Helix falls in SoCal Regionals, capping postseason run
LA MESA - It was hard to see through the tears, but the future’s bright for the Helix High School baseball team.
The Highlanders, who suffered a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Fontana Kaiser on Wednesday in the CIF Southern California Division 3 Regional semifinals, graduate just four seniors.
That’s right: the team won the San Diego Section Division 2 championship and finished the season 22-12 did it with the bulk of the team sophomores and juniors.
“Losing is tough, really tough,” said Helix coach Diego Reynoso. “This is what we worked for all season from the weight room in August, through the rain and cold. I can’t thank my seniors (Bryan Herman, Isaac Fiero, Elijah Martinez and Josh Rivera) enough. They set the standard. They set the tone. They led the charge. This is going to be a good team next season and beyond. I believe that 100%.
“The kids got a taste of success, won a CIF title. We’ve been with these kids for months. They respect the game. They love each other like brothers. That’s why losing is so emotional.
Helix came into Wednesday’s game having won seven in a row and 14 of the last 15.
Kaiser (21-15) lost 9-8 to Culver City in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 title game. Seeded No. 8 in the Regionals, Kaiser upset No. 1-seeded Mt. Carmel 2-0 on Tuesday.
Kaiser never trailed Tuesday, scoring a run in the first, two in the second, two more in the fourth and single runs in the sixth and seventh.
Tino Cuellar was the hitting star, driving in two and scoring two. Alex Verdugo scored a pair of runs and drove in one.
Helix had numerous chances to turn the game around, leaving a runner on third in the first, runners on second in the second and fifth, and scoring two in the seventh with two on base before the final out was recorded.
Junior Kie Smith walked, had two singles and scored twice. Junior Ben Willians drove in two with a seventh-inning home run. Sophomore Romeo Briones walked twice and singled.
Senior Isaac Fiero had a pair of singles.
Junior Angel Watkins had a single, walked and scored a run.
“Losing hurts because this team is different from the others,” Watkins said. “This team had energy. This team had chemistry. We’re young, but we’re talented.
“A lot of us have been together for a while. The future is bright. We went a lot farther than anyone thought.”
In other playoff games Wednesday:
• Eastlake lost 4-1 to Corona in a Division 1 quarterfinal.
• Point Loma fell to Newport Harbor 6-1 in a Division 2 semifinal.
•Coastal Academy beat Montebello Schurr 5-2 to advance to Saturday’s Division 5 title game.
There are no baseball playoff games on Thursday, but Cathedral Catholic plays at La Mirada on Friday in a Division 1 semifinal.
Softball
The La Jolla High School softball team's postseason run came to a close Wednesday, when the fifth-seeded Vikings fell to No. 1-seeded San Bernardino Arroyo Valley 12-8 on the road in the semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Division 5 playoffs.
Trailing 8-3 in the fifth inning, La Jolla cut the deficit to 8-6, but Arroyo Valley put the game away with four runs in the home half of the inning.
Junior Aviv Laska led La Jolla's attack, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Freshman Ellie Thomson went 3-for-4, scoring two runs. Sophomore Ella Pearl and junior Ava Akbarian both went 2-for-4. Pearl scored a run and knocked in one. Akbarian drove in two runs.
La Jolla (17-14) finished runner-up to Monte Vista in the CIF San Diego Section Division 5 playoffs. Arroyo Valley (12-14) advances to the SoCal Regional championship game.
Don Norcross contributed to this story.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 8:06 PM.