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Legendary Athlete Bo Jackson To Be Honored Jan. 14 At The Beverly Hilton
RED RAVENS—The AYSO Region 76 Girls Under-10 soccer season came to an end on Dec.11 with the Red Ravens coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the second half to defeat the Incredibles, 4-3, in a very close match at the new Beverly Vista field. The Red Ravens will now move on to represent Beverly Hills AYSO Region 76 against the winners from surrounding regions in the Area Tournament of Champions on Jan.14 and 15. Pictured, back row (from left): Coaches Rick Wolfen, Josh Maurer and Mia Grossman. Third row (from left:) Audrey Perry, Sophia Haroutunian, Lily Hunt and Jayme Carver-Jacoby. Second row (from left): Allegra Steele, Honor Maurer and Romy Harari. Front row (from left): Francie Wallack, Stella Kalish and Shaili Betesh.
Beverly Hills High School Sports Roundup By Matt Lopez The Beverly Hills High boys basketball team is 7-6 heading into 2017, with Ocean League play approaching quickly on the horizon. Last week, BHHS wrapped up 2016 with play in the Lahainaluna Invitiational in Maui. Eighteen elite basketball programs from around the U.S. and Canada participate in the annual event. Most recently, on Dec. 22, the Normans routed Thousand Oaks 84-55 in the tournament’s third-place game. Kevin Cho scored 18 to lead the Normans and Jason Meraban and Jeron Artest each added 11 for the Normans, That win followed a 69-60 defeat to Edison on Dec. 21.
Cho led the Normans with 18 points and Ron Artest III added 15. A day earlier, BHHS beat Mission Viejo 53-47 behind 15 points from Jason Meraban and 13 from Artest III. Girls basketball The BHHS girls basketball team is off to a roaring 10-3 start, riding an eight-game winning streak. Senior Phoenix Gulzar is leading BHHS with 14.5 points per game, but the Normans are getting a big boost from a pair of talented freshmen. Freshman Arbri Gillis is averaging 11 points per game and fellow freshman Chantel Moawad is averaging 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. BHHS is off for the holidays, but returns to the court
Jan. 6 against Saugus. Girls soccer Boosted by a stellar defense, the Beverly Hills High girls soccer team is 5-2-3 heading into the New Year. Most recently, the Normans tied Pacifica 0-0 on Dec. 17 in the San Marcos Tournament. Senior goalie Maytal Sarafian had five goals in that match. Earlier that day, BHHS beat Bishop Diego by forfeit. A day earlier, the Normans lost 2-1 to Arroyo Grande in another San Marcos Tournament match. Those two goals were the most the Normans have given up in a single match since Nov. 30. Sophomore Dani Elitzur had the lone goal for BHHS in the loss.
Courier Columnist Roger Lefkon Ties The Knot In Unique Ceremony After 38-Year Courtship By John L. Seitz It was strictly a case of “better late than never” on Monday afternoon when the Courier’s frequent phobia pundit Roger Lefkon finally got around to popping the question and married his significant other for the past 38 years, Phyllis Klein. The couple, who share a Beverly Hills home with their Yorkshire Terrier (Piper), asked their longtime friend Rabbi Sanford Shapero to do the honors, which he gladly agreed to. The only thing was, the former senior rabbi at Temple Emanuel (and later CEO of the City of Hope) performed the ceremony from his room at Culver City’s Southern California Hospital where he has been undergoing physical therapy due to a recent illness. Phyllis, who moved to Manhattan following her graduation from Boston University, served a 15 year stint as publicity director of Clairol. The recent divorcee was set up on a blind date with Roger in 1978. Offered the position of VP of public relations for Max
Roger Lefkon, Rabbi Sanford Shapero and Phyllis Klein Photo by Maxine Picard
Factor in 1988, she moved to Los Angeles and in with Roger. Two years later, they bought their Beverly Hills house. She opened her own public relations agency, Phyllis Klein and Associates, Inc., which she operated for 22 years. Roger spent the first 17 years in his four decade career as a writer, Emmy-winning TV
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director, and program executive with NBC. After relocating to California, he ran a TV distribution company and went on to become a senior executive with Merv Griffin Entertainment. Besides his phobia columns in the Courier, he has authored a book The World Is A Very Scary Place.
By Matt Lopez One of the most dynamic multi-sport athletes in history, Bo Jackson, will be honored with the “A Scouts Dream Award”, at the 14th annual Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation’s In the Spirit of the Game spectacular on Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Beverly Hilton. Vincent Edward Jackson, also known as “Bo”, attended high school at McAdory in McCalla, where he rushed for 1,175 yards as a senior and also hit 20 home runs in 25 games. He was a two-time state champion in the decathlon, where he set state school records for indoor highjump (6’9”) and triple-jump (48’8”).
Jackson went on to Auburn, where he finished his career with 4,675 all-purpose yards and 45 total touchdowns, 43 rushing and two receiving, with a 6.6 yards per carry average. His senior year, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history, and thus was named the Heisman Trophy winner. Following his graduation from Auburn, Jackson ended up playing pro football and pro baseball at the same time, playing baseball for the Royals from 1986-1990, the Chicago White Sox in 1991-1993 and finished his baseball and pro sports career in 1994 with the California Angels.