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EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 14, 2017 Page 5
Franco Leads Eagles Basketball to
Tournament Championship Win
By Gregg McMullin
The El Segundo High School basketball
team came away with its first tournament title
in 12 years after winning the Downey Calvary
Chapel Tournament. It was the program’s first
tournament championship since 2004 when
the Eagles won in back-to-back years of the
Garces (Bakersfield) tournament when Iohn
Ryan and his brother Kevin were Eagles.
The irony is that the last time the Eagles
won a tournament was December 29, 2004.
Then-head coach Rick Sabosky, had been
given the sad news prior to the championship
game that his mother Muriel had passed
away. At the time, current head coach David
March was an assistant to Sabosky--so March
coached the Eagles to the victory.
Coach Sabosky said, “I was a mess and
knew I couldn’t focus on the game. My
mother was never famous in the eyes of
the world, but a star and saint in the eyes
of her family. So I turned the team over to
David [March] and the team did great with
his guidance.”
Fast forward to 2017 and David March
is the Eagles’ head coach. The Eagles, who
have bought into the vision of their leader,
have committed themselves all year long.
They had a successful summer, winning nine
of their last 11 games and getting to backto
back summer tournament championships.
Coach March stresses mental toughness
and defense. The Eagles have utilized a 1-2-
2 zone press and half court matchup zone,
creating turnovers and limiting opponents
to under 30 points per game thus far. The
overall energy and enthusiasm of young
players coming off the bench and fueling
the team have solidified chemistry.
The Eagles opened the tournament and the
season by overwhelming Vistamar 48-9. Yes,
the Eagles held their opponent to a mere nine
points. El Segundo went on a 33-4 run and
went on to the easy win over a team that
had started out the season 2-0.
Miles Jones looks to be the scoring catalyst
of the team. The junior 6’1” guard led El
Segundo with 10 points, four rebounds and
three assists. Third-year starter and junior
forward Michael Lynch had seven points
and six rebounds.
In the second game against a big, physical
La Quinta (Westminster) team, the Eagles
won convincingly 41-28. They were led by
an inspired Kyle Freeman and Lynch. Freeman
battled for rebounds, while Lynch’s
defense forced errant shots. Jacob Franco
led the offense from the point guard spot
and forced turnovers while also spotting up
position for rebounds.
Jones led all scorers with 13 points, while
Lynch had 10 points, five rebounds and three
steals. Freeman also poured in 10 points.
Franco forced three turnovers, had seven
assists and guided the offense to perfection.
In the third game of pool play, the Eagles
faced an undefeated Edgewood team that had
won this tournament in two of the last four
seasons including last year. Thanks in part
to Franco’s defense and the ability to cause
turnovers coupled with the Eagles control-
The Eagles pose after winning the Downey Calvary Chapel Tournament.
Dodgers Preparing for Another
Successful Season After Near Title
By Adam Serrao
It may be difficult for fans of the Los Angeles
Dodgers to even think about baseball once
again after the team’s heartbreaking defeat in
last season’s World Series. After making it to
the very last game that they possibly could
have played, the Dodgers once again came
up short of their goal of attaining the team’s
first championship since 1988. Despite their
shortcomings, Dodgers president of baseball
operations Andrew Friedman and general
manager Farhan Zaidi have already begun to
discuss moves for the 2018 season and remain
optimistic about their team’s chances. In fact,
the Baseball Winter Meetings took place this
week and by the time this article comes out,
the Dodgers may very well have made a deal
or two. Though it may indeed be difficult to
think forward to next October, what the Dodgers
do in this offseason may just be what gets the
team over their horrific postseason nightmares
from seasons past.
“We’re excited and encouraged that a lot of
this group is going to be back and we’re going
to look for every way to make it better,” Zaidi
explained while addressing his team’s chances
next season. “It was exhilarating to get to the
World Series, to see our fans respond to it. In
the last few years we’ve taken steps each year
to get to the ultimate goal. And our goal is a
year from now, we’ll be able to say that was
another step for us.”
But what can the Dodgers do to take that
next step? The team already finished with the
best record in the entire league and made history
at various points throughout the regular
season for their prolific play. Yet, still, no
World Series. The biggest stars on the team
like Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen--who
had been counted on all season long to get
the best players in all of baseball out--simply
failed to do so. So how do you make a team
that was already considered to be the best in
baseball, yet failed under the pressure of the
postseason, even better?
Well, despite being in the running for twoway
Japanese star Shohei Ohtani since August,
the team recently lost out on that bidding
war to the Los Angeles Angels. Giancarlo
Stanton remained a longshot trade option for
the Dodgers before he also signed elsewhere
with the New York Yankees. That left L.A.
with the offseason task of filling needs in the
bullpen, possibly at second base, certainly at
starting pitching and definitely in the starting
lineup, all while having already missed out on
this offseason’s two hottest commodities. So,
where else could the team look to get better?
Brandon Morrow was a gem for the Dodgers
last year, specifically in the playoffs. Unfortunately
for Los Angeles, Morrow played so
well that he earned a role as a closer and a
contract that matches. Sure enough, he signed
with the Cubs last weekend. Logan Forsythe
didn’t necessarily set the world on fire in his
first year in Dodger blue and can be seen as
one weakness in an otherwise healthy Dodgers
lineup. Bringing back Chase Utley to platoon at
second could be an option, but his intangibles
certainly outweigh his playing abilities at this
point in his career. Kershaw, Rich Hill and Alex
Wood will be back at the top of the rotation
for L.A., but a clear number two starter who
may or may not be named Yu Darvish could
be in the team’s sights. Andrew Toles could
join Alex Verdugo as possible offensive additions
to the lineup, but fans would have likely
much rather seen a big-name bat like Stanton
step to the plate in between Justin Turner and
Cody Bellinger.
As far as other free agent targets go for the
Dodgers who are not named Ohtani, Stanton
or Darvish, look for the team to possibly make
a strong push for Lorenzo Cain. Cain would
provide the club with a great right-handed
hitting bat who could hit pitchers who throw
either right or left. He also won a World Series
with the Kansas City Royals and is almost as
reliable as they come in the outfield. As far as
pitching goes, don’t be surprised to see Los
Angeles in on the Jake Arrieta hype. Dodger
fans have almost certainly grown at least an
acute dissatisfaction with the Cubs and their
former players, but the right-handed ex-Cy
Young Award-winning Arrieta might just look
good in the pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium
with Rick Honeycutt tweaking his delivery.
One thing to understand about the Dodgers
and their front office executives is that they
have the tendency to not rely on expensive free
agent trades (like Stanton) or signings to come
in and save the day for the team. Friedman and
Zaidi took over with the promise to create a
sustainable model for success. So far, they’ve
done so, all while relying on players like the
previously unknown Chris Taylor and others
from the farm system like Bellinger who don’t
tend to initially break the bank. The Dodgers
will be near the top or at the top of the MLB
in payroll in 2018. That figure is designed to
drop drastically in subsequent years. All that
said don’t expect the guys who are calling
the shots to pull the trigger on high-figured
free agents. The front office has a plan in
place. Unfortunately for the fans, it doesn’t
involve taking on any other large contracts
that would force them into paying the luxury
tax next season.
The 2018 season is still months away with
162 games to be played that seemingly take
ages to complete beyond that. The Dodgers’
success next year is hard for fans to think
about right now, especially after feeling like
they’ve already missed out on two players
who could become huge difference-makers
like Ohtani and Stanton. Once the season does
start, though, the entire Dodger faithful can rely
on the fact that the team will once again be
among the league’s elite. Even with a lineup
closely resembling the one that took the field
last season, Dodger fans will certainly still be
able to look forward to competing for a sixth
straight NL West title and a World Series appearance
for what should become the second
year in a row.
– Aserrao6@earthlink.net - @UpandAdam6 •
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Wishing You A Happy And Safe Holiday Season
See Eagles, page 16
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