L.A. Times - High School Sports

Cleveland's Jack Hartman throws a no-hitter

By Eric Sondheimer — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:40:00 PDT

Cavaliers defeat San Pedro, 5-0, to reach City Section semifinals.

Jack Hartman has red hair, is left-handed and acts with the coolness of a surfer dude — even though he doesn't surf.

Khalfani Muhammad, Ariana Washington win CIF Masters Meet events

By Steve Galluzzo — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:07:00 PDT

Muhammad, from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, wins the 100 in 10.22 seconds and runs a personal-best 20.73 in the 200. Washington, from Long Beach Poly, takes the 100 in 11.27 and runs a personal-best 23.18 in the 200.

Khalfani Muhammad and Ariana Washington did what they were expected to do Friday night in the CIF Masters Meet at Cerritos College. Now the expectations are even greater for Southern California's top two sprinters.

Soccer star Cristian Roldan makes rare choice to stay and play

Eric Sondheimer — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The Gatorade national player of the year stuck with Pico Rivera El Rancho High though academy club programs were interested in him.

Every once in a while, a high school athlete comes along with the kind of character, commitment and talent to make himself a standout in his community.

Palisades' Marissa Williams shatters City Section distance track records

Eric Sondheimer — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:03:00 PDT

Sophomore, 15, eclipses long-standing marks in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at City Section track and field championships.

Frozen yogurt. That's the reward 15-year-old sophomore Marissa Williams of Palisades plans to give herself after turning in the greatest performance by a girls' distance runner in City Section history Wednesday night at the City track and field championships at Birmingham.

Harvard-Westlake cruises past El Dorado, 12-1

Eric Sondheimer — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:04:00 PDT

Conor Cuse, the Wolverines' No. 2 starter, helps the team advance to a Southern Section Division 1 baseball quarterfinal against Santa Margarita, which beat Fountain Valley, 3-2, on an eighth-inning walk-off home run by Josh Meyer.

Players in the Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs can dream about celebrating a championship at Dodger Stadium, but giving legitimacy to the dream only occurs after a team proves it can win with its No. 2 pitcher.

Stress is a foreign notion to Marina's Jake Bauers

Eric Sondheimer — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Power-hitting senior first baseman is a cool customer on the field, even during playoff games.

It's 15 minutes before the start of a pressure-packed Southern Section Division 1 baseball first-round playoff game. Some players are feeling a little nauseated as the reality of what's at stake begins to sink in.

Khalfani Muhammad wins Southern Section Division 3 100, 200 races

Eric Sondheimer — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

The defending state champion from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame finishes the 100-meter race in a wind-aided 10.33 seconds and the 200 meters in 20.84.

Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has never faced a camera he didn't like or taken on an opponent he didn't want to beat. That made Saturday's Southern Section track and field championships the ideal environment for Muhammad to put on a show.

Competition in 100 meters could be hot in Southern Section meet

Eric Sondheimer — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:21:00 PDT

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Khalfani Muhammad remains the runner to watch, but others are closing in as the track and field championships begin Saturday.

The Southern Section track and field championships are set for Saturday at Mount San Antonio College, and the 100-meter races could be as sizzling as the weather.

Hamilton brothers have found a love and a livelihood in basketball

Eric Sondheimer — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

Oldest brother Gary has played pro ball overseas, Jordan is on the Denver Nuggets, and younger brothers Isaac and Daniel are bound for college programs.

The Hamilton boys — Gary, Jordan, Isaac and Daniel — fell in love with the same girl, according to their mother, Karen.

Baseball is diamond in the rough to black players at Gardena Serra

Bill Plaschke — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:16:00 PDT

'In the inner city, all you hear is that baseball is racist,' says player for Serra, which boasts predominantly black roster. The team, headed to playoffs, has unique vibe that may help boost sport.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon on a cluttered street in Gardena, some very big and skilled athletes are hanging out on a concrete basketball court, bouncing around underneath rusted backboards and chain nets, acting out a typical inner-city scene, with one small exception.