Column: Peering into the crystal ball for 2025 predictions

First baseman Dominic Cadiz of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High poses for a photo while holding a bat on his shoulder.

Columnist

Jan. 1, 2025 4:30 AM PT

It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2025 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former ones), coaches and fans.

Dominic Cadiz of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will hit so many home runs that he’ll get a name, image and likeness deal with Wheaties.

Sophomore Julius Truitt of Birmingham will become the second-most famous person named JuJu in Los Angeles when he hits above .400, steals double-digit bases and breaks a school record for triples in his first season as a varsity starter.

Corona will win the Southern Section Division 1 baseball championship, with Seth Hernandez earning praise as the Shohei Ohtani of high school baseball.

Win Gurney of Mira Costa, an Oregon State commit, will hit a home run so far that the ball will go missing until a Golden Retriever is brought in to find it.

Quarterback Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park will promise his dad all A’s on his report card and to never dump Gatorade on him when it’s cold if he gets a new truck.

A group of El Segundo Little Leaguers from the championship team of 2023 will enroll at Loyola, and white smoke will be seen rising from historic Ruppert Hall.

Kaleena Smith of Ontario Christian will score 50 points in a girls’ basketball game, then get a shoe by Adidas in her honor.

The NFL draft on April 24 will feature two former Servite players, Mason Graham and Tetairoa McMillan, selected in the first round, causing their former coach, Troy Thomas, to sing the school fight song.

Quarterback Koa Malau’ulu of St. John Bosco will treat his group of talented receivers with so much love that he’ll buy them whatever they want from In-N-Out as long as the bill doesn’t exceed $150.

Brothers Jared (left) and Trent Grindlinger of Huntington Beach. Jared is a freshman pitcher. Trent is a junior catcher.

The Grindlinger brothers, Trent and Jared, will hit back-to-back home runs for Huntington Beach, causing mom and dad to scream so loudly that the umpire will stop the game for a moment of calm.

Gary Morse, a 6-foot-8 junior pitcher for Orange Lutheran, will be compared to Tyler Glasnow.

Pitcher Addison Moorman of Granada Hills.

Addison Moorman of Granada Hills will strike out 18 in a softball game.

Eighth-grader Ezrah Brown, the brother of Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown, and seventh-grader Ryu Sanchez, the brother of Columbia quarterback Caleb Sanchez, will continue their rise as youth quarterbacks as they move closer to the day of taking over the offenses at Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, respectively.

Former Sierra Canyon defensive back Kamari Ramsey will be an All-American for USC, then become a first-round draft pick in 2026.

Bell celebrates after defeating Birmingham in the City Section Open Division championship at Dodger Stadium.

Bell will become the first school outside the San Fernando Valley since Fremont in 1947 to win consecutive City Section upper division baseball championships.

Defensive lineman Khary Wilder of Gardena Serra will be so successful sacking quarterbacks that he will change his uniform number to 99.

Teagan O’Dell of Santa Margarita will end up with so many swimming medals around her neck that there will be a contest to guess how many.

Bishop Alemany freshman Demare Dezeurn displays his medal.

Demare Dezeurn of Bishop Alemany will be the fastest 100-meter runner in the Southern Section at age 16 as he blossoms under coach Terrell Stanley.

Nikolas Khamenia of Harvard-Westlake will set a record for triple-doubles in a season.

Lino Mark of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will receive an NIL deal for his hair.

Dylan Moreno of San Pedro will kick so many field goals that coach Corey Walsh will offer to serve as his holder at practice.

Birmingham and El Camino Real will meet again to determine the City Section boys’ soccer title and instead of the match ending in a fight, players will agree to shake hands as long as they get invited to the next World Cup.

Jaden Soong competes during the U.S. Open qualifier at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles on June 5, 2023.

Freshman golf phenom Jaden Soong of St. Francis will agree to a skins game against Charlie Woods sponsored by the SGA.

Cathedral sophomore quarterback Jaden Jefferson.

Quarterback Jaden Jefferson of Cathedral will throw for six touchdowns in a game, then do the Heisman pose.

Huntington Beach baseball coach Benji Medure will promise to try surfing if his team beats Corona.

Mater Dei left-hander Jackson Campbell will be a surprise pitching star because of his ability to throw strikes.

Softball standout Taelyn Holley of Murrieta Mesa, a Tennessee commit, will hit so many home runs that Erewhon will name a smoothie after her.

USC’s surprise freshman standout in baseball will be Augie Lopez from Loyola High.

Receiver will be the strongest position in Southern California football, led by the St. John Bosco group of Madden Williams, Carson Clark, Daniel Odom, Christian Davis and Darren Tubbs.