The High Schools : Simi Valley Pair Closing In on the Past

There is still some serious pitching ahead for Rich Langford and Mike Jenkins.

There is the Marmonte League race to settle and, not long after that, the Southern Section 5-A Division playoffs will begin. But Langford and Jenkins, Simi Valley High’s right-handed pitching duo, have begun to establish records comparable to some of the most successful Pioneers of the past.

Langford is 6-0. He has an earned-run average of 0.50, which translates to an earned run every 14 innings. Jenkins, who has not given up an earned run in 21 1/3 innings, has an ERA of 1.23 and is also 6-0.

Both have sustained injuries that have shaved at least three starts from their seasons, but both appear healthy now.

“They’ve been real, real consistent all year long, despite their injuries,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said. “When they’ve pitched, they’ve pitched well.”

Toss relief pitcher Terry Hill and his six saves into the equation and what you have is one strong staff. What you also have is a 19-2 record, the best for a Simi Valley squad at this stage of the season since the 1981 team posted the same record through 21 games.

“I’m extremely surprised,” Scyphers said. “Right now, we’re playing well enough to win, and our pitching is carrying us.”

For purposes of comparison, here are some of the Pioneer 1-2 (and sometimes 3) pitching punches of the past:

* In 1988, Scott Sharts was 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA and Langford was 6-3 with an ERA of 3.45.

* 1986: Scott Radinsky (14-1, 1.18) and Todd Sullivan (8-2, 2.97).

* 1985: Sean Harrigan (12-4, 2.72), Sullivan (6-1, 1.76) and Radinsky (4-0, five saves, 1.78).

* 1983: Tim Nelson (8-3, 2.18) and Cheeky Palomarez (6-3, 1.04).

* 1982: Steve Sharts (11-5, 1.66) and Steve Polk (7-1, 2.15).

* 1981: Ted Rapp (8-2, 2.69) and Steve Sharts (9-1, 2.52).

* 1980: Rob Sullivan (11-4, 2.50), Rapp (4-1, 4.10) and Mike Heinicke (4-1, 2.60).

Scyphers said that it is difficult to pick the premier pair, but he leaned toward Radinsky and Sullivan, who were a combined 22-3 in 1986. Langford and Jenkins, however, still have some time.

“Our season is not over yet,” Scyphers said. “At this point, though, they are paralleling those two.”

Anti-Establishment: When Joey Nakasone announced his resignation as the Canoga Park basketball coach this week, he went out swinging. Nakasone, 38, who will remain at the school as a biology teacher and boys’ volleyball coach, criticized City Section officials and the media, who have combined to distort athletics, according to Nakasone.

“I’m fed up with the system,” he said. “People have lost perspective on what athletics are all about.”

Nakasone claims that the City Section ignores rampant recruiting violations in basketball, forcing coaches to become recruiters in order to be competitive.

“They know about it and frown on it, but they won’t do anything about it,” he said. Recruiting is not such a problem in volleyball, he claims.

He also said that the attention the media gives to leading scorers and rebounders undermines a coach’s primary job: developing character.

“The media look at who gets the most wins and they don’t look at teamwork, sportsmanship and the team concept. They don’t look at whether the players become useful people in society,” he said.

Perhaps appropriately, Nakasone doesn’t know his career won-lost record in eight years at Canoga Park. His best season was 1983-84 when the Hunters lost to Reseda in the City 3-A Division title game.

A Harvard education: The future looks bleak for Harvard’s San Fernando Valley League volleyball opponents. In the league’s first season, Harvard is unbeaten in 12 matches and already has clinched the championship. The Saracens have won four consecutive league titles--including an Ocean and two Santa Fe league titles--and have won 47 league matches in a row.

It looks like dynasty time for the Saracens but there is some unfinished business. In Mark Zalin’s seven years as coach, the team has yet to win a Southern Section title and has never advanced beyond the semifinals.

That drought could end this season. Harvard is the Southern Section’s top-ranked team in the 3-A Division and already has beaten Brentwood, Arcadia and Glendale, which are ranked second through fourth.

Staff writers Tim Brown and John Lynch contributed to this notebook.