High Schools: March 2009 Archives

After a steller freshman season that saw Valencia's Christian Lopes hit 10 home runs and earn All-Daily News honors, the young shortstop is picking up right where he left off.

Through seven games, Lopes has at least one hit in every game, and he is batting .458 with four home runs and nine RBIs.

Dating back to last season, Lopes has 12 home runs over the past 19 games -- against elite competition.

Of course, none of this is a big surprise. As a 10-year old, Lopes led a local youth team to the Pony Mustang World Series in Texas, and by the time he was 12 Lopes was ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation for his age group and could already hit a baseball 400 feet.

He might have been the area's most hyped player of all-time before he took a single swing, and you've got the give Lopes credit for living up to all the build-up.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Well, here is one you don't see every day:

Hart's Josh Wagner, emerging as one of the area's top right-handers, was pitching a gem Friday against visiting Saugus when he was accidently elbowed by a teammate in the dugout in the 6th inning and was knocked out for more than a minute, according to reports.

So what happened next?

Wagner, a junior who had already thrown more than 100 pitches, staggered to his feet, wobbled his way to the mound, then held off the Centurions in the final inning to secure a 3-2 complete-game victory.

"It was one of the more gutsy performances I've seen on a Hart diamond," said Mike Gaber, the school's long-time statisician.

Wagner fininished with seven strikeouts and seven hits allowed while giving up two unearned runs, outpitching Saugus left-hander Kyle Hooper, whom scouts had lined up to see perform.

Wagner, who is 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA, is the son of Jim Wagner, a former Daily News Bernie Milligan All-Star Game pitcher from Providence High of Burbank who played college baseball at Arizona and Cal State Northridge.

-- Gerry Gittelson

For seven innings, Notre Dame right-hander Josh Goossen-Brown battled Tuesday, allowing at least one runner on base every inning but doing his best to fend off Crespi of Encino.

He allowed just one earned run but was doomed by a key error in a 2-1 complete-game loss to the Celts at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa.

It comes as no surprise that Goossen-Brown is such a fighter considering he comes from a boxing family that includes his uncle, Dan Goossen, one of the world's most successful boxing promoters, along with his father Tom Brown, a top matchmaker, and another uncle, Larry Goossen, a top trainer, plus cousin P.J. Goossen, a former middleweight in the late 1990s who finished with a record of 19-3 including losses to Hector "Macho" Camacho and Roberto Duran in his final two fights.

In the Notre Dame loss, Goossen-Brown also impressed at the plate, finishing 1 for 2 with a booming ground-rule double. He also got aboard on an error and was hit by a pitch.

Goossen-Brown also plays football as a long-snap specialist -- an important job considering Notre Dame always prides itself on its kicking game.

-- Gerry Gittelson

With two of the San Fernando Valley's top right-handers going head to head Tuesday night, it was old-fashioned pitchers duel between Crespi High of Encino's Ryon Healy and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks' Josh Goossen-Brown in a Mission League showdown at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa.

Healy had more support from his defense, and that was the difference in a 2-1 victory, as the junior right-hander improved to 4-0, allowing one earned run on six hits and striking out four in six innings, as Crespi (8-2, 3-0) committed just one error compared to three for Notre Dame (7-2, 0-1).

"It's always close whenever we play Notre Dame, and our defense played really well," Healy said. "Our bats were kind of quiet, but we'll pick things up. I can't complain."

Crespi's Josh Mason pitched a hitless seventh inning for his third save, as defending Southern Section Div. III champion Notre Dame's winning streak was snapped at five games. The teams meet again Friday at Notre Dame.

It was a hard-luck loss for Goossen-Brown (2-2), who pitched six strong innings and frequently worked his way out of jams, as Notre Dame had at least one baserunner in every inning.

"It's tough, especially tough to lose to our rival," Goossen-Brown said. "Friday we have to come out and even the series for sure. We need to set the tone."

A year ago, Crespi and Notre Dame played its two-game series in the final week of the season, and Crespi won twice to come from one game back to win the league title. But Notre Dame had the last word by winning the section championship.

"It's the first league game for us, and it was a tough one to face Crespi right out of the shoot," Notre Dame coach Tom Dill said. "I thought we battled and I liked what we saw. I figured it would be a close game."

Crespi's Michael Hubbard scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning when he singled and scored all the way from first on an infield error. Earlier, Crespi scored when Healy doubled, advanced on Sean McIntyre's singled and scored on Mason's long sacrifice fly.

Notre Dame was scoreless for four innings before Ranny Lowe singled and eventually scored scored on Kelly Dugan's double. The Knights then looked to add a run when Nick LaFace was intentionally walked and two batters later Goossen-Brown was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Healy induced a groundout to end the threat, and Notre Dame was held hitless over the ensuing two innings.

"I thought we played really well as a team," Mason said. "We wouldn't be as good as we are without such good chemistry."

== Gerry Gittelson

With two of the area's best pitchers going head to head , it's no surprise there has not been much scoring tonight in a Mission League opener between Crespi and Notre Dame at Birmingham High.

Crespi's Ryon Healy and N.D.'s Josh Goossen-Brown both look sharp.

Crespi leads 1-0, scoring Josh Mason's sacrifice deep to left field that scored Ryon Healy (who had doubled) in the second inning.

-- Gerry Gittelson

There is a buzz in the air, as two of the San Fernando Valley's top prep sports programs, Crespi of Encino and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, square off in a Mission League opener here at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa.

A year ago, these two arch rivals played each other in the final week of the season, and this year the two-game series picks up right where it left off: Crespi won both games over the Knights in 2008 to come from one game back in the standings to win the league title, but Notre Dame had the last word -- big-time -- by winning the Southern Section Div. III championship at Dodger Stadium.

Both teams are hot once again. Crespi is 7-2 (5-0 on the road) and Notre Dame is 7-1. Ace pitchers Ryon Healy (3-0) of Crespi and Josh Goossen-Brown (2-1) of Notre Dame go head to head, so this should be a good one. Stay tuned.

-- Gerry Gittelson

A top football and baseball player at West Ranch, Jake Bernards signed a San Diego State football scholarship as a quarterback.

But instead of bailing on his baseball teammates once the football scholarship was finalized as other quarterbacks have done through the years -- Hart's Matt Moore and Tyler Lyon come to mind -- Bernards said there was no way he could turn his back.

"Yeah, a lot of guys have quit (baseball) once they get a football scholarship, but I just couldn't because I've been committed to the baseball team for so long that it just wouldn't feel right," Bernards said. "I've grown up with all these guys. I would never leave them hanging."

Bernards is off to a good start in baseball. He hit his third home run of the season Thursday -- a line shot over the right-field fence -- in an 8-0 victory over visiting Hart.

USC-bound Cade Kreuter, a Hart outfielder who dislocated his shoulder in the first game of the season, was hoping to eventually make it back but is now out for the year because he must undergo surgery.

"I'm pretty mad and pretty peeved off," Kreuter said Thursday during an 8-0 loss at West Ranch. "As it turns out, I've got a torn labrum, too.

Kreuter, son of USC coach and former Major League catcher Chad Kreuter, has not had the best luck in the world during his high school career, which has included stops at three Foothill League schools -- Hart, Valencia and West Ranch.

He missed his freshman season at West Ranch because of an elbow injury, then played one season at Valencia before transferring to Hart, where he was forced to sit out his junior season because of transfer restrictions.

He is wearing a sling but continues to support his Hart teammates on a daily basis.

"I never even thought about leaving my teammates behind. This is the best team I've ever been on," Kreuter said.

After finishing no better than fourth and failing to make to the playoffs in each of its first two Foothill League baseball seasons, West Ranch High of Stevenson Ranch took a big step Friday.

The Wildcats opened league competition with an 8-0 victory over visiting Hart of Newhall, scoring a win over the high-powered Indians for the first time in seven meetings.

"We've never beat them, so it's a real good feeling and means a lot to this team," said winner Trevor Fredrickson (2-1), who pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up four hits while striking out nine and not allowing a runner past second.

It was an impressive performance, as Jake Bernards hit his third home run of the season and West Ranch (5-1, 1-0) played errorless defense.

"It feels great to get the first one out of the way. It was a great team effort," Bernards said. "You could not ask for more. We've kind of always been the new school, so everyone has looked past us. But I think we have a good shot.

"No one likes to lose, and finishing in fourth or fifth place is no fun. This feels a lot better."

Hart's Devin Rodriguez's 29-game hitting streak dating back to last season ended, as the first baseman finished 0 for 3 with two strikeouts.

"It was one of those days. West Ranch outhustled us and outplayed us," Rodriguez said. "They came out and showed intensity from the start. I've got to give it to them."

With 14 league games remaining, Rodriguez made it clear Hart (3-4-1, 0-1) is not ready to call it a day.

"We just have to play more as a team and not make mistakes," Rodriguez said. "If we play together, we'll get some wins. This one is over. It's time to move on."

Next up for West Ranch on Wednesday is Saugus - another Foothill opponent (along with Valencia) that the Wildcats have yet to defeat.

"For us, winning today was a big deal. We're trying to get better as a team," West Ranch coach Casey Burrill said. "If you ask me if I'd rather win than lose, I'd definitely say yes on that one. But it's just one win, and we're not going to get complacent. We'll be right back here for morning practice."

Fredrickson is part of a hungry group of seniors who want to leave their stamp.

"We're looking to finish in first place. Anything else is not our goal," Fredrickson said.

West Ranch's Rico Rusconi was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a double, Bernards finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs, and Cody Howard was 2 for 4 with a run, and he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings without allowing a runner to reach base.

Hart's Trevor Brown was 3 for 3 with a double, but the bottom six hitters in the lineup were a combined 1 for 16 with 10 strikeouts. Garrett Gooding (1-2) took the loss.