YOUTH SCENE

Seahawks win it all

The Newport-Mesa Jr. All-American Seahawks, of the Youth Football Future Division, also known as the flag division, won their bowl game against the Baldwin Hills Bruins, 22-6, in Inglewood, ending their season with an 8-1 record.

The six and 7-year-olds were led by Bobby Purcifull, who scored a touchdown for the Seahawks on the opening kickoff, giving them the early edge. After a strong defensive series from Newport-Mesa, the offense scored again on Jack Elliot’s run around the right side. The Seahawks kept it rolling, adding a safety and then a long touchdown pass from quarterback Spencer Hook to Purcifull.

The defense for Newport-Mesa was solid, with big plays from Dylan Clemens, Luke Fisher, Joey Ruiz, Sean Nielsen, Christian Delgado, Logan Rockwell, Brannon Syler, and Braiden Hook. Pass receptions by Bradford Binder and Nielsen, added with tough runs by Purcifull and Fisher kept the offense moving. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, blocking for the running backs and allowing time to pass the ball.

The Seahawks also won a share of the league championship for the first time, beating the previously unbeaten Carson Colts, 20-0, the week before. The Colts’ offense had averaged 34 points and their defense allowed less than three points a game.

SOCCER

AYSO Region 97

Girls Under 8

Wildcats vs. Green Lions: Peri Rieke, Abigail Buggeln and Emma Kennedy all scored goals for the Wildcats. McKenna Carroll and Klaire Thoman had several attempts on goal and made some critical game plays. Camber Calderwood and Alex Stamy made great defensive plays and Libby Larner and Shannon White both made key saves in the goal.

Golden Fireballs vs. The Green Machine: Sydney Palmer displayed great skill with a hard slicing kick to score. Betsy Calder played great defense, Miranda McCormick was tough as goalie and Lauren Lyons was brave and strong. Lauren Babin showed confidence in pursuit of the ball and Michelle Pokusa was hard to catch. Jordan Golden and Katie Browman fought hard for the ball with Lara Farinsky passing well in the midfield.

Boys Under 8

The Green Machine: The Green Machine scored on a direct shot from Conor Houlihan. Other shots on goal came from Richard Torres, Alex Carpenter, Cade Kassouf, Aidan Steinke and Rory Sever. Torres and Houlihan played excellent center midfield and fullback. Carpenter did a great job playing both forward and goal keeper. Kassouf played a good defense as a power fullback and Steinke shook up the field as a right side striker. John Rankin and Peter Emmel contributed to both offense and defense and Sever played right forward, also contributing great saves as goalkeeper.

Girls Under 7

Island Girls vs. Red Hot Lava Girls: Caroline Pipkin and Alina Aguirre drew cheers from the crowd with their amazing goals. Claire Bacon and Sklyar Jacobsen were on fire in their offensive attempts and Claire Jeffs, Nicole Nesbitt and Grace Fay exhibited fancy footwork. Carolyn Altshuler and Lauren Titelman held strong on the defensive end.

Boys Under 7

Blue Sharks vs. Tigers: The Sharks wrapped up their season with an outstanding performance. Rocco Zablan had two goals and Ethan Schroeder added a third goal. Garrett Gritzmacher, Mac Briggs, Dan Suzuki, and Micah Kunkle played outstanding in the goal, turning away shot after shot. Jack Phillips and Jake Oberg played solid defense, while Nicolaas Baljeu and Jackson Kruse controlled the midfield, contributing to goals.

Girls Under 6

Pink Dolphins vs. Surfs Up: Cora Harmon and Jaden Golden played their best games of the season. Fiona Slevin was a scoring machine and Leah Beehler was great on defense and offense. Tyesha Aguilar and Rachel Gore played great defense too and Mandy Evans displayed her toughness.

Shooting Stars vs. Pink Diamonds: The Shooting Stars showed an impressive effort, with Peyton Russell, Alex Terry and Megan Houlihan leading the offense. Katie Ridley and Kate Lynch also had offensive contributions while Jeannie Williams showed solid defensive talent.

Firecrackers vs. Teeny Wahines: The Firecrackers showed strong determination with Paige Bryant, Ashleigh McPhie, Lily Shea, Lily Newman, Courtney Ima, and Keilani Lee all playing tough defense. 

Boys Under 6

Red Rhinos vs. Green Dragons: Dane Carroll scored 2 goals for the Red Rhinos. Zach Forbath showed great control of the ball and Grady Birmingham played a great defensive game with amazing speed on the field. Landon Searcy, Adam Rimland and Crossten all contributed with great offensive passes.