Orange County scores and player stats for Saturday, Oct. 7

• October 7, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Saturday, Oct. 7

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SATURDAY’S SCORES

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

SOCAL INVITATIONAL

JSerra def. Palo Verde (NV), 2-0

JSerra def. Highland (AZ), 2-0

NONLEAGUE

Oxford Academy def. Corona, 26-24, 27-25

​ Orange County Register 

Philadelphia Eagles at Rams: Who has the edge?

• October 7, 2023

EAGLES (4-0) at RAMS (2-2)

When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 387, 228

Line: Eagles by 4

Notable injury designations: Eagles: DT Fletcher Cox (out; back), G Cam Jurgens (out; foot), S Sydney Brown (out; hamstring), DT Marlon Tuipulotu (out; triceps), WR Britain Covey (questionable; concussion). Rams: G Joe Noteboom (out; groin), DE Desjuan Johnson (doubtful; thumb), T Alaric Jackson (questionable; hamstring)

What’s at stake? For the Eagles, maintaining their perfect start to the season and their advantage over a climbing Cowboys team in the NFC East standings. For the Rams, the opportunity to climb back over .500 and truly announce themselves as a legitimate playoff contender with a win over one of the Super Bowl favorites.

Who’s better? Again, the Eagles entered the season as Super Bowl contenders and have done nothing across the past four weeks to dispel that perception. The Rams have a ways to go to match the Eagles’ organizational depth and overall top-end talent. But they did take a big step toward evening the playing field this weekend with the activation of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp off injured reserve.

Matchup to watch: DTs Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner vs. the Tush Push. Otherwise known as “the Brotherly Shove”, the Eagles’ rugby-like short-yardage play, in which they push QB Jalen Hurts across the spot to reach, has become one of the most reliable calls in football the past two seasons. The Rams tried to replicate it in Week 1 against Seattle, coach Sean McVay said this week, but with significantly less success. Responsibility will be on all of the Rams’ defensive front when the time comes, but Donald and Turner will be the first line of defense. “You got to be stout in the middle. Obviously, offensive line tries to get as low as you can. I think it all starts from the center, you get under his pads and pop him up and then guys crowd the ball,” Donald said.

Rams win if: They bottle up the Eagles’ running backs and hold them below 75 yards on the ground. In Philadelphia’s two losses last season with a healthy Hurts, opponents held the Eagles’ RBs to 55.5 rushing yards per game. … WRs Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell combine for 100 yards. Kupp is back, but he’ll still likely have rust to knock off. The Rams need the two young receivers to continue to move the ball down the field.

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Fantasy sleeper: Can Kupp be a sleeper after leading the NFL in all receiving categories in 2021? There might be concern about his ceiling after missing four weeks with a hamstring pull, but his floor should be high enough still with his connection with Matthew Stafford that he’s worth a start.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Rams 20. Beat reporter’s record: 2-2 for the season; 2-2 against the spread.

​ Orange County Register 

Football roundup: Troy upsets La Habra; Sonora, Edison, San Clemente, Dana Hills also win in Week 7

• October 7, 2023

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Running back Ethan Mundt scored on a 3-yard run with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter and Troy’s defense made a goal-line stand in the closing seconds for a 27-21 victory against host La Habra in the Freeway League on Friday.

La Habra (3-4, 1-1), ranked 23rd in Orange County and riding a 33-game league winning streak, faced a fourth-and-goal from the Troy 9-yard line coming out of its final timeout with 50 seconds left. Quarterback Kenneth Saucedo scrambled on the play and surged toward the end zone, drawing what appeared to be at least one signal of a touchdown by a side judge.

A few defenders from Troy (4-3, 2-0), however, celebrated near the end of the play as Saucedo met resistance around the 2 before several players piled up. A video of the play shows Warriors safety Josh King coming away with a fumble recovery.

It ends like this- looks like we crossed the goal line with the was called a fumble, recovered by Troy…congrats to Troy, 27-21. Proud of our team & proud to be a Highlander! @fjuhsd @SGVNSports @OCSportsZone @ocvarsity @ocvarsityguy @James_Escarcega @SteveFryer @LHHSAthletics1 pic.twitter.com/9d0TiSwoG0

— Steve Garcia (@PrincipalSteveG) October 7, 2023

The ball was spotted at the 2 with 38 seconds remaining and the Troy offense knelt down on the final play to secure its first victory against La Habra since 2006 and its second against the Highlanders in 31 years.

“Crazy,” Troy coach Michael Echaves said Saturday of the victory. “This game was special for our defense as we’ve been battered and bruised a little this year. However, we competed at an outstanding level last night and I’m so proud of them fighting through tremendous adversity.”

“That win, for a lot involved on my staff, is special,” the coach added. “Seven out of 10 of (our) coaches grew up playing in the Freeway League so to be in a position to win the last one (before releaguing) is exciting.”

La Habra’s last dropped a Freeway League game in 2016 at Buena Park, which posted a 27-13 victory en route to taking the league title under former coach Anthony White.

Earlier in La Habra’s final drive, the Highlanders had a touchdown negated by a holding penalty with 3:35 left.

Mundt scored on a second-and-goal play to snap a 21-21 tie. The Warriors’ PAT sailed wide.

Mundt, a sophomore, finished with 69 yards on 20 carries.

Troy junior QB Rudy Alcala completed 14 of 23 passes for 195 yards and tossed touchdowns to junior Vander Ploog and senior Declan Healey. Ploog finished with eight catches for 98 yards.

Troy plays host to Buena Park (4-3, 0-2) at Fullerton High on Friday, Oct. 13. La Habra plays Sunny Hills (4-3, 1-1) at Buena Park High on the same night.

In other games Friday:

Sonora 42, Buena Park 13: The visiting Raiders (6-1, 2-0) raced to a 35-0 lead at halftime and moved into a first-place tie with Troy in the Freeway League. Olin Morales-Hyder caught two touchdowns and rushed for another. Running back Anthony Abad added three touchdowns while QB Landon Martin tossed three scores.

Sonora plays host to Fullerton (2-5, 0-2) next week at La Habra High.

Sunny Hills 28, Fullerton 27: The visiting Lancers (4-3, 1-1) prevented a go-ahead, 2-point conversion with 2:05 left in the fourth quarter to edge the Indians.

Edison 47, Huntington Beach 20: Junior running back Julius Gillick rushed for a school-record 312 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Chargers (4-3, 2-0) to a third consecutive victory. Edison, tied with Los Alamitos for first place in the Sunset League, plays Newport Harbor (3-4, 1-1) at Huntington Beach at Oct. 12.

La Quinta 31, Loara 23: Alex Tran rushed for touchdowns and Michael Palacios collected eight tackles and an interception as the Aztecs beat the Saxons for the first time in the Garden Grove League. La Quinta (5-2, 2-0) is tied with Bolsa Grande (5-2, 2-0) atop the league.

La Quinta plays Santiago (3-4, 0-2) next week.

Bolsa Grande 34, Santiago 28: Ethan Nguyen passed for 140 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 100 yards and another score to lead the Matadors (5-2, 2-0).

— Dan Albano

San Clemente 42, Ayala 13: Aidan Rubin ran for over 250 yards with three touchdowns for San Clemente in a road win against Ayala of Chino Hills.

The senior running back has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season with 16 rushing touchdowns. Dylan Mills threw two touchdown passes for San Clemente (6-1), both to tight end Broderick Redden.

Lee Fuimaono added a rushing touchdown for the Tritons while Max Gonzales and Max Bollard each had interceptions.

San Clemente begins South Coast League play on the road against Mission Viejo next Friday, Oct. 13.

Dana Hills 14, Irvine 7: Dana Hills scored 14 points in the first quarter which ended up being just enough to beat Irvine.

The Dolphins scored on a blocked punt by Nate DePierro, who also recovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown. Later in the quarter, San Clemente transfer Owen Walz ran for a 1-yard touchdown in his debut at quarterback for Dana Hills (5-2).

Noah Kucera intercepted a pass in the final minute to clinch the wins for the Dolphins, who begin Pacific Coast League play against undefeated Laguna Hills next Friday.

Irvine (4-3) will begin Pacific Hills League play on the road against Woodbridge.

Northwood 30, University 7: Northwood scored 23 unanswered points to open the game against University and snap its two-game losing streak.

Eddie Petrushin and  Lucas Trausch each had early rushing touchdowns to give Northwood (3-4) a 13-0 lead. After a field goal by Cole Hidalgo, Edward Ma threw a touchdown pass to Hidalgo to increase the lead to 23-0.

Koa Saito threw a long touchdown pass to Brooks Beckmann for the lone touchdown for University (3-4).

Northwood’s defense had three interceptions, one by Tristan Tran, and Joseph Harper had multiple sacks.

Crean Lutheran 42, Pacifica 7: Jeremiah Finaly threw for 274 yards with four touchdown passes for Crean Lutheran in a rout of Pacifica in an Empire League game.

Ben Byszewski had two touchdown receptions while Daylin Caamano and Carter Jones each added one.

Jones led the Crean Lutheran (6-1, 2-0) defense with 10 tackles and Taurian Nash had a forced fumble that was recovered by Javari Nash.

Cypress 21, Kennedy 7: Jesse Mauldin ran for 150 yards with two touchdowns for Cypress in its Empire League win over Kennedy.

Rocco Burdett also had a rushing touchdown for Cypress (4-3, 2-0).

Tustin 42, Valencia 0: Eimesse Essis and Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins each had two touchdowns for Tustin in a dominant win over Valencia in an Empire League game.

Tustin (7-0, 2-0) is one of six remaining undefeated teams in Orange County. Essis had two rushing touchdowns and Dunbar-Hawkins had a punt return touchdown and a rushing score.

Jack Stupin threw touchdown passes to Larry Allen and Mack Alleyne.

Brea Olinda 21, Canyon 7: Nathan Aceves ran for two touchdowns for Brea Olinda in a nonleague win over Canyon.

The senior had a 75-yard rushing touchdown and a 5-yard score for Brea Olinda (5-2). Jake Owens also had a rushing touchdown for the Wildcats.

Beckman 21, Portola 14: Beckman scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to beat Portola in a nonleague game at Portola High.

CJ Bertoni had a rushing touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Austin Shepard for Beckman (6-1). Shepard also threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Makhi Czaykowski.

Rocky Palacio had two touchdown passes for Portola (4-3). Kamran Jahromi caught seven passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

— Michael Huntley

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​ Orange County Register 

Clippers’ Terance Mann all about bringing the energy

• October 7, 2023

For a guy who has played every position for the Clippers, Terance Mann finds himself in what could be an uncomfortable situation. If he let it.

For most of the summer, Mann has been tied to a trade that would bring an eight-time All Star to the Clippers and send him packing. It has been reported that the Philadelphia 76ers covet the versatile swingman, but the Clippers have not been willing to include him in any sort of trade for James Harden.

Mann hasn’t let trade rumors affect his mindset. He is set on proving himself in a Clippers uniform this season, a goal he started four years ago when he arrived as a rookie out of Florida State. He is a key figure in the team’s pick and rolls and cuts, and his malleability in game situations has made him a valuable piece in coach Tyronn Lue’s lineup.

Knowing all that has given Mann the confidence he needs to move to the next level and maybe a spot in the starting rotation. “Wherever. Whatever. I don’t care,” he said of which position he prefers to play.

Mann told reporters this week in Hawai’i, where the Clippers are holding training camp, that he just wants “to bring energy.”

“I just want to be able to guard the best player on the other team and make it tough for them,” he added. “I want to be able to space the floor, take open shots, get downhill in transition. That’s basically my key goal for the season.”

If Lue decides to put Kawhi Leonard at small forward and slide Paul George to the power forward position, that could open a spot for Mann in the starting lineup.

“With our versatility, anything is possible,” Lue said. “We’re just going to see what makes the most sense and how guys kind of come together. (We will) plan and see what makes the most sense for our team.”

Starting or not, Mann isn’t content to rely on last year’s model. It’s a new season, which requires new goals, sharper skills and confidence. And to Mann, that means shooting the ball better, taking advantage of opportunities and “just being that extra player on the floor to space the floor out.”

He said he took inspiration and a bit of defiance from Russell Westbrook, who re-signed with the Clippers during the offseason after joining the team after February’s trade deadline.

“Just going out there, watching him play with so much confidence no matter what anybody says about him and how strong he is mentally was something I took out of his book,” Mann said. “Just being able to shut out the noise and play your game. That’s mainly what I took out of it.”

Last season, Mann averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 81 games last season on 51.9% shooting. In 36 starts, Mann averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He looks to bolster those numbers this season.

“I’m just working on stuff that I need to be able to excel in my role on this team, whatever that is,” Mann said. “Just basically try to do everything.”

In other words, continue to make himself invaluable.

Mann recently became eligible for a contract extension, projected to be three years, $56 million that could keep him with the Clippers through 2025-26. He signed a two-year, $22 million extension in 2021.

Asked if he would be open to staying with the Clippers, Mann said, “Open? I’ve been here for five years. Of course, I would be open to it.”

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A key reason to stay in L.A. is the character of the team that has developed in his five years. It’s a closeness borne from responsibility.

“I think for me, just like the brotherhood atmosphere that I started with here, we continue to impose that,” Mann said. “We continue to hold everybody accountable. We continue to hold the rookies accountable as best we can from when I got here.

“Just the continuity, the consistency of the brotherhood is still special.”

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers leave Ryan Yarbrough, Amed Rosario off NLDS roster

• October 7, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers announced their roster for the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday morning and it did not include two of their trade-deadline acquisitions.

Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough and infielder Amed Rosario were left off the roster for the best-of-five series.

Yarbrough was acquired from the Kansas City Royals at midseason and went 4-2 with a 4.89 ERA in 11 games with the Dodgers. The left-hander allowed nine runs on 11 hits in four innings at Coors Field in his final appearance of the regular season. Rookies Ryan Pepiot and Emmet Sheehan are expected to fill the multi-inning role in which Yarbrough would have been used.

Four rookies are among the Dodgers’ 13 pitchers for this round – Bobby Miller (expected to start Game 2), Michael Grove, Pepiot and Sheehan.

For the final bench spot, the Dodgers opted to go for the left-handed Kolten Wong over the right-handed Rosario. The Diamondbacks’ roster for this series includes three left-handed relievers but right-handers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen are expected to start four of the five games (if it goes the distance) with another right-hander, Brandon Pfaadt, also available.

Rosario has played almost exclusively against left-handed pitching since being acquired from the Cleveland Guardians. He batted .256 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 48 games for the Dodgers.

Here is the Dodgers’ full roster for the NLDS:

PITCHERS (13) — RH Ryan Brasier, LH Caleb Ferguson, RH Michael Grove, RH Brusdar Graterol, RH Joe Kelly, RH Bobby Miller, RH Shelby Miller, LH Clayton Kershaw, RH Lance Lynn, RH Ryan Pepiot, RH Evan Phillips, RH Emmet Sheehan, LH Alex Vesia

CATCHERS (2) — Austin Barnes, Will Smith

INFIELDERS/OUTFIELDERS (10) — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, Max Muncy, David Peralta, James Outman, Jason Heyward, Kiké Hernandez, Kolten Wong

DH (1) — J.D. Martinez

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Here is the Diamondbacks’ roster for the series:

PITCHERS (12) — RH Miguel Castro, RH Luis Frias, LH Joe Mantiply, RH Zac Gallen, RH Merrill Kelly, RH Brandon Pfaadt, LH Kyle Nelson, RH Ryne Nelson, LH Andrew Saalfrank, RH Paul Sewald, RH Ryan Thompson, RH Kevin Ginkel

CATCHERS (2) — Gabriel Moreno, Jose Herrera

INFIELDERS (8) — Jordan Lawlar, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, Evan Longoria, Pavin Smith, Jace Peterson, Emmanuel Rivera, Geraldo Perdomo

OUTFIELDERS (4) — Tommy Pham, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

​ Orange County Register 

How the Rams’ ‘no-name defense’ found its identity

• October 7, 2023

In the spartan road locker room of Lumen Field, Derion Kendrick had a bitter look on his face, half a shrug elevating his shoulders. His Rams had just beaten the Seahawks behind a surprising performance by the defense, holding the home team to a total of 12 yards in the second half.

But the cornerback had one more target to shut down, not a receiver but a conversation that had been going on for months.

“We’re a bunch of no names, like everybody else is saying,” Kendrick said. “We’re gonna show them what we got.”

It was a common critique of the Rams throughout the summer: They had future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, then 10 semi-anonymous cohorts. As the same evaluation was repeated enough, the Rams began to refer to themselves as the “no-name defense”. It wasn’t so much a rallying cry as a motivational devil on the shoulder, repeating the slight as required during the dog days of training camp.

A slight that, if the Rams are being honest, they could understand, to an extent.

“It’s not like a personal thing. They legitimately do not know who we are,” safety Jordan Fuller said. “But we use it as great fuel, thank you. You make coming into work and locking back into it a lot easier. So we just embrace it.”

Through a quarter of the season, the Rams have started to make names for themselves. They’ve cut down on yards allowed per game, going from 341.1 a year ago to 295.8. They continue to allow about three touchdowns per game, all after losing the “names” of Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Troy Hill.

“I thought the whole goal of the offseason was to find out how to get over the edge to win games and I think we’ve discovered something,” defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen, but we want to keep playing like we’re playing because I think it’s really been positive.”

The drawing board

Toward the beginning of the offseason, Morris began having conversations with head coach Sean McVay and the front office. The salary-cap realities of the Rams’ dogged pursuit of a Super Bowl were coming to fruition. Hard decisions were going to have to be made, and the nature of certain contract situations meant the defense was going to be hit. Hard.

“That was the deal, some of which was by necessity, not because it was necessarily what we felt like was best,” McVay said. “And I think if you guys know Raheem, he is always up for a challenge.”

Every offseason, Morris reevaluates his roster, how his scheme worked the year before and what needs adjusting in order to win games the coming year, just like any coach.

But entering 2023, he realized he needed to evaluate how he re-installed his scheme. Gone were all the vets, and instead Morris was staring down the prospect of a defense that would start as many as nine players still on rookie contracts.

“You slow it down, you pare it down from a teaching progression,” Morris explained. “Almost have summer school classes, so to speak, for the guys to prepare them for training camp. … It was teaching guys not just football, but teaching guys how to prepare. Teaching guys where they should go, how they study. Teaching guys where to look for the stuff to study. Teaching them what they should be studying and what’s the progression of studying.”

You hear Morris enter a room before you see him. He chatters at a rapid pace to match his train of thought, and bounces from thought to thought when particularly enthused about a subject.

But he knows he can’t do that when talking with this particular defense. He has to slow down, and has made sure his assistant coaches don’t take it for granted that the players understand something without it being said out loud.

“Ra, he’s special in the way he’s able to see the game. He doesn’t coach any of us the same,” Fuller said. “If he does need to tell you to get better at something, you won’t come away from the conversation feeling attacked at all. Half the time, he might make a joke out of it. But, you got the point.”

Morris worked as assistant head coach to Dan Quinn with the Falcons for six seasons. While in Atlanta, Morris learned from Quinn to look for what players are doing well, and praise it, repeatedly. If you focus only on making corrections, the logic goes, you’ll lose sight of what the team is good at.

The Rams coaching staff isn’t afraid to ask, either. Throughout training camp, they asked third-round outside linebacker Byron Young where he liked lining up. If the rookie thought he could win his matchup in one situation or another.

“They ask me questions like that, they do that on purpose to let me know that they believe in me enough to ask me,” Young said. “That’s just telling me right there that they believe in me and trust me and I can feel more confident about myself.”

By training camp, fellow rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner felt comfortable enough to tell the future Hall of Famer Donald where he was supposed to line up on certain calls.

“That was a thing that I was nervous about because he’s a legend and he’s a dude that I’ve looked up to for so long,” Turner said. “The big thing was like, ‘OK, I need to go put in the work and let him be able to trust me enough to where I know the playbook and I know all of our communication and how to get us into what we need to be in.’”

Building a foundation

External concerns about the Rams’ defense reached a fevered pitch following an 0-3 preseason. The Rams were being gashed on the ground, particularly on outside runs, and the air game looked just as suspect.

But there had been a different story in practices, when the Rams’ full starting 11 was playing. The defensive front was disruptive, and Young and Turner were rounding into the type of immediate contributors the scouting department had identified. The secondary was hanging tough against the likes of Davante Adams and Russell Wilson.

And they were getting daily tests against their own healthy quarterback Matthew Stafford after he missed so much time in the 2022 preseason with a myriad of injuries.

“There were some days in training camp where we couldn’t cover Matthew Stafford. And then there were other days where I felt really confident that we had a good day,” Morris said. “And I’m like, ‘Man, did they have a bad day? Was it a good day by us?’”

The Rams got their first confirmation that the growth was real in Week 1, holding the high-flying Seahawks to 112 aerial yards. Linebacker Ernest Jones was active in the backfield. Donald, Turner, Young and converted outside backer Michael Hoecht disrupted the quarterback repeatedly. Free-agent signing Ahkello Witherspoon was leading a swaggering young secondary.

The formula has carried over to the subsequent three games as the Rams have gone 2-2 with the feeling they could have a better record.

“It’s been fun for me, man, it really has been. Having guys out there flying around, definitely the DBs, they go up there talking a lot of trash,” Donald said. “You got to kind of say, ‘Lock in, man, let’s go.’ I’m just going out there and enjoying the moment.”

It’s only a quarter of the way through the season, and bigger tests lay ahead, starting with the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

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But the previously anonymous group is starting to build an identity.

“I think they heard all the noise,” Morris said. “I think it’s more about what they’re doing for themselves and for their coaches. Because their coaches really poured into them this offseason and right now they’re just giving back to Aubrey Pleasant, to Chris Beake, to Eric Henderson and all of those guys. I think now being the no-name defense is kind of fun for them. They’re kind of embracing it.”

Eagles at Rams

When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/radio: FOX/710 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Los Angeles and other police agencies step up patrols after deadly Hamas attack in Israel kills hundreds

• October 7, 2023

Law enforcement agencies are increasing security and patrols around Jewish institutions in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and elsewhere Saturday following the deadly Hamas attack against Israel that killed hundreds.

“The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the turmoil in the Middle East and lives lost. In those areas where we serve both our Jewish and Muslim communities, we will be conducting extra patrol to ensure the safety of all,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore wrote on X.

And the Los Angeles Sheriff’s X account posted, “@LASDHQ is aware of the situation in the Middle East. We would like to ensure all residents, we are monitoring, remaining vigilant, and conducting extra patrol checks in our areas. We are working closely with our federal and local law enforcement partners to monitor the situation.”

In Beverly Hills, Mayor Julian Gold said, “We are appalled by this act of terrorism by Hamas against the citizens and civilian communities in Israel. We call on President Biden and Congress to act swiftly in support of Israel. Additionally, we hope all peace-loving nations of the world and the United Nations, will condemn this senseless violence. Our hearts are with the people of Israel as we stand together and support Israel defending itself and condemn this heinous act.”

A watch commander at the Santa Monica Police Department said, “There have been periodic checks that we have directed to our extra cars. I sent one out when I saw the news.”

Hamas — a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist group founded in 1987 that disputes Israel’s right to territory — launched the attack early Saturday morning, firing thousands of rockets into Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip and also sending in ground forces.

Israel said at least 200 of its people were killed and hundreds wounded, and an unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians were captured and taken to Gaza as hostages.

More than 230 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in retaliatory fighting.

The attack came on the 50th anniversary of the so-called “Yom Kippur War,” in which Israel was attacked by a coalition of Arab states.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his nation, “We are at war” in a televised address.

President Joe Biden issued a statement of support for Israel, and many Southland elected leaders condemned the attack.

“Today, I spoke with @IsraeliPM about the appalling Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. I offered our support and reiterated my unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” Biden posted on X. “@FLOTUS and I express our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also released a statement. “I join voices across the nation condemning this horrific attack on Israel,” she said. “The Los Angeles region has the second-largest Jewish population outside of Israel and many families are anxiously awaiting developments as they unfold. My thoughts are with those families this morning. Angelenos stand with those under siege mourning loss. May their memories be a blessing.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation

• October 7, 2023

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and ISSAM ADWAN | Associated Press

Under cover of a barrage of rockets, dozens of Hamas militants broke out of the blockaded Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli towns, killing hundreds and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday. A stunned Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.”

Also see: Los Angeles and other police agencies step up patrols after deadly Hamas attack

In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. In some places, they roamed for hours, gunning down civilians and soldiers as Israel’s military scrambled to muster a response. Gunbattles continued well after nightfall, and militants held hostages in standoffs in two towns.

Israel’s national rescue service said at least 200 people were killed and 1,100 wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in decades. At least 198 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and at least 1,610 wounded in Israeli strikes, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The conflict threatened to escalate to an even deadlier stage with Israel’s vows of greater retaliation. Previous conflicts between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers brought widespread death and destruction in Gaza and days of rocket fire on Israeli towns. The situation is potentially more volatile now, with Israel’s far-right government stung by the security breach and with Palestinians in despair over a never-ending occupation in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza.

After nightfall, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza intensified, flattening several residential buildings in giant explosions, including a 14-story tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City. Israeli forces fired a warning just before, and there were no reports of casualties.

Soon after, a Hamas rocket barrage into central Israel hit four cities, including Tel Aviv and a nearby suburb, where two people were seriously injured.

The strength, sophistication and timing of the Saturday morning attack shocked Israelis. Hamas fighters used explosives to break through the border fence enclosing the long-blockaded Mediterranean territory, then crossed with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders and speed boats on the coast.

Bodies of dead Israeli civilians and Hamas militants were seen on streets of Israeli towns. Associated Press photos showed an abducted elderly Israeli woman being brought back into Gaza on a golf cart by Hamas gunmen and another woman squeezed between two fighters on a motorcycle. Images showed fighters parading captured Israeli military vehicles through Gaza streets.

“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”

“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he added, promising that Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”

The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, said the assault was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside West Bank cities over the past year, violence at Al Aqsa — the disputed Jerusalem holy site sacred to Jews as the Temple Mount — increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians and growth of settlements.

“Enough is enough,” Deif, who does not appear in public, said in the recorded message. He said the attack was only the start of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” and called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”

The Hamas incursion on Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, aiming to take back Israeli-occupied territories.

Comparisons to one of the most traumatic moments in Israeli history sharpened criticism of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who had campaigned on more aggressive action against threats from Gaza. Political commentators lambasted the government over its failure to anticipate what appeared to be a Hamas attack unseen in its level of planning and coordination.

Asked by reporters how Hamas had managed to catch the army off guard, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, replied, “That’s a good question.”

The abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers also raised a particularly thorny issue for Israel. Israel has a history of making heavily lopsided exchanges in order to bring captive Israelis home.

Their number was not immediately known. Videos released by Hamas appeared to show at least three Israelis captured alive, and AP photos showed at least three civilians brought in Gaza, including the two women. Israeli television showed images of a young man stripped down to his pants being led on foot in a chokehold and reported that elderly women with dementia as well as workers from Thailand and the Philippines were among the captives.

The Israeli military confirmed that a number of Israelis had been taken captive. A spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, Abu Obeida, said the group was holding dozens of Israeli soldiers captive in “safe places” and tunnels in the Gaza Strip. If true, the claim could set the stage for complicated negotiations on a swap with Israel, which is holding thousands of Palestinians in its prisons.

The Hamas assault into southern Israel left a trail of civilians’ bodies where they had encountered the advancing gunmen.

On the road outside the town of Sderot, a bloodied woman slumped dead in the seat of her car. Inside the town, bodies of at least six people gunned down at a bus shelter were laid out on stretchers on the street, their bags set nearby on the curb. Elsewhere, a woman knelt in the street and embraced a dead family member whose body was stretched out next to a pink motorcycle that lay on its side. The rider’s hand with a glove and a foot in a racing boot extended out from under the sheet.

In the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Gaza Strip, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued.

“With rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing that we have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) and our safe rooms. But knowing that terrorists are walking around communities is a different kind of fear,” said Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter and mother of three in Nahal Oz.

In a televised address, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Hamas had made “a grave mistake” and promised that “the state of Israel will win this war.”

Israel’s military was bringing four divisions of troops as well as tanks to the Gaza border, joining 31 battalions already in the area, the spokesman Hagari said. A major question now was whether Israel will launch a ground assault into Gaza, a densely populated enclave of more than 2 million people, a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties.

Hamas said it had planned for a potentially long fight. “We are prepared for all options, including all-out war,” the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, told Al-Jazeera TV. “We are ready to do whatever is necessary for the dignity and freedom of our people.”

U.S. President Joe Biden condemned “this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza.” He spoke with Netanyahu and said Israel “has a right to defend itself and its people.” according to a White House statement.

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Saudi Arabia, which has been in talks with the U.S. about normalizing relations with Israel, released a statement calling on both sides to exercise restraint. The kingdom said it had repeatedly warned about “the dangers of the situation exploding as a result of the continued occupation (and) the Palestinian people being deprived of their legitimate rights.”

Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group congratulated Hamas, praising the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes.” The group said its command in Lebanon was in contact with Hamas about the operation.

The attack comes at a time of historic division within Israel over Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the judiciary. Mass protests over the plan have sent hundreds of thousands of Israeli demonstrators into the streets and prompted hundreds of military reservists to avoid volunteer duty — turmoil that has raised fears over the military’s battlefield readiness and raised concerns about its deterrence over its enemies.

It also comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, with the peace process effectively dead for years. Over the past year Israel’s far-right government has ramped up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has displaced hundreds of Palestinians there, and tensions have flared around a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.

Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then.

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Adwan reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register