Notebook : Bosco Tech Coach Ponders League Swap

As basketball coach and athletic director at Bosco Tech High in Rosemead, Jorge Calienes has mixed emotions about a CIF proposal that would move his all-boys school from the Del Rey League to the Camino Real League for the 1988-89 season.

As athletic director, Calienes is happy about the prospective change because it figures to benefit most of the school’s teams. But he is not enthusiastic about his basketball team moving into the Camino Real League, one of the strongest.

“As basketball coach I didn’t want to make the move, but as athletic director I think I had to,” Calienes said.

Bosco Tech has struggled in most sports in recent years in the Del Rey. The exceptions are basketball and soccer in which the Tigers won league championships last year.

It is in basketball and soccer that Bosco Tech may suffer most. The Tigers will join St. Bernard, Serra, Verbum Dei, St. Anthony, Pius X, St. Monica and El Segundo in the Camino Real.

Most of those schools have been ranked among the best in the 5-A Division in basketball in recent years, except for Pius X and El Segundo.

“Every time we’ve played people in the Camino Real League we’ve been out-manned, but we’re able to stay in with them because we’re disciplined,” Calienes said.

But, in this case, it’s not what Calienes the coach thinks. It’s what Calienes the athletic director feels is best for the overall program.

“It may be beneficial because it will help our cross country, track and baseball programs,” he said. “Our basketball and soccer teams may suffer a bit but, all things considered, it’s a good move.”

Two other San Gabriel Valley schools would move to newly formed leagues under the proposal, which is expected to be completed at the CIF Council meeting Sept. 24.

La Salle of Pasadena will move from the Santa Fe League to the San Fernando Valley League. The league will include Bell-Jeff, Chaminade, Harvard, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and St. Genevieve.

LaVerne Lutheran will move to the Arrowhead League from the Alpha League, where most of its teams have struggled in recent years. The league will have Capistrano Valley Christian, California School for the Deaf, Elliott Pope, La Sierra Academy, Leffingwell Christian, Sherman Indian and Southern California Christian.

Former Temple City High quarterback Mark Mooney has not received a lot of playing time in his first two seasons at Army but may be ready to make an impact this year.

The 5-11, 185-pound Mooney, a junior, is listed as the No. 2 quarterback but made a strong impression in spring practice.

An excellent runner who fits into Army’s wishbone, Mooney was a starter in the spring game and threw for one touchdown and ran for another. He was named the most valuable player.

A member of the Times All-San Gabriel Valley team in 1984, Mooney rushed for 1,291 yards and passed for 474 to lead Temple City to the CIF Eastern Conference finals. He was named the Rio Hondo League’s most valuable player.

The South team for the 36th annual Shrine All-Star Football Classic will open practice today at Azusa Pacific University.

The team, which includes many of the top graduating seniors in Southern California, will play Northern California stars Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl.

Among the South players are running back Eric Bieniemy of Bishop Amat and linebackers Ken Lopez of Los Altos and Tony Crutchfield of Muir.