Cook to Quarterback East All-Stars

Wayne Cook, who quarterbacked the Newbury Park High team last fall, will lead the East squad in the Ventura County high school all-star football game at 7:30 tonight at Oxnard High.

Cook, bound for UCLA, starred in three sports for the Panthers and signed a letter of intent with the Bruins despite an injury-shortened senior football season. He passed for 1,197 yards and threw only three interceptions in seven games last season. He will share the quarterback job tonight with Santa Paula’s Rick Carpenter, a Times All-Ventura County selection who passed for 2,429 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.

East running backs include Westlake’s Keith Burke, who rushed for 453 yards last season; Royal’s Pat Ledesma, a converted quarterback who rushed for 482 yards; and Newbury Park’s Kelly Carmack, who rushed for 524 yards.

Top linemen and defensive players for the East include offensive tackle Rick McCathron of Thousand Oaks, defensive tackle Jason Meek of Simi Valley and linebacker Jeff Moore of Thousand Oaks.

The West team intends to grind it out with powerful running backs John Johnson of Channel Islands, Freddie Bradley of Hueneme, Tim Albrendt of Ventura and Paul Rezac of St. Bonaventure. Bradley and Johnson each rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season.

Sixty-eight of the county’s top seniors will participate.

Power and pitching are expected to be the respective strengths of the teams in the 13th Bernie Milligan All-Star baseball game, which begins at 4:15 this afternoon at Cal State Northridge.

The West team, coached by Kevin Campbell of Monroe High and Dave Desmond of Highland Hall, includes All-City Section infielders Rich Aude of Chatsworth and Gino Tagliaferri of Kennedy, who combined to hit 19 home runs and drive in 75 runs this season.

The East team, coached by Jim Ozella of Alemany and Gary Donatella of Sylmar, will place its hopes in the hands of probable starting pitcher Roger Salkeld of Saugus, a high school All-American and the third player selected in the June 5 free-agent draft. Salkeld, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, was 13-1 with an earned-run average of 0.57.

Left-hander John Bushart of Thousand Oaks is expected to start for the West.

Thirty of the Valley area’s top softball players have been invited to play in the third Daily News East-West All-Star game today at Cal State Northridge. Starting time is 2:15 p.m.

With the San Diego Freeway serving as the dividing line, the West team will include All-City Section 4-A Division selections Lisa Huffaker of El Camino Real and Jennifer Mischler of Chatsworth. Huffaker, a shortstop, batted .365 for the 4-A champion Conquistadores. Mischler, an outfielder, hit .467 for the Chancellors.

Cathy Lewis of Saugus will pitch for the East. Lewis, a senior, gave up eight earned runs in 210 innings (0.55 earned-run average), surrendered 71 hits and 20 walks and struck out 341. West pitcher Chrissy Oliver of Simi Valley has similar credentials. Oliver (10-6) possesses a 0.27 ERA and has allowed 47 hits and eight walks while striking out 185.

After interviews with the final two candidates for the vacant position of baseball coach at Royal High, Principal Dave Jackson said that he would delay his final decision through the weekend.

Jackson pared the original list from seven to two--Al Tarazon of Channel Islands High and Dan May of Culver City High--on Thursday, then met with the coaches for “more than an hour each” Friday, he said.

“We are going to take some time this weekend and discuss it and hopefully have a decision by Monday,” Jackson said. “Whoever gets chosen will do a good job. It’s a win-win situation.”