City Moves to Control Transfers

City Section athletes will be allowed to transfer only once without moving during their four-year high school careers under a rule that takes effect at the end of September, according to Barbara Fiege, the City commissioner.

City athletes will not be permitted to play in varsity competition if they transfer during the school year.

Fiege said the rule is designed to “bring all the different ways of transferring under the same umbrella.”

If a student transfers more than once without a change of residence, the student will be ineligible for varsity competition for one year. The student, however, can still seek a hardship waiver of the rule.

FOOTBALL

The Southern Section has adopted the NCAA tiebreaker rule for playoff competition.

When a tie occurs at the conclusion of a playoff game, the ball will be placed at the 25-yard line instead of the 10. Each team will be given a minimum four plays.

Bill Clark, Southern Section administrator, said high school coaches were in favor of the rule change, because starting from the 25 gives more room to maneuver.

Victor Cunningham, a senior football player at El Camino Real, has been granted an extra semester of eligibility by the City Section Rules Committee.

Eddie Whitaker, a junior quarterback at Granada Hills who was competing for the starting job, has transferred to Cleveland.

Justin Fargas, former Notre Dame High tailback who is a freshman at Michigan, is expected to play in the Wolverines’ opener Sept. 5 against Notre Dame, according to Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr.

Judd Granzow, former Faith Baptist and Moorpark College linebacker, is expected to be a contributor on defense at Tennessee this season. Granzow started practice as a defensive end and has been moved to weakside linebacker.

Andrew Jones, a recent graduate of St. Bonaventure High and a member of The Times’ 1997 All-Ventura County football team, will redshirt at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this season while recovering from injuries suffered in an Aug. 12 car accident.

Jones, 6 feet 5 and 260 pounds, signed with the Mustangs in February. He underwent reconstructive surgery on his hip joint and the surrounding nerves and muscles after a car in which he was the front-seat passenger collided with another car in Ventura, St. Bonaventure football Coach Jon Mack said.

Mack said Jones underwent five hours of emergency surgery on his hip and three hours of plastic surgery to repair wounds on his face.

Also injured were former St. Bonaventure athletes Frankie Quinones, the driver who suffered a compound broken leg, and David Chapparro, who suffered internal bruising, Mack said.

“Andrew’s still got a little nerve damage in the hip but the police officer on the [crash] scene said if he hadn’t been wearing his seat belt, he would have been dead,” Mack said.

Wes Bender, former Burroughs High and Glendale College fullback, was released Monday by the New Orleans Saints.

Bender went on to play at USC and for the Raiders.

Quarterback Nick Czernek of Newbury Park High, wide receiver Jerry Owens of Hart and tight end Mike Seidman of Westlake were among 12 California high school players selected to the Coach and A.D./CHO-PAT All-American team.

The team is comprised of 102 players from throughout the nation selected by Scholastic Coach and A.D. magazine.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Keith Gilliland, cross-country and track and field coach at Crescenta Valley High for the last 33 years, has stepped down and will be an assistant in the fall.

Mark Evans and Dennis Oliver, long-time assistants under Gilliland, will be co-coaches in cross-country and track.

“I was looking for someone who could step in and keep the program going,” said Gilliland, 64. “And I feel like Mark and Dennis can do that.”

Crescenta Valley won the 1981 Southern Section 4-A Division boys’ cross-country title under Gilliland and placed second in ’68.

Runners Don Moses and Jeff Holyfield trained under Gilliland at Crescenta Valley.

Moses clocked a region record of 4:08.5 in the mile in 1976 and ran 8:52.6 in the two-mile.

Holyfield won the Southern Section 4-A and West region cross-country titles in 1981.

TRACK AND FIELD

Jenny Kenyon, a June graduate of Newbury Park High and a finalist in the girls’ 100 and 200 meters and long jump in the Southern Section Division I championships in May, has committed to Oregon.

Kenyon expects to focus on the seven-event heptathlon at Oregon.

She placed sixth in the long jump in the Southern Section Division I championships this year before a strained hamstring prevented her from finishing the 100 and starting the 200.

VOLLEYBALL

Tom Black has been selected the boys’ coach at Thousand Oaks High.

Black, a former outside hitter at UC San Diego, is also the coach of the girls’ team at L.A. Baptist.