September 2008 Archives

CaliforniaPreps.com will be co-sponsoring a showcase event Sunday October 26 at Van Nuys High featuring top seniors and juniors from all over Southern California.

The website will be evaluating and ranking all participants for recruiting and exposure purposes. The website will also provide stats and boxscores for each game, stories and photos.

For more information, contact Charles White at userwh327@aol.com

8-Man football is sometimes forgotten amongst all the big-time 11-man programs but four area schools are in the latest edition of the Southern Section Top-10 poll.

Faith Baptist of Canoga Park is top-ranked, Santa Clarita Christian of Canyon Country is No. 3, Montclair Prep of Van Nuys is No. 6 and Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth is No. 9.

Megan Norton had 44 kills for Harvard-Westlake in the Archbishop Mitty volleyball tournament over the weekend in San Jose.
Harvard-Westlake finished fourth in the tournament, downing Los Gatos and Cathedral Catholic of San Diego in the first two rounds, then losing to Archbishop Mitty in the semifinals and Marymount in the third-place game.
It was the second time this season Marymount has beaten Harvard-Westlake.
Danielle Salka had 30 kills for Harvard-Westlake in the two-day tournament. Krystle Higgins had 13 blocks and Alma Guevara had 12. Jillian McAndrews recorded 37 digs in the tournament.
Thousand Oaks also played in the tournament and won the consolation bracket.
Harvard-Westlake played in the Archbishop Mitty tournament last year.
"There is a lot of good competition up there," said Harvard-Westlake coach Adam Black. "It's a good test for us before we get going in the season."
Harvard-Westlake opens Mission League play against Louisville on Thursday.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 4
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Agoura 1 vs. Sierra Canyon
10 am Agoura 1 vs. Gametymers
11 am Burroughs 1 vs. Calabasas
12 pm Burroughs 2 vs. SCV Bulldogs
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Birmingham
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Oaks Christian

at Montclair Prep HS
10 am Montclair Prep vs. Valencia
11 am Van Nuys vs. Bell-Jeff
12 pm Channel Islands vs. Canyon
1 pm Agoura 4 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
2 pm Agoura 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
3 pm Agoura 3 vs. Oakwood

at Monroe HS
10 am Monroe vs. Buckley 1
11 am Panorama vs. Buckley 2
12 am Harvard Westlake vs. Chaminade 2
1 pm Saugus 1 vs. Chaminade 1
2 pm Saugus 1 vs. Eastside
3 pm Westlake vs. St. Francis
4 pm Community Charter vs. Golden Valley

Saturday October 4

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS
10 am El Camino Real vs. Saugus
11 am Cleveland vs. Crescenta Valley
12 pm Taft vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
1 pm Oaks Christian vs. Granada Hills
2 pm Birmingham vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
3 pm 1000 Oaks vs. Burroughs
4 pm Chatsworth vs. Chaminade
5 pm Notre Dame vs. Westlake

I just got off the phone with Montclair Prep coach Greg Patterson and he said guard Daymond Cowlah received a scholarship offer from Loyola University in Maryland.

Cowlah, only 5'8, really came into his own this past spring and summer and was offered on Saturday while playing for the Mounties in the Valley Sports Foundation fall league at Montclair Prep.

Cowlah did not commit but will take an official visit to the school this winter.

"I think it is a great opportunity for Daymond," Patterson said. "He hit a $200,000 jackpot. It costs about $50,000 a year to go there."

Redlands East Valley made its debut in the Royal Classic girls volleyball tournament and won. Redlands plays in the Citrus Belt League in the Inland Empire and came in to the tournament ranked No. 1 in Div. II-AA.
"We wanted to get away from our area, play teams we don't normally see," Redlands coach Trish Vansant said.
What teams that play Redlands don't normally see our are five six-footers. Redlands sophomore Krista Vansant, the coach's daughter, is 6-foot-2 and was the MVP of the tournament.
Redlands defeated Arroyo Grande in the championship game, 25-15. Redlands knocked off La Canada in the semifinals, Flintridge Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals and Canyon of Canyon Country in the first round of playoffs.
La Canada made an impressive run in the tournament, downing La Reina in the quarterfinals and winning the third-place match against Quartz Hill.
Quartz Hill posted a couple impressive wins as well, downing Newbury Park in the first round and host Royal in the quarterfinals.
Simi Valley won the silver bracket portion of the tournament, defeating Agoura 25-17 in the consolation final.

With so much returning talent and momentum, the prospect of losing a football game never occurred to Crespi High of Encino.

But that's what happened Friday, as Crespi surrendered the first 31 points and was defeated 31-14 by St. Bonaventure of Ventura in a showdown between two of California's top programs at Ventura High.

Crespi (3-1), which advanced to the Pac-5 Division final last season, managed just 298 yards - nearly half of which was accumulated in the final five minutes as the Celts scored a couple of inconsequential touchdowns after the result was well in hand.

Crespi quarterback Bryan Bennett, who totaled seven touchdown passes over the first three games, completed just 9 of 26 for 76 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Bennett's final pass was intercepted by Kody Kurtz and returned 38 yards for touchdown to make it 31-0.

That was it for Bennett. He was replaced by Dusty Kramer, who orchestrated two touchdown drives over the final five minutes to make things a bit less disparaging.

The loss avenged a 25-9 victory last season by Crespi over the Seraphs, who lead the series 4-1.

USC-bound Patrick Hall rushed for 146 yards on four carries, scoring on runs of 53 and 82 yards. He also had an interception on defense, as defending Northern Divison champion and CIF State Div. III Bowl champion St. Bonaventure forced four turnovers.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Crespi got off to a shaky start, fumbling away a fair catch on its own 13 two minutes into the game that led to a Derek Kirk's 28-yard field goal.

The next time St. Bonaventure touched the ball, Patrick Hall scored on a 53-yard touchdown run, and just like that it was 10-0.

Crespi's next four possessions ended with a punt, an interception, then two more punts, as the Celts remained down by 10 at halftime.

Crespi totaled just 82 yards in the first half, as Bennett was 5 of 14 for 41 yards, including 2 completions and an interception over his final 11 attempts.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

...against Rosemead. It's 35-0 at the break, with Terhon O'Neal running eight times for 177 yards and two touchdowns - of 63 and 69 yards.

Starting tonight with the Hart-Westlake game, The Daily News will broadcast the Game of the Week live on the web.

To watch, just go to Dailynews.com/preps. The game is on your left hand side, about halfway down the page.

Well, here i am about 90 minutes before kickoff, getting ready for the Crespi-St. Bonaventure showdown at Ventura High.

This should be HUGE. We're talking two of California's best teams going head to head in a game that nobody has any idea who will win -- 'cept calpreps, of course, which favors Crespi by one point.

Lots of stars everywhere you look tonight. Crespi (3-0) has lots of returning talent such as quarterback Bryan Bennett, offensive linemen Hroniss Grasu and Ben Loth, receivers Kevin Cummings and Blake Stanton, linebacker Chris Carter, defensive back Mikio Island and kicker Christian Nastos.

St. Bonnie (3-0), which leads the series 3-1, has lots of talent, too, led by USC-bound all-purpose back Patrick Hall and quarterback Logan Meyer.

Should be a good one. I will update when I can. Probably at halftime and after the game, as I will again be furiously taking stats without the aid of my right-hand man, Dave Roghan.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The Saugus girls volleyball team is off to a 10-0 start, including winning the Tri-City tournament on Saturday.
The team is ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section Div. I-A poll and downed Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in three games on Wednesday night for its 10th straight win to start the season.
Saugus defeated Walnut in three games in the championship match of the Tri-City tournament on Saturday. Saugus also beat Immaculate Heart, Alverno, West Covina and Gabrielino in the tournament.
Senior outside hitter Katie Estes won the tournament MVP. She had 24 kills in the championship match against Walnut and 99 kills in five matches in the tournament. Freshman Jaclyn Clark had 19 kills in the match against Walnut.
Saugus hosts Chaminade on Wednesday night before heading to the Kennedy-La Palma tournament in Orange County on Oct. 4.

Bad news for Canyon High. High-profile transfer Antonio Bray, an Alemany transfer who is considered one of the area's top running backs, has been ruled ineligible for one year, Canyon athletic director Marlene Holomon said.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it has do with moving (residences)," Holomon said. "The paperwork wasn't signed or wasn't right. ... I'm not sure if he is staying at this school. If he does, he can eligible in one year."

Bray, a junior, scored seven touchdowns (two on kick returns) as an Alemany sophomore last year. In 2006, he averaged more than 200 yards per game for Canyon's JV team before transferring.

According to a source, Bray has made inquiries about transferring to Crespi.

Bray and Canyon coach Chris Varner could not be reached.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Saugus maintained its position as the top-ranked girls' cross country team in the California region following its dominant performance Saturday at the Woodbridge Classic, but the Centurions have some company in the latest top 10 poll.

Following a seventh-place effort in the girls' team sweepstakes race at Woodbridge, doing so while resting one of its top five runners, Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta ascended to No. 7 in the regional rankings.

For a full list of the regional rankings, click here:

The Falcons, ranked No. 3 in Southern Section Div. I, backed up their performance Saturday with a convincing victory over rival Arcadia in the first Pacific League meet Tuesday at Crescenta Valley Park.

Oak Park and West Ranch are listed among the bubble teams waiting to crack the top 10.

Although the Saugus girls' cross country team has already ascended to the top of the national rankings according to the Mile Split Network, the Centurions were waiting to see if their performances at the Seaside Invitational and Woodbridge Classic would propel them to similar heights in Marc Bloom's Super 25 rankings in the latest edition of Harrier Magazine.

Saugus did move up a spot from the preseason rankings, but only to No. 2, setting up a potential epic showdown between the Centurions and two-time national champion -- and current No. 1 -- Fayetteville-Manlius of New York on Dec. 6 in Portland, Ore., at the Nike Cross Nationals.

For the full national rankings, click here:

Saugus surged past previous Harrier No. 2 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake of New York, which has struggled in the opening month of the season and fell to No. 8.

Fayetteville-Manlius competes in its first major invitational Saturday. Saugus doesn't race again until Oct. 4 at the Barnes/Staub Invitational at Crescenta Valley Park, The Centurions and several other area powers will then get a test run Oct. 11 at the Clovis Invitational on the state meet course at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The Woodlands in Texas, which took second to Saugus at Saturday's Woodbridge Classic, moved from No. 23 to No. 21. Dana Hills of Dana Point, the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. I, made its debut at No. 24 and was the only other California girls' team to be recognized by Bloom.

In honor of paying $11 to enter the campground and park at Castaic Lake for the first Foothill League cross country meet, here are 11 things that were worth the price of admission Thursday:

11. Natalie Malone's victory in 20:32 in the girls' junior varsity race, giving Saugus five individual winners in six races, including a sweep of all three female events. Canyon's Mason Bouchet (17:26) and Joe Pineda (17:26) denied the Centurions a sweep of the boys' races, winning the JV event ahead of Saugus' Zach McGraw (17:31).

10. Alex Ruther (16:55) and Logan Smith (17:08) finishing first and second in the boys' frosh/soph race for Saugus, leading the Centurions to an easy sweep in the team competition.

9. Keri Molt's sixth-place effort of 18:56 in the girls' varsity race, putting all five of Saugus' scoring runners under 19 minutes in their first race on the revised 3-mile course.

8. Saugus freshman Karis Frankian leading a Centurions sweep of the top five spots in the girls' frosh/soph race in 19:15.

7. The late surge by Saugus senior Courtney Wilson to finish fifth in the girls' varsity race in 18:47. At Saturday's Woodbridge Classic, Wilson was Saugus' No. 8 runner. On Thursday, she was the Centurions' No. 4 runner.

6. The ongoing battle between West Ranch and Canyon for second place in the girls' varsity division. West Ranch ran a faster team time than Canyon at the Seaside Invitational on Sept. 12 and recorded a 25-31 victory Thursday over the Cowboys, thanks to a fourth-place effort from junior Bailey Miller (18:39). West Ranch's varsity team time was 99:38 to Canyon's 101:22.

Some of the top teams in the area, including three of the Daily News top 10, will be competing in the Royal tournament on Saturday.
The 32-team tournament will be played at three locations with the championship rounds starting around 5 p.m. at Royal High School in Simi Valley.
No. 6 Flintridge Sacred Heart, No. 7 La Canada and No. 10 Quartz Hill are among the teams entered in the tournament.
Teams from the Pac 5 in San Luis Obispo to Granite Hills in San Diego are entered in the tournament.
Here's a look at the teams in the eight pools in the tournament:
Pool 1
Flintridge Sacred Heart, Oak Park, San Marcos, Calabasas
Pool 2
Arroyo Grande, Chaminade, Serrano, Highland
Pool 3
Royal, Canyon, Hueneme, Alemany
Games in pools 1, 2 and 3 will be played at Royal High School.

Pool 4
Nipomo, La Reina, Hart, Newbury Park
Pool 5
Granite Hills, Atascadero, Quartz Hill, Louisville
Pool 6
Oxnard, Simi Valley, San Luis Obispo, Mayfield
Games in pools 4, 5 and 6 will be played at Simi High School.

Pool 7
La Canada, Paso Robles, Ventura, Crescenta Valley
Pool 8
Arcadia, Redlands East Valley, Agoura, Rio Mesa
Games in pools 7 and 8 will be played at Sinaloa Middle School.

Campbell Hall of North Hollywood will once again be hosting its annual Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, December 2-6.

Eight teams are scheduled to participate including Campbell Hall, Palisades, Highland, Muir, Antelope Valley, Hoover, Poly of Sun Valley and Village Christian.

The pools and match-ups won't be released for a couple of weeks but here is the time breakdown.

Game times for Dec. 2-5 are:

4:30pm
6:00pm
7:30pm

Dec. 6 is the last day of the tournament and the schedule is as follows:

Championship: 7 p.m.
Third place: 5 p.m.
Fifth place: 3 p.m.
Seventh place: 1 p.m.

Congrats and farewell to former Daily News sports reporter Roman Veytsman, who is headed East for a dream job as a TV production assitant for ESPN in Bristol, Conn.

Of late, Veytsman has been working at the Signal, and his last day is today.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

"Second Chance Season," a documentary on former USC and Cleveland of Reseda star and current Washington Wizard Nick Young has been moved and will air at 7:30 tonight on ESPN2.

The movie was originally scheduled to air at 9:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2.

The documentary focuses on Young's life growing up, the hardships he endured including the killing of his brother, his transfer to Cleveland High and eventually making it to USC and the NBA.

A must see for everybody, not just basketball fans. If you liked Glory Road or Blue Chips or any other basketball movie, this will blow it away. A great story of perseverance, family, friends and always believing.

-- Jacob H. Pollon

Since moving to the Marmonte League in 2002, the Calabasas High girls' tennis team has not only boasted the most talent, but the deepest rosters of any group in the league.

With their most talented player, senior Sabrina Man-Son-Hing, missing Tuesday's match to attend to a family matter, the Coyotes again relied on their depth to extend one of the area's most impressive winning streaks.

Florence Hernandez and Emily Weissberg both swept in singles to lead host Calabasas to an 11-7 victory over upstart Simi Valley, increasing its league winning streak to 85 in a row.

"It's sad we didn't have Sabrina, but I'm really happy that we won," said senior Amy Rebhun, who teamed with Candace Goodman to win twice in doubles. "Hopefully this is the start of good things for us. We still need to pick it up in doubles, but I'm really happy about the win."

Krystal Hansard won twice in singles for Calabasas (2-2, 1-0). Lexi Daniels and Jessica Phan swept in doubles for Simi Valley (3-1, 0-1).

Senior Frank Hwang scored two goals and Paul Miernicki and Tim Perry added one apiece for La Canada, but the Spartans fell to Harvard-Westlake of Studio City 5-4 in a nonleague game between the top two teams in the Daily News rankings at Pasadena City College.

Harvard-Westlake (3-0), ranked No. 4 in the Southern Section Div. I, scored the decisive goal in a man-up situation after leading then being tied with La Canada throughout most of the game.

The Spartans (0-2), ranked No. 4 in Div. II, previously dropped their season opener to JSerra of San Juan Capistrano, 12-9, on Sept. 17.

Before edging La Canada, the Wolverines had beaten JSerra, 11-4, on Sept. 12 and topped Corona del Mar of Newport Beach 12-8, on Sept. 17. Corona del Mar is ranked third in Div. I.

-- Lauren Peterson

Keegan Hornbuckle, a top returning basketball player at Campbell Hall, has committed to Colorado.

"It's a great fit for him. it's perfect," Campbell Hall coach Terry Kelly said. "He picked Colorado over two or three Pac-10 schools because he fits in so well there."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Chris Reed, an All-Daily News preaseason defensive lineman from Canyon, has endured a tough week. On Friday, he was hospitalized in Riverside after injuring his neck in a 16-6 victory at Norco.

"I thought I was done (for the season)," Reed said.

Though Reed spent two nights in the hospital, he said the neck injury was not deemed serious. Then, on Monday he was hit a by car in front of Canyon, sending him back to the hospital overnight because of a knee injury.

"The driver was a mother of one of the students, I'm not sure who," Reed said. "It looks like I'm going to have an MRI because my knee is killing me. I'm hoping to be back (in three weeks) for the start of league."

Reed, a junior, is a Crespi transfer.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Sergio Sylvestre, a 6-foot-8, 385-pound offensive lineman who transferred from St. Bernard to Crespi this past summer, has been ruled ineligible because of undue influence, Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons confirmed today.

Sylvestre, a senior, would have been the biggest player in Crespi history.

Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross does not think the ruling is fair.

"It's unfortunate because the kid didn't even play football last year, so how is that recruiting?" Ross said. "It is what it is. Nobody on my staff has been recruiting kids. It was ruled an outside influence. ... St. Bernard didn't do anything for the kid. They didn't even get equipment to fit him."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The first CIF Southern Section coaches poll for girls volleyball was released Monday.
Harvard-Westlake opened at No. 5 in its new Div. I-AA. La Canada was No. 1 in the Div. II-A poll. Village Christian is on top of the Div. III-AA poll and Santa Clarita Christian is tops in the Div. V-AA poll.
Here's a look at the top 10s in each division:

Div. I-AA
1. Mira Costa
2. Wilson/LB
3. Los Alamitos
4. Lakewood
5. Harvard-Westlake
6. Newport Harbor
7. Thousand Oaks
8. Orange Lutheran
9. Rosary
10. Flintridge Sacred Heart

Div. I-A
1. Marymount
2. Santa Barbara
3. Dos Pueblos
4. El Dorado
5. El Toro
6. Upland
7. Notre Dame Academy
8. Saugus
9. Trabuco Hills
10. Valencia

Div. II-AA
1. Redlands East Valley
2. Bishop Montgomery
3. Corona del Mar
4. South Torrance
5. Walnut
6. Corona
7. Diamond Bar
8. South Hills
9. Poly/R
10. St Lucy's

Div. II-A
1. La Canada
2. Elsinore
3. Oak Park
4. Oaks Christian
5. La Reina
6. Oxnard
7. Cypress
8. California
9. La Habra
10. Santa Fe

Div. III-AA
1. Village Christian
2. Quartz Hill
3. Brentwood
4. Bonita
5. Santa Ynez
6. Los Altos
7. Warren
8. Valley Christian
9. La Quinta
10. Lancaster

Div. III-A
1. Mayfield
2. San Gabriel
3. Chadwick
4. Santa Monica
5. Gabrielino
6. Bell Gardens
7. San Dimas
8. Westridge
9. Cerritos
10. Ganesha

Div. IV-AA
1. Whittier Christian
2. Viewpoint
3. St Margaret's
4. Ontario Christian
5. Calvary Murrieta
6. Arrowhead Christian
7. Laguna Blanca
8. Woodcrest Christian
9. Mary Star of the Sea
10. Sage Hill

Div. IV-A
1. Notre Dame/Riverside
2. Big Bear
3. Bishop Conaty
4. Upland Christian
5. Nordhoff
6. Grace Brethren
7. Twentynine Palms
8. Desert Chapel
9. Baptist Christian
10. Desert Christian/BD

Div. V-A
1. Santa Clarita Christian
2. Milken Community
3. Connelly
4. Coastal Christian
5. Xavier Prep
6. Victor Valley Christian
7. Saddleback Valley Christian
8. Lighthouse Christian
9. Hesperia Christian
10. Hillcrest Christian/GH

Div V-A
1. Pacifica Christian
2. Wildwood
3. Marywood-Palm Valley
4. Cornerstone Chr/C
5. Lee Vining
6. Cornerstone Chr/W
7. Eastside Christian
8. Nuview Bridge
9. Calvary Baptist
10. Trinity Lutheran

The Oaks Christian girls volleyball team lost to Brentwood on Monday, the same day Oaks Christian had a memorial for Paul Long, an English teacher and advisor at the school who was killed in the Metrolink train crash on Sept. 12.
All of the girls on the Oaks Christian team went to the memorial at the Calvary Chapel of Thousand Oaks. Long was a teacher and advisor to some of the girls on the team.
Starting senior setter Glenna Roberts sat out the final two games of the match and coach George Hees used an unfamiliar lineup against Brentwood, which won the match in three games.
With junior Kim Koros setting the final two games of the match, Oaks Christian rallied in the third game. The team built a 17-12 lead at one point, but eventually lost 25-23.
"Kim played well," Hees said. "It was not a good day for volleyball."
Libero Brina Clark also played well, recording 13 digs and trying to keep her team focused on the match.
Hees used several of his sophomores in the match. Korri Noblett brought some much needed energy to the third game.
"We have a very deep team," Hees said. "It's just a matter of getting that experience. They all can start, it's just a matter of when."
Jeff Porter, the coach for Brentwood, said he knew about the memorial for Long and that the girls on the Oaks Christian team were in attendance.
"They had a lot on their plates, for sure," Porter said.

Valencia, which reached has reached the past three Southern Section Div. III championship matches, received the No. 1 ranking when the first division poll was released Monday.

For all the Southern Section girls' tennis rankings, click here:

The Vikings could meet up with another Valencia, located in Placentia, in this year's division final. Valencia of Placentia captured the Div. IV championship last season.

La Canada, a semifinalist the past two seasons in Div. III, is ranked No. 4. La Canada plays host Friday to Valencia at the La Canada Country Club.

Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, the defending Div. II champion, is No. 4 in its debut in the Div. I rankings. The Vikings play Wednesday against top-ranked Dana Hills of Dana Point -- the reigning champion -- at Laguna Niguel Racquet Center.

Rio Mesa of Oxnard, a quarterfinalist last year and semifinalist in 2006 in Div. IV, is ranked No. 7. If the Spartans can get junior Jessica Vizents -- sidelined with an injured ankle -- healthy in time for the playoffs, they could challenge top-ranked Sage Hill of Newport Beach and No. 2 Cerritos.

Viewpoint of Calabasas, the reigining Div. V champion, is ranked No. 1 and Liberty League rival Buckley of Sherman Oaks is No. 6.

Following a brilliant performance Saturday at the Mount Carmel Invitational in San Diego, where it recorded a 73-94 victory over the nation's No. 2-ranked team Dana Hills of Dana Point, Loyola of Los Angeles remained the top-ranked team in this week's Southern Section Div. II rankings, but could battle Buchanan of Clovis for the honor of the state's No. 1 team when the next poll is released.

For complete Southern Section rankings, click here:

Thousand Oaks, Saugus and Westlake occupy the Nos. 3 through 5 spots in the Div. II rankings behind Loyola and Redondo Union of Redondo Beach. Saugus took eighth in the boys' sweepstakes race Saturday at Woodbridge.

In Div. III, Agoura, La Canada and Golden Valley are ranked Nos. 7 through 9.

Following an impressive showing Thursday at the High Desert Classic in Palmdale, Paraclete of Lancaster is No. 4 in Div. IV, with Harvard-Westlake of Studio City (No. 5), L.A. Baptist of North Hills (No. 6) and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village (No. 8) also receiving recognition.

With a narrow victory over rival and third-ranked Pasadena Poly in the first Prep League meet, Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge is No. 2 in Div. V and Oakwood of North Hollywood is ranked ninth.

The Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta girls' cross country team reaped the benefits of a seventh-place showing in the sweepstakes race Saturday at the 28th annual Woodbridge Classic to move from No. 6 to No. 3 in this week's Southern Section Div. I rankings.

For complete rankings, click here:

Great Oak of Temecula, which finished third behind Saugus and The Woodlands of Texas, moved up to No. 2 behind Dana Hills of Dana Point, which competed Saturday in Hawaii.

Despite a strong showing Saturday at the Ojai Invitational, West Ranch -- 10th last week in Div. I -- was unranked this week.

Along with top-ranked Saugus in Div. II, Simi Valley is at No. 6, Newbury Park is No. 8 and Canyon is No. 9.

Oak Park remained at No. 3 in Div. III, with Agoura at No. 6.

La Reina of Thousand Oaks, which competed Saturday at the Mount Carmel Invitational in San Diego, remained the top-ranked team in Div. IV. Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge is No. 4 and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village is No. 6.

Following a disappointing showing at the first Prep League meet, Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge is No. 4 in Div. V and Bell-Jeff of Burbank -- which hosts its annual invitational Saturday at Griffith Park -- is No. 6.

"Second Chance Season", a documentary on former USC and Cleveland of Reseda star and current Washington Wizard Nick Young will air on ESPN2 Thursday night at 9:30 p.m.

The documentary focuses on Young's life growing up, the hardships he endured including the killing of his brother, his transfer to Cleveland High and eventually making it to USC and the NBA.

A must see for everybody, not just basketball fans. If you liked Glory Road or Blue Chips or any other basketball movie, this will blow it away. A great story of perseverance, family, friends and always believing.

The Quartz Hill girls volleyball team won the Hesperia tournament over the weekend. The Rebels defeated host Hesperia, 2-1, in the championship match. They beat Burroughs of Ridgecrest in the semifinals.
Kara Sherrard, a senior outside hitter for Quartz Hill, was the MVP of the tournament. Senior setter Nicky Tracy was selected to the all-tournament team.
Quartz Hill -- ranked No. 2 in Southern Section Div. III-AA -- opened its season with a five-game loss to Serrano. Sherrard had 37 kills against Serrano in the loss.
The next match for Quartz Hill is the Golden League opener against Palmdale, followed by a nonleague game against Paraclete on Wednesday, another Golden League game against Lancaster on Thursday and finally the Royal Tournament in Simi Valley on Saturday.

The MaxPreps Holiday Classic boys basketball tournament features a star studded field this year.

Dominguez of Compton and Windward of Los Angeles are two of the many high profile teams signed up.

Five local teams will compete as well. They are Simi Valley, Alemany of Mission Hills, Van Nuys, Cleveland of Reseda and Reseda High.

Phil Torres has made a living off compiling scouting reports on opposing hitters and pitchers as a former semi-pro baseball player and the current varsity coach at Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta.

So, it only seems natural that his oldest son Zack has benefited from some research of his own on his way to becoming one of the state's top distance runners.

The information came in handy Saturday at the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, as Torres benefited from a smart race strategy to come on strong in the latter part of the 3-mile race to take second in 14 minutes, 26 seconds, trailing two-champion Mac Fleet (14:22) of University City of San Diego.

"I have notes at home on all these runners," Torres said. "I thought Mac ran an amazing race and it's a privilege to race against such a great competitor. Now I know what we all can do and I'll use that information the next time I race against him."

Torres, who has balanced running track and playing baseball for his dad during the spring, lowered his school record by 11 seconds on the Woodbridge course, but some modifications to the layout - namely the addition of a couple of sharp 90-degree turns - didn't allow him to go as fast as he would've liked.

"I was hoping for a better time, but they changed the course a little bit and we weren't able to maintain the type of speed we're used to," Torres said. "I couldn't kill myself (the first mile), but I knew had to push it to keep up with these guys. I had run this race a thousand times in my head and I knew that's what I had to do to beat them."

Torres closed the gap on Fleet by 16 seconds from last year's meeting, moving him into a tie for 13th all-time meet history. Fleet's 2007 mark of 14:17 is tied for third on the Woodbridge performance list.

"His dad (Dale) was a state champion in the two mile and my dad's a baseball coach," Torres said. "It's exciting to know that I'm running with the big dogs."

Valencia sophomore Christian Lopes represented himself well for Team USA in the Pan Am Games in Veracruz, Mexico, batting .367 (11 for 30) with one home run, 10 runs and nine RBIs as the Americans finished 8-0, including a 7-3 victory Sunday over host Mexico before a crowd of 3,200 in the championship game.

Lopes played every inning of every game, starting in left field and batting sixth.

At Valencia, Lopes hit 10 home runs and started at shortstop as a freshman.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Two runners in the top five. Four in the top 11. Five in the top 25. Eight in the top 50. Ten in the top 75 and 11 in the top 90.

Those are the incredible statistics produced by the Saugus girls' cross country team -- No. 1 in the country according to the Mile Split Network -- on the list of the top overall performers in all races at Saturday's 28th Woodbridge Classic in Irvine.

Here's the Centurions' breakdown on Saturday's list of the top 100 female performers:

4. Kaylin Mahoney 17:03, 5. Brianna Jauregui 17:11, 10. Karis Frankian 17:23, 11. Stephanie Bulder 17:25, 23. Amber Murakami 17:40, 32. Keri Molt 17:51, T36 Danielle Hernando 17:56, T49. Courtney Wilson 18:02, 74. Nicole Penick 18:17, 75. Alex Hampton 18;17, T 89. Anne Randall 18:22.

By comparison, from all of the rest of the teams in the area, only five runners placed in the top 100:

18. Liberty Miller (Simi Valley) 17:35, 31. Carlotta Pham (Crescenta Valley) 17:50, T40. Michelle Callister (Crescenta Valley) 17:57, T70. Grace Zamudio (Hart) 17:57, T89. Katie Klezek (Agoura) 18:22.

Seth Totten became the first Golden Valley runner in program history to win a race Saturday at the 28th Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, capturing the Div. IV junior boys' race in the morning in 15 minutes, 17 seconds, finishing ahead of La Canada's Aayush Shah.

Totten was the third-fastest runner from the Foothill League, behind Saugus' Alec Nelson (14:58) and Brandon Jauregui (15:09) -- who both competed in the boys' sweepstakes race -- and the area's No. 8 performer Saturday on the flat 3-mile course.

Totten will get an opportunity to race head to head with Nelson and Jauregui at the first Foothill League meet Thursday at the Castaic course.

Saugus graduate Katie Dunn, now a freshman at Glendale Community College, recorded her third victory in as many races to begin her junior college career, capturing the 5-kilometer event Saturday at the Cuesta/Pepsi Invitational in San Luis Obispo.

Dunn clocked 18 minutes, 47 seconds to lead defending state champion GCC -- ranked No. 4 in Southern California -- to another win with 25 points.

After moving into the No. 10 spot in this week's Southern Section Div. I rankings, the West Ranch girls' cross country team demonstrated its strength Saturday at the Ojai Invitational, as the Wildcats swept the top three spots on the Lake Casitas course.

Junior Bailey Miller won in 18 minutes, 49 seconds and freshmen Ashley Welker and Samantha Phillips took second and third in 19:20 and 20:00. Junior Jennifer Owen finished in 20:27 and sophomore Kendahl Waalk was the Wildcats' No. 5 runner at 21:04.

La Reina of Thousand Oaks' Sarah Pearson won the Div. II girls' junior race Saturday at the Mount Carmel Invitational in San Diego, covering the 2.75-mile layout in 16 minutes, 4 seconds, good for the ninth-fastest mark of the day.

Rachel Brajkovich won the Div. II freshman race in 16:56, the No. 41 mark of the meet. Tara Blanchard, one of the state's top 800-meter runners, finished the junior race in 17:00, the 47th-fastest time of the day.

La Reina's unofficial team score of 428 was good for 10th out of 65 teams. The Regents are the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. IV.

Burroughs of Burbank's Monique Martinez recorded the 67th-fastest mark of the day, finishing in 17:17, good for 14th in the Div. I junior race.

Loyola of Los Angeles sent a message to the second-ranked team in the nation and all of the other top cross country programs around the country Saturday with a convincing victory over Dana Hills of Dana Point at the Mount Carmel Invitational at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Although the meet was conducted under a grade-race format, Loyola's top five runners combined to clock 79 minutes, 20 seconds on the 2.95-mile course, ahead of Dana Hills' 80:10.

Dana Hills entered the race as the overall top-ranked team in the state and No. 2 in the country, according to Harrier Magazine.

Elias Gedyon led the way for the Cubs -- the defending Div. II state champions -- winning the Div. I sophomore race in 15:22, the second-fastest time of the day, behind Rancho Cucamonga senior Joey Ruelas (15:14).

J.P. Slater (15:39) and Andres Diaz (15:49) posted the Nos. 5 and 7 times of the meet, with Pablo Ruiz clocking 16:04 and J.P. Kostelnik (16:26) giving the Cubs an unofficial team score of 73, ahead of Dana Hills' 94.

The stars of the Santa Clarita Valley shined under the auxiliary lights Saturday night in Irvine, as the Saugus girls' cross country team added to its legacy at the 28th annual Woodbridge Classic by becoming the first team since Murrieta Valley (2001-03) to win three consecutive sweepstakes titles.

Kaylin Mahoney, Brianna Jauregui, Karis Frankian, Stephanie Bulder and Amber Murakami all placed in the top 20, combining to clock 86 minutes, 42 seconds on the 3-mile course for the No. 2 time in meet history, trailing only the Centurions' course record of 86:21 last year. Saugus clocked 87:09 in 2006 and now boasts the top three team times in meet history.

There were some modifications to the course that it made slightly longer Saturday, including the addition of additional sharp 90-degree turns, but it didn't stop junior Sarah Andrews of The Woodlands in Texas, who recorded the second-fastest time in meet history to win in 16:19. The Woodlands took second to Saugus (44 points) with 117 points and a team time of 88:01, the No. 4 all-time mark.

Saugus' 44 points is believed to be the lowest winning total in meet history.

Mahoney came in fourth in 17:03, an eight-second improvement from last season. Jauregui was right behind in fifth (17:11), followed by impressive efforts from Frankian -- 10th in 17:23 -- and Bulder (11th, 17:25).

Despite being knocked down during the race, Murakami finished 19th in 17:40, matching her mark from last season.

Keri Molt gave the Centurions -- top-ranked team in the country by the Mile Split Network -- another runner under 18 minutes, clocking a personal-best 17:51 to finish 25th.

"If I'm the sixth runner and I'm breaking 18, then you know that all the girls in front of me had phenomenal races," Molt said. "When I came around the last corner, coach Paragas said 'Keri, if you go now, you can break 18.' Seeing the clock, I knew I had enough time. When I crossed the finish line and saw that I did it, I was so stoked."

Saugus had a total of seven athletes break the 18-minute barrier Saturday, with Danielle Hernando's 17:56 in the rated race, with Courtney Wilson just missing, coming in at 18:02 to finish 37th in the sweepstakes race.

Simi Valley's Liberty Miller took 15th (17:35) and Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta's Carlott Pham (17:50) took 24th.

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta's Zack Torres turned in the most impressive performance of any local male runner Saturday night at the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, clocking 14 minutes, 26 seconds on the 3-mile layout to take second to University City of San Diego's Mac Fleet, who defended his sweepstakes title in 14:22.

But the most significant effort came from the Saugus boys' team, which took eighth in the sweepstakes race with 265 points, one year after a fourth-place effort in the rated race.

"We celebrated," coach Rene Paragas said. "We would've been happy just placing in the top 12."

Saugus' rise has been on display early in the season, as the Centurions entered the race ranked No. 4 in Southern Section Div. II and sixth in the state. Saugus figures to only enhance its chances of moving up in the rankings after holding its own against several of the top programs in Div. I.

Alec Nelson, who won the junior class race at the season-opening Seaside Invitational, finished 16th in 14:58 and Brandon Jauregui -- the senior race winner at San Buenaventura State Beach -- was 18th in 15:09.

Torres, Nelson and Jauregui were among seven local athletes to place in the top 30.

Camarillo's Heyden Wooff was fifth (14:38), Lancaster's Pedro Zaragoza took ninth (14:49) and El Camino Real of Woodland Hills' Brett Schmitt placed 14th (14:54).

Kaylin Mahoney is capable of coming through with a big race on any day and Brianna Jauregui is as consistent as they come.

But the two most impressive performers for Saugus through the first two meets of the season have been sophomore Stephanie Bulder and freshman Karis Frankian.

Frankian, who set the freshman class record in her varsity debut at the Seaside Invitational, was the fastest ninth-grader Saturday night at the 28th Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, covering the 3-mile course in 17 minutes, 23 seconds to finish 10th as Saugus cruised to its third consecutive sweepstakes title.

"All I can say is 'Wow.' She's been amazing so far," Mahoney said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she broke all my (freshman class) records by the time she's done this year."

If coach Rene Paragas is handing out an award for most improved runner, Bulder might already have the honor wrapped up. The sophomore, who ran 19:14 last year at Woodbridge, finished right behind Frankian in 11th, clocking 17:25.

Such a signifcant drop came eight days removed from another personal-best effort, when she dropped 2:25 off last year's mark at the Seaside Invitational to finish in 17:42, taking second to Mahoney in the sophomore race.

"My goal was just to catch the person in front of me," Bulder said. "Once I got past the 2-mile mark, I knew 'This is it. This is what we've been training for. This is the end, so let's go.' I was feeling pretty bad (coming home), but I'm pretty proud of myself."

For the second time in as many meets, the Saugus girls' "B" team turned in a stellar performance Saturday night at the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine.

Led by Danielle Hernando's eighth-place finish in 17 minutes, 56 seconds, the Centurions won the rated race with 94 points, well ahead of El Toro of Lake Forest (146).

Saugus' winning team time was 91:23, which would've placed the Centurions fifth in the sweepstakes race. If Keri Molt and Courtney Wilson -- sixth and seventh for Saugus in the sweepstakes race -- were added to the marks posted by Hernando, Nicole Penick and Alex Hampton, the Centurions' 6th through 10th runners would've taken fourth in the sweepstakes race in 90:23.

Penick and Hampton both clocked 18:17 to finish 18th and 19th in the rated race, with Anne Randall (18:22) taking 22nd and Merissa Kado (18:31) placing 35th.

With its starting quarterback and running back serving one-game suspensions, it looked if the College of the Canyons offense would struggle.

It turns out the Cougars did just fine without them.

Joey Frias threw five touchdowns and ran for another to lead COC to the 66-7 victory over L.A. Valley College at Cougar Stadium in Santa Clarita Saturday night.

Quarterback Brandon McClellan and Running back Fred Winborn were suspended for violating team rules. Their replacements filled in rather nicley.

Frias completed 23 of 33 passes for 282 yards with two interceptions. The sophomore also rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries including a one-yard scoring run late in the first quarter.

He threw scoring passes of 13 and seven yards to Hayo Carpenter, who finsihed with 15 receptions for 150 yards. Carpenter's 13-yarder gave COC 35-7 halftime.

B.J. Iverson carried 11 times for 104 yards for COC (3-0). Eric Brown added scoring runs of four and eight yards in the fourth quarter.

Nick Ramos had 183 total yards and scored two touchdowns to lead Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills to the 36-0 victory over visiting Dunn of Los Olivos.

Ramos carried 10 times for 115 yards including a 51-yard scoring run. The junior also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Greg Alonso and finished with six receptions for 68 yards.

Alonso completed 12 of 27 passes for 172 yards with three touchdown passes and an interception. The junior three scoring passes of 26 yards to Joshua Clark and 36 yards to Noah Watkins.

Hillcrest Christian, which improved to 1-1, built a 28-0 halftime lead.

1. Crespi (3-0) - Readying for showdown vs. St. Bonaventure
2. Notre Dame (2-0) - QB Kasdorf: 16 of 17, 288 yards
3. Oaks Christian (3-0) - Will anyone challenge the Lions?
4. Saugus (2-0) - Committed 13 penalties in win over Westlake
5. Palmdale (2-0) - The Big Green Machine
6. Hart (1-1) - All-purpose standout Demitri Diamond's shoulder injury bad news
7. Newbury Park (2-0) - New coach Fabricius still perfect
8. Alemany (2-0) - Big step up vs. Saugus this week
9. Westlake (1-1) - Faces another top Foothill League program vs. Hart
10. Thousand Oaks (2-0) - RB John Lister is running wild
11. Valencia (1-1) - Impressive shutout victory over Birmingham
12. Taft (2-0) - Hoping LB Nick Bruce (ankle) returns soon
13. Moorpark (2-1) - Playing tough defense as usual
14. Canyon (2-1) - Laid the wood in 16-6 victory at Norco
15. Birmingham (0-3) - Two-time City champs better get act together or bye-bye top 20
16. Quartz Hill (3-0) - So far so good but Rebels haven't played anyone
17. St. Francis (2-0) - RB Dietrich Riley is da man
18. Agoura (1-1) - A different team with RB/LB Lucky Radley in lineup
19. West Ranch (1-1) - Needs to be on the money at Beverly Hills
20. Harvard-Westlake (1-0-1) - Coming off bye week

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - What a wild shootout Friday, as Saugus High defeated Westlake 42-40 in a nonleague football showdown at Westlake High.

Rarely do top-caliber teams combine for so many yards and long touchdowns, as Saugus (2-0) totaled 559 yards, including three touchdowns of 55 yards or longer, and Westlake totaled 561 yards, including 474 passing.

The brightest star was Saugus quarterback Desi Rodriguez. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 162 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown to Kollin DePew, and he rushed for 211 yards on 16 carries, including touchdowns of 78 and 55 yards.

Westlake's Ben Conlin completed 28 of 46 passes for 356 yards, and he ran for a touchdown, and Nick Isham completed 6 of 7 for 118 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to Steve Hagy with just over two minutes remaining to pull the Warriors within two points.

Down 42-40, Westlake (1-1) had a chance to get the ball back one last time, but with Saugus in punt formation with just under a minute to go, the Warriors were called for an illegal substitution penalty (too many men on the field) that proved to be the clincher.

"I think both of us gave up too many yards. We both need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to play defense," Saugus coach Jason Bornn said.

Hagy had 14 receptions for 191 yards, and teammate James De La Cerna had 10 receptions for 153.

Saugus' Ryan Zirbel, one of the Southland's top running backs, was held to 64 yards on 16 carries, including two touchdowns. But he had several long runs called back because of penalties - including a 78-yard touchdown.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

it's quite a game here at Westlake High, as Saugus leads 14-12 after coming from 9 back in what has proved to be a very exciting first half.

Saugus' star running back Ryan Zirbel has not been effective -- he has just 10 yards in 10 carries, including a 3-yard TD -- but quarterback Desi Rodriguez has made it up for it by rushing for 94 yards, including a weaving 55-yard TD, and he also has completed 4 of 6 passes for 77 yards.

Westlake is passing the football like crazy, though the Warriors are finding difficulty in the red zone. Ben Conlin is 18 of 32 for 193 yards -- 32 attempts in the first half, that's a lot.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Here is a list of Halftime scores of area teams......

Eastside 7, Paraclete 7
Alemany 14, Roosevelt/C 14

Grace Brethren 24, Franklin 15
Taft 42, Westchester 6
Valencia 7, Birmingham 0
St. Francis 13, Crescenta Valley 7
Oaks Christian 15, Diamond Ranch 0
Hart 0, Righetti 0

Canoga Park 13, El Camino Real 0
Dorsey 2, Chatsworth 0
La Canada 7, Glendale 3
Moorpark 13, Ventura 0
Agoura 27, Camarillo 0
Newbury Park 26, Rio Mesa 14
Reseda 12, Cleveland 7
Eagle Rock 28, Bernstein 0
Royal 20, Oak Park 7
Palmdale 27, Kennedy 7
Calabasas 16, Hueneme 13

Nick Bruce, Taft's standout linebacker who has a Fresno State scholarship offer, is not playing tonight against Westchester because of a high-ankle sprain.

Bruce might be back next week, Taft coach Matt Kerstetter said.

"Nick actually first hurt it in our scrimmage, then someone rolled on it in the Venice game," Kerstetter said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Saugus sophomore runner Kaylin Mahoney is the recipient of the school year's first state girls' athlete of the week award by Cal-Hi Sports and ESPN/Rise Magazine.

Mahoney won the sophomore class race Sept. 12 at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura in 17 minutes, 6.87 seconds, the No. 2 mark in program history on the 3-mile Sanbuenaventura State Beach course and the fourth-fastest in meet history.

She also boasts a 4.55 GPA and was recently selected sophomore class queen for the school's Sept. 27 homecoming dance.

Mahoney will lead Saugus -- the nation's top-ranked team by the Mile Split Network and No. 3 according to Harrier Magazine -- in Saturday's 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine, with the Centurions looking to capture their third consecutive girls' sweepstakes title. The last team to accomplish the feat was Murrieta Valley (2001-03).

To read Harold Abend's complete article on Mahoney receiving the award, click here:

Collin Keoshian, a 6-2, 200-pound running back at Santa Clarita Christian, is too big and strong for most eight-man football opponents. After rushing for more than 2,200 yards and accounting for 39 touchdowns as a sophomore ast year, he started with a bang Friday - rushing for 253 yards and five touchdowns in a 59-20 victory over Trona. ...

After going just 1-6 in its first season last year, Sierra Canyon opened with a 37-8 victory over Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills, usually one of the area's top eight-man programs.

"We have some good things going," Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse said.

Among Sierra Canyon's key players are LB Andrew Clark and WR Shane Harrison, a Chaminade transfer.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Two of the state's top sophomores competed at the same invitational for the second time in less than a week Thursday at the High Desert Classic at Pelona Vista Soccer Complex in Palmdale, and Highland of Palmdale's Caylie Choate made it two for two in the bragging rights department against Paraclete of Lancaster's Melissa Bauer.

Unlike last Friday's Seaside Invitational in Ventura when both runners competed in the sophomore class race -- Choate taking third behind Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney and Stephanie Bulder to Bauer's seventh-place finish -- the talented 10th graders didn't run head to head Thursday.

But Choate's winning mark of 18 minutes, 53.84 seconds in the large schools race was better than Bauer's effort of 19:07.59 on the 5-kilometer course in the small schools race. Choate clocked 17:49.50 to Bauer's 18:11.83 on the 3-mile course at Sanbuenaventura State Beach.

Highland's girls' team, led by a sweep from Caylie Choate, Marilyn Cortina and Caitlin Choate, had enough to defeat Knight of Palmdale 33-40.

Paraclete, with Bauer supported by a third-place finish from Breanna Pagan and a fourth-place effort by Haley Kennedy, cruised to a 22-42 victory over Desert Christian of Lancaster.

Knight won the boys' large schools race with brothers Ulises and Uriel Aquino taking first and second in 16:18.60 and 16:19.05, leading the Hawks to a 33-point effort and a victory over Highland (42).

Scott Bauer, Melissa's brother, prevailed in the boys' small school race in 16:41.30, just ahead of Rosamond's Christian Powers (16:42.88). Paraclete (35) secured the victory in the small schools competition, with Alemany of Mission Hills (48) taking second.

Oaks Christian QB Nick Montana, a transfer from Concord De La Salle, plans to visit his old friends Saturday night when De La Salle plays Loyola of L.A. at Glendale High.

"I'll be there ... and I'm picking De La Salle," Montana said. "They've got a really good team this year."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

It could be a high-scoring game when Alemany plays host to Roosevelt of Corona on Friday.

Alemany scored 53 points in its first game and Roosevelt scored 63, including more than 600 yards total offense. In some ways, Roosevelt looks a lot like Alemany, running a four-wide offense and featuring a quick running back.

"Roosevelt is a solid team. They're scary because they can score on anyone," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Golden Valley set a school single-game school record for points Friday in a 48-6 victory over Hoover.

The Grizzlies scored 34 in the third quarter. Golden Valley is getting a strong performance from WR/DB Jon Schlegel. Through two games, he has nine receptions, one TD, 34 tackles and one fumble recovery.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

After winning just one game in each of the past two seasons, Cleveland opened with a 66-13 victory over respectable Verdugo Hills, but Cleveland's first-year coach Vinnie Johnson said it's not about him.

"Me? I've been at Birmingham so I know what it's like to win - it's about the kids," Johnson said. "A lot of these players, they had won maybe one varsity game in their lives,"

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Emotions figure to run high Friday when Crespi plays host to Servite in a rematch of last year's Pac-5 semifinal won by Crespi in overtime.

Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross is a disciple of Servite coach Troy Thomas, who coached at Crespi from 2001 to 2004, with Ross serving as an assistant.

"I think it's going to be one of our tougher games," Crespi WR Blake Stanton said. "There's a lot of emotions with the ex-coach on our field for the first time back. I think that gives Servite a boost."

Added Crespi QB Bryan Bennett: "When we played Servite last year, all of our seniors had been coached in their first year by Thomas. So it's a natural rivalry. They run some of the same stuff we do."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

St. Francis quarterback Justin Sciarra is the son of former UCLA quarterback John Sciarra and the brother of former St. Francis quarterback John Sciarra, Jr.

In a 54-7 win over Arcadia on Friday, Justin completed 7 of 9 for 129 yards and two TDs, and he also scored a TD.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Following her breakthrough performance Friday in winning the junior class race at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura, Oak Park's Melissa Skiba has been selected the state's female athlete of the week by Dyestatcal.com.

Skiba clocked 17:11 on the 3-mile Sanbuenaventura State Beach course to move into a tie for fifth all-time on the Seaside Invitational performance list, an improvement of more than two minutes from her 31st-place effort of 20:36 in last year's sophomore race.

Skiba followed her victory up with a convincing win Wednesday at the Oak Park Invitational at Oak Canyon Park, covering the 3-mile course in 18:36.

To read Skiba's interview with Dyestatcal.com editor Doug Speck, click here:

After his girls' team won the Seaside Invitational in record-breaking fashion Friday and his boys' team finished second behind Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo, both groups combining for five individual victories on the 3-mile Sanbuenaventura State Beach course, Saugus High cross country coach Rene Paragas has been selected state coach of the week by Dyestatcal.com.

To read Dyestatcal.com editor Doug Speck's interview with Paragas, click here:

Despite a dominant performance at the season-opening Great Cow Invitational, highlighted by a margin of victory of more than three minutes, defending Div. II state cross country champion Loyola of Los Angeles dropped from No. 3 to fourth in the overall state rankings, according to Harrier Magazine's Marc Bloom and Dyestatcal.com's Rich Gonzalez.

Royal of Simi Valley, formerly No. 7, fell out of the top 10 as a result to a knee injury suffered by top runner Travis Edwards.

The Highlanders (now unranked in Southern Section Div. I) are joined by Saugus (No. 4 in Div. II) and Thousand Oaks (No. 3 in Div. II) in the list of bubble teams.

Following a season-opening performance in which its top five runners smashed the course record and the next five would've finished second in the team competition at the Seaside Invitational, the Saugus girls' cross country remained the top-ranked team in the overall California state rankings, according to Harrier Magazine's Marc Bloom and Dyestatcal.com's Rich Gonzalez.

The Centurions leading quintet of Kaylin Mahoney, Karis Frankian, Brianna Jauregui, Stephanie Bulder and Amber Murakami clocked 87 minutes, 33 seconds on the 3-mile course at San Buenaventura State Beach.

The "B" team of Danielle Hernando, Courtney Wilson, Keri Molt, Anne Randall and Nicole Penick combined for a mark of 91:09, ahead of state No. 3 Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo (91:47).

Although no other local team was ranked in the state top 10, Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta (No. 6 in Southern Section Div. I), Oak Park (No. 3 in Div. III), Simi Valley (No. 5 in Div. II) and West Ranch (No. 10 in Div. I) were all recognized among the list of bubble teams.

Valencia quarterback Dominick Solley, hoping to recover from a high ankle sprain, remains questionable for Friday's game against Birmingham, though he has been dressing for practice and taking some reps, coach Larry Muir said.

"He is hanging in there. We'll make a decision tomorrow (Friday) morning," Muir said.

Meantime, top receiver Zach Tartabull (concussion) is definite after returning to practice this past Wednesday.

Receivers Richard Nyberg (shoulder) and Daniel Johnson (toe) remain out.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Dyestatcal.com editor Doug Speck revisited several of the top performances around Southern California in his weekly ramblings, and to no one's surprise, the Saugus cross country program was prominently mentioned following an impressive showing Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura.

Brandon Jauregui, who won the senior-class race in a program-record 15 minutes, 2.70 seconds, was honored for his efforts, along with junior teammate Alec Nelson.

The son of former Burbank standout Jeff Nelson, Alec broke the school record at Seaside with a 15:07.49 in his victory in the junior-class race.

The Centurions, ranked No. 4 in Southern Section Div. II, will compete in the boys' sweepstakes at 9:35 p.m. Saturday at the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic.

On the girls' side, Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney was recognized for winning the sophomore-class race in a record time of 17:06.87, the No. 2 all-time mark by a Centurion female at Seaside and the fourth-fastest mark in meet history.

Saugus freshman Karis Frankian, who made quite an impressive debut with her 17:27.87 effort en route to smashing Mahoney's class record set last year, was honored as one of the "Newbies on the Block."

Mahoney and Frankian will represent Saugus, the top-ranked team in the country by the Mile Split Network, in the girls' sweepstakes race at 9:15 p.m. at Woodbridge. The Centurions -- ranked No. 3 nationally by Harrier Magazine -- have won the past two sweepstakes titles and are looking to become the first team since Murrieta Valley (2001-03) to win three in a row.

Oak Park's Melissa Skiba was applauded for having the most significant improvement of any runner following her junior-class record 17:11.47 at Seaside, tying her for the No. 5 all-time mark in meet history. Skiba took 31st in the sophomore race in 2007 at Sanbuenaventura State Beach in 20:36.78, before going on to finish third in Southern Section Div. III and fifth at the state meet.

Oak Park is not competing Saturday at Woodbridge Classic or the Ojai Invitational after holding its own invitational Wednesday at Oak Canyon Park.

The Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge boys' cross country team, ranked No. 2 in Southern Section Div. V, began its pursuit of a 17th consecutive Prep League title in solid fashion, holding off No. 3 Pasadena Poly 33-38 at Tuesday's first league meet on the demanding 3-mile Peninsula course.

Competing without injured senior standout Connor Verreaux, the Rebels relied on their depth, placing all five scoring runners in the top 10.

Daniel Silver won the race for Poly -- which finished third in the state last year, one spot ahead of Flintridge Prep -- in 17 minutes, 31 seconds. Chadwick of Rancho Palos Verdes' Scott Rodlitz was second in 17:34.

Paul Weitekamp (17:38) finished third for Flintridge Prep and was supported by Kevin Heintz (fifth, 17:55), James Lyon (seventh, 18:26), Daniel Lazier (eighth, 18:31) and Jason Bunn (10th, 18:45).

In the girls' meet, Chadwick -- No. 2 in Div. V -- took the top three spots to finish with 28 points, ahead of Mayfield of Pasadena (35). Flintridge Prep, No. 4 in Div. V, finished a distant third with 93 points, highlighted by Dot Silverman's fourth-place finish (22:07).

Less than a week after setting the junior-class record of 17 minutes, 11 seconds at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura, Oak Park's Melissa Skiba turned in another impressive performance Wednesday at the Oak Park Invitational on the 3-mile course at Oak Canyon Park.

Skiba dominated against a Marmonte League-laden field, cruising to victory in 18:36.4, with teammate Kaycee Holcomb taking second in 20:03.9 to lead the Eagles -- ranked No. 3 in Southern Section Div. III -- to a convincing victory with 33 points, ahead of runner-up Agoura (51).

There was a tight pack as the third- through sixth-place finishers, including Buena of Ventura (81), Thousand Oaks (89), Westlake (90) and Calabasas (93).

Agoura senior Katie Klezek was third in 20:16.4 and Calabasas senior Olivia Barry took fourth (20:37.3), ahead of Oak Park's Jessica Reints (20:55.7).

In the boys' competition, Thousand Oaks -- ranked No. 3 in Div. II -- rested several top athletes in preparation for competition this weekend, resulting in a fourth-place finish (108).

Oak Park, ranked No. 10 in Div. III, won the meet with 43 points, led by junior James Goldstein, who clocked 16:09.2. Goldstein was second to Saugus' Alec Nelson in the junior-class race Friday at the Seaside Invitational.

Westlake, No. 6 in Div. II, was second with 56 points and Agoura (69) placed third.

Calabasas senior Lewis Durand took second in 16:33.9 and Buena's Chris Frias finished third (16:38.6), with Agoura's Brandon Severson fourth (16:42.2).

Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Zack Torres and Loyola of Los Angeles sophomore Elias Gedyon are among the list of honorable mention honorees compiled by DyeStat.com editor Steve Underwood on his rankings of the top male prep runners in the country.

Foothill of Palo Cedro senior Chris Schwartz is the only California male runner recognized in the top 25, ranking third. Joseph Manilafasha of Denver North High in Colorado is the top-rated runner in the country this week.

Gedyon and Torres are two of the five California athletes on the honorable mention list.

For the complete top 25 and honorable mention list, check out Underwood's rankings.

Thousand Oaks opened with a 23-14 football upset at Valencia, but coach Mike Leibin is wary of making too big a deal of it.

"We have a lot of room for improvement. It was the cleanest game on either side of the ball," Leibin said. "We're going to need to get a lot better. The (local newspaper) thinks we're the second coming, but we're not there yet."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Taft's D.J. Morgan committed to USC at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after receiving an official offer in writing. He's only a junior, so there is limited communication allowed between Morgan and USC officials.

"I'm excited and happy. I'm been a USC fan all my life," Morgan said. "It's always been my dream to go to USC. They're my favorite. It's a dream come true."

Morgan is among California's fastest football players. Besides rushing for nearly 1,300 yards as a sophomore last season, he also was a top track sprinter and hurdler.

Taft coach Matt Kerstetter said: "D.J. had a big smile on his face. I guess he went down with his parents to USC, and it actually surprised me how fast he committed after getting the letter. USC is where he wanted to go."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com\

D.J. Morgan, a blazing fast junior running back at Taft of Woodland Hills, has verbally committed to USC, according to Taft coach Matt Kerstetter.

"D.J. gave his verbal to USC yesterday (Tuesday)," Kerstetter said. "I am excited obviously. I'm excited any time a kid gets to go to such a prestigious program. He's an exceptional talent. Good for him."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Travis Edwards, the top runner from the Royal of Simi Valley cross country team, is recovering from an iliotibial band injury in his knee and might not run with the team this year.
Edwards can begin running next week, Royal coach Ryan Luce said, but his recovery will be slow. Barring any setbacks, Edwards could return to racing by the end of the year.
"Right now, he might not come back," Luce said.
Luce described the injury as a running injury at the knee, but it affects his entire upper leg.
Sophomore Sean Upson and junior Korey Yoakum are expected to be the team's top two runners with Edwards out.
"I'm kind of curious to see how we do in our first race," Luce said.

John Geyer, a senior at La Canada High School, was 30th in the 3-meter portion of the 16-18 boys group in the FINA Junior Diving World Championships in Aachen, Germany on Tuesday. He scored 420.55 points.
Russia's Evgeny Kuznetsov won gold with 591.45 points. Kristian Ipsen of Clayton, Calif., was the highest finishing diver from the United States in sixth with 548.45 points.
Geyer will compete with Atlanta's Thad Ellis in the synchronized 3-meter competition today.
Pasadena Poly's Felicitas Lenz of Altadena was 19th in the 3-meter portion of the 16-18 girls group. She scored 381.55 points. China's Han Wang was the gold medalist at 497.15 points.
Jennifer Abel of Canada won silver after placing 13th on 3-meter in the Beijing Olympics last month.
There are about 220 divers from countries competing in the Junior Diving World Championships.

Chris Reed, a top Canyon football lineman, is the nephew of Toa, a TV star on American Gladiators.

"Toa's my mother's brother, and I see him a lot because the family is real close -- lots of family barbeques, and he comes to my football games almost every week," Reed said. "Is he tougher than me? Yeah, I guess so. He's way bigger."

Reed also is a second cousin of pro wrestler/move star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Kennedy softball pitcher Julieanne Martinez has been offered scholarships by Boise State and Louisiana Tech.

As a junior last season, the 5-foot-5 right-hander was 24-4 with a 0.56 ERA and 273 strikeouts in 176 innings.

gerry.gittelson@daIlynews.com

Valencia sophomore Christian Lopes, participating for the USA Baseball National Team (16-under) in the Pan Am Games in Mexico, is killing the ball. In four victories over five days, he's batting .462 (6 for 13) with five runs and two RBIs.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Saugus sophomore runner Kaylin Mahoney was one of 12 finalists selected by Dyestat.com for its top national performance for the week ending Sept. 13.

She is one of seven female runners nominated and the only athlete, male or female, from California to be selected.

Mahoney, preseason ranked No. 13 nationally by Dyestat.com editor Steve Underwood on his list of the top 25 female prep runners in the country, led the Centurions to a record-setting effort Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura.

Mahoney clocked a personal-best 17 minutes, 6 seconds on the 3-mile course to win the sophomore race in class-record time, the No. 2 mark at Seaside in Saugus history and fourth on the meet's all-time performance list.

To see the list of all the nominees and their accomplishments, visit the Dyestat.com message board.

Royal of Simi Valley and Saugus are the only local programs among a 23-team field for Saturday night's boys' sweepstakes race at the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine.

Royal, currently unranked in Southern Section Div. I because of an injury to top runner Travis Edwards, will test itself against a deep field that features eight of the top 10 teams in Div. I, minus No. 1 Dana Hills of Dana Point and No. 6 Rancho Cucamonga.

Saugus, No. 4 in Div. II, is the highest-ranked team from its division competing in the sweepstakes race.

Among the 19 individuals competing in the 9:35 p.m. race, leading the way is Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta senior Zack Torres. El Camino Real of Woodland Hills' Brett Schmitt, Flintridge Prep of La Canada Flintridge's Connor Verreaux, Lancaster's Pedro Zaragoza and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's Charlie Petrie are also scheduled to run.

Saugus, the two-time girls' sweepstakes champion and fastest group in meet history, will try to become the first program since Murrieta Valley (2001-03) to win three in a row when the Centurions headline a 22-team field at 9:15 p.m.

Saugus, which elevated Tuesday to No. 1 nationally in the Mile Split rankings, will be joined by local squads Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta -- No. 6 in Div. I -- and Simi Valley, fifth in Div. II.

No area runners are among the 17 individuals invited to compete in the race.

Saugus will also attempt to win the girls' varsity rated race at 8:40 p.m. with its "B" team, something it did in April with its 4 x mile "B" relay at the Arcadia Invitational. Royal is also scheduled to run in the 22-team field.

In the boys' varsity rated race at 8:55 p.m., Birmingham of Lake Balboa, Simi Valley, Valencia and Westlake are all scheduled to compete in the 29-team field.

Bell-Jeff, a Division IV-AA finalist last season is hosting a tournament the day after Christmas and is looking for one more team.

Here are the particulars:

16 Team tourney.
4 game guarantee.
Dates: 12/26-12/30/2008.
Location: Bellarmine-Jefferson High 465 East Olive Avenue Burbank, Ca 91501.

Confirmed Teams: Bell-Jeff, Granada Hills, Montclair Prep, Marshall-L.A., Villanova Prep, Westlake, Notre Dame Academy, Glendale, Washington Prep, Mayfair, LACES, West Ranch, Camarillo, Monroe and Hart

Contact: Bryan Camacho 818-434-1652

Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell is coaching in the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January in San Antonio.

"It's fabulous. I was an assistant in the U.S. Army game a few years ago, and it's a first-class all-star game," Redell said. "It's like a college bowl game."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Remember the Jackson twins from Birmingham, defensive ends Malik (now at USC) and Marquis (College of the Canyons)?

There is a similar situation at Alemany of Mission Hills, where twin defensive linemen K.C. and Chucky Obi continue to cause havoc. They're 6-2, 230 pounds and love to hit.

"They're both Division I prospects," Alemany coach Dean Herrington said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

It took the Saugus girls' cross country team only one race to make its first significant move in the national rankings, vaulting from No. 3 to No. 1 in the Mile Split Network top 15.

"It's a nice honor, but I'd prefer not to be No. 1. I'd rather be No. 2," Saugus coach Rene Paragas said. "The reality is we haven't beaten Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.) and they should be No. 1 until someone does."

It marks the first time in program history the Centurions -- preseason No. 3 in Harrier Magazine's national rankings -- have received the honor of being the top-ranked team in the country by any source.

"When I found out, I was pretty dang excited," Saugus senior Anne Randall said. "We want to be the best team out there and (the recognition) just pushes that much harder. That's why we're up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning doing cruise intervals."

Following its course-record performance Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura, Saugus surged past two-time national champion Fayetteville-Manlius, which dropped to No. 2. The Stotans don't compete in a major invitational in New York until Sept. 27.

"It's a pretty cool feeling, but we were all discussing it during our run (at Tuesday's practice) that we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves," senior captain Keri Molt said. "We're not naming ourselves anything until we see them face to face and beat them head on."

Another New York power, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, which opened its season Sept. 7 with a victory at the Niskayuna Ekiden meet, slipped to No. 3. Saugus, runner-up at last year's Nike Team Nationals, believed all along it should've been ranked ahead of the Spartans, who finished fifth last season in Portland, Ore.

Fayetteville-Manlius and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake still occupy the top two spots in the Harrier Magazine rankings, which won't be updated until later this month.

No other California team is ranked in the Mile Split girls' top 15. The rest of the list includes:

4. Collins Hill (Ga.), 5. Saratoga Springs (N.Y.), 6. Mountain Brook (Ala.), 7. Fort Collins (Colo.), 8. Geneva (Ill.), 9. Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.), 10. Queensbury (N.Y.), 11. Xavier College Prep (Ariz.), 12. Dowling Catholic (Iowa), 13. Midlothian (Va.), 14. Jesuit (Ore.), 15. Tatnall (Del.).

Five days before the 28th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic and coaches and pundits around the state are already throwing out predictions as to how fast the Saugus girls' cross country team will run on the flat, fast 3-mile layout in the sweepstakes race at 9:15 p.m. Saturday in Irvine.

After a fourth-place finish in the 2005 sweepstakes in a team time of 92 minutes, Saugus has won the event the past two years, clocking 87:09 in 2006 and 86:21 last year.

Murrieta Valley (2001-03) is the last girls' team to win the Woodbridge meet three years in a row, although the Nighthawks' times pale in comparison to Saugus, their best effort coming with an 89:01 -- No. 7 on the meet's all-time list -- in 2003.

Two predictions on the Dyestatcal.com message board Monday had Saugus running 84:23 and 85:18.

Well, based on last year's results from the season-opening Seaside Invitational to the Woodbridge meet the following week, the Centurions improved nearly three minutes, clocking 89:17 last season on the Sanbuenaventura State Beach course and 86:21 on the Woodbridge course.

If Saugus produces a similar improvement from its 87:33 at Seaside, then breaking 85 minutes Saturday is a definite possibility.

Katie Dunn, now competing for reigning junior college state champion Glendale Community College, holds Saugus' school record on the Woodbridge course, clocking 16:47 last year.

Among the Centurions' returning runners from last year's record-setting team, Brianna Jauregui boasts the fastest time at 17:07, with Kaylin Mahoney right behind at 17:11. Amber Murakami clocked Saugus' No. 4 mark at Woodbridge with a 17:06 in 2006.

The fastest time ever produced by a Foothill League runner on the Woodbridge course belongs to former Canyon of Canyon Country standout Lauren Fleshman, who clocked 16:35 in 1998. That mark stood as the course record until Woodbridge's Christine Babcock clocked 16:31 in 2006 and 16:05 last year.

After posting the No. 4 team time Friday at the Seaside Invitational, the West Ranch girls' cross country team gave the Foothill League a total of three entries in this week's Southern Section polls, with Saugus firmly established as the top-ranked in Div. II and Canyon of Canyon Country holding onto No. 10 in the same division.

Highlighted by strong performances from Bailey Miller, Jennifer Owen and Ashley Welker, the Wildcats took over the No. 10 spot in the Div. I rankings. Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta moved from No. 9 to No. 6 after placing six runners in the top eight in its season-opening quad meet with Camarillo, Newbury Park and Golden Valley. (Newbury Park's Jenny Mallen won in 18:56 at Mission Oaks Park).

West Ranch's team time at Seaside finished behind Saugus, Trabuco Hills (No. 2 in Div. I) and unranked Martin Luther King of Riverside, although the Wildcats would've prevailed over King had the meet been based on invitational scoring, the determining factor at the Southern Section and state finals.

There were no changes in Div. II from the preseason rankings to this week's poll, with Simi Valley (No. 5) and Newbury Park (No. 8) joining Saugus and Canyon.

Oak Park, which received a huge effort Friday from junior Melissa Skiba (17:11 at Seaside), remained No. 3 in Div. III behind Foothill of Santa Ana and South Hills of Covina.

When you're No. 1 in Div. II in the Southern Section and state rankings like the Saugus girls' cross country team, the goal is to maintain that level of excellence throughout the season.

When you begin the season ranked No. 8 in the Southern Section like the Saugus boys' cross country team, there's plenty of room for upward mobility, and that's exactly what the Centurions enjoyed following their impressive performance at Friday's Seaside Invitational in Ventura.

Behind impressive performances from senior Brandon Jauregui and junior Alec Nelson, Saugus ascended to No. 4 in the latest Div. II poll, trailing defending state champion Loyola of Los Angeles, Redondo Union of Redondo Beach and Thousand Oaks.

The Centurions finished second in the team competition on the 3-mile course at Sanbuenaventura State Beach, clocking 78 minutes, 3 seconds, trailing Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo -- ranked No. 10 in Div. I -- who combined for a 77:53 effort.

Westlake was also a big mover from the preseason poll to this week's rankings, ascending from the others' receiving consideration to No. 6, behind former No. 4 and current No. 5 Newport Harbor of Newport Beach.

Saugus, Newport Harbor, No. 9 Colony of Ontario -- No. 5 in the preseason rankings -- and No. 10 Ayala of Chino Hills, formerly No. 9, will compete in the boys' sweepstakes race Saturday night at the Woodbridge Invitational in Irvine. The race also features eight of the top 10 teams from Div. I, with top-ranked Dana Hills of Dana Point and No. 6 Rancho Cucamonga not attending.

Westlake, Valencia of Placentia and North Torrance -- Nos. 6 through 8 in this week's Div. II poll -- will compete in the earlier rated race.

The City Section championship game is still at L.A. Coliseum but has been switched to Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13 instead of Friday night, for budget reasons, according to a Blog by Eric Sondheimer of the L.A. Times.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Flintridge Prep quarterback/linebacker Gus Herrera suffered a dislocagted shoulder Saturday in a 45-20 loss to St. Genevieve, according to Grant Gordon of the Glendale News-Press.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Since a computer malfunction delayed the flow of results to coaches and the media Friday at the Seaside Invitational, Saugus cross country coach Rene Paragas predicted Saturday that Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo -- ranked No. 25 in the state by Dyestatcal.com -- finished anywhere between 10 and 12 seconds ahead of his Centurions in the boys' team competition.

Once the results were made available Sunday, Paragas' calculations were right on. Trabuco Hills -- ninth in Div. I at last year's state meet -- posted a team time of 77:53, ahead of Saugus' 78:03.

Saugus' five scoring runners were:
Brandon Jauregui 15:02.70
Alec Nelson 15:07.49
Kevin Heinemann 15:54.18
Joey Eledge 15:58.71
Bret Swinehart 16:00.14

Nelson broke Saugus' school record on the 3-mile Seaside course to win the junior race, only to have Jauregui eclipse his mark en route to winning the senior race.

Heinemann was 23rd, Eledge 29th and Swinehart 32nd in the senior race.

The difference between Trabuco Hills and Saugus this early in the season is the separation between their Nos. 1 and 5 runners. Trabuco Hills' gap was 35 seconds Friday, compared to the 58-second margin between Jauregui and Swinehart.

The West Ranch girls' cross country team might not be able to compete with Saugus for Foothill League supremacy, but the Wildcats turned in a strong showing Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura that could put them in contention to qualify for the Div. I state championship in November.

Saugus recorded the top team time of 87:33, Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo clocked 91:47 and Martin Luther King of Riverside was third at 93:00. But West Ranch was right behind with a combined mark of 93:08, led by junior standout Bailey Miller (17:50.36), sophomore Jennifer Owen (18:32.91) and freshman Ashley Welker (18:38.24).

Canyon was the next Foothill League team at 94:58.

If the meet were scored in an invitational format, West Ranch would've taken third (162) ahead of Martin Luther King (164) and Canyon (227). Saugus had 20 and Trabuco Hills 119.

Saugus might be ranked No. 3 in the country by Harrier Magazine and the Mile Split Network, but there is no debate as to which is the top girls' cross country team in California.

And after looking over the results from Friday's Seaside Invitational in Ventura, the Centurions might also be the No. 2 team as well.

Confused?

Kaylin Mahoney, Karis Frankian, Brianna Jauregui, Stephanie Bulder and Amber Murakami combined to run a team time of 87 minutes, 33 seconds on the 3-mile course at Sanbuenaventura State Beach, smashing last year's course record of 89:17.

According to meet officials, Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo -- ranked No. 3 overall in the state by Dyestatcal.com -- was credited with the No. 2 team time of 91:47.

But upon further review, that honor belongs to Saugus as well.

Since only five runners contribute to a team time, the results of the Centurions' next five athletes could be counted as a new team time, Saugus "B" for argument sake.

Therefore, Danielle Hernando, Courtney Wilson, Keri Molt, Anne Randall and Nicole Penick would've combined to run 91:09, well ahead of Trabuco Hills, which was considered at the beginning of the season to be ranked just behind state No. 2 Dana Hills of Dana Point.

Even if the results posted by Hernando and Wilson were considered the Nos. 6 and 7 runners on the Saugus "A" team, if Katie Shirley and Amy Haukka were added to the "B" team in their place, the Centurions' mark would've changed to 92:56, still good for the No. 3 team time of the day at Seaside, ahead of Martin Luther King of Riverside (93:00).

So, if Saugus was allowed to run two teams at the Div. II state championship at Woodward Park in Fresno, could the Centurions finish first and second? That question will never be answered since CIF rules allow a school to enter only seven runners in the state final, but it would be interesting to see such a scenario unfold since Saugus' depth would be up to such a challenge.

Former Saugus cross country standout Katie Dunn made it two victories in as many meets to start her career at Glendale Community College, winning the 5-kilometer race Saturday at the Pierce College Invitational in 19 minutes, 20 seconds - eclipsing the former meet record of 19:31 - to lead the reigning state champion Vaqueros to another win.

The morning after their impressive performance at the season-opening Seaside Invitational in Ventura, several Saugus runners and coach Rene Paragas traveled to Woodland Hills to support Dunn, who recorded a victory at the Ventura Invitational in her junior college debut.

Glendale, ranked No. 4 in Southern California behind Orange Coast, Southwestern and Cypress, will compete Saturday morning at the Cuesta Invitational in San Luis Obispo.

Later that night, Saugus -- ranked No. 1 nationally by the Mile Split Network and No. 3 by Harrier Magazine -- will attempt to win its third consecutive team sweepstakes title at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine.

A knee injury suffered by outside hitter Samantha Hyman last season ended Viewpoint of Calabasas' march toward a Southern Section Div. IV-AA girls' volleyball title.

But the setback forced a young Viewpoint team to mature quickly last year, and the growth is already evident in the opening weekend of the season. The Patriots recorded one of the biggest victories in program history Saturday, defeating defending Div. III-AA champion Village Christian of Sun Valley 25-21 in the Laguna Blanca tournament final in Santa Barbara.

"When we lost Sam, it definitely forced a lot of people to step up and take on bigger
roles," said Viewpoint coach Frank Pontello , whose team suffered a second-round playoff loss last year to Ontario Christian. "But looking back on it now, it was a blessing in disguise."

Relying on freshman Stella Carnegie and sophomore Ashley Kim to run the offense and the hitting from the sister tandem of Brooke and Blaire Berka - both all-tournament honorees - Viewpoint cruised through pool play, before knocking off Rio Hondo Prep of Arcadia 25-15 in the semifinals.

"We just kept our offense simple and are young setters really had a great day," Pontello said. "And our middle blockers, Jordan Larsen and Michelle Lesser, came up big."

Village Christian, the top-ranked team in Div. III-AA, had won 13 consecutive games to open the season, before coming up short in defending its tournament title. Rachel Taylor and Megan Wiechmann were all-tournament picks for the Crusaders.

"We know that we're going to have a big target on our backs the entire season, so I'm actually glad to get that first loss out of the way," Crusaders coach Bobby Blanken said. "We didn't play as well as we could've, but what I loved about Viewpoint is the way they executed when they needed to. This is only going to make us better in the long run."

Despite being separated by 35 miles and nearly 4,000 students, the girls' volleyball teams at Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge and Lakewood are no strangers to each other, having met the past four years in the Molten Classic, hosted by Gahr High in Cerritos.

Monday's semifinal meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Gahr High might be the most significant for Flintridge Sacred Heart (3-0), since Lakewood (3-0) is the nation's top-ranked team, according to ESPN/Rise Magazine's Fab 50 poll.

"It will be a great opportunity for the girls to see how they match up against (Lakewood)," Flintridge Sacred Heart coach Shelli Orlandini said. "We lost to them last year, so we know how good they are. We're going to go out there and do what we do best and see what happens."

Behind a career-high 19 kills from sophomore Camille Coffey and 38 assists from Washington-bound senior Jenna Orlandini, the Tologs defeated Brentwood 25-18, 27-25, 20-25, 25-18 in Saturday's quarterfinals at Gahr to secure another showdown with Lakewood -- the defending Div. I state champion -- which advanced with a 25-15, 27-25, 25-15 victory over Mayfield of Pasadena.

Lakewood -- ranked No. 6 nationally by PrepVolleyball.com editor John Tawa -- knocked off Flintridge Sacred Heart in four games in last year's tournament quarterfinals and swept the Tologs in the third-place match in 2006. Flintridge Sacred Heart swept Lakewood in the second round in 2005 and outlasted the Lancers in five games in the fifth-place semifinals in 2004.

Rosary of Fullerton and Los Alamitos -- No. 31 in ESPN/Rise Magazine's Fab 50 -- will meet in the other semifinal at 6:30 p.m. at Gahr High.

The tournament championship is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday at Gahr, with the third-place match held at 5:30 p.m. It marks the third time in four years Flintridge Sacred Heart has reached the semifinals of the 32-team tournament, but the Tologs have never advanced to the final, their best showing coming with a third-place finish in 2005.

Former Grant of Van Nuys star Fred Winborn ran for two touchdowns, caught one and threw for another to lead College of the Canyons to the 56-6 victory over Santa Barbara at Cougar Stadium.

Winborn rushed for a game-high 223 yards on 15 carries, scoring on runs of 28 and eight in the third quarter. The sophomore also caught two passes for 40 yards including a 33-yard scoring pass from Brad McClellan to give COC a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.The sophomore also threw a 35-yard scoring pass to Hayo Carpenter late in the second quarter as the Cougars built a 35-0 halftime lead.

Carpenter caught six passes for 164 yards including a 67-yard touchdown strike from Brad McClellan (nine of 15 for 180) on COC's first play from scrimmage. Joey Frias added an 11-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.

The COC defense held Santa Barbara to 52 yards on 40 carries and recorded eight sacks.

\One year after losing 33-28 to Saugus on a last-second Hail Mary pass, Westlake gets its shot at revenge Friday in the rematch at Westlake.

"I''m looking forward to it because of what happened last year," Westlake's Justin Lilley said. "I was in the pile at the end on that last play. The ball sailed over my head."

Saugus quarterback Desi Rodriguez threw the Hail Mary, and he's back, along with top running back Ryan Zirbel.

Saugus' top returning offensive lineman, Justin Wells (undisclosed injury), has been medically cleared after missing an opening win over Pasadena.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

When did this rule come into effect?
Simi Valley and Buena played overtime Friday night. The score was tied 7-7, each team swapping touchdowns in the second quarter. Buena won 13-10 on a touchdown in overtime after Simi Valley kicked a field goal to take a short-lived lead.
Apparently the teams decided they would play overtime in the event of a tie. This is the discretion of the coaches.
Deciding a game on the field is always the best way to end a game, much better than a tie. But overtime in high school football can have dangerous consequences. Not for the players and coaches, but for newspapers.
Luckily, Simi Valley and Buena decided their game after one overtime period. But there might come a time when a game goes on and on and on and end way past deadline.
It makes for exciting football, but makes reporting a final score nearly impossible.
As for the game, it was a series of missed opportunities that led to the overtime period.
Simi Valley came out on the short end of this game for a number of reasons. Simi had a chance to win the game in regulation with a 26-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
But the snap was high and Buena recovered on Simi's 35-yard line. Buena drove down to the Simi 12, but fumbled and gave the ball back to Simi with under a minute to play.
Simi Valley coach Todd Borowski said his team made too many mental mistakes during key parts of the game.
"We had the opportunity to make plays at the end and didn't do it," he said.
Buena scored the winning touchdown with the help of a questionable pass interference call in overtime. On second and 10 from the 25, quarterback Rex Wilson, who completed only five passes in the game, tried to lob one to Shane Bridge down the sideline. Bridge tangled with a Simi cornerback and both fell out of bounds. The sideline referee threw a late flag and gave Buena first and 10 on the 12 after calling pass interference.
Borowski diplomatically said after the game he is not supposed to criticize the officiating and would only say that that particular referee has called great games in the past.
Buena running back Mike Davis scored three plays later on a 4-yard run to win the game.
The loss puts Simi Valley at 0-2. Borowski said eight of his starters did not play. Three of those players were quarterback Jared Zahorik, running back Tommy Dowling and All-Marmonte League wide receiver Keith Williams. Williams was injured.
Simi Valley lost to Burbank 26-18 to open the season two weeks ago.
"You've got to learn how to win," Borowski said. "We haven't learned how to do that."

Saugus High cross country coach Rene Paragas said he didn't anticipate breaking any records at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura on Friday. But his runners did just that.
Freshman Karis Frankian set the freshman course record in the girls race. Junior Alec Nelson and senior Brandon Jauregui set school records in their races. The girls team set the meet record, breaking their own mark from a year ago.
There were a couple of surprises. Paragas said he was particularly impressed with Courtney Wilson's performance in the senior race. Frankian's time in the freshman race was a bit of a surprise, but not unexpected. Jauregui winning the senior race might have been the biggest stunner of the day.
Jauregui injured his Achilles tendon and was limited in practice the past couple of weeks. Paragas said he missed six days of running and told Jauregui to run a conservative race. Paragas even considered not letting Jauregui run at all.
Jauregui said he took his coach's advice, but after about 800 meters into the 3-mile race, Jauregui was in the lead. From there, he found a comfortable pace and waited for someone to pass him. No one did.
"It's the way I wanted to do it," Jauregui said. "Coach wanted me to be more conservative."
Frankian broke the freshman course record set by her Saugus teammate Kaylin Mahoney last year. Frankian and Shelby McIntyre, a runner from South Tahoe High School, ran the course in under Mahoney's time from last year. Frankian's time was nearly 30 seconds better than Mahoney's.
"I just wanted to go out and run as best as I could," Frankian said. "I really surprised myself that I broke it."

Crespi looks sharp, opening a 15-0 halftime lead over visiting Birmingham.

Birmingham started nervously, as its first three drives ended with a lost fumble on its own 20, a fumbled punt snap on its own 20, then a lost fumble in the end zone.

Following Birmingham's second turnover, Crespi cashed in two plays later with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bryan Bennett to Blake Stanton, who faked out several defenders near the goal line.

Birmingham had a prime opportunity to tie the score, but Tajuan Briggs coughed up the football just as he was about to score on a 4-yard run, and Kevin Cummings recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

On the ensuing series, Crespi's Brad Lattanzio rushed for 24 yards, then 21 yards, followed three plays later with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Bennett to Cummings.
Kahlil Bass' two-point conversion run on a quick snap made it 15-0.

Birmingham did not record a first down over the next two possessions, but had a good chance to score in the closing minutes of the first half after recovering a fumble on the Crespi 35. The Patriots drove to the 6, but Morey Croson was tackled at the 2 while trying to scramble as the halftime clock ran out.

Croson had difficulty handling Crespi's blitzing defense. He was sacked just once but was constantly chased out of the pocket, finishing the first half 6 for 12 for 89 yards.

Here is a list of hafltime scores from area teams:

El Camino Real 21, Calabasas 7
Glendale 20, Alhambra 7
Harvard-Westlake 14, Lynwood 14
San Fernando 14, Littlerock 12
Chaminade 17, Royal 7
Oak Park 21, Grace Brethren 20
Crespi 15, Birmingham 0
Canyon 48, Granada Hills 0
Cleveland 44, Verdugo Hills 7
Hart 6, Palmdale 6
Van Nuys 14, Panorama 7
Newbury Park 7, Camarillo 0
Chatsworth 7, Dorsey 7
West Ranch 14, Lancaster 6
Poly 33, Monroe 0
Valencia 7, Thousand Oaks 6
Burroughs 7, Schurr 7
Agoura 14, Ventura 14

Final scores from this afternoon games:

Arleta 24, Sylmar 7
Viewpoint 36, Ribet Academy 0
Eagle Rock 18, Canoga Park 10
Pasadena Poly 28, Campbell Hall 21

The Saugus girls weren't the only runners setting records Friday at the Seaside Invitational at Sanbuenaventura State Beach in Ventura.

The Centurions boys' team complemented its female counterparts with two class victories, with junior Alec Nelson and senior Brandon Jauregui taking turns breaking the school record.

Nelson clocked 15 minutes, 7 seconds on the flat 3-mile layout to win the junior race and eclipse the program record of 15:36 held by Bryant Hinesly in 2004. Oak Park's James Goldstein, who defeated Nelson 15:31 to 15:53 in last year's sophomore race, finished second.

The record didn't last long, as Jauregui blocked out the pain of a sore Achilles to win the senior race in 15:03.

Hart of Newhall freshman Sam Peckham captured the ninth-grade race in 16:08 and Highland of Palmdale's Dylan Alexander took second in the sophomore race in 15:27, trailing Martin Luther King of Riverside's Lane Werley (15:18).

The Saugus girls' cross country team validated its No. 3 national ranking -- according to Harrier Magazine and the Mile Split Network -- in its season debut Friday at the Seaside Invitational at Sanbuenaventura State Beach in Ventura.

The Centurions won three of the four grade races and produced an unofficial team time of 87 minutes, 33 seconds, smashing last year's mark of 89:17. Trabuco Hills, ranked No. 3 in the state behind Saugus and Dana Hills of Dana Point by Dyestatcal.com, was second in 91:47.

The two-time Div. I state champion opened the meet in impressive fashion with Karis Frankian setting a new freshman class record by covering the flat 3-mile course in 17:27. West Ranch's Ashley Welker was third and Saugus' Katie Shirley finished fourth.

Kaylin Mahoney, the No. 13 runner in the nation according to Dyestat.com editor Steve Underwood, wasn't able to set the school record in her victory in the sophomore race, but posted an impressive class-record 17:06, second to Katie Dunn's 16:57 last year and No. 4 all-time in meet history.

Saugus received a huge boost from another 10th-grader, Stephanie Bulder, who lowered last season's time by 2:25 to finish second in 17:42.

Oak Park's Melissa Skiba won the junior race in a class-record 17:11 -- tying her for fifth all-time in meet history -- and Saugus' Amber Murakami took second in 17:46, her best time on the course by more than 30 seconds. West Ranch's Bailey Miller, who won the sophomore race last season, finished third in 17:50.

The Centurions had their strongest showing in the senior race, with Brianna Jauregui following her junior-class victory last season with a personal-best 17:32, fourth all-time in school history and in the top 15 among the meet's all-time performers. Sabrina Rathor from Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo (17:50) was second, followed by Saugus' Courtney Wilson -- 51-second improvement from 2007 to finish in 18:00 -- fourth-place runner Keri Molt (18:12), who enjoyed a 28-second drop from last season, and seventh-place finisher Anne Randall, who clocked 18:20 to lower her mark from last year by 14 seconds.

.

It's already a lively crowd here at Crespi in Encino, as the host Celts face City Section power Birmingham in just a few minutes, as kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the TV cameras will be rolling.

Birmingham lost its season opener, 29-28, to unheralded Garfield of L.A., and that seemed to have turned off a lot of prognosticators, as the calpreps line is 31 points.

"Nobody expects us to have a chance, and frankly I was surprised they even let us in the building tonight," Birmingham coach Ed Croson said.

But Birmingham is capable of big upsets -- I remember the Patriots knocked off Hart in a total shocker a few years back -- so nobody should give up on them, though there's no doubt Crespi (1-0) is a prohibative favorite.

Even I am picking against my alma mater tonight -- Birmingham was the Braves in my day -- but you know what? I've been wrong before ...

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

We'll call this my expasion upon Peerless Pronog:

Hart 27, Palmdale 21 -- Palmdale has shortened the gap between a top Golden League team and a top Foothill League team, but not quite enough to win this one -- even on Palmdale's home field. Hart's all-purpose standout Demitri Diamond is the difference.

Valencia 23, Thousand Oaks 21 -- This one comes down the very end. The Thousand Oaks duo of QB Ian Shultis and RB John Lister gives the Lancers the lead, but Valencia's new QB Dominick Solley has the last word in front of a big home crowd.

Crespi 42, Birmingham 23 -- OK, it's not 31 points like calpreps.com says, but Birmingham just doesn't have enough experienced defenders to keep pace with host Crespi's high-octane offense. And if Birmingham thought Garfield of L.A. could lay the wood, just wait until get a load of the gang-tackling Celts.

Notre Dame 17, Moorpark 7 -- Notre Dame has a lot to prove after falling in the first round of the playoffs last year, but visiting Moorpark, led by DL Corey Sandoval, won't make it easy. The Knights workmanlike approach will success, and we might even see a 50-yard field goal.

El Camino Real 24, Calabasas 7 -- This one is easy for the Conquistadores, as Rashon Harper runs wild. But it will get tougher down the road.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com.

The Foothill League was well represented in the girls races at the Seaside Invitational cross country races last year. The races are split up into grade divisions -- the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors race against each other in four separate events.
Saugus and West Ranch high schools did especially well last year. As a freshman, Saugus' Kaylin Mahoney ran the course in under 18 minutes. Her time was better than the top sophomore time, set by Bailey Miller of West Ranch. Miller won the sophomore portion of the race.
Brianna Jauregui won the junior race for Saugus.
Katie Dunn, another runner from Saugus, won the senior race, giving the Saugus girls winners in three of the four grade divisions.
On the boys side, the Golden League won two of the four races. Dylan Alexander of Highland High School won the freshman race and Pedro Zaragoza of Lancaster High won the junior race.
James Goldstein of Oak Park High won the sophomore race.
Scotty Blair of Trabuco Hills won the senior race.

Well, that didn't take long. Alemany scored on its first play just a moment ago on a 62 yard pass from David Metcalf to blazing Chris Gant to forge an early lead against visiting Kennedy. Check Jacob Pollon's story in the DN tomorrow (or online tonight at midnight for you diehards).

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Defending Mid-Valley Division semifinalist Paraclete killed itself with mistakes last week in a 35-28 loss at Serrano.

The Spirits totaled 447 yards of total offense but committed five turnovers (three within their own 20) and muffed a punt on its own 11. One lost fumble occurred on the 1 as a Paraclete player was running into the end zone.

"It was just one of those games. Very frustrating," coach Norm Dahlia said.

Paraclete looks to rebound against visiting Burroughs of Ridgecrest on Saturday night. The Spirits are playing home games this season at Knight of Palmdale - 15 miles from Paraclete's campus - because the Spirits' usual home field at Antelope Valley College is being refurbished.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Grant plays under its new lights Friday against Bell, and kickoff has been pushed to 7:30 p.m. because Grant plans a special ceremony and a halftime fireworks show.

"We're encouraging everyone who ever has been associated with Grant - students, teachers, coaches - to come out," said Jeff Halpern, interim assistant principal. "I was from Grant's first graduating class in 1959, so I know all about how it took only 49 years to get some lights, and now I'm back. We're also going to have a fireworks display at halftime."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Some of the top girls cross country teams and runners in the state will compete in the Seasisde Invitational at San Buena Ventura State Beach in Ventura on Friday.
The Saugus girls team, ranked first in Div. II by dyestat.com, will be there, in addition to Trabuco Hills, Oak Park, Paraclete and Highland.
There are 50 schools entered in the Seaside Invitational, hosted by Buena High School.
The top team on the boys side is Trabuco Hills.

Dylan Jones, a top baseball player at Valencia, has committed to Oregon, according to The Signal.

As a junior, Jones batted .466 with three home runs and 22 RBIs.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Cheyenne Weekley, the top female basketball at Malibu High the past three seasons has not shown up to school this semester and word has it that she has transferred to Palisades of Paciifc Palisades.

Weekley is a dead-on three point shooter and has started since her freshman year.

Weekley led the Sharks to the playoffs her sophomore year.

Her departure severely hurts the Sharks, who were aiming high with many varsity players returning

Jules Montgomery, a 6-foot-9 senior at Chaminade of West Hills, has committed to Long Beach State.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The competition for the starting quarterback job at Hart of Newhall remains tight, but Spenser Souza will start Friday over Darren Sholes in the season opener at Palmdale on Friday night. Kickoff is 7:30.

"Spenser had a little bit of a better day, statistics-wise, in our scimmage," coach Mike Herrington said.

Herrington said he was not sure if both would play Friday.

Souza is a converted receiver/defensive back, and Sholes was a backup quarterback last season.

The past eight Hart quarterbacks -- David Neill, Kyle Boller, Kyle Matter, Matt Moore, Sean Norton, Tyler Lyon, Alex Pettee and B.R. Holbrook -- all eventually played major-college football, and Boller and Moore are in the NFL.

Defending Northern Division finalist Hart has defeated reigning Western Division runner-up Palmdale 12 times in a row by an average of nearly 28 points. The last meeting was in 2001.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Chuck Berrington has resigned as Taft of Woodland Hills' baseball coach to take the same position at Newbury Park.

Berrington replaces Scott Drootin.

Taft is accepting resumes for the vacancy. Interested people should fax resumes to athletic director Mark Drucker at 818-592-0877 or email to mdrucker@lausd.net

Malibu High School will be hosting the Winter Slam Jam Tournament December 8-13.

The tournament features 12 teams with the championship game scheduled for Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The teams participating are:
Malibu
Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth
St. Genevieve of Panorama City
Bell-Jeff of Burbank
Hillcrest Christian of Granada Hills
Cornerstone Christian of Camarillo
Blair of Pasadena
Los Angeles High
Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies
Canoga Park
Panorama of Van Nuys
Downtown Business Magnet of Los Angeles

2008 VALLEY SPORTS FOUNDATION
GIRLS BASKETBALL FALL LEAGUE (Saturdays)

Saturday September 13

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS
10 am El Camino Real vs. Montclair Prep
11 am Taft vs. Burroughs
12 pm Cleveland vs. Southwest Mustangs Silver
1 pm Chaminade vs. Birmingham
2 pm Chatsworth vs. Southwest Mustangs Silver
3 pm Notre Dame vs. Crescenta Valley
4 pm 1000 Oaks vs. Saugus
5 pm Oaks Christian vs. Lady Skywalkers
6 pm Granada Hills vs. Westlake

Saturday September 20

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS
10 am Taft vs. 1000 Oaks
11 am El Camino Real vs. Burroughs
12 pm Cleveland vs. Oaks Christian
1 pm Birmingham vs. Notre Dame
2 pm Crescenta Valley vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
3 pm Chatsworth vs. Montclair Prep
4 pm Westlake vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
5 pm Saugus vs. Granada Hills
6 pm Lady Skywalkers vs. Chaminade

Saturday September 27

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS
10 am Taft vs. Montclair Prep
11 am Cleveland vs. 1000 Oaks
12 pm El Camino Real vs. Southwest Mustangs Silver
1 pm Notre Dame vs. Chatsworth
2 pm Birmingham vs. Southwest Mustangs Silver
3 pm Crescenta Valley vs. Lady Skywalkers
4 pm Westlake vs. Chaminade
5 pm Granada Hills vs. Burroughs
6 pm Oaks Christian vs. Saugus

Saturday October 4

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS
10 am El Camino Real vs. Saugus
11 am Cleveland vs. Crescenta Valley
12 pm Taft vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
1 pm Oaks Christian vs. Granada Hills
2 pm Lady Skywalkers vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
3 pm 1000 Oaks vs. Burroughs
4 pm Chatsworth vs. Chaminade
5 pm Notre Dame vs. Westlake
6 pm Montclair Prep vs. Birmingham

Saturday October 11

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS

10 am Taft vs. Oaks Christian
11 am El Camino Real vs. Chaminade
12 pm Cleveland vs. Saugus
1 pm Birmingham vs. Crescenta Valley
2 pm Notre Dame vs. 1000 Oaks
3 pm Chatsworth vs. Lady Skywalkers
4 pm Southwest Mustangs Silver vs. Granada Hills
5 pm Burroughs vs. Montclair Prep
6 pm Southwest Mustangs Silver vs. Westlake

Saturday October 18

Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS

10 am Taft vs. Crescenta Valley
11 am El Camino Real vs. 1000 Oaks
12 pm Cleveland vs. Chaminade
1 pm Birmingham vs. Saugus
2 pm Granada Hills vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
3 pm Oaks Christian vs. Notre Dame
4 pm Montclair Prep vs. Southwest Mustangs Black
5 pm Lady Skywalkers vs. Westlake
6 pm Chatsworth vs. Burroughs

Saturday October 25
Taft High School in Woodland Hills site-ALL GIRLS

10 am Birmingham vs. Oaks Christian
11 am El Camino Real vs. Burroughs
12 pm Taft vs. Notre Dame
1 pm Granada Hills vs. Crescenta Valley
2 pm Chatsworth vs. 1000 Oaks
3 pm Chaminade vs. Saugus
4 pm Lady Skywalkers vs. Montclair Prep
5 pm Westlake vs. Cleveland

2008 Valley Sports Foundation
Fall League Schedule Boys Basketball (Saturday League)

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Calabasas vs. Oaks Christian
10 am Westlake vs. Channel Islands
11 am Buckley 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
12 pm Buckley 1 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Chaminade 2
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Chaminade 1

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Van Nuys vs. Agoura 2
11 am Valencia vs. Agoura 1
12 pm Montclair Prep vs. Agoura 1
1 pm Community Charter vs. Oakwood
2 pm Agoura 3 vs. SCV Bulldogs
3 pm Agoura 4 vs. Birmingham

at Monroe HS
10 am Saugus 1 vs. St. Francis
11 am Saugus 1 vs. Bell-Jeff
12 pm Burroughs 1 vs. Golden Valley
1 pm Burroughs 2 vs. Harvard-Westlake
2 pm Monroe vs. Eastside
3 pm Canyon vs. Sierra Canyon
4 pm Panorama vs. Gametymers

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Calabasas vs. Channel Islands
10 am Sierra Canyon vs. Chaminade 1
11 am Gametymers vs. Chaminade 2
12 pm Oaks Christian vs. Westlake
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Burroughs 2
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Burroughs 1

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Saugus 1 vs. Agoura 1
11 am Saugus 1 vs. Agoura 1
12 pm Agoura 2 vs. Buckley 2
1 pm Montclair Prep vs. Buckley 1
2 pm SCV Bulldogs vs. Van Nuys
3 pm Birmingham vs. Agoura 3
4 pm Harvard-Westlake vs. Agoura 4

at Monroe HS
10 am Panorama vs. Community Charter
11 am Monroe vs. Canyon
12 pm Bell-Jeff vs. St. Francis
1 pm Valencia vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
2 pm Oakwood vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
3 pm Eastside vs. Golden Valley

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Agoura 1 vs. St. Francis
10 am Westlake vs. Agoura 1
11 am Chaminade 1 vs. Calabasas
12 pm Chaminade 2 vs. Community Charter
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Buckley 2
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Buckley 1

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Montclair Prep vs. Oaks Christian
11 am Valencia vs. Golden Valley
12 pm Agoura 2 vs. SCV Bulldogs
1 pm Agoura 3 vs. Panorama
2 pm Agoura 4 vs. Van Nuys
3 pm Harvard-Westlake vs. Birmingham

at Monroe HS
10 am Saugus 1 vs. Sierra Canyon
11 am Saugus 1 vs. Gametymers
12 pm Burroughs 1 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
1 pm Burroughs 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
2 pm Monroe vs. Channel Islands
3 pm Bell-Jeff vs. Oakwood
4 pm Eastside vs. Canyon

SATURDAY OCTOBER 4
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Agoura 1 vs. Sierra Canyon
10 am Agoura 1 vs. Gametymers
11 am Burroughs 1 vs. Calabasas
12 pm Burroughs 2 vs. SCV Bulldogs
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Birmingham
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Oaks Christian

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Montclair Prep vs. Valencia
11 am Van Nuys vs. Bell-Jeff
12 pm Channel Islands vs. Canyon
1 pm Agoura 4 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
2 pm Agoura 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
3 pm Agoura 3 vs. Oakwood

at Monroe HS
10 am Monroe vs. Buckley 1
11 am Community Charter vs. Buckley 2
12 am Harvard Westlake vs. Chaminade 2
1 pm Saugus 1 vs. Chaminade 1
2 pm Saugus 1 vs. Eastside
3 pm Westlake vs. St. Francis
4 pm Panorama vs. Golden Valley

SATURDAY OCTOBER 11
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Agoura 2 vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
10 am Calabasas vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
11 am Chaminade 1 vs. Channel Islands
12 pm Chaminade 2 vs. SCV Bulldogs
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Harvard-Westlake
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Eastside

at Monroe HS
10 am Agoura 1 vs. Monroe
11 am Agoura 1 vs. Bell-Jeff
12 pm St. Francis vs. Gametymers
1 pm Golden Valley vs. Sierra Canyon
2 pm Canyon vs. Oaks Christian
3 pm Burroughs 1 vs. Valencia
4 pm Burroughs 2 vs. Oakwood

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Buckley 1 vs. Panorama
11 am Buckley 2 vs. Van Nuys
12 pm Westlake vs. Saugus 1
1 pm Birmingham vs. Saugus 1
2 pm Community Charter vs. Montclair Prep

bye: Agoura 3,4.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
at El Camino Real HS
9 am SCV Bulldogs vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2
10 am Harvard-Westlake vs. Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1
11 am Chaminade 2 vs. Panorama
12 pm Chaminade 1 vs. Agoura 1
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. Agoura 2
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Agoura 1

at Monroe HS
10 am Monroe vs. St. Francis
11 am Golden Valley vs. Calabasas
12 pm Buckley 1 vs. Burroughs 1
1 pm Buckley 2 vs. Burroughs 2
2 pm Oakwood vs. Birmingham
3 pm Bell-Jeff vs. Eastside
4 pm Canyon vs. Westlake

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Van Nuys vs. Sierra Canyon
11 am Agoura 3 vs. Gametymers
12 pm Agoura 4 vs. Community Charter
1 pm Montclair Prep vs. Channel Islands
2 pm Saugus 1 vs. Oaks Christian
3 pm Saugus 1 vs. Valencia

SATURDAY OCTOBER 25
at El Camino Real HS
9 am Agoura 1 vs. Birmingham
10 am Agoura 1 vs. Channel Islands
11 am Agoura 2 vs. Harvard-Westlake
12 pm Golden Valley vs. Oaks Christian
1 pm El Camino Real 2 vs. SCV Bulldogs
2 pm El Camino Real 1 vs. Calabasas

at Monroe HS
10 am Saugus 1 vs. Monroe
11 am Saugus 1 vs. Canyon
12 pm Community Charter vs. Bell-Jeff
1 pm Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 1 vs. Sierra Canyon
2 pm Sherman Oaks C.E.S. 2 vs. Gametymers
3 pm Valencia vs. Agoura 3
4 pm Panorama vs. Agoura 4

at Van Nuys HS
10 am Chaminade 1 vs. Buckley 1
11 am Chaminade 2 vs. Buckley 2
12 pm Burroughs 1 vs. Westlake
1 pm Burroughs 2 vs. Van Nuys
2 pm Montclair Prep vs. Oakwood
3 pm Eastside vs. St. Francis

Updates on a some of the many local football players who are playing on Saturdays this year

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen (from Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village) went 21-37 with 237 yards and three touchdowns to lead Notre Dame over San Diego State 21-13.

Sean Westgate - from Oak Park - ran back a punt 17 yards for a touchdown and Kai Forbath (Notre Dame) kicked two field goals and had two extra points to help UCLA beat Tennessee 27-24 in overtime.

Malik Jackson (Birmingham) had a sack and Marc Tyler (Oaks Christian) scored a touchdown in the USC 52-7 win over Virginia.

Running back Darrell Scott - formerly of Moorpark High and St. Bonaventure High in Ventura - has played two games so far this season and has 93 yards on 24 carries and scored one touchdown.

San Fernando continues to cope without one the Valley Mission League's top returning players, receiver Stacey Richards, who is academically ineligible.

"He didn't make up a class during the summer," head coach Tom Hernandez said.

As a junior last season, Richards caught 42 passes for 599 yards and two TDs.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

La Canada High's John Geyer is one of 16 divers who will represent the United States in the FINA junior world championships in Germany starting Sept. 16.
Geyer, a senior at La Canada High School, will compete in 3-meter springboard in the boys 16-18 year old division. He is competing through the Trojan Diving Club.
Felicitas Lenz of Altadena is competing for the United States in 3-meter springboard in the girls 16-18 year old division.
Kristian Ipsen of Clayton, Calif., will be competing in all three events, 1-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform, at the junior world championships. He won the junior world championships in 2006.
The diving championships are in Aachen, Germany and end Sept. 21.

I got word today a couple of games have been changed for Week 1.

Quartz Hill will play at Rosamond, Saturday at 2 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled for Friday night.

Kennedy of Granada Hills will play at Alemany, Thursday night at 7 p.m.

The game was originally scheduled for Friday night.

Make sure to double check with the host schools before making the drive. With the price of gasoling nowadays there is no reason for a wasted trip.

The Saugus girls cross country team has won two straight Div. I championships. The team will compete in Div. II this year, and some of the girls aren't happy with the move.
Saugus was moved down because of its enrollment. The team was ranked No. 1 in Div. II in a recent poll released by dyestatcal.com. Saugus is ranked third in the nation by Harrier magazine.
Coach Rene Paragas says he follows the Harrier rankings. His girls want to be ranked No. 1 in the nation, but they are more focused on winning another CIF championship. Senior Brianna Jauregui said she was kind of mad her team was moved into Div. II.
"I can see why we're being knocked down," she said. "It makes it harder for us to get our team goals."
Paragas stresses personal improvement. He wants to see his runners post faster times and have stronger races as the season progress. Jauregui said racing against Div. II competition at the end of the season will make it more difficult to maintain that level of improvement her coach likes to see.
"In the beginning, I was a little disappointed," said senior Anne Randall. "We're using it to our advantage and it's not going to stop us. We have our sights set on a national title. It's not going to stop us."
The Saugus girls get their first team Friday at the Seaside Invitational in Ventura.

I know the basketball is more than two months away but I just couldn't wait to post this list of some top freshman who are ready to make a splash in the region this upcoming season.

Lauren Holiday-Campbell Hall
Rishonda Napier-Bell-Jeff
Monet McNally-L.A. Baptist
Brianna Barrett-Oaks Christian
Karen Yap-El Camino Real
Shawn Kolani-Taft

This is a short list. If someone was left off, email me at jack.pollon@dailynews.com

Marquis Jackson, the former All-City defensive end from Birmingham who lost a Fresno State scholarship because of grades, is playing for College of the Canyons after first working out with Moorpark College this past summer.

Canyons, which defeated Antelope Valley College on Saturday in the season opener, is ranked No. 1 in the nation among JC programs.

Among other Canyons notables: D.J. Stephens (Kennedy), Germi Morrison (Monroe), Anthony Dawkins (Granada Hills), Ricky Drake and Josh Gibbs (Valencia), Steve Gourley (Grace Brethren), Eddie Smith (Saugus) and Brandon Pittman (Lynwood/Saugus),

Meanwhile, Chris Andrade, a top linebacker from Monroe, has left Moorpark's team to pursue academic interests.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Christian Lopes, who hit 10 home runs as a Valencia freshman this past spring, has been named to the USA National Team (16-under).

The team is scheduled to participate in a 10-day international tournament in Mexico beginning Friday.

I've been following Lopes since he was 10 years old when he led the William S. Hart PONY team to the Mustang World Series in Texas. Back then, he could hit a baseball 250 feet -- WAY over the fence. These days, Lopes can hit 400-foot home runs and throws a 90 mph fastball.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Daniel Owen completed seven of 20 passes for 103 yards including touchdown passes of 25 and 31 yards to Jon Hilliger and D.J. Tripoli respectively to lead the Knights to a 25-10 victory against Calvary Murrieta.

Tripoli also rushed for 108 yards on 12 carries including a 33 yard touchdown that essentially sealed the game with 2:32 remaining.

By Gerry Gittelson
Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - Founded in 1893, Bakersfield High is one of California's oldest high school football programs, and the visiting Drillers were giving Canyon an old-fashioned whipping Friday in the season opener at Canyon.

Central Section power Bakersfield, 13-1 last season, did nothing fancy, employing a basic but increasingly effective running attack that wore down the Cowboys, who fell behind by as much as 24 points in the fourth quarter.

But Canyon came roaring back, scoring three touchdowns over a six-minute span to make it respectable in a 38-32 loss before a crowd of about 5,000 at Canyon.

Canyon (0-1) is in serious need of respectability after finishing just 4-6 last season after winning two Northern Division titles in a row in 2005 and 2006. Had the Cowboys come back all the way, this would have been quite a comeback, but there is nothing to be ashamed of in losing to a defending section champion, so the onus is on Canyon to build from this defeat.

In the fourth quarter, Canyon scored on Chris Rivas' 67-yard touchdown, Geffen Camp's 10-yard run and finally Tyger Rodriguez's 84-yard fumble return with 54 seconds remaining.

But onside kicks failed after all three touchdowns, and Canyon ran out of time.

Canyon jumped to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but Bakersfield (1-0) answered with 31 consecutive points.

Playing without top running back Antonio Bray (ineligible), Canyon succeeded with it passing attack. Jordan Adamczyk completed 14 of 22 for 264 yards and a 67-yard touchdown to Rivas (seven receptions, 176 yards).

But Canyon simply could not stop Bakersfield's ground game, as the Drillers amassed 417 yards, 364 rushing. J.J. Johnson rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, and Alfonso Jackson added 125 yards on 16 carries.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

it's 26-14 Bakersfield over Canyon at the half here at Canyon High, and the second half is about to get underway.

Canyon jumped to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but Bakersfield responded with three consecutive touchdowns to forge a 26-12 halftime lead.

Canyon started impressively enough, driving 63 yards in 14 plays while eating up nearly six minutes, but the Cowboys could not cash in, fumbling away the hold on a 26-yard field goal attempt.

Bakersfield's Chris Anderson returned the fumble 50 yards to 17, and Dakota Velasquez scored three plays later on a 1-yard run.

Canyon kept the pressure on, driving 70 yards on seven plays, scoring the first touchdown on Chris Reed's 11-yard run.

On the next series, Canyon took advantage of a Bakersfield fumble and scored on Geffen Camp's 2-yard run.

But Canyon failed to record a first down over its next three series, and Bakersfield proved increasingly successful with a straight-ahead offense that wasn't fancy but was physical.

Bakersfield amassed 182 yards in the first half, 168 rushing.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Oaks Christian Nick Montana has thrown just five passes in the first half in his debut as the Lions quarterback but two have gone for touchdowns.

The Junior has completed 3 of 5 pass for 81 yards in the first half as Oaks Christian leads 14-7.

Montana connected with Chris Coyle on a 25-yard scoring pass and then throw a 40-yard strike to Malcolm Jones with 20 seconds remaing in the first quarter.

Sitll just more than hour before kickoff, but I was so pumped about football season starting again that got here WAY early at Canyon, as the Cowboys prepare to face Central Section power Bakersfield (13-1 last year) in the opener, Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

Bakersfield is a good team -- the Drillers are favored by 15 on calpreps -- but Canyon is always a tough progam even though the Cowboys finished just 4-6 last season after winning consecutive Northern Division titles in 2005 and 2006.

No Antonio Bray tonight. The ultra fast running back for Canyon has eligibility issues because of his transfer from Alemany, but word is he'll probably be OK by next week.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Here's a scoop: Taft linebacker Nick Bruce was offered a scholarship today by Fresno State.

"It's his offer, and that's good because the first one is always the toughest," Taft coach Matt Kerstetter said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Lucky Radley is set to transfer yet again, this time to Agoura, according to several sources including Agoura's All-American prospect offensive lineman, Kevin Graf, who went with Radley to the UCLA football game Monday and said Radley attended Agoura's practice on Tuesday and also visited practice last week.

The plan according to sources is for Radley to change guardianship and move in with the family of Agoura receiver Bryce Majdick, Graf said.

Radley could not be reached.

Agoura coach Charlie Wegher acknowledged meeting Radley at practice but told him to go meet with the athletic director, per Southern Section rules.

"As of now, he's not enrolled as far as I know," Wegher said. "If he takes the steps and it's all kosher, that's something else."

Taft coach Matt Kerstetter, who has petitioned the City Section for Radley to be granted a hardship waiver at Taft instead of being forced to sit out for year because of transfer restrictions, said he knows nothing about it.

"I've hung out with Lucky Radley -- it looks like he will be coming here, though I don't think it's 100 percent for sure," Graf said. "He's a great guy. I think it will be great having him on the team. it will make a huge improvement and make us that much better."

Radley totaled more than 100 tackles as a sophomore last season for Crespi but was later suspended, then expelled shortly after returning. He attended school at Taft on Wednesday, Kerstetter said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

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Canyon's top running back Antonio Bray, a transfer from Bakersfield, continues to wait to be cleared after transferring from Alemany, so he won't play Friday in the season opener against visiting Bakersfield.

"We just want to check everything and confirm everything. He'll probably suit up next week against Granada Hills," Canyon coach Chris Varner said.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TONIGHT

Garfield of L.A. (0-0) at Birmingham of Lake Balboa (0-0), 7:30: The PM era (post-Milton) begins for Birmingham, which begins its quest for a third consecutive City championship and fifth over the past seven seasons.

Birmingham has a top WR in USC-bound De'Von Flournoy, and the key to this season figures to be the development of the rest of the receiving corps, as all except Jake Granitz lack experience. If one or two WRs emerge, then returning QB Morey Croson should be primed for a big season.

Milton Knox's successor is promising junior Trajuan Briggs. Garfield won the City Invitational title last year but should be in way over its head.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The circus surrounding boys basketball players and teams in the region this past summer is starting to finally come to an end.

Several players have landed at new schools, most notably 6'10 center Anthony Stover from Renaissance Academy of La Canada.

Stover, who was offered a scholarship by UCLA over the summer is enrolled and taking classes at Windward of Los Angeles. Stover led Renaissance to the Divison V state championship last season along with De'Andre Daniels, a 6'7 forward from Louisiana.

Daniels, as expected, enrolled at Taft of Woodland Hills Wednesday and Renaissance also lost guards Tremaine Tatum (South Pasadena) and Hector Harold (Mt. Herman Prep School in Massachusetts).

In addition to Daniels, Taft also picked up promising sophomore Dominique Evans from Van Nuys. Evans was the second best freshman last season right behind Campbell Hall of North Hollywood's Austin McBroom.

Taft, the defending City champion, now distances itself even further from the rest of the West Valley League as Daniels and Evans will join UNLV-commit Justin Hawkins, forward Terran Carter and 3-point specialist Michael Williams.

Evans leaving Van Nuys was another blow for the Wolves after losing Victor Rudd and Willie Hankins to Findlay Prep School in Las Vegas.

Well, it's official: The Daily News' very own Ramona Shelburne and former Daily News staffer Nevin Barich -- "Like Kevin but with an N," he always says -- are getting hitched! The date isn't totally set but the plan is for sometime next summer, said Ramona, who is sporting some bling. Congrats!

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Brandon Graves, one of the Southland's brightest young football prospects, has been denied eligibility at Crespi of Encino after transferring from Los Alamitos.

Crespi is appealing via a hardship waiver, but it is not clear when the matter will be resolved.

Graves, a receiver/defensive back who has been living in the San Fernando Valley and practicing with Crespi since late June, caught 28 passes and scored one touchdown as a sophomore last season at Los Alamitos, one of California's top programs.

Graves also played varsity basketball at Los Alamitos.

If the appeal process does not go his way, Graves will be forced to sit out one year before resuming varsity participation.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

It hasn't hit the Net yet, but Oaks Christian junior running back Malcolm Jones have been offerred a scholarship by Oregon.

"It's official. We just got the offer today," Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell said.

This is Jones' second Pac-10 offer, with Stanford being the first. His brother, Marshall, is a USC defensive back.

Speaking of Oaks Christian running backs, former star Marc Tyler scored his first touchdown for USC on Saturday on a 10-yard run in 52-7 opening victory over Virginia. And even though Tyler was the last of six USC tailbacks to show his face, Redell believes Tyler eventually will assert himself and move up.

"I think as the season goes, Marc is going to be right there. He looks very good," Redell said. "There are a lot good running backs there, but none of them are better than Marc Tyler.:

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com