Monday, August 3, 2026
NBP Logo
Search
westchester_coach_eric
ERIC SONDHEIMER INTERVIEWING WESTCHESTER BASKETBALL COACH ED AZZUM. PHOTO CREDIT: NICK KOZA
KNOWING THE SCORE.
Seven time winner of the “Best Prep Sports Column” in Southern California, Eric Sondheimer has been witness to some of the greatest athletes to ever come out of the region.
By Robert Gad for The National Business Post
June 8, 2026
Like many junior high school athletes, “boy or girl,” Eric Sondheimer realized early on that his dream of becoming a top-flight athlete was not going to happen. That realization did not diminish his love of sports. Instead, it redirected it.
He found his lane in sports journalism, beginning as a writer for his junior high school paper. His older brother, Michael, followed a similar path, eventually moving into sports public relations and working for the UCLA Athletic Department. Today, both brothers are members of the Los Angeles Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Sondheimer continued on to Cal State Northridge’s student newspaper, the Sun Dial. And then, while still in college, expanded his role, working as a stringer for the Los Angeles Daily News, where he covered local high school sports.
Building a Prep Sports Legacy
That Los Angeles prep sports beat became one of the best—if not the best—in the country during Sondheimer’s tenure at both the Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Times.
Now in his 50th year covering high school athletics in Southern California, Sondheimer estimates he has attended thousands of games and covered even more athletes, both boys and girls, some of whom have gone on to professional success. John Elway, a young quarterback on the rise at Granada Hills High School, would go on to a Hall of Fame NFL career with the Denver Broncos, winning two Super Bowls. In high school, he played basketball, and was also a standout baseball pitcher, drafted by the New York Yankees.
Lessons From The National
In 1990, Sondheimer briefly left prep sports for a stint at the ill-fated national sports publication The National. There covering Los Angeles’ teams, he wrote about a young golfer named Tiger Woods, and reported on Magic Johnson’s final NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, the publication folded after just 18 months, but the experience proved invaluable.
“I knew then I didn’t want to write about the same people or same sports every day. I’m impressed with these beat writers who do it every year,” he remembers.
So he returned to the Los Angeles Daily News, even taking a pay cut, to resume covering the high school sports he loved. His new title: Deputy Sports Editor in charge of high schools.
A New Chapter at the Los Angeles Times
Then in 1997, after the Daily News was sold following the death of owner Jack Kent Cooke, Sondheimer made a pivotal move to the Los Angeles Times.
“It was an easy transition. I always wanted to go over to the Times. They had expanded their coverage from just The Valley… but to ALL of Southern California. It was a good challenge.”
Initially writing two columns a week for the San Fernando Valley edition, Sondheimer quickly became a key figure across the entire sports section.
OakHill_interview
TALKING WITH OAK HILL ACADEMY BASKETBALL COACH, STEVE SMITH. PHOTO: NICK KOZA
Mark Hiserman, then sports editor, recognized his value immediately.
“He was my first outside hire ever …and the most impactful,” Hiserman remembers. “He’s a workhorse and a genuine compassionate guy who wants to do the right thing.”
Even veteran columnist Bill Plaschke occasionally leaned on Sondheimer for fresh ideas. The LA Times invested in Sondheimer’s development, sending him to writing classes that reshaped his approach.
“The paper actually sent me to classes to help me with my writing skills,” he recalls. “The Daily News never offered that to me…they explained how to describe more of the actual sports scene. I still use many of the things I learned there within my writing. I learned how to use words better… it really made a big impression on me. They taught me to use all of my senses. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you taste? It exposed me to something different, and made me a better writer.”
Adapting to a Changing Industry
When his section at The Times was shut down in 2001, Sondheimer transitioned into the main sports section while continuing his prep column. He credits longtime editor Bill Dwyer with shaping his mindset. Anticipating the digital transformation of journalism, Dwyer advised him to “write like you ARE the expert in high school sports”. The shift to online publishing required more content, faster turnaround, and a 24-hour news cycle—something Sondheimer would embrace.
“It gave me a chance to write plenty of stories… which I still do today!”
His coverage expanded across a massive region, from Ventura County to Orange County and occasionally San Diego—covering sports more than 700 schools.
Friday Night Pressure and Mentorship
Friday nights during football season were especially intense.
“We used to have six people at the office Friday nights, ready to take dictations of our stories. It was a lot of pressure.”
Sondheimer acknowledges he sometimes struggled under that pressure.
“I’m sure I yelled at too many people for not doing things correctly… I’m a perfectionist. You had to get the names spelled right and the scores right.”
Many of his young protégé reporters went on to major careers, including Marc Stein, Gary Washburn, Scott Wolff, and Luca Evans.
“And then there was Luca Evans, maybe the best person I ever had,” relishes Sondheimer. “Only in his 20’s, he is now with the Denver Post writing terrific features about the Broncos. I told those guys if you can cover high school sports well… you can do anything. We did it all on our own, because we had to do everything. We did our own stats and set up our own interviews. There’s no free food at halftime. Often, you had to work around security guards who weren’t very knowledgeable. Today we still do it all on our own.”
Embracing the Digital Era
Sondheimer adapted as journalism evolved, even learning video production.
“I was really gung ho,” he recollects. “I bought my own camera and got a MAC computer to work with it. When they asked for volunteers to learn how to shoot, I quickly raised my hand. I really wanted to learn. I’m probably the only one left still shooting his own stories.”
In late 2024, he launched “Prep Talk,” which highlights feel-good moments through concise, four to five paragraph profiles, with an emphasis on uplifting stories. “There seemed to be so much negativity out there… even in high school sports.”
The Games That Matter Most
Sondheimer’s coverage spans football, basketball, baseball, softball, and increasingly, soccer.
“I do want to learn more about soccer since it is really growing, the kids are very good and the World Cup is coming soon.”
Still, one event remains especially meaningful.
“I always go back to the City Sectional Cross Country Meet at Pierce College. This event was one of the first I covered as a reporter for the Daily News. I go back to those championships and it sends me to a different time. Kids are all running just to have fun. It’s refreshing to cover it once a year.”
Where Talent Thrives
Sondheimer has strong opinions about where top talent emerges. In basketball, the Mission League stands out, with programs like Sierra Canyon, Harvard-Westlake, Notre Dame, Crespi, Alemany, Chaminade, Loyola, and St. Francis producing Division I athletes.
In baseball, he points to the San Fernando Valley as a powerhouse, producing stars such as Bret Saberhagen, Jack McDowell, Jeff Suppan, Hunter Greene, and Don Drysdale.
One remarkable moment came on MLB Opening Day in 2021, when three Harvard-Westlake alumni—Jack Flaherty, Max Fried, and Lucas Giolito—all started for their respective teams.
“It’s pretty weird and wild — 10% of the league’s opening-day starters from the same high school,” Giolito said, “I don’t think that’s happened before in any professional sport, where you have guys from the same high school all competing on the big stage.”
Still Writing, Still Learning
Despite a relentless schedule, Sondheimer makes time to recharge.
ERIC INTERVIEWING POTENTIAL NBA CANDIDATE CASSIUS STANLEY. PHOTO: NICK KOZA
“It’s important for me to take that time off. After a break I know I write a lot better. I know I am a workaholic,” he confesses. “I do some reading …but writing too. I’m always writing.”
He enjoys traveling to destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bali, and Puerto Vallarta. Colleague Ryan Kartje praises both his work ethic and generosity.
“He has always been a great teammate in terms of helping me out on a USC prep recruit,” Kartje explains. “He can connect me with many of the high school coaches he covers. Eric’s constantly excited about what’s on his sports calendar. I really see him as the ‘classic newspaper man,’ a carrier of wisdom.”
Looking Ahead
As he approaches a half-century in journalism, Sondheimer is eyeing the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles as a natural checkpoint. He hopes to contribute to the Los Angeles Times coverage before deciding what comes next. Whatever that decision may be, his legacy is already secure.
Eric Sondheimer has elevated high school sports coverage in Southern California to extraordinary heights. Thanks to the digital age, his stories will continue to inform and inspire future generations. As they should.
Copyright © 2026. The National Business Post. All rights reserved.