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.

Girls BB: Pre-Pre Season Top 8

By Harold Abend | Published August 27, 2026

We sent a questionnaire out to all eight teams on this list and one thing is pretty obvious, and that is the transfer bug is more prevalent in Southern California where a majority of the teams have been impacted by transfers. Once again, this is a pre-pre season list and is predicated on the transfer bug. As mentioned previously, this order could change for the full Preseason State TOP 40 Rankings and likely will.

FOR A LOOK AT OUR FINAL GIRLS OF SUMMER PLAYER RANKINGS (MORE THAN 180 PLAYERS LISTED), CLICK HERE.

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
If all the all the transfers come through for head coach Jody Wynn, one prominent analyst told us, “Mater Dei should be unbeatable as long as everyone is cleared to play.” The list includes Tati Griffin from Ontario Christian and Addison Archer from Rancho Christian.

Kaleena Smith led Ontario Christian to the CIF Open Division state title and was a runaway winner in final Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year evaluations. Photo: Scott Kurtz / Cal-Hi Sports.


2. Ontario Christian (Ontario)
The Lady Knights have “Special K” Kaleena Smith back and she is clearly establishing herself as one of the all-time California high school greats, and although they lose Tati Griffin they have additions including Aliyah Phillips coming over from Etiwanda and Ava Washington from Saint Joseph. Because of that, we’re not going to drop the defensing CIF Open Division state champions any lower than No. 2 and for the real pre-season rankings they very likely will be on top of the state.

3. Windward (Los Angeles)
The Wildcats won the NCAA Certified Scholastic Section VII title in June in Arizona where Ontario Christian and Archbishop Mitty were in the field. We were originally going to have them on top when we did the first Girls of Summer post with Amel Cook coming back strong along with a host of other returnees and a formidable freshman class, but a lot has changed since then.

4. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
Cal-Hi Sports State Senior of the Year Jerzy Robinson is off to college but Sierra Canyon will still be formidable with who it returns. Transfer Aliyah Mack from Fairmont Prep, a force inside and the runner-up for Cal-Hi Sports State Freshman of the Year, will join junior inside-out big Rosie Oladokun to give the Trailblazers a formidable 1-2 punch. Sierra Canyon has some other solid returnees, but according to Head Coach Alicia Komaki that will be all the transfers the Trailblazers are going to add to the mix.

5. Centennial (Corona)
The Huskies bit the transfer bug big last year but according to head coach Matt Tumambing he “declined 3-4 transfers because I have eight girls with D1 offers. We didn’t see junior 6-foot-7 Sydney “Bean” Douglas this summer since she did not play at Girls California Live 2026, but we did see senior guard Armanyie Reed, and she looked better than she did in the CIF D1 state championship where she shined. We also saw several other Centennial players, including junior Princess Poialii-Hunkin, and she looked like a woman amongst girls at the HER event.

6. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
We realize head coach Sue Phillips and her Monarchs finished higher in the final expanded rankings last season, but unlike the Southern California teams they really didn’t benefit from the transfer bug, and the top team from Northern California doesn’t have quite as much returning firepower as the SoCal teams ahead of them. They do have inside presence with junior Maliya Hunter and based off her showing at USA Basketball she comes in near the top of the rankings and looks significantly improved. Phillips has a deep and very talented roster including senior guard Zion Patterson, and as things shake out they could be higher for the real preseason rankings.

7. Etiwanda
There are some who say that head coach Stan Delus and his Eagles girls could be higher, and as we get closer to the real preseason ranking they very well may be. Besides losing Arynn Finley to graduation they also lost senior F/C Aliyah Phillips to transfer, but according to Delus they are still loaded. The top returners are senior guards Chasity Rice, Andrea Alamo and Sydney Roberson, plus senior forwards Tess Oldenburg and Jaylee Moore. He also got an Arizona transfer, senior guard Dashia Richardson, who was one of the state’s top players. He also got another transfer, sophomore guard Aniyah Lindsey, from Lakewood.

8. St. Mary’s (Stockton)
Head coach Alle Moreno and her Rams girls would like nothing more than to supplant Mitty as the top team from Northern California and after a disappointing finish to last season they will have a shot at it this season. Three St. Mary’s players are close to the top of the rankings led by senior guard Kori Rodgers. She is followed by sophomore guard Anya Hardy and sophomore wing Dylan Horton, but there are several others we liked a lot if you check the list.

TOP 5 CIF Northern Section FB Players

By Mark Tennis | Published August 19, 2026

While we are not able to provide an extensive CIF Northern Section preseason first and second teams this year, we do have a list of top five players at the start of the season. This is based on projected team success, stats from last year, recruiting service player rankings and more.

Jaret Bridwell of Red Bluff was a tackling machine during his junior season for the Spartans. Photo: Red Bluff High School Football / Facebook.com.


For a look at our most recently posted preseason all-section team, CLICK HERE.
For a look at the first 25 teams in our Preseason State TOP 50, CLICK HERE.

1. Koby Johnson
(Enterprise, Redding) 5-10, 185, RB, Jr.
The younger brother of recent Enterprise QB standout J.J. Johnson (now at Shasta College) has an offer from Sacramento State. Koby had a breakout soph season as he rushed for 1,673 yards and 14 TDs. He was more of a receiver as a freshman with 32 catches for 381 yqrds and four TDs.

2. Jaret Bridwell (Red Bluff) 5-11, 205, DB, Sr.
He led the section in reported tackles as a junior with 173, including 23 for loss, and he was our NorCal Defensive Player of the Week at one point. Bridwell, a three-sport athlete, also rushed for 10 TDs on offense.

3. Wyatt Shaw
(Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) 6-3, 190, QB, Sr.
He’s returning to lead the Lions after passing for 3,231 yards and a massive 55 TDs. They won the CIF D7-AA state title with a 30-21 triumph over Woodbridge of Irvine. Wyatt went 21 of 30 for 205 yards in that game. The team will take a 15-game win streak into this season after finishing 15-0 after the final win.

4. Adan Rodriguez (Red Bluff) 6-1, 295, OL, Sr.
He’s been a four-year mainstay with the Spartans and has been on the All-Northern Section team all three years so far in his career. Adan was a first team all-section pick the past two seasons.

5. Darren Goodman (Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) 6-4, 210, TE/DE, Sr.
Based on their schedule and the players they have back like QB Wyatt Shaw, Goodman and more, the Lions are likely to go 10-0 in the regular season, win another section title and then sit back and wonder how high the CIF might place them in the regional/state playoffs. Goodman has been a TE/DE monster the past two seasons. Last season, he had 42 receptions for 865 yards and 15 TDs plus 85 tackles and 12.5 sacks on defense. The year before that, Darren had 17 sacks and caught 59 passes for 930 yards and 14 scores.

Some Others We Almost Wrote Up

John Bernardez (Chico) QB Jr.
Karter Brooks (Enterprise, Redding) LB Jr.
Wyatt Gillett (Los Molinos) RB/LB Sr.
Andrew Ortiz (Chico) LB Sr.
Nolan Shirley (Gridley) DL Jr.
Micah Skinner (Redding Christian, Palo Cedro) DB Sr.
Brayden Wynkoop (Pleasant Valley, Chico) QB Sr.

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

TOP 10 San Diego Section FB Players

By Mark Tennis | Published August 19, 2026

While we are not able to provide an extensive CIF San Diego Section preseason first and second teams this year, we do have a list of top 10 players at the start of the season. This is based on projected team success, stats from last year, recruiting service player rankings and more.

For a look at our most recently posted preseason all-section team, CLICK HERE.
For a look at the first 25 teams in our Preseason State TOP 50, CLICK HERE.

1. Honor Fa’alave Johnson
(Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) 6-2, 195, RB/DB, Sr.
The returning State Junior Player of the Year for his exploits on both sides of the ball for the Dons has committed to USC. He’s a candidate to be Mr. Football State Player of the Year if his two-way dominance continues. His team also is looking to win a second straight SD Section Open Division title. Honor rushed for 1,265 yards and 21 TDs last season on offense. He also caught 35 passes for 564 yards and seven scores. Regarded as one of the top DB prospects in the nation, Fa’alave-Johnson had 38 tackles and two interceptions.\

2. Zac Benitez
(Granite Hills, El Cajon) 6-2, 210, QB, Sr.
It’s just as easy to rank Zac as the No. 2 player on this list as it is for Fa’alave-Johnson to be No. 1. He’ll be starting for the fourth straight season for the Eagles and has that very, very rare chance of being a CIF San Diego Secton champion for all four years. That freshman season is when Benitez helped Granite beat Carlsbad in the SD Open final. He had comparable stats that night to Carlsbad senior at the time and current Heisman Trophy candidate Julian Sayin. Benitez, who has committed to San Jose State, passed for 2,410 yards and 27 TDs as a junior.

Gaige Weddle of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) is one of the state’s most highly regarded juniors. He stars on both sides of the ball. Photo: FOX 5 San Diego.


3. Gaige Weddle
(Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) 6-2, 180, RB/DB/QB, Jr.
All-State first team sophomore from last season now ranks among the top juniors in the nation as a college prospect. Gaige projects to be a DB like dad Eric, a six-time Pro Bowl player in the NFL. Eric Weddle also is RB’s head coach. Gaige passed for 1,115 yards and 12 TDs and he rushed for 695 yards and nine TDs last season on offense. On defense, he racked up 90 tackles plus one interception.

4. Paisos Polamalu
(St. Augustine, San Diego) 5-9, 190, RB/DB, Sr.
Son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu is one of three major two-way stars from the CIF San Diego Section this season (along with Honor Fa’alave-Johnson and Gaige Weddle). Paisos also is an all-state grid-hooper. He had the most success for Saints last season as a running back with 1,530 yards rushing and 19 TDs. He also had 108 tackles and six picks playing defense. Polamalu has committed to Stanford.

5. Dax Labrum (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach) 6-3, 190, QB, Sr.
Speaking of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dax worked with just inducted legend Drew Brees last season at Santa Fe Christian and will do so once again this season. Drew’s son, Baylen, is one of the Eagles’ receivers. Labrum was a major reason SFC went 13-1 last season with a D2 section title and with the only loss to Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia in the CIF D2-A regional final. The Cornell commit passed for 3,106 yards and 36 TDs.

6. Jaeveyion Allen (Lincoln, San Diego) 6-2, 165, WR/DB, Sr.
There’s no doubt that Lincoln is going to once again have one of the top teams in the San Diego Section this season (we started the Hornets at No. 24 in the state and third in the section) but it’s hard to determine one player or several who may emerge as the top honors candidate. Allen is a returning standout with a pair of interceptions on defense. He’s getting D1 college interest. He also may be counted on to make plays on offense.

7. Lincoln Mageo (Oceanside) 6-4, 280, OL, Sr.
He’s the top returning offensive lineman in the section. Mageo also has moved up to the top 25 interior offensive linemen in the nation by 247Sports. He has committed to Michigan.

8. Furian Inferrera (Mission Hills, San Marcos) 6-3, 210, QB, Sr.
The replacement for Penn State’s Troy Huhn as the Grizzlies’ QB comes to them from national powerhouse Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Furian was a back-up there the past two seasons, but got into games during both of them. He has received major D1 interest despite being a back-up at Mater Dei (which is not unusual there). Inferrera had committed to Minnesota before he transferred to Mission Hills and that is still what is being reported for him.

9. Kaleb Runkle (Christian, El Cajon) 6-3, 185, QB, Sr.
Highly productive QB for Patriots is looking to have a huge senior season. Runkle, who also has a 4.0 GPA, passed for 2,870 yards and 28 TDs as a junior. He added 572 yards rushing and three scores.

10. Ma’kahi Fields-Cook (Canyon Hills, San Diego) 5-7. 170, RB, Jr.
He’s the top returning RB in the section according to yards from last season and the second-highest is more than 500 yards less. Fields-Cook, an all-state sophomore, rushed for 2,092 yards and 16 TDs.

Some Others We Almost Wrote Up

Dareyen Bridges (Lincoln, San Diego) WR
Kevin Clark (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) LB
Isaac Cook (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego) WR
Kye Cooper (San Diego) DB/WR Sr.
Jeremy Davis (Helix, La Mesa) LB Sr.
Jackson Fader (Mission Hills, San Marcos) OL Sr.
Dane Larson (Bishop’s, La Jolla) WR Sr.
Ezekiel McIntyre (San Marcos) WR/DB Sr.
Courtney Miller-Thompson (Granite Hills, El Cajon) WR Sr.
Taylon Sheriff (Canyon Hills, San Diego) WR/DB Jr.

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

All-State Baseball Patch List 2

By Mark Tennis | Published July 25, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 baseball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Second and Third Teams for baseball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Baseball Patch List

By Mark Tennis | Published July 20, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 baseball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Underclass Teams for baseball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Softball Patch List 2

By Mark Tennis | Published July 19, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 softball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Second and Third Teams for softball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

All-State Softball Patch List

By Mark Tennis | Published July 15, 2026

Our all-state patch for the 2026 softball season is similar to the ones we’ve offered in previous years through our partners at BillyTees.com.


For those just wanting to check to see about a particular player on this year’s All-State Underclass Teams for softball without being a subscriber, here is a simple alphabetical list. If you want the full presentation and are not Gold Club, please check out getting a membership today.
Read more…

More State Softball Coaches of Year

By Mark Tennis | Published June 26, 2026

Las Plumas softball head coach Toby Thompson guided team to 31 wins in the spring after girls basketball team he coached in the winter won 21 games. Photo: lasplumasthunderbirds.com.


In addition to overall State Coach of the Year Katie Stith from JSerra, we have additional state coaching honors for the 2026 season going to Toby Thompson from Las Plumas of Oroville (medium schools) and Ramon Lara of Woodlake (small schools).
Read more…

More State Baseball Coaches of Year

By Mark Tennis | Published June 24, 2026

State Medium Schools Baseball Coach of the Year Jerry Lewallen of Glendora also is the athletic director at the school. Photo: 210 Prep Sports / YouTube.com.


In addition to overall State Coach of the Year Gary Parcell of Norco, we have additional state coaching honors for the 2026 season going to Jerry Lewallen of Glendora (medium schools) and Jesse Darrah from Minarets of O’Neals (small schools).

FOR MORE ON STATE COACH OF THE YEAR GARY PARCELL, CLICK HERE.
FOR THIS YEAR’S FINAL STATE BASEBALL RANKINGS ACCORDING TO FIVE DIVISIONS, CLICK HERE.

Note: We hope you enjoy this free story on CalHiSports.com. Some of our all-state baseball content and some of our preseason football content will be for Gold Club members only. You can start for just $4.99 for one month. Join our team today by CLICKING HERE.

MEDIUM SCHOOLS STATE
COACH OF THE YEAR

Jerry Lewallen (Glendora)

It certainly helps with these types of coaching honors to be someone who’s been successful coaching in another sport or has been connected to a school for many years. Lewallen is a Glendora grad who played baseball and football there and was on the 1989 football team that won a CIF Southern Section title. He’s been the head football coach of the Tartans before, serving in that role from 2012 to 2017 with a 43-25 record. Before the 2019-2020 school year, Jerry became the Glendora athletic director and picked up being head coach of the baseball program after the 2021 season.

For state coaching honors, we tend to look for those who have been in their head coaching roles for six to seven years or longer so while Lewallen has only been Glendora’s baseball coach for three seasons he’s been coaching at the school for many more years than that.

This brings us to the 2026 season. The Tartans began as the 2025 CIFSS D3 champions and their championship pedigree helped them win a series of close games en route to the CIFSS D4 title. They needed nine innings to edge St. Anthony of Long Beach, 3-2, in the title game, which was their fourth straight one-run playoff win.

That set the stage for a CIF SoCal D3 regional matchup with Culver City. The teams kept going back and forth, back and forth until it was 11-11 in the 12th inning. It had to be stopped due to darkness. The teams came back the next day with Culver City batting in the top of the 13th and the Centaurs took a 12-11 lead. Lewallen’s squad, however, walked it off for a 13-12 win with two runs in the bottom of the 13th.

After that, despite pitching being extremely spent, Glendora posted wins of 13-3 vs Westview of San Diego in the semifinals and then beat Kaiser of Fontana, 7-3, to win the team’s first regional title. Last year’s team lost in the SoCal regionals to Eastlake of Chula Vista.

Glendora principal Rod Tilton told the 210 Prep Sports (210prepsports.com) website when it named Lewallen recently as one of its coaches of the year that the school “is fortunate to have Coach Jerry Lewallen leading our baseball program.” Tilton added: “Some coaches teach athletes how to play the game and become better players. Others help student-athletes become better people. Coach Lewallen does both. Year after year, he builds championship-caliber teams while developing young men of character who will become outstanding husbands, fathers, leaders, and members of their communities.”

Lewallen also has become the first-ever Medium Schools State Coach of the Year in baseball from the the San Gabriel Valley. We have been doing the honor since the 1998 season.

Recent State Medium Schools Coaches of the Year: 2025 – Michael Kunipo-Aguirre (Carson); 2024 – Paul Martinez (Roseville Oakmont); 2023 – Matt Mowry (Lake Balboa Birmingham); 2022 – Tony Nieto (Las Flores Tesoro); 2021 – Daniel Maye (Simi Valley Royal); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Pat Fuentes (Los Banos); 2018 – Ken Arnerich (Alameda); 2017 – Rich Henning (Christian Brothers, Sacramento); 2016 – Jeff Baumback (Redondo Beach Redondo Union); 2015 – Mike Mitchell (El Cajon Christian); 2014 – Ollie Turner (Torrance); 2013 – Wilmer Aaron (Gardena Serra); 2012 – Steve Vickery (Lakeside El Capitan); 2011 – Gary Remiker (San Diego Cathedral Catholic); 2010 – Rich Sciutto (Burlingame); 2009 – Bob Anderson (Lake Shasta Central Valley).

Minarats head coach Jesse Darrah is still a young man, but may have added some gray hairs with some of the games that his team won late in the 2026 season. Photo: Sierra News Online.


SMALL SCHOOLS STATE
COACH OF THE YEAR

Jesse Darrah (Minarets, O’Neals)

Is it safe to say that if Darrah’s team had not won but lost in one of the craziest playoff games in state history (we think the highest scoring for two teams) that he wouldn’t be getting this honor? Yes, it would. But Minarets did indeed come out on top in a 21-20 scorefest with Pacific Grove that earned the team the CIF NorCal D5 championship.

The win capped a 27-8-1 record for the Mustangs and came after they had won the CIF Central Section D5 title in an almost equally crazy 10-9 victory over Shafter. Minarets would have played Coastal Academy of Oceanside for the CIF D5 state title if the CIF had been re-starting the state finals this year instead of next year.

Darrah also became a rare person to have played as a member of the Visalia Rawhide team in the California League and then later coached a team to a section title at Rawhide Stadium in Visalia, which is where the Central Section stages all of its title games.

Following his minor league career, which ended like many others with an injury, Darrah became the head coach at small school Minarets for the 2017 season. He coached the Mustangs for five seasons (through the pandemic) and in those seasons the team posted a 71-25 record with two trips to the section finals.

Darrah returned to lead the Minarets program for the 2025 season after spending three years away from the sport in the solar industry. This year’s success followed a 12-19 record from that 2025 season.

Everything looks great for the Mustangs now. Jesse is the school’s first-ever State Small Schools Coach of the Year. He’s the third Central Section honoree in the category in the last 12 years, joining Scott Neal from Chavez of Delano for 2024 and Jay Preuss of Kerman for 2014.

Recent State Small Schools Coaches of the Year: 2025 – David Trujillo (Atherton Menlo School); 2024 – Scott Neal (Delano Chavez); 2023 – Stewart Peterson (Sutter); 2022 – Kurt Takahashi (Sacramento Bradshaw Christian); 2021 – Eric Lay (Colusa); 2020 – No selection (pandemic); 2019 – Greg Mugg (Sunnyvale The King’s Academy); 2018 – Mack Paciorek (Pasadena Poly); 2017 – Jim Cleveland (San Lorenzo Redwood Christian); 2016 – Troy Ghisetti (Arcata); 2015 – Nelson Randolph (Sacramento Capital Christian); 2014 – Jay Preuss (Kerman); 2013 – Gil Ruiz (Pacific Grove); 2012 – Greg Largent (Escalon); 2011 – Craig Schoof (Atherton Menlo School); 2010 – Glen Prater (Riverside Woodcrest Christian); 2009 – Brad Gunter (Roseville Valley Christian).

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.

Instant Classic: DCA 4, St. Francis 3

By Mark Tennis | Published June 5, 2026

Destiny Christian of Sacramento edges St. Francis of Mountain View in a CIF NorCal D1 softball semifinal in a matchup on Thursday that saw the visiting Lancers battle in the batter’s box against dominant pitcher Ayla Tuua with numerous full counts, foul balls and some key hits. In the end, though, Tuua got the strikeouts she needed and big help from a sophomore shortstop in a 4-3 win that pushed the Lions one win away from a perfect season.

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The St. Francis of Mountain View softball program has seen it all in the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs. The Lancers have won the overall title before, they’ve lost in the first round as a top seed and they’ve won on the road before.

Despite pulling off a triple play in the bottom of the sixth inning and getting two runners on base in the top of the seventh, St. Francis couldn’t get the late-inning hit it needed to knock off the Lions on Thursday on a hot day in Sacramento that reached into the mid-90s. Instead, it was LSU-bound standout and top candidate for Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Ayla Tuua who rang up the key strikeouts and sophomore Takiyah Henderson who had three RBI to lead the way in a 4-3 win.

Sophomore Takiyah Henderson was the player of the game for Destiny Christian in its win over St. Francis of Mountain View in the CIF NorCal D1 semifinals with a homer, double, single and three RBI. Photo: Mark Tennis.


Destiny Christian improved to 30-0 and will play in the CIF NorCal D1 title game on Saturday. The opponent on Thursday still wasn’t known as the other NorCal semifinal between Clovis East of Clovis (22-4) and Whitney of Rocklin (25-8) was moved to Friday due to Whitney’s graduation being held on Thursday. Either team winning is going to have to face the top seed Lions just one day after playing each other in a matchup several hours away the day before in Clovis. The Lions will be looking to finish off a 31-0 season with a CIF NorCal D1 title and if they do that also will finish with the state’s No. 1 overall ranking. They also are No. 5 in the Line Drive Media Super 70 national rankings.

St. Francis fell to 26-5, which includes an earlier 1-0 loss to Destiny Christian in a non-league game played in Mountain View. The Lancers had bounced back from a loss to Willow Glen of San Jose in the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division semifinals with a 4-3 win on Tuesday in the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs over CIF North Coast Section D1 champion San Ramon Valley of Danville.

The St. Francis batters acted as if they’d seen Tuua before, but most of them hadn’t since Destiny Christian head coach Shannon Tuua (Ayla’s mother) went with Roxanne Sardo as the pitcher for six innings in that previous matchup. In the very first at-bat of game, sophomore Emi Yumiba set a tone with nine pitches against Tuua before drawing a walk. Jaime Oakland followed with perfectly placed bunt that went for a single, the runners then moved up on a wild pitch and the bases were loaded on a walk. Tuua was able to limit the damage to one run scored on a sacrifice fly by Marianna Liongitau, a strikeout and then a liner by Maya Meltz that was caught for the third out.

Destiny Christian has trailed in the first inning of a few games earlier this season and against the Lancers responded as it has done before. This time, K.K. Fulmer led off with a single, went to second on a fielder’s choice, went to third on a passed ball and with one out scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Ella Dossey. Junior shortstop Takiyah Henderson then came up with what turned out to be the biggest hit of the game as she launched a two-run homer that gave the Lions a 3-1 lead.

Oakland, the daughter of St. Francis head coach Mike Oakland and sister of former Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Jessica Oakland, then had an RBI grounder single up the middle in the top of the second inning that made it a 3-2 contest.

The Lions got back that run in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Dossey doubled and was followed immediately with Henderson hitting a fly ball into the left field corner that also went for a double. She finished with three hits and three RBI on the day.

St. Francis pitchers Mercedes Caller and Bianka Fisher (who came on in the fifth inning) ended up not allowing any more runs for the rest of the game. The Lancers also made it a 4-3 score in the top of the fifth on a double by Peyton Tsao and a two-out RBI single by Maya Meltz.

Tuua faced constant pressure from the St. Francis offense (only one 1-2-3 inning) but posted key strikeouts when she had to have them. She had 10 on the day, including two against Oakland with runners on base. Oakland had only struck out three times previously all season and stayed alive by fouling off pitches on both at-bats before finally going down.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Destiny Christian looked to add on with a leadoff single by Aubrey Joiner and then there was a mishandled bunt. With runners at first and second with no outs, Fulmer smoked a liner but it was directly at the St. Francis first baseman and practically standing on the bag. She tapped the base for the second out and then fired to second where the runner there also didn’t get back in time. The triple play gave the Lancers plenty of momentum going into the top of the seventh.

A walk and a hit by pitch then put two runners on for the Lancers in their attempt to tie the score or go ahead. Tuua was up to the challenge. She struck out both Maya Meltz and Aryka Gunsager to end the game and set it up for Destiny Christian to win it all on Saturday.

There wasn’t much else to add from the Destiny Christian side of things. The bigger stories could be yet to come. For St. Francis, a good chunk of the lineup will be back next season, including the top two pitchers along with top hitters Liongitau and Tsao (although graduating senior Jaime Oakland will be greatly missed).

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

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