EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 3, 2019 Page 5
Looking Back at the Other
Half of 2018 Sports
By Gregg McMullin
We just welcomed in 2019 and bid farewell
to 2018 and a year that we’ll all remember.
Through it all, it was another year of sports
in El Segundo we won’t soon forget. It was
filled with cheers and tears and we said
goodbye to an El Segundo legend. We made
it through another year, so let’s look back at
the second half of 2018.
Little League International
Tournament
The seventh annual Beach City Baseball
Academy International Tournament was another
huge success. The 16-team tournament that
included Kitasuna, Japan and Little Mountain
Little League from Vancouver, Canada and
teams from Southern California was a huge
success even with the dismal cool weather
at Brett Field. After all was said and done,
Kitasuna, the defending Little League World
Series champions, won its sixth tournament
title in seven appearances in the finals. This
time, they defeated BC Prospects 14-6 in a
game highlighted by four towering home runs.
El Segundo Little League’s
Successful Season
The 2018 El Segundo Little League closed
its books and schedule by crowning champions
in the AA, AAA and Major Divisions.
So, 105 days of baseball at Brett Field came
to an end. What began on Feb. 17 with the
Opening Day ceremonies concluded on a
clear, picturesque day. It was classy way
to say goodbye to the 2018 season with a
bounce house, a Jacob’s Ladder, snow cones
and cotton candy for the family to enjoy
while taking in three great games.
The most exciting game of the day was
the AA match between the Indians and
Royals. The AAA champions had the best
pile-on celebration after winning, and the
favorites in the Major Division game played
a solid game. Perhaps the highlight of the
day was the singing of the National Anthem.
Samantha Quevedo’s rendition sent chills
and goosebumps through the large crowd
and prompted the largest ovation of the day.
Sebastian Gomez’s walk-off single gave
the Indians the championship in the AA
game. The Dodgers took care of business
in the AAA game. They scored five runs
in the fourth inning on their way to a 12-6
championship win that ignited a team-wide
dogpile celebration. In the Major championship
game, Dylan Garcia pitched his Giants
to the championship by tossing a four-hitter
and striking out six in their 4-1 win over
the Cardinals.
The El Segundo Little League (ESLL)
11-12 all-stars had one of their finest streaks
in years. After running the table in the District
36 tournament, they won the Section
4 Tournament to advance to the Southern
California Little League all-star tournament.
The winner would advance to the Western
Region Tournament.
ESLL had a bye in the first round of the
10-team tournament and advanced to face
Conejo Valley Little League in the quarterfinal
winner’s bracket round and win 13-5. In the
semifinal winner’s bracket game, ESLL faced
Park View. The all-star team from Chula Vista
had advanced to the Little League World
Series twice in the past 10 years and won it
once. Park View played flawless defense and
took advantage of two El Segundo errors to
go on to win 6-0. In the elimination game,
James Baldino silenced Quartz Hill’s offense
and ESLL won 2-1. The season ended when
the locals were shut out 13-0 to Huntington
Valley (Huntington Beach).
The 9-10-year-old all-stars reached the
Little League California State championship
tournament. They won the District 36
tournament and the Section 4 tournament to
advance to the pinnacle competition. They fell
to Huntington Valley 8-4 in the first round. El
Segundo responded with a come-from-behind
6-5 victory over Pasadena American Little
League in the first elimination game. The
ESLL all-stars continued their winning ways
against North Park Little League from San
Diego. El Segundo scored three first inning
runs and three sixth inning runs to win 6-3.
El Segundo pounded out 16 hits paced
by Lincoln Quaintance, who had three
hits including a single, walk and a basesclearing
triple with two outs to take a 6-4
lead and hold on for the win. El Segundo’s
run ended with a second loss to Huntington
Valley. ESLL all-star play finished with an
11-3 record and was one of four remaining
Southern California teams.
Babe Ruth League
Crowns Champion
The Stars and Angels met to decide the
2018 champion. The Stars are no strangers
to playing for league championships, but for
the Angels this was something new. The Stars
were thin on pitching in general, while the
Angels’ staff was running low on arms due
to injuries. The Angels took advantage of
seven walks, three hit batters and two errors
to win 14-4. For Angel manager Eric Batty,
it was his first championship and the first
league championship for the team in 10 years.
Nootbaar Signs, While Palmer
and Long Honored
Former El Segundo Eagle two-sport megaathlete
Lars Nootbaar was selected in the
eighth round of the Major League Baseball
amateur draft. Spencer Palmer had one of
the best seasons an El Camino baseball
player has had in years. He hit .415 with
eight home runs, 39 RBIs, a .543 on-base
percentage and 38 walks. For his incredible
season he was named First Team All-South
Coast Conference, First Team All- Southern
California and Second Team All-America.
Spencer Long was named to the All-South
Coast Conference First Team for the Warriors.
He had a 4-4 record with a 2.68 ERA and
in 47 innings pitched, struck out 40 batters.
Football Team Finishes 5-5
The Eagles had made the postseason in 12
of the past 15 seasons, but this year would
not be one of them. El Segundo faced five
teams that reached the playoffs and three of
those played for a CIF title.
The Eagles had defeated Mira Costa in
consecutive seasons, but the Mustangs had
their number this year. In the final game of
the season, the Eagles needed overtime to
defeat Santa Monica 22-16. With the score
tied 16-16 and 17 seconds remaining in the
fourth quarter, the Eagles’ 32-yard field goal
was blocked and the game went into overtime.
In overtime, El Segundo had possession
first. Dylan Phillips hauled in a 15-yard pass
where he was stopped short of the goal line.
Matt Romero then kept it to get into the end
zone for a 22-16 lead. The defense stopped
the running game that included linebacker
Julian Rodriquez’s tackle of Samo’s talented
running back Zaire Martin-Thomas for a big
loss. On fourth and long, the final pass play
fell incomplete when the defense pressured
both the quarterback and Samo receivers.
It was a fitting ending to legendary defensive
coordinator Dan Heck, who retired after the
game. Afterwards, Coach Heck addressed the
team after being doused with a full cooler of
cold water amidst the winning celebration.
Fighting back emotions, he said to the team,
“I couldn’t be prouder of you guys these
past two weeks and especially tonight. I’ll
remember this one and I hope you do too.”
Thank you, Danm for everything you
embodied in the El Segundo High School
Local Resident Hopes for a Good
Reality Check on New NBC Series
By Brian Simon
Thanks to the advent of reality shows, more
people than ever get to enjoy their so-called
15 minutes of fame. Some of them flame out
quickly, while others parlay the experience into
something bigger and better. So is the hope of
El Segundo resident Nikkie Neal, who will be
one of the contestants on NBC’s new series, The
Titan Games, which debuts tonight at 8 p.m.
PDT. According to its press information, the
10-episode series “will offer everyday people
the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete
in remarkable feats designed to test mind, body
and heart.” The show promises to be widely
viewed due to the high-profile presence of
executive producer and host Dwayne Johnson,
the superstar actor/producer and former wrestler
also known as “The Rock.” Veteran NBC sports
host Liam McHugh and well-known e-sports
announcer Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez will
serve as commentators providing play-by-play
and in-depth analysis of the action from up
in the skybox. Broadcaster Cari Champion
will be the field reporter down on the floor,
conducting interviews with the contestants in
the heat of the battle.
While non-disclosure agreements prohibit
Neal from divulging in which episodes she
will appear, how long she lasted and how she
performed – not to mention the particulars of
the arduous physical tasks she no doubt faced
(filming has already concluded), she did speak
about what brought her into this particular
spotlight in the first place. “I actually got an
email from a friend about it [the show] and
they said it looked like something I would love
to do,” Neal, 26, said. “What you needed to be
qualified to be in the running was an athletic
background of some kind -- even if it was just
a gym rat type of athlete. You had to be true
to your story and your beliefs, whatever they
may be, and of course know who Dwayne
Johnson is.”
Neal described the selection process as a
“nail-biting experience.” She first submitted
a video detailing why she thought she could
be a Titan as well as footage showcasing
her physical strengths. After viewing it, the
producers and Johnson agreed that she fit the
bill. That bill was part of Johnson’s concept
to give men and women across the country
an avenue to reach their highest potential for
greatness. During the series, viewers will see
contestants compete against one another in
extreme challenges testing not just physical
ability but also their overall work ethic and
determination as well as their mental and
emotional uppermost limits. “I wanted to do
this show to challenge myself and to exceed
expectations of myself and push myself to be
better than what I was,” Neal explained. She
also felt it was important to show her family
what she was made of and to prove she was
“just as competitive as her siblings and not
live in their shadows anymore.”
To prepare for the show, Neal embarked on a
rigorous regimen of weightlifting, cardiovascular
exercise and increased calorie intake. It was
a difficult balance to maintain. “I just overall
tried to strengthen while keeping my lean figure
for work,” she said. “I played volleyball and
soccer, and swam. I did all kinds of sports and
loved it. They were always my outlet.”
The aforementioned “lean figure” is a must
for her ongoing career as a model/actress. Neal’s
resume includes a number of short films, series
pilots, background work, commercials and
print. Recent appearances included the film
I Hate LA and the TV mini-series Chasing
Happiness. And she is about to add a stint on
The Titan Games.
A self-described tomboy who enjoys any
activities you can do outdoors – with jet skiing,
snowboarding and hiking particular favorites –
Neal is currently single and enjoys spending
time with her family. Being in close proximity
to family while not straying too far from work
calls led to her move to El Segundo a couple of
years ago. Born in New Mexico, she grew up
in Los Angeles and graduated from Redondo
Union High School. “I love El Segundo and
the South Bay --- it’s an amazing bubble and
it has come so far,” she said. “Unfortunately,
I’m almost never home because I work all over
and it requires that I travel a lot.”
When Neal does have a break, she loves
reading books and also tries to get to the
movies once a week. One would suspect that
chances are good she will be stopped for an
autograph when recognized at a local theatre
in the not-too-distant future -- especially if
her run on The Titan Games is a long one.
With that thought in mind, could she provide
her El Segundo neighbors any hint at
all on what we should expect in that regard
as the series debuts this evening? Neal was
predictably tight-lipped about the situation:
“Sorry, I cannot discuss anything about the
show. You’ll have to just wait and see...”
The Titan Games debuts tonight, Thursday,
Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. on NBC. •
Nikkie Neal
Burkley Brandlin
Swatik & Keesey LLP
AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW
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