This week’s edition of our weekly awards.
HIGH SCHOOL
Joey Vega, Wilson Softball
Wilson softball broke Lakewood’s 65-game Moore League win streak last week, thanks in large part to a great performance from senior Joey Vega, who scattered eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in a complete game performance. She stranded four runners in the final three innings to clinch a 4-3 win and later helped her team to a 5-2 win over Millikan as well.
Kyler Tufuga, Lakewood Volleyball
The Lakewood boys’ volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in CIF and look like the city’s most complete volleyball team in a while. Senior Kyler Tufuga is a skilled utility man who plays outside hitter but can also pass the ball. In a sweep win over second-place Millikan last week he had 12 kills, 13 digs, and four aces.
Sebastian Irwin, Lakewood Baseball
Lakewood’s starting pitcher went the distance against Wilson last week—and then some. Irwin pitched a complete game shutout against the Bruins in a nine-inning thriller, yielding just two hits to the Bruins in a 1-0 game that was ultimately decided by a Lakewood suicide squeeze. Irwin needed just 102 pitches and retired 10 straight batters in the late innings.
GRAND PRIX
Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport
Andretti Autosport’s budding superstar didn’t turn a wheel wrong all week in Long Beach, winning the pole at qualifying and then becoming the first pole-sitter to win the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2007. Rossi led a career-high 71 of the race’s 85 laps, finishing 1.2 seconds ahead of Will Power to take the checkered flag.
