SPORTS SHORTS

MOTIVATION: Rick Ready, St. Paul--The Swordsmen coach was so obsessed with defeating Servite HS last week he mentally prepared for the game by placing a photo of his counterpart, Leo Hand, on the shade of his tiny desk lamp in his school office. “Motivation,” he said with a grin about the tactic after a 35-21 win.

BIRTHDAYS: Dave Newell, Bell Gardens HS--The birth of his third daughter last Friday morning was an omen of things to come. That night the Lancers wrapped up the Whitmont League football title with a 49-0 rout of Pioneer HS. Newell, who has been married five years, has had 3 children in the past 4 years, all girls. Bell Gardens has won 3 of the past 4 league championships. The only year he did not win the title, he and his wife did not have a child. “That’s the price you have to pay for a championship,” he said.

TITLE GAMES: 11-man football--In the last week of prep football’s regular season several area teams battle for league championships Friday night. In the Angelus League, St. Paul HS (4-0, 6-3 overall) hosts Bishop Amat HS (4-0, 9-0), the Big Five’s top-ranked team. Elsewhere Millikan HS (4-0, 8-0) hosts Poly HS(4-0, 6-2) for the Moore League title. The teams shared the crown last year. Valley Christian HS (4-0, 7-1) hosts Ontario Christian HS (4-0, 6-3) for the Olympic League title. Defending champion Lynwood HS (4-0-1) is at first place Paramount HS (5-0, 8-1) to decide the San Gabriel Valley League title.

8-man football--Leffingwell Christian HS of Norwalk (6-2) opens playoff action as the top-seeded team in the small schools division. The Lions host Temple Christian HS of Perris Friday night. Earlier in the week Leffingwell, the Academy League champion, forfeited a non-league win for using an ineligible player in the game.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: Southern Section--The office in Cerritos will release the football playoff pairings Sunday afternoon. See Monday’s sports section of The Times for the complete brackets.

City Section--The Los Angeles-based CIF office will begin its football playoffs Nov. 21 with the top two teams from each league assured a post-season berth. In the Southeast area, the Eastern League race for a spot includes Huntington Park HS and defending champion Bell HS.

North Coast--The commissioner of this CIF section in Northern California said at a press conference last week that his office may cancel its football playoffs this year because it has had a problem obtaining insurance coverage for the post-season games. The cancellations, if they occur, may spread to all playoffs in every sport offered by the section.

INJURY REPORT: Jeff Westra, Valley Christian HS--The senior quarterback broke his clavical in the Crusaders’ 59-7 win over Brethren last week. He will not return for the playoffs. VC hosts Ontario Christian Friday. Both teams are 4-0 in Olympic League play.

STREAKS: Santa Fe HS--The Chiefs have one chance left this season to snap the Southern Section’s longest active football losing streak. Santa Fe meets Montebello HS Friday night at Pioneer HS. Santa Fe has lost 18 consecutive games.

Lynwood HS--The Knights tied Dominguez HS, 14-14, in football action last week. That snapped the school’s 34-game San Gabriel Valley League winning streak. HOWEVER, semantics being what they are, Lynwood has now gone 35 consecutive games without a loss in league play. That’s the latest streak.

St. John Bosco HS--The Braves made it nine in a row without a loss with a 32-27 football win over Crespi last week. The victory assured the team of no worse than a tie for the Del Rey League crown. SJB hosts Alemany HS Friday night.

Millikan HS--The Rams, who host Poly HS Friday night, are 8-0 in football action. Both Poly and Millikan have 4-0 Moore League records.

Bell Gardens HS--The Lancers (9-0) can wrap up the regular season with a perfect record if they beat visiting California HS Friday night.

Gahr HS--The football team snapped its 8-game losing streak with a 19-7 non-league win over Bonita HS last week.

Norwalk HS--The boys’ cross country team recently won its seventh consecutive Suburban League title. The school has won 53 consecutive matches.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Lance Salters, Compton College--The quarterback was honored recently as a California Community College Football Player of the Week for his efforts in the Tartars’ 37-31 win over El Camino College. Salters completed 24 of 44 pass attempts for 442 yards and three TD. He set a single-game South Coast Conference total offense record with 498 yards (he rushed for 56 in the game). He also kicked a 39-yard field goal and had one PAT kick.

Andy Olivarez, Cypress College--The Times’ all-Southeast basketball player from Whittier HS is expected to be the team leader at the college this winter, according to Charger Coach Don Johnson. The 6-2 1/2 forward “can really play,” said Johnson. Olivarez has worked over the summer on cutting down his turnover ratio.

LOGO: Southern Section--In keeping with its recent tradition of issuing playoff logos The office in Cerritos unveiled this one earlier in the week. The placard will be in use for the next four weeks as the section conducts its football championship.

SENIOR STRUT: Charter Suburban Hospital, Paramount--About 150 senior citizens took part in the annual event. The course took participants through the city streets on courses up to 4-miles long. The oldest finisher was reported to be 101 years old.

CROSS COUNTRY: Richard Nava, Montbello HS--He was the only individual area runner to qualify for Saturday’s Southern Section finals at Mt. San Antonio College. Boys teams from the area that qualified for the championships include Wilson HS (4-A) and La Habra and El Rancho high schools (both, 3-A), and Whittier Christian HS (1-A). In the girls divisions, Wilson (4-A) and Montebello, Schurr, La Habra and El Rancho high schools (all, 3-A) qualified.

HANDBALL: Commerce--Members of the Commerce Handball Team recently returned from the national championships in Ohio with a bunch of hardware. Top finishers included Vince Munoz (first place national and international champion, doubles, open category), Art Robles (national champion 4-wall competition, 13 years old and under), Pedro Landeros, (first place national and international champion, 3-wall competition), and Richard Lopez (first place national and international champion doubles, open category).

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: John Adler, St. Anthony HS--The first-year football coach on of some of the criticism he has received from members of the school’s booster club: “The same guys that are yelling at the Rams on Sunday are yelling at St. Anthony on Friday night.”