It’s that time of the year when high school football is ending, basketball has begun and winter baseball is in full swing. Who wants to be a multiple-sport athlete?
Not many. Lots of teenagers have decided to specialize in a single sport, but there are plenty of great multisport athletes from the past to emulate.
The best in Southern California history could be Giancarlo Stanton, who graduated from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in 2007 as an All-CIF selection in football, basketball and baseball. He could have played football and baseball at USC but signed a pro contract with the then-Florida Marlins after being a second-round MLB draft pick.
Stanton spoke in 2016 about how playing multiple sports in high school helped his development.
No. 2 on the list is Tony Gonzalez, a Hall of Fame tight end from Huntington Beach High who also was an All-CIF basketball player.
And don’t forget about John Elway during his days at Granada Hills High. The Hall of Fame quarterback pitched the Highlanders to a City Section baseball title in 1979 when he was brought in at Dodger Stadium in relief and later was drafted by the Yankees. He also briefly played basketball for the Highlanders. …
Jahmir Torres of King/Drew returned another kickoff for a touchdown last week, his third this season. He also has five punt returns for touchdowns and has 26 touchdowns in 10 games. …
All-City guard Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth is reclassifying to graduate in 2025 instead of 2026. …
Redondo Union is hosting high school basketball games all week through Saturday. You have to wonder when coach Reggie Morris Jr. is going to have time to sleep, being at the gym every day while helping run the tournament.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
