August 2006 Archives

Following up on my post of a couple days ago...here's some more updated information on high school football games airing on TV as well as details on a new internet broadcast at vootage.com

This Friday, LA 36 will televise the Crespi-Brimingham game with showtimes at 12:30 and 9 pm on Saturday. According to producer and play-by-play man Randy Rosenbloom, LA 36 is finalizing its schedule for the rest of the season, but plans on televising a handful of City Section football games. This Monday from 7:30-9 p.m. LA 36 and KLCS (Channel 58 for most people) will air a preseason football special.

Fox Sports Prime Ticket officially released its fall schedule today:

This Saturday, it will preview the 2006 high school football season with a special edition (special only because normally the show airs on Thursday nights or before and after a high school football game) of "High School Spotlight" at 8:30 PM after "Bruins Live" and the local coverage of the Bruins 2006 home opener.

Date Day Schools Time Net
9/8 Friday Notre Dame at Canyon (CC) 7:00 p.m. PRIME
9/14 Thursday Mission Viejo at Mater Dei 7:30 p.m. PRIME
9/22 Friday Oaks Christian vs. St. Bonaventure 7:00 p.m. WEST
9/28 Thursday Orange Lutheran at Los Alamitos 7:00 p.m. PRIME
10/6 Friday St. Augustine (SD) at Servite 7:00 p.m. PRIME
10/13 Friday Agoura at Moorpark 7:00 p.m. PRIME

And, for those with high-speed internet connections, the website Vootage.com will begin airing games live over the internet. These games will be live, and then in the archive for viewing as the season goes on. Tom Kelly is doing the play by play with Greg Biggins of Student Sports Magazine as the analyst. Here's the schedule:


8/31 Th Moorpark at Canyon
9/1 Fr St Bonaventure at Hart

9/7 Th St Paul at St Bonaventure
9/8 Fr Oaks Christian at Muir

9/14 Th TBD
9/15 Fr St Bonaventure at Canyon

9/21 Th Orange Lutheran at Valencia
9/22 Fr Vista at Mission Viejo

9/28 Th TBD
9/29 Fr Mater Dei at Edison

10/5 Th Santa Monica at Los Alamitos
10/6 Fr Hart at Loyola

10/12 Th Servite at Orange Lutheran
10/13 Fr Canyon at Hart

C'mon, you didn't really expect a team coached by three-time Olympian Jeff Stork to have two bad seasons in a row. The CSUN women's volleyball team was Young with a capital Y last year and struggled to a 4-23 record. It was a humbling season, but all those freshmen got loads of experience and last weekend, the team got off to a fast start, going 2-1 at the Aztec Invitational at San Diego State.
The Matadors beat San Diego State and Hofstra behind strong performances from freshman Siara Grayson (2.71 kills/game) and sophomores Harmony Burdine (3.7 kills/game) and Darla Donaldson (2.92 kills/game). [ep
Stork also praised freshman Angela Hupp (Paraclete of Lancaster), who started all three games this weekend, averaging 5.5 assists and 2.25 kills. [ep
``We're playing with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of that comes from Angela,'' Stork said. ``She adds a lot of energy and personality to the team.'' [ep
Northridge hosts Oregon and Utah State in the fifth annual Fremont Savings and Loan Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Matadome. [ep

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village point guard Michelle Clark has verbally committed to play for Purdue. [ep

Clark has been one of the top 3-point shooters in the area during he career. Last year, she averaged 17.3 points and 5.2 rebounds as the Lions reached their second consecutive Southern Section Division IV-A championship game. [ep

Clark, who Purdue had started recruiting in early July, says traveling from the West Coast to the northwest Indiana to attend college isn't a big deal. She's looking forward to a change of scenery. She was also receiving interest from Stanford, San Diego State, Colorado, Pepperdine, Montana St. and Dartmouth, taking unofficials to most of those schools. 

"It's something I talked to my parents about," Clark said. "When you go to college, it's an opportunity to grow as a person, instead of just going to a school that's 15 minutes away from home. "And you get a chance to create a whole new family with the coaching staff and your teammates."

Purdue finished the 2005-06 season ranked 11th in both the the AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. [ep

The Southern Section and Fox Sports Prime Ticket inked a three-year partnership to televise high school sports last week. FSN PT will televise 10 football games, the state Div. I championship game and at least one girls' event.

Here's the schedule of games for the first six weeks:

9/9 Notre Dame at Canyon
9/14 Mission Viejo at Mater Dei
9/22 Oaks Christian at St. Bonaventure
9/28 Orange Lutheran at Los Alamitos
10/6 St. Augustine (San Diego) at Servite
10/13 Agoura at Moorpark

FSN Prime Ticket is also expected to air high school games from Florida and Texas. There are no plans to air games from the City Section, because FSN has a long established relationship with the Southern Section.

City Section games will continue to be televised by LA-36. I'll provide a schedule of LA-36 games ASAP.

Just got a copy of the lineup for one of the best fall basketball leagues around. All the games start up Sept 16. Boys at El Camino Real and Reseda, girls at Taft and Cleveland.

See below:

A lot of people are still wondering how Agoura junior Robert Stock was able to skip his senior year of high school and enroll early at USC. Basically, Stock had completed all but one of his core classes at Agoura, except English, had at least 3.5 GPA in each of his last four semesters, a 1,410 SAT score (not including the new writing section), and ranked in the top 15 percent of his graduating class.

Originally, Stock had been considering Stanford and USC. But in order to enroll early, he needed to stay close to home so Stanford was out. USC offers a unique program called the Resident Honors Program which allows about 30 exceptional high school students to enroll at the school a year early.

According to his father, Gregg, Stock does not yet have a high school diploma. That will be up to the folks at Agoura High.

The decision may have seemed a bit rushed as Stock basically rolled out of bed on Wednesday, grabbed a few days worth of clothes and some sheets and enrolled in his first classes at USC. But this has been in the works for about a month. The family didn't want to plan on it though, because so many things had to fall into place in such a short time. Hence, the Wednesday morning wake-up call and dash to class.

I spoke with Stock Friday night as he was leading his parents on a tour of the campus and he sounded like he'd been there for a few months already. He lives in the same dorm as about 6-7 other baseball players, eats with the football team every night and is making friends fast.

Not many 16 year olds not named Doogie could pull off the adjustment to college life so young. But Stock has always been ahead of his contemporaries. And when you wonder about his maturity, considerr this answer:

Asked why he didn't just stay in high school and enter the MLB draft this year, Stock said, ``Say I'm a high draft pick in June. I would've had to think about it. This just erases the temptation.''

How many 16-year-olds do you know thinking that strategically? Smart kid.

I was talking with Chaminade football coach Ben McEnroe tonight, getting the scoop on his team this season and his opinions on some of the other top players in the league. The name had barely left my mouth and McEnroe is all over it:

``That kid is great,'' McEnroe said of St. Francis offensive lineman Andrew Roxas. ``I was a lineman in college and that kid is exactly what they're looking for. He's big, he's strong and tough. I love watching that kid play. ''

Normally coaches advocate for their own players to get recognition. And McEnroe did his fair share of that, raving about senior safety Aubrey Smith and linebacker Gianni D'Ovidio, among others. But it was refreshing to see a coach so unbridled and unsolicited in his praise for an opposing player.

Former Antelope Valley High of Lancaster quarterback Ronaiah Tuiasosopo has transferred to Franklin Highof Stockton for his junior year. Tuisosopo was 57-for-125 passing for 725 yards with nine TD's 10 interceptions for Antelope Valley which shared the Golden League title with Palmdale. Tuiasosopo comes from an excptional sports bloodline. His cousin Marques and uncle Manu have both played in the NFL. Another cousin, Matt, is a highly-touted minor league baseball prospect.

Remember Jin, the 6-foot-7 freshman phenom from South Korea who starred at Montclair Prep a few years ago? He was only here for one year, leaving the school after in 2004 to play for St. Thomas Moore Prep in Connecticut.

Well, now he's starting to splash around on the international scene. Jin, 17, made the South Korean national team that's competing in the FIBA World Championships in Japan. So far, he's finiding the competition a bit stiffer than in high school. On Aug. 15, Jin got posterized on a dunk by none other than Dwyane Wade in the U.S.'s 53-point exhibition win over South Korea in Seoul.

Former Montclair Prep basketball standout Shay Murphy looks poised for a big senior year. She's been included among the 25 players on on the preseason Wade Trophy Watch list. Murphy was USC’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, averaging 17.6 points per game as the Trojans advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

UCLA's Noelle Quinn is also on the list.

Slam Jam Incoming Sophomore Showcase
Participant List and Team Breakdown with Game Times
Sunday August 27 at Montclair Prep HS

TEAM 1 (11 am and 12 pm)
0-Alexander Strauther-Birmingham
1-Mark Watanabe-Saugus
2-David Franklin-West Ranch
3-Matthew Kussman-Brentwood
4-Bradford Wyche-Hart
5-Emmanuel Anumba-Valencia (Valencia)
6-David Stroud-Valencia (Valencia)
7-Brandon Parga-St. John Bosco*

TEAM 2 (11 am and 1 pm)
0-Garrett Jefferson-Mayfair
1-Wyatt Oroke-Villanova Prep
2-Matt McQuoun-Burroughs
3-Chris Morris-Burroughs
4-Garrett Overbay-Pacific Lutheran
5-Tyler McGrath-Oaks Chr.
6-Brian Berkley-Valencia (Placentia)

TEAM 3 (12 pm and 1 pm)
0-Jordan Golds-Marywood-Palm Valley
1-Robbie Clark-Liberty Chr.
2-Evan Laveist-Liberty Chr.
3-Anthony Montoya-El Camino Real
4-Anthony Adams-Bishop Amat
5-Jordan Mackie-Dorsey
6-Darion Moore-West L.A. Baptist

TEAM 4 (2 pm and 3 pm)
0-Sean Butler-L.A.C.E.S.
1-Andre Conley-Valley View
2-Hayden Flores-Savanna
3-Timmy Palomino-California
4-Brandon Curran-L.A.C.E.S.
5-Seth Ottarson-29 Palms
6-Montreal Harris-29 Palms

TEAM 5 (2 pm and 4 pm)
0-Casimir Komski-Santa Clara
1-Brandon Meyer-Santa Clara
2-Travis Robbins-Santa Clara
3-Randall Gonzales-Santa Clara
4-Trevor Warren-Santa Clara
5-James Wilder-Santa Clara
6-Jeremy Velasquez-Santa Clara
7-Cierre Woods-Santa Clara*

TEAM 6 (3 pm and 4 pm)
0-Christian Showalter-Valley View
1-Rommel Rose-Bellflower
2-Brandon Ward-Woodcrest Chr.
3-Avery Anderson-Palm Springs
4-Denzell Dobbins-Joshua Springs
5-Manuel Sterling-Warren
6-Anthony Stover-Renaissance Academy*

The coaching staff is intrigued by junior LB/TB Jerrell Holland, Jamere's younger brother. He's beefier and more powerful than his older brother, but not as fast ... who is? ... and should see a lot of PT on both sides of the ball.

The high-flying Anderson broke onto the scene during track season last spring and seems ready for a break-out year on the football field. After starting at tight end as a junior, he'll be Taft's go-to receiver, stepping into USC-recruit Jamere Holland's shoes.

As impressive as he is physically --the 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior developed into one of the top hurdlers in the country last year -- teammates have started calling him ``Rice,'' as in Jerry Rice, because of his soft hands...

Just wanted to pass along some interesting news I saw about former Westlake/Newbury Park High QB Rudy Carpenter.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- In an abrupt change, Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter has decided to make sophomore Rudy Carpenter the starting quarterback.

Senior Sam Keller, named the starter on Friday, was excused from the Sun Devils' practice Sunday night and is considering transferring to another school.

"It's simple. I made a mistake on the quarterback situation and I'm changing my mind," Koetter said after Sunday's workout. "We're going to start Rudy Carpenter. I've excused Sam Keller from practice to consider his options."

Koetter said he couldn't sleep on Friday after naming Keller the starter. He said he then sought out advice from his athletic director, coaching staff, senior players and "unity group" on Saturday.

Koetter said he decided to make the switch on Saturday and told the quarterbacks of his change of mind later that day.

"Coach Koetter just said 'Hey, I'm going to do what's best for the team. I'm going to do what the team wants,"' Carpenter said. "I think the decision is going to affect the team in the best way and this is what we're going to do.'"

If you're wondering who the next baseball superstar from the area
will be, look no further than Christian Lopes, a 13-year-old from
Santa Clarita who's ranked as the nation's No. 1 player in his age
group.
Lopes hits 400-foot home runs, and his fastball has been clocked at
84 mph from a regulation mound. Travel Ball Select's Player of the
Year after leading his club team to two national championships this
summer, Lopes probably could dominate in high school baseball, but
he's only going into eighth grade.
“Baseball is my favorite sport, and it's my dream to be up their in
big leagues one day,� Lopes said.
It's a perfectly reasonable plan if you've seen Lopes play. He's
5-foot-10, 165 pounds and a gifted shortstop, pitcher, catcher,
hitter, etc. Even as a 10-year-old, when he carried William S. Hart
to the PONY League World Series in Texas, it was obvious Lopes was in
a class by himself.
“Christian is a very, very special kid,� said his club manager, Lupe
Cruz. “He's got a lot of talent, and he really works hard. I mean,
he's the top 13-year-old kid in the country, so what more can I say?�
Lopes has been featured in Baseball America on a regular basis, and
that's about as legitimate as you can get in this world.
You're half-surprised to learn that no, he isn't related to Davey
Lopes, a former Los Angeles Dodgers star.
Like all great athletes, Lopes does the extras. He takes batting
practice and meets with a private coach on a daily basis and that
doesn't even include the 100 balls he hits off a tee every morning
just to wake up.
In 66 games this summer against elite competition from California to
Arizona to Texas to Florida, Lopes hit 16 home runs with 66 RBIs as a
leadoff hitter. Named MVP of three large-scale tournaments over the
past two months, Lopes doesn't let all of this go to his head. For a
13-year-old, that might be the most amazing thing of all.
“The best quality about Christian is he's got a great attitude,� Cruz
said. “He's just got everything going for him.�

The Valley Breeze 18-under Gold softball team will be having open tryouts for the 2006 -
2007 season Aug 26-27 at Valley College from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

for more info contact:
Tom Sotelo
818-601-1595

The Breeze is comprised almost entirely of players from the SFV, which is somewhat of a rarity in travel softball now-a-days. Most players feel like they need to drive down to Orange County to find a decent team. But Breeze managers Jor Aranda, Tom Sotelo and Garry Fetman are committed to giving Valley kids a place to play locally that will put them in position for college scholarships.

This year the team had its best finish ever, taking home 4th at the prestigious 18-under gold nationals in Oklahoma City. Many of its top players --Bianca Mejia, Megan Miller, Samantha Marder -- are off to college in the fall. But there's a talented group of sophomores and juniors-- Brittany Goodchild, Alyssa Ishibashi, Amanda McIntosh, Danielle Zymkowitz-- coming back. By virtue of its 4th place finish, the Breeze has an automatic bid to next year's Gold nationals.

Is it too early to start talking high school football? As of today, it's t-minus 14 days on the 2006 season. Opening week starts off with a bang with Marmonte League power Moorpark at defending Southern Section champ Canyon on Thursday August 30.

In any other year, this would just be a good nonleague match-up. But with the new Southern Section playoff groupings, it could have important playoff implications later in the year. Gone are the numerical playoff divisions (I - XIII). The new playoff divisions will be the Pac-5, Southwest, Mid-Valley, Inland, Southeast, East Valley, Western, Eastern, Northeast, Northern, Southern, Central and Southwest.