Prep Notebook: Roc Riggio and Thousand Oaks continue to dominate
Thousand Oaks is 15-0 and continues to beat up on its baseball competition, outscoring Oaks Christian 38-4 in three games last week. The Lancers have hit 25 home runs. Roc Riggio has seven home runs while Charlie Saum and Dylan Jackson have five each.
Thousand Oaks primarily relies on its hitting, which will be an interesting challenge when the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs start, since having a dominant pitcher is often crucial. Going unbeaten this long, however, shows how good the Lancers are. They have a two-game series this week against Westlake Village Westlake.
Studio City Harvard-Westlake (15-4) has gotten a big lift from junior center fielder Toussaint Bythewood, who started the season injured. He was the backup last season to first-round draft pick Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Healthy and given the chance to play, Bythewood is leading the team with a .467 batting average with 14 hits in 30 at-bats, including four triples. He had four hits in a game against Crespi last week.
If he needs a video produced on his hitting, he can always ask his mother, Gina Prince Bythewood, writer-director of “Love & Basketball.”
A look at the top 25 high school boys’ basketball teams in the Southland.
JSerra began Trinity League play with a three-game sweep of Mater Dei, but nothing was easy. The two teams played a 12-inning game that ended up as a 1-0 JSerra win. The Lions began the year as the No. 1 team in Southern California, then dropped out of the rankings after losing five of their first nine games. They’ve won nine in a row since, so let’s just say come playoff time, with pitchers Gage Jump, David Horn and Eric Silva, they’ll be tough to beat.
Granada Hills made a move in the City Section, getting a two-game sweep of Chatsworth in the West Valley League. The Highlanders are loaded with talented players from the class of 2022.
‘Baller’ at Murrieta Mesa
Murrieta Mesa football coach Darrel Turner is convinced junior linebacker Cade Moran, 6-2, 230 pounds, is a “baller” to watch this fall.
“This kid can play at the next level,” Turner said.
Here are his Hudl highlights from the five-game spring season.
Tops in boys’ soccer
L.A. Cathedral (13-0), Servite (11-1) and Birmingham (11-0) continue to be the best in boys’ soccer. With regional playoffs on, these teams could meet at some point this season.
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