Last year he was breaking out as a very good defensive back, this year he will be playing quarterback for Bishop Alemany High School (Mission Hills, Calif.) and things are beginning to pick up for athlete Alif Grayes. The 5-foot-11, 170 lbs. athlete is receiving interest from top schools and he's excited about the prospects.

The Santa Monica Vikings pulled out a hard-fought 53-50 victory over the Loyola Cubs on a last second three-pointer from star senior Jordan Matthews.

Loyola and Santa Monica faced off for the third time this season for a right to advance to Sacramento for the CIF Division I State Championship game.

Loyola won both earlier meetings in close contests. However, Santa Monica came out strong in the opening quarter with suffocating defense and fast break buckets. The Vikings led 11-5 heading to the second quarter.

Jordan Matthews Game-Winning Shot for SaMo

One of the stars of the 2013 Nike Football Camp at Redondo Union High in Los Angeles was Compton Centennial defensive back Denzel Fisher.

The 6-2 165 pound Fisher displayed great ball skills and lockdown ability. Denzel clearly has the size and speed to matchup with big fast wideouts.

Immediately following Fisher's performance at the Nike Camp, the recruiting process went into overdrive. CLA had the opportunity to speak with Fisher about his experience and growing interest from major programs.

Arizona-bound Parker Jackson-Cartwright led the Loyola Cubs to a 93-71 victory over the visiting Crenshaw Cougars in front of a sold-out crowd. The game was tied 15-15 towards the end of the first, until Loyola senior guard Tre Mason's bucket plus the foul gave the Cubs an 18-15 lead.

The Cubs walked into halftime holding onto a comfortable lead and never looked back. Parker Jackson-Cartwright controlled the offense for Loyola and finished the game notching a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists, to go along with 5 rebounds.

There were plenty of top athletes on-hand at the 2013 Nike Football Training Camp. Local Los Angeles-area schools were represented very well and several top players earned top camp honors. 2014 LB Dwight Williams from Gardena Serra was named linebacker MVP.

The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits pulled out a heart-stopping 61-59 victory over the St. John Bosco Braves in front of a packed house at Cerritos College to advance in the CIF Open Division Championships.

With the game tied at 59 and 11 seconds to play, Poly senior Roschon Prince drove into the lane and barreled over a Braves defender. It was a close play but the officials chose to swallow their whistles and the ball bounced right to senior Jordan Bell for the game-winning lay up as time expired.

LB Poly vs Bosco: Full Game Highlight Mix

The Loyola Cubs overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat the Taft Toreadors 76-68 in front of a raucous home crowd to advance in the 2013 CIF Open Division 1 Championships.

It was a tale of two halves as Taft came out of the gate strong and built an early double digit advantage. The Toreadors were led by the stellar play of seniors Kris Yanku and Usama Zaid. Yanku drilled a buzzer beater to end the first quarter and give Taft a 19-13 lead.

Loyola relied heavily on big man Thomas Welsh. The 7-foot junior had 14 points in the first half to lead the Cubs.

On February 24, Tashon Smallwood of Central East (Fresno, CA) was at USC visiting for the Trojans’ Junior Day. On February 24, the 6-foot-1, 280 lbs. defensive tackle gave his verbal commitment to become the fourth member of their 2014 recruiting class.

“I’ve been considering it, but when I got there, it seemed like the right place for me,” said Smallwood when asked what made him want to commit right away.

When you’re coming out of the heart of SEC country, you know you have to stand out as a football player and that is exactly what Auburn High School (Auburn, AL) linebacker Rashaan Evans is doing. Evans stands at 6-foot-3, 218 lbs., runs the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds and currently has 24 offers from many of the top schools in the nation including Alabama, Auburn, USC, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida State.

The Etiwanda Eagles staved off a furious rally from the Mater Dei Monarchs to capture the CIFSS 1AA Championship in a thrilling 54-51 classic.

Etiwanda jumped out to an early lead with lights out shooting from behind the arc. Standout junior Jordan McLaughlin, senior Darryl Adigwu and sophomore Delewis Johnson knocked down two three-pointers apiece.

The long range barrage helped the Eagles build a 29-13 advantage late in the second quarter.

Etiwanda Wins 54-51: Game Highlights