THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Simi Valley’s Duran Picks Up Where She Left Off

On the Simi Valley High soccer field, goalkeeper Kim Duran is about as permanent a fixture as the goal posts.

For two seasons, Duran’s durability was exemplified with 54 consecutive starts, a school-record 35 shutouts--including shutouts in all 10 Marmonte League matches as a sophomore in 1987-88--and a 47-5-2 record.

“Kim is a workaholic,” Coach Mark Johnson said. “You can’t throw enough work at her. I have to send her home after practice because she wants to do more.”

All of which might have contributed to Duran’s being sidelined with mononucleosis in November. But Duran’s goal was to get back in goal--pronto.

“High school soccer,” Duran said simply, “is just really important to me.”

After six weeks with the illness, Duran made her season debut Thursday and posted career shutout No. 36 as the Simi Valley girls’ team (17-0), ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 4-A Division, blanked Royal, 3-0, to improve to 2-0 in league play.

“Except for overall conditioning, she hasn’t lost anything,” Johnson said. “She gets tired out there, but her punts are still 40-50 yards. She’s a veteran keeper.”

Duran feared that Johnson might not keep her as his keeper. Hence the motivation for a speedy recovery.

“After being out for a month, I knew he wasn’t going to give (the starting job) back to me,” she said. “I had to work my butt off.

“It’s great to be back. It’s exactly where I want to be.”

Add soccer: All right, so nobody’s perfect.

Certainly not the Agoura High girls’ team. After 91 consecutive matches (45 of them consecutive victories) without a loss, four consecutive Southern Section titles (three at the 2-A level, one at 3-A) and two coaching stints by Dave Godwin (one for five years, the second for the past three weeks), the Chargers finally were defeated.

Agoura fell to El Toro, 2-1, Tuesday, snapping the incredible streak.

Godwin, who left the team after last season to pursue educational goals, resurfaced in December to replace Coach Don Hagenburger, a friend of Godwin’s who had been a longtime assistant under him. Godwin has posted a 113-8-11 record as Agoura coach.

The Chargers have begun a new winning streak after pounding Santa Ynez, 14-0, in a Frontier League opener Friday.

Hurts so bad: Surgery is scheduled Monday for Royal senior goalkeeper Nicki Noyes, who suffered severe ligament damage to her left hand while diving for a shot during warm-ups Dec. 29.

Noyes, Royal’s scoring leader as a sophomore with 15 goals, was fifth on the Highlanders’ career scoring list before shifting this season to goalie, where she is 6-0.

Noyes is lost for the season, according to Coach Kevin Corley, and also is questionable for the upcoming softball season. She was an All-Marmonte League selection last season as a second baseman.

“The team is kind of in shock,” Corley said. “Nicki is so tough, no one ever imagined her being hurt.”

Junior Staci Blough, a starting striker, has missed six games this season because of a sprained left ankle.

Basketball: The Burroughs boys’ team finished fourth in the Mt. Carmel Invitational in San Diego on Dec. 29.

The Indians (6-6) defeated San Pascual, 105-78, before losing to Poway, the eventual tournament champion, 77-76, and Santa Barbara, 74-66.

Having split two nonleague games this week against Servite (a 60-49 loss) and Alemany (a 52-48 victory), the Indians travel to Hart on Tuesday for the first of two Foothill League meetings between the teams.

Last season, Burroughs captured its first league title since 1968, compiling a 17-7 overall record and a 9-1 mark in league play.

In the stands: Good thing nobody offered to play the San Fernando fans at Friday’s basketball game with Kennedy in a round of touch football.

In attendance were former Tiger football stars Chris Richards (Cal), Howard McCrary (Cal State Fullerton), Keary Johns (Fullerton) and George Glaze (San Diego State).