Salaam to Miss Season Finale for the Torres

Rashaan Salaam, La Jolla Country Day’s record-setting running back, will miss this week’s regular-season finale, but he could be ready to go when the Torres play Santa Fe Christian for the eight-man football championship in two weeks.

Salaam, being recruited by numerous Division I schools, injured his left knee in the second quarter of Saturday’s 38-34 victory over Santa Fe Christian.

“We’re hoping to get him back, but we’re not sure at this point,” Coach Rick Woods said. “If he’s not 100% or close to it, we will probably hold him out. His future is too bright to take any chances.”

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test was performed Sunday, and Salaam was told Monday that he had strained the knee ligaments, not torn them.

Salaam began rehabilitating the knee Monday and will wear a brace and not practice for at least 10 days.

Without Salaam, LJCD (8-0) will put its section-high 19-game winning streak on the line Saturday against Borrego Springs (1-6) at 1 p.m.

Record Chasers: LJCD kicker Eric Abrams needs five extra points to tie the national career record of 173 set by Florida’s Andy Elton of 83-85.

Chad Davis, Mira Mesa quarterback, is 10 yards from third place on the all-time passing list, 261 out of second and 387 behind leader Todd Marinovich.

Trouble Mounting: Mt. Miguel (3-5-1) may have to forfeit three football victories and one tie for using an ineligible player. A Grossmont Conference panel is scheduled to meet today to determine what penalties will be assessed.

Mt. Miguel discovered last week that linebacker Beshear Randle is in his ninth semester of high school, one more than allowable under CIF rules.

Randle played in Mt. Miguel’s first eight games, including a tie against Bonita Vista and victories over El Cajon Valley, Granite Hills and Monte Vista.

Also last week, Mt. Miguel running back Earl Bryers, the league co-player of the year in 1990, quit the team because he said he wasn’t getting enough carries. Receiver Mike Fanning had quit the team after five games because he said he wasn’t getting enough passes thrown his way.

Said Coach Jim Mann: “The idea of the game is to try to win as a team, not keep everybody happy on every play. What are we supposed to do?”

Today’s Special: Julian’s special teams gave up two touchdowns Friday--a 70-yard punt return and a 49-yard blocked field goal return--botched one extra-point attempt with a poor snap and watched three others get blocked.

Despite all that, Julian defeated Borrego Springs, 41-12.

Said Coach Mike Cunningham, who handles the special teams: “Maybe I should give that job to somebody else.”

Milestone: Vista Coach Dick Haines won his 300th high school game Friday. Spanning 40 years, five teams and three states, Haines is 300-112-9 and 11th on the all-time national list.

Scoring Woes: Marian (0-9) has scored only two touchdowns (no extra points) and one field goal all season playing a schedule that features two 1-A teams as well as two 2-A teams with no other victories.

Balanced Sheet: Santana (4-4-1) has scored 181 points and given up 181.

Balanced Sheet II: Platooning at quarterback for West Hills, H.K. Caldwell has completed 48 of 107 passes for 610 yards. Barry Fitzgerald is 49 of 108 for 607 yards.

Winding Down: With one week remaining in the regular season, each of the nine 2-A and 3-A football leagues has at least one school undefeated in league play.

El Camino in the Avocado League is the only school to have clinched a title outright.

Point Loma (City Eastern), Grossmont (Grossmont 3-A), Chula Vista (Metro), El Capitan (Grossmont 2-A), Lincoln (City Central), St. Augustine (City Harbor) and La Jolla (City Western) have clinched at least a tie and can earn outright titles Friday.

Top-ranked Vista (9-0, 6-0) and No. 6 Torrey Pines (8-1, 6-0) meet Friday at Vista for the Palomar banner.

Three games feature first- and second-place teams: Point Loma vs. Morse at Mesa College; El Capitan at Santana; and Kearny at La Jolla.

Should Morse defeat Point Loma and Mira Mesa get by Patrick Henry, there would be a three-way tie in the Eastern League. The same could happen in the Western League if Kearny beats La Jolla and USDHS defeats Mission Bay.

In the event of a three-way tie for first, a league vote would determine the playoff spots for each school.

Magic Number: If the playoffs began this week, three 3-A teams--Serra, Monte Vista and Sweetwater--probably would make the playoffs with losing records. Those three are all 4-5.

The 2-A situation appears to be even more muddled. A team like Christian (5-3-1, 0-2-1 in the Harbor League) has had a much easier schedule than say University City (4-4, 1-3 in the Western League), but one of them may not make the playoffs.

The playoff seedings meeting is Saturday morning.

The Second Season: Team playoffs for girls’ tennis begin this afternoon with Poway and La Jolla looking to defend their 1990 section titles. The individual tournament is next week.

Girls’ volleyball playoffs start Wednesday. Poway, Torrey Pines, USDHS, Christian and Francis Parker are defending champions.