Written by Coach Mario Machuca

When an athlete like Jude Abu-Ghazaleh joins your program, everything around the team becomes a little easier.

From her very first day, Jude has been the definition of a coachable athlete. She is someone who listens, works, leads, and consistently does whatever is asked of her—all while bringing a smile and positive attitude to everything she does.

Jude’s work ethic extends far beyond the cross country course. In the classroom, she maintains one of the highest grade point averages on the team, while athletically establishing herself as the 4th-fastest girl in King High School history. Excelling at that level in both academics and athletics speaks volumes about the commitment, discipline, and character she brings every single day.

As a key member of King’s back-to-back State qualifying teams, Jude has played an important role in some of the program’s greatest accomplishments. But her impact can’t be measured by times and finishes alone.

As a captain, Jude leads by example. She works to bring people together and create a team that feels like more than just a group of athletes who run together. She cares about her teammates, represents the program with pride, and has become someone both coaches and athletes can depend on.

We are incredibly grateful for everything Jude has given to this program and for the example she continues to set for those around her.

As she begins her final season in a King uniform, we’re excited to see how she closes out her senior year and adds the final chapter to an already incredible career.

Click here for feature on Jude published last Fall

The post PROFILES IN CHARACTER – JUDE ABU-GHAZALEH appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Shaun Harris

HUNTINGTON BEACH:  The Wolves took their annual trip to Huntington Beach on Friday to compete against the Vikings of Marina. The girls look forward to the fun competition and beach afterwards.

The girls came out strong and competed very well, winning in a shutout, 18-0.

The Marina girls always compete well and show us some different formations that we can learn from. As the sets finished it was all MLK today. Great work girls.

Oh, and eating with the other team and hanging out at the beach was also a great way to end the week.

The post TENNIS ENJOYS WIN AND WAVES appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Chandler Sjoerdsma

RIVERSIDE:  The Wolves took on the Corona Panthers for their second head-to-head match of the season at General Old Golf Course on Thursday. Considering the course conditions following aeration, both teams played double-par pickup and a two-putt maximum on the greens. With this assistance, this match was the fastest of the season, completing all competition before six o’clock in the evening. Ultimately, the Wolves ran away with the win, defeating Corona 242-317.

The post WOLVES RUN AWAY WITH THE WIN appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Wrestling is having a mandatory program meeting (athletes and parent/guardian) Wednesday, October 7 at 5:30 pm in room A310

The post WRESTLING MEETING COMING OCTOBER 7 appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Paul Dombrowski

RIVERSIDE: It was senior night for the MLK girls’ flag football team on Wednesday. Before the game, the seniors were honored as they walked onto the field with family and friends. After the seniors’ celebration, the Wolves beat San Jacinto HS 74-0.

Offensively, all four seniors had big nights for King. Kristen Mason had 10 catches for 132 yards and 4 TDs; Sofia Berdeja-Johnson had 86 yards and 2 touchdowns; Selah Bugingo had 32 total yards and a TD, and Natalia Williams added 5 catches and three extra points.

The post SENIORS CELEBRATE WITH A SHUTOUT appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Brad Peters

RIVERSIDE:  On Senior Night for girls Volleyball, King witnessed something special … actually several special things.

First, a parade of their players who are a part of the Class of ’27 were feted on the court along with friends, family and teachers.  It’s an annual tradition of celebrating the graduating class that is always done with class and distinction.

Given that one of those Seniors is Brooklyn Nielsen, head coach Michael Tongg handed the reigns of the coaching responsibilities for the evening to his assistant coach who happens also to be Brooklyn’s mother.

“I was blessed to have Coach Shannon Nielsen take the lead coach role in tonight’s Senior night match, and not just coach but as a parent of a senior,” Tongg said after the match.  “Shannon did an excellent job and lead us to a win against Corona.”

It was a special touch on the victory.  The final score ended in King’s favor, 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 14-25, 25-22)

Throughout the event, the Den was electric.   Nielsen put together an “all-senior” starting lineup and the Ladywolves came ready to play.

“They did not disappoint,” said Nielsen.

King dominated through the first two sets, exhibiting great team play, with every player contributing and keeping the momentum for the home team.   Corona adjusted and attacked in the third set to avoid the sweep, but King took notes of their own and came back with adjustments in the final set to secure the victory.  “We had some smart offensive plays in that final set,” Nielsen said, which foiled Corona’s plans for an upset

Senior Caitlin Kiemele led the team with 10 kills and 2 blocks and Brooklyn Nielsen had 6 aces and 15 digs.

But it was the play of Senior Brielle Thompson that put a bow on the night.

The senior had 4 aces, 14 assists and 12 digs.  Those 4 aces put her past the school record of 60 set 12 years ago by Jaden Grova.  Thompson now has 63 with more matches to play on the season.

“When we come together as one and bring the energy our team is as good as any team in our league,” said Coach Nielsen.  Her daughter Brooklyn  emphasized “that energy is very important.”

“We can win if we set our minds to it” said Senior Sofia Galvan.  Junior Leina Cadena added “that continuing to play for each other,” will take the team far.

A pretty special night for the Wolves.

King’s league record to date is now at 2-4 and 18-6 overall.

The post NEW ACE QUEEN CROWNED IN SENIOR NIGHT VICTORY appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Chandler Sjoerdsma

JURUPA VALLEY:  The King Wolves took on the Norco Cougars at their home course of Goose Creek in Jurupa Valley on Friday afternoon. Playing their fourth match in a row, the girls battled exhaustion just as much as they did the other team. Ultimately, the Wolves outpaced the Cougars with a four-stroke win, 238-242.

The first group continued their fine form of golf, seemingly unaffected by the exertion of the week. Emilyn Czaplicki secured her fifth match medalist honor in a row, just edging out fellow senior Sarani Yapa’s one-over 36 with a one-under 34. Alyssa Christensen finished her week in strong fashion as well, shooting a steady 46. The younger players struggled a bit more at the end of the long week with Addison Ruan shooting a 55, Journey Reish a 67, and Georgia Herbon a 69.

Coach’s Take: We anticipated this to be the closest match of the season, and the girls certainly did not disappoint! They also had their fair share of challenges to surmount; in addition to it being the fourth match in a row, it was also the first match that all players did not play double-par-plus-one pickup rules, which we have done in previous matches for pace of play reasons. But the girls took on these challenges with tenacity, and I’m very proud of them for finishing off the week with two league wins. Next week will finally grant us some time to rest and recover.

The Wolves will return to competition on Thursday, 10/1, against Corona at General Old.

Season Record: 6-3

League Record: 3-2

The post WOLVES OUTPACE THE COUGARS appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Shaun Harris

Final Score:  MLK 13 – Roosevelt 5

The post ROOSEVELT MUSTANGS CAN’T BEAT THE WOLVES appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by John Corona

In a dinner and ceremony last night in Long Beach, former boys soccer coach and current Physical Education teacher Todd Mapes was honored by CIF with their prestigious Champion of Character award.

Todd joins a list of King High coaches and athletes who have been honored by CIF over the years, a list which includes:

Sondra Lough, Volleyball & Unified Sports Track and Field  2025-2026

Tami Krueger, ASB Director 2024-2025

Brad Peters, Cross Country & Track  2022-2023

Becky Gagnon, Tennis  2021-2022

Jeff Dietz, Basketball  2018-2019

John Corona, Track and Field  2017-2018

Student/Athlete, Raelyn Werley, Cross Country and Track and Field  2012-2013

Student/Athlete, Joseph Moorman, Water Polo and Swim 2012-2013

The Coaching Staff of Martin Luther King High School 2012-2013

When one talks of Victory with Honor, the Six Pillars of Character and adhering to Codes of Conduct; Todd Mapes is one of the guys at the top of that list.

What marked Todd’s coaching career was a consistent belief in what is important.  Both he and the student-athletes that played for him showed sportsmanship, a work ethic and positive behavior every time they competed.  Going against the kids that he coached, you knew that you were in for a tough, hard fought battle. However, Todd would not sacrifice dignity, sportsmanship or fair play in the pursuit of that victory. I daresay that he would rather lose than sacrifice those virtues for a win. 

Todd has always strongly believed in and actively taught the lessons of life that high school sports have to offer.  My son played for him and I couldn’t have asked for my boy to have had a better experience or a better leader. He is greatly respected throughout our area and served as a tremendous role model for all of us in the coaching profession. 

His approach to his athletes and his sport can best be summed up with an event I saw some years back.  The King soccer team was in a difficult battle with our cross-town rival   Everything was on the line.  Even from the bleachers, you could tell they were nervous and tentative. During a stop in play late in the game, he gathered them together and gave a quick speech. Coach Mapes just smiled at his players and said “Hey, this is what we play for! Remember, it’s only a game. Have some fun out there!”   They were able to take control of the final minutes and won the game. 

A King Staff original, Todd Mapes was the head soccer coach at King for 25 years. His knowledge and expertise, both from his coaching and from his playing days, consistently put King Soccer at
the top of the Big VIII Conference and the Inland Empire over his tenure. During his time at King, Mapes produced 323 wins, 7 league championships and his teams made 19 total CIF playoff appearances.

Under his guidance the team  made it to 2 CIF quarter-finals and three semi-final appearances. During his tenure, 70 student-athletes have been named to 1 st team All-League and 8 of his charges have been named League MVP. Prior to coming to King, Mapes was the head soccer coach at Temecula Valley High School for 5 seasons. While there, the Golden Bears made the CIF Semi-Finals once and they won 2 league championships. His combined win total over his career is 416.

A graduate of J.W. North, Mapes was a 4 -year starter for the Huskies earning All-League Honors three straight years and All-CIF plaudits, his senior season. That year, he was named the Ivy League Most Valuable Player. At Cal State San Bernardino, he was again a four- year starter and made the All-West soccer team twice. He is still ranked third in school history for goals scored.

After college, he played semi-professionally with the Riverside Football Club and also played some professional soccer for the L.A. Fireballs and the Inland Empire Elite. In 2010, Mapes was been named to the Riverside Sports Hall of Fame’s Wall of Distinction as both an athlete and in 2019 as a coach. He has also been named a CIF State Model Coach of the Year.

The post TODD MAPES HONORED BY CIF appeared first on Martin Luther King.

Written by Paul Dombrowski

The MLK girls flag football team wrapped up their regular season league games with a 30-24 win over Roosevelt HS on Monday. It was a roller coaster game for the Wolves. Roosevelt took control early with a strong defense and opportune plays on offense. The Wolves’ defense kept MLK in the game in the first half, but the Wolves went into halftime down 12-0.

Roosevelt came out and scored on a long play on the first drive of the second half, making the score 18-0 Roosevelt early in the third quarter. MLK’s offense finally came to life in the second half and scored on its opening drive of the half on a 33-yard pass from QB Julianna Magdelano to Isabella Magdelano. Annabelle Distelle then got a sack on defense, followed by a Bailey Mann interception near Roosevelt’s 10-yard line. The Wolves’ offense got stopped on the one-yard line and turned the ball back over. A fumbled snap resulted in a safety against Roosevelt.

The Magdelano sisters connected on an 11-yard TD pass shortly after to bring the score to 18-15. Roosevelt drove and scored to make the score 24-15. A quick 66-yard drive by MLK resulted in an 18-yard touchdown to Mia Sudbrack. Roosevelt drove and tried to run out the clock, but the Wolves’ defense held and got the ball back with 1:25 left. The Wolves’ offense went 66 yards in one minute to score the final touchdown of the game on Isabella Magdelano’s third TD reception.

Londyn Nava led the Wolves in flag pulls with ten, while McKenzie Dewar had an interception that she returned for 22 yards and had two pass breakups. On offense, Haydien Neihr had five receptions for 50 yards, with two big catches at critical moments in the game for 24 and 14 yards. In addition to Sudbrack’s touchdown, she had a diving 26-yard catch that ignited the Wolves offense in the third quarter. Julianna Magdelano overcame a rough first half to finish the game 22-35 for 235 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. On the ground, she added 57 yards and an extra point.

The post WOLVES STORM BACK TO CAPTURE FIRST LEAGUE TITLE appeared first on Martin Luther King.