Baseball: Top junior infielder commits to UCLA

Austin Hedges, the top player for Trinity League champion JSerra last season as a sophomore, has committed to UCLA. He played second base for JSerra, which won its first league title in baseball.

Another top infielder, senior shortstop Matt Duffy from Lakewood, has committed to Long Beach State.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: Edison proves it's no summer fluke

Huntington Beach Edison knocked off Westlake Village Oaks Christian for the third time this summer, defeating the Lions, 20-6, Saturday in the championship game of the Edison seven-on-seven tournament.

Say what you want about the Chargers, but their seven skill-position players have shown they are the best without pads on as a group. They didn't lose in the Dana Hills tournament and they went 6-0 on Saturday.

Quarterback Matt Viles, receiver Jeff Trojan and linebacker Jordan Zumwalt were among Edison's standouts. Oaks Christian has had trouble scoring against Edison all summer. Santa Ana Mater Dei defeated Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the consolation final.

West Covina South Hills made it to the semifinals before losing to Oaks Christian. Receiver Ify Umodu, whose brothers Tobi and Kebin attend UCLA and Air Force, respectiively, played well for South Hills. See the video below for a look at Umodu.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: Super Seven retreat to have Hawaiian flavor

Steve Clarkson is saying "aloha" to Santa Barbara.

The famed quarterbacks guru has moved his Super Seven retreat from Southern California to Maui, where Oaks Christian's Nick Montana and San Clemente's Chase Rettig will have the opportunity to impress Thursday through Saturday.

"We wanted to do something special, and obviously Maui's a very special place," Clarkson said. "We wanted the kids to have an experience they might never have on their own."

The quarterbacks will also get the chance to receive some tutoring they might otherwise never have afforded from an impressive lineup of mentors that includes Clarkson, NHL Hall of Famer Joe Montana and Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former USC Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.

Other high school quarterbacks scheduled to attend are Andrew Manley of Wahiawa (Hawaii) Leileua, Blake Bell of Wichita (Kan.) Bishop Carroll Catholic, Phillip Sims of Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar F. Smight, Barry Brunetti of Memphis (Tenn.) University and Austin Hinder of Steamboat Springs (Colo.) High.

The campers will also find "The Great One" in their midst.

Baseball: UCLA gets commitment from top pitcher

Zack Weiss, a senior right-hander from Irvine Northwood who has a 91 mph fastball, has committed to UCLA. He also has a 4.0 grade-point average.

I saw him pitch at an all-star game for juniors at the Urban Youth Academy a couple weeks ago, and he was outstanding.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: Lakewood QB gets USC offer

USC has apparently made the decision that it wants Lakewood quarterback Jesse Scroggins. WeAreSC.com is reporting that the Trojans made him a scholarship offer after his participation in the Rising Stars camp.

Of course, Scoggins has to make a decision if he'll fit in at USC. He also has offers from Florida and Tennessee.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: Don Lugo lineman gets USC scholarship offer

Chino Don Lugo defensive lineman George Uko, 6 feet 3 and 297 pounds, picked up a scholarship offer from USC after participating in the Rising Stars camp Wednesday, Scout.com reported.

He also earned an offer earlier from UCLA after participating in a Bruins camp.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: B2G Elite camp features competition on Sunday

The B2G Elite camp starts today in Thousand Oaks, with an all-star competition on Sunday at noon at Cal Lutheran.

The camp has been successful in showcasing lots of future college standouts, so Sunday's seven-on-seven flag football all-star game should feature plenty of top athletes.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Football: Carroll likes what he sees at USC camp

Coach Pete Carroll hosted about 250 high school prospects Wednesday in the Rising Stars camp at USC’s Howard Jones Field.

Carroll told The Times that it was “probably the best assembly that we’ve had of players here.” Assistant coaches helped run various scrimmages and drills as Carroll went back and forth to observe each one.

He took part in the huddles and chatted with potential prospects. Asked whether there were any surprises or anything that caught his eye, Carroll said: “No, no. I just think maybe the overall level of the players here is just extraordinary. So we’re trying to teach them how we coach our football [team] and see if we could help them out. And it’s all working out just right.”

The two-day event showcases the nation’s top prospects. It offers Carroll and his coaching staff an opportunity to get an up-close look at potential recruits before they commit to other universities. The camp, Carroll said, also benefits players who won’t be suiting up for the Trojans.

“Not only does it help give them a chance to get exposed to our football, but it also gives them a chance to compete against other great players . . . so they could kind of see where it fits and they learn from that and they grow from that,” Carroll said.

 The news media were barred from speaking to players or parents on campus. The camp will resume today at 9 a.m.

-- Mario Aguirre 

Football: USC is the place to be for Rising Stars camp

On Wednesday and Thursday, USC Coach Pete Carroll will hold his Rising Stars camp, featuring lots of outstanding high school football players.

The big news could be whether Lakewood quarterback Jesse Scroggins comes out of the camp with a scholarship offer. Tennessee and Florida are also pursuing him.

Among players expected to attend are linebacker Hayes Pullard from Crenshaw, receiver Robert Woods from Gardena Serra and defensive back Dion Bailey from Lakewood.

The camp starts at 9 a.m. and is open to the public.

-- Eric Sondheimer

Boys' basketball: Mater Dei guard begins to weigh college options

Santa Ana Mater Dei guard Gary Franklin Jr., a long-time USC commit, has opened up his recruiting. He told Chris Foster of The Times that Baylor, Washington, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Utah and California are the schools he will begin to consider.

USC's hiring of Kevin O'Neill on Saturday did not seem to go over well with Franklin, who prefers an up-tempo style.

-- Eric Sondheimer