HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK : Quarterback Haro the Unsung Hero at Quartz Hill

Talk about making the most of an opportunity.

The running game has garnered most of the attention for Quartz Hill High this season, but junior quarterback Jake Haro has established himself as a fourth threat in the Rebels’ power I attack.

The 5-foot-8 junior has mastered the big play through the air in addition to rushing for 290 yards.

Haro has averaged just eight passes a game, but his 49 completions have amassed 1,033 yards--an average of 21.1 yards a completion.

By contrast, Hart’s Ryan Connors and Westlake’s Todd Preston--the area’s two most prolific passers based on yardage--averaged 14.6 yards a completion.

Haro has thrown 13 touchdown passes, giving him a touchdown for every 3.76 completions. By contrast, Preston threw a touchdown pass every 7.9 completions and Connors threw a touchdown pass every 6.45 completions.

Haro’s effort against Mater Dei on Friday underscored his big-play ability. He attempted only six passes in the Rebels’ 37-7 victory but completed four for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an 84-yard scoring strike to Dehryen Mabry with 3 minutes 58 seconds left in the second quarter and a 24-yard touchdown to Rob Keller on the final play of the half.

“I don’t know, the adrenaline just gets to you,” Haro said. “I just thought to myself, ‘This is an important game, so I’d better have a good one for our coaches and for our seniors.’ ”

Myth exposed: Canyon High football Coach Harry Welch was adamantly opposed to the Golden League’s move from Division II to I this season, but now that the playoffs are almost over, Welch admits that his concerns were unwarranted. “I think we all bought into the Citrus Belt (League) and Orange County football myth,” Welch said. “They play very good football down there, but so do we up here. I think the playoffs have proved that.”

Two (Quartz Hill and Canyon) of the four teams that qualified for last week’s Division I semifinals were from the Golden League and only one (Mater Dei) was from Orange County.

Huntington Beach Edison, the No. 4-seeded team entering the playoffs, was beaten in the first round, and Citrus Belt powers Eisenhower and Fontana, the Nos. 1- and 3-seeded teams, were eliminated in the second round by Mater Dei and Loyola, respectively.

“I was surprised when (those teams) lost in the early rounds, but that was because of the hype,” Welch said. “I saw Fontana on film, and they were a very, very good high school football team, but they weren’t unstoppable. Loyola proved that. . . . I think the two best teams (Quartz Hill and Loyola) are still playing. That’s why we have a tournament.”

New and improved: Taft senior linebacker Cornell Hill (6-1, 170) was in the midst of a superlative season when physicians detected a problem in his right forearm. Season-ending surgery was required to remove a large hematoma.

Last Tuesday, Hill was granted medical clearance and he made an improbable return--to the basketball court. Hill, who had not practiced with the basketball team, came off the bench to score 12 points in Taft’s 79-56 opening victory over Poly.

Although his arm was heavily taped, Hill was deadly from the free-throw line, making all six attempts.

“I don’t think he made that many all last year,” Taft basketball Coach Jim Woodard said. “As a matter of fact, I think he shot about 48% from the line.”

Hobbling Bulldogs: Buena’s basketball roster, which listed 10 players at the start of the season, dipped to six last week and left the Bulldogs barely able to conduct a practice.

The latest victims were Doug Wilder (fractured wrist), Russell Rose (knee surgery), Joey Young (twisted knee), and Matt Egan (disciplinary reasons).

The losses forced Buena Coach Glen Hannah to bring Matt McSorly, a 6-4 sophomore, up from the junior varsity. But McSorly wasn’t available to practice last Friday because he had played in the junior-varsity game.

That same junior-varsity game also took most of the players Hannah needs for varsity practice.

“We’ve had to go with our junior-varsity guys, which isn’t our best, but it’s all we can do,” Hannah said. “Friday there wasn’t a whole lot we could do with just six guys.”

Eight players were in uniform Wednesday for Buena’s 74-67 loss to St. Anthony in the Loyola tournament.

“It’s tough, but the kids are hanging in there and they’re looking a lot better,” Hannah said. “It makes for some long practices, but at least we had eight bodies out there Wednesday.”

Add injuries: Channel Islands’ Brian Schemelpfhing, a projected sixth man for the Raiders, suffered an ankle sprain and will miss the Nordhoff tournament this week. Schemelpfhing, a 6-3 senior forward, is expected to return next week.

Jaqua out: Simi Valley’s progress during the preseason was slowed last week when senior point guard Tim Jaqua, a returning starter, suffered torn ankle ligaments.

Jaqua, who will be sidelined for at least three weeks, was expected to provide the inexperienced Pioneers with leadership, and his loss was evident during Simi Valley’s shoddy offensive play last weekend. Simi Valley dropped two consecutive games in its tournament, the last a 62-61 decision to Douglas-Juneau (Alaska).

“We just could not get into anything offensively,” Simi Valley Coach Dean Bradshaw said. “Every time we scored, it looked like recreation ball. Getting Jaqua back will really help.”

It also will be a necessity if Simi Valley, which has won at least a share of the past five league titles, expects to cash in on Pick Six--the slogan Bradshaw has attached to this year’s goal.

Slumber party: The Oak Park soccer team has been able to rest easier since the school’s football team lost, 34-7, to Beaumont in the Southern Section Division IX playoffs two weeks ago.

The soccer team had been practicing at 6 a.m. because the football team used the field in the afternoon.

Soccer Coach Dick Billingsley, however, was not too thrilled about the loss--Billingsley also happens to be the football coach.

“(The soccer team) was a little more shocked that we lost than thankful,” Billingsley said. “It’s been pretty tiring waking up every morning. It’ll be a little warmer practicing at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. I just wish the football season ended on a better note.”

Globetrotter: The success of first-year Oak Park basketball Coach Nate Sims could affect his performance on another job.

Sims plays semi-pro basketball in Australia for five months of the year and is scheduled to leave for Australia on Feb. 19.

The first round of the playoffs begins Feb. 15, and, if Oak Park advances to the semifinals scheduled 11 days later, Sims might have to revise his travel plans.

“It’s going to be tight,” said Sims, who played at Santa Monica College and Cal State Long Beach in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “If we keep on winning, I’m going to have to cancel the flight and stay.”

Staff writers Steve Elling, Kirby Lee, Brian Murphy, John Ortega and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.