El Modena and Mater Dei softball teams reach semifinals of Dave Kops Tournament of Champions

• March 8, 2025

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El Modena and Mater Dei’s softball teams advanced Friday to face each other in the semifinals of the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz.

In the quarterfinals, El Modena edged Orange County No. 1 Canyon 2-1 while Mater Dei beat defending tournament champion and No. 4 Pacifica 4-1. Both were five inning games.

No. 7 El Modena (5-1) and No. 6 Mater Dei (7-2-1) will play in the semifinals Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST at Mohave High.

In the other semifinal Saturday, Norco (10-0) will face Sandra Day O’Connor of Arizona (5-3).

Junior Ashley Driskill struck out four in five innings and went 2 for 2 at the plate to lead El Modena past Canyon. Sophomore Parker Mayes added a triple and RBI for the Vanguards.

Mater Dei’s Sienna Acosta, a senior headed to Penn, scattered three hits in five innings to earn her third win at the tournament.

Oklahoma State-bound shortstop Elle McCloskey led Monarchs’ offense. The senior went 2 for 2 with a two-run home run in the first inning and three RBIs.

Norco reached the semifinals with a 6-3 victory against Orange County No. 2 Orange Lutheran in the quarterfinals. Sandra Day O’Connor beat Capistrano Valley 10-3 in their quarterfinal.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Margarita boys and girls swimming sweep team titles at Capistrano Valley Relays

• March 8, 2025

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Santa Margarita’s boys and girls swimming swept the team titles at the Capistrano Valley Relays at Capistrano Valley High on Friday.

Here are the event results from finals:

Girls

4×100 I.M. — 1. Santa Margarita (S. Zhu, R. Salazar, S. Ye, E. Song) 4:07.04; 2. San Clemente 4:15.28; 3. Portola 4:19.30; 4. Mater Dei 4:24.65; 5. San Juan Hills 4:27.81; 6. Crean Lutheran 4:31.75; 7. Irvine 4:33.50; 8. Tesoro 4:43.65

4×50 Free — 1. Santa Margarita (S. Massucco, M. Hoppe, A. Lee, S. Cummins) 1:40.22; 2. Tesoro 1:40.58; 3. JSerra 1:42.07; 4. Mater Dei 1:43.07; 5. Aliso Niguel 1:43.53; 6. Irvine 1:46.12; 7. Portola 1:46.26; 8. San Clemente 1:48.30

6×50 Breast — 1. Santa Margarita (K. Brown, N. Yang, M. Hoppe, D. Gorrell, S. Zhu, E. Song) 3:16.05; 2. Portola 3:26.39; 3. JSerra 3:29.06; 4. Mater Dei 3:31.38; 5. Irvine 3:32.16; 6. San Juan Hills 3:36.56; 7. Tesoro 3:39.97; 8. El Toro 3:40.78

6×50 Fly — 1. Santa Margarita (E. Kavelaars-Eakins, K. Rankin Zelada, V. Delgado, S. Cummins, S. Zhu, D. Scott) 2:44.32; 2. Mater Dei 2:51.32; 3. Capo Valley 2:52.90; 4. Northwood 2:54.63; 5. Tesoro 2:56.21; 6. El Toro 2:58.65; 7. Portola 3:01.30; 8. JSerra 3:04.26

6×50 Back — 1. San Clemente (A. Cooper, Z. De Fabrique, C. Ferretti, N. Phillips, D. McKeen, S. Hawfield) 2:50.41; 2. Santa Margarita 2:52.89; 3. Mater Dei 3:00.65; 4. Northwood 3:07.56; 5. Tesoro 3:12.35; 6. JSerra 3:13.04; 7. Capo Valley 3:15.95; 8. Portola 3:16.87

4×100 Free — 1. JSerra (S. Willson, A. Withey, E. Treska, C. Powell) 3:38.37; 2. Santa Margarita 3:40.94; 3. Tesoro 3:41.83; 4. Aliso Niguel 3:45.80; 5. Mater Dei 3:47.75; 6. Capo Valley 3:48.30; 7. Irvine 3:50.71; 8. Northwood 3:52.73

4×50 Medley — 1. Santa Margarita (S. Ye, E. Song, D. Scott, A. Lee) 1:50.36; 2. Irvine 1:50.72; 3. San Clemente 1:52.21; 4. Aliso Niguel 1:53.21; 5. Mater Dei 1:53.88; 6. Tesoro 1:54.56; 7. Portola 1:56.79; 8. Northwood 1:59.40

Boys

4×100 I.M. — 1. Santa Margarita (T. Thongintra, T. Lee, H. Ding, B. Korner) 3:36.32; 2. Mater Dei 3:43.86; 3. Northwood 3:47.23; 4. Trabuco Hills 3:49.53; 5. Crean Lutheran 3:53.76; 6. Irvine 3:54.77; 7. El Toro 3:59.86; 8. Portola 4:02.97

4×50 Free — 1. Santa Margarita (N. Lee, D. Fu, P. Coombs, D. Nguyen) 1:28.13; 2. Portola 1:30.82; 3. San Clemente 1:31.62; 4. Mater Dei 1:31.74; 5. Aliso Niguel 1:32.19; 6. Trabuco Hills 1:35.14; 7. Crean Lutheran 1:35.29; 8. Capo Valley 1:37.34

6×50 Breast — 1. Santa Margarita (M. Kim, H. Ding, S. Joshi, T. Lee, C. Allen, T. Thongintra) 2:47.45; 2. Irvine 2:54.42; 3. Mater Dei 2:54.71; 4. Portola 2:57.64; 5. Tesoro 2:59.62; 6. Northwood 2:59.91; 7. Aliso Niguel 3:07.93; 8. Crean Lutheran 3:20.55

6×50 Fly — 1. Portola (A. Fong, L. Cha, J. Barnes, L. Dinh, M. Han, S. Zhou) 2:23.22; 2. Santa Margarita 2:26.94; 3. Irvine 2:29.57; 4. San Clemente 2:30.24; 5. Mater Dei 2:30.43; 6. Aliso Niguel 2:37.62; 7. Crean Lutheran 2:38.19; 8. JSerra 2:38.63

6×50 Back — 1. Northwood (A. Maksymowski, E. Ota, N. Kang, W. Chen, L. VonSchonfeldt, D. Hitchens) 2:26.47; 2. Santa Margarita 2:27.49; 3. Mater Dei 2:38.27; 4. Trabuco Hills 2:42.57; 5. Irvine 2:43.63; 6. JSerra 2:46.97; 7. Aliso Niguel 2:51.85; 8. Portola 2:53.35

4×100 Free — 1. Northwood (D. Hitchens, L. VonSchonfeldt, W. Chen, A. Maksymowski) 3:07.32; 2. Santa Margarita 3:11.23; 3. Mater Dei 3:11.68; 4. Portola 3:17.55; 5. El Toro 3:19.49; 6. San Clemente 3:19.88; 7. JSerra 3:21.77; 8. Crean Lutheran 3:22.93

4×50 Medley — 1. Northwood (D. Hitchens, W. Hong, A. Maksymowski, W. Chen) 1:35.13; 2. Mater Dei 1:35.27; 3. Santa Margarita 1:36.36; 4. Portola 1:36.93; 5. Crean Lutheran 1:42.66; 6. Aliso Niguel 1:45.00; 7. Dana Hills 1:46.50; 8. Tesoro 1:47.95

​ Orange County Register 

Orange Lutheran football standout Talanoa Ili plans to transfer to Kahuku in Hawaii

• March 8, 2025

All-County linebacker Talanoa Ili of Orange Lutheran is in the process of enrolling at Kahuku of Hawaii after withdrawing from the Trinity League school, the junior confirmed late Friday.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Ili has played at Orange Lutheran the past three seasons. He earned second-team All-County and second-team All-Trinity League honors in 2024.

Last season, his tackling ability helped Orange Lutheran (8-4) place third in the Trinity League, reach the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals and finish 13th in the national rankings by MaxPreps.

As a senior, Ili projected to be arguably Orange County’s top returning linebacker with his combination of size, experience and tackling.

Ili is ranked as the No. 3 linebacker nationally in the Class of 2026 by 247sports and holds offers from schools such as Oregon, USC, Texas, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

Last season, Kahuku added St. John Bosco junior quarterback Matai Fuiava and former Crean Lutheran and Santa Margarita offensive lineman Jacob Maiava.

The Red Raiders have played Mater Dei the past two seasons and St. John Bosco in 2022 and 2023.

Please send football news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers pull away from short-handed Knicks

• March 8, 2025

INGLEWOOD — With 19 regular-season games left on the schedule and injuries still a factor, the Clippers are facing the challenge of winning while short-handed and winning in a hurry.

And that means stacking as many victories as possible between now and mid-April if they have any hope for a higher seed in the postseason.

“We just got to condense and get better at what we’re trying to do,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

The Clippers showed signs of improvement in a 105-95 victory against the New York Knicks on Friday night at the Intuit Dome, winning two games in a row for the first time since Feb. 12-13.

While not perfect, the 10-point win was the kind of solid performance the Clippers needed to build on Wednesday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons and their solid three quarters of play in a loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

They currently are the No. 8 team in the Western Conference and in line for the Play-In Tournament (seeds 7-10).

“All these games are important for us, telling guys in a sense this is going to make or break us because we are playing a lot of competitive teams,” forward Kawhi Leonard said. “Teams are in the playoffs (or) are trying to make that playoffs push, and if we win these games, it’ll help us in the playoffs and if we don’t, we will most likely be out.

“So, it’s time to lock in on each and every game and see what we can do.”

What they did Friday was hold on despite being pushed around by the Knicks, who were without two-time All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who rolled his ankle in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Lakers. Brunson, who is seventh in the league in scoring (26.3 points per game) and eighth in assists (7.4 apg), will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

“It’s next man up,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You don’t replace a player like that individually. We will have to do it collectively.”

The Clippers know that feeling all too well. It was the same mindset they had throughout the first half of the season while Leonard worked his way back from a knee injury and one they recently revisited when Norman Powell suffered a hamstring strain in his first game back after missing six games and Ben Simmons (sore knee) joined him on the bench.

But the Clippers (34-29) still had enough scoring Friday to beat the Knicks (40-23). So much so that James Harden didn’t have to play 40 minutes – or score 50 points as he did against the Pistons. The 11-time All-Star point guard still led the team in scoring, though, with 27 points, along with three rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes.

The Clippers had three other players in double figures.

Leonard added 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Nicolas Batum, making his fourth start of the season and second in a row, scored a season-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting (5 for 7 from 3-point range). He also had four rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.

Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 14 rebounds, setting a single-season career-high in the latter (763).

The Clippers got starting forward Derrick Jones Jr. back on Friday after he missed the three previous games because of a groin strain. He came off the bench and scored nine points, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added eight points and 11 rebounds but went 0 for 4 from 3-point range on a night when the Clippers shot 15 for 38 from behind the arc.

“To get four guys in double figures helps big time,” Leonard said. “We need everybody. That’s how you win basketball games. One or two players just can’t do it. It’s a collective unit. You’re going to need everybody moving forward.”

The Knicks didn’t let the absence of their star dampen their play. After trailing by as many as eight in the third quarter, New York pushed the Clippers to pull within 78-75 with 2:34 left. But the visitors couldn’t take the lead as they missed three 3-point shots in the final two minutes. The Clippers clung to a 79-78 lead heading into the final quarter.

With Harden on the bench, the Clippers regained a nine-point lead (94-85) with less than six minutes to play. They cruised from there to notch their second consecutive victory.

“And like I said, being short-handed, not having a lot of days to practice, guys have really been locked in in walkthroughs and shootarounds trying to get better as much as we can,” Lue said. “So, we just got to take it game by game and hopefully we’ll start getting more and more bodies back.”

The Clippers got moving quickly, grabbing a 9-0 lead to start the game before the Knicks had a chance to get settled. But once the Knicks did, they kept going.

The Clippers, who led 31-25 at the end of the first quarter, found themselves trailing 39-33 less than four minutes into the second. They didn’t score their second basket for another minute when Amir Coffey landed a 3-pointer at the 7:20 mark.

The game turned into a 3-point contest as each team scored two long-range shots over the three minutes. Batum tied the score with a 3-pointer and followed it with another for a 50-49 lead.

After Leonard hit two free throws, Harden buried another 3-pointer, and after Karl-Anthony Towns scored, Harden was fouled on his 12th 3-point attempt, sending him to the line for three shots. Zubac closed out the scoring in the first half with a cutting dunk for a 60-54 lead.

Towns led the Knicks with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Mikal Bridges had 22 points and six assists. Josh Hart had 14 points and pulled down 20 rebounds.

“It was a group effort, all the guys competed,” Lue said. “We had a few mistakes defensively but overall I thought we did a good job defensively, understanding what we are trying to do.

“They’re a tough team even with Brunson out. They still compete. They have a lot of good players over there and are well-coached. So, this was a big win for us tonight.”

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks’ late rally falls 1 second short in loss to Blues

• March 8, 2025

ANAHEIM — The Ducks were all smiles before the homecoming game of longtime mainstay Cam Fowler, but at the end of Friday night only he and his new club were grinning at Honda Center.

The St. Louis Blues prevailed, 4-3, despite a feverish push that saw the Ducks score twice late, including in the final minute, and come a fraction of a second from knotting the game at the buzzer.

This was effectively a four-point game in the wild-card race that moved the Blues into a points tie with the Calgary Flames for the final Western Conference postseason berth and dropped the Ducks seven points back of both teams.

Sam Colangelo, Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn notched a goal apiece. Vatrano tacked on an assist and Terry contributed two primary helpers. Lukáš Dostál stopped 18 of 21 shots in defeat.

Fowler, the Ducks’ all-time leader in games played by a defenseman, picked up two assists for St. Louis. Captain Brayden Schenn had two goals, including an empty-netter that stood as the game-winner. Alexey Toropchenko scored one goal and assisted on another by Zack Bolduc. Jordan Binnington had 20 saves.

“We didn’t handle the puck well tonight. It was an odd game to watch from the bench,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “We weren’t accurate with our passing and we didn’t execute. It was coming in and out, we’d get it and it would go away, so, it was just disappointing.”

The finale was electric, as the Ducks might have sent the game to overtime off Mason McTavish’s pop-in as the horn sounded. The goal was waved off initially and that decision was upheld upon video review, leaving the Ducks agonizingly close to a vital point and an opportunity at another.

Schenn’s empty-net marker with 1:47 to play was wedged between Vatrano’s 19th goal of the season with 3:02 remaining in regulation and Killorn’s tally, his 13th of 2024-25, with 43 seconds left.

Terry was the architect of both goals, lofting a pass for Killorn in tight and making a brilliant play where he drove hard from the left-wing wall to the inner slot, drawing a crowd of four Blues defenders before his drop pass against the grain created Vatrano’s authoritative shot.

“I don’t think we got our legs moving until the end of the game. We’ve gotta figure out a way to come out with that same energy,” Jackson LaCombe said.

The Ducks completed an ignominious trifecta of unforced errors early in the third period. Having already allowed a soft goal and one off a turnover, they could add a porous defensive play to the list at 5:21. Fowler feathered a lead pass for Bolduc, who had gained speed in the neutral zone and effortlessly split two Ducks defenders, Jacob Trouba and Pavel Mintyukov, to dart in on goal and bank the puck off Dostál and into the net.

After drawing two penalties in the first period and converting on one power play in the first period, the Ducks earned the only two man-advantage opportunities of the second period. It was St. Louis, however, that held a 2-1 edge through 40 minutes.

LaCombe’s pass for his partner eluded Radko Gudas’ stick, setting up a dangerous three-on-two chance that turned lethal when Jordan Kyrou dished to Dylan Holloway, who found Schenn wide open for a rising shot and his 13th goal this season.

“We had full possession, and we lost it, and we were all heading out for a breakout, thinking it was a clean exit,” Cronin said. “Three seconds later, it’s in the back of our net. It was that type of night, it was just strange, a lot of weird bounces [that didn’t go our way].”

Out of the starting blocks, St. Louis had a faster start in terms of pace, shots, and the game’s first goal, but the Ducks picked up both steam and an equalizer as the period progressed.

They drew even with a power-play goal, 14:48 after the opening faceoff. LaCombe’s point shot glanced off Colangelo to keep both players hot. LaCombe has 10 points in his past eight outings and Colangelo extended his goal-scoring streak to three games. All three goals were deflections.

“I’m a pretty big guy. I just try to get to the front of the net and find ways to score. I think I have a pretty good shot, but if I can find any way to score, I’ll take it in this league,” Colangelo said.

The Blues had come out with greater gusto, punctuated by Toropchenko’s goal a mere 2:37 into the game. His ostensibly innocuous shot from well above the left circle clipped Dostál and then slipped through him to open the scoring.

“They took a 50-foot wrist shot, I think (Dostál) just missed it, it was an odd play,” Cronin said.

Fowler, who was honored privately before the game as well as with a lengthy video tribute during the first period, assisted on Toropchenko’s goal, giving him 21 points in 34 games since the trade. Even former Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf made a visit to the arena for the occasion.

“A lot of emotion, obviously. I just wanted to make sure I embraced everything, just took it all in as best as I could but I appreciate all the support that everyone gave me,” Fowler said.

​ Orange County Register 

Big Ten Tournament: Lauren Betts, UCLA women top Nebraska to reach semifinals

• March 8, 2025

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — The UCLA women’s basketball team is one win away from a potential rematch with USC.

Lauren Betts finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots and Gabriela Jaquez added a season-high 23 points and nine rebounds as second-seeded UCLA advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with an 85-74 victory over 10th-seeded Nebraska on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Dominating the Cornhuskers at both ends of the court with layups, putbacks and blocks, Betts shot 11 for 15 from the field and added five assists and three steals to help UCLA bounce back from Sunday’s loss to USC in the regular-season finale.

“Obviously, I learned a lot from the last game,” Betts said of her 11-point effort against the Trojans, “and I just wanted to kind of earn some of that trust back for my teammates and my coaches. I just thought today honestly more than anything, I’m just proud of my communication and my leadership. That’s all I really wanted to focus on.”

Point guard Kiki Rice had 14 points and nine assists and Timea Gardiner added eight points and seven rebounds to help the Bruins (28-2) rebound from the loss to the Trojans in a game that decided the Big Ten regular-season title.

UCLA will face third-seeded Ohio State (25-5), which edged 11th-seeded Iowa, 60-59, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT. UCLA beat the Buckeyes, 65-52, last month at Pauley Pavilion.

Top-seeded USC faces No. 5 seed Michigan in the first semifinal at noon.

Britt Prince had 24 points and Alexis Markowski scored 11 for Nebraska (21-11), which was playing its third game in three days but repeatedly charged back every time it appeared UCLA was about to take control.

UCLA players called a meeting the morning after the USC game to discuss how they needed to improve and Rice said the team responded with one of its best practices in weeks, but they were not at their best against Nebraska.

Even with Betts and Jaquez combining for 27 points in the first half, the Cornhuskers took a 39-38 lead late in the second quarter on a Prince 3-pointer. Betts gave the Bruins a halftime lead by scoring on a putback then blocking a shot by Markowski with four seconds left.

“Honestly, my main focus is to just disrupt people’s offense,” Betts said. “I wanted to make it as difficult as possible for them. Obviously, Markowski, she’s a great player and a lot of respect to her. I wanted to make it as difficult for them as possible tonight knowing that’s their go-to player.”

The Bruins, who shot just 6 for 29 from 3-point range, struggled to pull away until breaking a 47-47 tie early in the third quarter with a 13-2 run. They finally sealed it with seven straight points to make it 71-60 with 5:36 to play.

UCLA coach Cori Close said her team took too many 3-point shots, particularly early in possessions.

“We have a very coachable team,” Close said, “but that was way too many threes and especially way too many threes off the bounce in the first 15 seconds of the shot clock.”

The Bruins held a 16-8 offensive rebounding edge and outscored Nebraska 17-6 in second-chance points, and while it wasn’t their most complete effort of the season, Betts was pleased with the end result.

“Obviously, it’s we over me at this point,” Betts said. “It’s March, and we need to win games, and that’s all that matters right now. You’ve got to at this point just put your pride aside and do what the team needs you to do, and I thought everyone stepped up today. So I’m really proud of everyone.”

Close praised Betts and her team’s ability to scrap for a victory.

“The great thing about Lauren is that she knows this was a by-product of way more important work she did in the dark all week, and she was really disappointed with herself and our team in terms of how we performed in our last game at home,” Close said. “She really, really worked – mentally, physically, getting her mind right to respond. I knew she was going to be so impactful because of the work she’d done in the dark.

“We needed to earn some toughness, especially in response to how we finished the regular season. So this was about being connected. This was about response. This was about doing the little things to make each other better.”

UP NEXT

UCLA will face third-seeded Ohio State in a semifinal on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT.

​ Orange County Register 

Dave Roberts, Dodgers in final stages of negotiating contract extension

• March 8, 2025

GLENDALE, Ariz. — With just four days left before they hop on a plane to Tokyo, the Dodgers still have one item left to check off their offseason ‘to-do’ list – sign their manager to a contract extension.

Talks between the Dodgers and Dave Roberts have reached the final stages, with an announcement expected before the team leaves for Japan next week. Roberts characterized the negotiations as being “at the 1-yard line in football (terms).”

“Things are looking good. I’m optimistic,” he said Friday afternoon. “You guys all know, this is where I want to be. So I’m excited that things are getting done.”

Entering his 10th season as Dodgers manager, Roberts is in the final year of a three-year contract extension that pays him $4 million. That is expected to more than double with Roberts topping Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s yearly salary of $8 million, the highest for an MLB manager.

Counsell signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Cubs before the 2024 season. Roberts’ deal is expected to be for a shorter term but higher annual salary.

“I just think it all comes down to value. And I think whatever anyone does, they want their value,” Roberts said earlier this spring when asked about becoming the highest-paid manager in MLB. “That’s kind of where I’m at. I’m hopeful things get done.

“But it’s not (the goal) to be the highest-paid manager. If that’s the fallout, fine. But that’s not why I do my job. I do my job because I love baseball, I love the Dodgers and I love the players. But I do feel the body of work is pretty dang good.”

Roberts’ career winning percentage of .627 (851-507) is the highest in MLB history among non-Negro Leagues managers. He has led the Dodgers to the playoffs in each of his first nine seasons, won the NL West eight times and reached the World Series four times, winning it in 2020 and 2024.

COMEBACK ATTEMPT

Bobby Miller threw a live batting practice on Friday afternoon, his first time facing hitters since he was hit in the head by a line drive during his first Cactus League start two weeks ago.

He threw the equivalent of an inning. But it ended with Max Muncy hitting a line drive back through the mound. The ball was hit much slower than the 106-mph liner that caught him in the head and left him with a concussion. This time, Miller was able to drop to the ground and avoid getting hit.

“He seemed fine after the fact,” Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said. “We’ve all, unfortunately, been there. If you haven’t, you’re gonna. Like all pitchers, we’ve been there. And it’s part of the game. You never want to see it, but you kind of got to get back on the horse and do it. And the sooner you get that first one out of the way, kind of get going. But I mean, it’s never easy.”

Prior said Miller touched 99 mph during the one simulated inning.

KERSHAW THROWS

Despite a persistent drizzle Friday afternoon, Clayton Kershaw threw a bullpen session during the Dodgers’ abbreviated workout. Kershaw is recovering from foot and knee surgeries last November and there is no timeline for his return to the active roster.

“I talked to him yesterday and he was in really good spirits,” Roberts said before the workout. “Say he’s feeling good, really looking forward to this ’pen. I’m just looking to see how it looks coming out of his hand. He says the foot feels good so I’m really anxious.”

​ Orange County Register 

International Women’s Day is a celebration and a call to action. Here are things to know

• March 8, 2025

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Women across the world will call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice and decision-making jobs during demonstrations marking International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political — and at times violent — rooted in women’s efforts to improve their rights as workers.

Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City, and this year’s global theme is “Accelerate Action,” coming at a moment where many activists worry that the current political environment may result in a backsliding on many of the rights they’ve long fought for. One in four countries reported a backlash against women’s rights last year, according to U.N. data.

Here is what to know about the March 8 global event:

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day is a global celebration — and a call to action — marked by demonstrations, mostly of women, around the world, ranging from combative protests to charity runs. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equal pay, access to health care, justice for victims of gender-based violence and education for girls.

It is an official holiday in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas.

As in other aspects of life, social media plays an important role during International Women’s Day, particularly by amplifying attention to demonstrations held in countries with repressive governments toward women and dissent in general.

When did it start and why does it fall on March 8?

While the idea behind a women’s day originated in the U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day, and during World War I, women used it to protest the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 after a massive protest in Russia on Feb. 23, 1917, that led to the country’s eventual withdrawal from the war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar and still used the Julian calendar.

“On Feb. 23 in Russia, which was March 8 in Western Europe, women went out on the streets and protested for bread and peace,” said Kristen Ghodsee, professor and chair of Russian and East European studies at the University of Pennsylvania. “The authorities weren’t able to stop them, and then, once the men saw that the women were out on the streets, all of the workers started coming and joining the women.”

The U.N. began commemorating the holiday in 1975, which was International Women’s Year, and its General Assembly officially recognized the day two years later.

How is it celebrated across the world?

Women in Eastern Europe have long received flowers on March 8 — and sometimes even gotten the day off from work. But chocolates and candy can come across as a belittling gestures, showing a lack of understanding of the struggles driving women to protest, particularly in regions where protests have been combative.

Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City.

In Turkey, women in 2023 braved an official ban on an International Women’s Day march in Istanbul, and protested for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse the crowd and detain dozens of people.

In Mexico, which hosts one of the region’s biggest marches, celebrations this year are marked by sharp contrasts. While the country celebrates its first female president, many also mourn victims of stark violence against women — including femicide. In Mexico and Latin America, soaring rates of violence against women and persistent machismo often leave tension simmering on March 8 as protesters demand justice.

Globally, a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or partner, according to U.N. figures, and women being exposed to conflict has significantly jumped over the past decade.

What does the future hold for March 8?

Ghodsee said commemorating International Women’s Day is now more important than ever, as women have lost gains made in the last century, chief among them the 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a nationwide right to abortion, which ended constitutional protections that had been in place nearly 50 years.

The U.S. decision on abortion has reverberated across Europe’s political landscape, forcing the issue back into public debate in some countries at a time when far-right nationalist parties are gaining influence.

​ Orange County Register