Wilson Girls May Challenge Poly

The Long Beach Poly girls will be trying to win their fifth consecutive Division I title at the Southern Section track and field championships Saturday at Cerritos College. However, Moore League rival Long Beach Wilson figures to present a challenge. In their league dual meet, Poly prevailed, 68-67.

Wilson will rely on senior sprinter Tiana Hood and sophomore Ebony Collins, who is entered in the 100, 200, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Wilson also has the No. 2 team in the nation in the 400 (45.73) and 1,600 (3:40.94) relays.

Poly will counter with junior Shana Woods, who will compete in the 200, 100 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles (43-11) and long jump; April Phillips, the state leader in the shotput at 46 feet 4 inches, and Seqoiya Paggese in the long jump and triple jump.

The Long Beach Poly boys should have a much easier time. Sophomore Bryshon Nellum in the 200 and 400, state-leading 400 and 1,600 relay teams plus a bevy of sprinters, hurdlers and high jumpers make the Jackrabbits the favorites.

Titles will be determined in four divisions. The girls’ pole vault opens the action at 10:30 a.m. The first running event is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Mike Kennedy

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Baseball

In a matchup between two of the best professional prospects in California, Crescenta Valley and pitcher Trevor Bell overwhelmed Long Beach Poly and outfielder DeSean Jackson, 18-0, in a first-round game of the Southern Section Division I playoffs at Stengel Field in Glendale.

Bell threw five shutout innings, striking out 10, walking none and giving up three hits. He struck out Jackson twice and retired the first nine batters.

Crescenta Valley (23-3) finished with 18 hits and had five RBIs from Dustin Emmons. Long Beach Poly finished 16-11-1.

Eric Sondheimer

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Visiting La Palma Kennedy upset second-seeded Los Angeles Loyola, 9-3, in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs for its second major upset in three games.

The Fighting Irish defeated Cypress, the division’s top-seeded team, in an Empire League game last Tuesday before falling to Cypress on Thursday.

Kennedy right-hander Richard McLaughlin won his ninth consecutive game to improve to 10-3. McLaughlin, who also defeated Cypress last week, left after Sam Wiley’s two-run home run with one out in the seventh inning cut the deficit to 9-3.

Kennedy (15-11-1), which finished third in league play, won for the 13th time in 17 games.

Loyola (20-6), the Mission League co-champion, was one of seven Division II teams ranked in the top 10 of the final coaches’ poll to lose in the first round. The others were No. 4 Oxnard, No. 5 West Hills Chaminade, No. 6 Orange Lutheran, No. 7 San Bernardino Cajon, No. 8 Alhambra and No. 9 Manhattan Beach Mira Costa.

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Inglewood senior Christian Carlos finished with 23 doubles this season, breaking the state record of 22 set by Graham Koontz of Julian in 1992 and tied by Gerald Laird of Westminster La Quinta in 1998, according to Cal-Hi Sports.

Carlos, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound middle infielder, batted .617 in 60 at-bats.

“If you tell him to hit it down the right-field line, he’ll hit it down the right-field line,” Coach Martin Gonzalez said. “I’ve coached him since Little League and he’s always put a lot of heart into it.... This kid is real talented.”

The Sentinels (7-14, 2-8) tied for fourth in the Ocean League and did not qualify for the Southern Section playoffs.

Dan Arritt

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Boys’ Tennis

Sophomore Michael McClune of Irvine Woodbridge, the Ojai Valley tournament Interscholastic champion, will be the top-seeded player when the Southern Section individual tournament begins today with qualifying rounds at four regional sites.

McClune, who lost in the semifinals of the Southern Section tournament last season, is ranked No. 1 in Southern California in the boys’ 16 division.

Other top players in singles include Ojai runner-up Blake Muller, a senior at Santa Barbara who lost to former Mater Dei standout and current USC player Kaes Van’t Hof in last year’s Southern Section final. Ojai semifinalists Jason Jung of West Torrance and Wesley Miller of Corona del Mar also are competing.

Thousand Oaks junior Sam Querrey, who is competing in the French Open junior tournament, and Los Angeles Brentwood junior Daniel Freeman, who was upset in the Olympic League tournament, will not play.

Lauren Peterson

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Top performers

Highlights of the best high school performances from Thursday.

TRACK AND FIELD

* Jamere Holland, Woodland Hills Taft: The junior sprinter ran a nation-leading 10.38 seconds in the 100 meters to win his heat in the City Section preliminaries. Taft, though, will be hard-pressed to beat Dorsey after being disqualified in both relays.

BASEBALL

* J.T. Heaps and David Ruiz, Aliso Viejo Aliso Niguel: Heaps pitched a two-hitter and Ruiz hit a three-run home run as the Wolverines beat Redlands East Valley, 3-0, in a Southern Section Division II playoff game.

SOFTBALL

* Vernae Sevilla, Rancho Cucamonga: Had two triples and an RBI and scored a run as the No. 23 Cougars beat Temecula Chaparral, 4-1, in a Division II playoff game.

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For more scores and highlights:

www.latimes.com/sports/preps