MIDWEEK REPORT / HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS UPDATE : Great Scott, Another Verdugo Hills Revival

Don Scott Jr. is on his second reclamation project in less than a year.

Scott is Verdugo Hills High’s first-year coach in both baseball and football. He revived a dismal football program, instilling a disciplined regimen that helped Verdugo Hills to a 7-5 record and into the second round of the City Section 3-A playoffs.

The Dons won a football playoff game for the first time in 16 years.

The baseball team is following suit. The Dons, 7-12 last season, are 9-8 overall, 9-6 and in second place in Northeastern League play.

Scott’s background is entirely in football. He was a linebacker at Glendale College and Cal State Northridge.

“It’s a lot of the same ideas and philosophy,� Scott said of baseball. “We just worked on the fundamentals and they’ve been playing really well the last few weeks.�

Good pitching helps, too. Chris Cardoza and Bron Torres each pitched shutouts for the Dons last week.

Baseball Notes

City Section

VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE

East Valley League--Grant senior shortstop Scott Ward, who is batting a team-high .304, has struck out only four times in 69 at-bats. . . . Sylmar’s Mario Rodriguez, a senior second baseman who is batting .359, had three of the Spartans’ six hits against Poly in a two-game series last week and was the only Spartan player whose average increased.

Mid-Valley League--Canoga Park’s Kevin Carlsen has had a hand in each of the Hunters’ five victories this season. Carlsen, a junior right-hander, is 3-5 with two saves and a 2.02 earned-run average. The transfer from Crespi is also the Hunters’ top hitter, batting .480. . . . Reseda’s hit parade came to a grinding halt last week against Monroe. The Regents suffered their worst hitting performance of the year in a two-game series with the Vikings, managing just 11 hits. The main culprit: Monroe sophomore Adam Kaplan (3-1), who gave up four hits and struck out 10 for a 4-1 victory. “That little dinky curveball just kept them off balance,� Stone said. “It was by far the best-pitched game against us all year.�

NORTHWEST VALLEY

CONFERENCE

North Valley League--Kennedy’s Derek Morse improved his record to 12-0 with a 9-1 victory over Granada Hills on Monday. Morse struck out 10, walked one and gave up four hits. Third baseman and clean-up hitter Aldo Pinto, who committed to UCLA last week, had two home runs and drove in five runs.

West Valley League--El Camino Real right-hander Shaun Fishman wasn’t at his best, but his best wasn’t needed as he pitched a three-hitter to defeat Chatsworth, 3-1, Monday to get the Conquistadors back into a first-place tie with the Chancellors. Fishman has back-to-back complete games and El Camino Real holds the tiebreaker advantage over Chatsworth. . . . Birmingham, trying a late run for the playoffs, is hoping to get leadoff and batting hitter Henry Salas back later this week. Salas has missed most of the last two weeks with a bad back, an injury suffered last year during the American Legion season.

Southern Section

ALPHA

L.A. Baptist has a team batting average of .402. . . . Village Christian has a 6-1 record since four players switched positions. “Mentally we are more comfortable now,� Coach Brian Gibson said. The Crusaders (9-13, 8-1 in league play) will battle L.A. Baptist (17-4, 9-0) today for a share of the league title.

CHANNEL

After a slow start, Ventura is 5-1 in the second round of league play. “We were having problems at certain positions and we were our own worst enemy,� Coach Dan Smith said. One of those problem positions was catcher, which Smith bolstered by promoting freshman John Branch. Branch hit a two-run home run in last Friday’s victory over Rio Mesa and has been solid defensively. His brother, freshman Jason Branch, is a pitcher. Ventura’s top player is senior shortstop Jason Watkins, who is batting .338 and started the week having made only three errors in 60 chances. . . . Oxnard won its first league game last week, rallying from a 9-0, fifth-inning deficit to down Dos Pueblos, 10-9 in eight innings.

FOOTHILL

Hart pitcher Brian Hernandez has been effective in minimizing damage when allowing base hits. Of the 42 hits he has yielded, only six have gone for extra bases. Hart’s Brian Baron has missed most of his senior season with an ankle injury, but he has made the most of recent trips to the plate. He entered the week with 14 hits in 26 at bats, eight of them going for extra bases--six doubles, a triple and a home run. . . . Last-place Canyon was the hottest team in the league entering the week. The Cowboys (6-16, 4-10 in league play) had won three of their past four league games, including a 14-12 decision over first-place Hart. “They have the best pitchers in the league and we hammered everything they threw,� Canyon catcher Jason Willis said. . . . Burroughs first baseman Anthony Fabrizio had raised his average to .288 by batting .412 in league play. . . . Burbank’s Mike Lizarraga is also surging in league play, having raised his average from .260 to .371.

FRONTIER

Calabasas junior center fielder Brian Fatur is putting up some very impressive numbers in his first season as a starter. Through Monday, Fatur had not struck out in 84 plate appearances and had 34 hits and 34 stolen bases. Calabasas infielder Darin Reisman had 26 hits, 16 of them for extra bases. . . . The telling statistic of Moorpark’s season is that the Musketeers have a team batting average of .294 but only one player--No. 5 hitter Evan Garcia--with as many as 10 runs batted in. “The table’s always set,� said Coach Scott Fullerton, whose team has a record of 10-11. “But especially in the first half of the season, we didn’t come through.�

GOLDEN

The Quartz Hill infield was damaged last week when a weed-killing solution overflowed from foul territory, where new bleachers were being installed. Coach Dave Stradling had students from his agricultural science classes plant 700 square feet of new sod. The Rebels clinched the league championship on Friday. . . . Less than a month ago, Antelope Valley’s Sean Douglass was batting .192. He is up to .333, thanks in part to last week, when he went six for eight with two home runs, a double and five RBIs. Douglass reached base safely in 10 of 11 plate appearances. . . . Highland has lost four consecutive league games and has fallen out of the race. Shortstop Joe Chavez and first baseman Jason Chivers suffered season-ending injuries in a game against Palmdale. Chavez, a fourth-year starter, a .429 hitter and the team’s No. 3 pitcher, suffered a broken elbow when he was hit by a pitch. Chivers broke a wrist in a collision while chasing a foul ball. Jacob Stanwood’s season-long, 21-game hitting streak was snapped Friday in Highland’s 16-4 loss to Antelope Valley. He started a new streak on Tuesday, collecting four hits against Littlerock.

HIGH DESERT

Paraclete freshman David Brown was batting close to .700 with the junior varsity before Coach Mike Fulmer promoted him to varsity the first week of league play. Since then, Brown (6-2, 215 pounds) is batting .636 with three doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs. Said Fulmer, “He has a lot of potential . . . a lot.� The Spirits on Tuesday upset Kern Valley, the Southern Section’s top ranked team in Division V. The 8-7 victory allowed Paraclete (11-8, 7-2) to move into a first-place tie with the Broncs (17-2, 7-2).

MARMONTE

Camarillo, which has a team batting average of .340, is weathering a late-season slump that might already have cost the Scorpions the league title. The Scorpions defeated Channel Islands, 5-2, Friday but managed only four hits. In two previous games, Camarillo had five hits in a 2-1 loss to Royal and seven in a 3-1 loss to Newbury Park. “We’re just a little bit tight,� Coach Scott Cline said. “Usually, that doesn’t happen to nine guys at once. I told the guys it’s just a learning experience.� Camarillo’s pitching remains rock-solid with a staff earned-run average of 1.63. . . . Sophomore catcher Jared Krehbiel of Channel Islands is batting .545 in his past six league games, collecting 12 hits and driving in seven runs. Krehbiel leads the Raiders with a .400 batting average and six doubles. Hector Lopez of Channel Islands leads the league with five complete games. Lopez is 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA. . . . Westlake’s Matt Riordan had five hits in two games last week, including a grand slam and eight RBIs against Simi Valley. Riordan also homered against Newbury Park. Riordan moved from leadoff to third in the lineup after Chuck Berrington replaced Dave Wilder as coach three weeks ago. “He has totally woke up,� Berrington said. “You can see it in him.� Westlake pitcher Jay Kinney is 6-0 in league play.

MISSION

Jason Giovannettone of Chaminade has been offered a 75% scholarship by Lewis Clark State in Lewiston, Ida. Giovannettone, a center fielder and leadoff batter who leads regional players with 29 stolen bases, has not made a commitment. The school is interested in Giovannettone as a second baseman, Chaminade Coach Denny Barrett said. “He works out at second every day, but he’s our best outfielder,� Barrett said. . . . Crespi’s team batting average is .375 and five starters are batting better than .400. Chris Crawley leads the Celts with a .493 average.

PACIFIC

Glendale and Crescenta Valley clinched playoff spots with victories Tuesday. For Glendale, a 6-1 victory over Pasadena gave the Dynamiters the outright league title, their first since 1988.

TRI-VALLEY

Fillmore infielder Eric Ortega, a junior, entered the week with a fielding percentage of .993, having made one error in 145 chances.

Softball Notes

City Section

VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE

Mid-Valley League--Monroe, Reseda and Sylmar shared the league title after finishing 4-2 against league opponents, but only Monroe made it to the playoff quarterfinals. It received a first-round bye. Reseda and Sylmar lost in the first round, suffering from excessive errors. Reseda committed seven errors in a 12-7 loss to Chatsworth, and Sylmar erred three times in a 4-0 loss to Banning.

East Valley League--Van Nuys flexed its muscle in a first-round 3-A game against Crenshaw on Tuesday. The Wolves had seven hits, including four for extra bases. Rita Ortega, who is batting .380, had a triple and a double. . . . North Hollywood made for a tough first-round opponent for No. 2-seeded South Gate. The Huskies, seeded No. 15, were tied with South Gate, 3-3, after a two-run home run by Kim Rabas in the sixth. However, South Gate bunched three hits in the bottom of the seventh to win, 4-3.

NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE

North Valley League--Granada Hills’ final league game of the regular season, scheduled for last Tuesday at Cleveland, was canceled due to an unplayable field. Since the playoff brackets were decided the next night and the game didn’t have any effect on league placement, the game was scrapped when umpires didn’t show up for the rescheduled game.

West Valley League--Several players are peaking at the right time for El Camino Real heading into a quarterfinal game today against Chatsworth. Catcher Kristin Gutekunst, who batted .507 last season, finally pushed her season average over the .300 mark. First baseman Lisa Brende has raised her average to .308. . . . Chatsworth, which had been using freshman Lisa Pink to pitch during the league season, switched back to senior Parisa Plant for a first-round playoff game Tuesday against Reseda. Plant was victimized by six errors but was effective in a 12-7 victory. . . . Another quarterfinal will pit Chatsworth Coach Andrea Rochetti, a former player at El Camino Real, against her former coach, Neils Ludlow, for the third time this season. The mentor is 2-0 so far by scores of 9-3 and 9-1.

Southern Section

CHANNEL

In the second inning of a game last Tuesday against San Marcos, Ventura lost sophomore third baseman Camille Minkel for the week when the Royals tried a double steal and the throw from Ventura catcher Carrie Pulido caught Minkel flush on the forehead. “It was scary; the thud was overwhelming,� Ventura Coach Felix Cortez said. “Everyone froze. We were just hoping she was OK.� Among the frozen was the San Marcos baserunner on third, who never scored. Minkel was taken to the hospital with a concussion, but she returned to practice on Thursday. . . . Oxnard Coach Chuck Cordes, who is also a Yellowjacket football assistant, recently injured his back while lifting weights and has been limited to an organizational role during practice. In a good news-bad news scenario, last-place Oxnard should return the vast majority of its roster next season. . . . Hueneme, which qualified for the playoffs last season as a wild-card team, will be absent from the postseason. Coach Patty Frash traces some of the Vikings’ problems to a midseason stretch in which rain-out makeups and tournament games forced the team to play six games in eight days. “We’ve been hitting [well] and outpitching other teams but we can’t get a run in,� Frash said. Those playing well for Hueneme include senior shortstop Jennifer Ayala and junior third baseman Jerusha Hiner.

FOOTHILL

Shortstop Nicole Giordano had 12 stolen bases in four games as Saugus headed into the week. Three stolen bases a game is not unusual for Giordano, who had swiped 41 in 42 attempts. “She always has the green light,� Coach Ron Hilton said. “She doesn’t have to look me when she’s on first base.� With five doubles, two triples and a home run, pitcher Jamie Gillies has become a genuine power threat for Saugus. Said Hilton: “It’s kind of nice when you holler at her to help herself and she does.� . . . Third-place Burroughs was smarting last week after a 3-1 loss to first-place Saugus. The Indians allowed two unearned runs. The earned run scored only after a Burroughs outfielder hesitated on a fly ball. “Otherwise, we win, 1-0,� said Burroughs assistant coach Toby Tyler. “You have to play perfect games against those guys.� Burroughs’ top two hitters--Shaland Romero (.345) and Chantel Jimenez (.333)--sat out that game because they skipped a practice. . . . The outlook for Burbank (5-16, 2-7), already gloomy, has darkened with top players Megan Lackey and Chantel Pershing academically ineligible.

FRONTIER

Moorpark (13-1 in league play) is the league champion and Calabasas (10-4) is locked into second place but third place and the league’s final playoff berth will come down to a game Friday between Santa Paula (7-7) and fourth-place Santa Clara (6-8).

GOLDEN

Freshman pitcher Jodi Cox, who leads the region with nine triples, hit her third home run of the season and earned her 10th victory in leading Quartz Hill past Ridgecrest Burroughs, 5-3, Tuesday. The Rebels (14-9) and Burros (19-7) are tied for first place in the league with 7-2 records. . . . Palmdale, a young and promising team, entered the week with a 4-4 mark, but three of the losses were decided by one run.

HIGH DESERT

Heading into the week with a record of 19-4, 8-0 in league play, Paraclete has clinched its 18th consecutive league championship--17 of them under Coach Margaret Neill. What’s the secret? “Uh, good pitching? Certainly not the coaching,� Neill said. With the Spirit carrying a record of 0-5 in section championship games, Neill might be hesitant to take any credit. As far as the pitching, ace Vicki McKay has an ERA of 0.37 overall, 0.10 in league play.

MARMONTE

Although there is one league game remaining for each team, it’s obvious which four teams are headed to the playoffs--Camarillo, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, but not necessarily in that order. Games today could change the standings. If Camarillo beats Westlake, the Scorpions will receive the league’s top billing in the playoffs. If Newbury Park defeats Royal, the Panthers will finish as co-champions with Camarillo and receive the league’s second bid. The biggest question mark is the Simi Valley-Thousand Oaks matchup, which will decide third place. The winner of that game receives an automatic bid, but the loser should have an extremely good chance of gaining an at-large berth. . . . Westlake ace Kelly DeArman broke her index finger while practicing Sunday with her summer-ball team, the Waves. DeArman sat out a game Tuesday against Thousand Oaks and will miss the Camarillo game today. . . . Newbury Park has had its fair share of nagging injuries. Senior right-hander Kristi Fox has been nursing a pulled hamstring all season and senior catcher Emily Webster has had problems with a quadriceps muscle. Both have missed playing time, but Coach Mike Morgan insists they will be ready for the playoffs.

MISSION

The season of sophomore shortstop Corrie Roberts of Harvard-Westlake came to an abrupt end when Roberts suffered a concussion against Louisville. Roberts collided with second baseman Sandra Aken on a popup and received a blow to the head. Doctors advised Roberts to sit out the Wolverines’ final two games this week.

PACIFIC

With a 4-2 victory over Arcadia on Tuesday, Crescenta Valley clinched a share of the league title, its second in a row and 10th since the program began in 1983. The Falcons won seven consecutive league titles from 1983-89, and in 1991 and 1995. Senior pitcher Danielle Ferreira, who committed to Cal State Fullerton last week, signed a letter of intent Sunday. Ferreira had a perfect game against Arcadia before allowing a two-out single in the sixth. . . . Annie Joh of Glendale is batting .581 in nine league games after entering league play with a .283 average. Joh, who has hit safely in every league game, is batting .336 overall. She has stolen 13 bases in as many attempts.

RIO HONDO

La Canada is in danger of not winning the league title outright for the first time in four years. The Spartans (15-7, 8-3) trail league leaders Temple City and San Marino by one game with one to play--against Temple City. The Spartans, defending Southern Section Division IV champions, have split two games against Temple City. Spartan Coach Tom Parker was understandably upset after his team committed a season-high nine errors in a 14-12 loss to San Marino. “If you told me yesterday that we would score 12 runs and lose, I would have told you you were crazy,� Parker said. Two-year senior outfielder Briette Hackett has quit the La Canada team because of a difference in philosophy with the coach.

Golf Notes

Buena opened some eyes on Monday by finishing first in the Southern Section northern regional championships with a score of 397, one stroke ahead of second-place Westlake and nine in front of Hart, which finished third. But despite a 30-stroke loss to Westlake earlier this season, the Bulldogs’ success against such perennial powerhouses should come as no surprise. Buena (16-2) defeated two-time defending Channel League champion San Marcos twice in the last two weeks of the season to claim its first league title since 1993 and has averaged 382 since its loss to Westlake. “That was the first match of the season,� Buena Coach Gerry Carrauthers said. “I didn’t even know who my varsity was back then.� Buena sophomore Dusty Morton made a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff in the Channel League championships to beat out teammate Nate Whitson for the fifth and final Channel League slot in the Southern Section individual championships. Morton joined fellow Bulldog Drew Weilbacher in the league’s top five. . . . Flintridge Prep picked the wrong time of the year to go into a slump. After losing to La Salle, 201-204, in a nine-hole match for their first loss of the season the Rebels (15-1-1) shot 414 in the Southern Section Central Regional and failed to qualify for the Southern Section team championships.

Cerritos won the regional with a total of 376.

Swimming Notes

Southern Section--Preliminaries for all three divisions take place today and Friday at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. The Division I finals are Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Division III on Saturday at noon and Division II at 7 p.m. . . . Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Westlake finished in a three-way tie for the Marmonte League girls’ title after combined dual meets with the league finals last Friday. . . . Nick LeClerc won the 200- and 500-yard freestyles to lead Westlake to the boys’ title. . . . Jennifer Abbey of La Canada set a Rio Hondo League record in the 200 individual medley (2:10.07) in the league championships. Lisa Min won the 100 butterfly and Dana Stoddard claimed the 200 freestyle for the Spartans. . . . Notre Dame sophomore Joel Everman set a school record in the 500 freestyle in the Mission League championships. . . . Burbank Coach John Olin will step down after the season. . . . Becky Skyler of Hart and Heather Bolyan of Saugus won two individual events at the Foothill League finals last Thursday at Valley College. Burbank, behind senior Jon Won, narrowly defeated Hart to win the boys’ title.

Track and Field Notes

Boys: Alemany’s chances at a Southern Section Division III title took a hit in the Mission League finals last Friday when the Indians dropped the baton on the second exchange of the 400-meter relay and failed to advance to the Division III preliminaries at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach on Friday. The Indians appeared capable of contending for a third- or fourth-place finish, which would have been worth valuable points in a meet where the top six finishers score points on a 10-8-6-4-2-1 basis. “It definitely hurt us,� Alemany Coach Dimitri Lagos said. . . . When DaJuan Hawkins of Newbury Park cleared a career-best 6 feet 8 inches to win the high jump in the Marmonte League finals at Camarillo on Friday, it marked the first time since 1991 that a Camarillo athlete had not won the event. Jeremy Fischer, the 1994 state champion in the high jump, won three consecutive league titles from 1992-94 and Josh Hill won last year. Hill finished second at 6-6. . . . There could be plenty of fast sprint times when the Northwest Valley Conference finals are held at Birmingham High on Friday, providing there are no significant headwinds. The field for the 100 has three sub-11-second performers, the 200 has five entrants who have run 22.3 or faster and the 400 has three sub-50 performers.

Girls: Jenna Baum of Thousand Oaks moved into a tie for fourth on the all-time region list in the pole vault when she set a school record of 9 feet 6 inches to win the Marmonte League title Friday. . . . Newbury Park edged Simi Valley, 86-84, for second in the Marmonte League finals behind Thousand Oaks, which totaled 155. At first, it was believed that the Panthers and Pioneers had tied for second with 84 points, but it was later discoverd that Newbury Park’s Melissa Kalvelage finished fourth in the pole vault, not fifth as the original results read. . . . Shaluinn Fullove of Louisville won the 800, 1600 and 3,200 meters and ran the opening leg on the Royals’ victorious 1,600 relay team in the Mission League finals, but she’ll reduce her racing load in upcoming meets. The 1995 state Division IV cross-country champion will run in the 800, 1,600 and 1,600 relay in the Southern Section Division IV preliminaries at Arcadia High on Saturday and might drop the 800 from her repertoire when the section finals are held at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach on May 18. . . . Ashley Caro, the No. 2 runner on the Louisville team that won the 1995 state Division IV cross-country championship, will attend Dartmouth. Caro placed 16th in the State Division IV cross-country championships and has a best of 11 minutes 27.96 seconds in the 3,200. . . . Hart senior Kelly Thorn set her second school record of the season in the 300 low hurdles when she ran 46.0 to win the Foothill League title at College of the Canyons. Thorn had set the previous Hart best of 47.62 in the Bishop Amat Invitational on March 30. . . . After missing most of the season with a back injury, Palmdale senior Mikee Stafford cleared 8-6 to win the pole vault in the Golden League finals. Stafford’s return could bode well for the Falcons’ quest to finish among the top five teams in the Southern Section Division I championships. She placed second in last year’s meet.

Volleyball Notes

City Section--In its first-round playoff sweep of Banning, Chatsworth dominated to such an extent that not one Chancellor reached double figures in kills. . . . Two 3-A teams from the region will face past 3-A champions in the quarterfinals Friday. Van Nuys plays at Fairfax, the 1995 champion, and Canoga Park plays host to Marshall, the 1993 and 1994 champion.

Southern Section--Harvard-Westlake is the fourth-seeded team in the Division I playoffs, which means the Wolverines probably will meet top-seeded Mira Costa in the semifinals. “You’ve got to see them sooner or later,� Harvard-Westlake Coach Jess Quiroz said. Harvard-Westlake saw the Mustangs in a nonleague match last Friday and lost in four intense games. . . . Channel Islands recorded a first while finishing fourth in the Marmonte League. The Raiders received an at-large berth in the Division I playoffs, the only team from the league ever to earn one. “I thought we were one of the best teams up for it,� Coach Dave Chavez said. “But I was still happy.� Crespi wasn’t so thrilled. The Celts finished tied for third in the Mission League but were not selected for the postseason.

Contributing: Mike Bresnahan, Dana Haddad, Vince Kowalick, Michael Lazarus, Paige A. Leech, Tris Wykes, Peter Yoon.