Sports
Dominant Ventura flag football quarterback Ava Ortman driven to see her team shine
The Southern Section is home to many of the best high school quarterbacks in the country and yes, that goes for flag football too.
Los Angeles County standouts include Lexi Loya (Lakewood St. Joseph), Haley Ramos (South Hills), Claire Heisinger (Agoura) and Kenzie Paimany (Long Beach Poly).
Orange County features Makena Cook (Orange Lutheran), Madi Lam (Santa Margarita), Maia Helmar (Newport Harbor), Roxie Shaia (Huntington Beach) and Bella Conteras (Rosary).
Riverside County has Karissa Green (Roosevelt) and Feli Solomua (Corona) while Western Christian freshman Maliyah Estrada is a rising star in San Bernardino County.
In Ventura County, no flagger does it better than Ventura High junior Ava Ortman, who is among the state leaders in touchdowns and is equally effective running the ball. She is the quintessential dual-threat quarterback, having improved in both aspects since last year when she threw for 3,849 yards and 44 touchdowns and rushed for 643 yards and three scores on a struggling squad with a sub-.500 record. She tried out as a receiver but quickly transitioned to quarterback, where she has excelled.
This fall, the Cougars are 23-5 and ranked in the top 20 in California, and their athletic signal caller is a major reason why. She is also a guard on the school basketball team and an outfielder on the softball team, but she admitted football is fast becoming her passion, following in the footsteps of her older brother Tyler, who was an offensive lineman for the Cougars.
“This is my favorite sport — it brings me joy,” Ortman said upon reaching the triple-digit milestone this season with three touchdown passes Wednesday night against Dos Pueblos in the third-place game of the Channel League Tournament at Ventura College. “Recently, I’ve been running the ball more, but whatever it takes is fine. I want to win more than anything. We weren’t that good last year, but we’ve learned a lot since then and we’ve gotten so much better. I’m confident we can go far in the playoffs.”
Ortman prefers to talk about the team and let her individual stats speak for themselves. Through 28 games she has a .676 completion percentage, connecting on 560 of 828 attempts for 6,379 yards and 101 touchdowns. She has rushed for 1,346 yards and eight scores and plays free safety on defense. She has thrown five or more touchdown passes eight times this season and only once has she failed to throw at least one — that being Tuesday’s 8-7 upset loss to Oxnard when she was intercepted four times.
Nearly half of Ortman’s scoring strikes have been to fellow junior Kaiya Cooke, who leads the county with 189 receptions, 2,357 receiving yards and 40 touchdown grabs.
Sophomore Mya Rodriguez has 176 receptions for 1,919 yards and 29 touchdowns while Makalya Halley has added 100 catches for 826 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Ortman is averaging 11.4 yards per completion (227.8 per game) with a passer rating of 117.0 and she averages 10.4 yards per carry. The Cougars’ offense has produced 900 points, an average of 32 per game.
“Ava’s greatest attribute is the ability to make her teammates better,” Ventura coach Frank Jordan said. “She has good communication with her receivers and has become a true leader. She was new to the game last year but was eager to learn. She took that challenge and ran with it and just like any other effective quarterback, is adept at reading the defense. She prides herself on being accurate. If one of her receivers drops the ball, Ava blames herself because she wants to make a more catchable pass.”
Ortman accounted for eight touchdowns — six through the air and two on the ground — during a 60-0 rout of Oxnard Pacifica on Oct. 2, but her most efficient performance came a week earlier when she completed 34 of 44 passes for 374 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in a 39-12 triumph over Santa Barbara. On Oct. 9, she achieved a near-perfect quarterback rating of 151.6 after she was successful on 26 of 31 throws for 298 yards and six touchdowns in a 40-0 shutout of Buena.
Yet her coach believes the best is yet to come.
“Ava is very resilient,” Jordan said. “If she misses a few throws you know she’ll make them the next game. She’s that competitive and she’s all about improving.”
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Taylor Crabb is no stranger to South California beaches. The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.
It marks the first time AVP will compete in Long Beach since 2020 and allows players to compete at the 2028 Olympics beach volleyball venue.
Crabb, 34, made his AVP debut in 2013 with his brother, Trevor, and advanced from the qualifier in Manhattan Beach before finishing 25th in his first tournament.
After years of competing with various different partners, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh have delivered the top performances this AVP season.
The following interview with Crabb has been edited for clarity and length.
Are you excited to compete in this weekend’s event at Long Beach?
Crabb: Very excited. A lot of my college teammates and part of the school have reached out, saying that they’re gonna come. So I’m excited to get a chance to play in front of them again.
When was the last time you were in Long Beach?
Crabb: I always try to go down there for alumni events or any big games they have. I went to UCLA against Long Beach last year, when it was No. 1 versus No. 2, so I always try to get down there and support them.
You missed out on the chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions and chose not to pursue a spot at the 2024 Olympics. Are you fired up to try to compete in the 2028 Olympics, knowing that Long Beach will host the competition?
Crabb: Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting time having the Olympics in Long Beach, and we kind of get to break it in this weekend. As you said, Tokyo didn’t go the way I wanted, but I’m going full force now. I have a great partner in Andy Benesh, who obviously went to the Paris Olympics, and if it weren’t for the Olympics being in Long Beach, and me getting a partner like Andy, I’m not even sure I’d be going for it, but because of those two things, I want to make the most of it.
You mentioned that if it wasn’t for a partner like Andy, you wouldn’t be going for it. What do you mean by that?
Crabb: I didn’t feel motivated by playing in all the international events, but now, I think, sitting out kind of lit the fire under me, and I’m really motivated now.
You’ve had different partners throughout your time. What other motivation does Andy give you?
Crabb: He’s been, in my mind, the top blocker for the U.S. the last four or five years. Seeing the professionalism he brings every day to practice, on and off the court, while traveling and when showing up to tournaments, it rubs off on you and that’s really motivating to see. And I just want to make him proud.
Why do you love volleyball?
Crabb: A lot of reasons, but it’s just a feeling I have when I’m out there on the court. It feels natural. It feels like home. I was born into a volleyball family. I had a volleyball in my hands my entire life, so I’ve always just enjoyed it.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL
Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour ago19-year-old arrested, accused of distributing marijuana to minors across Riverside County
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoPhillies end the Tigers’ winning streak at 6 with a 4-2 victory
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoGiants select Barry Bonds’ nephew Peyton in third round
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoMark Cuban takes legal action against the Dallas Mavericks ownership over proposed arena deal
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoSouth Florida businesses report economic boom, as FIFA officials estimate a billion dollar economic impact
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoForecast: Looking ahead to toasty temps next week
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoDenver weather: Warming trend continues this weekend and into next week
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoTech Investor Vinod Khosla to Acquire the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 Billion
