Baseball remains unbeaten

Nobody saw this coming from the Sierra Canyon baseball team.

The Trailblazers have started the year 8-0-2, 4-0-2 despite having lost its two best pitchers from a year ago.

Sierra Canyon swept Loyola two weeks ago in its first ever Mission League games and sandwiched two ties around a victory against Crespi last week.

Kheden Hettiger had a two-run home run to give Sierra Canyon a 2-1 lead in the opener against Crespi before the Trailblazers hung on for a 2-2 tie on Tuesday.

Wednesday in Encino, it was the Mikhal Johnson show. Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound freshman crushed a 3-run home run to left field and Sierra Canyon went on to an easy 8-0 victory,

On Thursday, back in Chatsworth, both teams scored a first inning run and that was it in a 1-1 tie. Hettiger had a sacrifice fly for the Trailblazers.

Sierra Canyon had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh inning but Grayson Gullage was thrown out at home on a beautiful throw from the left fielder. The game was called due to darkness after that.

Sierra Canyon knocked off Buena, Camarillo, San Marcos, Thousand Oaks and Rio Mesa earlier this year and has not lost in 11 games.

The Trailblazers have a 3-game set with St. Francis and new coach Shaun Kort next week. The Tuesday and Friday games are on the road while the middle Wednesday game is at home.

The Sierra Canyon girls basketball team is right back where it always wants to be.

The Trailblazers are right back where they were last year.

And the opponent is the same as last year and about a week ago.

The only difference is the venue.

Sierra Canyon will host Etiwanda at 7 p.m Tuesday in an Open Division state regional final for the right to go to Sacramento for the state championship.

The Trailblazers knocked off Etiwanda a week ago at Honda Center in Anaheim to claim the Southern Section Open Division championship.

Last year, Sierra Canyon lost to Etiwanda in the Open Division championship game before coming back to knock off the Eagles in the state tournament on its way to its second Open Division state championship.

Sierra now gets a chance for a third state title at the highest level after a 59-47 victory against Mater Dei.

JuJu Watkins scored 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had three assists and three blocks to lead Sierra Canyon.

Watkins was named the Naismith national player of the year earlier in the week.

Mackenly Randolph scored 13 points and had eight rebounds.

Izela Arenas chipped in 11 points, two rebounds and two steals.

Sierra Canyon is 31-0 overall. The Trailblazers were 33-1 in 2019.

The Sierra Canyon boys basketball team is back in familiar territory.

For the fifth time in six years, the Trailblazers will play in a game that determines a trip to Sacramento.

Sierra Canyon will play at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Trailblazers earned their way there with an impressive 64-47 victory against Bishop Montgomery of Torrance in a Div. 1 state regional semifinal Saturday night.

Bronny James scored 16 points, Noah Williams scored 15 points, Osiris Nalls scored 14 points and Ashton Hardaway had 12 points in a balanced attack by the Trailblazers.

Sierra Canyon took an 11-8 lead after one quarter and scored the first eight points of the second quarter to create some separation.

The lead ballooned to 29-10 before a 12-2 Bishop Montgomery run cut the lead to 33-23 at halftime.

However, that was it from the Knights, who beat Sierra Canyon 51-49 in the Southern Section Open Division playoffs a week-or-so earlier.

Sierra Canyon scored the first five points of the third quarter and never looked back.

It was the third victory this week for the Trailblazers after wins against Taft and Etiwanda to reach the regional semifinals.

The Trailblazers improved to 5-2 against Bishop Montgomery since 2018, having knocked off the Knights in the 2018 SS Open Division semifinals at Cal Baptist Univ. in Riverside and again in the 2019 SS Open Division championship game at the same venue.

Sierra Canyon now gets a fourth attempt to try and beat a Notre Dame team it has lost to three times since January 27th.

“Hopefully, something changes this time,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said.

Baseball is 8-0 to open season

Well, don’t look now.

But the Sierra Canyon baseball team is 8-0 overall after an impressive three-game sweep against Loyola on consecutive days.

Saturday’s finale had drama as the game was scoreless through eight innings.

Mikhal Johnson, a freshman standout also on the football team, had the key hit in the ninth to break the tie. Johnson had a two-run double and the Trailblazers would go on for a 3-0 shutout victory.

Ethan Montes went seven innings and Johnny Hagopian was credited with the win, throwing the final two innings.

In Friday’s 5-4 win, Ethan Munoz slammed a 3-run home run and had a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to bring home Darrin Yoon.

Brady Hewitt picked up the victory in relief, throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Walter Urbina had two hits, including a double to lead Loyola.

Friday’s game was a 6-3 Sierra Canyon win.

Khhden Hettiger hit a home run, had two hits, three RBI’s and scored twice.

Montes and Hewitt combined for three scoreless innings in relief.

Urbina had two hits for the Cubs and Adam Magpoc hit a home run for Loyola.

The Trailblazers beat Buena, Camarillo, San Marcos, Rio Mesa and Thousand Oaks before sweeping Loyola.

Things get tougher this week with a new three-game set against Crespi

Sierra Canyon hosts the Celts on Tuesday and Friday. Crespi hosts Wednesday at Hartunian Field in Encino.

Softball off to solid start

The Sierra Canyon softball team is off to a solid 4-1 overall record.

The Trailblazers played three games in Hawaii and just recently won two games on Saturday against LA City schools Chatsworth and Chavez.

Madelaine Debs and Hailey Shuler were in the circle for the 10-5 come from behind victory against Chatsworth.

Shuler was double-trouble, hitting a home run, smashing a triple and had three RBI.

Izzy Mertes just missed a cycle. She homered, doubled and singled. Mertes had three RBI.

Lianna Lara had two doubles and two RBI.

Shuler was at it again in the game two 4-0 shutout against Chavez

She had two hits but was more impressive in the circle.

Shuler faced 26 batters and had 13 strikeouts.

Mertes was 2-3 with two RBI and homered, again. Natalie Areliz had three hits, Lara had an RBI and Ava Debs had an RBI double.

Sierra Canyon faces Burroughs of Burbank at 3:30 p.m. today at Olive Park in Burbank on field number 3.

Blazers receive 3rd seed

The Sierra Canyon boys basketball team was awarded the No. 3 seed in the Division 1 state So Cal regional tournament when the bracket was released Sunday.

The Trailblazers will host nearby L.A Unified school Taft of Woodland Hills at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Sierra Canyon lost all three pool-play games it played in the Southern Section Open Division and will not participate in the state Open regional for the first time since 2015.

The Trailblazers lost to Corona Centennial, Bishop Montgomery and Notre Dame. That showing dropped Sierra Canyon from the state’s highest classification.

Sierra Canyon, provided it wins Tuesday, would then face the Etiwanda/San Ysidro winner and on Saturday could have a potential matchup with Bishop Montgomery, again.

Bronny James, Ashton Hardaway and Jimmy Oladokun have been the key seniors leading the way, along with Dylan Metoyer.

The Trailblazers have been plagued by injuries the past month. James, talented junior Isaiah Elohim and Justin Pippen have all been sidelined.

Noah Williams is expected to step up and sophomore Bryce Cofield.

Sierra Canyon won back-to-back Open Division state championships in 2018 and 2019. The Trailblazers were on their way to a third consecutive title but Covid-19 halted that.

The Trailblazers are 3-6 in their last nine playoff games played (section and state).

The Sierra Canyon girls basketball team cannot be stopped.

The Trailblazers won their first ever Southern Section Open Division championship Saturday night after a 70-57 victory against Etiwanda at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Not only did Sierra Canyon avenge last year’s loss in the same game, the Trailblazers improved their record to 30-0. A remarkable feat.

JuJu Watkins, headed to USC, scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Sierra Canyon, which lost in the 2019 Open final against Windward before coming back to win the Open state title like it did last year.

This year, Sierra Canyon is going for a clean sweep all around.

Watkins had plenty of help, too.

Izela Arenas scored 19 points and Mackenly Randolph had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Sierra Canyon outscored Etiwanda in every quarter and beat the Eagles for the first time ever in the Southern Section playoffs.

Aliyahna Morris led Etiwanda with 17 points, Majesty Cade scored 13 points and Kennedy Smith added 11 points, while appearing to injure her leg in the third quarter. She was not 100 percent the rest of the way.

Sierra Canyon was 19-50 from the field but made 29-32 free throws. Etiwanda was 17-67 and 15-17.

Sierra Canyon will be the top-seed for the state tournament that starts Wednesday for the Open Division

Baseball jumps out to 4-0 starts

The Sierra Canyon baseball team is having no issues winning games in 2023 despite not having the services of top pitchers Jaden Noot, Kassius Thomas and Max Martin, who all graduated a year ago.

The Trailblazers are doing it with their bats this year.

Sierra Canyon has sprinted to a 4-0 overall record after victories against Buena of Ventura, Camarillo, San Marcos of Santa Barbara and Rio Mesa of Oxnard.

Grant Werdesheim, Kheden Hettiger and Omar Cisneros each had two hits against Rio Mesa, Ethan Montes had an RBI single and freshman Brayden Charness gave up no runs on one hit in four innings in the latest win against Rio Mesa.

The Trailblazers are expected to play Thousand Oaks on the road Thursday pending the weather forecast.

Caden Sramek, a sophomore, went five innings last Thursday against San Marcos and only gave up one run and a walk with two strikeouts. Brady Hewitt got the save in relief and Cisneros had three hits to pace the offense.

Ethan Munoz had two hits, Andrew Nelson had a hit and an RBI and Jake Levin had an RBI.

Munoz and Hettiger each had multiple hits against Camarillo and Grayson Gullage doubled. Sierra Canyon was able to overcome pro prospect Boston Bateman on the mound. Bateman also homered to deep left field for the Scorpions. However, the 6-foot-7 left-hander was wild on the mound and Sierra Canyon was patient.

In the season opener against Buena, the Trailblazers won 15-11. Munoz had three hits and three RBI, Werdesheim had two hits and three RBI, Hewitt had two hits, including a home run and three RBI. Cisneros and Hettiger each scored three runs.

The games will get tougher with 21 Mission League games on the horizon against the likes of Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame and Crespi.

Can the pitching hold up and can the bats stay alive will be the ultimate question?

The Sierra Canyon girls soccer team had a rough 2023 season but is looking forward to the future.

The first year in the Mission League was a learning experience and the Trailblazers will be much better prepared for the future.

The Trailblazers didn’t qualify for the playoffs having to deal with Harvard-Westlake, Chaminade and Notre Dame but ended the year in good fashion with a 3-2 victory against Flintridge-Sacred Heart. The Trailblazers defeated the Tologs twice.

“Winning our final match had everybody in good spirits,” Sierra Canyon coach Will Beard said. “We are very excited and energetic about next year. We now have a solid year under our belt. Experience is everything.”

Beard is excited about having several key players back.

Leading scorer Olivia Thedoratos will only be a junior next year and Maya Charuvastra had a stellar freshman campaign.

Anya Jones returns and the Trailblazers will have the services of Mia Torres, who sat out all year with an injury.

“We are looking forward to being full strength, something we never were this year,” Beard said. “We did some good things but could never sustain any consistency with all the injuries and girls in and out of the lineup.”

Sierra Canyon had early success in the nonleague portion of the schedule, defeating Cleveland, Crossroad and Highland, and winning the Garces Memorial tournament. However, Sierra Canyon was shut out in six league matches. But ended the year with a goal against Notre Dame and the victory against FSHA.

“Next year will be way better,” Beard said. “We have all the league matches under our belt, we will be healthy and we have way more knowledge on how to navigate this league better.”

Soccer team has tough run in Mission League

The Sierra Canyon boys soccer team didn’t qualify for the playoffs but made some noise in its maiden season in the Mission League.

Despite a 5th-place finish battling juggernauts Harvard-Westlake, Chaminade and Loyola, the Trailblazers managed some solid victories against Notre Dame, St. Francis, Crespi and Alemany.

Sierra Canyon had a late season stretch where it won four of five matches.

“We definitely did some good things,” Sierra Canyon coach Chris Bonawandt said. “We had some hard-fought victories.”

Constatine Theodoratos was the team’s leading scorer and will be sorely missed. The Trailblazers lose two goalkeepers, two center-mids and a center-back.

However, Bonawandt is excited about the return of Daron Jil-Agopaian and several talented freshmen.

“We have a lot to replace, we could struggle next year getting our footing, again,” Bonawandt said. “Playoffs might be two years away. Hopefully we can come together a year early, so-to-speak. It’s tough when the the other teams have 20-230 players on their roster and can sub in fresh bodies.”

Theodoratos had 11 goals in league play.

“We did way better in the second half of the league,” Bonawandt. said. “We had some guys back from injury and came together as a team.”