Sports

Whoever shuffled to the rain dance the past few weeks must have finally stopped to take a breather. With a break from storm clouds, local high school boys’ tennis teams smashed serves, forehands and backhands while pursuing league glory. “It’s been good to get back on the court,” said Newbury Park head coach Richard Kick, who led the Panthers to […]

ACORN MVP— Calabasas High boys’ basketball senior guard Max Cheylov, right, drives to the hoop against Crespi in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Cheylov was the Marmonte League MVP last season, but didn’t get the award this year despite being the best player on the best team in the league. He settled for the All-League first team. He is, […]

“Don’t die in the waiting room of the future.” East German punk rockers, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, spewed that slogan. That urgency against complacency, against the dying of the light, against the Stasi secret police . . . wait a minute, the snot otter is being told to stick to sports. Not a problem. In this special […]

Coaches love to talk about team culture. Like a soul to a body, the culture of a team isn’t visible or tangible. Sounds like gibberish, doesn’t it? Far from it. One can’t buy a Costco-sized tub of culture, but it’s certainly attainable. The best coaches and leaders foster a positive environment where players genuinely care for each other, motivate each […]

Andrew Allen’s made the most of his four years at Calabasas High. When the 18-year-old’s parents, Danny and Sarah Allen, offered to shuttle him back and forth from his hometown Oxnard to Calabasas for high school, he jumped at the opportunity. Sitting through the never-ending morning and afternoon traffic was as enjoyable to Andrew Allen as a safari tour of […]

SCREAM TEAM—Oak Park High girls’ basketball sophomore guard Navya Batra, left, shoots past Northview’s Autumn Rivera during the CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA championship game loss on Feb. 23. The Eagles’ run in the state tournament also ended against Northview, 44-37, this time in the CIF State Division IV regional final on March 5 on the road. Oak Park finished this […]

Oak Park High’s girls’ basketball team missed its chance to claim the second CIF-Southern Section title in program history. The Eagles lost 47-43 to Northview in the Division 4AA championship game on Feb. 23 at Azusa Pacific University’s Felix Event Center. The loss did not diminish Oak Park’s magical season on the hardwood, however. For a squad that only won […]

Prep boys’ golf season is in full swing. Agoura High, which moved from the Marmonte League to the Coastal Canyon League this spring, won the Spanish Hills Invitational on Feb. 18. Gavin Bowman, an Agoura junior, took first individually with a 72. “Can’t start a season a better way than that,” said Scott McCreary, the Chargers’ head coach. Agoura and […]

Gracelyn Hurst couldn’t believe it. Mira Costa High girls’ water polo goalie Erin O’Donnell stretched to stop Hurst’s penalty shot in the second overtime of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 Championship on Feb. 16 in Irvine. With Oaks Christian trailing by a goal, Hurst, a sophomore standout for the Lions, thought she’d cost her team the title. “I felt like […]