Football: Super sophomores identified

Maxpreps.com has put together a list of of super sophomore football players for the coming season. Here it is.

Under the headline, "Super Sophs primed for breakout season," the Southland selections include receiver George Farmer from Gardena Serra, running back Rhasheed Johnson from Crespi, linebacker Cody Kurz from St. Bonaventure, tight end Troy Nicholas from Servite, quarterback Davion Orphey from Edison and lineman Antwaun Woods from Taft.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Four City Section championships on TV Sunday

KLCS, the Los Angeles Unified School District's television station, will have an eight-hour high school sports marathon on Sunday, airing the City Section championships in swimming, track, softball and baseball. The action begins at 10 a.m. with swimming and continues through the baseball final between Cleveland and Chatsworth.

Yes, the games and competitions occurred weeks ago, but the action is still exciting, with Randy Rosenbloom calling all four competitions.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Basketball: Freshmen attempting to fit in with teammates at next level

Before we go any further, let me make something perfectly clear: I'm not a big believer in putting added pressure on any high school player to be something they're not. There's too much hype surrounding the hoops game anyway. Besides, I'm not sure anyone would listen to me if I said someone was the next big thing.

Moving on, the purpose of this blog is to provide a glimpse of what the future could hold for some of the Southland's incoming freshmen. You might have heard some of the names I'm about to mention, and others, perhaps not. Either way, there are quite a few ninth-graders capable of making an impact.

• I've seen Landon Drew of Taft play a couple of times this summer and he possesses tons of upside. Then again, basketball is in his bloodlines. His father is Larry Drew, a 10-year NBA veteran. And his brother is Larry Jr., who will be attending North Carolina next year. My guess is Landon's game will improve quite a bit by the time he's a senior.

• Had the opportunity to see Michael Avery in action on Thursday night and I must say, the youngster from Crespi showed flashes of immense potential. For him, consistency will be key. He does have a couple of good things going for him. For one, Russell White is a great coach. And two, with Blake Stanton around, Avery won't have to carry the Celts.

• Rumor has it that Orange Lutheran might have a keeper in Gabe York. I haven't seen him play, but Dinos Trigonis has. Given that he's considered one of the better evaluators of Southern California talent, I fully trust his judgment. That said, one of the things on my summer bucket list is to get out of the house, head to the O.C. and see York for myself.

-- Sean Ceglinsky

Football: Los Al quarterback makes college choice

Los Alamitos quarterback Clark Evans has committed to Colorado. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the Southland, able to run and pass effectively.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Basketball: Fairfax senior nearing the top of the Hill

Hate to say I told you so, because it's really not my style, but ... I told you so. Remember this blog about Solomon Hill, the one that essentially introduced the forward from Fairfax and how he was on the verge of a breakout campaign, of making a name for himself on the national level? Well, that day has arrived.

The 6-foot-6 senior is considered one of the top players in the country at his position by the recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com, and it appears the powers that be, Division I scouts, feel the same way. Hill has been contacted by schools from all the powerhouse conferences, including the Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC.

Ironically, a smaller school, UNLV, came up with his first offer, back in May. Plenty has changed since then. He currently has six colleges waiting for a commitment. According to these quotes, schools such as Kentucky, Texas and USC are also interested in Hill, you know, that kid I told everyone about a while ago.

-- Sean Ceglinsky   

Football: Inland Empire safeties have cornered the market

Don't look now, but the Inland Empire has become a recruiting hotbed for Division I programs looking for help in the secondary. Over the past two months, or so, scouts from all over the country discovered that some of the nation's top safeties reside just east of Los Angeles and have been flocking to the 909 ever since. Here's a quick look at some of the region's top prospects.

• Sure, Chris Metcalf and Dijon Washington get loads of attention, but Lester White is just as talented and deserves to be mentioned among the Southland's best at his position. The 6-foot-1, 200-plus pound senior from Riverside North has offers from numerous West Coast schools, but according to these quotes, Nebraska has emerged as his favorite.

• Nat Berhe is no slouch either. San Diego State figured that out in March and immediately put a scholarship on the table for the 5-foot-11 senior from Colton. Not surprisingly, Minnesota and New Mexico reportedly stepped up their efforts to land him, and it appears as if Arizona State and Oregon are doing the same.

• Believe it or not, Syracuse made the 3,000-plus mile trip to Southern California in May to do its best to impress Richard Spencer from Rancho Verde. According to these quotes, it might have worked, although the 6-foot senior hasn't pledged to the Orangemen. Nevada and UTEP are also in the running for a commitment.

• Northwestern jumped out to an early lead in the battle to win Davion Fleming's services. But all of sudden, it looks like the Wildcats have some competition, given the fact that this note indicates the 6-foot senior from Upland returned from a trip to Stanford recently. Cal and UCLA are among the other interested parties.

-- Sean Ceglinsky      

Baseball: VIBL all-star games are Sunday

For those who would like to see the top baseball talent in the San Fernando Valley for next season, Sunday's Valley Invitational Baseball League all-star games at Stengel Field in Glendale offer a great opportunity.

Here are the rosters. There are two games, with East playing North at 7 p.m. and West taking on South at 3 p.m.

The North team includes two All-City players from Chatsworth, third baseman Ryan Cooperstone and catcher Carlos Escobar Jr. The East team includes Pat Valaika of Newhall Hart, the younger brother of former Hart standouts Chris and Matt Valaika, and the West has Agoura's Richard Stock, brother of USC catcher Robert Stock.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Boys' soccer: Demise of high school soccer will be televised by ESPN

Good soccer is expected to be played at the Home Depot Center later this month, and, no, I'm not talking about MLS' Super Clasico between Galaxy and Chivas USA on the 10th. The What? My point exactly.

The inaugural season of the U.S. Soccer Federation's Developmental Academy, a season that created a lot of controversy here in the Southland, will come to an end July 19 with a weeklong finals tournament that will be held at the Home Depot Center and broadcast live on ESPNU and ESPN2 (Full schedule after the jump).

In case you are not familiar with what we are talking about, in one paragraph, or less, the academy is a "super league" of club teams from across the nation that kicked off in October with 64 teams and eight conferences. Games were played in two age groups, Under-15/16 and Under-17/18.

The finals, a six-day tournament made up of the eight conference champions, start on July 12 and end on July 19. The teams are split into two groups of four that will play a round-robin format. Teams from Group A will meet those from Group B on the pitch in placement matches on the 18th and 19th.

The main event is the U-17/18 championship game on Friday, July 18 at 8:30 p.m. that will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Representing Southern California in both age groups is LAFC.

Boys' Soccer: Beckham's Galaxy to hold three open tryouts this month

If you are a male soccer player and were born between 1990 and 1994, the L.A. Galaxy would like to invite you to a tryout.

For its youth team.

The Galaxy, currently in first place of the MLS' Western Conference, will hold open tryouts for the youth team Galaxy Rios later this month. Applications are being accepted online (here) and come with a $30 fee. The deadline to register is Sunday.

The tryout dates:

• Friday, July 11 at Irvine Valley College from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, July 12 at Ayala Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Sunday July 13 at Glendale Sports Complex from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

-- Jaime Cardenas

-- Image by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times

Basketball: Windward's Morris could be Michigan-bound in future

Tell me if you've heard this one before: Michigan appears to be the clear-cut front-runner to land a commitment from Darius Morris... If you're an avid Varsity Times Insider reader, I'm imagining the answer is yes, meaning most of you have stumbled upon this blog, or this one at some point in the past.

It also means those familiar with the 6-foot-3 senior point guard from Windward should not be surprised to learn Morris spent last weekend on an unofficial visit to Michigan. Moreover, he had nothing but good things to say about the program and the overall atmosphere on campus. Check out these quotes for proof. 

The Wolverines, along with Oregon State, Washington State and USC have offered him a scholarship. Arizona, Kentucky and Texas are among the other programs that have recently expressed interest, although it might not matter because Michigan has been wooing Morris for quite some time now.

-- Sean Ceglinsky