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By Loren Kopff
Sports Editor | Follow X
January 14, 2026
Friday marks the end of the first half of action in the 605 League, Gateway League, Mid-Cities League and Olympic League with the second half beginning next week. Of the 31 area boys and girls basketball and boys and girls soccer teams,
Here’s a look at how everyone is doing as the midway point approaches and teams continue to jockey for league placings for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, which begin on Feb. 11.
605 LEAGUE
Both Cerritos High basketball teams have won their first three games as they hosted Artesia High this past Wednesday. The boys are 11-10 overall the first time they have been above .500 since the third game of the season and have won six in a row and seven of their last nine games while the girls are 10-11 overall. They have not been north of .500 since the seventh game of the season. Both basketball teams will visit Oxford Academy on Friday and before hosting John Glenn High on Wednesday.
The Artesia and Glenn boys basketball teams have lost their first three league games as they will face each other at Glenn on Friday. After facing Huntington Park High on Saturday, Artesia (7-11 overall) will visit Pioneer High on Wednesday while Glenn (4-10) is scheduled to host Monrovia High on Saturday and Bassett High on Monday, and travel to Edgewood High on Thursday after its meeting with Cerritos.
The Whitney High boys basketball team was in a three-way tie for second place with Oxford Academy and Pioneer and will visit the latter on Friday before hosting the former on Wednesday. The Wildcats (8-13) need to go at least 6-1 to finish with at least a .500 record, which is the requirement to be eligible for an at-large play berth if they don’t finish as one of the top three teams.
The Whitney girls team eased past Glenn 51-13 this past Tuesday to improve to 11-7, 3-1 while Pioneer was in third place at 2-1, followed by Artesia at 1-2.
On the pitch, the Glenn boys soccer team (5-5-3 overall) had won its first three league contests while Artesia (6-10-1) was in second place at 2-0-1, then Cerritos (4-4-2, 2-1-0) while the Artesia girls soccer team (10-1-3) had won its first two league games.
GATEWAY LEAGUE
The biggest boys basketball game in the first round will take place on Friday when La Mirada High visits Gahr High. The Matadores, which won their first three league games, outlasted Weston Ranch 99-87 this past Tuesday in a non-league game, improving to 15-6 overall Their first three league games were won by an average of over 32 points and face a Gahr team that is 12-6, 1-1. La Mirada will play San Diego-based Francis Parker High on Saturday before travelling to Dominguez High on Wednesday while Gahr will play Wilson High and Dorsey High in a pair of non-league games against teams from the CIF-Los Angeles City Section on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
In girls basketball action, Gahr (7-12, 0-2) hosts La Mirada (3-11, 0-3) on Friday for its only game of the upcoming week while the Matadores will travel to Downey High on Wednesday.
In boys soccer action, Gahr (5-6-2, 0-3-0) hosted Downey on Jan. 15 and will welcome Lynwood High on Tuesday before going to Paramount High on Thursday.
The La Mirada girls soccer team (4-6-3) went to Downey on Jan. 15 and will travel to Lynwood on Tuesday, then entertain Paramount on Thursday.
MID-CITIES LEAGUE
The up and coming Norwalk High boys basketball team are two wins shy of at least a .500 record once the season is over after defeating Lynwood 56-34 last Friday. The Lancers (12-8, 2-1) go to Paramount on Friday and will visit Firebaugh High on Wednesday
The Norwalk girls basketball team has won its first three games and began the week at 10-6 overall as the Lancers will go to Mayfair High on Friday before hosting Glenn on Monday in a non-league contest. The Lancers then make the trek to Firebaugh on Wednesday.
The La Mirada boys soccer team fell to 2-10-0, 0-4-0 after a 4-3 loss to Dominguez this past Tuesday as the Matadores hosted Bellflower on Jan. 15 and will welcome Mayfair on Mayfair on Tuesday before going to Norwalk on Thursday.
Norwalk improved to 5-5-1, 3-1-0 after a 3-0 win over Mayfair this past Tuesday as the Lancers went to Dominguez on Jan. 15 and will travel to Firebaugh on Tuesday.
The Gahr girls soccer team, which scored two goals in December, has netted eight goals in its three-game winning streak, including a 6-0 shutout over Dominguez this past Tuesday. The Gladiators (4-10-0, 3-1-0) visited Bellflower High on Jan. 15 and will travel to Mayfair on Tuesday before hosting Norwalk on Thursday.
Norwalk dropped a 2-1 contest to Mayfair this past Tuesday to fall to 2-11-1, 0-4-0 and entertained Dominguez on Jan. 15 and will host Firebaugh on Tuesday.
OLYMPIC LEAGUE
Valley Christian High’s boys basketball team went to Whittier Christian High this past Tuesday in a battle of 0-2 teams as the Defenders (10-10) will go to Heritage Christian High on Friday while the girls basketball team pulled off a 53-48 mild upset win over the Heralds to improve to 13-5, 2-1 while giving Whittier Christian its first league loss. After going to Heritage Christian on Friday, V.C. will host Pasadena Poly High on Wednesday.
Both soccer teams are at or near the top of the league with the boys (9-3-1, 2-1-0) losing to Whittier Christian 1-0 this past Tuesday and the girls (13-3-4, 2-0-1) ending in a 0-0 tie. The boys will host Heritage Christian on Friday while the girls will visit the Warriors.
11-MAN FOOTBALL
Last Friday, the All-CIF-SS was released for 11-man football and numerous area players were recognized for their hard work. La Mirada junior running back and kick returner Josiah Fregoso was on the Division 8 team while Division 9 had a plethora of players from three area teams.
V.C.’s Brendan Chambers was Coach of the Year, senior wide receiver Oliver Boateng was the Offensive Player of the Year and senior linebacker Cole Hefner was the Defensive Player of the Year. They were joined by senior lineman Max Douglas and Isaac Morales, senior defensive back Sean Bouma and senior linebacker Lucas Witt.
Cerritos seniors Mateo Arancibia (kicker), Bailey Crawford (lineman), Devion Stinson (lineman) and La’Brenten Wilson (running back) and Norwalk senior running back Da’ron Walker Anderson (running back) were added to the list that consists of 42 players.
Gahr senior running back and safety Jaidyn Backus and junior lineman Sebastian Jimenez were part of the best from Division 11.
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