, adding to already talented teams. But plenty more transfers are expected before school begins next month. Cleveland has added St. Bonaventure's Charlie Adams, who was a star freshman last season. The MLB amateur draft begins Sunday in Atlanta, and it should be a good draft for Southern California products. Corona pitcher Seth Hernandez and Corona shortstop Billy Carlson are both likely first-round picks, if not top 10 picks. Hernandez was the Gatorade national player of the year and is a two-time player of the year by The Times. Great Oak infielder Gavin Fien is another likely first-round selection. Shortstop Quentin Young of Oaks Christian is another potential first-round pick. Pitcher Angel Cervantes of Warren, a UCLA commit, is expected to be taken in the first three rounds and sign. Here's a look at ESPN writer predictions. Here's an MLB mock draft. Also, for the first time, two Harvard-Westlake grads have earned spots in the MLB All-Star Game. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Max Fried of the New York Yankees can wear their old Wolverine caps. Good things happen when volleyball players from Loyola and Mira Costa join together. The MB Surf club team won the 18 Open division championship at the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Florida. It's owned by Loyola coach Mike Boehle. His sons, Parker and Davis, coached the team. The MVP was Mira Costa's Andrew Chapin. All-tournament picks included Grayson Bradford from Mira Costa and Blake Falbusch from Loyola. MB Surf also won the 12 Open division title, so watch for future Loyola and Mira Costa players. Kendall Omoruyi, the top-ranked girls' volleyball player from the class of 2027, has enrolled at Sierra Canyon. She's a Nebraska commit who attended Casteel High near Phoenix. Jackson Eisenhower, the pitcher of the year in the Mission League from Crespi, has committed to Colorado Mesa. . . . Megan Hall has become an athletic director at Harvard-Westlake. She previously was at Notre Dame Academy. . . . Defensive end Richard Wesley of Sierra Canyon, previously committed to Oregon after a fancy social media video of taking a swim with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, has committed to Texas. . . . Huntington Beach receiver Troy Foster has committed to Colorado State. . . . Crespi defensive lineman James Moffat has committed to Princeton. . . . Cathedral receiver Jalen Ross has committed to Idaho State. . . . Corona Centennial offensive lineman Jakob Mckindley has committed to Northern Arizona. . . . Servite tight end Luke Sorensen has committed to Nebraska. . . . Mission Viejo defensive back Jeron Jones has committed to Washington. . . . Khary Wilder, the standout defensive lineman from Gardena Serra, has committed to Ohio State. . . . Offensive lineman Mateo Bilaver of Chaminade has committed to UNLV. . . . Kyle Sanders, a 6-10 sophomore at St. Bernard, has transferred to Campbell Hall. . . . Trinity League boys basketball has decided to hold a post-regular season tournament and will play each league team once during the regular season. . . . Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has completed a project adding new bleachers to its gymnasium. . . . AJ Garcia, the former football coach at Ayala, is the new athletic director at Chino. . . . Former Bishop Montgomery and UCLA guard David Singleton is the new assistant coach at UCLA. . . . Joe Hoggatt, the baseball coach and athletic director at Bishop Amat, is leaving to become an assistant commissioner with the Southern Section. . . . The City Section is up to 85 schools planning to have flag football teams this fall. . . . Jesse Mercado is the new boys basketball at Villa Park. . . . Here's the All-CIF softball team. . . . Senior Kai Staniland of Ventura has committed to Point Loma Nazarene for women's basketball. . . . The South Bay will be the site for the LA Throws Cup on Friday. . . . A new skatepark has opened in San Juan Capistrano. . . . Nico Young was the premier distance runner in Southern California running for Newbury Park, and now he's one of the best in the world. He set an American record in the 5,000 meters on June 12, running 12:45.27. Here's a story from 2019 on his climb through the high school record books. Here's an interview from 2020 with Young discussing the future after the pandemic ended his season. From a story on Long Beach Poly's campus beginning a six-year, $450 million upgrade. From a story on the rise of former Harvard-Westlake outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Chatsworth guard Alijah Arenas discussing his accident. From a story on the rise of former Thousand Oaks shortstop Jacob Wilson, who made the All-Star Game. Have a question, comment or something you'd like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer. Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan lands elite kicker Micah Drescher for 2026, strengthens special teams supremacy
Michigan lands elite kicker Micah Drescher for 2026, strengthens special teams supremacy Michigan football already added a longsnapper to the 2026 class, but the special teams additions don't appear to be over. For now, the Wolverines have Dominic Zvada in place as the place kicker, but with this being his last year, the job will be open next season. Local product Adam Samaha was supposed to be the kicker of the future, but he ended up transferring to North Carolina during the offseason. On Wednesday, the Wolverines managed to secure a kicker who could help the team retain special teams supremacy. Rated No. 5 overall according to Chris Sailer Kicking, Hinsdale (Ill.) Central kicker Micah Drescher announced that he has committed to the maize and blue. The scouting report from Chris Sailer Kicking: Micah is an outstanding high school kicking and punting prospect. He is a great looking athlete with one of the strongest legs in America. Micah does an excellent job on the field goal, a strength. He hits a pure, accurate ball off the ground and has 55+ yard range. His kickoffs are strong, D1 ready. Micah's best ball measures 70+ yards, with 4.15+ hang time. Also a very talented punter. Micah punts for a nice combination of distance and hang time. A competitor who thrives under pressure. I look forward to seeing what the future holds. He has a bright future at the college level with continued hard work. Look for him to dominate this offseason picking up D1 offers along the way. Micah is well on his way. Outstanding prospect. OFFER NOW!!! Though he doesn't have a ranking on Kohl's Kicking, he does have a scouting report: Drescher recently competed at the 2023 Kohl's National Scholarship Camp. He again competed in all three disciplines and had a solid overall showing at camp. He scored 19 points in the field goal charting and was impressive with his kickoffs. He connected with a big ball of 60 yards with 3.65 seconds of hang time and is right on the edge of bumping up to the 4.5 range. He flashed solid potential in punting as well and charted a big ball of 42 yards with 3.85 seconds of hang time. Drescher competed at the 2023 Kohl's Midwest Spring Showcase Camp. He's got excellent leg speed and advanced ball striking at his age. He competed in all three disciplines at camp and had an excellent overall showing. Here is the list of current Michigan football commits in 2026: Newbury Park (Calif.) four-star QB Brady Smigiel (No. 83 overall, 7th QB, 12th in California) Billings (Mt.) West four-star TE Matt Ludwig (No. 160 overall, 9th TE, 1st in Montana ) Chicago (Ill.) Simeon four-star EDGE McHale Blade (No. 169 overall, 21st EDGE, 5th in Illinois) Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star CB Brody Jennings (No. 277 overall, 24th CB, 43rd in Florida) Cartersville (Ga.) Cass four-star IOL Bear McWhorter (No. 399 overall, 33rd IOL, 48th in Georgia) Liberty Hill (Tx.) four-star DL Alister Vallejo (No. 411 overall, 44th DL, 55th in Texas) Denver (Colo.) Mullen three-star TE Mason Bonner (No. 600 via On3; 30th TE, 5th in Colorado) Dallas (Tx.) Parish Episcopal three-star WR Jaylen Pile (No. 714 overall, 103rd WR, 113th in Texas) Washington (D.C.) St. John's three-star EDGE Tariq Boney (No. 796 overall, 74th EDGE, 4th in D.C.) Hinsdale (Ill.) Central K Micah Drescher (No. 5 K, Chris Sailer Kicking) Phoenix (Ariz.) Sandra Day O'Connor five-star LS Colton Dermer (No. 6 LS) Drescher also had offers from Air Force and Northwestern.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Michigan stacks blue-chip QBs, Bryce Underwood isn't a deterrent for Brady Smigiel
The news wasn't quite official, so Joe Smigiel had to be coy. The coach at Newbury Park High in Southern California has one more season with a special quarterback prospect who also happens to be his son, four-star Michigan commit Brady Smigiel. The Smigiels want to squeeze every drop out of Brady's final high school season, both for the team's sake and to prepare Brady for the competition that awaits him at Michigan. Advertisement Brady, who will be a four-star starter at Newbury Park, had a stellar junior season with 3,521 passing yards and 49 touchdowns while leading his team to a 14-1 record. Joe, like any coach, was looking for more. 'We're changing some things up this year, which is going to help him mentally,' Joe said. 'We have a new offensive coordinator coming who's recently been very successful in the college ranks and already is making a huge difference in how he looks at things.' Joe couldn't say it at the time, but a day later, word was out. Cam Rising, the quarterback who led Utah to Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022, was retiring after seven seasons in college football. His next gig: offensive coordinator at Newbury Park, his high school alma mater. Bad Moon Out. — Cameron Rising (@crising7) May 7, 2025 'Cam played at Newbury, so we were always around each other,' said Brady, who was a ball boy during Rising's high school career. 'I'm really excited for him to be coming straight out of college, being able to have him call my offense. I'm just excited to develop.' Brady used a version of the word 'develop' nearly a dozen times when discussing his goals for the upcoming year and his reasons for committing to Michigan. That provides a clue about his mindset and why he saw Michigan as a good fit, even with star freshman Bryce Underwood already staking a claim to the quarterback job. Smigiel is an elite prospect ranked No. 80 in the 247Sports Composite and No. 7 among 2026 quarterbacks. He has a strong and accurate arm, the football IQ of a coach's son and ideal size at 6 feet 5. He's also humble enough to know that success at the college level may not happen right away. His decision was about finding a program where he could develop, not about picking the quickest path to playing time. Advertisement 'I don't know anywhere you're going to go that's a program as good as Michigan, and you're not going to expect them to bring in great players,' Joe said. 'They've got a great '24 in Jadyn Davis. They've got Bryce. The '27 class is starting to heat up. They're going to bring in a good '27. They're going to bring in a good '28, all to take the job of the quarterback spot.' Michigan hasn't been known as a program that signs blue-chip quarterbacks in every cycle the way, say, Ohio State and Alabama do. The Wolverines signed J.J. McCarthy in the Class of 2021, followed by Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal, a pair of three-star prospects, in 2022. The Wolverines whiffed at quarterback in 2023 before landing Davis, a borderline top-100 prospect in the Class of 2024. The shaky quarterback recruiting in the classes after McCarthy explains how Michigan ended up in a bind last season. This time, the Wolverines aren't letting off the throttle after signing Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2025. Landing Smigiel gives Michigan elite quarterback prospects in three successive classes and could signal a shift in the way Michigan is perceived by quarterback recruits. Part of that shift involves the arrival of offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who was hired to replace Kirk Campbell in December. Lindsey recruited Smigiel when he was at North Carolina, and although the Tar Heels weren't among his top choices, Smigiel saw Lindsey as a coach he could entrust with his development. 'I truly believe in their staff,' Smigiel said. 'We talked about the development that Michigan brings, and I was really impressed with everything they've done with the quarterbacks. It's all about development. I think they develop more than just football. They develop every single aspect.' Smigiel's commitment to Michigan in April came three months to the day after he decommitted from Florida State, the program he originally picked over Oregon, Washington and Ohio State. When Smigiel committed to the Seminoles last June, Florida State was coming off a 13-1 regular season and looked like a program on the rise. The team he decommitted from was 2-10 and brought in a new offensive coordinator in Gus Malzahn. All Glory to God – Go Blue! #committed @Hayesfawcett3 — Brady Smigiel (@BradySmigiel) April 26, 2025 Lindsey coached under Malzahn at Auburn and UCF, but he also has an Air Raid background and a track record of developing NFL quarterbacks. The Smigiels made enough recruiting trips to know that college football is transactional and no coach can make promises about the future. Still, they felt Lindsey was up front about the plan for Brady and how he'd fit at Michigan. Advertisement 'Not everyone is 6-4, 240, with the highest-rated recruiting (profile) that can step in and have a chance to succeed in the Big Ten,' Joe said. 'I'm not saying that he's not going to come in and compete his ass off, because that's who he is. But if you look at the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL, they're the ones who were in college for a long time. They got developed.' Speaking of quarterbacks who were in college for a long time, Exhibit A is Rising, who started his career at Texas in 2018 and battled a series of injuries, including the hand injury that prompted his medical retirement. Joe saw him as the ideal person to prepare Brady for the life of a college quarterback. Rising attempted six passes in his first three seasons, then went 18-6 as a starter the next two years. If Smigiel has a few seasons to develop before he becomes a starter, he could be all the better for it. That's why the presence of Underwood, Michigan's heir apparent at quarterback, wasn't a deterrent. In Michigan's ideal scenario, Underwood would play well enough to be one of the top prospects in the 2028 NFL Draft, and the next quarterback in line would be prepped and ready. The picture could change in so many ways that it's futile to project that far ahead, but no matter what happens, Brady Smigiel is prepared to trust his development and let the rest fall into place. 'You only get one chance at this,' he said. 'If you do all the right things, you're going to get on the field, no matter who's in front of you.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Lineman Cooper Javorsky of San Juan Hills is soaring as a college prospect
Lineman Cooper Javorsky of San Juan Hills High has grown to 6 feet 4 1/2 and 295 pounds while becoming a college football prospect. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) It was two months ago when junior offensive lineman Cooper Javorsky of San Juan Hills picked up his first college scholarship offer. He's up to 15 offers and that might double by this fall as college recruiters recognize how impressive he is as a 17-year-old growing to 6 feet 4 1/2 and 295 pounds. "He's had a tremendous offseason," coach Robert Frith said. Advertisement Getting stronger in the weight room, eating right and continuing to improve his athleticism have created plenty of opportunities for Javorsky, who also is a heavyweight wrestler and competes in the shotput and discus. He's in no hurry to select a college. "I want to meet everyone," he said. His older brother, Jake, was a standout linebacker for San Juan Hills before going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He'll be advising his "little" brother, but all signs point to Javorsky being this season's lineman to watch. … El Camino Real won the City Section Division I tennis championship on Tuesday. … Advertisement Former Newbury Park and Utah quarterback Cam Rising is the new offensive coordinator at Newbury Park. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep talk: Lineman Cooper Javorsky of San Juan Hills is soaring as a college prospect
It was two months ago when junior offensive lineman Cooper Javorsky of San Juan Hills picked up his first college scholarship offer. He's up to 15 offers and that might double by this fall as college recruiters recognize how impressive he is as a 17-year-old growing to 6 feet 4 1/2 and 295 pounds. 'He's had a tremendous offseason,' coach Robert Frith said. Getting stronger in the weight room, eating right and continuing to improve his athleticism have created plenty of opportunities for Javorsky, who also is a heavyweight wrestler and competes in the shotput and discus. He's in no hurry to select a college. 'I want to meet everyone,' he said. His older brother, Jake, was a standout linebacker for San Juan Hills before going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He'll be advising his 'little' brother, but all signs point to Javorsky being this season's lineman to watch. … El Camino Real won the City Section Division I tennis championship on Tuesday. … Former Newbury Park and Utah quarterback Cam Rising is the new offensive coordinator at Newbury Park. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email
