Prep Roundup : Woodbridge’s Odum Will Attend Utah

Derrick Odum of Woodbridge High School has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Utah in the fall.

Odum, 6-feet and 170 pounds, visited the Salt Lake City campus after the Orange County All-Star football game Friday and signed on Saturday.

Odum helped Woodbridge win the Desert-Mountain Conference championship, playing wide receiver, quarterback and cornerback at various times during the season. He caught 30 passes for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 77 tackles and 4 interceptions as a defensive back.

Odum also started on the Warriors’ basketball team, which was runner-up in the Southern Section’s 2-A division. Odum will major in business at Utah.

Jim Geerlings of Newport Harbor High School has signed a national letter of intent to attend UC Irvine in the fall.

Geerlings, the county’s leading high school miler this past season, clocked a 1,600-meter best of 4 minutes 9.54 seconds in winning the event at the Southern Section Masters track and field championships May 27.

Geerlings, who placed second in the state 1,600-meter final, turned down offers from California and UCLA.

Geerlings, who also will compete on the Anteaters’ cross-country team, joins distance runner Sita Jones of La Habra, long jumper Sandi Lucas of Corona del Mar and pole vaulter Ray Dirling of Ocean View at Irvine.

Steve Thornton, who resigned as varsity boys’ basketball coach at Dana Hills High School in March, has accepted a similar position at Tracy High in Northern California.

Thornton had a 118-90 record in nine seasons at Dana Hills and led teams to six Southern Section playoff appearances.

Tracy, located 20 miles southwest of Stockton, has 1,950 students. Tracy opened the 1987-88 season with 19 consecutive losses and finished 1-26 under fourth-year Coach Jon Van Drimmelen, who resigned after the season.

Tracy is a perennial football power. Last year’s team finished 13-1 and was ranked ninth in the state by Cal-Hi Sports of Sacramento.

Thornton plans to move to Tracy next month and will teach social studies at the school.