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Last season the Inglewood football team experienced several firsts, but not the type that coach Milvon James wanted. James took over the Inglewood program in 2019. Heading into the 2025 season, the Sentinels hadn’t lost a league game under Milvon and hadn’t been defeated by another South Bay school. “Last year was the first time l lost a SBAA (South Bay Athletic Association) game, first time I didn’t win league,” he said. “We dealt with a lot of injuries and we had to adjust on the fly.” The Sentinels finished 6-6 overall and 3-2 in the Bay League. One of those injuries sidelined star defensive tackle Elija Harmon for the entire season. Harmon, who is committed to Oklahoma, had 86 tackles and five sacks as a freshman and 80 tackles and five sacks as a sophomore. “It was hard,” Harmon said of watching his teammates play without him last season. “I got through it and stayed mentally strong. It taught me a lot, it humbled me. “I believe I’m on other side of it and it will make me better.” Harmon returns this season to team up with Myels Smith, a Texas A&M commit, to form one of the area’s top duos on the defensive front. Smith had 91 tackles and 10 sacks last season. “We’re in the gym, on the field, in the weight room,” Harmon said. “We have that chemistry. He sleeps over my house sometime, we got that great connection.” Inglewood lost three games by eight points or fewer, including a 9-7 loss to Edison in the rain in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinals. “We have to be better with our backs against the wall,” James said. “We have to be better at coming together and setting the tone.” The Sentinels open the season Aug. 21 at Los Alamitos. After that they will travel to Texas to face Westlake in Austin. “They’re traditionally one of the best schools in Texas,” James said. “We played Midland last year. It took us a half to figure things out. I think we have the pieces in place to make it a really good game.” Here are more notes gathered at the Bay League’s first football media day at Mira Costa High. The event was sponsored by South Bay Sports Radio. Work in progress at Leuzinger Last season, Leuzinger won the Bay League and advanced to the Division 2 semifinals. Since then, coach Jason Miller has stepped down and the majority of the roster either graduated or transferred out. That has left a lot of work for new coach DJ Morgan, who served as Leuzinger’s defensive coordinator last season. “Right now we’re currently at 34 (players in the program),” Morgan said. “Last year, we had a varsity roster of 35. But the difference is, we also had a JV roster of 40. We’re looking to get more kids in as enrollment picks up.” Leuzinger opens the season Aug. 21 against Point Loma. Redondo Union returns to the Bay League After back-to-back nine win seasons and a trip to the CIF-SS Division 5 final last year, Redondo has returned to the Bay League. For the first time since 2019, Redondo will face Leuzinger. The Sea Hawks’ game against Inglewood will be the teams’ first meeting since 2017. And the Battle for the Bay rivalry with Mira Costa is again a league game. The last two seasons, the teams met as nonleague foes early in the season. “This is one of the better public school leagues in Southern California,” Redondo coach Keith Ellison said. “When they releagued two years ago, one of our goals as a program was to get back into this league. We want to play PV (Palos Verdes), we want to play Inglewood and Leuzinger and (Mira) Costa in a league game. “We’re excited for the challenge, and you know how hard it’s been and how good they’ve been the last few years. So the guys, this program, the players, they’re excited about the challenge coming up this year.” Ryan Rakowski ready to lead Palos Verdes Ryan Rakowski was forced to watch Palos Verdes’ Division 3 final last season from the sideline after suffering a thumb injury in the semifinals. The quarterback, who is now a senior, was able to play this summer in 7-on-7 games and on the Elite 11 circuit. Now his sights are set on the Sea Kings’ season opener against Serra at El Camino College on Aug. 21. “I think the hardest thing was just not being able to be out there with the seniors,” Rakowski said. “I grew up with all those guys, so obviously you want to share that experience with them and try to win the CIF championship. That’s what you’re working for the whole season. That was the hardest thing for me.” Mira Costa rebuilding and reloading Mira Costa had a strong senior class graduate after last season. The Mustangs now head into the 2026 season with some new faces stepping into large roles, including senior Nick Bellasarian and junior lineman Nico Pauley. “Both these guys have been phenomenal leaders for us,” Mira Costa coach Don Morrow said. “I think the journey here is pretty typical. A lot of these guys grew up not playing tackle football. Their freshman years oftentimes is their first experience in tackle football. “This guy (Bellasarian) has gotten better and better every year. Had a great summer in the tournaments, and I think that the greatest thing about his progression has just been his leadership.”