August 2009 Archives

According to basketball scout Gerry Freitas, who is based in San Jose, Jordan Gathers from Loyola of Los Angeles will enroll at Taft of Woodland Hills and start classes Sept. 9.

Gathers would be another talented player for coach Derrick Taylor to have at his disposal as the Toreadors try to knock off Westchester of Los Angeles, Crensahw of Los Angeles and Fairfax of Los Angeles in its quest for a third City championship.

Gathers averaged 11 points per game for the Cubs last year while missing seven weeks with a shoulder injury.

Foothill League football practice has been canceled by the district for the third consecutive day because of air conditions affected by the fire. The schools do not have the option of practicing elsewhere.

-- Gerry Gittelson

DAILY NEWS PRESEASON TOP 10

RANK, SCHOOL (Last year)
1. Oaks Christian (14-0)
2. Notre Dame (11-1)
3. Crespi (6-4)
4. Moorpark (12-2)
5. Alemany (11-2)
6. Valencia (10-3)
7. Taft (11-2)
8. Westlake (7-5)
9. Newbury Park (7-4)
10. Saugus (10-3)

OTHERS: Palmdale (11-2); Hart (5-6), Quartz Hill (13-1), St. Francis (6-5), Canyon (5-5), Thousand Oaks (10-2), Birmingham (6-6), Arleta (14-0).

-- Gerry Gittelson

Bad news for Birmingham. USC-bound running back Trajuan Briggs, expected to be the team's key player, broke his foot during a scrimmage last week and could be out for as long as six weeks.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Chris Reed, a defensive lineman who played at Canyon last season and at Crespi as a sophomore, has moved to Hawaii and is playing for Honoka High.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Sean Pollard is the new coach at Van Nuys, which has lost 14 in a row and is 4-54-1 over the past six seasons.

"There is nowhere to go but up. I think we're going to sneak up and surprise some people," Pollard said.

Pollard said the focus this summer has been on academics and staying eligible.

"It looks like it's paid off because we have more than 30 players, which is more than Van Nuys has had in a while" Pollard said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The biggest opening game next week is an intriguing nonleague match up pitting national power Oaks Christian of Westlake Village at Alemany of Mission Hills on Sept 4.

Defending Northwest Division champion Oaks Christian, ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation, has won six consecutive Southern Section titles and features six national recruits, including running back Malcolm Jones, one of the top prospects in the country. Alemany, led by Oregon State-bound running back Malcolm Marable, is a program on the rise and participates in a larger division, winning the Mission League title and finishing as Western Division semifinalists last year.

"It's a huge game for us because we want to come out and show everybody what we're all about," Oaks Christian linebacker Zac Stout said. "Alemany is a good team from what everyone says and what we've seen, so it should be a fun game."

-- Gerry Gittelson

One of California's most heavily recruited returning defensive backs, Palmdale's Joshua Shaw also is the starting quarterback this season - and he could not be happier.

"It feels good. We have a lot of good players around me, so that takes the weight off my shoulders," Shaw said. "I'm going to try to be a good leader."

Palmdale has won 37 of 38 Golden League games but has never won a section championship.

"We're working hard and trying to get over the hump," Shaw said. "That's what this year is all about - we have to finish."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Maka Maka, a top defensive lineman at Arleta, is not only the biggest player in the East Valley League - he measures in at 6-foot-2, 315 pounds - but he might be one of the best, even though he missed most of last season because of a bruised knee.

"He has come back 100 percent," coach Jeff Engilman said.

To help keep Maka and the rest of Arleta's players motivated, the City Invitational championship trophy from last season is visible at all times.

"Every time they feel sorry for themselves during practice, they can look over the see the trophy," Engilman said. "We went 14-0 last year, and our goal is to go 14-0 again."

-- Gerry Gittelson

After passing for 3,291 yards and accounting for 38 touchdowns last season, quarterback Ryan Kasdorf returns for Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks more determined than ever.

Not only did Notre Dame's football season end disappointingly last year with a loss in the Pac-5 quarterfinals after a 10-0 start, Kasdorf has yet to land a scholarship offer despite such eye-popping statistics - not to mention being named Gatorade's state player of the year.

Notre Dame must rebuild its receiving corps because all four starters from last season have graduated, but fortunately most of the offensive linemen are back, including standouts Ben Gottschalk and Daniel Munyer.

"I take a lot of pride in protecting Ryan Kasdorf. We kind of think of him as guarding a buried treasure with huge diamonds," Gottschalk said. "It's definitely worth it. We might not always get the recognition or be on the front page of the newspaper like Ryan, but I don't care too much about the glamour part of it. Me the other four guys up front, we enjoy it."

Kasdorf, a 6-foot-1 senior who transferred from Canyon after his freshman season, is focused on preparing for the season and getting better.

"We're just trying to get ready for the first game, so we're working on everything," Kasdorf said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Chantel Dooley, a 5'8 guard from Montclair Prep of Van Nuys has committed to Long Beach St.

Dooley averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds last season for the Mounties.

Here is a recent article from ESPN HoopdGurlz.

Montclair Prep's Chantel Dooley verbals to LBSU
Chantel Dooley, the 5-foot-8 point guard from Northridge, Calif., told ESPN HoopGurlz she has verbally committed to Long Beach State and new head coach Jody Wynn.

"We both thought it was a better fit for me education-wise and for basketball," Dooley said of both her and her mom's thoughts on her recruitment. "I have a good relationship with the Wynn's."

Dooley, a stand out and team captain at Montclair Prep, averaged a double-double her junior year with more than 12 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Known also as a defensive stopper she spent a lot of time this summer working on perimeter shooting and it showed this summer.

Dooley chose Long Beach State after considering several other schools including Cal-Bakersfield, Fresno State, and USC.

"I think I'll be good for them," Dooley said. "I think I'm a very good defensive fit fro them and I think Jody will help me excel my game."

The Mission League by far and away has the regions best college-bound senior class.

Several players have made decisions and others are close.

Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood's Nicole Nesbit is headed to UCSB next September while Nicole Hung is expected to choose between Stanford or a school in the Ivy League.

Sydney Haydel is another Wolverine senior that could land a scholarship.

Chaminade of West Hills' Erin Dautremont will attend UC San Diego.

The League's biggest prize, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks' Kody Burke is down tofour schools.

Burke said she will take official visits to Colorado, Arizona St., Boston College and North Carolina St.

Colorado could be the front runner for the imposing power forward because she has family living in the area.

Stay tuned.................

Chass bryan, rapidly becoming one of the best sophomore point guards in Southern California wowed onlookers Sunday at Taft High in Woodland Hills in the Slam Jam/CaliforniaPreps.com Soph./Frosh showcase.

Bryan poured in 31 points in the first game of the day leading his team to a come from behind victory.

Bryan displayed improved ball-handling skills and an improved outside shot.

Bryan fearlessly drove the lane despite his 5'8 frame.

Bryan is on the radar screen of the top Ivy League schools and attended a camp at Stanford this summer.

He has a 3.9 GPA and could land at a top institution for the 2012-2013 season.

Keith Higgins, boys basketball coach at Reseda High has resigned the position to accept the coaching job at Compton College.

Higgins led Reseda to the City section Division II championship this past season and a share of the Valley Mission League title.

Higgins played basketball at Colorado and CSUN.

Erik Kohler, a 6-5, 285-pound returning offensive lineman at Oaks Christian, has committed to Washington, picking the Huskies over UCLA, Notre Dame, Cal, Arizona State and Arizona.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Burbank is operating under new coach Hector Valencia after Ted Amorosi was forced out this past spring, and the Bulldogs (6-6 last year) could have their best team in years.

Sixteen starters returns - nine on offense and seven on defense - including linebacker Ryan Seidler, who totaled a school-record 137 tackles last season.

Another player to watch is running back Ulises Ochoa, a junior who was limited to 317 yards in four games last season because of a nagging ankle injury.

Valencia, a former assistant under Amorosi, is a Burbank alum who also played at Glendale College and Chico State.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Christian Thomas is blowing up huge in the Antelope Valley. The returning tight end from Highland High has more than 40 scholarship offers, including USC, UCLA, Florida State, California, Colorado, Tennessee and LSU.

Thomas is 6-3, 240 pounds and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, and he can bench press 400 pounds with a 39-inch vertical jump. And in case you're wondering about Thomas' ability on the football field, last season he totaled 32 receptions for 690 yards and eight touchdowns after totaling 34 receptions as a sophomore.

"Christian is the real deal - he's big, he's physical, he's skilled, he's fast, he's smart, and he gets it," Highland coach Randy Block said. "He's probably going to take all his trips and decide on signing day what college he wants to go to."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Scott Arellano, a returning defensive back and starting punter at Oaks Christian, has transferred to Santa Ynez. Meantime, Brian Fifita, a junior defensive back last season at Mira Costa, has trasnferred in.

Fifita, considered one of the South Bay area's top young prospects, had 85 tackles, 50 unassisted, and two interceptions at Mira Costa.

-- Gerry Gittelson

There are issues about his eligibility, but just wait until you see Canyon's new kicker, Mohammad Roknipour, a new student from Iran.

"The kid can kick 65-yard field goals. He's unbelievable," Canyon coach Chris Varner said.

Unfortunately, Roknipour, who enrolled in January, has not been cleared because of a paperwork hassle. It's unclear whether he can move forward or will be forced to play JV football, Varner said. The coach said it's also unclear whether Roknipour is a junior or a senior.

"I guess we're listing him as a junior. All his transcripts are from Iran," Varner said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Most prep football fans have never heard of Collin Keoshian, even though the returning senior linebacker has committed to BYU.

That's because Keoshian plays for eight-man program Santa Clarita Christian, which remains starved publicity even though the Cardinals won a section title last fall.

Keoshian would be a star at any program. He's 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds and also had DI offers from New Mexico and New Mexico State. Keoshian has been attending Santa Clarita Christian, a small church school at the end of a culdesac down the street from the local movie theatre complex, since he was in kindergarten, and he has never considered transferring.

"Actually, in junior high I kind of wanted to go to Hart after reading about them and seeing pictures in the newspaper all the time, but I don't really care about that stuff," Keoshian said.

Keoshian did not market himself for a college scholarship, either, but blossomed after gaining 40 pounds of muscle since his sophomore season.

"We didn't send film to any school. They just found me," he said.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Crespi's Kevin Williams, expected to be one of the area's top defensive backs this season, has quit the team to focus on baseball after helping the Celts to the Southern Section Div. III baseball championship this past spring.

"Kevin loves football. He really wanted to play, but I kind of understand what he had to do," football coach Jeremiah Ross said. "In this day and age you almost have to play a sport all year. He was so overloaded with baseball during the summer time, and it was just too hard for him. Plus, his best opportunities are in baseball."

-- Gerry Gittelson

Touted junior quarterback Brett Nelson has transferred from Loyola to St. Francis, but St. Francis returning senior Justin Posthuma remains the No. 1 quarterback, according to St. Francis coach Jim Bonds.

"They're competing," Bonds said.

Also in the mix is Bonds' son, Jimmy, who probably will be a backup and could also see time at receiver.

Meantime, St. Francis (6-5 last season) must rebuild its offensive line. One of the few blockers with experience is junior Patrick Carroll, a returning starter who moves into the pivotal left-tackle spot.

"He's 6-5, 268 pounds with a great football attitude. He's a very intelligent player, and he knows the game," Bonds said.

The key players on defense are heavily recruited Dietrich Riley, the returning Daily News No. 1 defensive back who is also a top running back, along with linebacker Chris Cabrera, St. Francis' leading tackler last season.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Gerry Freitas, a national basketball scout based out of Northern California is running a great one-day event matching top teams from throughout the state.

Here is the schedule for January 2, 2010 at Cerritos College.

There will be over 40 Division I-bound players participating.

1st Annual California Classic Schedule

Saturday January 2, 2010 at Cerritos College

Game 1: 11:00 am - Orange Lutheran vs. Oakland

Game 2: 12:30 pm - La Verne Lutheran vs. Maranatha Christian (San Diego)

Game 3: 2:15 pm - Gahr (Cerritos) vs. Clovis West (Fresno)

Game 4: 3:45 pm - Compton vs. Sacramento

Game 5: 5:30 pm - Serra (Gardena) vs. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad)

Game 6: 7:00 pm - Campbell Hall (N. Hollywood) vs. Newark Memorial (Newark)

Game 7: 8:30 pm - Price (Los Angeles) vs. Hoover (San Diego)

The USA Today preseason Top 25 has been published, and Oaks Christian ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in the West.

The six-time section champion Lions open Sep. 4 at Alemany of Mission Hills.

-- Gerry Gittelson

It's the dog days of summer, as most high school football teams are practicing twice a day under the sweltering sun in preparation for opening week next month.

At Arleta, most of the returning players from last year's undefeated City Section Invitational championship team are hanging tough, but some of the first-year players are struggling to keep pace under hard-nosed coach Jeff Engilman.

"It's the first week, and some of the new kids are feeling sorry for themselves, but I guess every school is going through that right now," Engilman said.

Meantime, talented but troubled running back Antonio Bray, who has not played in a game since his sophomore season, has resurfaced at Arleta after stints at Canyon and Alemany - and so far Bray proved quite impressive.

"Antonio Bray is as good as people said he was, but let's face it: This is his last stop," Engilman said.

As an Alemany sophomore, Bray scored seven touchdowns, two on kick returns. He is considered one of the Valley area's fastest players. He twice was suspended at Canyon for a week for fighting, and he also was suspended for one game at Alemany because he broke a team rule.

"I told Antonio we're not going to talk about his problems because I don't care about his problems - I never called the Canyon coach and I never called the Alemany coach," Engilman said. "Kids make mistakes. We all make mistakes. Let's see if he learns from those mistakes."

THE BIGGER THE BETTER: Most of San Fernando's top skill players have graduated, including standout quarterback Rashaad Reynolds (now at Oregon State), but the Tigers have a good building block in Juan Rodriguez, a 6-foot-8, 340-pound offensive lineman who in one year has developed from a project to a pivotal force.

"Juan had a good summer. He went to the USC linemen camp and he looks real good," San Fernando coach Tom Hernandez said. "He has improved his footwork and mobility, and he's getting mean."

San Fernando also returns linebacker Anthony Uribe, the reigning Valley Mission League defensive MVP.

READY FOR NEW CHALLENGES: After winning its first 11 games last season by an average of more than 24 points, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks was upset in the Pac-5 playoffs with a 24-14 quarterfinal loss to Orange Lutheran.

A tough way for the season to end, but the good news is quarterback Ryan Kasdorf returns after passing for 3,291 yards and accounted for 42 touchdowns (36 passing, six rushing) to earn Gatorade California Player of the Year honors.

"Ryan looks good so far. He's doing great," coach Kevin Rooney said.

Notre Dame also returns top running back Kenny Boggs and several experienced linemen including Ben Gottschalk and Daniel Munyer.

The Knights open with a rare Monday night game Sept. 7 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex., against Klein Oak (Spring, Tex.). A crowd of 20,000 is expected.

"Well, we've never lost a Monday night game," Rooney said with a smile.

HOPING NOT TO GET LOST IN THE DESERT: Antelope Valley, one of the Southland's most tradition-rich programs, has fallen on hard times. After finishing 1-9 last season and failing to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year, the Antelopes are down to 18 players and are no longer fielding a JV team for league games - just the varsity and the frosh team.

I love my kids. They work their tails off. But we just don't have enough of them," coach Brett Pape said. "It does bother me that we can't compete."

Antelope Valley has softened its nonleague schedule, facing Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, Frontier of Bakersfield and Village Christian of Sun Valley - none of which had a winning record last season.

"Schools like Campbell Hall and Village Christian were the only schools calling us except for the big powers like Canyon, Hart and Norco - they were like sharks coming to the surface," Pape said.

Among Antelope Valley's top returning players are lineman Trever Bankhead, a 6-foot, 240-pounder who started all 10 games last year, along with running back Jaquille Wiseman.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Rivals.com released its updated 2010 prospect rankings for basketball a few days ago.

The only local team to have a player on the list was Taft of Woodland Hills.

Bryce Jones, a 6'6 slashing wing was rated No. 147 in the country.

In addition, Taft also had 6'8 Texas-commit De'Andre Daniels check in at No. 33 in the class of 2011.

It is pretty clear Taft is the preseason top ranked team in the region.

The seventh and final installment of the College of the Canyons summer cross country series took place Thursday. One of the most successful summers concluded for COC with a course record on the men's side and the fastest time of the summer by a woman.

Here's a recap of the final night of competition at COC, with seven things learned to take into the upcoming fall season:

1. Michael Thatcher is still the man: With all respect to Arcadia junior Ammar Moussa, even if he had traveled to Santa Clarita to compete instead of running in the Apaches' alumni race, it might not have made a difference in the race's final outcome. Thatcher, the La Canada High assistant, returned home Thursday morning from logging 67 miles at Big Bear during the Spartans' summer training camp and took down Moussa's 3-mile course record set July 30 by seven seconds, winning in 14:46.29. No one else in the field broke 15 minutes. Not bad for a 32-year old ready to lead the Spartans back to the Southern Section Div. III final.

2. Birmingham definitely has one talented transfer: But his name is Rafael Mendez, a junior who moved from Visalia. As far as Highland of Palmdale standout Dylan Alexander joining the Patriots, a family source said Thursday that Alexander has not yet enrolled at Birmingham, contrary to a report from coach Scott King two weeks ago. As for Mendez, he finished fifth with a mark of 15:34. Alexander's younger brother Ryan competed Thursday (running 16:39), but Dylan Alexander didn't. Stay tuned to find out where the talented athlete ends up running this fall.

3. Summer training has paid off for some more than others: With fellow Foothill League standouts Alec Nelson of Saugus and Falco DiGiallonardo of Valencia serving as spectators Thursday, Canyon senior Tommy McGuan finished fourth in 15:22 and tops among high school competitors, demonstrating that he should be in contention for the league title in November. Reigning girls' champion, Saugus junior Kaylin Mahoney, ran a 4-mile course instead of three, but still finished in 25:22, nearly a 90-second drop from two weeks ago. Sophomore teammate Karis Frankian shaved more than a minute off her time from Aug. 6 to run 25:49.

4. Nina Moore continues to amaze: When asked how fast she ran last summer during the COC series, Moore's answer was: "I didn't." After helping Saugus repeat as Div. I state champion in 2007 and run on the Centurions' state-record 4 x mile relay at the 2008 Arcadia Invitational, Moore took time off from running competitively following her high school graduation. But she could start the year at Glendale Community College as the Vaqueros' No. 1 runner following her winning time Thursday of 17:35, nearly a minute faster than she ran July 30.

5. GCC coach Eddie Lopez has more firepower than he knows what to do with: With Moore running 17:35, GCC's 3-mile team time Thursday would've been 91:09. Saugus, with three girls under 18 minutes, ran 89:17 at last year's final race, but the Centurions clocked 92:55 at the 2007 COC finale, demonstrating the Vaqueros are in good company. And they should be with former Saugus standouts Brianna Jauregui (18:15) and Katie Dunn (18:21), along with Bravo Medical Magnet graduate Karen Rosas (18:12) -- the overall female summer series winner -- and Rosa Del Toro (18:46) in the lineup. Angie Gonzalez should be a major contributor as well for the Vaqueros. And the talent is solely reserved for the women's team, as Frankie Quijada took third in the men's competition in 15:15.

6. Hart's Konrad Antoniuk might have some company: When it comes to distance running/swimming hybrids, West Ranch junior Riley Mita demonstrated that he can go the distance out of the pool as well, running 18:15 in his first COC race. Mita, a two-time Foothill League champion in the pool in May, would be one of the top cross country runners at West Ranch based on that time alone. Hart's Sam Asencio, who trains with Antoniuk and Mita at Canyons Aquatics, also competed Thursday and one of the league's top female swimmers ran 22 minutes.

7. I don't agree with the Hart Unified School District on this one: Perhaps the most disappointing news that came out of Thursday's finale was the announcement that the Foothill League programs will not be allowed to compete Sept. 19 at the Woodbridge Invitational because the Hart School District made the decision that the event conflicts with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins at sundown on Friday, Sept. 18. This is not an anti-semitic point of view on my behalf, but I don't think the decision is a good one because Woodbridge is one of the elite meets of the season at which several top programs and runners get an early litmus test by competing against top teams from around the state, and, in some cases, the country. Some Foothill programs will compete Sept. 16 at Crescenta Valley's nonleague meet at C.V. Park, but the depth in competition won't be the same as Woodbridge.

Melanie Williams is the new softball coach at Golden Valley, according to a story in the Signal. Williams, who is a walk-on coach and takes over for Courtney Carr, prepped at Valencia High.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Simi Valley's Brad Lewis, one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in area history officially made the team at UCSB as a walk-on.

The announcement came in a press release from the school.

Lewis was the Ventura County Player of the Year last season while leading the Pioneers in most offensive categories.

Lewis becomes the 13th player to play Division I basektball under coach Christian Aurand, who has been at Simi Valley for 10 years.

Brent Williams is the latest Taft returnee to commit to a major-college scholarship, as the defensive end has given a non-binding verbal committment to Washington.

The plan is for Williams to play linebacker and possibly defensive end in college.

Teammate D.J. Morgan, a running back, has committed to USC, and teammate Antwaun Woods, an offensive and defensive lineman, is among the state's top juniors and has been offered by USC.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Kevin Mulloy, a 6'6 wing player from Oxnard High has committed to UC Irvine.

There was some unfinished business to take care of Saturday at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships, not only for the U.S. women's junior national water polo team, but for Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke.

The Americans were looking to rebound from Friday's sudden-death semifinal setback to the Netherlands, as well as gain a measure of revenge for an overtime loss to Hungary in the bronze-medal match at the 2007 World Championships in Portugal.

Manke, a Loyola Marymount signee, didn't want to be the lone U.S. field player to go the entire tournament without scoring.

Both goals were accomplished in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia, as Manke scored a crucial second-quarter goal to slow down a Hungary comeback and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman added two as the Americans limited their opponents to three second-half goals in an 11-8 victory.

Russia, a silver medalist in 2005, capped an unbeaten run in its home pool, defeating the Netherlands 14-9 to capture its first gold medal.

It was the third bronze medal in eight appearances for the U.S., along with the first two World Championships in 1995 in Canada and 1997 in the Czech Republic. The Americans, who have also captured two gold medals and a silver, were in danger of being shut out of the medal picture for the second straight tournament and third overall, including 1999 in Italy.

After the U.S. built a 4-1 advantage, Hungary closed to within a goal on three occasions in the second quarter, but Grossman, Manke and Monte Vista of Danville senior Kelly Mendoza responded each time for the Americans, who led 7-5 at halftime.

Grossman scored less than a minute into the second half and Monte Vista junior Maggie Steffens -- who matched Dos Pueblos of Goleta junior Kiley Neushel with a team-high three goals -- extended the lead to 9-5, before Hungary rallied with three unanswered goals in the next seven minutes.

But Madeline Rosenthal, a senior at Florida's Ransom Everglades, scored with 5:10 remaining and Steffens recorded an insurance goal two minutes later to secure the victory and avoid a repeat of the 10-8 overtime setback two years ago.

Steffens and Stanford-bound Annika Dries were named to the seven-player all-tournament team. Steffens scored a team-leading 16 goals and Dries, selected the top center forward, added 13. Grossman finished with 12 goals, including a penalty shot in the 12-11 semifinal loss to the Netherlands.

The U.S. women's junior national water polo team set out Friday to erase the disappointing memories of an 8-7 semifinal loss to China at the 2007 FINA Junior World Championships in Portugal.

The Americans wound up suffering an even more heartbreaking setback to the Netherlands in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia.

After the teams played the end of regulation and overtime to a 7-7 tie, a shootout was used to determine the winner. But after the teams both converted 4 of 5 penalty shots during the first round, a sudden-death format was incorporated.

Dutch goalkeeper Michelle Slobbe stopped the shot by Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens and Lieke Klaassen converted her opportunity against Dos Pueblos of Goleta senior Sami Hill to lift the Netherlands to a 12-11 victory and into Saturday's gold-medal match against host Russia, a 13-8 semifinal winner over Hungary.

The U.S. will take on Hungary for the bronze medal Saturday in a rematch of the 2007 third-place contest in Portugal, which Hungary won 10-8 in overtime. It marked only the second time in Junior World Championships history the Americans didn't medal, including 1999 in Italy.

Steffens and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman led the U.S. with two goals each. Grossman gave the Americans a 10-8 lead when she scored in the third round of penalty shots after Sabrina van der Sloot -- who tied the score at 7-7 with 38 seconds left in regulation -- missed the round before for the Dutch.

UCLA signees Emily Greenwood and Brooke Martin, USC-bound Dominique Sardo, Stanford signee Annika Dries, Dos Pueblos junior Kiley Neushel, Monte Vista senior Kelly Mendoza and Madeline Rosenthal -- a senior at Florida's Ransom Everglades -- all scored for the Americans, who defeated the Netherlands 10-4 in pool play Tuesday.

Martin, who gave the Americans an 11-10 lead in the final round of the shootout, also had a look at the winning goal with three seconds remaining in regulation, but it was stopped by Slobbe, who also turned away an attempt by Dries during the fourth round of the shootout to keep the U.S. lead at 10-9.

Russia, the 2005 silver medalist, has never won a gold medal in the seven previous Junior World Championship competitions. The Russians also took bronze in 2001 in Australia, where the U.S. captured the gold medal. The Netherlands' only gold medal came in the tournament's first year in 1995 in Canada

Alani Fua, a top returning defensive lineman, is the latest Oaks Chritian standout to earn a major-college scholarship after committing to BYU.

-- Gerry Gittelson

For the first time in five tournament matches, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman didn't score at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships.

Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke is still looking for her first goal for the U.S. women's junior national team.

But with a balanced offensive attack and another strong defensive effort, the Americans continued their roll Thursday in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia, building a four-goal advantage on 2007 gold medalist Australia in the first six minutes en route to a 9-5 quarterfinal victory.

UCLA signee Emily Greenwood, Stanford-bound Annika Dries and Dos Pueblos of Goleta junior Kiley Neushel each scored twice for the Americans. USC signee Dominique Sardo, UCLA-bound Brooke Martin and Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens added goals for the U.S., which received another strong effort in goal from Dos Pueblos senior Sami Hill.

The U.S., which has won four in a row since a 15-11 loss to Russia to open the tournament Sunday, faces a familiar foe in Friday's semifinals in the Netherlands. The Dutch defeated Canada 8-6 in overtime in the quarterfinals.

The Americans, who recorded a 10-4 victory Tuesday over the Netherlands to conclude pool play, have allowed only 16 goals in their past four contests. The U.S. is looking to erase the memory of an 8-7 semifinal loss to China in 2007 in Portugal.

After being shut out of a medal in 2007 -- only the second time in tournament history, the other 1999 in Italy -- the U.S. remains in the hunt for its first gold medal since 2005 in Australia.

Hungary, which defeated the Americans 10-8 in overtime in the 2007 bronze medal match, outlasted Spain 11-9 in overtime to advance to the semifinals. Hungary will take on 2005 silver medalist and tournament host Russia, which defeated Italy 11-6.

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman, Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens and Stanford signee Annika Dries all had three goals for the U.S. women's junior national water polo team, which turned in another dominant defensive effort Wednesday in a 16-4 playoff victory over South Africa at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia.

Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke helped the Americans shut out the South Africans in the first half, building a 5-0 lead. The U.S. increased the advantage to 8-0 before Tarryn Schooling finally broke the drought with 4:09 remaining in the third quarter.

Including Tuesday's 10-4 victory over the Netherlands -- when the Americans shut out the Dutch in the second half -- the U.S. held its opponents scoreless for a stretch of more than 40 minutes, or five consecutive quarters. After Dos Pueblos of Goleta senior Sami Hill shined in goal against the Netherlands it was Stanford-bound Kate Baldoni who played the whole match in net against South Africa.

Dos Pueblos junior Kiley Neushel scored twice and UCLA-bound Brooke Martin, USC signee Dominique Sardo, Monte Vista senior Kelly Mendoza and Palos Verdes senior Colleen O'Donnell -- a teammate of Grossman and Manke at L.A. Water Polo Club -- each had a goal for the Americans, who take on Australia in Thursday's quarterfinals.

In other quarterfinal matches Thursday: Canada faces the Netherlands; Hungary takes on Span and Russia meets Italy.

The U.S. and Australia are matched up in the semifinals Friday with the Canada/Netherlands winner.

For the third consecutive match, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman scored for the U.S. women's junior national water polo team.

But the defensive effort of Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke and the rest of the Americans was the story Tuesday at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships, as the U.S. held the Netherlands scoreless for a stretch of more than 20 minutes, including the entire second half, resulting in 10-4 pool-play victory in Khanty-Mansisyk, Russia.

The Americans' victory, combined with Russia's 32-3 win over Brazil, meant the Americans took second in Group D behind Russia and the Netherlands finished third. Russia gets a bye until Thursday's championship quarterfinals. The U.S. plays Wednesday against South Africa -- third place in Group C -- and the Netherlands will also play Wednesday against Group C runner-up New Zealand.

The winner of the U.S./South Africa match takes on Group B winner Australia in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Stanford-bound Annika Dries led the Americans with three goals and UCLA signees Emily Greenwood and Brooke Martin combined for three goals for the U.S., which also received two goals from Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens.

Dos Pueblos of Goleta senior goalkeeper Sami Hill played the entire match in goal and junior teammate Kiley Neushel also scored for the Americans. After the Netherlands cut the deficit to 5-4 with 4:30 remaining in the second quarter, Hill and the U.S. shut the Dutch down the rest of the way.

Practice started today for the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village football team as it prepares for the season opener at Alemany of Mission Hills on Sept. 4.

One of its main players, Malcolm Jones, didn't divulge where he will be going to college but did say he is down to Stanford and UCLA.

The big question will be if UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel can woo Jones to stay close to home.

A day after a disappointing loss to host Russia, the U.S. women's junior national water polo team rebounded with a strong performance Monday in a Group D match against Brazil at the eighth FINA Junior World Championships in Khanty-Mansiysk.

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman and Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens led the Americans with three goals each and Alemany of Mission Hills graduate Erin Manke contributed to a defensive effort that shut out the Brazilians in the first and fourth quarters in a 15-3 victory.

Stanford-bound Annika Dries, USC signee Dominique Sardo, UCLA-bound Brooke Martin and Palos Verdes senior Colleen O'Donnell -- a teammate of Grossman and the Loyola Marymount-bound Manke at L.A. Water Polo Club -- all scored twice for the U.S., which led 6-2 at halftime and 11-3 entering the fourth quarter.

Kate Baldoni, a Stanford signee, played the entire match in goal for the Americans.

The U.S. will have its work cut out in the final Group D match today against the Netherlands, which lost to Russia 10-9 and defeated Brazil 18-2. Depending on the result, the Americans will face either New Zealand or South Africa on Wednesday for the right to advance to Thursday's championship quarterfinals.

In other matches Monday: Spain defeated Kazakhstan 17-9; Australia held off Italy 8-7; Hungary handled South Africa 24-2; New Zealand routed Uzbekistan 33-4 and Greece beat Germany 12-3.

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Ashley Grossman scored for the U.S. women's junior national team in a 15-11 loss Sunday to host Russia in Group D competition at the FINA Junior World Championships in Khanty-Mansisyk.

UCLA-bound Brooke Martin and USC signee Dominique Sardo led the Americans with three goals each. Stanford-bound Annika Dries and Monte Vista of Danville junior Maggie Steffens scored two apiece.

The U.S. -- also featuring Alemany of Mission Hills graduate and Loyola Marymount signee Erin Manke -- played the Russians to a 2-2 tie at the end of the first quarter, but the host team outscored the Americans in each of the final three quarters.

The Americans will look to rebound Monday against Brazil, which suffered an 18-2 loss Sunday to the Netherlands.

In other pool-play matches, South Africa defeated Uzbekistan 15-8; Hungary beat New Zealand 15-9; Italy defeated Kazakhstan 15-7; Australia held off Spain 11-9 and Canada beat Germany 15-6.

Adam Speer, a former standout lineman at Chaminade and Oregon State, has signed a two-year NFL contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Alemany's Malcolm Marable, one of the area's top returning running backs, has committed to Oregon State after rushing for a 1,653 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns as a junior.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Well, the summer season is finally over and there are no surprises as to which teams are the leading candidates for the title of "City Champs" next year.

1. Westchester (Solid veteran returning players)
2. Taft (Loaded with talent but still has to beat Westchester when it counts)
3. Crenshaw (The old powerhouse has solid returning players for coach Ed Waters)
4. Fairfax (Decimated by graduation)
5. Dorsey (Best players are all sophomores)

Austin Kelly, a point guard for defending section champion Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood has told the coaches at Penn he will be attending the school next season.

Kelly recently attended a summer camp for recruits at the school and made quite an impression on the coaches.

Kelly attended with Loyola of Los Angeles guard Miles Cartwright.

Kelly will team with Erik Swoope, Damiene Cain and Mike Attanasio this season to try and lead the Wolverines to another section championship and possible state title.

Finally made it out to College of the Canyons on a Thursday night -- work-related commitments and being in Big Bear precluded my attendance the past month -- for the big summer series event and saw some old faces, future stars and plenty of strong efforts from some of the best runners past and present in the Santa Clarita Valley.

With one more race next week before the big finale Aug. 20, this is what I learned before darkness fell at COC:

1. Michael Thatcher means business: The former La Canada standout and current Spartans assistant coach is 32, runs like he's 23 or younger and ready to take on all challengers in two weeks at the summer series finale. Thatcher, who won for the second time in three weeks unofficially at 15:07 for 3 miles -- just ahead of former Hart of Newhall and COC standout Alfredo Coronado at 15:10 -- is coming off a 97-mile week of training, the biggest of his running career (of course that still comes up short of the 103-mile effort Saugus senior Alec Nelson -- all 16 years old of him -- recently put forth in Big Bear, but very impressive nonetheless). Thatcher, who trains with the Pasadena-based Run With Us, has a dream of breaking 4 minutes in the mile. He says it might never happen, but at his age, just to have such an amazing goal is not only admirable but inspirational. And look for La Canada, under the guidance of Thatcher and Andy DiConti, to bounce back with a big year in Div. III this season.

2. Glendale College is gearing up for another state title run: This just in, the Glendale Community College women's cross country team is good enough to beat some four-year programs this fall. The way Saugus graduates Brianna Jauregui and Nina Moore have been training this summer, combined with the efforts of returning runners Katie Dunn and Rosa Del Toro, plus the addition of Karen Rosas from Bravo Medical Magnet, this team -- barring injury -- will be a major contender for the state championship at Woodward Park in November following a runner-up finish last year. I believe it was former GCC standout Zitalic Ley that took the women's competition Thursday unofficially at 18:02, but Jauregui was at 18:14 and Dunn came in at 18:24, with Del Toro having gone 18:26 and Moore 18;32 already this summer.

3. Birmingham has elevated itself among the City elite: Had a great conversation with Birmingham of Lake Balboa coach Scott King -- just months removed from leading the Patriots' girls' track and field team to a third straight City title -- about the upcoming City cross country campaign, and how the presence of one runner could change the landscape of not only the West Valley League, but the entire section. Highland of Palmdale's Dylan Alexander has transferred to Birmingham and met with his Patriots teammates for the first time Thursday. That means a section that already featured Granada Hills brothers Javert and Joshua Solorzano, as well as San Pedro brothers David and Pablo Rosales, and Monroe of North Hills teammates Jorge Mendez and Jesus Garzon, now has some company in Alexander, who will no doubt thrive under the guidance of one of the state's best coaches.

4. Stephanie Bulder never ceases to amaze: Maybe she was feeling a little more inspired to flash a confident smile since she got her braces off earlier this week, but the Saugus junior was the Centurions' top female finisher at the 4-mile distance in 26:50 -- of course Shannon Murakami ran 25:21 if we're counting alumni -- this coming off a 90-plus mile week of training in Big Bear, plus East Canyon on Saturday and regularly scheduled workouts leading up to Thursday. Kaylin Mahoney, who has been splitting time between workouts and doing five shows every weekend at COC with the Canyon Summer Theatre Guild and its production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was close behind in 26:51, with Karis Frankian at 26:57, Merissa Kado at 27:12, Amber Murakami at 27:17 and Danielle Hernando at 27:21. Alumni Anne Randall (26:50), Keri Molt (27:09) and Courtney Wilson (28:31) got in good workouts as they prepared to head off to Long Beach State, Cal State L.A. and UC Irvine, respectively.

5. A lot of people are going to miss Brandon Jauregui: The Saugus graduate was disgusted at his 11th-place finish of 16:22 last week, so he went out and ran 15:43 in his final race in his backyard before departing for San Francisco State, demonstrating why he is one of the most tenacious runners in the Santa Clarita Valley. He didn't win the race, but he once again earned the admiration and respect of his peers and adults, teammates and opponents, boys and girls, men and women alike. Jauregui will make one last trek Saturday morning up The Beast before making the journey up north to begin his college career, which means the race will now be on to crown a new Foothill League boys' cross champion this fall. Let's hope Golden Valley's Seth Totten, Saugus' Alec Nelson, Canyon's Tommy McGuan, Valencia's Falco DiGiallonardo, Hart's Sam Peckham and whatever other challengers there are for the individual title in November can represent their family, program and school in similar fashion to the way Jauregui did his senior year.

Ged Carrington, a former Valencia offensive lineman who spend one season at Pierce College, has signed with Weber State.

Carrington, a 6-foot-6, 280-pounder, played five games after Pierce before injuring his knee.

-- Gerry Gittelson

The 23rd edition of the Area Code Games, one of the nation's most prestigious high school baseball tournaments, runs today through Monday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Several local players are on the Milwaukee Brewers Blue and Milwaukee Brewers Gray rosters in the eight-team event, which features the top prep talent from across the country. The Chicago White Sox, featuring players from the Midwest, Cincinnati Reds (Southwest and Hawaii), New York Yankees (Northeast), Oakland Athletics (Southeast), Texas Rangers (Texas) and Washington Nationals (Pacific Northwest) are also represented in the tournament.

Valencia junior shortstop Christian Lopes, who competed in the Area Code Games last year, leads a group of four area players on the Brewers Blue team.

Joining Lopes are Harvard-Westlake of Studio City outfielder Austin Wilson -- also selected to play in the AFLAC All-American game Aug. 16 at PETCO Park in San Diego -- Hart of Newhall senior shortstop Pat Valaika and Westlake senior first baseman Christian Yelich.

Crespi of Encino senior pitcher Ryon Healy, the reigining Daily News Player of the Year, is one of seven local athletes on the Brewers Gray team.

Healy is joined by senior teammate Josh Mason, along with Burbank senior shortstop Lonnie Kauppila, Chaminade of West Hills senior pitcher Brando Tessar, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks senior pitcher David Armendariz, Royal of Simi Valley senior pitcher Cody Buckel and West Ranch of Stevenson Ranch junior pitcher Ryan Keller.

The Brewers Blue team has the following schedule: 8:30 a.m. Thursday vs. Athletics; 11:30 a.m. Friday vs. Yankees; 8:30 a.m. Saturday vs. Reds; 2:30 p.m. Sunday vs. White Sox and 2:30 p.m. Monday vs. Rangers.

The schedule for the Brewers Gray team is: 11:30 a.m. Thursday vs. Yankees; 8:30 a.m. Friday vs. Athletics; 11:30 a.m. Saturday vs. Nationals; 2:30 p.m. Saturday vs. White Sox; 5:30 p.m. Sunday vs. Reds;

UCLA freshman Cody Regis hit his third home run in the past two contests and Arcadia graduate Bryce Rutherford surrendered two hits and struck out seven in a complete-game effort Sunday night as the San Gabriel Valley 18-under Babe Ruth all-star baseball team defeated host Watsonville 5-2 in the winner's-bracket final of the Pacific Southwest Regional tournament.

San Gabriel Valley, coached by Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta's Phil Torres, supported the Azusa Pacific-bound Rutherford with a 4-0 lead, sparked by Regis' first-inning home run. Regis added a single and Tim Smoley (Arcadia/Rio Hondo College) doubled and scored for San Gabriel Valley, which plays Watsonville or Modesto at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the regional final.

Bishop Amat of La Puente catcher Jerry McClanihan singled, as did C.V.'s Eddie Lee and Nate Rousey for the Southern California champions. Lee's infield single scored Smoley for an important insurance run after Watsonville -- which recorded a 4-3 victory Saturday over Modesto -- had cut the deficit to 4-2.

The So Cal Pumas travel softball team had its bid to capture the 18-under "A" USA/ASA National Championship hurt Sunday in Las Vegas when the team van transporting 17 players and coaches to Majestic Park for a scheduled 8 a.m. game against the Tampa Mustangs was struck by a suspected drunk driver.

The driver of the vehicle, who was later hospitalized, ran a red light and hit the team van on the right side, resulting in four players suffering various injuries and coach Jim Wike breaking his right hand. Assistant coach Dave Fox, the head softball coach at Pacifica High in Oxnard, suffered bruised ribs.

As a result, the Pumas were forced to forfeit their winner's-bracket final against the Mustangs, who later defeated Ohio's Elyria Sundogs 7-5 for the championship.

Tournament directors gave the Pumas extra time to prepare for their second-chance bracket final against Elyria, with a victory giving Wike's team an opportunity to square off against the Mustangs later in the day for the national championship. But the Pumas couldn't protect a four-run lead and lost 5-4 to finish in third place in the 140-team field.

In addition to athletes from Arroyo Grande, Buena of Ventura and Pacifica, the Pumas also feature Agoura's Stephanie Lord, Camarillo's Lyndsay Flartey, Grace Brethren of Simi Valley's Danielle Fletcher, La Reina of Thousand Oaks' Sarah Fox, Newbury Park's Nicole Checkie and Robin Hammond, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's Kiana Quolas, Rio Mesa of Oxnard's Devin Amar and Westlake's Kylie McNutt.