From The Community Sports Desk, 5/18/16

Note From The Editor: Thid is the 3rd posting of our newest feature and we take time to inform our entire community of the following Headline stories: #1) Four college-bound and scholarshipped football players have a signing day; #2) an East Side “Lights Out” Youth Football Speed Camp update; #3) the L.A. City Section’s Baseball & Softball Playoff updates; and #4) last, but certainly not least, East L.A. Ram fans are now organizing for the upcoming season, Stay with us and see the stories in a quick-read format just below. Rico Cabrera, Sr.,/Managing Editor, EastLASportsScene.Com

Time For Our East Side Grads To Move Onward & Upward

Huge Congrats are in order for #93 Andrew Vasquez, (photo) Defensive End (Bishop Amat “Lancers”), #91 Ryan Muñoz,  Defensive Lineman (Bishop Amat “Lancers”), #19 Felipe Meza, Jr.,  Running Back (Salesian “Mustangs”) and #4 Jerome Hull,  Corner Back (Salesian “Mustangs”). They’ve all signed their letters of intent to attend  Cal Lutheran University,  (CLU) on scholarship. The small private, University is located in Thousand Oaks, CA. and has been an NCAA Division III   member since 1991, and a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC)  member since 1992. CLU’s history shows (6)  SCIAC Championships in the following years: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 1997 and a total of (4)  NCAA post-season appearances in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 respectively. Vásquez and Muñoz signed their letters on campus at Bishop Amat on April 25th, while Meza, Jr. and Hull signed theirs on April 26th. All four players were strongly recruited by the “Kingsmen’s”  Head Coach, Ben McEnroe, and are expected to add size, speed, and depth to the 2016 team.

Photo Gallery Credits:  Vince Quiñones, Vasquez Family, (Bishop Amat); Mark Bolaños, (player action shots) and the Meza Family (Salesian).

Update: East Side “Lights Out” Speed Camp/Boyle Hts. Wolfpack

 The Founder of the East Side “Lights Out” Youth Football Speed Camp, Coach Mike Aguilar  provides us with an update on his efforts to provide our youth a FREE  weekly Sunday camp experience. Thus far, in month #5, he has brought the talents and skills of the following community members who have provided our youth with timely mentoring and motivational lectures. Let’s start with Coach David Manzo,  former Garfield HS  & Cal Poly Pomona  student. He is currently the Principal at a Middle School in Huntington Park and is the Speed Camp’s Chief Academic Advisor. Next, there’s Dr. Jody Adewale, 2003 Roosevelt “Rough Rider” alum and USC grad, who is a member of the Jr. Pee Wees coaching staff, and who also enjoys coming back and giving much-needed life counseling/skills to our youth. Then without fail, there’s the Ceja Family  which has been a most valuable staple in Boyle Hts. for 40+  years and continues to provide essential team support to all of our kids. Last word on the Camp…we’re told that Coach Aguilar has planned a special “Awards & Recognition Day”  on his Camp’s final date of 6/26/16.

In other community recreational activities, parents please take advantage of baseball’s opening day of 6/4  at Obregon Park.  Come out and see our youngest ones in action playing in the following divisions– Ice Cream/Angels 3-5 yrs; Fly Weight/Angels 6 to 8; Tiny’s/A’s 9 & 10; and Pee Wee’s/Giants 11 & 12 yrs old.

Final note….The Boyle Heights Wolfpack/East Side “Lights Out” Football Speed Camp  still runs every Sunday at Evergreen Park  from 10 am to 12 pm. New football sign-ups can also be made at Sunday’s Camp as well. For more info on the Speed Camp, the Wolfpack program, and East L.A.’s  County Parks’ activities, call Coach Aguilar  at (323) 393-4043.

Photo Gallery Credits: Lucy De La O, East Side “Lights Out” Speeed Camp & Erik Sarni, EastLASportsScene.Com

L.A. City Section Baseball Playoffs 2016/Baseball & Softball Updates

Baseball

Division I:      (FINAL SCORE – 1st Rnd)

#12 Venice  (7)  vs.  #6 Roosevelt  (0)

Division II:     (FINAL SCORES – 2nd Rnd)  

#1 South Gate (10)  vs. #16 King/Drew  (0)

#4 Chavez  (6)  vs.  #11 Torres  (1)

#7 Contreras  (5)  vs.  #10 Wilson  (0)

***South Gate plays Eagle Rock in a quarterfinal game on 5/20 at South Gate

Softball

Division I:    (FINAL SCORE – 1st Rnd)

#10 San Fernando (6)  vs.  #7 Lincoln  (3)

Division II: (FINAL SCORES – 1st Rnd)             FINAL SCORES – 2nd Rnd

#8 Wilson  (17)  vs.  #9 Marquez (1)                     South East  (16) vs.  Wilson (1)

#11 Roosevelt  (6)  vs.  #6 Legacy (5)                   Chavez  (3)  vs.  Roosevelt  (2)

#4 South Gate  (11)  vs  #13 Westchester (5)     Verdugo Hills (16)  vs.  South Gate (0)

Divsion III

#4 Torres  (13)  vs.  #13 Fremont  (2)                   Torres  (16)  vs.  Hollywood (3)

*** Torres  plays #1 Van Nuys, the #1 seed, in one semi-final game on 5/18 at 3 pm at Van Nuys.

FINAL SCORE: Van Nuys (16) vs.  Torres  (6).

Congrats to the following teams on winning their LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Baseball: Roosevelt “Rough Riders” –  Eastern League – (11-1) Record

Softball: Lincoln “Tigers”  – Northern League – (10-0) Record

East L.A. Ram Fans Getting Ready To Make Some Noise

If you are a resident of our vast East L.A. community, and you are a lifelong, or perhaps a new L.A. Rams  fan, then please be informed that there is a growing fan-base now taking shape in our own backyard. As you can imagine, after a 20 year drought of NFL  action, our community is dead set on making its presence felt at all things pertaining to the Rams. One of our followers informed us that a Whittier-based  Rams fan club already exists and hopefully, we can learn more from them on establishing a chapter in East L.A. Look for more details in the coming weeks on how you can become a part of this exciting fanbase dedicated to supporting our L.A. Rams.

Photo Gallery Credits: L.A. Times; USA Today; NFL; L.A. Rams