Placentia Punishers display the zone tournament championship banner Sunday. (Photo courtesy Placentia Pony).

Placentia Pony Bronco 12-and-under Punishers added another title to their collection Sunday, winning the championship of the West Zone Tournament in Moreno Valley with a 4-0 victory over Maui, Hawaii.

Placentia advances to the Pony International World Series this weekend in Laredo, Tex. Placentia will play San Cristobal, Dominican Republic on Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

Other teams in the tournament are Laredo, Texas; Tokyo, Japan; Chicago, Ill.; Culiacan, Mexico and the East Coast representative. The championship is Monday, Aug. 4.

In Sunday’s final, Placentia’s Tyler DaRosa threw a 1-hit, complete game shut-out, according to Manager Nick Nunnari. Adrian Rosales had two hits and Caden Petler and Beckham Mahoney each drove in a run with a hit.  

It was the third shutout of the tournament for Placentia, which also defeated North City of San Diego 12-2, Pacific Grove, Calif. 15-0 and Olive Orange 15-0.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the boys, they played their hearts out today and all weekend long,” Nunnari said.  “Tyler DaRosa was incredible on the mound today, limiting Maui to one hit. He was backed up by a tremendous effort from our defense. Oliver Rojas played a gold glove shortstop today and our outfielders covered a lot of ground.”

“We’re excited to get back to the Pony World Series for back-to-back seasons and represent the West Zone.”

This 12-and-under team won the 11-and-under World Series in Virginia last year, Nunnari said.

Placentia also won the 9-and-under World Series in Modesto, Calif. in 2022. Also in 2022, Placentia’s 12-and-under team won the World Series in Texas.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com

As temperatures soared, July 25 and 26, competition was heating up beneath the cool blue waters of the Black Mountain Pool, as hundreds of young swimmers competed in the 2025 Tarheel Swim League Championship.

Hosted by the Black Mountain Stingrays, who raced to second place behind Forest City, the meet featured young swimmers from six Western N.C. counties.

Approximately 450 swimmers, ages 5 through 18, from Black Mountain, Granite Falls, Lenoir, Watauga, Shelby, Valdese and Forest City, competed for the conference crown, approximately 10 months after the Black Mountain Pool temporarily ceased operation to function as an aid station after Tropical Storm Helene. While the disaster disrupted many area youth athletics programs, the Stingrays flourished, entering the summer season with approximately 180 swimmers.

The volunteer-led program, directed by Black Mountain Pool Manager and Head Coach Beth Rathbone, entered the TSL championship with hopes to reclaim the title it won in 2022 and 2023. Led by Moses and Jonah Lehman, who claimed first place in the 10U and 12U divisions, the boys team topped the scoreboard with 1,071 points. Henry Grant, who recorded 50 points, finished third in 10U competition.

A second-place finish by 14U swimmer DJ Rozenbroek and a third-place showing in the 8U division by Hannah Elliott paced the Black Mountain girls, who posted a total of 756 points, falling short of Forest City’s 1,169. The combined team tallies resulted in 2,072 points for Forest City, 1,827 for Black Mountain and 1,121 for Lenoir.

The Stingrays celebrated their second-place finish in the Mardi Gras-themed meet in front of a glittery green, purple and gold background, but the opportunity to host the championship was an accomplishment in itself, according to volunteer Angela Cook.

“There is extraordinary poignancy for many of us that the team is hosting conference at a pool that less than 10 months ago was filled with water that we scooped up in buckets to use for flushing toilets,” she said. “In a year when children saw the horror that water can wreak upon their community, these kids, some barely 5 years old, got into a pool and swam.”

While young swimmers endured grueling practices and meets in multiple WNC counties throughout the season, hosting an estimated 1,000 parents and swimmers in Black Mountain would not have been possible without the support of dedicated volunteers and local businesses.

“Ingles emptied out their ice machine so that we could keep our drinks and perishables cold, and McDonald’s donated 150 breakfast sandwiches that we were able to sell for fundraising and ensure that families had access to protein and carbs before the meet started.,” Cook said. “Swannanoa bakery Ovenbird Kitchen donated baked goods, including some delicious gingerbread cookies. Monetary donations from Cousins Cuban, AgCare Products and Valley Hope Church have also helped to defray swimming team expenses this season.”

Chad and Allison Nicholson, whose children swim for the Stingrays, provided nearly 70 pounds of meat to provide “pooled pork” sandwiches for the weekend gathering, which included tents along a section of Laurel Circle Drive.

While many local residents and organizations contributed to the resilience of the Stingrays program, the coaches of Rathbone, Danny Little, Grace Quam and Sarah Kramer are the “glue of the team,” according to Cook.

“Every year, the volunteer-led Black Mountain Stingrays provides an exceptional youth sports experience for Swannanoa Valley youth,” she said. “As a mom to two boys that play many sports in the Swannanoa Valley, I can honestly say there are not two individuals who give more to youth athletics than Coach Beth and Coach Danny.”

Photos of the 2025 Tarheel Swim League Championship meet, hosted by the Black Mountain Stingrays, can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.

Long Beach lost a legendary member of its sports community earlier this month with the passing of beloved golfer Len Kennett, who passed peacefully at home at the age of 98 years old. Kennett was a member of several local Halls of Fame and in 1955 founded the Len Kennett Junior Golf Championship, an event still held every year seven decades later.

“One of the most passionate men I’ve ever met when it came to the game we both loved,” wrote Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame chair Bob Livingstone in a tribute to Kennett. “Thanks for your friendship, support and mentorship Mr. Kennett.”

Kennett was born in 1927 and was raised fell in love with golf while caddying during the Great Depression at the Santa Anita Golf Course in Arcadia. He joined the Marines at the tail end of World War II and after the war played collegiate golf at USC, where he was the team’s captain and was part of the 1950 Southern California Collegiate Championship.

Kennett served as the golf pro at San Gabriel Country Club, Los Verdes Golf Club, and the Lakewood Country Club until his retirement from teaching in 2001. Kennett truly dedicated his life to the sport of golf, and to bringing more people onto the course, and he spent so much time dedicated to so many disparate golf-related efforts that it’s hard to sum his impact up in one article.

“Mr. Kennett was a pillar of the Southern California golf community for over 70 years,” said Nikki Gatch, the CEO and Executive Director of the SoCal Professional Golf Association in a statement. “As a PGA Professional, he exemplified integrity, dedication, and an unwavering passion for the game. He was especially revered for his tireless support of junior golf, mentoring countless young players and inspiring generations. His legacy will live on not only in the many lives he touched but in the spirit of the game he loved so deeply. He will be greatly missed.”

CEDARVILLE, Ohio – Cedarville University has been named the recipient of the 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Community Engagement Award.
 
It marks the first time the Yellow Jackets have earned the honor since its inception in 2022.
 
The Community Engagement Award, created by the G-MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), recognizes the conference institution that demonstrates outstanding commitment to community service and meaningful impact beyond the playing field.
 
Cedarville student-athletes amassed more than 10,000 community service hours during the 2024-25 academic year. Yellow Jacket varsity athletic programs were involved in a wide range of service opportunities from hosting youth sports clinics to volunteering at local food pantries.
 
In addition, Cedarville’s SAAC coordinated several fundraising efforts in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, continuing the University’s tradition of servant leadership.
 
“Our school is so blessed to have selfless athletes that serve in the community consistently,” said SAAC Secretary Delia Guzic. “All of our athletes have done such a good job of representing Cedarville and our core values to everyone they meet.”
 
Representatives from Cedarville’s SAAC accepted the award at the annual Great Midwest SAAC Summit in Columbus, Ohio.

Story by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and ChatGPT