SPORTS SCOPE : 14 All-CIF Gridders Among Seniors in Hall of Fame Game

Many of the top graduating seniors in the San Gabriel Valley have been selected to the East and West team rosters for the sixth annual National Football Foundation Hall of Fame All-Star Football Game on Aug. 2 at Arroyo High in El Monte.

Included among the 80 players on the two teams are 14 All-CIF players, 6 league most valuable players and 6 players who also were chosen to play in the prestigious Shrine Football Classic on July 27 at East Los Angeles College.

“The 1985 assemblage of talent represents one of the most gifted crops of athletes we’ve had for this game,” said Muir Coach Jim Brownfield, who has been game director since its inception in 1980.

Leading the way for a strong West squad are quarterback/linebacker Richard Bell of Muir, running back Cleo Bates of Pasadena and lineman Dave Hallstrom of St. Francis. Bell, an all-state player who rushed for 1,341 yards and 14 touchdowns and passed for 1,560 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior, will attend Nebraska, Bates is headed for Colorado and Hallstrom will play for UCLA next season.

Other standouts on the West squad include quarterback Lopey Williams and lineman Tim Price of Duarte, quarterback Anthony Walker of Keppel, lineman Chuck Reep of Arroyo and lineman Scott Ashley of Muir.

The East team is headed by Bishop Amat all-state wide receiver John Jackson, who caught 55 passes for 781 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior. Jackson, who will attend USC in the fall, caught 92 passes for 1,583 yards and 16 touchdowns in three years at Bishop Amat and starred at defensive back as well.

Other East players include running backs Devin Aviles of Wilson (Hacienda Heights) and Jon Bell of Rowland, quarterback Rich Gonzales of Diamond Bar, linemen Jon Haus of South Hills and Hector Meza of Rowland and linebackers Neal Cook of Claremont and Rigo Diaz of Bishop Amat.

Five girls’ track and field standouts from Muir High School in Pasadena, who led the Mustangs to the 1985 CIF state track championship, have signed national letters of intent to attend NCAA Division I colleges in the fall.

Four of them, hurdlers Linetta Wilson, Nikky Caddell and Lana Cantrell and sprinter Michelle Miller, will attend the University of Nebraska and the other, sprinter Carrie Franklin, has signed with Nevada-Las Vegas.

The five, who also were named recently to the prep track All-America team, led the Mustangs to three national high school records during the 1985 season. Muir set records in the 1,600-meter relay (3:37.69), the 400-meter shuttle hurdle relay (56.78 seconds) and the indoor 640-meter relay (1:13.47).

All five also had good seasons individually. Cantrell won the state title in the 100-meter hurdles (13.57 seconds); Wilson took the state championship in the 300 hurdles in a national best time of 41.54 seconds; Franklin posted the top time in the nation in the 100 meters (11.61); Caddell ranked in the top 10 nationally in the 100- and 300-meter low hurdles, and Miller reached the state finals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

“We all had goals set for the team this year,” Muir Coach Jim Brownfield said. “Mine was to see our girls all receive full scholarships to major universities. I am so proud of our young ladies. They were a class act.

“Not only did they reach every goal they had set at the beginning of the season by winning the triple crown (Pacific League, Southern Section and state titles), they also set three national records along the way.”

Kendra Tarkanian of Arcadia was one of 12 players named to the first and second All-American teams at the 1985 United States Volleyball Assn. Junior National Olympic Volleyball Games recently.

Tarkanian, named to the second team, was one of the top players on the San Gabriel Volleyball Club girls bantam division squad (age 13 and younger) that won a silver medal at the tournament. The team, coached by Pat Mitchell, lost to the Windy City Prospects of Chicago in the finals.

Other All-American selections in the bantam division included Tarkanian’s teammates Gina Jimenez, Monica Molina and Melinda Camarillo of Los Angeles and Lisa Miccio of La Crescenta. Two other San Gabriel Valley players, Kristi Zappen of Glendora and Allison Yamashiro of Claremont, also played on the team.