Cal-Hi Sports Insider Blog

Quick-hitting, behind-the-scenes news and notes from the CalHiSports.com staff, including previews of upcoming content and events.

Boys BB State Team of Year 2022

By Mark Tennis | Published March 14, 2022

Jared McCain hoists trophy plus net during awards ceremony for the CIF Open Division state champions after their victory over Modesto Christian. Photo: Nick Koza.


Centennial of Corona gains this spot on this all-time list that goes back more than 100 years for the second straight year. Of course, this time it’s after the Huskies essentially won it on the court in Sacramento.

Note: We hope you enjoy this free post o CalHiSports.com. Upcoming final state rankings and some of our all-state teams will be for Gold Club members only. To become a member of our Gold Club so you can check out all of our boys basketball content, including player rankings in each class, please CLICK HERE.

(Managing editor Ronnie Flores contributed to this article)

Comparisons to the last great public school team to win the CIF Open Division state championship are inevitable but it may be more important just to look at the accomplishments of the 2021-22 Corona Centennial basketball team going 33-1 and finishing as State Team of the Year for a second straight season standing in its own limelight.

The Huskies capped their run atop the state with last Saturday’s 59-50 win over Modesto Christian to win their first CIF Open Division state title. They are now officially the State Team of the Year, which before the era of the Open Division did not always go to the winner of the CIF’s highest division.

Going back to back on top of the state is not unusual and comes on the heels of Sierra Canyon doing it three times in a row for 2018 to 2020. But it’s worth noting that as a public school doing it, the Huskies join an elite group that includes Los Angeles Westchester for 2009-10 and Lakewood Artesia for 2006-07 (with James Harden).

Centennial did not gain its first of the two State Team of the Year selections after winning a CIF regional or state crown, but the Huskies did win the CIF Southern Section Open Division title. They skipped the 2021 SoCal regional playoffs in favor of participating in an event in front of hundreds of college coaches.

“After we beat Sierra Canyon last year, we weren’t going to regionals because there was no state or NorCal playoffs,” said head coach Josh Giles during last Saturday’s press conference. “I thought it was important for my guys to go to Section 7 because it was in their best interests. I thought we had a good enough team to win the CIF state open, but I did not think we’d be 33-1. It would be hard to ever have a team as good as this one, chemistry-wise.”

That last great public school team to be State Team of the Year may be difficult for any teams public or private to be compared to for a long, long time. That would be Chino Hills (35-0) for 2016. That team not only was No. 1 in California but also was No. 1 for the nation. Those Huskies also already have the distinction of having three future NBA top six draft picks as starters. Sure, two of them were freshmen at the time, but Lonzo Ball was a senior. Freshmen Onyeka Okongwu & La’Melo Ball were the ninth graders.

“It’s an amazing honor,” Giles texted on Monday of joining the all-time state list. “I’m just so happy for this group of guys. They work harder than anyone and their commitment to playing the game the right way was just amazing to be around.”

Centennial will be losing senior starters Donovan Dent and Ramsey Huff next season, but returns juniors Jared McCain and Aaron McBride plus sophomore Devin Williams.

“I couldn’t be happier from Ramsey and Donnie,” Giles said in his text. “The way that Donnie finished the state championship game was so fitting. He did what winners do: he was at his best when his best was needed.”

Cal-Hi Sports Boys Basketball
State Teams of the Year All-Time List

Centennial head coach Josh Giles directs his club during 2021 CIF Southern Section Open Division championship. Photo: Nick Koza.


2022 – Corona Centennial (33-1)
2021 – Corona Centennial (21-2)
2020 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (30-4)
2019 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (32-3)
2018 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (27-4)
2017 – Torrance Bishop Montgomery (31-2)
2016 – Chino Hills (35-0)
2015 – Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (28-4)
2014 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (35-0)
2013 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2012 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2011 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-3)
2010 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-3)
2009 – Los Angeles Westchester (35-2)
2008 – Oakland McClymonds (32-0)
2007 – Lakewood Artesia (33-2)
2006 – Lakewood Artesia (32-1)
2005 – Los Angeles Westchester (25-3)
2004 – Los Angeles Westchester (23-2)
2003 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2002 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-2)
2001 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (33-2)
2000 – Compton Dominguez (35-2)
1999 – Compton Dominguez (32-3)
1998 – Los Angeles Westchester (29-3)
1997 – North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (35-1)
1996 – Compton Dominguez (34-2)
1995 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (36-1)
1994 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (29-2)
1993 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (26-2)
1992 – Alameda St. Joseph (32-3)
1991 – Alameda St. Joseph (31-3)
1990 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-1)
1989 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1988 – Los Angeles Manual Arts (27-3)
1987 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (31-1)
1986 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1985 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (24-0)
1984 – Long Beach Poly (31-2)
1983 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (27-2)
1982 – Carson (26-2)
1981 – Long Beach Poly (26-2)
1980 – Inglewood (29-0)
1979 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (28-1)
1978 – Pasadena (26-2)
1977 – Oakland Fremont (25-1)
1976 – Long Beach Poly (30-1)
1975 – Elk Grove (27-5)
1974 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-2)
1973 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1972 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-1)
1971 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1970 – Berkeley (32-0)
1969 – Compton (30-0)
1968 – Compton (32-0)
1967 – Los Angeles Fremont (16-2)
1966 – Los Angeles Jordan (18-0)
1965 – Long Beach Poly (29-3)
1964 – Long Beach Poly (32-1)
1963 – Oakland McClymonds (19-3)
1962 – Oakland McClymonds (23-0)
1961 – Compton (28-3)
1960 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1959 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1958 – Oakland McClymonds (21-0)
1957 – San Francisco Poly (28-1)
1956 – El Cerrito (31-1)
1955 – Alhambra (27-2)
1954 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (26-2)
1953 – Los Angeles Loyola (34-2)
1952 – Compton (32-0)
1951 – Los Angeles Jefferson (27-0)
1950 – Chico (15-3)
1949 – Los Angeles Washington (21-0)
1948 – San Francisco Lincoln (29-2)
1947 – Los Angeles Mt. Carmel (34-2)
1946 – Stockton (20-2)
1945 – San Diego Hoover (16-1)
1944 – Alameda (15-1)
1943 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (14-0)
1942 – Palo Alto (18-0)
1941 – Glendale Hoover (21-1)
1940 – Long Beach Poly (22-2)
1939 – San Francisco Lowell (17-3)
1938 – Whittier (24-3)
1937 – San Francisco Lowell (17-3)
1936 – San Diego (14-1)
1935 – Santa Barbara (14-1)
1934 – Santa Barbara (16-1)
1933 – Stockton (16-2)
1932 – San Francisco Lowell (18-3)
1931 – Whittier (25-1)
1930 – Palo Alto (13-0)

Note: List continues back to 1903 in Cal-Hi Sports Record Book & Almanac. All selections prior to 1975 made retroactively based on research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports

Girls BB State Team of Year 2022

By Mark Tennis | Published March 14, 2022

Players & coaches from Sierra Canyon get bunched together for a photo that concluded their press conference after winning 2022 CIF Open Division title. Photo: Mark Tennis.


It’s an obvious situation to list our annual State Team of the Year in girls hoops as the same as the CIF Open Division state champion. After COVID wiped out the 2020 and 2021 championships, however, this year’s honoree, Sierra Canyon, also represents a return to normalcy. The Trailblazers also just happen to be same team that won it 2019.

We hope you like this free post on CalHiSports.com. Please help us out today by becoming a member of our Gold Club so you can see all of our great content. All final state rankings for basketball and some of the upcoming all-state team posts will be for Gold Club members only. For more on special offer to get signed up for $3.99 for one month, CLICK HERE.

(Associate editor Harold Abend contributed to this article)

With the great Juju Watkins making play after play and the rest of her Sierra Canyon teammates making an insane number of their shots, the team’s dominating 85-61 win last Saturday over Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in the CIF Open Division state championship has been followed up today with the official rubber-stamp announcement of the Trailblazers as the Cal-Hi Sports State Team of the Year.

The last time that the State Team of the Year was a rubber-stamp of the Open Division state final was in 2019 due to the pandemic wiping out the 2020 and 2021 CIF state finals. That was Sierra Canyon as well for 2019, but it was taken the last two years by the two CIF SoCal open champs from La Jolla Country Day and Corona Centennial. The Open Division also has only been around since 2013 so before that it was very possible that the State Team of the Year could come from below the CIF Division I champion.

“It’s an honor to see Sierra Canyon’s name listed twice in the last four years,” head coach Alicia Komaki said on Sunday night in a text. “This team battled through the most challenging gauntlet of talented, nationally ranked opponents to win this championship. I can’t think of a tougher journey in the last decade. We are honored to recognized for our special season and it’s the perfect culmination for us.”

Since 2010, the only other school to be State Team of the Year more than once in girls hoops is Mater Dei of Santa Ana when the Monarchs topped the charts from 2010 to 2012. Komaki was an assistant coach there at the time before moving to the Sierra Canyon top spot 10 years ago. She has frequently credited her years working with still current MD head coach Kevin Kiernan for helping her become so successful with the Trailblazers. Kiernan is the winningest girls coach in state history.

That challenging gauntlet that Komaki referred to primarily is the two teams that the Trailblazers had to beat in avenging loss scenarios to reach the CIF Open finals — first La Jolla Country Day (25-3*) and then Etiwanda (29-1). And like Sierra Canyon, both of those teams have their main star players returning in 2022-23. If one of those teams works harder than the others this off-season and gets just a tiny bit better, then that’s the team that likely will be the one added to this all-time state list one year from now.

Cal-Hi Sports Girls Basketball
State Teams of the Year All-Time List

Jayda Curry stands with fellow 2021 Centennial grad Trinity San Antonio after a game during 2019-20 season. Photo: Harold Abend / Cal-Hi Sports.


2022 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (30-2)
2021 – Corona Centennial (25-1)
2020 – La Jolla Country Day (32-1)
2019 – Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (33-1)
2018 – Los Angeles Windward (27-3)
2017 – Fresno Clovis West (34-2)
2016 – West Hills Chaminade (31-4)
2015 – Stockton St. Mary’s (34-1)
2014 – Long Beach Poly (27-3)
2013 – Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (30-3)
2012 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-3)
2011 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-1)
2010 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-1)
2009 – Brea Olinda Brea (33-2)
2008 – S.F. Sacred Heart Cathedral (33-0)
2007 – Long Beach Poly (36-1)
2006 – Fullerton Troy (33-1)
2005 – Piedmont (32-2)
2004 – Piedmont (33-2)
2003 – Lynwood (32-1)
2002 – Lynwood (32-0)
2001 – Harbor City Narbonne (28-3)
2000 – Harbor City Narbonne (34-0)
1999 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (31-0)
1998 – Harbor City Narbonne (32-1)*
1997 – Berkeley (29-3)
1996 – Irvine Woodbridge (32-2)
1995 – Irvine Woodbridge (33-1)
1994 – Brea Olinda Brea (33-0)
1993 – Lynwood (31-0)
1992 – RH Estates Peninsula (33-0)
1991 – Berkeley (30-2)
1990 – Inglewood Morningside (32-3)
1989 – Inglewood Morningside (33-1)
1988 – Fremont Oakland (28-0)**
1987 – San Diego Point Loma (34-0)
1986 – San Diego Point Loma (31-1)
1985 – Compton (26-0)
1984 – Ventura Buena (31-0)
1983 – Ventura Buena (28-4)
1982 – Riverside Poly (34-0)
1981 – Riverside Poly (29-0)
1980 – Berkeley (29-0)
1979 – Woodland Hills El Camino Real (19-0)
1978 – Huntington Beach (25-2)
1977 – Los Angeles (16-0)
1976 – Ventura (23-0)
1975 – Chula Vista Hilltop (18-0)
1974 – Berkeley (19-1)
1973 – Fresno San Joaquin Memorial (12-0)
1972 – Ventura Buena (8-0)

*Forfeit losses not included. CIF Division I state title vacated due to residency issues.
**Eleven wins forfeited due to use of ineligible player.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports

CIF Champs in National Title Events?

By CalHiSports.com Staff | Published February 15, 2022

The creation today of the State Champions Invitational, a boys and girls basketball tournament for selected championship teams, was announced by Skokie, Ill.-based Paragon Marketing Group. The inaugural event will take place April 7-9 in Florida. The event is a spin-off of GEICO Nationals, an end-of-season hoops tournament which combined both eligible state champions and highly-ranked independent programs (See full story from Ballislife.com HERE).
Read more…

More All-Time NBA Greats Updates

By Mark Tennis | Published February 14, 2022
Many believe Jason Kidd is the best high school basketball player in California history. He is now head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Photo: Jay Stallman

Many believe Jason Kidd is the best high school basketball player in California history. He is now head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Photo: Jay Stallman

There is a section of categories in our state record book listing former California high school players who’ve gone on to win major honors in the NBA.
 Read more…

FB: All-State Junior List for Patches

By Mark Tennis | Published January 22, 2022

All-State Football Patches will again be handled this year by our friends at BillyTees.com. For more information about Cal-Hi Sports merchandise at BillyTees.com, CLICK HERE.


Congratulations to the following players listed in alphabetical order who have been selected to either first team, second team or third team on the 2021 Cal-Hi Sports All-State Junior Football Teams for the fall season. These players and their families can now order an official all-state football patch plus you’ll get a certificate through our partners at BillyTees.com. We also wanted to post the names on a list so we’re not collecting a subscription from a parent who is only interested in seeing if their son has been picked and then finds out the son wasn’t picked.

For ordering info to get 2021 all-state football patch, CLICK HERE.

To get a Gold Club subscription so you can see the complete presentation of the Cal-Hi Sports 2021 All-State Junior Football Teams (fall season), CLICK HERE.

Caleb Alvary (Simi Valley)
Daylen Austin (Long Beach Poly)
Tiger Bachmeier (Murrieta Valley)
Luke Baklenko (Oaks Christian)
Curron Borders (Antelope)
Cameron Brandt (Sierra Canyon)
Mathias Brown (Sunny Hills)
Deven Bryant (St. John Bosco)
Grant Buckey (Liberty, Bakersfield)
Pierce Clarkson (St. John Bosco
Imari Conley (Central, Fresno)
Lucas Conti (Centennial, Corona)
Maliki Crawford (Pacifica, Oxnard)
D’Angelo Davis (Serra, Gardena)
Jurion Dickey (Valley Christian, SJ)
Tashi Dorje (Liberty, Brentwood)
Tre Edwards (Mater Dei Catholic)
Wesley Ekpo (Muir)
Cooper Flanagan (De La Salle)
Aidan Flintoff (Oaks Christian)
Rico Flores Jr. (Folsom)
Major Givens (Steele Canyon)
Vaka Hansen (Servite)
Derek Houston (Rocklin)
Nicholas Iamaleava (Warren, Downey)
Victory Johnson (Cathedral Catholic)
B.J. Jones (St. John Bosco)
Jax Leatherwood (Scripps Ranch)
Makai Lemon (Los Alamitos)
Jalen Lewis (Oaks Christian)
Walker Lyons (Folsom)
Mikey Matthews (Mission Viejo)
DeAndre Moore (Los Alamitos)
Sean Na’a (Westlake)
Malachi Nelson (Los Alamitos)
Blake Nichelson (Manteca)
Jaedon Moore (Central Valley Chr.)
Wyatt Mosier (Yorba Linda)
Simione Pale (Elk Grove)
Christian Pierce (Rancho Cucamonga)
Raymond Pulido (Apple Valley)
Brandon Ramirez (San Joaquin Memorial)
Jaden Rashada (Pittsburg)
Dustin Reynolds (Apple Valley)
Rodrick Robinson (Lincoln, SD)
Jonah Rodriguez (Madison)
Tybo Rogers (Bakersfield)
Tyson Ruffins (Long Beach Poly)
Ashton Sanders (Cathedral, L.A.)
Kadin Semonza (Mission Viejo)
Jordan Shaw (St. Pius X-St. Matthias)
Chris Snyder (Mater Dei Catholic)
Leviticus Su’a (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Derek Thompson (De La Salle)
B.J. Tolo (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Greg Tripathi (Dos Pueblos)
Matayo Uigalelei (St. John Bosco)
Aitor Urionbarrenechea (Alemany)
Aaron Williams (Centennial, Corona)
Rashid Williams (Pittsburg)

MORE ALPHA NAMES
Santino Acevedo (Cardinal Newman)
Nick Afato (Yuba City)
Daniel Andrade (Bonita)
Garrett Bass-Sulpizo (LJ Country Day)
Dane Benedix (Capistrano Valley)
Robin Boyd (Pittsburg)
Colin Bray (Placer)
Beau Bruins (Ramona, Riverside)
Israel Carter (Centennial, Corona)
Hector Ceballos (Franklin, LA)
Adrien Chargualaf (Steele Canyon)
Isaiah Chisom (Chaminade)
Kanye Clark (Capital Christian)
Samuel Cooper (University City)
Darius Cowens (Pacifica, GG)
Connor Dasmann (Oak Ridge)
Ty Dieffenbach (Agoura)
Trey Dimes (Vanden)
Luke Duncan (Miramonte)
Matthew Erhardt (Oaks Christian)
Chris Fewell (Lincoln, SD)
Aidan Flynn (Salinas)
Roman Foumai (Central Catholic)
Delano Franklin (Bishop Amat)
Qu’Ron Gossett (Bishop Diego)
Grant Gray (Norco)
Charles Greer (De La Salle)
Dylan Hampsten (Saugus)
Sean Haney (St. John Bosco)
Jalen Hankins (Liberty, Bak.)
Damian Henderson (Jordan, LB)
Carlos Hernandez (Monrovia)
Kai Honda (Serra, Gardena)
Darren Hughes (Adelanto)
Jack Jacobs (St. Francis, LC)
Brandon Johnson (Highland, Palmdale)
Corey Johnson (Bishop Amat)
Trey Kukuk (Capistrano Valley)
Ty Lee (St. John Bosco)
Jayden Mandal (Buchanan)
Robbie Mascheroni (Campolindo)
Jeremiah McClure (Mater Dei Catholic)
Journey McCoy (De La Salle)
Gabe Morin (Lutheran, Orange)
Matthew Morrell (Cypress)
Devin Munoz (St. Paul)
Cade Musser (Chino Hills)
Dominic Nankil (Mater Dei Catholic)
Orion Null (Vanden)
Bryce Parker (Santiago, Corona)
Israel Polk (Pittsburg)
Jaxon Potter (Santa Margarita)
Jack Raney (Bellarmine)
David Rasor (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach)
Devon Rivers (Heritage, Brentwood)
Jeremiah Ruffin (Heritage, Brentwood)
Devin Samples (Long Beach Poly)
Ryan Silver (Serra, San Mateo)
Elijah Smiley-Flores (M.L. King)
E.J. Smith (Warren)
Izaiah Souriolle (Chaparral, Temecula)
Ryan Staub (West Ranch, Valencia)
Jack Susnjar (Loyola, Los Angeles)
Derek Taylor (Hilmar)
Delon Thompson (St. Bonaventure, Ventura)
Chad Tofaeono (De La Salle)
Jake Tremain (Folsom)
Blake Wilson (Santa Margarita)
Slade Wilson (Folsom)

FB: All-State Soph List For Patches

By Mark Tennis | Published January 16, 2022

All-State Football Patches will again be handled this year by our friends at BillyTees.com. For more information about Cal-Hi Sports merchandise at BillyTees.com, CLICK HERE.


Congratulations to the following players listed in alphabetical order who have been selected to either first team or second team on the 2021 Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomore Football Teams for the fall season. These players and their families can now order an official all-state football patch plus you’ll get a certificate through our partners at BillyTees.com. We also wanted to post the names on a list so we’re not collecting a subscription from a parent who is only interested in seeing if their son has been picked and then finds out the son wasn’t picked.

For ordering info to get 2021 all-state football patch, CLICK HERE.

To get a Gold Club subscription so you can see the complete presentation of the Cal-Hi Sports 2021 All-State Sophomore Football Teams (fall season), CLICK HERE.

Marley Alapati (De La Salle, Concord)
Jordan Anderson (Warren, Downey)
Brandon Baker (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Ratumna Bulabalavu (Army-Navy, Carlsbad)
Joseph Bey (Serra, San Mateo)
Kobe Boykin (Orange)
Ajon Bryant (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Elijah Brown (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Samuel Brown (Mater Dei Catholic, Chula Vista)
Zabien Brown (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Isiaih Buxton (Mater Dei Catholic, Chula Vista)
Asante Carter (St. Mary’s, Stockton)
DeAndre Carter (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Michael Cherry (Rosemont, Sacramento)
David Clifford (Poway)
Christopher Cooper (Beaumont)
Kodi Cornelius (Casa Grande, Petaluma)
Jonah Dawson (Rancho Cucamonga)
Reid Farrell (Valencia)
Dakoda Fields (Serra, Gardena)
Dylan Fingersh (Capistrano Valley, Mission Viejo)
Travis Ford (Helix, La Mesa)
Marquis Gallegos (Chaminade, West Hills)
Devin Green (Sheldon, Sacramento)
Chance Harrison (Rio Mesa, Oxnard)
Benny Hatch (Sacred Heart Cathedral, S.F.)
Javonnie Haymon (Edison, Stockton)
J.T. Houston (Warren, Downey)
Dylan Johnson (Bakersfield Christian)
Josh Joyner (Pacifica, Garden Grove)
Jabari Mann (Serra, San Mateo)
Junior Mayo (Valley Christian, San Jose)
Tyler Nofts (Estancia, Costa Mesa)
Phillip Ocon (St. Francis, La Canada)
Viliami Ohai (Mt. Eden, Hayward)
Tyler Patrick (Clovis West, Fresno)
Ryan Pellum (Millikan, Long Beach)
David Perez (Downey)
Andrew Poyer (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta)
Cincere Rhaney (Serra, Gardena)
Lamar Radcliffe (Sacramento)
Jason Robinson (Long Beach Poly)
Jordan Ross (Pacifica, Garden Grove)
Marshel Sanders (Clovis West, Fresno)
Ryon Sayeri (Chaminade, West Hills)
Julian Sayin (Carlsbad)
Jackson Sievers (Capistrano Valley)
Jeremiah Singleton (Stagg, Stockton)
Tye Smith (Loyola, L.A.)
Tanu Sosa (Serra, Gardena)
James Tivao (Madison, San Diego)
Zac Torres (Roosevelt, Eastvale)
Herschel Turner (Freedom, Oakley)
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (St. John Bosco, Bellflower)
Charles Williams (Marin Catholic, Kentfield)
Marcelles Williams (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)
Tanner Williams (St. John Bosco, Bellflower)
Bryan Wilson (Ayala, Chino Hills)
Peyton Woodyard (St. John Bosco, Bellflower)

MLB World Series Favorites 2022

By Special To CalHiSports.com | Published January 13, 2022

The MLB World Series is the most popular postseason playoff championship in the United States and Canada, attracting huge betting actions. Here’s what to look for as the 2022 season (pending labor issues) begins to take shape.

The 2021 edition of the MLB World Series wrapped up in November, with the Atlanta Braves winning the championship for the first time since 1995. The team defeated the Houston Astros in six games. Soon after the end of the 2021 World Series, bookies have started to post odds for the 2022 edition of the series that will open on 31st March. The odds will change daily depending on the most recent events.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expired on December 1st of 2021, and the odds did not move significantly since then. For the uninitiated, the CBA is an agreement between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball that arranges employment conditions. In this article, we will discuss which teams will open as the 2022 MLB World Series favorites. Should you choose to place moneyline bets, be advised to check this moneyline bets in MLB explained guide.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are the favorites to win the 2022 MLB World Series. They were the favorites in the 2021 edition of the championship as well. However, the Atlanta Braves eliminated the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS. In November last year, media agencies reported that the Dodgers lost two of their best players, Corey Seager and Max Scherzer, to free agency.

But even without Seager and Scherzer, the Dodgers remain one of the teams with the best rotations in baseball. Furthermore, Andrew Heaney and Daniel Hudson are the most recent additions to the Dodgers. That is why sportsbooks have the Dodgers first on the board at +600.

Houston Astros

The Astros are the team that comes second on the board at +950. In the 2021 MLB World Series, the Braves defeated the Astros in Game 6. But the Astros have good chances of winning the 2022 MLB World Series. Talented players Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and Kyle Tucker are expected to return to the Astros.

Shortstop Carlos Correa is said to migrate from the Astros to another baseball team in free agency. But in November 2021, the longtime ace pitcher Justin Verlander signed with the Astros. If the team manages to keep Correa for the 2022 season, the Astros have a good shot to win the MLB World Series title.

New York Yankees

With a 6-2 win, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the Wild Card Game last season. But bookmakers believe that the team has good chances to win the 2022 MLB World Series, placing them third on the board at +1,000.

Although it became clear that the Yankees will miss out on Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Corey Seager, the team still has players such as Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge and Gio Stanton (all from California). Since December last year, there have been rumors that the team will add either Trevor Story or Carlos Correa to its lineup but nothing major had happened before the lockout.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox are fourth on the board at +1,200. In the 2021 MLB playoffs, the White Sox lost to the Astros in the ALDS. But the baseball team has a fearsome lineup. Furthermore, it features a brilliant rotation led by Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease. If Michael Kopech replaces Carlos Rodon, who suffered several injuries, the team will further improve its chance of winning the championship. Last year, relief pitcher Kendall Graveman joined the White Sox and was a beast.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays could not secure the title in the 2021 MLB World Series, but the betting odds (+1,300) show it is a fearsome title contender. The betting lines moved from +1,800 to +1,300 after the team penned a five-year contract with former San Francisco Giants’ pitcher Kevin Gausman. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays also had to say goodbye to Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien, who joined other teams. However, the Toronto lineup is full of hard-hitting young players, and that is why the team is fifth on the sportsbooks’ boards.

Public can now make CA FB Hall of Fame nominations

By Mark Tennis | Published January 7, 2022

PASADENA, Calif. (January 6, 2022) – The public can now nominate candidates for consideration to the inaugural California High School Football Hall of Fame class to be enshrined at the Rose Bowl Stadium upon project completion in late-2022.

Nominations, and criteria, can be viewed at www.CAhighschoolfootballHOF.com and must be submitted by January 30, 2022 for consideration by the committee.

The project was announced last month as the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation secured two major pledges to establish the California High School Football Hall of Fame. The pledges on the project are funded by prominent philanthropists and business leaders in the Los Angeles area, Brian Panish and Mickey Segal.

The Hall will be located at the Rose Bowl Stadium with plans to open in 2022. The opening will include the induction of the inaugural class during the venue’s centennial year in late-2022 upon completion of the project space. With the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and National Football Foundation (NFF) playing a role, along with Cal-Hi Sports in conjunction with the Rose Bowl Stadium, a selection committee has been formed representing Southern and Northern California to begin consideration of the inaugural class. It is anticipated that the inaugural class will be announced in Summer 2022.

A full California High School Football Hall of Fame website is currently in development and will launch in early 2022.

Note from Cal-Hi Sports: There is a 10-year wait period for anyone being considered, so folks submitting a nomination should keep that in mind. Class of 2011 would be okay, Class of 2012 would not. We’re actually pretty sure no one from after 2010 is going in yet, but those players technically would be eligible. Also, those on the committee (including Cal-Hi Sports) are not going to need nominations or info on those very obvious people who are going to go in with the first class (such as a certain QB from Granada Hills or a certain LB from Oceanside or a certain head coach from Concord). The biggest help is going to be getting high school accomplishments and high school career details on players prior to 1975. That’s when the bulk of the info collected by Cal-Hi Sports really got going. All of our material is going to be available and presented to all of those voting on the committee. Knowing and finding out where someone went to high school who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or College Football Hall of Fame is easy. Finding out what they did as players in high school is often not (especially for those who played in high school before 1975).

State Defensive POY: David Bailey

By Mark Tennis | Published January 3, 2022

In the last three games of its mythical national title season, the defensive unit at Mater Dei of Santa Ana was even more impressive than the offense so it only makes sense that the leading player off of that unit is the statewide winner. This also is the second straight season the Monarchs have had the honoree in this category.
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LeDuc reaches 1,000 hoop wins

By Mark Tennis | Published December 22, 2021

Mike LeDuc from Damien of La Verne becomes only the second boys basketball coach in state history to achieve 1,000 career wins and he did it on a night when his current team played at the school he had coached previously for 21 seasons.

FOR THE STATE COACHING RECORD LIST AS IT LOOKED WHEN SEASON BEGAN (GOLD CLUB), CLICK HERE.

One of the best ways to judge the coaching accomplishments of someone like Mike LeDuc from Damien of La Verne is to look at how many others are in the same “clubs” that he is in.

Coach LeDuc’s team also improved to 14-0 this week and will stay that way until playing in its own The Classic at Damien next week. Photo: @DamienSports / Twitter.com.


On Wednesday night in a game played at Glendora High, LeDuc earned the 1,000th win of his boys basketball career when the Spartans topped the Tartans, 82-47. That put him in a very exclusive group of just two who have gotten to the total. He joins all-time state leader Gary McKnight from Mater Dei of Santa Ana, who is actually now only three wins shy of winning his 1,200th game. McKnight also is near the top of the all-time national list.

LeDuc also is one of just four in the state to have won 900 games. He’s been No. 2 on the all-time Cal-Hi Sports state list behind McKnight for several years. The next two are retired Ed Azzam of Los Angeles Westchester (932) and still active Don Lippi from St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda (907 not including a game on Wednesday night). There may be a fifth at 900 as early as next week as head coach Harvey Kitani’s team at Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro) has started out 10-0 this season to give him 896 career wins. The Huskies are in a 16-team tournament so if they win it that would do the job.

LeDuc began his coaching career at Damien in 1980 and was at Glendora from 1987 to 1992 and then after one year off he was at Glendora from 1994 to 2015. He’s been back at Damien since 2016. During his own playing days, LeDuc went to Ramona of Riverside.

Senior guard Spivey Word, who has taken over as the top shooting guard for Damien this season after three-time all-state selection Malik Thomas graduated, led the way against Glendora with 32 points.

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