Montclair Prep Tops Southern Section Poll

Montclair Prep, which finished 6-5 and lost in the first round of the Southern Section playoffs last season, is the top-ranked Division IX football team in the Southern Section’s preseason poll.

The Mounties have fortified their backfield with the addition of running back Derek Sparks, a junior transfer from Banning and the state sophomore player of the year. Sparks will team with Michael Jones, who gained 1,514 yards in 209 carries last season.

Notre Dame (8-3 last season) is ranked second in Division VII. In Division II, Canyon is ranked second, Thousand Oaks sixth and Palmdale seventh. Agoura is fourth in Division VIII.

Patrick Brown, Joe Mantashigian and Bruce Schneider, high school basketball standouts from Las Vegas, have made oral commitments to attend Antelope Valley College, according to Marauder Coach Newton Chelette.

Brown (6-foot-4, 190) averaged 20 points a game for Rancho High last season; Mantashigian (6-5, 180) averaged 12 points and six rebounds a game for Gorman, which won its second consecutive Nevada state title.

Schneider (6-1, 170) averaged 17 points and eight rebounds a game for Basic High.

Bob Lofrano, the new assistant baseball coach at Pierce College, has withdrawn as coach of a high school all-star team that will play a friendship series in South Korea. The California team is scheduled to play four games against the national teams from Japan and South Korea Aug. 25-Sept. 5.

Lofrano, who coached at Chatsworth High for 11 years, cited his responsibilities at Pierce as reason for withdrawing. He was hired last week to teach physical education and assist Coach Bob Lyons with the baseball team.

Robin Romeo of Van Nuys was in fifth place Wednesday after four rounds of the $30,000 Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour Albuquerque Open.

Romeo, a four-time champion this season on the LPBT, knocked down 8,119 pins in 34 games.

First place belonged to rookie Sharon Todd who averaged 232 to take a 62-pin lead over Leanne Barrette. Todd, 21, won 11 of her first 16 matches to finish with a total of 8,233 pins. The three-time All-American who recently graduated from Morehead State is seeking her first title.

Barrette, a six-time career champion, totaled 8,171 pins.

Albuquerque native Dana Miller-Mackie, who resides in Sydney, Australia, was third with 8,134 pins, followed by Lorrie Nichols with 8,123.

Paula Drake led the race for the sixth and final position in Thursday night’s stepladder finals with 8,117 pins, 62 more than 1988 Woman Bowler of the Year Lisa Wagner. The final round of match play is this morning.

Barrette, Diana Davenport, Romeo and Carol Norman each bowled games of 300 Wednesday to bring the tournament total to a record-tying seven. First prize is $5,000.

Babe Laufenberg, the former Crespi High and Pierce College quarterback, has been designated to play during the fourth quarter of the Dallas Cowboys’ exhibition game Saturday against the Raiders.

The well-traveled Laufenberg is bidding to make a Dallas roster that includes million-dollar rookies Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh. Aikman, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft who missed practice Wednesday because of cramps in his right forearm, will play in the third quarter. Walsh will start and play the first half.

In a move that could improve Laufenberg’s chances of making the roster, the Cowboys announced Wednesday that they would attempt to trade holdout quarterback Steve Pelluer by Friday. Pelluer was a part-time starter last season.