NOTEBOOK : Franklin Looks a Lot Like Team of the Decade

Last Friday night, Franklin High concluded the 1980s by winning its fourth City Section title with a 24-6 victory over Garfield.

Franklin also won championships in 1983, 1986 and 1987.

Franklin Coach Armando Gonzalez had said that the Panthers would attack Garfield through the air and that’s what transpired before 13,000 at East Los Angeles College.

Franklin quarterback Santiago Alvarez completed 29 of 36 passes for 313 yards and threw for touchdowns of four, 47 and 27 yards to wide receiver Lamar Lovett.

The Panther defense, which had allowed just four points a game, stifled Garfield running back Hilario Espinosa, who gained more than 2,000 yards this season. Espinosa ran for 28 yards in 15 carries.

Franklin concluded the season 13-1, its only loss coming against City 4-A power Granada Hills. The victory over Garfield improved Franklin to 44-5 over the last four years.

Honor roll: Alvarez, Crescenta Valley’s Pat Kennelly and Flintridge Prep Coach Glen Beattie were honored as The Times’ Glendale-area back, linebacker and coach of the year Sunday during a banquet at the Anaheim Hilton.

Alvarez passed for 4,019 yards and 52 touchdowns this season--both state records. He concluded his two-year varsity career with 5,119 yards and 69 touchdowns.

Kennelly, the Pacific League’s defensive Player of the Year, played center and linebacker. He helped lead Crescenta Valley (6-5) to its best season in 12 years and appeared on more Glendale-area coaches’ nomination ballots than any other player.

Beattie led Flintridge Prep to the Southern Section Eight-Man Large School’s Division championship--the school’s first Southern Section title in any sport.

More honors: Three players from the La Canada High girls’ volleyball team were selected first-team All-Rio Hondo League after leading the Spartans to a share of the league title.

Outside hitter Amy Colyar, setter-outside hitter Erin Weaver and hitter Jenny Pasqua--all seniors--were named to the first team, and senior middle hitter Andrea Bakly made the second team.

La Canada advanced to the Southern Section 3-A semifinals before losing to El Modena.

Last add honors: Five players from Glendale-area high schools were selected to the City 3-A girls’ volleyball team.

Kathy Ham and Korina Jocson of Marshall and Menh Vong of Franklin were first-team selections.

Joann and Regina Balleza of Franklin were named to the second team.

Visionary: Glendale College guard Bruce Heicke has forsaken prescription goggles and has returned to wearing disposable contact lenses.

Heicke began sporting the goggles, which gave him the appearance of a 21st-century Kurt Rambis, after he was poked in the eye two summers ago.

“I didn’t care how they looked, but they started to hurt me,” Heicke said of the goggles and the pressure they put on the bridge of his nose. “There’s a few people who’ve looked at me and then looked around for the guy wearing goggles.

“Once we start playing, I think they remember me.”

There was no doubt about Heicke’s identity last weekend after he led the Vaqueros to the championship of the Glendale tournament and was named most valuable player of the eight-team event.

Glendale (10-5) will resume play Friday with a nonconference game at home against Antelope Valley.

Tournament wrap-up: Glendale defeated East Los Angeles, Harbor and Cypress to win its tournament.

Defense was the key for the Vaqueros throughout the tournament, especially in the championship game against a taller Cypress team that was ranked ninth in the state and fifth in Southern California.

“We were good defensively back-to-back nights,” Glendale Coach Brian Beauchemin said. “They (Cypress) never got good looks at the basket because our guys were helping each other out.”

Recruiting trail: Several Glendale College football players eligible to transfer at the semester break in January took recruiting trips to four-year schools this week.

Sophomore running backs Sean Hampton and Doug Dragomer visited Utah State and Western Michigan.

Sophomore wide receiver Pat Lynch visited San Jose State and is expected to sign with that school.

Mark MacMillan, an All-State defensive back for the Vaqueros in 1988 who is finishing his his two-year degree requirements, is expected to sign with either USC or Alabama.

It’s all academic: Occidental College football players Tony Ferguson, David Grossklaus and Scott Sand are finalists for Academic All-American honors.

Ferguson was a senior defensive lineman, Grossklaus a sophomore tight end and Sand a sophomore wide receiver for the Tigers, who finished 8-2 and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship.