PREP WRAPUP : Palos Verdes Quarterback Commits to Play at Colorado

Like father, like son.

Palos Verdes High quarterback/defensive back Blake Anderson, whose father was an All-American safety at the University of Colorado, has given a verbal commitment to play football for the Buffaloes.

Anderson said Colorado Coach Bill McCartney offered him a scholarship on Christmas Day while the Buffaloes were in Miami preparing to play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Anderson was in town visiting his father, Dick, a former All-Pro with the Miami Dolphins.

“When I was down there I went to a couple (Colorado) practices and talked to the coaches,” Blake said. “It was nice when Coach McCartney called me.”

Anderson, who says he always wanted to attend Colorado, will visit Boulder next weekend. Both his father and uncle, Bobby, were All-Americans there.

The 6-foot, 175-pound senior said he expects to play either defensive back or wingback in college. Last season, he quarterbacked Palos Verdes to a share of the Bay League title and was named the league’s co-player of the year.

The signing period for prep seniors begins Feb. 14.

Anderson, no stranger to big games, said Friday’s Bay League soccer match against archrival Rolling Hills was intense from start to finish.

Palos Verdes won, 1-0, in overtime on a goal by Pete Malishka, who headed a corner kick from Brandon Demott past the Rolling Hills goalie.

Palos Verdes improved to 18-2-1 overall and 6-0-1 in league play, good for a share of first place with Hawthorne. Rolling Hills dropped to 9-8-1 and 3-4.

The Rolling Hills basketball team didn’t have any better luck than the soccer team, losing to Palos Verdes, 68-65, in overtime Friday night.

Not all the news was good for Palos Verdes, however.

Sophomore center Art Shell aggravated a knee injury in Wednesday night’s loss to Beverly Hills and might undergo surgery.

Another talented Palos Verdes sophomore, guard Julius Coleman, made up for Shell’s absense Friday by scoring 18 of his team-high 22 points in the second half as the Sea Kings improved to 10-8 overall and 4-3 in the league, good for a share of third place with Leuzinger.

Coleman outperformed Rolling Hills’ Steve Clover, who scored just 15 points after popping for 40 and a Southern Section-record 11 three-point shots in the Titans’ 95-80 win over Torrance on Wednesday.

The loss dropped Rolling Hills to 10-9 and 2-5 in the league, which pretty much eliminates the Titans from contention for a fourth consecutive Bay League crown.

Hawthorne beat Inglewood, 70-61, Friday to finish the first half of league play with a 7-0 record, one game ahead of Beverly Hills.

El Segundo’s basketball team scored its second major road victory in a week Friday night by defeating host Serra, 74-65.

Senior forward Tate Seefried scored a season-high 32 points and guard Scott Panfil added 23 for the Eagles, who a week earlier had gone to St. Anthony and come away with a surprising 79-76 victory.

Friday night they proved it was no fluke.

“The St. Anthony game could have been the turning point,” said Coach Rick Sabosky, whose team won its fourth consecutive game to improve to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the Camino Real League.

El Segundo plays host to Verbum Dei and St. Bernard on Wednesday and Friday, and then travels Saturday to St. Monica, which handed the Eagles a 92-43 loss in the first half of league play.

While the shooting of Seefried and Panfil was vital to the Eagles’ victory over Serra, Sabosky also lauded the contributions made by ball-handling guards Tony Bartolucci and Craig Friesen and hard-working center Kenny Talanoa.