January 2008 Archives

Grace Brethren 3, Villanova Prep 2
Goals GB: Nick Frumkin 2 (one PK), Cameron Chupp.

Buckley 4, Windward 0
Goals Michael Manella 2, Scott Cohen 2.

Viewpoint 7, Santa Clarita Christian 0
Goals Kian Gorabian 3, Kobe Joffe 2, Chase Neisner, Josh Craft.
North Hollywood 1, Poly 1
Goals NH: Micaih Moore.

Fulton College Prep 1, SOCES 1
Goals S: E.J. Aljuwani.

Kennedy 3, Panorama 1
Goals K: Jose Arellano 2, Nestor Meraz.

Community Charter 6, Animo (Venice) 0
Goals Jonathan Estrada 2, Juan Orantes, Saul Perez, Alex Benitez, Mike Miranda.

For the first time in more than 30 years there is a City Section water polo postseason and it starts Friday. Undefeated Birmingham is the No. 1 seed and gets a first-round bye, as does No. 2 Cleveland, No. 3 Roosevelt and No. 4 Venice. Birmingham's first game will be Monday at Panorama against the winner of Friday's Santee at Eagle Rock contest. Cleveland will host the winner of the Manual Arts at Verdugo Hills matchup. Semifinals are Wednesday and the final is Feb. 8 at John Argue Swim Stadium.

St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood at Bell-Jeff of Burbank 7 p.m.

The No. 1 and No. 2 ranke dteams in Division IV-AA.

Got a call from Manny Alvarado the other day, saying that Kennedy High will be having its annual baseball game on February 9, at the school's baseball field, at 11 a.m.

Kennedy will be retiring Jack Cassel's #14 before the game.

Five former area stars were named to the 50-player USA Softball Player of the Year preseason watch list this week.

Former Camarillo High shortstop Cambria Miranda (Oregon State) headlines the group, which also includes former Royal of Simi Valley pitcher/first baseman Becca Heteniak (DePaul), former Saugus High catcher Tiffany Huff (Tennessee), former Louisville of Woodland Hills infielder Annie Kinsey (Pennsylvania) and former Calabasas High catcher Sam Marder (Ohio State).

Miranda, the Daily News Player of the Year in 2003, was a second team All-American last year after hitting .328 with 10 doubles, 11 home runs, six triples and a .602 slugging percentage. She was first team All American as a sophomore.

Two UCLA players -- senior pitcher Anjelica Selden and senior outfielder Krista Colburn -- were also selected.

Selden and Miranda are among the favorites to win the award, along with Arizona pitcher Taryne Mowatt, Michigan first baseman Samantha Findlay, Texas A&M pitcher Amanda Scarborough, and Arizona State outfielder Katie Cochran.

Several local high school football coaches are considering asking the Southern Section to investigate possible recruiting violations by Alemany High and its principal, Frank Ferry.

Saugus coach Jason Bornn, Canyon coach Chris Varner and Valencia coach Larry Muir have complained over the phone to Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod. Muir said he is attending a meeting today to decide whether or not to file an official complaint, and he believes the other two will file, too, if possible.

There is also a district meeting scheduled soon to discuss the William S. Hart district filing against Alemany, according to Bornn.

Southern Section representative Thom Simmons said he is aware about the allegations, but nothing is official.

At issue is a group meeting at Alemany in December, consisting of 17 youth-football players from Santa Clarita and their families. Bornn and Muir said Thursday that the meeting constituted undue influence.

"I dont agree with it. I just don't like it," Muir said. "I think we're going to lose kids, and obviously we don't want that to happen."

Ferry and Alemany head coach Dean Herrington said Thursday they have done nothing wrong, and Ferry said he had even called Southern Section commissioner Jim Staunton beforehand to warn him about possible future complaints.

Ferry also said the hiring Tuesday of longtime Hart of Newhall defensive coordinator Rick Herrington, Dean's older brother, has other programs worried.

"When Alemany was going 0-10 and 2-8, everyone loved us," Ferry said. "Now I have two of the best coaches in California on one staff, and every one is upset we're getting interest from eighth-grade kids, not just from Santa Clarita but the San Fernando Valley, Simi, Antelope Valley, all over."

Bornn sent a mass e-mail Thursday urging anyone with information about Alemany wrongdoing to contact the Southern Section.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

With the Harvard-Westlake of Studio City girls' soccer team suffering a 2-1 loss Wednesday night to Chaminade of West Hills, the Wolverines' 25-match Mission League unbeaten streak came to an end, the latest in list of defending league champions to have their lengthy runs halted this month.

Take a look at the list of local girls' soccer teams to have their league unbeaten runs stopped during January (Note: An unbeaten run includes ties. These are not winning streaks, as has been reported on other Web sites.)

Highland (Golden League) 40 -- Lost 1-0 at Quartz Hill on Jan. 18

El Camino Real (West Valley League) 30 -- Lost 1-0 at Chatsworth on Jan. 11

Sherman Oaks CES (Valley League) 27 -- Lost 1-0 at Northridge Academy on Jan. 24

Harvard-Westlake (Mission League) 25 -- Lost 2-1 vs. Chaminade on Jan. 30

Thousand Oaks (Marmonte League) 19 -- Lost 1-0 vs. Westlake on Jan. 19

Hart (Foothill League) 10 -- Lost 3-0 at Valencia on Jan. 29

Oak Park (Tri-Valley League) 8 -- Lost 1-0 at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 7

-- Five local girls' soccer programs have almost managed to make it to February with their league unbeaten streaks still alive:

North Hollywood (Sunset Six League) 37 -- Play Thursday at Poly of Sun Valley

Viewpoint (Liberty League) 36 -- Play Thursday vs. Santa Clarita Christian

Lancaster Desert Christian (High Desert League) 28 -- Play Thursday vs. Mojave at Lancaster National Soccer Complex (Note: Desert Christian has 28 consecutive victories)

Sylmar (Valley Mission League) 18 -- Play Friday vs. San Fernando

Hollywood (Southern League) 17 -- Play Tuesday at Los Angeles

The Dodgers are hosting a CIF baseball coaches reception Thursday at Dodger Stadium where Tommy Lasorda will present two coaches with the Tommy Lasorda Coaches Award. The winners aren't supposed to be announced until the reception, but I'm told one of the winners is from a valley team.
Also scheduled to be in attendance is former Newbury Park star Andrew Lambo, who was the Dodgers' fourth-round draft pick last spring. He'll be joined by Newbury Park coach Scott Drootin and scout Chuck Crim, being recognized for their part Lambo's development. Lambo has another awards ceremony to attend next week when the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America honors him as their Most Outstanding First-Year Player.

MARMONTE
Agoura 63, Simi Valley 59
Taylor Lord scored 18 points and Brittany Ostar added 12 for visiting Agoura (9-13, 4-6).
Simi Valley (8-14, 3-8) was led by Lyndsay Bergus with 17 points.

Moorpark 54, Thousand Oaks 37
Lauren Carter had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Molly Carson added 10 points and 13 rebounds for host Moorpark (13-9, 6-4).
Jenna Bandy scored 10 points for Thousand Oaks (12-10, 6-4).

OMEGA
Trinity Lutheran 57, Cornerstone Christian 13
Mattie Vance and Storie Blake lead Trinity Lutheran (5-2) to the easy league victory. Vance had a triple-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 steals. Blake had a big game as well, scoring 23 points with 20 rebounds and six steals.

SUNSET SIX
Poly 62, Verdugo Hills 31
Sara Villanueva scored a game-high 26 points and Crystal Cristales added 14 for host Poly (12-6, 6-1).
Kianne Bailey scored 10 points for Verdugo Hills (2-8, 1-6).

Van Nuys 64, Canoga Park 48
Min Oh and Erica Mergersen combined to score 58 points for visiting Van Nuys (7-6, 4-3). Oh scored a game-high 33 points and Mergerson finished with 25.
Kristin Ingram had 15 points and Sara Collins added 14 for Canoga Park (5-15, 0-7).

WESTSIDE
Highland Hall 44, West Valley Christian 23
Kristina Beck scored a game-high 25 points and Kelli Bryant added 10 for host Highland Hall (6-3, 6-0).

WEST VALLEY
Chatsworth 77, Birmingham 19
Host Chatsworth (18-5, 7-0) had five players score in double figures led by Kimberly Brandon with 16 points and six steals. Monica Jackson had 15, Eryka Menzies scored 13 points and had seven assists, Destinee Sellers had 11 and Gennifer Brandon added 10.
Coral Laolagi led Birmingham (7-10, 1-6) with nine points.

Cleveland 80, El Camino Real 75 2 OT
Nichelae Henderson scored a game-high 37 points including a 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime as Cleveland (15-10, 1-6) snapped its six-game losing streak. Henderson, who has been hampered with a knee injury, left the game momenturily and then returned to hit the game-tying shot at the end of the first overtime. Nycole Harvey and Alexo Davidson scored 16 and 15 points respectively for the Cavaliers.
El Camino Real (12-9, 3-4) had four players score in double figures. Sam Rebibo led the Conquistadores with 28 points including the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer at the end of regulation. Bahar Rohani had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Monica Fernandez had 12 points and seven assists and Dani Rosenthal added 10 points.

Taft 57, Granada Hills 50
Taft rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit and held Granada Hills to just 13 points in the second half for the victory. Rmanii Haynes had 19 points, seven steals and six assists for host Taft (15-6, 5-2). Amber Dixon added 11 points for the Toreadors.
Xava Grooms scored 14 points and Reyneisha Mays added 13 for Granada Hills (11-6, 4-3), who played without All-City guard Haley Tsutsui.

GOLDEN
Highland 7, Antelope Valley 0
Leanne Brown had two goals and two assists, Melanie Johnson scored two goals and Samantha Johnson had a goal and two assists for Highland (13-4-2, 10-1).

MARMONTE
Thousand Oaks 2, Moorpark 1
Amanda Neveu and Alyson Bingel each scored a goal for Thousand Oaks (12-4-1, 8-1-1).

Westlake 2, Newbury Park 1
Krystin Shanklin and Andrea Todak each scored a goal for Westlake (6-7-3, 3-6-1).
Rachel Hook scored the lone goal for Newbury Park (6-6-4, 4-3-3).

MISSION
Chaminade 2, Harvard-Westlake 1
Lauren Battung scored both goals and Alexa Cain had an assist as Chaminade (8-5-6, 4-2-1) snapped host Harvard-Westlake's 25-game league unbeaten streak.
Haley-Jaye Boysen scored the goal for the Wolverines (6-5-6, 5-1-1).

Louisville 2, Flintridge Sacred Heart 0
Alyssa Kramer had a goal and an assist for Louisville (8-8-4, 2-3-1). Janelle Topete scored the game's first goal and Ivette Rodriguez added an assist.

Notre Dame 3, Alemany 0
Olivia Feitshans scored two goals and Jen Pace added one for Notre Dame (14-3-3, 4-3). Meg Pierce, Hannah Snow and Robyn Weatherby each had an assist for the Knights.

TRI-VALLEY
Oak Park 3, Malibu 2
Lauren Kawamoto scored two goals and Stephanie Gilbert added another for Oak Park (10-6-4, 6-3-1).

St. Bonaventure 2, La Reina 1
Gillian DeGennaro scored La Reina's only goal off an assist from Kelsea Brajkovich in the 60th minute. La Reina has an overall record of 12-8 and 4-4 in league.

VALLEY MISSION
Sylmar 10, Panorama 0
Sylmar (14-4-3, 6-0-1) extended its unbeaten streak to eight games with the victory. Tanya Lopez had four goals and two assists. Carol Martinez had two goals and three assists and Edith Dominguez added two goals for the Spartans.

WEST VALLEY
El Camino Real 1, Chatsworth 0
Lindsey Forte scored the game's lone goal in the 61st minute from an assist from Katie Etcher. El Camino Real (5-8-2, 4-2), which avenged a loss to Chatsworth on January 11th, took sole possesion of second place in league behind Granada Hills (4-7-2, 4-1-1).
Dana Moreno had six saves for the Chatsworth (6-4-2, 3-2-1).

By scoring all three goals in Agoura's 3-1 victory over Simi Valley today, junior Sam Myerson has tied the school's single season goal-scoring record at 30.

Agoura's next game is this Friday night at Royal at 6 p.m. The last time the two teams met on Jan. 7 the Chargers lost 2-1. Myerson had an assist on the goal in the loss.

Malibu 63, Fillmore 55
Ryan Walczuk had 29 for the Sharks in the win.

Buckley 59, Yeshiva 53
Andrew Fahadi had 19 points and Shawn Brouhaim scored 15 for Buckley.

Westlake 77, Newbury Park 63
Adam Kolodny scored 27 for the Warriors in the Marmonte League win.

Crespi 69, St. Francis 49
Joe Fauria led the Celts with 14 points and Gino Zanrosso added 13 for the Mission League win.

Alemany 42, Notre Dame 26
Eric Rivero scored 11 for Alemany.

Chaminade 64, Harvard-Westlake 54
Jules Montgomery had 16 points, Evan Grossi scored 14 and and Jamal McClurkin tossed in 13 for the Eagles in the Mission League upset win. Renaldo Woolridge led the Wolverines with 18 points.

Flintridge Prep 61, Kilpatrick 37
Aaron Fried almost outscored the opposing team by himself with a career-high 36 points for Flintridge Prep.

North Hollywood 59, Grant 45
Jesse Zarate again led the Huskies - this time with 18 points - for the Sunset Six League win.

Verdugo Hills 59, Poly/SV 55
Bobby Blake scored 24 points for Verdugo Hills, who move to 14-8 and 2-5 in the Sunset Six League.

Van Nuys 95, Canoga Park 75
The Wolves opened up the flood gates offensively with Mat Hankins leading Van Nuys with 27 points, while Victor Rudd added 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dominique Evans had 16 points.

Reseda 82, Monroe 74
Randall Harris scored 18 and had 11 assists and Mycal Mendes had 17 for the Regents in the win.

Taft 80, Granada Hills 42
Eugene Phelps had 21 points, Justin Hawkins had 19 and Michael Williams added 17 for Taft to cruise to the easy win.

Highland Hall 74, West Valley Christian 67
Taylor Waldroff scored 22, Quentin Wade had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Sam Rappaport threw in 10 for the Westside League win.

Agoura 3, Simi Valley 1
A: Sam Myerson 3 (30 on the season. ties school record)

Newbury Park 2, Westlake 1
NP: Callum McDaniel, Nick Harrison.

Harvard-Westlake 2, Chaminade 0

Alemany 2, Notre Dame 2
A: Felipe Blanco 2, ND: Emmanuel Renteria, Omar Lopez.

Crespi 1, St. Francis 0
Ryan Lanutti from Juan Mendoza.

St. Genevieve 4, Murphy 0
StG: Dominic Archey, Tyler Archey 2, Killian Leduke 1

El Camino Real 3, Chatsworth 1
ECR: Beto Velasquez 1, Vince Scozzaro, Dylan Niven. Velasquez has two assists

Taft 2, Birmingham 1
T: Chase Kodama, Agustin Cazarez; B: Gustavo Villalobos (PK).

Flintridge Prep 6, Kilpatrick 1
FP: Andy Davis 2, Steven Morse, Cary Cousineau, Reed Bradley, Alex Holden.

Agoura 3, Simi Valley 1
A: Sam Myerson 3 (30 on the season. ties school record):

Newbury Park 2, Westlake 1
NP: Callum McDaniel, Nick Harrison.

Harvard-Westlake 2, Chaminade 0

Alemany 2, Notre Dame 2
A: Felipe Blanco 2, ND: Emmanuel Renteria, Omar Lopez.

Crespi 1, St. Francis 0
Ryan Lanutti from Juan Mendoza.

St. Genevieve 4, Murphy 0
StG: Dominic Archey, Tyler Archey 2, Killian Leduke 1

El Camino Real 3, Chatsworth 1
ECR: Beto Velasquez 1, Vince Scozzaro, Dylan Niven. Velasquez has two assists

Taft 2, Birmingham 1
T: Chase Kodama, Agustin Cazarez; B: Gustavo Villalobos (PK).

Flintridge Prep 6, Kilpatrick 1
FP: Andy Davis 2, Steven Morse, Cary Cousineau, Reed Bradley, Alex Holden.

Wow, on the heels of H.W.'s upset loss Monday at Crespi, this one is real shocker:

Chaminade 66, Harvard-Westlake 54

We had our hot new reporter, Jahmal Corner, covering the game, so read all about it in tomorrow's Daily News.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

I wouldn't necessarily call it too big of an upset but the biggest victory today goes to the Celts, who gave St. Francis its first Mission League loss of the season, beating the Knights 1-0 on their own field.

So.. final, Crespi 1, St. Francis 0 with Ryan Lanutti scoring the game-winner on an assist by freshman Juan Mendoza. Sophomore goalie Omar Zeenni is one of the best stories of the year, picking up yet another shutout against the Golden Knights (they tied 0-0 earlier in the year). He had six saves in this one.

Also, Crespi's senior day game, planned for Monday, was postponed until Feb. 7 because the field was still hurting from the rain last week.

We've done the math over here and if both teams win out the rest of the league season, both would be tied for first, which would give Crespi the one-up aka the league title because of today's win.

According to a story in the Antelope Valley Press, Lemuel Galvao has resigned as AVC's women's soccer coach. though he will remain Highland High of Palmdale's boys' coach.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713 3691

Hot-shooting Dovie Hoffman has helped lead Valley Torah of Valley Village to a five-game winning streak. He is averaging 20.8 points, including 22 with 13 rebounds Saturday in a 59-50 victory over West Valley Christian.

Jermaine Dansby, a top sophomore for Community Charter in Lake View Terrace, has given a non-binding verbal committment to UC Santa Barbara, even though he plays for a City Section small school with just 265 students.

He's averaging 19.3 points and 12 assists, albiet mostly against light competition.

"Jermaine Dansby is the most underrated, under-the-radar player in Southern California," Community Charter coach Les Bean said. "He's a superb ball-handler and very poised with an excellent feel for the game. And he's one of the best ball defenders in Southern California. We scored 31 points in a loss to Santa Margarita, one of the top two teams in the state, and Jermaine scored 22. That gives you an idea of how good he is."

Lancaster coach David Humphreys, who played at The Master's College and has remained in good shape through the years as a private shooting coach, has yet to meet a player who can outshoot the master.

"My players think they can beat me, but they never will. You can't outshoot a shooting coach," Humphreys said. "Once in a while, I have to show them they have no chance to beat me."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

Spotted in the stands Tuesday at the Valencia-Hart game was baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray and renowned rock drummer Carmine Appice, who has played with everyone from Vanilla Fudge to Ozzy to Rod Stewart.

No, they were not together ...

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Robyn Estrada couldn’t have asked for a better scenario.

Jaide Garcia couldn’t have been happier to oblige.

Estrada recorded a hat trick Tuesday to reach 100 career goals, the last score coming in the 35th minute off an assist from her best friend Garcia, helping the Desert Christian of Lancaster girls’ soccer team defeat Kern Valley of Lake Isabella 12-0 at Lancaster National Soccer Complex.

"At the very beginning of the game, I told (Robyn) 'I know you’re close, but I’m not going to tell you how many you have,'" said Garcia, who scored twice and had two assists in the High Desert League win.
"All I know is she needed to get three and every time I got the ball, I was looking for her. I was so happy she finally got it."

Estrada, who has 24 goals this season after leading the Southern Section with 40 last year, returned the favor in the 61st minute, delivering a well-placed corner kick, which Garcia headed inside the left post.

"Jaide is definitely a huge part of these 100 goals. There’s a lot of people who have been a big part of this," said Estrada, who has 76 career assists. "It’s not always about the goalscorer. If it wasn’t for people like Jaide working so hard to get me the ball or Kristyn Richards saving us on defense so many times, then I wouldn’t be able to score."

Estrada, who reached 97 goals with a hat trick in a 5-1 victory Jan. 17 at Bishop Union, had to wait nearly two weeks to play a match because of inclement weather resulting in league contests being postponed. But the four-year starter scored twice in the first 20 minutes, and, after Shea Richards increased the lead to 3-0, Estrada took a pass from Garcia and buried a 20-yard shot inside the left post to reach the century mark.

"From the beginning of the game, Jaide kept looking for me, but I didn’t want to be a ball hog," said Estrada, who became the first area player since Village Christian of Sun Valley’s Jessica Gordon (2002-06) — now at San Diego State — to score 100 career goals.

"But playing together for as long as we have, I think it's super cool that she was involved in (No. 100)."

Seven different players scored in the second half for Desert Christian (15-0-1, 8-0), which increased the area’s longest unbeaten streak to 34 in a row entering today’s contest against Mammoth at the Soccer Complex.

"I didn’t want to have any regrets the whole season. I just wanted to do my best, whether I finished with 50 goals or if I scored 100," Estrada said. "Now that it’s (happened), I’m focusing more on the bigger picture because I still want to win CIF with my teammates."

Malibu High has an opening for a J.V. baseball coach.

Interested applicants should fax resumes to athletic director Chris Neier at 310-457-6876 or e-mail to varsity head coach Paul Gallo at paulmgallo@hotmail.com

Daymond Cowlah scored 17 points and made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining to give Montclair Prep of Panorama City a big 52-48 victory against Brentwood of Los Angeles Tuesday night.

Cowlah was almost the goat missing the front end of one and one situations twice in the final 19 seconds but Montclair Prep rebonded both misses and Cowlah became hero with two made free throws.

Roland Makoge scored 12 points for Montclair Prep, which earned its 12th win of the season and moved into sole posession of third place in the Olympic league behind Campbell Hall and Windward.

Brentwood, which beat the Mounties by 27 points nearly a month ago, got off to a hot start behind three 3-pointers from Adam Carneol for a 9-0 lead.

Montclair Prep came right back with a 13-2 run to end the first quarter. The game was tied at halftime and after three quarters.

The Mounties trailed 47-44 after a Peter McMillan 3-point play with 2:30 remaining but Cowlah scored on two lay-ups and freshman Jake Boger made a rebound putback for another basket giving the Mounties a three point lead.

All interested people in the opening for football coach at Cleveland High in Reseda should forward resumes to athletic director Jason Meskis.

Meskis can be reached at 818-885-2397. The school fax number is 818-727-0964. E-mail address is jmeskis@hotmail.com

LIBERTY
Buckley 57, Oakwood 42
Erin Fukushima scored a game-high 20 points including four 3-pointers and had seven steals to lead host Buckley (13-7, 5-1) to its fourth striaght win. Jackie Sparangna and Lindsey Schapiro added 13 and 10 points respectively for the Griffins.
Carrie Schaprio scored 19 points and Julie Spector had 10 for Oakwood (13-7, 3-3).

Viewpoint 54, Providence 38
Natalie Levine scored 17 points, Lexi Sharma had 13 and Samantha Borenstein added 10 for visiting Viewpoint (15-7, 6-1).
Macy Tone led Providence (6-15, 1-6) with 12 points.

MISSION
Alemany 71, Flintridge Sacred Heart 28
Jackie Sanchez scored 16, Ashley Bautista had 14 and Maya Sotelo added 11 for host Alemany (9-12, 4-3).
Flintridge Sacred Heart (1-18, 0-7) was led by Stephanie Obioha with 13 points and Vanessa Romero had 11. The Tologs have lost 11 consecutive games.

Harvard-Westlake 63, Louisville 26
Nicole Nesbit scored a game-high 16 points to lead host Harvard-Westlake (15-8, 6-1).
Louisville (5-16, 1-6) was led by Amanda Arnold with 15 points.

Notre Dame 53, Chaminade 34
Kody Burke had 21 points and 12 rebounds for host Notre Dame (16-8, 6-1) who remain in a first place tie with Harvard-Westlake. Liza Avancenall added 11 points for the Knights who have won four straight.
Erin Dautremont led Chaminade (15-9, 4-3) with 13 points.

OLYMPIC
Windward 51, Montclair Prep 45
Jazzmin Lewis scored 14 points for visiting Montclair Prep (18-5, 3-3).

PACIFIC
Burbank 60, Hoover 48
Center Kendra Carter scored 20 points and had 14 rebounds. Kristin Crawford had 11 points and Anasik Zohrabi added 10 for Burbank (17-7, 8-3).
Rachel Estrella scored a game-high 21 points for host Hoover (5-13, 2-9). Chloe Baqqero chipped with 15 points for the Tornadoes.

Burroughs 44, Arcadia 33
Samantha Cross scored 14 points and Natalie Nichols added seven points and five steals for visiting Burroughs (16-8, 9-2).

SANTA CRUZ
Bell-Jeff 58, St. Matthias 13
Julia Tani scored eight points and Phobe Kunitomi and Amanda Gupilan each scored seven for host Bell-Jeff (19-5, 5-1).

TRI-VALLEY
St. Bonaventure 49, Oaks Christian 40
Chelsea Carlisle and Katie Brooks scored 15 points each for host Oaks Christian (15-4, 7-2).

Terrez Scott knew he had it in him. The Valencia guard was coming off a two-point performance and had not come through with a game-winning shot in the final seconds since he was a little kid, but he scored two baskets in the final minute Tuesday– including a short jumper with six seconds left – to lift the Vikings to a 62-60 boys’ basketball victory at rival Hart to all but eliminate the Indians (17-7, 3-4) from Foothill League championship contention with three games remaining.

“This feels amazing,” Scott said. “We had to come together at the end, and my team was there for me. It was a team win.”

Hart trailed by as much as 12 in the first half and was down by 10 at halftime before roaring back before a near-capacity crowd that was on its feet for much of the fourth quarter.

The last minute belonged to Scott, and that was the difference.

“Terrez just willed us to win,” teammate John Otavka said.

Scott, a 6-foot senior, finished with 11 points. Skyler Seymour added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Otavka scored 12, and Lonnie Jackson and Brandon Thrush added eight.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713 3691

FOOTHILL
Burroughs 2, Arcadia 1
Derek Olson and Oscar Castro each scored a goal for Burroughs (16-5-2, 8-1-2). Andre Yanez had seven saves for the Indians.

FRONTIER
Malibu 6, Grace Brthren 2
Nick Frumkin and Manuel Torres eached scored a goal for Grace Brethren (2-9-1, 0-4-1).
Malibu is 6-1-1 overall and 4-0 in league play.

SUNSET SIX
North Hollywood 2, Grant 2
Marlon Chavarria and Enrique Carranza each scored a goal for North Hollywood (1-4-3, 1-3-2).

NONLEAGUE
L.A. Baptist 6, Kilpatrick 0
Jon Hilliger and Cody Phillips scored two goals each for L.A. Baptist (10-7-1).

The Harvard-Westlake girls water polo team inproved to 15-0 with today's 12-5 victory over visting Louisville. The Wolverines can clinch the Mission League title with another win Wednesday against Flintridge Sacred Heart.
Harvard-Westlake, the top-ranked team in Div. IV, had defeated Louisville 16-3 earlier this month, but this time the Royals trailed just 5-4 at haltime. Wolverines freshman Ashley Grossman responded with three consecutive goals to start the third period, helping Harvard-Westlake pull away to an 11-4 lead before Louisville scored again on a fourth-quarter penalty shot. Grossman finished with a game-high five goals. USC-bound teammate Nadia Dan had four goals.

This one looks like it might come down to the wire. Packed house, lots of excitement. Wyche hit another 3-pointer, and here comes Hart.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

Fifteen days after defeating Hart by 27 points, Valencia is rolling again. The Vikings lead 40-30 at halftime in a key Foothill League game. Hart's Brad Wyche has been most impressive, scoring 13 points with three 3-pointers, including a couple of 24-footers that would have been NBA 3-pointers.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713-3691

There's a buzz in the air about Hart's longtime football assistant, Rick Herrington, resigning today to take the defensive coordinator job at Alemany of Mission Hills. Meantime, there is basketball to be played against visiting Valencia (16-6, 5-1), and it's a big one. With four games left, Valencia can put a stake through Hart's heart by all but eliminating the Indians (17-6, 3-3) from Foothill League championship contention.

Stay tuned ...

Jenna Novelli, a Pierce College volleyball player by way of Paraclete High in Lancaster, has accepted a scholarship to Div. II Truman College, according to a story in the Antelope Valley press.-- gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Crespi of Encino could challenge annual power Chatsworth for San Fernando Valley baseball supremacy this spring, based on the presence of five Division I-bound returnees: pitcher/outfielder Ryan Hawthorne, second baseman Carlos Lopez (Fullerton), pitcher/outfielder Sean Gilmartin (Florida State), catcher Jeremy Rodriguez (Cal State Bakersfield) and pitcher Tyler Johnson (Stony Brook).

The defending Southern Section Div. III semifinalist Celts almost certainly will be the division’s preseason No. 1 team, and this might turn out to be Crespi’s most talented team ever.

“We’ll have to wait about that, but it looks like it stacks up pretty well,” said coach Scott Muckey, in his 22nd year.

Crespi also is primed to unleash Ryan Healy, a 6-foot-3 sophomore with a huge upside: He was the junior-varsity team’s top hitter and pitcher as a freshman, and his fastball has been clocked at 85 mph.

“He’s a pretty good hitter, and he throws pretty hard,” Muckey said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

HS FOOT: Rick Herrington: “It was a tough decision.”

Hart defensive coordinator Rick Herrington said he nearly broke down today while delivering the news that he is leaving the Indians and his brother, Mike, to join Alemany’s staff and their other brother Dean.

“I told our principal today, and it was very emotional,” Herrington said. “I wasn’t quite in tears but I was feeling it. I’m feeling it now. Emotionally, it’s not very fun.”

Herrington said he talked to Mike on Monday about leaving.

Mike, who will be 50 in March, is the eldest brother. Rick is 47 and Dean is 44. They started to together at Hart and were together from 1989 to 2000, when Dean left.

“I’ve been doing the same thing for 30 years. This is a chance to do something different,” Rick said. “I need to see if my defense can work with a new program, and I want to help Dean out. I just needed a change. I just needed to be somewhere else. I’m sure Mike is upset and OK with it at the same time. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this.”

Rick will remain at Hart as a teacher.

Alemany principal Frank Ferry believes Herrington’s arrival will prove a major turning point in local high school football.

“You put Dean’s offensive mind and Rick’s defensive mind together, and it’s puts Alemany to a whole other level and makes us one of the top football programs in California,” Ferry said. “Plus, Rick is a great guy. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Rick Herrington, Hart’s longtime defensive coordinator, has left one brother to join another. He has resigned Tuesday as Hart’s top assistant under 19-year coach Mike Herrington to join Alemany of Mission Hills coach Dean Herrington as Alemany’s new defensive coordinator.

“It’s great. Rick is one of the top defensive coordinators in the the CIF,” Dean said.

Mike isn’t ready to comment. Stay tuned:

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

You would think David Green, who intercepted 12 passes this past football season for Paraclete in Lancaster -- a relatively respected program that once won five Southern Section titles in a row and has seen numerous graduates play major-college football – would have some scholarship interest, but so far it’s not happening.

“I don’t know why, to be honest. It’s probably because Paraclete isn’t as well known as it was,” Green said.

It doesn’t help toiling in the distant High Desert, which has long been a hot bed for underrated talent.

With National Signing Day looming next Wednesday, Green, who is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, plans to walk on San Jose State if a late offer does not come through.

Paraclete’s coach, Norm Dahlia, thinks it’s a travesty.

“His film looks really good,” Dahlia said. “I’m not just saying this because he’s on my team, but David is one of the best safeties I’ve ever seen. I think they’re missing the boat on this kid. Maybe he doesn’t run a 4.6 40-yard dash, but throw in the field and nobody can catch him.”

There is hope. Division I-AA Northern Arizona and NAIA school Kansas Wesleyan have expressed interest, and Arizona and Arizona State requested tape.

“He’s going to fit in somewhere,” Dahlia said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Girls basketball:

Chaminade at Notre Dame 7 p.m.

St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian 6 p.m.

Malibu at La Reina 7 p.m.

Montclair Prep at Windward 5:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball:

Brentwood at Montclair Prep 7 p.m.

First it was El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

On Monday, Chatsworth became the latest victim.

A year after missing the City Section girls' soccer playoffs, Cleveland of Reseda has bolstered its resume with victories this season over the West Valley League's elite programs, the latest highlight being a 2-1 victory over the first-place Chancellors.

Chatsworth (6-3-2, 3-1-1), which recorded a 5-0 victory Jan. 9 over Cleveland, took the lead in the 15th minute on a penalty shot. But the Cavaliers (12-8-3, 3-2-1) scored twice in the final 15 minutes to record the come-from-behind win.

Tara Trakin converted a cross from Emily Grubman in the 65th minute and Ashani McGee scored the winning goal with three minutes left on an assist from Becca Verstraete.

"This is a great win. To come into Chatsworth and win on the road shows the character of my girls," Cleveland coach Hector Ramirez said. "They never panicked. They never got away from our game plan. They stuck with it for 80 minutes. We knew we would break through and get one. Once we got one, we knew we would get another. They gave me a tremendous effort tonight."

Things don't figure to get any easier for Cleveland, which plays Wednesday at Granada Hills (3-7-2, 3-1-1) and Friday at El Camino Real (4-8-2, 3-2). The Cavaliers suffered a 2-0 loss Jan. 11 to Granada Hills, but rebounded to record a 2-1 victory Jan. 16 over ECR.

"Now we prepare for Granada, which we know will be another challenge," Ramirez said.

It took another impressive effort by Royal of Simi Valley to bring out the best in the Thousand Oaks girls' soccer team.

That didn't provide much consolation Monday night for the Highlanders, who played well enough to record at least a tie against the Lancers.

But just like the teams' first meeting, that little extra effort carried Thousand Oaks a long way, helping the Lancers move past idle Agoura for sole possession of first place in the Marmonte League with a 1-0 victory over Royal (5-6-6, 4-2-4).

"It was the same talent and the same skill level as we had (in a 1-0 loss to Westlake and a 0-0 tie with Newbury Park), tonight we just had a much better effort," Thousand Oaks coach Geoff Raives said. "Their work rate was a lot better and you could tell they wanted it. I didn't play up the importance of this game, but this was big for us. Royal's a good team and they're always tough to beat.

"We just needed to stop worrying about everything that has happened in the past and all the outside distractions and just go out and enjoy the opportunity."

Moments before what appeared to be a scoreless first half, the Lancers took full advantage of one of their few scoring opportunities, as hustle plays by sisters Michelle and Nicole Cruz led to Samantha Rivera producing the match's lone goal.

Michelle Cruz knocked the ball off a Royal defender on the left sideline, which awarded Thousand Oaks (11-4-1, 7-1-1) a throw-in. On the quick restart, Michelle Cruz tossed the ball to her sister, whose 15-yard shot was knocked down by Heather Haney. But Nicole Cruz scrambled to gather the rebound, promptly putting another shot on frame.

Haney was again able to deflect the ball, but this time to the far post, where Rivera was waiting to crash the net.

"If Michelle doesn't slide to give us that ball and Nicole doesn't work as hard as she did to play it back in, then Sam doesn't score that goal," Raives said. "It shows how much the little things matter."

Especially when Michelle Cruz, one of the Lancers' top scorers, was held scoreless for the third consecutive match, due in large part to the defensive effort of Jackie Brown.

"We had some girls who were sick and injured and they came back and all of the sudden, we put things back together," Raives said. "And we definitely needed it because Jackie marks Michelle and shuts her down two times and we needed to find another way to score. My hat's tipped to that girl."

But in similar fashion to their 2-1 setback Jan. 16, the Highlanders mounted a strong attack in the final 10 minutes, only to come up empty as a well-placed cross to the left post couldn't connect with any forwards and a 25-yard shot sailed over the crossbar.

"We were right there until the last minute," Royal coach Scott Cameron said. "I liked the way the girls played. I thought their work rate was good and they never quit. But I told my girls before that we weren't coming in here playing for the tie. If they beat us, they were going to earn it and they did. They're a very good team. They're well-coached and they're well-organized and I enjoy playing against them. It's just too bad we had to lose another close one like this."

If the match had lasted the regulation 80 minutes, then there likely would've been no cause for concern for the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village girls' soccer team.

But with rival Oak Park scoring on a Lauren Kawamoto penalty kick in the 79th minute and the contest being extended almost an additional 10 minutes because of stoppage time, there were several anxious moments on the Lions' sideline Monday.

With seniors Melissa Dahl and Kelsea Smith battling back injuries and freshman Ally Courtnall icing a bruised knee, in addition to two other players being sidelined because of yellow cards, host Oaks Christian was able to hold on for a 2-1 victory, keeping the Lions in contention for the Tri-Valley League title and hurting the Eagles' bid for a repeat.

"The kids played through a lot of adversity (Monday) and they didn't lose their composure," Oaks Christian coach Jan Hethcock said. "They knew they needed to win and they responded."

Oaks Christian (13-3-2, 6-1-1) believed its quest for the league championship was jeopardized by suffering a 1-0 loss Jan. 18 at St. Bonaventure of Ventura and tying Nordhoff of Ojai 1-1 three days later. But Oak Park (8-6-6, 5-3-1) helped the Lions' cause by playing St. Bonaventure (11-3-1, 6-0-1) to a 1-1 tie Friday, giving Oaks Christian an opportunity to share the title with a victory Feb. 6 over the Seraphs.

"It's basically in our hands, but we have to win out," Hethcock said. "Thank goodness we got past (Oak Park)."

Jillian Stowell gave Oaks Christian the lead in the fifth minute off an assist from Cassie Williams, playing a crossing pass off her chest, settling the ball on the ground and one-timing a shot past Alison James. Kristen Clark extended the advantage in the 29th minute after a corner kick got knocked around in the penalty area, gathering a soft touch pass from Dahl and slipping a shot inside the post.

"I thought we played well in the first half. We crashed well on their goal and I was glad we got the two-goal lead," Hethcock said. "But in the second half we had to hold on a little bit. Even with all those girls out, I thought we did a good job of defending. But any time (there's that amount of stoppage time), you never know what might happen."

The Royal of Simi Valley girls' water polo team won't be getting much rest this week. After playing only one game last week, the Highlanders have eight games this week.
"This next week is going to be interesting," Royal coach Matt Frazier said.
The Highlanders began the week with a 9-3 victory over Moorpark this afternoon.
Royal, which is two games behind Agoura in the Marmonte League standings, could essentially secure second place with another win Wednesday against third-place Thousand Oaks. The Highlanders remain at home Thursday for another Marmonte game against Westlake, then head to the Bonita tournament for a combined five games Friday and Saturday.

Found out at the Newbury Park girls basketball game that the school will name its new football coach Feb. 22.

Don't know who it will be but I was told former Taft of Woodland Hills coach Troy Starr applied for the job.

We will all have to wait till Feb. 22

San Fernando's wrestling team is coming off one of its most encouraging weekends of the season. The Tigers were the top local finisher at the California Invitational Tournament in Morro Bay, placing fifth out of 64 teams. Royal of Simi Valley, which had defeated San Fernando a week earlier to take the title at the Sam DeJohn tournament, finished 10th.
The Tigers had four top-four finishers. Mike Le (119), Mike Solis (140) and Lorenzo Chapman (heavyweight) each placed second. Benito Mendez (103) improved to 28-4 this season by finishing third, losing only to the defending state champion. Rashaad Reynolds' lone loss was to a returning state placer, but Reynolds injury defaulted to fourth place.
Two-time defending City champion San Fernando has finished in the top five in seven of the eight tournaments it has entered this season.
Other top local finishers at the CIT included Simi Valley's Chris Barr, who went 7-1 and finished third at 132 pounds.

Doris Park-Sherman scored 30 points to help Newbury Park stay in second place in the Marmontel league in a 72-60 home victory against Westlake.

Junior Sidney Dobnar added 17 points and made all eight of her free throws for the Panthers (8-13, 7-2).

Mhiah Vickers scored 28 points for Westlake. Sophomore Taylor Ignato had 27 for the Warriors.

Newbury Park is one game behind league leader Royal of Simi Valley and hosts the Pioneers Wed. Feb. 6

When James Mulcahy and Dennis Tregassar took over as the coaches of Granada Hills' wrestling team early last season, they inherited a program with less than two dozen athletes and a reputation as a perennial City Section doormat.
As this year's postseason approaches, the Highlanders are better known as the City's newest threat. Granada Hills is undefeated in West Valley League competition and should be competing for the league title when it faces defending champion El Camino Real of Woodland Hills in next week's league finale. The Highlanders are coming off a third-place finish at Saturday's Reseda Classic.
"We were expecting to do better," Mulcahy said. "We weren't expecting to do this well."
The progress began last year when Granada Hills finished in the middle of the pack at the City finals. This year, they hope to be among the elite.
A big part of the turnaround has been the dramatic increase in participants. The Highlanders are up to 45 wrestlers, enough to field varsity, junior varsity and frosh/soph teams. Only a few had wrestled before high school, but the introduction of an offseason club program aided development.
"We were hitting the PE classes saying, 'come try wrestling,' " Mulcahy said. "So far we've been successful."
With only three seniors this season, the future looks bright.
Senior returning City champion Sebastian Escobar (140 pounds) heads the contingent of potential City champions. He's 23-5 this season and has fared well against Southern Section opponents with outings such as a title at the Chaminade tournament.
Joe Liu (119), Joaquin Bacon (125) and David Karp (189) joined Escobar as the top finishers in their respective weight class at the dual-format Reseda Classic. Oscar Aviles (145), who placed fourth in the City last year, recently returned from injury and is 10-1.
"We're peaking," Tregassar said. "It's perfect timing for the El Camino meet, the league championship. Everyone should be healthy and ready to go."
This week, Granada Hills hosts Vaughn on Thursday.

MARMONTE
Calabasas 64, Royal 48
Calabasas: Sieder 2, Matt Graditor 11, Stavis 2, Jackson 4, Evan Smith 19, Eric Bergman 16, Cain 2, Frick 5, Chalian 2.
Royal: Sahir Santos 10, Stevens 4, Jaeger 5, Troy Abes 10, Zeller 2, Spring 1, Mittel 8, Buckley 8.

MISSION
Crespi 63, Harvard-Westlake 54
HW: Renaldo Woolridge 19, Gaula Lucas 11, Sisto 8, Cain 9, Ma 7.
Crespi: Reggie Coates 11, Jeremy King 21, Stanton 7, Joseph Fauria, 11, Tobi Spino 13.

Chaminade 62, Alemany 52
Chaminade: Evan Grossi 27 (five 3-ptrs), 4 stls., Jules Montgomery 14, 16 rebs., Piner 9, Wright 5, Hufford 2, Kisylia 2, Griffin 1, Maclellan 1, Davis 1.
Alemany: Rivera 14, Qualls 12, Obi 9, Gant 9, Hernandez 6, Brill 2.

NONLEAGUE
Renaissance Aca. 64, Brentwood 47
Brentwood: Casey Hursh 18, Peter McMillan 14, Foreman 5, Fraizer 4, Spitz 3, Mikil 3.
Renaissance Aca.: Anthony Stover 18, 10 reb., 5 blks.; Justin Cooke 16, 8 asst.; Hector Harold 12, Tremaine Tatum 10, Daniels 8.

Larry Drew (Taft), Jrue Holiday (Campbell Hall) and Justin Cook (Renaissance) are among the locals nominated for the annual McDonald's All-American Basketball Team.

Chatsworth's Kim Brandon has been nominated for the girls' team. The top 24 boys and girls play in the annual McDonald's All-Star Game on March 26 in Milwaukee.

Proceeds from the Game will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin.

Find the full list here:

Nominee_List[1].doc

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

MARMONTE
Royal ties first place Calabasas 1-1, Harrison Doyle scores for Calabasas.

MISSION LEAGUE
St. Francis 2, Loyola 0
-St. Francis defeats Loyola for the second time this season on a second half goal by Nick Posthuma and a late, stoppage time goal by Amir Moore. Nick Swart assists on both goals.

SANTA FE
St. Genevieve 8, Bell-Jeffe 0
-Tyler Archey, Brian Ochoa and Sal Torres each score two goals.

VALLEY
SOCES 9, Vaughn Street 2
-Emin Aljuwani scores five goals

According to scout.com, Notre Dame running back Thaddeus Brown, a soft Boise State commit, has been offered by Washington while on a visit there Friday, and he is taking another visit to Nevada this weekend. Those are the three schools in the running for Brown, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards two seasons in a row.

He said he will announce his decision next week.

image from scout.com

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Austin Shanks, a running back/return specialist from Crespi High of Encino who is perhaps the San Fernando Valley's fastest football player, could soon commit to Division I-AA Northern Arizona, according to Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross.

"I think he'll end up committing there. He has taken a visit, and I think he feels most comfortable there," Ross said. "There are some DI schools interested, too, like San Jose State and Colorado, but Northern Arizona wants him in an every-down role. He'll have to earn out, but I think at Northern Arizona he can be on the field all the time It's his No. 1 choice right now."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Twin linebackers Ryan and Justin McKillop of Saugus have committed to Wagner College, a D-I program in Staten Island, N.Y.

"They'll be playing football together. I think it's a good choice for them," said their father, John.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Boys_Bball.Poll[1].docCampbell Hall of North Hollywood (Div. III-AA) and Renaissance Academy (Div. III-A) are ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions in the latest CIF Southern Section poll. Here is poll:

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Agoura's Doug Shumway has committed to Cal Poly SLO, the first Agoura quarterback since Ryan McCann in 1997 to commit to an NCAA Division I scholarship.

Shumway committed Tuesday after a weekend recruiting visit. He passed for 2,023 yards and 19 touchdowns this past season.

"Cal Poly is getting an outstanding player," said Charlie Wegher, Agoura's 14-year head coach. "I tell you what. I wish I could have had him for a few more games because he was just hitting his stride."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, here is how local league races should pan out.

Marmonte league: Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks

Mission league: Loyola and Harvard Westlake

Golden league: Lancaster and Highland

Foothill league: Valencia and Saugus

Pacific league: Pasadena

Pacific View league: Oxanrd

Tri-Valley league: Oak Park and Santa Clara

Olympic league: Campbell Hall

Alpha league: Valley Christian of Cerritos

Delphic league: Pacific Hills

Liberty league: Buckley and Holy Martyrs

Frontier league: St. Bonaventure

Santa Fe league: Salesian

Prep league: Flintridge Prep and Pasadena Poly

Westside league: Valley Torah

With National Signing Day looming a week from this Wednesday on Feb. 6, there continues to be a lot of movement, the latest Oak Park DB Sean Westgate's committment to UCLA atter earlier committing to Arizona. Check out the story on scout.com.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

I went to the Cal St. Northridge Mens basketball game Saturday against Long Beach St.

I just happened to run into Mark Adamiak, facilities operator.

He told me the annual Battle of the Valley Boys and Girls Basketball All Star games were in the works for Saturday April 26.

Official announcement should come in the next two weeks.

The games have always attracted the best senior boys and girls in the area including current NBA player Nick Young (Cleveland of Reseda).

Girls Basketball Games To Watch Monday and Tuesday:

Monday: Westlake at Newbury Park 7 p.m.

Tuesday: Chaminade at Notre Dame 7 p.m., St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian 6 p.m., Malibu at La Reina 7 p.m.

Birmingham softball coach Jim Rose is looking to expand his annual softball tournament by at least four teams this year. Tournament takes place April 12 and April 19 at Birmingham's new softball field. Already some big names in the draw, but Rose is hoping to expand and make it one of the premier local softball tournaments.

For more information, call 818-535--7813

According to a story in the Signal, Golden Valley has hung a banner in the school gymnasium dedicated to former basketball player Marcus Burns, who died July 7 from cancer.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Top girls basketball games for Saturday Jan. 26

Saugus at Harvard Westlake 7 p.m.

Lauren Labat takes the Centurions into North Hollywood to face the super sophomores from H.W.

Montclair Prep at Pacific Hills at Pilibos High School 1:30 p.m.

The Mounties (18-3) look to get a share of first place against the undefeated in league play Bruins.

Canyon of Canyon Country vs. Oxnard at Buena High School 4 p.m.

Hart at Buena 7 p.m.

I just done covering the Newbury Park at Thousand Oaks girls basketball game.

Thousand Oaks won 61-53 after leading by 18 points in the second half.

The Lancers are now 6-3 in league and just two games behind league leader Royal of Simi Valley.

If Thousand Oaks doesn't realize its potential this season, it definitely will next year.

Sophomore Jenna Bandy scored 25 points including nine in the third quarter and made all of her six free throws down the stretch to help the Lancers hold off a late charge from the Panthers.

Freshman Karina Alofaituli contributed 12 points and Thousand Oaks head coach Rick Cromwell called her the best freshman in the league.

Newbury Park has a good one themselves in junior Doris Park-Sherman. Park-Sherman scored 26 points leading a comeback that saw the Panthers close to within five points.

I was at the Chatsworth at Cleveland girls basketball game Friday afternoon and took a seat at the scoretable next to Cleveland football coach Derrick Hill.

Excuse me, make that former Cleveland football coach Derrick Hill.

"I got fired", Hill said. "It just happened this week. I guess I didn't win enough. It is ard to compete with Birmingham and Taft when I didn't have any open enrollment."

Hill said he still wants to coach and will pursue another job for next season.

Keep checking the blogs throughout the night for updates....

FOOTHILL
Valencia 56, Saugus 50
Chelsea Hastigan scored 19 points and Lindsey Hill and Starla Wright added 13 points each for host Valencia (15-7, 4-2).
Gabby Conn had 19 points and Lauren Labat had 13 for Saugus (17-5, 4-2) which lost its second striaght game and fell into a second place tie with Valencia.

LIBERTY
Viewpoint 49, Holy Martyrs 40
Crystal Alaf and Lexi Sharma scored 14 and 13 points respectively as visiting Viewpoint of Calabasas avenged a loss earlier this season to Hly Martyrs.

MARMONTE
Thousand Oaks 61, Newbury Park 53
Doris Park-Sherman scored a game-high 26 points and Sidney Dobner had 13 as host Thousand Oaks 12-9, 6-3) snapped Newbury Park's four-game winning streak.
Jenna Bandy scored 25 points and Karina Alofaituli added 12 for the Panthers (7-13, 6-2).

MISSION
Chaminade 60, Louisville 24
The trio of Kim Capicotto, Erin Dautremont and Danielle Borggrebe led the way for host Chaminade (14-7, 4-2). Capicotto scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Borggrebe had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Dautremont added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Amanda Arnold scored 13 points for Louisville (5-15, 1-5).

Harvard-Westlake 60, Alemany 52
Sydnel Haydel scored 22 points and Nicole Nesbit added 13 for Harvard-Westlake (13-8, 5-1).
Maya Sotelo had 19 points and Erin Kyley chipped with 10 for Alemany (9-13, 3-3).

OLYMPIC
Montclair Prep 52, Downey Calvary Chapel 26
Jazzmin Lewis scored a game-high 17 points for the host Mounties of Panorama City. Montclair Prep (18-3, 4-1) led 21-0 after the first quarter enroute to their ninth straight victory.

PACIFIC
Burbank 61, Arcadia 40
Kendra Carter, the Pacific League leading scorer averaging 18.3 points per game, scored a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds for visiting Burbank. Kristin Crawford added 18 points and seven assists for the Bulldogs (16-7, 7-3).

Burroughs 62, Glendale 61
Natalie Nichols scored 17 points and Samantha Cross added 14 points and eight rebounds as host Burroughs (15-8, 8-2) held on for the victory.
Lidia Rivas scored a game-high 20 points for the Nitros (9-13, 3-7). Anna Shahinian added 19 points and Alia Ibrahim had 13 for Glendale, which lost its fourth straight.

Crescenta Valley 49, Pasadena 48 OT
Cassie Pappas scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for visiting Crescenta Valley (16-7, 6-4).

PREP
Flintridge Prep 54, Westridge 45
Kelsey Merchant had 15 points and Courtney Robinson had 13 points and six assists for Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge. Deanna Watson added eight points and 10 rebounds for the Rebels who improved to 8-0 in league and 16-5 overall.

SUNSET SIX
North Hollywood 35, Canoga Park 16
Anna Helm and Sharai Smith combined to score all the points for visiting North Hollywood (6-10, 3-3). Smith scored 18 and Helm added 17.

Poly 61, Grant 53
Jennifer Hagan scored 20 points including five 3-pointers as Poly (11-6, 5-1) snapped Grant's 20-game League winning streak.
Ironically, it was Poly who was the last team to defeat Grant, 46-43 in 2006.
Sara Villanueva had 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assist and Christine Hernandez added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Parrotts who have won nine of their last 10 games.
Amanda Corona led Grant (16-5, 5-1) with 22 points and Vanessa Aguilar added 18.

WEST VALLEY
Chatsworth 89, Cleveland 37
Visiting Chatsworth (17-5, 6-0) had five players score in double figures, led by Kimberly Brandon with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Gennifer Brandon had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kim Smith (15 points), Monica Jackson (14 pts., 5 steals), and Tess Williams (10 points) were the other double digit scorers for the Chancellors.
Nycole Harvey scored a game-high 22 points for Cleveland of Reseda (14-10, 0-6). Nichelae Henderson added 11 points for the Cavaliers who have lost six in a row.

Granada Hills 59, Birmingham 38
Mandu Yoshida scored 16 points while Skylar Tsutsui had 14 and Laney Ming added 11 for host Granada Hills (11-5, 4-2).
Senior Forward Coral Laolagi scored 13 points to lead Birmingham of Lake Balboa (5-9, 1-5).

Taft 42, El Camino Real 30
Rmanii Hayes had 15 points and eight steals and Amber Dixon added 12 points for visiting Taft (12-6, 4-2).
Sarah Rebibo led El Camino Real (12-8, 3-3) with 10 points.

Campbell Hall 74, Crossroads 50

Valencia 68, Saugus 60
Michael Cassio and Mario Wright each had 14 points for Saugus in the loss

Knight 82, Palmdale 51
Paul George had 28 points, Chris Shaw 16 and Kyree Jackson 14 for Knight (15-7, 7-2)

Hilcrest Christian/Granada Hills 66, Faith Baptist 55
Britton Doerbecker scored 20 points, Kyle Payne had 16, Noah Watkins 11 and Nick Huber 10 for Hillcrest Christian

Agoura 53, Calabasas 42
Eric Bergman had 12 points in the loss for Calabasas

Simi Valley 80, Royal 40
Mike Meza had points, Lorne Jackson scored 17 and Brad Lewis had 15 for Simi Valley, 20-1, 9-0.

Westlake 63, Moorpark 47
T.J. Hennessey had 20 points and Adam Kolodney had 14 for Westlake

Burroughs 70, Glendale 67
Charles Barrett had 20 points, Steve Shamunee 11 and Chris Morris had 10 for Burroughs

La Canada 55, Monrovia 33
Clarke Anderson and Will Baldwin each had 16 points for La Canada in the Rio Hondo League win.

Grant 64, Poly/Sun Valley 57
Josh de la Torre scored 21 points and Mike Agazarian had 14 for host Grant

North Hollywood 76, Canoga Park 42
Jesse Zarate and Jordin Carroll each scored 20 for the Huskies in the win.

Van Nuys 67, Verdugo Hills 56
Victor Rudd had 29 points and the Mat Hankins scored 16 for Van Nuys, who have improved to 4-2 in the Sunset Six League.

Monroe (North Hills) 74, Panorama 58
Antonio Garrett had 20 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks and Hector Orellana had 15 points and 10 boards for Monroe, who improve to 3-3 in the Valley Mission League.

Reseda 87, Sylmar 68
Cory Davis and Ryan Watkins each scored 24 for Reseda in the win.

San Fernando 50, Kennedy 33
Giovanni Torres scored 16 points for San Fernando, who, with the win, tie Kennedy in the Valley Mission League standings.

Granada Hills 74, Birmingham 65
Edwin Luco had 31 points and Jonathan Ben-Haim had 20 for Granada Hills.

Taft 79, El Camino Real 28
Eugene Phelps scored 17, Larry Drew had 15 points and 10 assists and Terran Carter scored 10 for Taft in the blowout win. Taft remains unbeaten in West Valley League play.

Heavy rain and lightening cut the Agoura girls' water polo team's practice to about 45 minutes Thursday, but there was no slowing the Chargers when they were back out in the rain this afternoon for a meeting of two members of the Div. II top 10. Agoura defeated visiting Royal 11-3 to essentially clinch a fourth consecutive Marmonte League title.
Agoura's Casey Flacks scored four goals and teammate Casey Clark clebrated her 17th birthday by adding three goals.
While Royal (14-4, 6-2) produced several erratic shots, Agoura (13-6, 8-0) didn't have much trouble getting the ball in the cage. One of the Chargers' most impressive scores came during an 8-0 run. With 3:54 left in the second period, Flacks had her back to the goal and was surrounded by three defenders, but lobbed the ball backwards over her head for the score. She had another no-look goal earler in the game with a back-handed shot at the post that put Agoura up 4-1.

After a year off to pursue other interests, former Grace Brethren of Simi Valley coach Ted Gourley is back, according to the Ventura Star. He replaces Mark Hofler, who went 4-6 last season.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Division I-AA

14. Royal of Simi Valley

Division I-A

7. Saugus
11. Valencia
14. Hart of Newhall
15. Burbank

Division II-AA

13. Oaks Christian of Westlake Village

Division II-A

8. Knight of Palmdale
9. Palmdale
12. Quartz Hill

Division III-AA

9. Montclair Prep of Panorama City

Division IV-AA

2. Bell-Jeff of Burbank

Division IV-A

4. Flintridge Prep of La Canada

Division V-AA

3. Village Christian of Sun Valley
5. Rosamond
6. Buckley of Sherman Oaks
7. Viewpoint of Calabasas
9. Holy Martyrs of Encino
9. La Reina of Thousand Oaks
11. Oakwood of North Hollywood
12. Malibu
13. Paraclete
16. Desert of Edwards Air Force Base

Division V-A

2. Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth
4. L.A. Baptist of North Hills
5. Milken Community of Los Angeles
7. A.G.B.U. of Canoga Park
8. Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills
12. Glendale Adevntist
13. Faith Baptist of Canoga Park

Here's an update to the Eagle Rock situation: Principal Salvador Velasco did call back a few moments ago, agreeing with my suggestion there might be two sides to the story -- but he couldn't talk much about ex-coach Jerry Chou, fired two weeks ago,

"At this time I'm not able to talk to a newspaper because any situation with an employee is confidential," Velasco said. "I can't talk about employee relations."

Velasco confirmed the walkout and plans to regroup with the players during a lunch meeting today.

"We want the kids to have their concerns heard. i don't want them thinking they don't have someone to listen to and to talk to them," he said. "My door is always open to talk to them, and they know that. But it's got to be done systematically because there are so many who can fit into my office at one time."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Two games with importance in the league races:

Marmonte league: Newbury Park at Thousand Oaks 7 p.m.

Sunset Six league: Grant at Poly of Sun Valley 4 p.m.

As planned, Eagle Rock football players and hundreds of supporters walked out of homeroom class at 9 a.m. today and gathered in the school quad, chanting "Hell no, Chou won't go!" in support of former coach Jerry Chou, fired two weeks ago by principal Salvador Velasco.

"There were a lot of people out there ... Velasco came out and said coach Chou will never coach at Eagle Rock again," said one player, requesting anonymity. "He said the administration has no say in the matter. It's (Velasco's) decision."

The player said he and the students chanted: "Hell no, Chou won't go!"

Chou was fired two weeks ago after going 43-7 with two City Invitatonal championships in four years. He remains on campus as a teacher.

A meeting has been set up at lunch today in the auditorium to discuss the matter further, the player said.

Velasco has not returned a phone call seeking comment.

Stay tuned. We'll keep you updated ...

Eagle Rock, one of the area's most successful high school football programs, might find difficulty fielding a team next season if former coach Jerry Chou, fired two weeks ago after going 43-7 with two City Invitational titles in four years, is not reinstated.

One of Eagle Rock's top returning players, requesting anonymity, said every returning player on the team, along with most graduating seniors, has signed a petition - 187 signees in all - and presented it to principal Salvador Velasco, demanding Chou's return.

If not, they say, the players will have "nothing to do" with Eagle Rock football. They have organized a walkout for all students at 9a.m. today.

"We won't be there on the team anymore," the player said. "We think the principal has fired coach Chou for the wrong reason. It's all personal. He just wants to get rid of him. We know the school makes money based on how many kids show up for the home-room class (at 8:56a.m.), so we're walking out so they won't make any money. That way, Velasco will have an idea of what we're capable of doing, and how badly we want coach Chou back."

Chou, 46, said he was fired because of the after-effects from an incident in November, when he briefly resigned and was re-instated after supporting a fellow coach in a dispute with Velasco. Chou remains a teacher at the school.

"Velasco said he felt like he couldn't trust me anymore, that I could do this again at any time," Chou said. "Basically, Velasco forced my colleague to re-instate a player who had quit, and I didn't feel it was right to overrule a coach like that."

FOR MORE, CLICK HERE:

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Any Bruce Hornsby and the Range fans will understand the word play on the 1986 hit off the album "The Way It Is", but unfortunately for Montclair Prep of Panorama City boys' soccer standout Austin Mandel, there was no playing Thursday at Village Christian of Sun Valley, which meant his bid to become the area's all-time leading scorer will have to wait until next week.

Montclair Prep was scheduled to play Village Christian at Balboa Park in Encino, but due to poor field conditions caused by the rain, the Mounties agreed to move the match to Village Christian's home site.

But upon their arrival at the Crusaders' field, referees determined that playing conditions were equally unsafe at Village Christian, postponing the match and leaving the Brown-bound Mandel stuck on 113 career goals, one shy of the record belonging to Oakwood of North Hollywood's Craig Sherman (1978-82), according to statistics reported to Cal-Hi Sports.

Although Daily News sports writer/videographer Justin Frank wasn't able to watch Mandel tie or pass Sherman on the state's all-time scoring list, he was able to talk with the senior standout, who is tied for second this season in the Southern Section with 28 goals.

Look for Justin's video interview with Mandel, who will miss the Mounties' next match to go on a school field trip, in the coming days on the Daily News' prep site.

There has already been one significant scoring achievement in area girls' soccer this week.

Hart of Newhall's Sarina Coutin and Desert Christian of Lancaster's Robyn Estrada will take aim at another today.

After Highland of Palmdale junior Samantha Johnson set the program's all-time scoring record with her 72nd and 73rd career goals Thursday in the Bulldogs' 4-0 Golden League victory over Littlerock, Coutin and Estrada will both attempt to net career goal No. 100.

Coutin, who has 99 goals in 101 career matches, will try to solve the Foothill League's toughest defense when Hart -- the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. II -- plays at No. 6 Saugus at 3:15 p.m. today.

Saugus (13-2-3, 3-1-1) has only surrendered three goals in league play, all coming Jan. 8 against Hart (14-2-4, 3-0-2). Coutin, a Cal State-Bakersfield-bound forward, scored an insurance goal late in the match against the Centurions after fellow senior Lindsay Mills help the Indians rally from an early deficit with her first two goals of the season.

Coutin, who has scored 21 times this season, was denied the milestone goal Tuesday in a 1-1 tie at Canyon of Canyon Country (13-4-3, 3-1-1), although she did assist on Mills' tying score in the 32nd minute.

Hart is unbeaten in its past 10 league matches and hasn't lost to Saugus since a 6-2 setback in Feb. 2006.

Estrada, a four-year starter, has been stuck on 97 career goals for more than a week after recording a hat trick Jan. 17 in a 5-1 High Desert League victory at Bishop Union. She has 21 goals this season after leading the Southern Section last year with 40.

Desert Christian (14-0-1, 7-0), the top-ranked team in Div. VI, is scheduled to play Desert of Edwards Air Force Base at 3 p.m. today at the Lancaster National Soccer Center. But the status of the match is questionable because of the recent inclement weather in the Antelope Valley.

Assistant coach Curtis Lewis said the Knights, who boast a 33-match unbeaten streak, practiced Thursday afternoon at the Soccer Center, but rain began to fall at a much more rapid rate as the evening progressed, leaving doubt as to whether the grass fields will be deemed playable this afternoon.

If today's contest is postponed, Estrada will have plenty opportunities to reach the 100-goal plateau next week, as Desert Christian is scheduled to play home matches in three consecutive days -- beginning Tuesday -- against Kern Valley of Lake Isabella, Mammoth and Mojave.

Coutin and Estrada are both attempting to become the first local girls' soccer player to score 100 career goals since Jessica Gordon did so for Village Christian of Sun Valley. Gordon (2002-06) ranks second in area history with 130 career goals.

One of the best phone calls I received Thursday came from Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge girls' soccer co-coach Frank Pace.

"We just survived the scare of our lives," a rain-soaked Pace said following a 1-0 Mission League victory over Alemany of Mission Hills at St. Francis High.

In a match that was originally scheduled to be played at Alemany (which boasts a grass and dirt field), Flintridge Sacred Heart (9-4-4, 4-0-1) moved into sole possession of first place ahead of idle Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (4-4-6, 3-0-1), benefitting from the FieldTurf surface at St. Francis and a goal on a 30-yard free kick by Pip Harragin in the 41st minute.

"(We played) in a monsoon," Pace said. "And (Katie) Rappazzo was great again tonight."

Rappazzo, Alemany's goalkeeper, recorded 11 saves, but her effort wasn't enough to halt a 27-match winless streak in league for the Warriors (3-10-1, 0-6).

"Afterward, I told (Alemany coach Cruz Hernandez) to win out," Pace said. "It doesn't matter to me who they beat. From this point on, any (Alemany) win will make me happy."

Inclement weather allowed Highland of Palmdale and Littlerock to play only 33 minutes Thursday night in their Golden League girls’ soccer showdown, won 4-0 by the host Bulldogs.

Fortunately for Samantha Johnson, she needed less than 60 seconds to break the program record for goals.

After receiving a long pass from Ana Perez, Johnson fired a 6-yard shot from the left side, resulting in her 72nd career goal. That moved her past Sahar Haghdan (2001-05) — now at Long Beach State — for the top spot on the Bulldogs’ list.

"She just shrugged her shoulders and kept on playing," Highland coach Juan Paolo said. "If she wasn’t pass-first, she’d have 90 by now. What’s impressed me most is that she’s done it with a pass-first attitude all the time. She’s just an amazing player."

Johnson, who added two assists, recorded her 22nd goal of the season and 73rd of her career during a 13-minute second half that was called by the officials as rain hampered play on Highland's field. The USC-bound junior had a chance for a hat trick, but missed a penalty shot by six inches.

"(The record) isn’t that big of a deal to her. She's more concerned with helping us win games," Paolo said. "She told me that it will mean something when she gets to 100. Until then, she said 'Tonight was just another two goals.' "

Quartz Hill (12-4-1, 8-1) atoned for an earlier loss to Lancaster by defeating the Eagles 1-0 to remain in a first-place tie with Highland (11-4-2, 8-1). Stephanie Galarze, who recently returned from an ACL injury, scored off an assist from Alexa Hale for the Rebels.

FRONTIER
Malibu 60, Grace Brethren 25
M: Cheyenne Weekley - 34 points (5 3-pointers), 5 steals; Dominique Magee - 12 pts., 17 rebounds.

HERITAGE
Milken Community 57, Santa Clarita Christian 9
MC: Whitney Ghodsian - 13 points; Lindsey Davidson 12 pts.

Hillcrest Christian (GH) 46, Faith Baptist 37
HCGH: Aundrea Dava 18 points; Kathryn Doerbecker 11 pts.
FB: Osose Oboh 12 points, Emily Mercado 11 pts.

SANTE FE
Bell-Jeff 57, St. Genevieve 35
BJ: Elizabeth Hawthorne 11 pts.; Shelley Gupilan 10 pts.
SG: Megan Janolino 11 points.

TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christian 66, Bishop Diego 26
OC: Chelsea Carlisle 21 points & 9 assists; Christine Escoto 11 pts.

This is all we have for tonight

GOLDEN
Highland 4, Littlerock 0
Goals: Samantha Johnson 2, Melanie Johnson, Marisol Vite.
Assists: S. Johnson 2, Leanne Brown, Ana Perez.

Quartz Hill 1, Lancaster 0
Stephanie Galarze from Alexa Hale.

LIBERTY
Viewpoint 4, Milken 0
Goals: VP: Harley Joffe 2, Jenny Kim, Brittany Beisswanger.
VP 6-0 in league.

MISSION
Flintridge Sacred Heart 1, Alemany 0
Pip Harragin gets lone goal and Alemany's Katie Rapazzo has 11 saves and FSH's Dominque Oro has just one.

SUNSET SIX
North Hollywood 3, Canoga Park 1
Three goal scorers for N. Hollywood: Jackie Martinez, Mayra Luis-Juan, Franchesca Vasquez.
Two saves for N.H.'s Jennifer Fernandes 2. NH undefeated in league at 5-0-1.

Verdugo Hills 3, Van Nuys 2
Megan Cowie picks up third hattrick of the season to lead Verdugo Hills. One assist from Brittney Bagherie.

San Fernando continues to blow the competition out of the water.... they won every weight class except one tonight against Monroe. Kudos to the one kid from Monroe who won...

VALLEY MISSION
San Fernando 68, Monroe 6
103: Garcia (SF) pinned Pineda, :23
112: Gallegos (SF) pinned Valladeres, :45
119: Le (SF) Maldonado, 18-2
125: Romero (SF) pinned Catalan, 5:45;
130: Palacios (SF) d. Rodriguez, 10-0
135: Saenz (SF) pinned Herrera, 2:45
140: Solis (SF) won by forfeit
145: Gonzalez (SF) pinned Yasin 2:43
152: Reynolds (SF) pinned Fernandez, 2:45
160: Mendoza (M) pinned Barajas
171: Arrizon (SF) d. Mena, 17-1
189: Gatana (SF) won by forfeit
215: Castillo (SF) pinned Vasquez, 3:45
HVWT: Chapman (SF) pinned Whitnall, 1:00.
Records: SF 3-0 in league, M 6-6, 1-2.

And im Marmonte league action it was Agoura over Newbury Park, 51-18...
103: Downard (NP) won by forfeit
112: Holmes (NP) pinned Yim, 2:57
119: Cohen (A) pinned Smith, 1:10
125: Flora (NP) d. Silverman, 5-4
130: Yates (A) pinned Sapinoso, :42
135: Walczuk (NP) d. Wolhaupter, 6-5
140: Skinner (A) pinned Bapat, 2:27
145: Kurian (A) pinned Nakano, :41
152: Combs (A) pinned Southon, 1:54
160: VanGelderan (A) pinned Comeava, 2:30
171: Combs-Kanke (A) pinned Lorimer, :57
189: Coons (A) won by forfeit
215: Claxton (A) d. Hanna, 9-7 (OT)
HVWT: Double forfeit.
Records: NP 0-6 in league, A 13-8, 3-3.

All we have so far are two Mission League finals...

A surprising 0-0 tie between Crespi and Chaminade (at Chaminade)

and..

A not so surprising: St. Francis 4, Alemany 1, but we did hear that it was 1-1 at the half. Felipe Blanco scored and Kyle Kilroy had 10 saves for Alemany.

The annual East-West All-Star Football Game is set for June 15 -- Father's Day -- at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa. Coaches should be announced soon. Information: (818) 999-5197.

Harry Welch, a former longtime coach at Canyon High who's now at St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano, is coaching in the Southern California Bowl, an all-star game set for Saturday at 1:15 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton. ESPNU is televising.

"It's going to be terrific," Welch said.

Welch might not be his fiery self, however, because he is recovering from throat surgery --his fourth surgery to repair his voice -- about one month ago.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

NFL quarterback Matt Moore, formerly of Hart High of Newhall, spoke to students today at Rio Norte Junior High in Santa Clarita as a part of career day.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Junior guard Cheyenne Weekley continues her scoring output with a 34-point performance in a 60-25 win over Grace Brethren. Weekley - who will be featured on the FULL COURT PRESS page in Friday's sports section - had five three-pointers in the game. Dominque Magee and freshman Danielle Bush each scored in double figures to contribute to the easy win...

Holy Martyrs beat Viewpoint 53-47 tonight in Liberty league action. The win exacts revenge for a loss to Viewpoint a couple weeks ago in Calabasas.

Buckley of Sherman Oaks is in first place by itself. Holy Martyrs is No. 2. Viewpoint has now lost three games after looking like the favorite to win league just a couple weeks ago.

In a surprisingly Mission League final, Chaminade tied Crespi 0-0.

Crespi coach Rob Kodama said the Celts dominated the entire game, with Chaminade maybe getting one shot on net. Crespi just wasn't able to convert on their many chances.

Unlike yesterday, rain wasn't too much of a factor since the game was being played on Chaminade's turf field. Kodama added that the ball was a bit weighed down from the water so kids couldn't get the ball much further than 15 feet on throw-ins.

Also, there was about 25 seconds of injury time. Pretty strange.

Crespi's grass field is a mess over in Encino so the Celts' game against Loyola for Saturday has been moved over to Chaminade at 1 p.m. with St. Francis and Chaminade's game to follow.

"That's why you pay all the big money for the turf," Kodama said.

When asked what he'd do for practice tomorrow, Kodama said he wasn't sure, maybe just keep the boys indoors. I guess with this big storm a-flowing, he doesn't have much of a choice.

GIRLS SOCCER
SUNSET SIX
North Hollywood 2, Verdugo Hills 1
-Francesca Vasquez has two goals for NoHo and Mayra Luis-Juan has an assist. Jennifer Fernandez has 3 saves for NoHo 8-4-4, 4-0-1.
WEST VALLEY
Cleveland 4, Taft 1
-Four different goal scorers for Cleveland: Ashanti McGee, Amber Schwinder, Tara Trakin, Emily Grubman and Breanna Behrad scores for Taft. Schwinder, Trakin, Becca Verstraete have assists for Cleveland (11-8-3, 2-2-1) and Erica Quevedo makes 5 saves. Taft is still winless in leage at 0-4-1.
El Camino Real 1, Birmingham 0
-Same score as the boys... Only goal is scored by Katie Etcher from Jessica Stadheim. ECR's Cody Kornack stops 3 shots while Birmingham's Charley Schneidermann stops 6. Conquistadores are now 4-8-2 overall and 3-2 in league. Birmingham is 10-5-3, 1-2-2.
TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christian 4, Nordhoff 2
-We only got stats from Oaks for this one so here they are...Jaci Mello had two goals and Ally Courtnall had one while Kelsea Smith had one goal and two assists. Cassie Williams and Kelly Johnson also had assists and Noe Salter had two saves. Oaks is now 11-3-2, 5-1-1

Local teams ranked by CalHiSports.com in the state.

Division I

1. Taft of Woodland Hills

Division 2

3. Simi Valley

Division 3

4. Harvard Westlake

Division 4

1. Campbell Hall

Division 5

1. Renaissance Academy

Victor Rudd, one of California's top juniors according to various scouting sites, has been declared eligible to play for Van Nuys after sitting out nearly the entire season awaiting his fate. The decision follows favorable rulings last week for Mat Hankins and Willie Hankins, who transferred before the season with Rudd from Sylmar to Van Nuys. They were first ruled ineligible by City commissioner Barbara Fiege under a new rule that disallows transfers to follow a former coach; former Sylmar assistant Charles White is Van Nuys' new coach.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Sylmar transfer Willie Hankins, who along with brother Mat joined Van Nuys' team last week after waiting out an eligibility appeal process, is averaging 19 points and appears to have retained his outside shooting touch.

“I did a lot of shooting on my own while I was waiting,” Hankins said. “The gym, the YMCA, the park, my backyard. I pretty much shot about 300 shots per day.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Since Palmdale standout Justin Haynes left the team after a loss to Quartz Hill on Jan. 2, the Falcons (7-12, 2-6 in Golden League) are 2-5, including three consecutive defeats heading into tonight’s game against Knight of Palmdale.

Haynes, who leads the league with an average of 21.6 points, is not expected to return.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Campbell Hall seeks its 50th league victory in a row Friday night at Crossroads.

The Vikings also have won 50 home games in a row after defeating Brentwood on Jan 12. The only rub is the Vikings have not or practice since because of final exams.

“It’s the longest we’ve gone, even during winter break,” coach Terry Kelly said.

Jrue Holiday, who has career totals of 2,146 points and 1,039 rebounds, is on pace to finish among the Southern Section top 10 in both categories.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The San Fernando Valley region and surrounding areas is producing good basketball talent year in and year out.

Here is a list of tenth graders ready to make a splash. Plenty more will emerge over the summer.

Erik Swoope-Harvard Westlake

Ultra athletic forward will be key player next season if not now.

Alex Tiffin-Thousand Oaks

Next great Lancer for head coach Rich Endres.

James Johnson-Campbell Hall

Really starting to emerge as dominant big man.

Pierson Williams-Taft

Has not seen a lot of time on court this year but can really shoot the ball.

Blake Davenport-Oak Park

Steady force for Eagles.

Jamal McClerkin-Chamiande

Guard can do it all.

Blake Stanton-Crespi

Football player love basketball too.

Chandler Abbott-Malibu

6'3 wing is averaging 16 ppg. for Sharks.

Andrew Farhadi-Buckley

Could be league M.V.P. as a junior.

Willie Hankins-Van Nuys

Explosive guard can fill it up.

After big victories against Holy Martyrs of Encino and Viewpoint of Calabasas, Buckley of Sherman Oaks is in the drivers seat for the league title.

Sophomore Andrew Farhadi's 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining was huge in Tuesdays 53-52 win at Viewpoint.

Thought to be in a rebuilding year after graduating Richie Polan and Hussein Habibi and losing in the Division IV-A championship game, the Griffins might be playing the best basketball of any team in the divsion.

Buckley will have to take its game up another notch though to knock off Cathedral of Los Angeles, Twenty-Nine Palms and Valley Christian of Cerritos.

Van Nuys High School went through a long process to get brothers Mat and Willie Hankins eligible to play basketball.

The brothers transferred to the school from Sylmar but were initially denied eligibility because Charles White was an assistant coach at Sylmar before landing the head coaching position at Van Nuys.

City section official Barbara Fiege cited a new transfer rule that players can't follow coaches from school to school in denying the eligibility of the brothers.

However, before a three person state appeals panel, the brothers with lawyers in tow won an appeal gaining immediate eligibilty last week.

Good or Bad for Van Nuys?

Obviously the brothers are talented and it is ultimately good for Van Nuys but after winning three league games without them, the Wolves have dropped two straight league games with Mat and Willie in the line-up.

Losing to undefeated North Hollywood last Friday can be accepted but dropping a game to Poly of Sun Valley Wednesday is troubling.

Van Nuys needs to figure out a way to get everybody on the same page very quickly. There is only two more weeks (5 games) left in the regular season.

The Salesian boys’ basketball team made nine 3-pointers en route to a 54-49 victory Wednesday night over host St. Genevieve of Panorama City in a first-place showdown in the Santa Fe League.

James Hidalgo scored 21 points for Salesian (13-6, 4-0), including four 3-point field goals in the first half.

"We came in wanting to leave in first place," Hidalgo said. "We were sure that the only way we would lose was if we beat ourselves."

Matt Valdez added 16 points for the Mustangs, including several uncontested layups.

"We got in foul trouble and that threw us off," Valiants coach Kimo Atkins said. "We wanted to make some stops on defense and turn them into baskets, but it just didn’t work out for us."

St. Genevieve (13-6, 2-2) trailed for most of the first half, before rallying to tie the score at 27-27. However, Salesian’s Mike Reese hit a buzzer-beater from midcourt to end the half.

"That shot took some of the wind out of our sails," Atkins said.

St. Genevieve cut the lead to 50-48 on a 3-pointer by George Vogiatos with 50 seconds left, but couldn’t get any closer, as Salesian sank several clutch free throws down the stretch.

Report courtesy of Frank Carulli

PrepVolleyball.com editor John Tawa released his year-end national awards earlier this week and three local nominees found out what it's like to be the other four individuals in the category at the Emmy's or Oscar's.

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City sophomore Megan Norton was one of 25 finalists for the National Sophomore of the Year award. But the prize went to Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach standout Falyn Fonoimoana, a 6-foot-4 hitter considered by many coaches to be the best high school player in the country, regardless of grade.

Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge's Samantha Orlandini and Harvard-Westlake's Katherine Sebastian were two of the 50 nominees for the Andi Collins award, given to the nation's top senior setter.

But the CSUN-bound Orlandini and Sebastian were beaten out by Brianne Barker of Amarillo High in Texas.

Tawa is still scheduled to release his Academic All-Americans later this week.

Coming up next week, he will post his Frosh 59 list, Molten Improvement Award and High School All-Americans, with the Soph 79 honorees released in the first week of February.

PrepVolleyball.com's Defensive Dandies will come out in early March, with the top collegiate recruiting classes of 2008 due in May.

Earlier this month, Moorpark's Rachael Kidder -- who has verbally committed to UCLA -- was recognized as one of the Web site's top 50 high school recruits in the Class of 2009.

Several local athletes made the trip to Fresno on Monday to compete in the Run for the Dream Classic at the Save Mart Center. Here are some of the highlights:

GIRLS' MILE
5. Roseanne Fleming (Oaks Christian) 5:30.86
7. Katie Shirley (Saugus) 5:37.16

GIRLS' HIGH JUMP
2. Camilla Dencer (West Valley Christian) 5-5

GIRLS' POLE VAULT
3. Lauren Radke (Oaks Christian) 10-0

BOYS' MILE
3. Clayton Graham (Calabasas) 4:33.97

BOYS' 55-METER HURDLES
2. D.J. Morgan (Taft) 7.68

BOYS' 4 x 145-METER RELAY
1. Southern California 66.91
Chris Owusu (Oaks Christian), Evant Orange, Darryl Brown, Adam Long

BOYS' 4 x 400-METER RELAY
1. Southern California 3:34.41
D.J. Morgan (Taft), Nico Reaves, Crispin Collins, Joey Hughes

BOYS' SHOT PUT
1. Nigel Davis (Loyola) 58-5 1/2

According to Cal-Hi Sports, momentum is building for the CIF state football bowl games to expand from three to five, as early as next year.

At meetings held by the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Board of Managers within the past week, the two-year pilot program for state bowl championships was met with overwhelming approval. There was also plenty of support for expanding the current format.

The CIF Federated Council meets on Feb. 1 in Ontario to make the final determination.

Check out what Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis wrote about the current state of the bowl championship series:

The two largest sections within the California Interscholastic Federation have voted within the last week to support the proposal of continuing with the CIF state football bowl games as well as expanding the event from three games to five.

Both the CIF Southern Section Executive Committee and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Board of Managers voted on two questions during their meetings. First, there was the question of whether the two-year pilot of conducting CIF state football bowl games should be continued and then second whether there should be an expansion in the number of divisions. A majority in both sections voted yes to both questions, which would seem to indicate that the bowl games proposals will pass when the CIF Federated Council meets on Feb. 1 in Ontario.

There's still some speculation as to which format the new five-game bowl event would have. Assistant commissioner John Williams of the Sac-Joaquin Section told CalHiSports.com on Monday that the commissioners have talked about the idea of having four enrollment-based divisions (instead of the current three) with there also being an open division.

Under the new five-division format, the possible selection process would still be for the 10 section commissioners to gather for a meeting after all of the section championships are held. They'd first pick the one best team from the North and the one top team from the South to play in the open division. The other four divisions would then be picked much like the three divisions were chosen for the first two CIF bowl games.

Other possibilities for the bowl games would be to conduct a northern and southern regional championship game in each division prior to the state game. While that might work in some sections, some schools already are playing 15-game schedules and it's highly unlikely that any section is going to give up a playoff week of its own in order to streamline a CIF state bowl game selection.

It's really all speculation, though, as to what format would emerge because the CIF Federated Council on Feb. 1 will only be voting on whether to continue and on whether to expand. Other official proposals would then likely come before the football advisory committee before then going in front of the full CIF Executive Committee.