Hermosa Beach Rams fans celebrate draft pick Jared Verse, and return of announcer Sam Lagana
by Kevin Cody To most of the thousand-plus fans cheering in front of the Rams Draft Experience stage on the sand, south of the Hermosa Beach pier Thursday afternoon, emcee Sam Lagana is the “voice of the Rams” at SoFi Stadium. But when Lagana welcomed Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey and fellow city officials to the stage Thursday afternoon, it was a meeting of old acquaintances. To Hermosans, Lagana is “the emcee of the party that was the AVP” during the AVP’s golden era, from 1985 to 2005. “I’m stoked to be going back to where my announcing roots began with beach volleyball,” Lagana recently posted on his X account. Hermosa Beach Rams fans watch former Florida State All American Jared Verse celebrate with family at his Phoenix home after being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. Last November, at the Hermosa Beach Community Theater, Lagana was inducted into the California Beach Volleyball Association Hall of Fame. Upon accepting the honor, Lagana said he was more nervous addressing his 500 friends that night in the sold-out theater than he is announcing Rams games in the 70,000-seat Sofi Stadium. His goal as the AVP announcer, he said that evening, was to ”bring fans close to the…
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