Culver City high school‘s successful 2024-2025 athletic season ended last Thursday on the Centaur’s softball field in the State Regional semifinal game. Culver City lost the game 9-5 to Rancho Mirage but they surprised a lot of people because they went into the CIF and State playoffs with a losing record, but they ended the season with a 5-2 playoff record.
That’s the reason why Lady Centaur pitcher Anyah Francis was named the Culver City News and the Culver City Observer Female Athlete of the Year. During that remarkable playoff run Francis pitched almost every inning and as a senior she was also a team leader.
To show everyone what a great high school athlete she is, after the softball semifinal game she ran to her mother’s, changed into a football jersey and threw a touchdown pass in the annual girl on girl Powder Puff Derby flag football game.
She has also accepted a scholarship to play softball at Shaw University in North Carolina. She has consistently maintained a GPA of 3.5 are higher for four years. She served as the Athletic Commissioner in the Associated Student Body and was the President of the Black Student Union.
The Male Athlete of the Year is Kingston Waring. On May 31, Waring placed second in the State 300-meter hurdles with a school record time of 36.50. Although he and the first-place runner Jayden Rendon from Carson had the same time Reydon won the race in a photo finish.
Waring placed first in the 300-meter hurdles the week before at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet with a time of 36.91 and he also placed first in the CIF Division 2 Finals in the 300-meter hurdles on May 17. That race helped his team win the school’s first CIF Track and Field Championship. He also placed third in that meet in the 110-meter-high hurdles with a school record time of 14.57. He broke his school record in the 110-meter hurdles in the Masters Meet with a time of 14.45. Waring was also a member of the school record 4X400 meter relay team that clocked a remarkable time of 3:10.77 at the Texas Relays in March in Austin Texas. Waring leaves Culver City being a part of three school records.
The runner-up Male Athlete of the Year was football and basketball star Braylon Singleton. Singleton excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back. He also played all five positions on the basketball team. Both his football and basketball teams made the playoffs.
The runner-up Female Athlete of the Year was All- CIF player basketball player Makenna Lohmann who help lead the Lady Centaurs deep into the CIF playoffs. Also, for the girls doubles tennis partners Autumm Jesse and Naomi Kim made it to the CIF finals. Kim was also an outstanding track runner and soccer player.
The Male Coaches of the Year are co-head track and field coach Jahmal Wright whose team won the boy’s CIF Division 2 championship and Carlos Chavez, who in his first year as the head coach guided his girl softball team to the CIF final and a State Regional semifinal game.
The Female Coach of the Year is co-head track and field coach Lashinda Demus. Demus, an Olympic Gold Medal winner in the 400-meter hurdles and a former Culver City Middle School student is a coach that brings her world class track and field knowledge back home to Culver City High School.
The 2024-2025 Culver City High School Athletic season was once again one of the best seasons in Southern California where 90% of all the athletic teams made the CIF playoffs.