GRANADA HILLS — This season has taken new meaning for Granada Hills softball.
The Highlanders will have one less coach than usual for the CIF LA City Section Open Division championship in South Gate on Saturday after an accident shook the Highlanders to their core Monday.
Granada Hills assistant coach Robert Monrael was helping the team get ready for a practice two days before the City Section semifinals against San Pedro.
Monrael was pulling a bag from his vehicle just a few feet outside the team’s field. A car suddenly hit him and knocked him backwards onto the pavement on Lindley Avenue.
The driver who hit Monrael stopped to offer assistance.
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Monreal suffered numerous injuries including a fractured ankle. He also has several cuts and bruises to his left leg, and the injuries overall have left him unable to coach for the remainder of the season.
None of the injuries are life threatening.
Several players were nearby when the accident occurred, and Granada Hills coach Ivan Garcia was with Monrael before he was taken to Northridge Hospital in an ambulance.
“I was concerned when I saw the severity of the accident,” Garcia said. “I called (pitcher) April Anaya and told her to get the girls inside the clubhouse. They don’t need to see this or hear this and practice was going to start an hour later.”
Monrael was previously an assistant coach at Taft before joining Granada Hills for the 2023 season. He is viewed by players as both a witty and knowledgeable scout. He’s also a confidante as well and known for making players laugh.
The laughter in the dugout was one of the elements missing Wednesday when Granada Hills hit two home runs, including an inside-the-park grand slam by Giana Evangelista, in the victory over San Pedro in the semifinals.
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Senior Zoe Justman, a UC Santa Barbara signee who hit the team’s other home run Wednesday, reflected on the similarities she shared with Monrael.
Justman entered high school as a freshman the same season Monrael traded Taft red and white for Granada Hills green, gray and black.
“We were always close,” Justman said. “He was always in my back pocket as someone I could (go to) as a coach. … I know he’s going to make a speedy recovery because I know he’s such a tough guy.”
Monrael wrote a message that Garcia relayed to the players before they took the field Wednesday.
“He told us to stay out and have confidence,” Justman said. “The usual stuff. We know who we are and we just need to be able to believe in ourselves. We know we have the talent and the skills. It’s just our confidence and our energy.”
Monrael might be missing but his philosophical wisdom was on display with the quality at-bats Granada Hills took in its 12-9 win. The leadoff runner reached base in the first four innings and the dugout was boisterous from start to finish.
Anaya said she and her teammates are now playing for Monrael, along with the chance of repeating as a City champion for the first time since 1981.
“Coach Robert is the heart of our team,” Anaya said. “He’s always chattering up on the sideline and telling the girls ‘go, you can do this.’ He always has stats on the other team and has a scouting report on the other team. The incident really rattled us and put everything into perspective. We are using this game on Friday as a chance to get another ring and play for Rob.”