THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Coach Doubts Clock, Not Runner

There were no titles at stake, no camera flashes and not much competition when Rio Mesa High freshman Marion Jones raced to the best time this season among high school runners in the 200 meters Thursday at Santa Barbara.

But Jones’ 23.9-second mark (converted from 220 yards) in a Channel League track meet--the only time in the nation under 24 seconds this spring, did not seem to bowl over Rio Mesa Coach Brian FitzGerald, who estimated that Jones won by 25 meters.

“The hand-timed races we just take with a grain of salt,” he said.

“What it was, probably, was not a real accurate job of timing.”

Jones’ effort, though, was not her best. As an eighth-grader at Pinecrest School in Sherman Oaks she raced to the top of the national list in the 200 with a 23.8. She also was ranked No. 1 in the 100 at 11.8.

Jones will compete in the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday night at Arcadia High.

“I’m sure she can run close to 24 flat,” FitzGerald said. “We’ll see this weekend.”

Royal transfer: Edward Smith, a right-handed pitcher from Hanks High in El Paso, Tex., will transfer to Royal later this week. Smith, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior whose fastball has been clocked in the low 80-m.p.h. range, checked out of Hanks on Tuesday and boarded a plane for Los Angeles.

“He’s a pretty talented athlete,” Hanks Coach Mike Williams said. “The (professional) scouts were real interested in him.”

Smith, a three-time All-City Section football player, was hospitalized most of this season after he was hit by a line drive. Royal Athletic Director Terry Dobbins is not sure when Smith will become eligible to compete for Royal (8-4, 2-2 in league play).

Simi bats: Simi Valley (7-4, 3-1) is hitting .332 and has hit 20 home runs, but the Pioneers will be tested by Westlake’s Mike Eby today in a Marmonte League game at Westlake (12-0, 5-0).

Eby (4-0, 0.77 earned-run average), a 6-foot-2 senior left-hander who will attend UCLA in the fall, has allowed only four hits in his past two starts. He limited Channel Islands to one hit Friday.

“We think we need to get the count in our favor, yet we need to be disciplined,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said. “If he starts hitting his spots and we swing at his pitch, rather than ours, we’ll get beat.”

Westlake is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 5-A Division.

Never a dull moment: Three weeks ago, Faith Baptist was clobbered by visiting Culver City, 32-0, as Troy Dunlap hit four home runs.

Last week, the Contenders played the heavy in a 23-1 nonleague win over visiting Holy Martyrs. Wes Doll hit three homers.

“We’re always fun,” Faith Baptist Coach Harry Morgan said. “One way or another.”

Mike Glaze and staff writers Steve Elling and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.

REGIONAL BASEBALL TOP 10

Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Last Rk Wk Team League Record 1 1 El Camino Real West Valley 7-0-1 2 3 Westlake Marmonte 12-0 3 2 Kennedy North Valley 11-2 4 4 Hart Foothill 9-1-2 5 5 San Fernando North Valley 8-2-2 6 6 Poly East Valley 9-2 7 10 Saugus Golden 9-2-1 8 7 Chatsworth West Valley 9-3-1 9 8 Thousand Oaks Marmonte 6-2 10 9 Crespi Del Rey 7-4-1

NR--Not ranked.

Through Tuesday’s games.