HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK : Kennedy Girls Set to Defend 70-Game Legacy

They are a tad taller, but otherwise appear to be much the same as other girls on the Kennedy High campus. Watching them dawdle between classes, chatting about clothes and giggling over boys, it is difficult to imagine them as anything more than typical teen-agers.

But when they slip on their brown-and-gold basketball uniforms, these girls become heirs to one of the most impressive sports dynasties in the Valley.

Kennedy has won every Valley 4-A League game for the past seven seasons--70 in all. And after a preseason campaign of 8-2, the Golden Cougars will attempt to extend the record when league play begins Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Van Nuys.

Coach Craig Raub, whose first season coaching the Kennedy girls after five years as boys basketball coach marked the beginning of the streak, believes this year’s model is as strong as in past years.

“We are talented,” Raub said. “But the girls know the streak is the result of hard work. There are other good teams in the league this season. We will have to be on top of our game.”

Van Nuys, which stepped up to 4-A after winning the Valley 3-A League last season, is undefeated. El Camino Real also is strong with returning all-league performers Michelle Kirby and Voviette Morgan.

But Kennedy, which has won every league game by 10 or more points since the first year of the streak, is the clear favorite. Four of five starters returned this season, including All-City players Stacy Parson and Diane Decree. Add Tisa Rush, a talented sophomore, and Nichole Hughes, a 5-10 transfer from North Carolina, and Kennedy may yawn its way through the league schedule once again.

“Every team we play knows it would be a feather in their hat to knock us off our little hill,” Raub said. “Consistency is the key to a streak like we’ve put together and the day we look past a team is the day we may come crashing down. The girls know this.”

Both Kennedy losses this season have come in tournaments. Chino defeated the Golden Cougars, 65-54, in the San Gabriel tournament, and Buena won, 58-54, in the final of the Simi Valley tournament.

Locke Monsters: Despite perfection in league play, Kennedy has beaten Locke only once for the City championship in four tries.

In 1981, behind City Player of the Year Kim Mercer, Kennedy beat Locke, 51-49. Locke, which defeated Kennedy for the title in 1980, has won the past three City titles, twice by beating Kennedy.

All-State Selections: If Randy Austin is able to find a vacant corner on his trophy shelf, he can add his selection by Cal-Hi Sports as state defensive player of the year in the large schools division. The senior linebacker from Canyon already has been named by The Times as lineman of the year in the Valley area and player of the year by the Desert-Mountain Conference Southern Section.

In the medium schools division, kicker Dominic Sandifer of Harvard was named all-state by Cal-Hi. Small school selections included linebacker Scott Yurek of L. A. Lutheran and three players from Montclair Prep: offensive lineman Bill Huston and defensive backs Reggie Smith and Riche Swinton.

For the first time, Cal-Hi selected an all-underclass team. Sandifer made the team along with Harvard offensive lineman David Rainer and Hart quarterback Jim Bonds. All three are juniors.