February 2008 Archives

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

All games 7:30 tonight

Div. I-AA

Thousand Oaks at J Serra

Loyola at Santa Margarita

Simi Valley at LB Wilson

Mater Dei at Harvard-Westlake

Div. II-AA

Eisenhower at West Ranch

Cajon at Hoover

Saugus at Bishop Montgomery

Div. II-A

Northview at Highland

Santiago Corona at Lancaster

Knight at Roosevelt

Div. III-AA

Campbell Hall at Montebello

St. Joseph at Oaks Christian

La Canada at Morro Bay

Schurr at Oak Park

Div. III-A

Renaissance at Notre Dame

Div. IV-A

29 Palms at Viewpoint

Div. V-A

Malibu at Kern Valley

PHOTO OF HARVARD-WESTLAKE'S RENALDO WOOLRIDGE

Former Hart girls' coach Dave Munroe will be inducted into the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on March 1 at a ceremony in Long Beach, according to a story in the Signal.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com.

Div. V-A program Malibu is on the verge of its best season, as the Sharks look to advance to the semifinals for first time with a victory tonight at Kern Valley.

"I'm excited about the chance to help bring Malibu further than ever before," senior Ryan Walczuk said. "I think we definitely have a shot. We have depth this year, and that's been key."

Walczuk acknowledged there is a negative stigma associated with Malibu sports because it's a vacation town and home -- and playground -- for the rich and famous.

"I don't think people take us seriously. I would love if we can change all that by winning," he said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

No team has been able to clamp down defensively like Div. III-A top seed Renaissance Academy of La Canada, coming off a 77-19 victory over Estancia of Costa Mesa that lowered the Wildcats' points-allowed average to 44.2 per game.

Just one of Renaissance Academy's past eight opponents has scored more than 50 points.The Wildcats, who have lost in the section finals three years in a row, play tonight at Notre Dame of Riverside in the quarterfinals. Justin Cook leads Renaissance Academy with an average of 18.7 points.Renaissance Academy is 74-11 over the past three seasons.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The National Pro Fastpitch league held its annual Senior Draft on Monday and three former local high school softball standouts were selected, along with UCLA pitcher Anjelica Selden.

Highland of Palmdale graduate Shannon Doepking, a catcher at the University of Tennessee, was selected by the Akron Racers in the third round with the 15th overall pick.

In the fourth round, former Chaminade of West Hills catcher Tory Yamaguchi, a redshirt senior at Indiana, was drafted with the 21st pick by the Philadelphia Force and Cambria Miranda, a Camarillo alum who has earned All-America honors at Oregon State, was the 24th and final selection, going to the Washington Glory.

For more information on the entire draft, visit the NPF Web site.

What do Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Newbury Park all have in common going into Wednesdays playoff games?

Each is the only team from its league to advance out of the first round.

Oaks Christian is at home against No. 4 Etiwanda Wednesday night, Notre Dame plays host to No. 6 Los Osos and its star center Cierre Warren and Newbury Park travels to No. 2 Long Beach Millikan.

How about Bell-Jeff. Coach Bryan Camacho is getting it done wit the Lady Guards. Bell-Jeff has won its two playoff games by a combined 73 points heading into Wednesdays quarterfinal against visiting St. Margartet's.

Bell-Jeff has been fortunate this postseason not having to travel yet. Bell-Jeff has won two coin flips.

Despite losing graduated forward Andreanna Marshall, L.A. Baptist of North Hills is back in the final eight in Div. V-A. The Knights beat Faith Baptist of Canoga Park Saturday and will face Milken Community of Los Angeles with the winner advancing to the semifinals.

Eagle Rock football players and supporters demonstrated in Eagle Rock today, protesting the firing of coach Jerry Chou, who won four league title and City Invitational titles in four seasons. The players want principal Salvador Velasco removed. No new coach has been named, but Velasco has said Chou is not welcome back, though Chou remains a campus teacher. Here's a photo from today's activities, sent by one of the players.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Late Division III-AA score with an impressive outing for three Vikings players
Campbell Hall 91, Azusa 33

Campbell Hall stats:

James Johnson: 31 points. 14 rebounds. 11 blocks. He's a sophomore.
Dallas Rutherford: 20 points. 12 rebounds. 6 assists.
Jrue Holiday: 20 points, 11 steals. 8 assists. 8 rebounds.

Azusa scored 33 points the whole game. Campbell Hall scored 33 points in the third quarter

Give Westlake High of Westlake Village some credit for not being intimidated .

After surviving a wild-card victory three days earlier, the underdog Warriors gave Harvard-Westlake all it could handle in the first quarter, hitting five 3-pointers in the opening minutes in a Southern Section Div. I-AA first-round matchup.

But Westlake went scoreless for nearly five minutes to begin the second quarter, as Harvard-Westlake (21-7), taller and more athletic, steadily pulled away in an 81-49 victory.

“You can’t shoot like that forever. Eventually you cool down,” Westlake’s Adam Kalodney said. “We just couldn’t keep pushing them, and we got outrebounded.”

Harvard-Westlake faces Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the second round Tuesday.

The Wolverines received a huge boost Friday from sophomore Austin Kelly, who scored a career-high 22 points (15 in the first quarter) and impressed defensively.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Westlake shot the ball great in the first quarter, hitting five 3-pointers while scoring 25 points in the first quarter. But the Warriors went scoreless for nearly five minutes of the second quarter, as Harvard-Westlake went on a 13-0 spree and leads 45-27 at the half.

HW sophomore Austin Kelly is putting on a show. He scored 15 points in the first quarter, 17 at the half, and he has looked terrific on defense with several steals and fast-break layups.

I would be SHOCKED if Westlake can even make a game of this thing in the second half. Harvard-Westlake looks extremely focused.

Stay tuned ...

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

That's the compelling issue, in what otherwise figures to be a fairly easy evening for Harvard-Westlake (20-7), which has won seven section titles but has slipped to the No. 15 seed in Div. I-AA.

Nine days is a long time in high school basketball, especially when you consider Westlake (18-9) is brimming with momentum after coming back Tuesday from a 12-point deficit to defeat El Segundo in a wild-card game.

"The nine-day layoff, I've seen it go both ways," Harvard Westlake coach Greg Hilliard was saying a minute ago. "I'm seen it be an advantage, and I've seen it be a disadvantage. It's one of those things where you just have to wait to see what happens."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Here are the locals remaining in the Southern Section girls water polo playoffs. Saturday's winners advance to the semifinals on Wednesday.

DIV. II
No. 4 Laguna Beach at Agoura, 1 p.m.

DIV. III
La Canada at No. 1 Riverside Poly

DIV. IV
No. 1 Harvard-Westlake vs. Glendale at Burbank, 2 p.m.
No. 4 Rio Mesa vs. Crescenta Valley at Burbank, noon
Louisville at No. 3 Malibu, 3 p.m.
Burbank at No. 2 Arroyo Grande, 1 p.m.

Former Taft of Woodland Hills coach Troy Starr is returning to California high school football after one season as the director of operations at the University of Florida.

After weighing several opportunities, Starr has accepted the head coaching job at Helix High in San Diego.

Helix High, that sounds familiar right?

If you're a USC fan it sure does. Because that's where Reggie Bush played his high school ball.

``I'm really excited about it,'' Starr said. ``I think we can win a state title there. The administration is great, it's a diverse student body, everything is there to win.''

Starr said he had no regrets about leaving his position at Taft after the 2006 season. If anything, he said, the year away in college football made him appreciate the high school game and the impact he can have with kids even more.

``I have no regrets,'' Starr said. ``If I wouldn't have taken the Florida job, I would've always regretted it and wondered if I made the right decision.''

SOUTHERN SECTION
WILDCARD
DIV. III
Arlington (Riverside) 1, Bellflower 0

DIV. IV
Oxnard 1, Segerstrom 0

DIV. VI
Grace Brethren 2, Oakwood 0
Andrea Robinson scored a goal and had an assist for host Grace Brethren (13-4-1) who extended its unbeaten streak to 7 games. Amanda Qucik scored the game's first goal in the 16th minute. Janine Marderian had two saves to record her school-record 11 shutout of the season.
Oakwood finishes the year with a 7-4 record.
Fillmore 10, Holy Family 0
San Gabriel Mission 1, Azusa 0 (OT)

Vernon "Doc" Simpson, founder and executive director of Montclair Prep of Panorama City, died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai, one year after celebrating the school's 50-year anniversary.

An avid supporter of local sports, Simpson helped build Montclair Prep into a sports power, winning multiple Southern Section titles through the years in football, basketball and baseball.

A two-hour memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22. For those who wish to speak at the memorial, call the school: (818) 787-5290, Ext. 15.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The ongoing conflict between public and private schools could soon reach a head, according to a story in the L.A. Times. There is a movement toward dividing prep playoffs into public vs. private competition.

One man in the the middle of the situation is Bill Redell, head coach at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, a private school that has dominated in the Tri-Valley League, consistenting of all public schools except for Oaks Christian.

"I know there are a lot of tensions because everyone thinks private schools have an advantage and that we give out athletic scholarships, but that's not true," Redell said. "Think about it: Every kid at a public school is on scholarship because it's free, while Oaks Christian costs $20,750 a year. Should we be in the Tri-Valley League? Probably not, but you've got to put us somewhere. I'm tired of all the complaining."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The "de-committment" phase seemed to reach an all-time high this year, with countless top football prospects -- both local and national -- breaking their non-binding verbal committments to change their minds.

But don't take my word for it. Just look at what Allen Wallace of SuperPrep.com said to USA Today: "The story about oral commitments isn't really a story anymore. It's just a non-event because (switches) happen on a constant basis."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Westlake plays host to El Segundo tonight in a Div. I-AA wild-card game -- the winner plays at Harvard-Westlake on Friday in the first round -- and Westlake needs to contain El Segundo's star player, 6-foot-7 Kevin Ryan, who is averaging 20.6 points and 13.9 rebounds. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at Westlake.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Taft is seeded No. 1 in the City Section, but eventually the Toreadors could face opponents with much taller players.

Eugene Phelps (6-foot-6) and Terran Carter (6-5) are the tallest starters, and an opposing post player such as 6-10 Renardo Sidney of Fairfax of L.A., could pose problems. But there’s a catch: Phelps and Carter play “tall.”

Phelps might be the best jumper in the San Fernando Valley, and Carter is a top rebounder, averaging 9.8 rebounds, including 18 in one game.

“We’re big enough,” coach Derrick Taylor said. “High school basketball games are won in the backcourt because it doesn’t matter if you have big guys if you don’t have anyone to get them the ball.

"The X-factor is the point guard, and we’ve got Larry Drew, and he gives us an advantage over everyone because no one can stop him.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The athletic directors of schools that comprise the Tri-Valley Athletic Association agreed on Tuesday to make changes for 2009.

Instead of one seven team league and one five team league in boys basketball, it was decided that six teams in each league would better serve all schools especially in scheduling.

The only drawback is one guaranteed playoff spot is nixed. The seven team league used to get four entries and the five team league received three into playoffs. Now each league only gets the maximum three entries.

After much debate about how many teams should move up and down in accordance with the two year re-leaguing cycle it was decided that St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Malibu would move up to the Tri-Valley and Nordhoff of Ojai, Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara and Santa Paula would drop down to the Frontier.

The new leagues for 2009 look like this:

Tri-Valley:
Santa Clara
Oaks Christian
Oak Park
Carpinteria
St. Bonaventure
Malibu

Frontier:
Fillmore
Nordhoff
Villanova Prep
Bishop Diego
Santa Paula
Grace Brethren

Senior Whitney Delgado scored four goals, including the deciding shot with eight seconds remaining to lead Thousand Oaks' comeback in a 6-5 victroy over host Canyon of Anaheim in a Southern Section Div. II wild-card game. The Lancers (20-9) trailed 5-3 entering the final quarter but scored the only three goals of the period.
Thousand Oaks goalie Christy Kilgore finished with 14 saves.
The Lancers, the third-place representative from the Marmonte League, advance to face Bay League champion Palos Verdes in Thursday's first round.
Also, Marmonte champion Agoura learned which team it will open against. Ventura defeated Capistrano Valley in the division's other wild card game and will play at Agoura on Thursday.

The Mission League had a successful day in the opening round of girls water polo Southern Section playoffs. All three of the league's members that played Tuesday advanced to Thursday's second round, where they'll join league champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, which had a first-round bye as Div. IV's top seed.
Mission runner-up Louisville of Woodland Hills opened with an 11-3 victory over visiting Nipomo. The Royals play at Cabrillo of Lompoc on Thursday.
Alemany of Mission Hills defeated visiting Pasadena Poly 15-4, led by big games from Whitney Ukanis and Erin Manke. Ukanis scored five goals with three assists and Manke added four goals and five assists. The Warriors (12-12) face Pacific League champion Crescenta Valley, which had a first-round bye, in the second round at Pasadena City College.
Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks edged host Pacifica of Oxnard 5-3 behind three goals from Kate Kurzeka. The Knights (16-11) face Burbank in the second round.

Interesting follow up story to last week's strange tale about the high school football player who faked being recruited and accepted a never offered scholarship to Cal

The Agoura High girls' water polo team's quest to defend its Southern Section Div. II title just got a lot tougher. Star senior Casey Flacks will miss the postseason with a broken left hand.
Flacks, last year's division Player of the Year and an All-American who has signed with Loyola Marymount, suffered the injury during practice Friday and received the official diagnosis Monday when a cast was also put on the hand.
Flacks, who leads the Chargers in almost every statistical category, was the only returning starter for a program that has reached the division final the past three years.
Marmonte League champion Agoura (19-9) begins playoffs Thursday at home against the winner of Tuesday's wild-card game between Ventura and Capistrano Valley. Agoura narrowly defeated Ventura in overtime during the regular season. The next two rounds would likely feature matchups with No. 4 Laguna Beach, then No. 1 Dos Pueblos.
"The rest of the girls just need to step up and do a little more," Chargers coach Jason Rosenthal said. "If each girl steps up, I think we still have a good chance. We played all summer without her. This is our chance to prove we're not a one-man team."

When you’re the best, you should expect the best from everyone else. That’s state power Campbell Hall of North Hollywood’s mentality heading into the playoffs.

Southern Section playoff pairings were released Sunday, and as expected, the Vikings (21-5) are seeded No. 1 heading into a first-round Div. III-AA matchup Friday against visiting Azusa.

Defending state champion Campbell Hall has won two Southern Section titles and two CIF State titles over the past three years, and with star guard Jrue Holiday and several other top scorers back, a lot is expected.

“I don’t know. The seedings and all the stuff doesn’t really matter,” forward James Johnson said. “We practice the way we play – hard – so that’s what we’re going to keep doing.

“I guess everyone thinks because the playoffs are do-or-die that it’s stressful, but I don’t care. I just play through it. … I think we’re pretty good.”

Simi Valley is seeded No. 3 in Div. I-AA, the section’s highest division. The Pioneers open against either Servite of Anaheim or Lawndale, and they know because of their flashy 25-1 record, the Pioneers will have a target on their back.

“We’ve been ready for this from the start of the season, so we’re just going to keep playing hard,” Simi Valley’s Michael Meza said. “Yes, there’s a target on our back, and I think that’s why a lot of teams have their best games against us. We just have to match the intensity.”

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City, ranked among the division top 10 for most of the season, lost three in row and finished second in the Mission League. As a result, the Wolverines dropped to the No. 14 seed and could face national power Mater Dei of Santa Ana in the second round.

Photo by Gerry Gittelson

SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS’ BASKRTBALL
Friday

DIV I-AA
Chaminade at Dominguez
Mission Viejo at Thousand Oaks
Agoura at Loyola
Servite or Lawndale at Simi Valley
Crespi at LB Wilson
Westlake or El Segundo at Harvard-Westlake

DIV. II-A
West Ranch at Chaffey
Hoover at Bonita
Burroughs at Saugus
Esperanza or Damien at Valencia
Camarillo at Highland
Antelope Valley at Righetti
Lancaster at Victor Valley
Atascadero at Knight

Div. III-AA
Azusa at Campbell Hall
Oaks Christian at Ribet Academy
Montclair Prep at Magnolia
Brentwood at La Canada
Rolling Hills Prep at Oak Park

Wednesday

Div. IV-AA
Antelope Valley Christian at Patriot

Div. V-AA
New Community Jewish at Lone Pine
Wildwood at Highland hall
L.A. Adventist at Tarbut V’Torah
Valley Torah at Silver Valley

Div V-A
Packinghouse Christian at Newbury Park Adventist
Sierra Canyon at Immanuel Christian
Ventura County Christian at Malibu
Pioneer Baptist at Desert
SF Valley Academy at Hope Centre
Filmore at First Lutheran

Make way for the Chatsworth team. They are the #1 seed in the their City Section bracket and won 11 of their last 12 games - including an almost-40 point win over Taft to end the season. The Brandon sisters are lookin tough.....

No. 16 Manual Arts at No. 1 Taft
No. 8 Dorsey at No. 9 Gardena (gardena home because league champ)
No. 12 Cleveland at No. 5 Palisades
No. 13 King Drew at No. 4 Fremont

No. 14 Van Nuys at No. 3 Fairfax
No. 11 Sylmar at No. 6 Washington
No. 10 Crenshaw at No. 7 Jordan
No. 15 Birmingham at No. 2 Westchester

All games Friday night at 7 p.m.

Taft has earned the No. 1 seed at the playoff meeting today, followed by No. 2 Westchester, No. 3 Fairfax and No. 4 Fremont. Check back for complete brackets.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Loyola water polo teammates Forest Monroe and Connor Plaga have signed with USC. Both were All-Southern Section Div. I selections this past fall for the Mission League runner-up Cubs. Monroe was the team's leading scorer while Plaga was a speedy two-meter defender.
The pair join a talented USC recruiting class that also includes Agoura's Peter Kurzeka, Northern California standouts Thomas Avery and Andrew Reego as well as Michael Rosenthal, a driver from Florida.

Saugus High came up short again.

Agonizingly short.

Seeking its first boys’ basketball league championship in 25 years, all the Centurions needed to do Friday was defeat fourth-place Hart to finish in first place for the first time since 1983.

Instead, visiting Saugus lost 57-53 to fall into second behind Valencia, ending another season in tears instead of cheers.

Hart did the same thing to Saugus three years ago, defeating the Centurions in the finale in 2004-2005 to play spoiler.

Back then, the drought was 22 years, and Hart’s Marcus Moloznik was a freshman reserve. On Friday, with Hart (19-8, 5-5) protecting a one-point lead with 20 seconds remaining, his 3-pointer from 22 feet proved decisive.

“The shot clock was winding down, and I knew I had to shoot it,” Moloznik said. “We’ve played in a lot of close games, so I wasn’t nervous.”

The victory was Hart’s second in a row after a wobbly stretch in which the Indians lost 4 of 7 games since top player Michael Montgomery was dismissed from the team Jan. 11.

Saugus was down by as many as 19 and twice cut the advantage to one point but was never ahead. It figures to take some time for Saugus (21-5, 7-3) to get over this one. The Centurions have a week to regroup before the Southern Section playoffs begin.

“The first quarter, we just didn’t play our game. We were out of it,” Saugus’ Mike Cassio said. “I think we were more into the hype than into the game. It’s a heartbreak loss.”

Hart’s Levi Wenrick scored 18, Molozik added nine and Chris Gill scored eight. Mario Wright led Saugus with 17 points.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Hart is looking to play the spoiler role, surging to a 19-point lead before Saugus roared to make it 31-24 at the half at Hart. Saugus must win to earn a league title for the first time in 25 years, but Hart isn't going to roll over.

This place is rocking -- packed to the back, standing-room only. And you know it's going to come to the wire ... It's one of those nights.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Mattie Vance and Storie Blake - both seniors and both celebrating their 18th birthdays today - both scored 19 points to lead Trinity Lutheran to a 50-39 win over San Fernando Valley Academy in Omega League play. Vance also added 17 rebounds and Blake had 10.

Saugus (21-6, 8-2) dominated the Indians on their own court Friday to tie Hart (17-8, 8-2) for first place in the Foothill League, though the Indians won a post-game coin flip to earn the higher seed in the Southern Section playoffs.

The victory avenged a one-point loss Jan. 22.

“We’re just a better team right now. We expected this,” said Saugus’ Lauren Lafat. “I’m really excited because I went to Hart as a freshman. I know all these girls.”

Lafat scored 24 points, and teammate Daniel Mofsowitz added 12 – on four 3-pointers.

Hart’s Megan Ford scored 20 points, but Hart fell behind by 18 points in the first half and could get no closer than 10.

Saugus is in position tonight to win a league title for first time since 1983, a dry spell that began in the Golden League before the Centurions joined the Foothill League in 1992. All visiting Saugus (20-4, 7-2) needs to do is defeat Hart in the finale.

“That would be true, and we’re happy for the opportunity, but we’re not going to be defined by this game,” Saugus coach Jeff Hallman said. “It’s an important game, but it’s not all about beating Hart. Had we lost the first game and defeated Hart in the last game, we’d be in the same position.”

The one bad omen for Saugus is the Centurions were in the exact same position three years ago, when Hart played spoiler with a victory in the 2004-2005 finale.

“Hart’s always tough, and I’m sure it’s going to be an emotional game,” Hallman said. “Mario Wright and Joey Dietrich have been real consistent and haved played well, but we’re not a team of stars. We just need to execute, do what we do and give it our best shot.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Steve Hagerty, who won three consecutive Southern Section football championships at Paraclete in the late 1990s, has been named head coach at Bishop Amat, according to an L.A. Times blog.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Steve Hagerty, who won three consecutive Southern Section football championships at Paraclete in the late 1990s, has been named head coach at Bishop Amat, according to an L.A. Times blog.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Michael Lien, a top linebacker at Valencia, has committed to South Dakota State, according to The Signal.

-- Gerry Gittelson

A USC men's water polo program that has reached the NCAA championship game the past three years has gained another of the country's premier players. Agoura's Peter Kurzeka committed to the Trojans today.
Kurzeka was the Southern Section Div. IV Player of the Year after scoring a school-record 143 goals and leading Agoura to its first division title this past fall.

FRONTIER
Malibu 50, Carpinteria 43

HERITAGE
Hillcrest Christian (GH) 56, L.A. Lutheran 42

MISSION
Alemany 65, Louisville 36
Chaminade 62, Flintridge Sacred Heart 22
Notre Dame 44, Harvard-Westlake 35

OLYMPIC
Montclair Prep 57, Pacific Hills 44

PACIFIC
Burroughs 59, Burbank 48

PREP
Flintridge Prep 63, Pasadena Poly 45

SANTA CRUZ
Bell-Jeff 69, St. Anthony's 13

Draws were released today for Saturday's Southern Section dual meet championships.
Marmonte League champion Royal of Simi Valley is the top local seed at No. 3 in Div. II. The host Highlanders open against Baseline runnerup Los Osos and would likely have to overcome No. 2 North Torrance in order to reach the final and a chance for a third title in four years. Laguna Hills is the division's top seed. Royal's Marmonte rival Thousand Oaks opens against Mission Valley champion Arroyo.
In the Div. V meet at San Gabriel, Golden League champion Highland of Palmdale opens against Santa Ynez and is in line to face No. 1 Bishop Amat in the second round. The Golden League's other representative, Quartz Hill, opens against No. 3 Loara.
Local hopes in Div. VI rest on Mission League champion Alemany and Rio Hondo League champion La Canada, who both have a tough path through the event at Western High in Anaheim. Alemany opens against Santa Paula and could face No. 1 Elsinore in the second round. La Canada begins against Perris and would likely face No. 2 San Jacinto in the second round.
Competition at each site is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Newbury Park junior infielder Jack Marder has verbally committed to Oregon. Although he has two full high school seasons ahead of him, his performance in the first two was enough to convince Ducks coach George Horton that the second baseman/shortstop should be a part of an Oregon program that is reinstating baseball beginning with the 2009 season. Marder hit .371 with 22 RBIs and a team-high 10 doubles last season.

Thank goodness for Thousand Oaks, Agoura and Newbury Park.

At least three of the four automatic playoff berths for the Marmonte League have been determined following Wednesday night's results.

As for determining the last area girls' soccer team to join that impressive trio for the upcoming Southern Section Div. II playoffs, in a week that began with seven of the league's eight teams still being in postseason contention, let's just say anything is possible.

Westlake continued its miraculous turnaround from an 0-5 start and winning one of its first seven league matches to improve to 6-6-1 following Wednesday's 2-0 victory at Calabasas (0-11-2).

The Warriors are currently tied with Moorpark (4-4-5), which played Agoura (7-2-4) to a 1-1 draw Wednesday.

The Musketeers and Warriors play at 6 p.m. Friday at Westlake High, with the teams having battled to a scoreless tie in their first meeting Jan. 25.

"How many teams can say they've had to play seven must-win games in a row," said Westlake coach Frank Marino, who has never missed the playoffs in his previous seven seasons as coach. "We've done a lot of work to get to this point, but we still have one more to go."

With Newbury Park (6-4-3) having clinched its first playoff berth since 1990 following Wednesday's 2-1 win over Royal of Simi Valley (4-5-4), the Highlanders went from being in third place at the start of the week to sixth place entering Friday's match against rival Simi Valley (2-6-5), which was officially eliminated from postseason contention following Wednesday's 3-0 loss to Thousand Oaks (10-1-2).

Thousand Oaks and Agoura have locked up the league's top two entries, regardless of their results Friday.

But the league's next two spots are still in question, as Newbury Park can still finish fourth with a loss Friday against Thousand Oaks, combined with a Westlake victory over Moorpark.

Newbury Park has 15 points, Westlake and Moorpark are tied at 13 and Royal has 12.

The simple scenario is Westlake or Moorpark win, and the four representatives are secure.

"This is what I wanted and we put ourselves in position to do it," said Moorpark coach Frank Paletta, whose team is seeking its third consecutive playoff berth. "I was hoping it would come down to the last day against Westlake. Now, we control our own destiny."

If Westlake and Moorpark tie, combined with a Royal loss to Simi Valley, then Westlake would have the tiebreaker against Moorpark, based on a victory over league-champion Thousand Oaks.

However, if Westlake and Moorpark tie, combined with a Royal victory, then all three teams would finish with 14 points, causing the league to determine a three-way tiebreaker.

"We could finish anywhere from third to sixth. That pretty much says it all," Marino said.

Westlake and Royal split their head-to-head meetings, while Royal defeated and tied Moorpark in their two contests.

"This is the most competitive the league has been in my time here," Paletta said. "In the past, maybe you had five teams fighting it out in the last week, but never seven."

To find out who's in and who's out, check back on the Daily News blog Friday night.

Vince Orlando and Richard Yi showed up at the El Camino Real of Woodland Hills girls' soccer match Wednesday at Granada Hills to watch the Conquistadores battle the rival Highlanders in a showdown for first place in the West Valley League.

They wound up talking more about the current state of the ECR baseball program.

Orlando was named the Conquistadores interim baseball coach Wednesday, replacing Billy Ramirez, who served as head coach for one year after taking over for longtime program head Matt LaCour, who left ECR to coach at Harvard-Westlake of Studio City last season.

"Principal (Dave) Fehte felt the need to go in a different direction," said Yi, ECR's athletic director. "Vince is going to be the interim coach for one year and Billy will remain on staff as a (physical education) teacher."

Orlando, the assistant athletic director and girls' golf coach, was looking to focus more on administrative duties after coaching with LaCour during the 2005 and '06 seasons, but the Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks graduate possessed the most baseball knowledge of anyone on staff, especially with the decision being made less than a month before the Conquistadores' season opener.

"It's definitely an unfortunate turn of events and set of circumstances that have led to this, but it is because of my respect for Mr. Fehte that I agreed to take the position," said Orlando, who played college baseball at UC Irvine.

"It was more out of necessity. I wasn't looking to get back into coaching (baseball) and it's an unfortunate thing to happen so close to the start of the season. But somebody had to step in, and with the amount of respect I have for our administration and with the position requiring someone with a certain level of experience, I felt compelled to do it."

ECR, which captured its last City Section championship in 2005, went 17-14 last season under Ramirez -- who had coached in the program since 2001 -- and was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

"It's strictly an interim, one-year position and I'm going to do the best job I can," Orlando said. "I know a lot of the kids from when I coached with Matt and we're just going to look to make the best of the situation."

Orlando said the search will begin to find a permanent replacement approximately a month after the season starts.

Wow, crazy story out of Nevada today. Remember the college freshman who pretended she was a student at Stanford last year, even though she never got in? Well, this is the high school football version of it.

Kevin Hart, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman for Fernley High School in Nevada called a news conference last Friday to announced he'd committed to Cal, choosing the Bears over Oregon. One problem: neither school had ever recruited him.

Yikes!

Both schools came out pretty quickly and spilled the beans. Hart then said that a man he'd paid to help promote him to college football programs had duped him. He told authorities that the man's name was Kevin Riley.

One problem: Kevin Riley didn't exist either.

"When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality. I am sorry for disappointing and embarrassing my family, coaches, Fernley High School, the involved universities and reporters covering the story," Hart said in a statement issued through the Lyon County school district on Wednesday.

Another problem: Lt. Rob Hall of the Lyon County police department told the Associated Press that his department would continue to investigate to see if Hart had broken any laws, such as filing a false police report.

DELPHIC
Crossroads 61, Sierra Canyon 53

LIBERTY
Buckley 56, Yeshiva 28

MARMONTE
Moopark 58, Agoura 49

SUNSET SIX
Grant 64, Verdugo Hills 23
Poly 64, Canoga Park 13

WEST VALLEY
Chatsworth 58, El Camino Real 35
Chatsworth clinches league title.
Granada Hills 72, Cleveland 58
Taft 48, Birmingham 41

Just got word from Pierce College coach Efrain Martinez that 13 of his players have signed letters of intent.

They are:

Alex Petee, QB Hart High School University of Toledo D I
Kamron Yancy DB Fairfax High Cal Berkley D I
Steve Johnson LB Plantation High Delaware State Univ D I-AA
Rodney Fritz LB Missouri Florida International D I
Jeramiah Brown DE Faith Baptist University of South Dakota D I-AA
Bradley Borreson P/K Chaminade Delaware State/Grambling State D I-AA
Darell Strong DE Florida Delaware State D I-AA
Christian Sandoval FS Glendale HS Southwest Missouri state DII
Albert Russell LB Dorsey HS Univ Of North Alabama DII
Giovanni Gonzalez SS Florida Shaw University DII
Michael Hules OL Calabasas HS Glenville State University DII
Mike Cooper WR Canyon HS University of Arkansas Monticello DII
Sebastian Scott LB El Camino HS Depaw University DIII
Ron White DB Fairfax HS Humboldt State Unive

For the Marmonte League, Newbury Park's 2-1 victory over Royal along with Calabasas' 2-0 loss to Westlake tonight captured the league title for the Panthers. Vinny Muscarella scored both goals in the win for Newbury Park.

In the Valley Mission League, San Fernando snuck away with the title in a 1-1 tie with visiting Monroe. After falling 1-0 in the 20th minute, SF's Hector Organista scored on a header in the 30th minute.

Crespi running back Austin Shanks, perhaps the San Fernando Valley's fastest football player, has signed with Northern Arizona, a Div. I-AA program. After placing fifth in the state in 200 meters, Shanks rushed for 1,386 yards this past season to help carry Crespi to the Southern Section Pac-5 title game.

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

Quarterback Austin Heyworth of St. Francis and receiver Chris Abraham of Monroe of North Hills have signed with Div. I-AA UC Davis.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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A little more than three weeks before its season begins, the El Camino Real of Woodland Hills baseball team has a new coach. Billy Ramirez, who was entering his second season as the Conquistadores head coach, has been replaced by interim coach Vince Orlando.
Orlando, who played at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, is ECR's assistant athletic director and was an assistant on former coach Matt LaCour's staff.
The Conquistadores, who won their fifth City Section title in 2005, went 17-14 and were eliminated in the second round of playoffs last year in Ramirez's lone season at the helm.

Reseda's boys' basketball team topped Kennedy 55-53 tonight at home on a buzzer-beater by Cory Davis from three-quarters out.

The team had originally set up a hail mary play for Mike Mendes but Randall Harris decided to give the ball to Davis. It worked and all went nuts at the gym, according to assistant coach Thermon Moore.

Kennedy had gone up by one with two seconds left prior to the big shot.

Van Nuys High finally has its whole team together now that transfers Victor Rudd, Will Hankins and Mat Hankins finally are eligible, and the Wolves won their third game in a row tonight, a 64-49 victory at North Hollywood that puts Van Nuys (12-15, 7-2) in position to tie first-place North Hollywood (19-7. 8-1) for the Sunset Six League championship with one game remaining.

Van Nuys needs to defeat Poly on Friday, while North Hollywood must lose at Verdugo Hills of Tujunga.

With Rudd, whose arrival has coincided with Van Nuys' winning streak, Van Nuys has its final piece. The 6-foot-8 junior scored 23 points, putting an exclamation point on the performance with nine points in the final minute -- a jumper and two free throws, followed by a double-pump reverse slam dunk, then a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.

Will Hankins added 23 points, and freshman Dominique Evans scored nine, as Van Nuys finished with a 20-7 run over the final six minutes after North Hollywood, down by as much as 19, had pulled to within 44-37 on Jordin Carroll's 3-pointer.

"North Hollywood isn't the best team in the league anymore. We are," Hankins said. "It's a great feeling to finally have everyone together."

North Hollywood was without third leading scorer Julio Mejia (flu), while returning All-City guard Jesse Zarate, who said he also was sick, was held to nine points, going scoreless over the final 14 minutes. It was the first time this season Zarate didn't manage to score in double digits.

"I don't know what happened. I just tried to do everything possible to get the victory," Zarate said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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Birmingham of Lake Balboa's final step in the quest for a perfect season will come against a familiar foe. Valley League rivals Birmingham and Cleveland of Reseda won their respective City Section semifinals Wednesday to advance to Friday's championship game at John Argue Swim Stadium.
Top-seeded Birmingham (18-0) advanced with a 20-6 victory over No. 4 Venice at Panorama High. Sophomore Darin Weltsch led the Patriots with seven goals. Teammate Favio Carcamo contributed four goals, four assists and six steals. Goalkeeper Adrian Almeida blocked 13 shots.
The victory extends Birmingham's winning streak to 28 games since the City reinstated the sport last season. Two of those wins this season were against Cleveland during league play, including a 16-3 victory two weeks ago.
The second-seeded Cavaliers continued their postseason dominance Wednesday by defeating No. 3 Roosevelt of Los Angeles 15-4.
Roosevelt and Venice meet at 4 p.m. Friday in the third-place game, followed by the final at 6 p.m.

TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christian 2, St. Bonaventure 1
Kristen Clark and Jaci Mello each scored a goal for the host Lions who can clinch the league title outright with a victory over Malibu Thursday. Kelly Johnson and Megan Schoppe each had an assists and Noe Salter had six saves for Oaks Christian (16-3-2, 9-1-1).

WEST VALLEY
Chatsworth 1, Taft 0
Nicole Voets scored the game's lone goal from an assist from Corrine Haynes. Dana Moreno had two saves for Chatsworth (8-4-5, 5-3-2).

This thing is getting out of hand: Van Nuys is ahead 33-17 at the half, as the Huskies, shorthanded without key starter Julio Mejia (flu), must serious regroup.

Mejia is the second Sylmar starter to be stricken with the flu, the latest in a series of illnesses and absences for the Huskies.

"What's up the flu vaccinations? That's a good question," North Hollywood coach Rob Bloom said beforehand. "We will really need to pick up the slack."

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

North Hollywood (19-6, 8-0) already has clinched a share of the Sunset Six League title, but style points are on the line tonight. Not just for the Huskies, who want to remain undefeated in league with a win over visiting Van Nuys, but for Van Nuys, too, as the Wolves (11-16, 6-2), now fully together with transfer Will and Mat Hankins and Victor Rudd, want the other share -- plus a favorable City tournament seed (read: not bottom four).

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Canyon quarterback Sean Gavin signed Wednesday with Colorado State Pueblo, a D2 program that has resurrected its football team for the first time since 1983.

Which begs the question: Hey Sean, have you ever played in snow?

"No, I haven't actually," Gavin said. "But I'm excited. it's all brand new, they're bringing back football, and it's a good opportunity."

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

"

Tommy Doupe DL Westlake Signed with Cornell
Cooper Shockley RB/WR Westlake Signed with Navy
Chance Cross RB Simi Valley Signed with Princeton
Tim Ketaily OL Newbury Park Signed with UC Davis
Casey Blum DL Moorpark Signed with Tulane
Dustin Geyer DL Oak Park Signed with San Diego

We just found out Birmingham High quarterback Exavier Johnson signed with Utah State today. Good for him. Johnson missed the first four games this year with a broken hand, but came on strong to throw for 988 yards and 11 touchdowns to help lead Birmingham to the City championship.

Johnson was recruited by some schools as a linebacker, but he'll get the chance to play quarterback at Utah State.

In other Birmingham news, Marquis Jackson wasn't listed among the players Fresno State signed today, but he still considers himself committed to the Bulldogs. However, he still needs to get academically qualified, and that won't happen until he completes a few more classes.

DELPHIC
Sierra Canyon 63, CAMS 32
SC: Brenda Kramer 19 points, Jasmine Sneed 15, Dani Carney 13, Kelly Schneider 11.

FOOTHILL
Valencia 77, Golden Valley 63
Val: Chelsey Hartigan 24 pts., Starla Wright 24 pts., 8 rebs.
GV: Merideth Mathis 15 pts., Sara Destosito 12 pts., Kiki Smith 11 pts., Jasmine Jefferson 10 pts.

FRONTIER
La Reina 42, Grace Brethren 28
LR: Jenna Burge 13 pts. & Kate Jankowski 11 pts.

HERITAGE
Milken 69, L.A. Lutheran 27
Milken: Kim Hakim 17 pts., Jessica Sabbah & Whitney Ghodsian 14 pts.
L.A. Lutheran: Natalia Toledo 17 pts.
Milken completes first undefeated league season in school history.

LIBERTY
Viewpoint 40, Buckley 38
VP: Crystal Allaf 13 pts. & Lexi Sharma 11 pts.
Buck: Lindsey Schapiro game-high 21 points.

MISSION
Louisville 41, Flintridge Sacred Heart 24
Lville: Amanda Arnold - Triple-double (18 pts., 12 rebs., & 10 steals)

Notre Dame 50, Alemany 31
Notre Dame: Mel Madriaga 12 pts. & Kodi Burke 12 pts., 12 rebs.
Alemany: Jackie Sanchez 12 pts.
Notre Dame clinches at least a share of league title.

OLYMPIC
Montclair Prep 31, Cerritos Valley Christian 26

PACIFIC
Burbank 47, Crescenta Valley 40
Bur: Kristin Craword 14 pts., 7 assists;, Anasik Zohrabi & Tiffany Deramus 11, Kendra Carter 5 pts, 17 reb.,
CV: Cassie Pappas 17 pts.

PREP
Flintridge Prep 48, Chadwick 40
Flintridge Prep: Megan Musashi game-high 21 points.
Rebels wins 7th straight league title and extends league winning streak to 42 games.

TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christian 71, Santa Clara 44
Oaks Chr.: Chelsea Carlisle 21 pts., 7 assists, Katie Brooks 16 pts., 10 rebs., Christine Escoto 13 pts., 5 assts.

St. Bonaventure 44, Oak Park 32
OP: Erin Somers 10 pts.

NONLEAGUE
Hillcrest Christian (GH) 54, Pacifica Christian 35
HCGH: Britanny Espinoza 22 pts., Aundrea Dava 16 pts., & Justina Veloz 12 pts., 5 stls.

DELPHIC
Sierra Canyon 63, CAMS 32
SC: Brenda Kramer 19 points, Jasmine Sneed 15, Dani Carney 13, Kelly Schneider 11.

FOOTHILL
Valencia 77, Golden Valley 63
Val: Chelsey Hartigan 24 pts., Starla Wright 24 pts., 8 rebs.
GV: Merideth Mathis 15 pts., Sara Destosito 12 pts., Kiki Smith 11 pts., Jasmine Jefferson 10 pts.

FRONTIER
La Reina 42, Grace Brethren 28
LR: Jenna Burge 13 pts. & Kate Jankowski 11 pts.

HERITAGE
Milken 69, L.A. Lutheran 27
Milken: Kim Hakim 17 pts., Jessica Sabbah & Whitney Ghodsian 14 pts.
L.A. Lutheran: Natalia Toledo 17 pts.
Milken completes first undefeated league season in school history.

LIBERTY
Viewpoint 40, Buckley 38
VP: Crystal Allaf 13 pts. & Lexi Sharma 11 pts.
Buck: Lindsey Schapiro game-high 21 points.

MISSION
Louisville 41, Flintridge Sacred Heart 24
Lville: Amanda Arnold - Triple-double (18 pts., 12 rebs., & 10 steals)

Notre Dame 50, Alemany 31
Notre Dame: Mel Madriaga 12 pts. & Kodi Burke 12 pts., 12 rebs.
Alemany: Jackie Sanchez 12 pts.
Notre Dame clinches at least a share of league title.

OLYMPIC
Montclair Prep 31, Cerritos Valley Christian 26

PACIFIC
Burbank 47, Crescenta Valley 40
Bur: Kristin Craword 14 pts., 7 assists;, Anasik Zohrabi & Tiffany Deramus 11, Kendra Carter 5 pts, 17 reb.,
CV: Cassie Pappas 17 pts.

PREP
Flintridge Prep 48, Chadwick 40
Flintridge Prep: Megan Musashi game-high 21 points.
Rebels wins 7th straight league title and extends league winning streak to 42 games.

TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christian 71, Santa Clara 44
Oaks Chr.: Chelsea Carlisle 21 pts., 7 assists, Katie Brooks 16 pts., 10 rebs., Christine Escoto 13 pts., 5 assts.

St. Bonaventure 44, Oak Park 32
OP: Erin Somers 10 pts.

NONLEAGUE
Hillcrest Christian (GH) 54, Pacifica Christian 35
HCGH: Britanny Espinoza 22 pts., Aundrea Dava 16 pts., & Justina Veloz 12 pts., 5 stls.

Another easy basketball victory for Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, another milestone for Jrue Holiday.

Holiday scored 38 points Tuesday in a 73-43 victory over visiting Montclair Prep of Panorama City, eclipsing former Simi Valley standout Don MacLean (2,243 points, 1986-88) as the San Fernando Valley area’s third all-time scorer with 2,281 points, according to Cal-Hi Sports.

With one Olympic League game remaining, plus the Southern Section playoffs (and probably the CIF State playoffs), Holiday trails only Mitchell Butler (2,682 points, Oakwood, 1986-89) and Greg Goorjian (2,506 points, Crescenta Valley, 1976-78).

Holiday added 17 rebounds, nine steals, four assists and a blocked shot, helping the Vikings to their 112th victory in 124 games since his arrival four years ago. Teammate Dallas Rutherford scored 18 points, and James Johnson chipped in 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

“It was a good night,” Campbell Hall’s Max Rose said. “It’s the last game here for the seniors, so I got to play more minutes than usual.”

Montclair Prep (13-8, 5-4) committed 32 turnovers but fared than its last game against the Vikings, who defeated the Mounties by 46 points three weeks ago.

A scuffle broke out in the second quarter. Montclair Prep’s Padraic Kane, who appeared to throw a punch, was called for technical and ejected from the game, while Campbell Hall’s Johnson was cited for a technical.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
(661) 713-3691
.

Second-half rally keeps streak alive for Rebels
The Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge girls’ basketball team continued its Prep League dominance Tuesday, clinching its seventh straight title with a 48-40 victory at Chadwick of Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Rebels (19-5, 11-0) also extended their league game winning streak to 42 games and will look to complete a perfect league campaign for the third straight season Thursday against Pasadena Poly.
Flintridge Prep rallied from a five-point halftime deficit, limiting the Dolphins to just 13 points in the second half.
The Rebels took a 12-4 lead early in the first quarter when Courtney Robinson, the only senior on the team, picked up her second foul. Robinson sat out the rest of the first half and Chadwick (15-6, 9-3) took advantage, building a 27-22 halftime lead and extending the lead to seven early in the third quarter.
Megan Musashi scored a game-high 21 points and Robinson added eight for the Rebels.

Here are the results from the Mission League finals at Chaminade, where the top performers qualified for the Southern Section Central division individual championshps Feb. 15-16 at Brea Olinda.

103
1. Ramin Sobati, Chaminade, Soph. 2. Alex Schmidt, Alemany, Soph. 3. Christian Vemoy, Crespi, Fr.

112
1. Ben Kogan, Harvard-Westlake, Fr. 2. Adam Moreno, Chaminade, Jr. 3. Corey Wynn, Brentwood, Fr.

119
1.Craig Seidenglanz, Chaminade, Soph. 2. John Harris, Alemany, Sr. 3. Garret Morris, Crespi, Soph.

127
1. Gavin Ross, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. 2. Steven Flores, Alemany, Jr. 3. Gurjeet Gill, Chaminade, Soph.

132
1. Spencer Friedman, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. 2. Paul Romero, Alemany, Sr. 3. Alex Bader, Crespi, Soph.

135
1. Gary Espinoza, Alemany, Jr. 2. Anthony Micelli, Brentwood, Jr. 3. Tarek Tohme, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.

140
1. Richard Leuchter, Harvard-Westlake, Sr. 2. Johnny Artner, Crespi, Jr. 3. Mike Villegas, Alemany, Sr.

147
1. Daniel Meer, Harvard-Westlake, Sr. 2. Dax Grove, Crespi, Sr. 3. Behrod Gramian, Brentwood, Jr.

152
1. Mikio Island, Crespi, Jr. 2. Hank Murr, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. 3. Henry Stevvens, Brentwood, Fr.

160
1. Sean Cochran, Chaminade, Sr. 2. Evan Ryan, Harvard-Westlake, Jr. 3. John Kearns, Crespi, Soph.

171
1. Anthony Espinoza, Alemany, Soph. 2. Ryan Callahan, Crespi, Jr. 3. Brian Shultz, Harvard-Westlake, Fr.

189
1. Rudy De La Cruz, Brentwood, Sr. 2. Chris Carter, Crespi, Jr., 3. Steven Ray, Chaminade, Soph.

217
1. Akeem Gonzales, Alemany, Fr. 2. Mark Haskell, Crespi, Jr. 3. Nathan Romo, Chaminade, Soph.

HWT
1. Geo Ketchedijian, Alemany, Sr. 2. Mikey Stone, Brentwood, Soph. 3. Karim Williams, Crespi, Sr.

Team Results
1. Harvard-Westlake 152
2. Alemany 146
3. Crespi 141.5
4. Chaminade 106
5. Brentwood 86

Considering Campbell Hall defeated Montclair Prep by 46 points three weeks, this one is a lot closer than you'd think -- with Campbell Hall up just 17-15 after one quarter. But Campbell Hall has reeled off a 10-0 run to begin the second quarter, so it could be another long night for the Mounties.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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Two of the San Fernando Valley’s most successful programs go head to head tonight in this Olympic League matchup between the visiting Montclair Prep Mounties against host Campbell Hall of North Hollywood. Stay tuned ….

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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Birmingham linebacker T.J. Rosas is expected to sign a letter of intent with Division II Minnesota State Moorhead at Fargo, according to coach Ed Croson.

Birmingham quarterback Exavier Johnson got his first official scholarship offer today. Johnson has gotten interest from Fresno State and Idaho State, but Utah State offered him on Tuesday and he's considering it pretty heavily, according to Birmingham coach Ed Croson.

Football coach Jeremiah Ross won’t leave Crespi of Encino to coach at state power Clovis West, despite reports he was the top candidate to fill the Clovis West vacancy created when Marty Martin (ex-Village Christian) was fired last month.

“I pulled my name out of the job. I’m staying at Crespi,” Ross said today (Tuesday). “I owed it to my family to look into it at Clovis West, but the deciding factor was I love the kids at Crespi and I love the school. It would be too hard to leave. This is where my heart is.

"I don’t plan on going anywhere soon. There are too many good people at Crespi and too many good things going on.”

In three years, Ross, 31, is 28-11, winning the Southern Section Div. X title in his first season in 2005, and finishing as the Pac-5 runner-up this past season. Standout quarterback Bryan Bennett is among Crespi's returning starters for next season.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com
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Crespi is holding its baseball alumni game Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. at College of the Canyons. The Celts want to get the word out in hopes of a good turnout for a planned celebration of the five-year anniversary of their 2003 Southern Section championship.

This is the last week of the regular season for hoops.

Some intriguing boys games for this week.

Tuesday February 5

Montclair Prep at Campbell Hall
Foothill league games

Wednesday February 6

Thousand Oaks at Simi Valley
St. Bonaventure at Malibu
Loyola at Chaminade
Van Nuys at North Hollywood

Thursday February 7

Crossroads at Montclair Prep
Campbell Hall at Brentwood
Foothill league games

Moorpark's Molly Carson set a Ventura County record with 10 3-pointers in host Moorpark's 67-42 Marmonte League victory over Calabasas. The senior connected on 10 of 15 shots from behind on the arch, scoring a game-high 32 points. Lauren Carter added 27 points for the Raiders who improved to 14-10 overall and 7-5 in league.
Danielle Ploufsand scored 10 points for Calabasas (9-16, 0-12).

Running back Milton Knox of Birmingham of Lake Balboa has been named EA Sports second-team All-American as a multi-purpose player.

The third-team selections included quarterback Dayne Crist (Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks) and running back Delano Howell (Hart of Newhall).

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

Birmingham continued its perfect season by making its playoff debut Monday with a 17-6 victory over Eagle Rock in the City Section quarterfinals at Panorama High.
The top-seeded Patriots (17-0), who had received a first-round bye, advance to Wednesday's semifinal against No. 4 Venice at Panorama.
Sophomore Darin Weltsch led Birmingham with five goals and nine steals. His senior brother, Gavin Weltsch, added four goals. Patriots goalie Adrian Almeida made eight saves.
"They're pretty confident," Birmingham coach Chris Laidig said. "It's a lot of pressure. Being undefeated isn't easy, but if they play their game they'll do alright."
Birmingham is 27-0 in the two seasons since the City reinstated water polo. The Patriots have two lopsided victories over Venice this season, and if they can beat the Gondoliers again Wednesday they'll get a chance to play for the City's first championship in the sport in more than 30 years. The final is 6 p.m. Friday at John Argue Stadium.
About all that worries the Patriots now is how their season has paralleled that of the team with the same name, the New England Patriots, who also entered the postseason 16-0 but lost in Sunday's Super Bowl.
"We're getting superstitious," Laidig said. "Hopefully our ending will be better."

According to an AP story in USA Today, a a high school wrestling coach in Pittsburgh accused of biting a wrestler in the leg has agreed to resign rather than face possible criminal charges, police said.

Mike Marshall bit the wrestler from Central Cambria High at practice Jan. 21, according to officials.

The bite reportedly caused bruising, but did not draw blood, McGough said. The unidentified student did not want to prosecute and opted to drop the matter if Marshall agreed to resign, police said.

Trevor Matern, a three-year starting infielder for Hart of Newhall, has committed to a USF scholarship, picking the Dons over Westmont College, Loyola Marymount and Harvard.

He's the fourth Hart returnee to commit to a four-year college, following Mike Montgomery (Cal State Fullerton) and Bryan Lucas (Cal Poly Pomona) and Jenzen Torres (Cal Poly Pomona).

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

Quartz Hill had an encouraging weekend at the Golden League finals, where the Rebels finished in first, had three league champions and 12 qualifiers for the Southern Section Northern individual championships.
There was also reason to be encouraged about the future. Freshmen Eric Arce (103) and Ben Harvey (189) were promoted to varsity as injury replacements, and both took second in their weight class. Harvey had gone 27-0 at the JV level. The freshmen are expected to remain with the team for this weekend's Southern Section duals.
Quartz Hill's league champions were Jacob Ricker (130), Josh Randenberg (152) and Dan Thomas (215).
"It was really cool," Thomas said. "It sucked last year when I came in second, I had to wait a whole year to make up for that. It was cool to take first individually and as a team to prove we are the No. 1 team in the valley. Our lineup's pretty solid."

Hart baseball senior infielder Trevor Matern has committed to San Francisco. Matern batted .355 last season.

Ian Francis has been going off for tiny Discovery Prep of Pacoima, a City Section small school. Francis, a 6-foot-8 senior, is averaging 30.5 points, and get this: He's a point guard.

"Oh my god, he's unbelievable," said coach Shawn Bankhead, a former Cleveland of Reseda standout in the early 1990s. "I think he's going to be real special. I let him run the point."

Playing a part-time schedule, Discovery Prep is 6-7 with two games remaining, including tonight's 6:30 matchup against seniorless Vaughn Learning Center at Van Nuys High.

"Vaughn doesn't have anyone over 6-feet tall, so Ian might score 50 tonight," Bankhead said. "He's a good prospect, and he has a 3.5 GPA and 1500 SAT score."

Francis, a fifth-year senior, transferred from Granada Hills, where he averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds last season in limited minutes.

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

Joey Sandfrey, an Antelope Valley offensive lineman, has committed to a full scholarship at Quincy University, an NAIA school in Illinois. He is slated to sign Wednesday.

"It's a full ride, so Joey won't have to pay for anything -- and it's a private school, so that's a heck of a lot of money," Antelope Valley coach Brett Pape said. "He is really excited. He's a real good high school football players but not a DI kid, so this gives him an opportunity to go somewhere and still play. it's kind of the best of both worlds."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

With one week remaining in the regular season it looks like many area teams will qualify for the playoffs.

Here is a breakdown.

Agape league

Antelope Valley Christian of Lancaster. In 4th place right now.

Alpha league

Village Christian of Sun Valley in third place. Also ranked No. 3 in Division IV-A.

Delphic league

Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth and L.A. Baptist. Sierra Canyon is ranked No. 2 in Division V-A.

Desert Mountain league

Desert Christian of Lancaster in second place.

Foothill league

Hart of Newhall, Saugus, Valencia and Canyon.

Frontier league

La Reina of Thousand Oaks and possibly Malibu.

Golden league

Knight of Palmdale, Quartz Hill and Palmdale.

Heritage league

Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills and Los Angeles Lutheran

High Desert league

Rosamond, Desert and possibly Mojave.

Liberty league

Buckley of Sherman Oaks, Viewpoint of Calabasas, Oakwood of North Hollywood. Holy Martyrs of Encino should also get in at-large.

Marmonte league

Royal of Simi Valley, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark.

Mission league

Harvard Westlake of North Hollywood, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Chaminade of West Hills and Alemany of Mission Hills battling for third place.

Olympic league

Montclair Prep of Panorama City in third place.

Omega league

Newbury Park Adventist, Trinity Lutheran of Reseda and San Fernando Valley Academy of Northridge.

Pacific league

Burroughs of Burbank, Burbank and Crescenta Valley all sit behind league leader Muir of Pasadena.

Pacific View league

Rio Mesa of Oxanrd could take third place.

Prep league

Flintridge Prep of La Canada.

Rio Hondo league

La Canada battling for third place.

Santa Cruz league

Bell Jeff of Burbank can win title.

Tri-Valley league

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Oak Park.

Westside league

A.G.B.U. of Canoga Park, Highland Hall of Northridge, Glendale Adventist and West Valley Christian of West Hills all can make the playoffs.

Royal's dominance of the Marmonte League continued at Saturday's league finals. After completing an undefeated run through league to secure a fifth consecutive Marmonte team title earlier in the week, the Highlanders had a school-record 11 finalists at the individual tournament. Fourteen of Royal's wrestlers qualified for the Southern Section meet.
Highlighting Royal's six champions were Mike Dumelle (140) and Aaron VanDriessche (160), who clinched their titles with pins.
Royal looks to ride that momentum into next weekend's Southern Section duals, where the Highlanders will be aiming for a third title in four years.

Here are all the winners from the Marmonte finals
103: Jeff Tabachinick, Agoura
112: Collin Sasaki, Thousand Oaks
119: Philip Dimalanta, Royal
125: Kyle Nance, Moorpark
130: Chris Barr, Simi Valley
135: Behrod Katebian, Thousand Oaks
140: Mike Dumelle, Royal
145: Thomas Lang, Westlake
152: Sergio Cortez, Royal
160: Aaron VanDriessche, Royal
171: Pascal Combs-Knoke, Agoura
189: Matt Rulon, Royal
215: Dillon Brockert, Thousand Oaks
Heavyweight: Diego Vargas, Royal

Taft High School and USC's Steve Smith just had a key first-down catch for the New York Giants on their fourth quarter touchdown drive. After Smith's catch, Eli Manning threw a TD to David Tyree to give the Giants a 10-7 lead in the fourth....

Our very own Scott Wolf reports Birmingham receiver De'Von Flournoy, a junior, has made an early verbal committment to USC. Running back/linebacker Patrick Hall of St. Bonaventure also committed to the Trojans.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Milton Knox said he loved his visit to Notre Dame this past weekend, according to scout.com, though he did not commit. He said he wil announce his college choice Wednesday.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

HIGH DESERT
Desert Christian 7, Mammoth 0
Robyn Estrada scored two goals and had three assists and Jaide Garcia had a goal and two assists for Desert Christian who extended its unbeaten streak to 36 games. Cara Eskenazi, Kylee Hall, Kristina Hulse, and Kristyn Richards each added a goal for the Knights (17-0-1, 10-0).

TRI-VALLEY
Oak Park 3, Nordhoff 2
Ciara Zeolla, Kathryn Klamecki, Melanie Gaball each scored a goal for Oak Park (11-6-4, 7-3-1). Lauren Kawamoto added two assists for the Eagles.

Ocean View 80
Servite 60

Canyon of Anaheim 62
Los Alamitos 50

UCLA bound guard Jerime Anderson scored 26 points to lead Canyon.

JSerra 74
Colony of Ontario 53

Junior Demetrius Walker poured in 25 points to lead JSerra. Alec Williams added 22 points.

Sophomore Tyler Lamb scored 23 points but had 10 turnovers and no assists for Colony.

Orange Lutheran 78
Brea-Olinda 59

Dominguez of Compton 59
Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita 55

Jordan Hamilton scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds to lead Dominguez, whose only two losses this season have come against Taft of Woodland Hills..

Zack Zaragoza, Jaime Serna and Klay Thompson scored 16, 14 and 11 points respectively for Santa Margarita.

Westchester of Los Angeles 75
De La Salle of Concord 56

Five players scored in double figures for Westchester. Oscar Bellfield and Jarred Dubois each had 13 points.

Just got a call from Erik Boal at Oak Park.

Oaks Christian is handling neighborhood rival Oak Park.

Halftime score is 30-6. Yes, only six points.

Oak Park is a paltry 3 of 21 shooting so far. Oak Park missed its first 11 shots from the field.

With one week left in the regular season many area teams look like they will qualify for the post-season.

Here is a brekdown.

Agape league

Antelope Valley Christian of Lancaster has a chance for fourth place. Division IV-A for the playoffs.

Alpha league

L.A. Baptist could finish in second place. Also IV-A playoffs.

Delphic league

Paraclete of Lancaster is out.

Desert Mountain league

Desert Christian of Lancaster can finish in second or third place. V-AA for playoffs.

Foothill league

Valencia and Saugus battling for first place. All teams in this league can qualify. Golden Valley, despit being winless in league needs only one win for 12 wins, which would make them eligible for an at-large berth.

Frontier league

Malibu has good chance for second place. V-A for playoffs.

Golden league

Three way tie for first right now between Lancaster, Highland and Knight. Antelope Valley should hold on for fourth place.

Heritage league

Faith Baptist of Canoga Park should finish in second place behind Milken Community of Los Angeles. Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills should get third place.

High Desert league

Rosamond, Desert and Kern Valley; 1,2,3.

International league

Delphi Academy of Lake View Terrace might get fourth place. IV-A playoffs.

Liberty league

Buckley of Sherman Oaks, Holy Martyrs of Encino and Viewpoint of Calabasas; 1,2,3. IV-A playoffs.

Marmonte league

Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Agoura and Westlake; 1,2,3,4.

Mission league

Loyola, Harvard Westlake, Crespi and either Chaminade or Verbum Dei for last spot. I-AA playoffs.

Olympic league

Campbell Hall will win league. Montclair Prep should hang on for third place. III-AA playoffs.

Omega league

Newbury Park Adevntist will win league. Westmark of Encino and First Lutheran of Sylmar should also qualify. San Fernando Valley Academy has a chance.

Pacific league

Hoover, Crescenta Valley, Glendale all tied for second place. Burroughs and Burbank should qualify as well.

Pacific View league

Camarillo in second place

Prep league

Flintridge Prep and Pasadena Poly tied for first place.

Santa Fe league

St. Genevieve and possibly Bell Jeff.

Tri-Valley league

Oak Park and Oaks Christian looking good.

Westside league

Valley Torah of Valley Village top two in this league

There will be no drought of talent at Mater Dei of Santa Ana today.

Mater Dei hosts the Nike Extravaganza featuring teams such as Dominguez of Compton, Westchester of Los Angeles, Fairfax of Los Angeles and host Mater Dei.

Top players such as Jordan Hamilton (Dominguez), Klay Thompson (Santa Margarita), Dwayne Polee (Westchester), Renardo Sidney (Fairfax) and David and Travis Wear (Mater Dei) will be on hand trying to lead their teams to victory.

The evening session is when things will get interesting.

Dominguez vs. Santa Margarita, 4:30 p.m.
Westchester vs. De La Salle of Concord, 6:00 p.m.
Fairfax vs. St. Patrick's, N.J., 7:30 P.M.
Mater Dei vs. Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 9:00 p.m.

LIBERTY
Buckley 34, Holy Martyrs 31
Jackie Sparagna and Lindsey Schapiro scored 13 points each for visiting Buckley (14-7, 6-1).
Patil Ingean scored 13 points for Holy Martyrs (15-9, 4-4).

OLYMPIC
Montclarie Prep 51, Brentwood 44
Jazzmin Lewis scored a game-high 20 points and Baily Huff added 19 to lead the visiting Mounties (19-5, 5-3).

PACIFIC
Crescenta Valley 47, Burroughs 41
Cassie Pappas scored a game-high 23 points and had 11 rebounds for the Falcons (17-8, 7-5).
Samantha Cross led Burroughs (16-9, 9-3) with 13 points.

Burbank 43, Pasadena 21
Kendra Carter had 14 points and Chanel Chun added 10 for the the host Bulldogs (18-7, 8-3).

PREP
Flintridge Prep 60, Rio Hondo Prep 39
Megan Susashi scored a game-high 25 points for the host Rebels who remain undefeated in league witha 10-0 record (18-5 overall).

SUNSET SIX
Poly 70, North Hollywood 47
Shaina Smith scored 38 points in the loss for the Huskies (6-12, 4-4).
Sara Villanueva had 23 points, Christine Hernandez had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Alex Gallardo added 12 for Poly (13-6, 7-1).

Verdugo Hills 39, Canoga Park 30
Kianee Bailey scored 11 points for the host Dons (3-9, 2-6).

WEST VALLEY
Birmingham 43, El Camino Real 38
Coral Laolagi had 16 points, 13 rebounds and six steals and Crystal Briones added 11 points for host Birmingham (8-10, 2-6).
Brooke Amenta led El Camino Real (12-10, 3-5) with 10 points.

Chatsworth 65, Granada Hills 28
Kimberly Brandon had 18 points and 16 rebounds and Monica Jackson added 15 points for host Chatsworth (19-5, 8-0).
Reyneisha Mays scored eight points to lead Granada Hills (11-7, 4-4).

Taft 78, Cleveland 61
Host Taft (14-6, 6-2) had three players score in double figures lead by Rmanii Hanyes had 21 points, seven assists and five steals. Joy Hubbard scored 15 points and had eight rebounds and Amber Dixon added 10 points and seven steals.
Nichelae Henderson scored a game-high 24 points, Alexa Davison had 19 points for Cleveland (15-11, 1-7).

FOOTHILL
Hart 3, Golden Valley 0
Saugus 1, Valencia 0

FRONTIER
Grace Brethren 1, Carpinteria 0

GOLDEN
Highland 1, Lancaster 0

MARMONTE
Thousand Oaks 6, Calabasas 0
Westlake 2, Simi Valley 0

TRI-VALLEY
Oaks Christain 1, La Reina

WEST VALLEY
El Camino Real 4, Cleveland 1
Looks like the sleeping giant has awoken. After starting league play 0-2, El Camino Real has won five straight. The Conquistadores (6-8-2, 5-2) avenged a 3-2 to loss to Cleveland on Jan. 15. It was the Cavaliers first victory over El Camino Real in program history.
Michelle Somers scored a goal and had an assist. Katie Etcher, Lindsey Forte and Jessica Stadheim each scored a goal for El Camino.
Emily Grubman scored the lone goal for Cleveland (12-10-1, 3-4-1).

EXTRA, EXTRA
Viewpoint 10, Santa Clarita Chistian 3
Harley Joffe scored four goals, Gabriela Capisani had three, Samantha Piellez had two and Morgan Steinberg add a goal for Viewpoint (10-7-2, 8-0) in a victory Thursday.

Austin Mandel of Montclair Prep broke the Area scoring record during a 8-2 Delphic League over Kilpatrick. Mandel's second of this three scores broke the record of 114 goals in a career, previously held by Craig Sherman of Oakwood of North Holllywood. Mandel now has 116 in his career. He also leads the state in points and is tied for the lead in scoring with 31 goals.

Cleveland kept things competitve for about as long expected -- Taft was up by four midway through the first period -- but it didn't take long for Taft's expansive talent to overwhelm the host Cavaliers, and it's 51-28 at the half.

You can pretty much put this in the fridge. Taft is on its way to clinching the West Valley League title tonight. Will check in again if things get crazy ...

gerry gittelson@dailynews.com
(818) 713 3691

Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross is a candidate to be the new coach at state power Clovis West, replacing Marty Martin (ex-Village Christian of Sun Valley), who was fired Jan. 22.

"They contacted me. I have not interviewed," Ross said. "They know I lived in Fresno. All they've done is contact me."

Check the Daily News tomorrow for more coverage.

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

The Taft-Cleveland series is always one of the San Fernando Valley's most anticipated showdowns, as the area's top two City teams go to head to head.

Tonight, Taft can win the West Valley League title for the seventh time over the past eight years -- last year's title was forfeited -- so there is plenty on the line in this attractive matchup between the high-powered Toreadors (18-3, 7-0) and the host Cavaliers (17-6, 6-1).

Taft, led by Larry Drew, has defeated Clevelan six times in a row since late 2004.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The area's most sought after boys' water polo player is getting closer to making a college commitment. Agoura's Peter Kurzeka has narrowed his choices to USC, UCLA and 2007 national champion Cal.
Kurzeka was the Southern Section Div. IV Player of the Year and repeated as Daily News Player of the Year after leading Agoura to the division championship and scoring a school-record 143 goals this past fall. In December he was selected to the U.S. Men's Senior National "B" training squad.

After a 16-0 start, Harvard-Westlake was handed its first loss of the season on Thursday. The Mission League champion Wolverines, ranked No. 1 in Div. IV, lost 9-5 to Whittier, the No. 2 team in Div. III, in the opening round of the Irvine tournament. Harvard-Westlake continues in the tournament this afternoon with a game against Long Beach Poly.

Dennis Hughes has been fired as the football coach at Hoover in Glendale, according to a story by Grant Gordon in the Glendale News-Press.
Hughes was 1-19 over the past two seasons and 30-118-3 over two stints at the school.

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

Birmingham tight end Rafael Lopez, an early Nevada commit, has changed his mind and has committed to Columbia, according to scout.com.

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