Huskies’ Historic Run Ends in CIF Division 3 Championship

Emmanuel Avila, Reporter

March 9, 2026

On Saturday, February 28, the boys soccer team took home the title of Division 3 City Champions!

The North Hollywood High School Girls soccer team reached the quarterfinals of the LA City Section Division 1 playoffs, and concluded their season following a 1-0 loss to Simi Valley High School on February 13, 2026. They hold an overall record of 12-3-5 for the 2025-2026 season, and performed strongly in the East Valley League with a record of 9-2-1.

Aldo Meono demonstrating impressive skills during the championship match, showcasing the team’s relentless pursuit of victory. Amy Alaniz

The team secured large-margin wins, defeating Grant High School 5-0 and Harbor Teacher Prep Academy 3-0. The team is highly ranked, with a California State rank of 165.

NHHS Boys soccer team is currently competing in the CIF-LA City Section under head coach Marco Oliva. The Huskies finished the regular season with an overall record of 8-12-5, and a league record 2-6-4, placing 6th in the East Valley League.

A total of 7 teams are competing in the East Valley League, Arleta, Chavez, East Valley, Fulton, Grant, Poly, and North Hollywood.

Notable players in the regular season were Senior Ernesto Perez (#2) and Senior Cristiano Herrera (#7).

Perez is one of the team captains and a primary offensive threat. Herrera leads the defensive backline, keeping the defensive organized and in line.

They have played a total of 12 games in the East Valley League, losing against Arleta (0-2) on January 26, winning against Grant (3-2) on January 28, and losing against Polytechnic (0-1) on January 30. Despite a rough regular season, they qualified for Division III playoffs.

On February 12, 2026, they beat Simon Tech High School by 5 goals (6-1), dominating the entire game from start to finish. They went on to beat Sherman Oaks CES (3-1) and Foshay Highschool (1-0) in the following playoff and quarterfinal games. They moved on to the finals, which would determine the championship soccer team for the 2026 division III season.

Andres Amezcua, Steve Olmedo and teammates celebrate their triumphant win, as they proudly display their championship plaque, marking a memorable day for boys soccer. Amy Alaniz

On February 28 they faced the Sun Valley Magnet boys soccer team, at Birmingham Community Charter High School, who reached the finals after defeating Hamilton High School (2-1) and Gardena (1-0).

They were originally scheduled to play against Gardena High School, who beat Sun Valley in the semifinals (3-1), but Gardena was disqualified from the championships due to violations of CIF Bylaw 600 (Outside Team Participation). They were removed from the tournament following an investigation into ineligible player participation.

North Hollywood won against Sun Valley with a score of 2-0, winning the 2026 LA City Section Boys’ Soccer Championships Division III title. “Even though we played through a tough season, we fought hard and won in the end,” says Perez. The team has only shown improvement, showing that hard work and practice pays off.

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About the Contributors

Emmanuel Avila, Reporter

Hey Huskies! My name is Emmanuel and I’m a senior in SAS. I like playing and watching sports, and I am excited to be one of your sports reporters this year. I also play chess, the piano, and train in jiu-jitsu. I’m interested in becoming a musician or engineer in college.

Amy Alaniz, Photo Editor

Hey Huskies! I’m a senior in SAS, Captain of @nohohusky and thrilled to be joining The Arcade as the 25-26 photo editor. I’m looking forward to producing high-quality work and journalistically capturing our school to keep you all up to date!