January 2008 Archives

Rim of the World High School's Dave Ochs, thought to be the longest-tenured athletic director in the county, will retire in June, Ochs told the Prep-dog today.

He has been the Fighting Scots A.D. since 1979, a 30-year stint.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Ochs said by telephone from his home in
Lake Arrowhead. “We’ve had two major fires (since 2003) and multiple
snowstorms and floods, so, yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

Ochs, 61, shepherded the Fighting Scots through those many crises,
including the Old Fire in 2003 which drew national attention,
including close-ups on CNN of Rim of the World High
School, with flames licking the edge of nearby roads. Also devastating was the Grass Valley Fire this past fall, which kept Rim students out of school for three weeks.

Both natural disasters displaced 100s of Rim students and wreaked havoc on the scheduling of athletic events, a particular headache for Ochs. .

During the '03 fire, Ochs ran the athletic department out of his RV while holed-up
somewhere in Redlands.

“All I had was my cell phone and a CIF directory,” he said with a
chuckle.

Somehow, Ochs and Rim always made it through.

“He’s going to be greatly missed,” Rim girls volleyball coach Linda
Pattison said. “He has mentored me since I got here. He was always
supportive if I came in after a bad game or if we were having a bad
season. His door was always open and he always had time for you. He
gave a lot of integrity to all of the programs at Rim.”

Ochs is a graduate of Honolulu Radford High School and
UC-Riverside. He played baseball and football in high school and
college and was captain of the UC-Riverside football team.

Ochs lists his career highlight as being 1976 when the coach Ben Stint-led
Fighting Scots with Bob Gradillas at quarterback edged Bishop Union
for the CIF-SS small-schools title. Ochs was an assistant coach.

Gradillas is now the Scots’
football coach and was previously the Rim baseball coach as well,
with Ochs as his assistant.

Memorable also for Ochs were Rim of the World’s state Division II
volleyball championships in 1981, ‘82 and ‘83 and its most recent
state volleyball title in 2005.

Through it all, Ochs has stuck to a simple philosophy.

“My motto has been not to try to please everyone, but to do what is
best for not only Rim kids, but all the kids who might be involved by
any decision I make,” he said.

A particular pleasure for Ochs was to see his son Dustin and daughter Denise go through Rim. Dustin played football in high school and at Iowa State. Denise played volleyball at Rim and Cal State Dominguez.

(A more expanded version of this story will appear in Friday's Sun newspaper. Following our interview Thursday, Ochs called the Prep-dog again to offer a final bit of wisdom. I'm paraphrasing now, but Ochs said he didn't consider the grand accomplishments like CIF and state titles to be most important, but rather making sure the little details of the job were done correctly. He also said how much he will miss his peers after his retirement in June, especially his fellow area athletic directors).

The Los Angeles Times has reported that seven football players just happened to transfer into Orange Lutheran this semester.

That brought out the sardonic side of a poster on one prep football Web site. When another poster asked when National (NCAA) signing day is, the wise guy responded "This week at O-Lu."

Amen. This is the best argument the Prep-dog can think of for a state bowl playoff open division.

The County Clash prep baseball event is set for Saturday, March 15 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

Here is the schedule for the league games:

-Colton vs. Cajon (SAL) at 1 p.m.

-Redlands East Valley vs. Fontana (CBL) at 4 p.m.

-Miller vs. Yucaipa (CBL) at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Inland Empire 66ers box office at (909) 888-9922 or by logging onto www.sixtysixers.com. Tickets may also be purchased through the schools.

Steve Johnson has stepped down as chairman of the San Bernardino Kiwanis Basketball Tournament and The Rev. Reggie Beamon has replaced him, Johnson told the Prep-dog today.

Johnson, owner of an area tow truck company, unselfishly led the Kiwanis tourney for the past 10 years.

"I'm burned out - it's time for a change," Johnson said.

Johnson passes the figurative torch to Beamon, an area businessman who has been involved in numerous youth groups, including Young Visionaries.

"I feel good about it," Beamon said. "I've been a community collaborator for many years and I want to get some of our youth service organizations involved."

Beamon is related to Bob Beamon, who set the then-world record of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches to win the gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

"He's my second cousin," Reggie Beamon said.

One idea San Bernardino's Beamon has is to get young people involved in Youth Missionaries to help serve as volunteers at the tournament. He also thinks the older members of the Kiwanis club have done a tremendous job running the tournament for a half-century, but now wants to "light a fire" (his words) under the younger members to get them more involved.

Another goal of Beamon is to get corporate sponsorship from a group like the Mission Band of San Manuel Indians or Stater Bros. or Hillwood Development. He also wants to bring in entertainment that will attract more fans, such as stomp groups, a battle of drum corps and possibly a cheerleading competition.

Asked what obstacle the 50-year-old tournament faces, Beamon said: "The only obstacle I see is getting the schools to participate like they used to. It's a local event and we want to get local schools like Arroyo Valley and San Bernardino involved, as well as maybe a few upscale schools from outside the district."

Arroyo Valley, despite being local and a prominent basketball school, has never participated. San Bernardino played in the first 48 tournaments, then dropped out in 2006 in a squabble over tournament seedings. Cardinal City was formerly one of the host schools, with former coach Dick Adair being one of the founding fathers of the tourney.

Other prominent schools that have dropped out in recent years are Upland, Eisenhower, Miller and Rancho Cucamonga.

As for joining forces in the future with another Kiwanis club, such as Redlands, Beamon said there is no immediate plan to do that, but that he is "not closing the door to it."

San Gorgonio athletic director Matt Maeda remains as tournament director, Beamon said. Next year's tournament will be held at San Gorgonio and Pacific high schools.

The Kiwanis tourney is the oldest and for a long time was the most prestigious basketball tournament in San Bernardino County. It has faced challenges in recent years due to a number of factors: 1. Powerhouse teams exiting the tourney for a variety of reasons; declining attendance due to more area tournaments and other entertainment offerings; and the clubs own financial and membership issues, with the club spread thin by dwindling numbers and having to pay for previously free or discounted services such as security and janitorial.

Despite the challenges, Beamon is optimistic.

"Our goal isn't to make money, but it's not to lose it either," he said. "We want to make it fun and something to look forward to, like in the 1990s when it was the talk of the town at Christmas. We want to get young people interested in it again."

Norco linebacker Damion Whittington will be a Bulldog, as in Fresno State. Prep-dog approves of that. Scout.com has reported that Whittington (6-1, 218) has made a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs.

Whittington had 118 tackles as a junior. He was oriiginally sought by Pac-10 schools, but interest fell off as a senior when he was plagued by shoulder and ankle injuries. However, now the backer seems to have found a home for himself in the central valley.

Give Carter athletic director Joe Paluba credit for showing enough integrity to turn his own boys' soccer team into CIF-SS on a violation.

It all began last Wednesday, Carter coach Nick Anderson said, when a Carter player joked to an official before the Eisenhower game about giving him $200 to call things the Lions' way. It was obviously a joke, but the official took a dim view of it and gave the player a red card (ejection). That means he could not play that game, nor the following game, according to CIF rules.

The player then showed up in the stands at Carter's following game on Friday against rival Rialto, a 4-1 Carter upset victory. Paluba told the kid to go home and then the Carter A.D. reported the violation to Rialto and to CIF.

Anderson said Rialto didn't ask for the forfeit victory, but Paluba felt compelled to report the violation to CIF anyway. Paluba was not immediately available for comment.

As a result, Carter will forfeit its victory to Rialto, CIF assistant commissioner Scott Raftery told the Prep-dog this afternoon.

"They didn't follow what they were supposed to do, so they have to forfeit the next contest," Raftery said.

That means more to Rialto since it is battling Fontana and Redlands East Valley for the Citrus Belt League championship. Also, the player still had to serve his one-game suspension because - by showing up as a fan at the Rialto game - he was technically present, Raftery said.

So the player, a starter, also didn't play on Wednesday at Miller. In all, he had to sit out three games - a steep price to play for one untimely quip.

The Cajon girls basketball team jumped four places to 13th in the state after Saturday's 41-39 win over Ventura, previously ranked 15th in the state by calhisports.com.

Ventura was the second impressive team Cajon (20-3) has defeated this month after knocking off Marlborough two weeks ago.

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (18-0) is still ranked first. Miller (17-2) is stil ninth. Meantime, Perris (18-4) moved up two spots to 18th.

Fontana sophomore all-league running back David Dash has transferred to Miller, Fohi coach Lance Ozier told the Prep-dog this morning.

"It's unfortunate, but we feel like we're in good shape anyway," Ozier said.

Dash ran for 1,211 yards on 193 carries and scored seven touchdowns last season for the Steelers (2-8).

On the other side of town, it's not exactly bad news for the Rebels, who went 10-2 last season and finished second in the Citrus Belt League.

"He's a good athlete and a pleasant young man," Miller coach Jeff Steinberg said. "His grades are in order and everything."

Steinberg said he is unsure whether Dash will be able to play varsity next season due to the transfer, but that the family will pursue a hardship waiver with the CIF-SS.

"I talked with his dad about the possibility of (Dash) not being able to play varsity and they said they're willing to accept whatever the CIF's decision is," Steinberg said.

Dash's name did not ring a bell to CIF-SS spokesman Thom Simmons, but he shed some light on the topic anyway.

"The only way he can transfer from School A to School B (and be able to play immediately on varsity) is by bonafide move or hardship, if he's past the first day of 10th grade," Simmons said.

A happy coach Bill Burke just called this in ... Rancho Cucamonga boys basketball team 88, Upland 87 in overtime. Nick Bennett led the Cougars with 24 points and Justin Long had 22 points.

Etiwanda (23-0) is ranked 19th in the studentsportsbasketball.com West Region Top 20.

Mater Dei (23-0) is rated first, Spokane (Wash.) Ferris (16-0) is second and San Jose Archbishop Mitty (18-1) is third.

Etiwanda also is ranked 10th in the state by maxpreps.com with these other area teams following: Riverside King (11th), Redlands (17th), Eisenhower (19th) and Upland (24th).

What about those maxpreps state rankings ... anyone underrated or overrated?

Redlands (21-0) has cracked the calhisports.com state boys state basketball rankings, checking in at No. 20. It is the Terriers' first appearance in the rankings.

Mater Dei (23-0) remains at No. 1.

Other area teams besides Redlands in the top 20 are: Etiwanda (23-0, 12th) and Riverside King (19-2, 13th).

The Prep-dog's timing was impeccable this morning as Kauren Tarver walked in the front door of her house as the dog was speaking by telephone to her mother, Lisa.

Kauren Tarver, the star Serrano runner, had just returned from a recruiting trip to Arizona State University.

"It was good. Real good," Tarver said. "The main thing is that I like the coach and fit in with the team. Yeah, I like ASU."

Tarver said she was impressed with the knowledge of ASU coach Louie Quintana and the recruiting efforts of the Sun Devils. But she still has trips to Florida this week and Oregon (Feb. 8-10) before she makes a decision.

"Right now I like ASU," Tarver said. "But it will be tough to make a decision."

Tarver was a four-time CIF-SS cross country champ. She won state as a freshman and sophomore, finished second as a junior and fourth in 2007.

In track and field, she has a second in the 800 and a third in the 1,600 to her credit. She plans to do the steeplechase in college track, she said.

Corona Roosevelt softball third baseman Samantha Clowdus during the early signing period signed a national letter of commitment to attend Mesa State University in Grand Junction, Colo, said an e-mail from Alex Luna, coach of the Dynasty Elite Gold travel team.

Mesa State is an NCAA Division II school.

The CIF-State Federated Council has approved its continuation of the football playoff bowl games and has also decided to expand them, said a CIF-State news release.

The bowl games were a two-year pilot program. In the future, the sytem will expand from three games to five, with dates and sites to be determined no later than June 2008, the release said.

"I'm excited about the Federated Council's decision to increase the football championships to five divisions. It gives more schools, individuals and communities an opportunity to participate in a state championshp event," said CIF-State Executive Director and former Santa Cruz High School principal Marie Ishida in the release.

"Now the work begins. We will immediately be sending out RFP's (request for proposals) for a location or locations for the games. What develops from those proposals will help dictate the format of the event in terms of whether the games take place at single or multiple sites."

"The two-year pilot was deemed successful by all those involved. The participating schools and communities rallied around their teams and has positive experiences at the championship game. Corporate sponsors saw benefit in this event and were eager to partner with CIF. And the games were profitable which provided additional revenue to support all member schools by lowering the costs of CIF's Educational Programs, including the mandatory Coaching Education Program."

Bloomington athletic director Ron Taylor will retire as athletic director at the end of this school year, Taylor told the Prep-dog this evening.

Taylor, 60, has been at Bloomington for 34 years, a large portion of which was spent in the English department. In fact, he was the department head for many years.

"I had a great time teaching," the Redlands resident said. "A lot of kids have come back (to visit). I got an awful lot of satisfaction teaching kids to read and write."

He also was the boys basketball coach from 1978 until 1992. For the past four years, he has been the A.D., succeeding Butch Edge in that capacity.

"My wife (Sharon) and I bought an RV and we have grandchildren in Ventura and Northern California and so it's time," he said.

Taylor coached his older son, Trent (36), in basketball at Bloomington. His younger son, Brett (32), played basketball for Randy Genung at Redlands.

Both of Taylor's sons are now educators.

A Garden Grove High School graduate, Taylor played basketball at Orange Coast Community College and later graduated from Long Beach State. He took classes at Long Beach State from former Redlands High School and Long Beach State coach Jerry Tarkanian and said Tarkanian was his inspiration for becoming a coach.

"Bloomington was pretty poor in basketball years ago, but we became pretty good in the middle 80s, late 80s and early 90s," Taylor said.

Taylor's prized player at Bloomington, Evric Gray, played for Tarkanian in college at UNLV and in the National Basketball Association and Europe..

Taylor also coached girls volleyball, cross country and baseball during his career at Bloomington.

No successor to Taylor has been selected, he said.

Tom Conner has been selected to replace Don Markham as the new Bloomington football coach.

Markham resigned after the season to become the athletic director and football coach at American Sports University in San Bernardino.

"They're big shoes to fill," said Conner, a counselor at Bloomington. "I don't think I can even be mentioned in the same breath as coaches like Don Markham and (Kaiser coach) Dick Bruich."

Markham is a legend in California prep coaching, having won five section titles. His 1994 Bloomington team set a then-national scoring record of 880 points en route to a 14-0 record and a section title.

Conner, 33, has been at Bloomington for four years. He has been an assistant on the freshman level and has previously served as an assistant at Compton Centennial and San Diego Montgomery.

He was also an all-section cornerback at Montgomery, who later played at Southwest Community College in San Diego and Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas.

"We know him and the kids know him," Bloomington athletic director Ron Taylor said. "He's very knowledgable about football. He's innovative and he has some good ideas. I think he's what we need to revitalize the program. He's enthusiastic and a real go-getter."

Conner said he plans to run the spread offense, a departure from the ground-oriented double-wing that Markham favored.

Bloomington has been a top team for years in the Sunkist League, but has struggled against perennial league powerhouse Kaiser and its own legendary coach, Bruich.

"Coach Bruich over at Kaiser has the formula for success, but hopefully with the talent we have we'll be able to compete at a high level," Conner said.

A Victorville resident, Conner said he plans to move soon with his wife (Rachael) and sons Brandon, 4, and Sean, 2, to the Fontana area.

Etiwanda is now seventh (up from eighth) in the calhisports.com state Division I boys basketball rankings and Redlands is holding steady at 12th. Both teams are unbeaten. Upland is ranked 15th. Also,
Riverside King is eighth.

In D2, Eisenhower is sixth (up from seventh, despite last week's loss to Redlands). Mater Dei has jumped ahead of San Jose Archbishop Mitty, which lost to San Francisco Archbishop Riordan and looks like it will be without UCLA recruit Drew Gordon (broken foot) for the rest of the season.

San Juan Capistrano JSerra, led by former Fontana player Demetrius Walker, is third in D4.

In the boys' overall SoCal state rankings, Etiwanda is ninth, King is 10th, Redlands is 16th and Eisenhower is 19th.

In the D1 girls state rankings, Miller has dropped two places to fifth, Cajon dropped a notch to eighth and Perris is 10th.

In D2, Ayala slipped three places to sixth.

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep has resumed its winning ways this week as it recovers from its recent tragedy. The Fightin' Irish are still No. 1 in the D3 state rankings.

In the overall SoCal rankings, Miller is sixth, Cajon is 12th and Ayala is 19th. Cajon has a showdown on Saturday with No. 10 Ventura.

Arroyo Valley senior quarterback Robert Fuller is still weighing his college choices.

Contrary to a report published elsewhere, Fuller has not made a verbal commitment to Boise State, said Arroyo Valley assistant coach Marcus Soward and Fuller's mother, Robin Fuller.

"I just spoke to Robert and he doesn't know anything about that," Soward said. "It must be a rumor or something."

Robin Fuller said late Thursday night her son had not made a college choice yet.

Soward said Fuller has an offer from Idaho State and will visit Utah State next week, along with Arroyo Valley cornerback Ansley Jackson.

Fuller was the CIF-SS Central Division Offensive Player of the Year.

As a junior at San Bernardino High School, he completed 30-of-43 passes for 604 yards and eight touchdowns in a win over Pacific.

Mark Cunningham of Irvine University has sent us the All-CIF-Southern Section list, a fraction of which we have published earlier after obtaining snippets from our team of private investigators. In case you have been wondering, the CIF-SS no longer publishes this list for reasons that remain murky.

Anyway, happy perusing ...

CENTRAL DIVISION
OFFENSE
Jeff Ginolfi, Colony
Daniel Simmons, Colony
Travell Washington, Colton
Walter Kazee, Cajon
Nick Reyes, Colton
Jon Norton, Moreno Valley
Tyrone Smith, Rancho Verde
Richard Helepiko, Moreno Valley
Hamani Stevens, Hemet
Joshua Andrews, Colony
Daniel Bernard, Colton
Michael Philipp, Arroyo Valley
Quashawn Buckley, Colony
Daniel Sorensen, Colton
Devon Collins, Arroyo Valley
Terrance Miller, Rancho Verde
Bobby Wagner, Colony
Elon Wyatt, Colony
Tyron Crockom, Pasadena
Michael Buckel, Paloma Valley

Offensive Player of the Year
Robert Fuller, Arroyo Valley

Coach of the Year
Anthony Rice, Colony

DEFENSE
Joshua Dozier, Moreno Valley
Ryan Robinson, Canyon Springs
Adam Garcia, Colton
Hamani Stevens, Hemet
Joe Palmino, Paloma Valley
Jose Chairez, Colony
Keenan Brown, Arroyo Valley
Andre Hunt, Moreno Valley
Bobby Wagner, Colony
Kyle Budrick, Burroughs
Eric Martin, Rancho Verde
Andrew Anthony, Elsinore
Daniel Sorensen, Colton
Donziel Collins, Moreno Valley
Devion Bauhman, Chaffey
Travell Washington, Colton
Alphonzo Estrada, Perris
Clarence Laster, West Valley
Sidney Hall, Moreno Valley

Defensive Player of the Year
Damien Holmes, Colton

EASTERN DIVISION
OFFENSE
Walter Owens, Silverado
Richard Alva, Serrano
Jacey Naea, ML King
Komani Harper, La Quinta
John Vandenraadt, Jurupa Valley
Ryne Clark, Palm Desert
Ryan Panico, Palm Desert
Autry Horton, La Quinta
Tony Enyart, Arlington
D.J. Singh, JW North
Colin Munro, ML King
Vincent Vanillo, Serrano
Jordan Bernal, Apple Valley
Pete Perez, Bloomington
Jake Marinick, Riverside Poly
Tommy Curry, JW North
Steve Dunston, Palm Desert
Jason Allmond, Bloomington
Dillon Kershaw, Serrano
Marco Barrera, JW North
James Calhoun, JW North

Offensive Player of the Year
Cedric Foster, JW North

Coach of the Year
Lou Randall, JW North

DEFENSE
Dominick Reyes, Hesperia
Trevor Bateman, Palm Desert
Christian Butler, Silverado
Wayne Soliai, Norte Vista
Adam Ramirez, Kaiser
Jeremy Stuart, JW North
John Wright, JW North
Kevin Pope, Serrano
Darnell Etherly, Kaiser
Daniel Lincon, Arlington
Robert Mattingly, Barstow
De Andre Goree, Palm Springs
Ross Madrick, Palm Desert
Ben Hernandez, La Quinta
Simon Martinez, Kaiser
Mo Cox, JW North
Trevor Lopez, Riverside Poly
Dominic Bonetpels, Silverado
Kyle Stewart, Serrano
Danny Reyes, Hesperia
Ty James, La Quinta
Theo Murrell, Palm Springs

Defensive Player of the Year
Donald Lindsey, Palm Desert

EAST VALLEY DIVISION
OFFENSE
Trevor Finchamp, Rio Hondo Prep
Deontae Cooper, San Jacinto
Dwaine Radden, Aquinas
Shane Sousa, Ontario Christian
Johnathan Fleeks, Desert Hot Springs
Terrence Wells, Desert
Andy Magee, Chadwick
Kyle Larsen, Desert
Ryan Dannewitz, San Jacinto
Christian Juarez, Banning
Weston Mudge, Desert Hot Springs
Gilmore Villalobos, Citrus Hill
Arie Terpstra, Ontario Christian
Blake Kruk, Aquinas
Greg Smith, Citrus Hill
Jake Henley, Aquinas
Montreal Harris, Twentynine Palms
Bobby Nigg, Ontario Christian
Gordy Cooper, San Jacinto
Will Howard, Citrus Hill

Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Caleb Herring, Citrus Hill
Kenjon Barner, Notre Dame

Coach of the Year
Doug Dubois, Citrus Hill

DEFENSE
Sal Estanislao, San Jacinto
Max Dobis, Big Bear
Chris Amburgey, Big Bear
Mario Moore, Citrus Hill
Dennis Fite, Citrus Hill
Nick Salas, Bishop
Mike Aspiotes, Big Bear
Rene Marmolejo, San Jacinto
Frank Shashone, Bishop
Ivan Lopez, Citrus Hill
Esteban Murguin, Citrus Hill
Jordan Reyes, Aquinas
Rusty Tausaga, Twentynine Palms
Phillip Pleasant, Desert
Jamie Wheeler-Silverman, Viewpoint
Matt Kozell, Twentynine Palms
Jesse Ceron, Big Bear
Brandon Griffiths, Bishop
Brett Hutter, Ontario Christian
Arturo Sanchez, Citrus Hill
Kriss Proctor, Big Bear

Defensive Player of the Year
Jamie Irving, Citrus Hill

INLAND DIVISION
OFFENSE
Chris Polk, Redlands East Valley
Bradley Randle, Vista Murrieta
Josh Foley, Norco
Tim Hanson, Upland
Jake Vega, Glendora
A.J. Springer, AB Miller
Eric Quinones, Temescal Canyon
Kyle Johnson, Norco
Christian Barker, Etiwanda
Addison Bachman, Glendora
Michael Cole, AB Miller
Ryan Gann, Corona
Sol Sagaio, Chaparral
Gabe Adame, Murrieta Valley
Alex Cartwright, Vista Murrieta
Marcel Posey, Centennial
Marvin Jones, Etiwanda
Dylan Cruz, Redlands East Valley
Trey Farquhar, Redlands East Valley
Kavon Seaton, Vista Murrieta

Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Matt Scott, Centennial
Ryan Bass, Centennial

Coach of the Year
Matt Logan, Centennial

DEFENSE
Jonathan Warzeka, Temescal Canyon
Tanner Hansler, Redlands East Valley
Mark Garcia, Los Osos
Adrian Abreu, Vista Murrieta
Damion Stafford, Norco
Anthony Dye, Santiago
Chris Kovar, Glendora
Cory Harkey, Chino Hills
Jake Car, Vista Murrieta
Jared Koster, Norco
Will Sutton, Centennial
Quentin Toailoa, Redlands East Valley
Josh Scott, Redlands East Valley
Dallas Kelley, Norco
Shelly Lyons, Centennial
Tre’Shawn Robinson, Upland
Brandon Phillips, Redlands
Chad Young, Glendora
Fontayne Fuga, Chaparral
T.J. Tahti, Vista Murrieta
Michael Edwards, Glendora

Defensive Player of the Year
Vontaze Burfict, Centennial

It appears the CIF-State will expand the state football bowl system, said a report on calhisports.com.

The two largest sections in the CIF-State - CIF-Sac-Joaquin and CIF-Southern Section - have voted to both keep a bowl system and to expand it from three games to five, the report said.

The CIF Federated Council will decide on the measures Feb. 1.

The Web site also revealed Sac-Joaquin assistant commissioner John Williams has said there is some sentiment to have four enrollment-based divisions and one open division, meaning a school such as Oaks Christian could play at the highest level, despite its relatively low enrollment.

An open division is a good idea. Two years ago Oaks Christian was too strong to be competing in the division it was in. It also bodes well for schools stuck in the same division as, say, Concord De La Salle. In most years, De La Salle would probably represent the north in the open division. This would seem to ensure the next-best team might have a chance to represent its half of the state in Division I.

The Miller girls basketball team has dropped from sixth to ninth in the calhisports.com state rankings.

The Rebels lost to No. 5 Millikan 61-52 on Saturday, ending their 13-game winning streak. Miller has a big Citrus Belt League game on Friday against second-place Redlands.

Cajon stays put at No. 17 after defeating highly ranked Marlborough 66-51 last week. On Saturday Cajon meets ranked Ventura in the Buena Showcase.

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep played no games last week and remained ranked No. 1 in the state and in the nation. The Fightin' Irish are still recovering from the shooting death of fan Terrell Rogers across the street from the SH gym on Jan. 12. Terrell was the father of Irish star Tierra Rogers.

Here is the link for the winning 3-pointer by Redlands' Ricky Peetz in its 63-62 basketball win over Eisenhower last Friday. The official ruled Peetz was behind the 3-point arc. What do you think?

(Copy and paste link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ690quu6Ak

The victory extended the Terriers' league winning streak to 21 games at the time.

Big Bear quarterback Kriss Proctor committed to the Naval Academy on Tuesday, Bears coach Dave Griffiths told the Prep-dog.

"I'm happy for him," Griffiths said. "I think it will be great for him, especially the education. They also run the same offense (flex bone) as us. We patterned our offense after Navy."

Proctor was the Sun Player of the Year in 2006, leading the Bears to the CIF title. He is talented as a passer and runner, throwing for 761 yards and one score in 2007 and running for 712 yards and 13 TDs in leading the Bears to an 8-3 record. .

The Redlands boys basketball team, fresh off its 63-62 win at Eisenhower on Friday, goes for its 22nd consecutive Citrus Belt League win tonight at Carter. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m.

A reader questioned the length of this streak, but coach Brad Scott confirmed it this morning in an e-mail to the Prep-dog - a 7-0 record this season and 14-0 last season. That's 21 consecutive, dating back to a loss to Redlands East Valley in the 2005-2006 finale. Maxpreps.com confirms it, as well.

Eisenhower had a 36-game league winning streak that was ended by Fontana in the 2002-2003 season.

The Terriers play at home on Friday against Redlands East Valley. That game tips off at 6 p.m.

Etiwanda (21-0) has moved up from 13th to 12th in the calhisports.com state boys basketball rankings. The Eagles already have two wins this week, having defeated Moreno Valley Rancho Verde on Monday and Upland on Tuesday.

Moving down a notch was San Jose Archbishop Mitty, which fell from No. 1 to No. 2. The Monarchs not only lost in the waning seconds to San Francisco Archbishop Riordan, but star UCLA commit Drew Gordon broke his foot in two places during the game and is likely out for the rest of the season - unless Mitty makes the state title game again.

Santa Ana Mater Dei (21-0) is the new No. 1.

Riverside King has dropped from No. 11 to 13 after losing to No. 4 Compton Dominguez at Pauley Pavilion on Monday.

Cajon girls basketball coach Mark Lehman e-mailed the Prep-dog to say the lineup for the Inland Empire Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Cajon has changed. Here is the new lineup:

Noon: Rancho Verde vs. Miller

1:30 p.m.: Santiago vs. Summit

3 p.m.: Great Oak vs. Los Osos

4:30 p.m.: Paloma Valley vs. Colony

6: p.m.: North vs. Ayala

7:30 p.m.: Etiwanda vs. Cajon

Things are progressing for the new football program at San Bernardino's American Sports University, site of the old San Bernardino Sun.

Eagles coach and athletic director Don Markham contacted the Prep-dog on Tuesday to say that numerous games have been scheduled for the fall, including contests with Southern Oregon University, Azusa Pacific University, Arizona Western, Eastern Arizona and Willamette University in Portland, Oregon.

Markham, the former Bloomington High School coach, said a football combine will be held Saturday, Jan. 26 at ASU between 9 a.m. and noon. The combine is for seniors, graduates and community college students.

Drills include a 40-yard dash, bench press, shuttle run, vertical jump and long jump.

ASU is located at 399 N. D Street in downtown San Bernardino.

Markham said athletes should bring a transcript and highlight tape.

He also said he has sent out about 500 letters to high schools to let prospective athletes know an plans to send out many more.

"I may send out 15,000," he said. "We need to get some players."

Markham said fullback Kurt Warner and offensive lineman/linebacker from Bloomington will attend the combine.

Norco running back Josh Nakamoto has committed to Portland State University, said a report on OregonPreps.com.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior had his final prep season ruined by a dislocated ankle and broken fibula.
He was injured on the first carry of the season.

As a junior, Nakamoto rushed for more than 2,000 yards and was named All-CIF-SS.

Portland State plans to use Nakamoto as a running back, the Internet site said.
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The Martin Luther King one-day basketball event Monday at Riverside King was an enjoyable occasion. And having watched 3 1/2 games during the marathon, the Prep-dog had plenty of time to soak up the ambiance.

It was a first-class event, with the King band playing throughout, a nicely stocked hospitality room and a little audio of MLK Jr's "I have a dream" speech just to remind everyone why we were there.

Norco's 6-10 center Andrew Castro played well under the watchful eye of coach Jon Cabrera. Of course, Cabrera literally had his hands full - holding his young daughter in his arms for more than a quarter as he coached. That's a new one on the Prep-dog; never seen that before.

Perris was too much for Cajon, though Cowboys sharpshooter Marquis Green had his moments. Perris 6-8 center Kevin Young scored 27 points, looking unusually agile and impressive. He had the attention of the Boise State scout seated next to the Prep-dog.

Arroyo Valley was down to eight players because guard Robert Fuller is preparing for a football all-star game and Chris Bradford was sick. Then foul trouble - including an early exit by star center Joseph Richard - cast some doubt as to whether the Hawks would finish with five players. They did, but just barely.

Colony won by four and Richard, Jermaine Anderson and James Saunders all shined or Arroyo Valley. Tyler Lamb looked good for Colony. Neither coach held any toddlers in this one.

College scouts were all over the place, including representatives of UCLA, USC, Washington etc. If they stayed any amount of time, they probably heard the King band play the same Green Day song and Beach Boys/Ventures medley half a dozen times. No matter, it was a good time. The dog commends King High School.

Redlands East Valley running back/defensive back Chris Polk has made the calhisports.com first-team all-state team. Polk will play at the University of Washington in the fall.

Polk, who made the team as a multi-purpose player, ran for 2,561 yards and 29 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 314 yards and five scores. He was the Sun Player of the Year.

Also making the team from the area were offensive lineman Tyron Smith (6-5, 265) from Rancho Verde, offensive lineman Hamani Stevens (6-4, 290) of Hemet, running back Ryan Bass of Corona Centennial and quarterback/running back Matt Scott of Corona Centennial.

Earning second-team honors were wideout Marvin Jones of Etiwanda (81 catches, 1,040 yards and 10 scores, to go along with 71 tackles and four sacks); offensive lineman Kyle Johnston of Norco (6-7, 270); linebacker Vontaze Burfict of Corona Centennial; and defensive back Anthony Dye of Corona Santiago.

Making the third team were defensive end Damien Holmes (6-3, 265) of Colton; linebacker Shelly Lyons of Corona Centennial, defensive back James Calhoun of Riverside North and quarterback A.J. Springer of Miller.

Offensive lineman Joshua Andrews of Colony has made the goldenstatepreps.com all-state underclassmen first team.

Also making the first team from the Inland Empire was Corona Centennial defensive back Vontaze Burfict.

Earning second-team mention were Corona Centennial offensive lineman Gavin Pascarella and Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp.

Making the second team as well was Valencia defensive back Marlon Pollard. He transferred to Cajon after the season.

Redlands East Valley quarterback Tyler Shreeve has made the calhisports.com all-state sophomore second team. Shreeve led REV to an unbeaten Citrus Belt League season and a 12-1 overall record.

Also making the team were Corona Centennial placekicker Trevor Romaine and Corona running back Jordon James.

Earning all-state sophomore second team mention was running back Deontae Cooper of Citrus Hill in Perris.

Junior Arroyo Valley offensive lineman Michael Philipp (6-4, 295) has made the calhisports.com underclassmen all-state team.

Another Inland Empire player to make the team was junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict (6-2, 235) from Corona Centennial. Burfict had 130 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions.

Valencia junior defensive back Marlon Pollard (6-0, 180) made the second-team defense. He transferred to Cajon after the season.

Earning second-team multi-purpose honors was junior wideout/defensive back Montreal Harris of Twentynine Palms and junior quarterback/running back Richard Brehaut of .Los Osos.

There are Citrus Belt League schools still reporting basketball results to The Sun that are not including first and last names for both teams. Two schools tried to report basketball boxscores to us by using just first names for the opposing team because that is all the opponent provided. This is ridiculous, bordering on crazy.

It's the stuff of children's basketball. It's not acceptable. Everyone should know better.

It is the responsibility of every scorekeeper to record the first and last names of all players. Don't write in your scorebook stuff like "Mikey H." or "Jimmy" or "DeSean." We need complete names. It wouldn't hurt to add up your book after the game and have totals for all scorers, as well.

During the Redlands at Ike hoops game on Friday night, a shot went up and was being rebounded and some fan was yelling "three seconds" - unaware it cannot be called when there are shots being taken. This makes Prep-dog shake his head almost as much as when basketball fans refer to officials as "blue" - a baseball term. Anyway, it occurs to the dog this is a good time to review some hoop rules that may be fuzzy to many fans. Happy reading.

Most Misunderstood Basketball Rules

(Source: Officiating.com)

1) It is important to know the intent and purpose of a rule so that it may be intelligently applied in each play situation. A player of a team should not be permitted an advantage which is not intended by a rule. Neither should play be permitted to develop which may lead to placing a player at a disadvantage not intended by a rule.

2) A player cannot touch the ball, ring, or net while the ball is on the ring or within the basket. A player cannot touch the ball if it is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. These are examples of basket interference. It is legal to touch the ring or the net if the ball is above the ring and not touching the ring, even if the ball is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. It is legal to hang on the ring if a player is avoiding an injury to himself or herself or another player.

3) The backboard has nothing to do with goaltending. Goaltending is contacting the ball on its downward flight, above the level of the rim, with a chance to go in. On most layups, the ball is going up after it contacts the backboard. It is legal to pin the ball against the backboard if it still on the way up and not in the imaginary cylinder above the basket. Slapping the backboard is neither basket interference nor is it goaltending and points cannot be awarded. A player who strikes a backboard so forcefully that it cannot be ignored because it is an attempt to draw attention to the player, or a means of venting frustration, may be assessed a technical foul. When a player simply attempts to block a shot and accidentally slaps the backboard it is neither a violation nor is it a technical foul.

4) The front, top, sides, and bottom of the backboard are all in play. The ball cannot pass over a rectangular backboard from either direction. The back of a backboard is out of bounds as well as the supporting structures.

5) The traveling rule is one of the most misunderstood rules in basketball. To start a dribble, the ball must be released before the pivot foot is lifted. On a pass or a shot, the pivot foot may be lifted, but may not return to the floor before the ball is released. A player may slide on the floor while trying to secure a loose ball until that player’s momentum stops. At that point that player cannot attempt to get up or rollover. A player securing a ball while on the floor cannot attempt to stand up unless that player starts a dribble. A player in this situation may also pass, shoot, or call a timeout. If the player is flat on his or her back, that player may sit up without violating.

6) During a fumble the player is not in control of the ball, and therefore, cannot be called for a traveling violation. A fumble is the accidental loss of player control when the ball is unintentionally dropped or slips from a player’s grasp. After a player has ended a dribble and fumbled the ball, that player may recover the ball without violating. Any steps taken during the recovery of a fumble are not traveling, regardless of how far the ball goes and the amount of advantage that is gained. It is always legal to recover a fumble, even at the end of a dribble, however that player cannot begin a new dribble, which would be a double dribble violation. A player who fumbles the ball when receiving a pass may legally start a dribble.

7) The shooter can retrieve his or her own airball, if the referee considers it to be a shot attempt. The release ends team control. It is not a violation for that player to start another dribble at that point. When an airborne player keeps control of an attempted shot that is blocked and is unable to release the ball and returns to the floor with it, that player has not traveled; it is a jump ball. If, in this situation, the shooter releases the ball, then this is simply a blocked shot and play continues.

8) Palming or carrying is when a player gains an advantage when the ball comes to rest in the player's hand, and the player either travels with the ball, or dribbles a second time. There is no restriction as to how high a player may bounce the ball, provided the ball does not come to rest in a player’s hand. Steps taken during a dribble are not traveling, including several that are sometimes taken when a high dribble takes place. It is not possible for a player to travel during a dribble.

9) A player inbounding the ball may step on, but not over the line. During a designated spot throwin, the player inbounding the ball must keep one foot on or over the three-foot wide designated spot. An inbounding player is allowed to jump or move one or both feet. A player inbounding the ball may move backward as far as the five-second time limit or space allows. If player moves outside the three-foot wide designated spot it is a violation, not travelling. In gymnasiums with limited space outside the sidelines and endlines, a defensive player may be asked to step back no more than three feet. A player inbounding the ball may bounce the ball on the out-of-bounds area prior to making a throwin.

10) The defender may not break the imaginary plane during a throwin. If the defender breaks the imaginary plane during a throwin, the defender’s team will receive a team warning, or if the team has already been warned for one of the four delay situations, this action would result in a team technical foul. If the defender contacts the ball after breaking the imaginary plane, it is a player technical foul and a team warning will be recorded. If the defender fouls the inbounding player after breaking the imaginary plane, it is an intentional personal foul, and a team warning will be recorded.

11) The inbounding player does not have a plane restriction, but has five seconds to release the ball and it must come directly onto the court. The ball can always be passed into the backcourt during a throwin. This situation is not a backcourt violation.

12) If a player's momentum carries him or her off the court, he or she can be the first player to touch the ball after returning inbounds. That player must not have left the court voluntarily and must immediately return inbounds. That player must have something in and nothing out. It is not necessary to have both feet back inbounds. It is a violation for a player to intentionally leave the court for an unauthorized reason.

13) A moving screen is not in and of itself a foul, contact must occur for a foul to be called. If a blind screen is set on a stationary defender, the defender must be given one normal step to change direction and attempt to avoid contact. If a screen is set on a moving defender, the defender gets a minimum of one step and a maximum of two steps, depending on the speed and distance of the defender.

14) The hand is considered part of the ball when the hand is in contact with the ball. This includes holding, dribbling, passing, or even during a shot attempt. Striking a ball handler or a shooter on that player's hand that is incidental to an attempt to play the ball is not a foul, no matter how loud it sounds or how much it hurts.

15) Reaching in is not a foul. There must be contact to have a foul. The mere act of reaching in, by itself, is nothing. If contact does occur, it’s either a holding foul or an illegal use of hands foul. When a player, in order to stop the clock, does not make a legitimate play for the ball, holds, pushes or grabs away from the ball, or uses undue roughness, the foul is an intentional foul.

16) Over the back is not a foul. The term is nowhere to be found in any rulebook. There must be contact to have a foul. A taller player may often be able to get a rebound over a shorter player, even if the shorter player has good rebounding position. If the shorter player is displaced, then a pushing foul must be called. A rebounding player, with an inside position, while boxing out, is not allowed to push back or displace an opponent, which is a pushing foul.

17) A defensive player does not have to remain stationary to take a charge. A defender may turn away or duck to absorb contact, provided he or she has already established legal guarding position, which is both feet on the playing court and facing the opponent. The defender can always move backwards or sideways to maintain a legal guarding position and may even have one or both feet off the playing court when contact occurs. That player may legally rise vertically. If the defender is moving forward, then the contact is caused by the defender, which is a blocking foul.

18) The mere fact that contact occurs does not constitute a foul. Incidental contact is contact with an opponent which is permitted and does not constitute a foul. Contact, which occurs unintentionally in an effort by an opponent to reach a loose ball, or contact which may result when opponents are in equally favorable positions to perform normal defensive or offensive moves, should not be considered illegal, even though the contact may be severe. Contact which does not hinder an opponent from participating in normal defensive or offensive movements should be considered incidental.

19) A ten-second count continues when the defense deflects or bats the ball in the backcourt. When a dribbler is advancing the ball into the frontcourt, the ball maintains backcourt status until both feet and the ball touch entirely in the frontcourt.

20) During a throwin, even under a team’s own basket, if the throwin is deflected, tipped, or batted by an offensive player in the frontcourt to an offensive player in the backcourt; or after a missed field goal attempt or a missed foul shot attempt, if the ball is deflected, tipped, or batted by an offensive player in the frontcourt to an offensive player in the backcourt; these are not a backcourt violations. In both cases team control, a player holding or dribbling the ball, has not yet been established.

21) During a throwin or jump ball, any player; or a defensive player, in making a steal; may legally jump from his or her frontcourt, secure control of the ball with both feet off the floor, and return to the floor with one or both feet in the backcourt. The player may make a normal landing and it makes no difference whether the first foot down is in the frontcourt or the backcourt. These three situations are not backcourt violations.

22) The closely guarded rule is in effect in frontcourt only, when a defender is within six feet of the ball handler. Up to three separate five-second counts may occur on the same ball handler, holding, dribbling, and holding. The count continues even if defenders switch. The five-second count ends when a dribbler gets his or her head and shoulders ahead of the defender.

23) The intent of the three-second rule is to not allow an offensive player to gain an advantage. There is no three-second count between the release of a shot and the control of a rebound, at which time a new count starts. There is no three-second count during a throwin. There is no three-second count while the ball is in the backcourt. Allowance shall be made for a player who, having been in the restricted area for less than three seconds, dribbles in or moves immediately to try for goal.

24) The head coach may request and be granted a timeout if his or her player is holding or dribbling the ball,or during a dead ball period. A player saving the ball in the air can ask for and be granted a timeout even if that player is going out of bounds. The key is whether or not the player has control of the ball.

25) On free throws, there is a maximum of two offensive players and four defensive players in the six marked lane spaces. The defense must be in both bottom spaces on all free throws. The shooter and all the players in the designated lane spaces must wait until the ball hits rim or backboard before entering the lane. During a free throw, no opponent, including bench personnel, may disconcert the free thrower.

26) Kicking the ball is intentionally striking it with any part of the leg or foot. An unintentionally kicked ball is never illegal, regardless of how far the ball goes and who recovers it. It is also illegal to hit the ball with a fist.

27) Players may not participate while wearing jewelry. Religious medals or medical alert medals are not considered jewelry. A religious medal must be taped and worn under the uniform. A medical alert medal must be taped and may be visible. Headbands and wristbands must be the predominant color of the jersey or white. When wearing headbands and/or wristbands, all players must wear the same color and wear the items as intended. Only a single item may be worn on the head and/or on each wrist. Sweatbands must be worn below the elbow and be a maximum of four inches. A single headband, if worn, must be no wider than two inches. Rubber or cloth elastic bands may be used to control hair. Undershirts must be similar in color to the jersey and shall not have frayed or ragged edges. State associations may on an individual basis, allow a player to participate while wearing a head covering, if it is worn for medical or religious reasons, provided that the covering is not abrasive, hard, or dangerous, and is attached in such a way that it is highly unlikely to come off during play. Written documentation should be available.

28) Officials are not required to explain judgment calls, but they may explain some calls if approached by the head coach in a respectful manner. Officials have been instructed to call technical fouls for profanity, unsporting acts and excessive complaints or verbal abuse.

29) Officials do not make calls that decide the outcome of a game. Players commit fouls and violations; officials view those infractions, judge the action, and then apply the rules of the game to what they had viewed. The rules then determine the penalty. Officials are on the court to be the only unbiased arbiters of the game. Officials are not concerned with who wins or loses, but only fairness and safety. Everyone else in that gym cares about winning, and therefore cannot look at the game objectively.

Trailing by 13 points with 4:08 left in the game, Redlands rallied for a dramatic Citrus Belt League victory on Friday night at Ike.

The Terriers won it 63-62 on a 3-pointer by Ricky Peetz with 2.9 seconds left.

Ike coach Steve Johnson didn't think Peetz was behind the 3-point arc. Redlands coach Brad Scott said the play was right in front of him and Peetz was definitely behind it. Peetz said he wasn't sure and rather humorously added that half his teammates thought it was only a 2-pointer.

What's for certain is the official called Peetz's shot a 3-pointer and the Terriers (19-0, 7-0) prevailed, extending their Citrus Belt League winning streak to 21 games over a two-year period.

It was an excrutiatingly painful loss for Ike, which held several double-digit leads throughout the game. Ike turnovers, suspect Eagle shot selection and hot Redlands shooting down the stretch made the difference.

David Chavarria led Ike (17-3, 6-1) with 20 points. Josh Green and Tristan Kirk paced Redlands with 14 points each.

Here's a bonus result from the North: San Francisco Archbishop Riordan edged San Jose Archbishop Mitty by one point at Riordan on Friday night, handing the state's No. 1-ranked team its first loss.