Basketball/ Mar 01 2021

Former Pasadena High Stars, Bryce Hamilton & Darius Brown II, Continue to Excel at UNLV & CSUN, Respectively

Pictured L-R: UNLV’s Bryce Hamilton & Cal State Northridge’s Darius Brown II. College Basketball: Bryce Hamilton and Darius Brown II made up one of the SGV area’s best 1-2 punches in recent memory. In 2016-17 and 2017-18 alone, the Pasadena High School stars led the Bulldogs to a combined overall record of 52-15, which included […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Feb 25 2021

Northview Represented by 8 Wrestlers in Collegiate Postseason; Three Vikings Qualified From Vanguard & Emmanuel College Has Two

College Wrestling: The chances of even an abbreviated high school wrestling season seems like a longshot. But eight former Northview competitors will represent the program in the collegiate wrestling postseason. Cal Poly SLO’s Trevor Tinker (197-pounds) and Cal State Bakersfield’s Eddie Flores (125) will compete at the Pac-12 finals in Corvallis, Oregon. Tinker (2020 grad) […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Feb 15 2021

San Marino’s Koa Ruiz Peaking in Time For Masters & State; Titans’ 126-Pound Sophomore Just Won His Second Straight CIF Title

Wrestling: Pictured: Keanu Tom & younger brother, Koa Ruiz, through the years. By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor San Marino’s Koa Ruiz was born to be a wrestler. The Titans’ sophomore began his career at age 5 and his big brother, Keanu Tom, was a star at Los Alamitos High School. You could say this sport […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Feb 03 2021

Boys Basketball: Pasadena’s Darius Brown II Officially Signs Letter of Intent Friday; Area’s Premier Point Guard will Play for Cal State Northridge

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor To some, Friday the 13th is regarded as an ominous or unlucky day, but for Pasadena High School point guard Darius Brown II, 4-13-18 will go down as one of the happiest days of his young life. DBII, who is without question the Pasadena area’s best point guard and offensive […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Feb 03 2021

Pasadena Point Guard Darius Brown II Finishing Senior Year With A Purpose; Bulldogs 12-0, Flourishing Since DBII’s Return From Injury

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Darius Brown II Pasadena High School was given so much (unfair) hype to live up to by the media before their season even began. A lot had to do with the return of their superstar trio of Bryce Hamilton, Darius Brown II and Darius Mason. But the additions of Tavian […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Feb 02 2021

Devon Lewis Commits to Cal Lutheran; Pasadena Guard Came into His Own in 2019-20, Helping Bulldogs Claim Pacific League Title

Basketball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Devon Lewis transferred from Maranatha to Pasadena High School after his sophomore year. PHS just felt like home. And it was more than just Devon who felt that way. It was also a special place for his parents. Eric and Lynn Lewis met in 1985 at PHS, when Eric […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Feb 02 2021

Hard Work Pays Huge Dividends For Hunter Woods; Former Muir Star Earns Spot at Elon University in North Carolina

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Finally! After a year or so wait, and thousands of hours of work, former Muir star Hunter Woods has signed on the dotted line to compete at Elon University in North Carolina. Looking back, the 2017-18 boys basketball season was a very special year for Pasadena area hoops. The mighty […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Feb 02 2021

Former Northview Wrestling Star Caleb Flores Hired to Lead Vanguard Program After 39-Year Absence From Competition

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor: If there was one guy from the San Gabriel Valley wrestling community that had the mettle to resume a college wrestling program that hadn’t been competing since the early 1980’s, you couldn’t do better than hiring Caleb Flores. The 2006 Northview High School grad and four-time state placer accepted the […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Feb 01 2021

Collin Hayes Places 7th at CIF State Championship Despite Torn Meniscus in Knee; Northview’s 132-Pounder Embodies Courage

Wrestling: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Collin Hayes may weigh just 132 pounds. But the Northview senior is one tough dude. He’s been dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee, as he put it, ‘for quite a while,’ but it took a turn for the worse just as his senior wrestling season was […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Jan 30 2021

Northview Legend David Ochoa Inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame Saturday; Longtime Vikings’ Coach a Trailblazer

High School Wrestling: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Former President Ronald Reagan had a famous quote about the United States Marine Corps that seems fitting when thinking about legendary Northview High School wrestling coach David Ochoa. Reagan said, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world, but the […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Jan 30 2021

Where Are They Now: South Hills State Champ, Thomas Williams, Still Pinning His Way Through Life at Age 30

Wrestling: Pictured L-R: Williams winning a state championship in 2007, and Williams with his wrestlers as coach at Benedictine College in Kansas. By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor In 2007, a San Gabriel Valley contingency saw five of its wrestlers medal at the CIF State Championships in Bakersfield. San Dimas’ Angel Garcia was third at 119 […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Jan 30 2021

Former Pasadena High School Standout, Omari Moore, Making Large Strides Forward at San Jose State

College Basketball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Omari Moore has been on quite a journey during his young life. Moore began his prep basketball career at Pasadena High School. He spent his sophomore and junior years at St. Francis, and then returned home to PHS for a memorable senior year. During that 2017-18 season, the […]

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Jan 29 2021

Where Are They Now: Former WCHS Coaches, Donnie & Shirley Stephens, Continue Their Impact on Wrestling & Lives in Kentucky

Wrestling: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor In the early 2000’s, this writer was working for a newspaper in the San Gabriel Valley as a freelancer, and for the most part, football, baseball, basketball and girls volleyball were the most sought after assignments by almost everyone. When my boss (at the time) asked me to cover […]

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Aug 19 2019

Pasadena’s Darius Mason Heading to Orangeville Prep in Canada to Hone Skills; Three-Year Bulldogs’ Star Aims to Raise his Stock

The consensus among those who coached, played alongside or competed against Darius Mason is that the Pasadena High School star is ready to play Division 1 basketball at the collegiate level right now.

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Aug 19 2019

Northview Legend David Ochoa Inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame Saturday; Longtime Vikings’ Coach a Trailblazer

Former President Ronald Reagan had a famous quote about the United States Marine Corps that seems fitting when thinking about legendary Northview High School wrestling coach David Ochoa.

By Brian Baiotto


Basketball/ Aug 19 2019

Hard Work Pays Huge Dividends For Hunter Woods; Former Muir Star Earns Spot at Elon University in North Carolina

After a year or so wait, and thousands of hours of work, former Muir star Hunter Woods has signed on the dotted line to compete at Elon University in North Carolina.

By Brian Baiotto


Wrestling/ Aug 19 2019

Former Northview Wrestling Star Caleb Flores Hired to Lead Vanguard Program After 39-Year Absence From Competition

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor: If there was one guy from the San Gabriel Valley wrestling community that had the mettle to resume a college wrestling program that hadn’t been competing since the early 1980’s, you couldn’t do better than hiring Caleb Flores. The 2006 Northview High School grad and four-time state placer accepted the […]

By Brian Baiotto