HIGH SCHOOLS : El Capitan Goes by the Books

In nine previous years as the girls’ volleyball coach at El Capitan, Nick Byrd never had a team quite like the one this fall. Few coaches have ever had a bunch quite like El Capitan’s.

The 13 girls have an average grade-point of 3.716 on a 4.0 scale.

“They come to school to learn,” Byrd said. “You can tell that by the GPAs. We’re just as proud as we can be of them.”

Including honors courses, which allow GPAs to exceed 4.0, five players have GPAs of 4.0 or higher: sophomore Lan Thai (4.5); junior Aimee Garcia (4.33); senior Angela Tauriainen (4.182); senior Erin Wilden (4.167); and junior Jeanine Elliott (4.0).

Including the lone returnee from last season, Jenny Anders (3.5), 10 Vaqueros are at 3.5 or higher and no one is below 3.0.

The Vaqueros struggled to a 3-13 start but have rallied to win two matches this week heading into today’s contest at West Hills.

“We don’t have any club players,” Byrd said. “These girls play the game to represent their school. They do the best they can with what they have. If it comes down to playing or studying, they study. And that’s the way it should be.”

FUTURE GREEN HORNET

Chula Vista senior Jerome Green, the county’s leading scorer last season, has committed to play basketball next year at Cal State Sacramento.

Green, who averaged 26.9 points as a junior and 22.2 as a sophomore, said he will sign a letter of intent with Cal State Sacramento on Nov. 11, when the early signing period opens.

Green, a 6-3 guard, said he became enamored with the school on a recruiting visit last weekend, and he has canceled trips to Pepperdine and Oregon State. The Hornets were 4-21 last year, their first in Division I, but Green said he was impressed with new Coach Don Newman, an assistant at Washington State last year, and his assistant Micah Blunt.

“They both have great personalities. They’re both great people,” Green said. “I hope to be a part of building something great there. And with the situation there, I’ll be able to play a lot right away because they don’t have an established shooter coming back.”

That decision behind him, Green is looking forward to his senior season and trying to find ways to deal with defenses geared to stop him.

“I have a little surprise for the box-and-one this season,” he said.

What is that?

“You’ll have to come to our games to find out.”

BLUE MONDAY

Monday is National Officials Day, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Monday is when Torrey Pines quarterback/safety Ryan Lynch takes the San Diego Section to court over its ethics in sports policy, stemming from Lynch’s ejection by an official.

WORST TO FIRST?

The three high school football teams in the Poway Unified School District have a combined 11-3-1 record this season after finishing 7-23 in 1991.

Tenth-ranked Mt. Carmel (3-1-1) was 1-9 in 1991, Poway (4-1) was 2-8 and Rancho Bernardo (4-1) was 4-6.

HAS HIS NUMBER

Fallbrook quarterback John Dutton, the county’s second-leading passer, had not thrown an interception in 144 attempts this season before Jon Enweart nabbed one in the fourth quarter of Poway’s 10-0 upset of the Warriors last Friday.

A few minutes later, Enweart intercepted Dutton again, sealing the Titans’ first victory over Fallbrook in 12 years.

ALIGNMENT AUDIBLE

After El Capitan and Grossmont switched leagues last season, Grossmont won the Grossmont 3-A League and El Capitan took the Grossmont 2-A League title.

Though Rancho Bernardo is somewhat of a longshot to win the Palomar League, the Broncos (4-1, 1-1) and Torrey Pines (4-1, 2-0 in the Avocado League) have a shot at duplicating that.

THE FINAL COUNT

Poway’s No. 1-ranked girls’ volleyball team (9-1, 6-0) has yet to be taken to four games in a Palomar League match this season . . .

Scot Pollard, who led Torrey Pines to the Division II boys’ basketball championship last season before moving to Washington for his senior season, is close to making a commitment to Arizona, the Arizona Republic reported this week . . .

Before Friday’s 12-0 victory over Patrick Henry, San Diego’s football team hadn’t beaten a 3-A opponent since it edged Serra, 14-13, in 1985 . . .

Anthony Mamaril’s 99-yard touchdown reception from Mt. Carmel quarterback Damian Dolan last Friday tied a section record set by Helix’s Dan Hammerschmidt and quarterback Jim Plum in 1981 . . .

After averaging 208 yards in its first four games, Grossmont set a school record for 486 total yards (old mark: 474) in a 49-14 rout of El Cajon Valley last Friday . . .

Ramona’s football team has yet to score this season after scoring 127 points last year, 190 in 1990, 202 in ’89 and 209 in ’88. The way things are going, the Bulldogs will have a little trouble keeping that trend going next season.

Football Leaders

RUSHING

Player, School G Att. Yds Avg. Curtis, Kearny 5 111 905 181.0 Driggs, Sweetwater 5 87 862 172.4 Davis, Castle Park 5 101 748 149.6 Sutlick, Marian 5 60 650 130.0 Buggs, San Pasqual 5 94 641 128.2

PASSING

Player, School G PC PA Yds Avg. Woods, Southwest 5 61 134 1,168 233.6 Dutton, Fallbrook 5 72 148 1,042 208.4 Acosta, Monte Vista 5 57 116 826 165.2 Batten, Orange Glen 5 54 96 802 160.4 Moreno, Castle Park 5 38 83 786 157.2

RECEIVING

Player, School G No. Yds Avg. Durley, Oceanside 5 31 370 11.9 Buddin, Orange Glen 5 26 425 16.3 Diaz, Southwest 5 22 498 22.6 Pattison, Poway 5 21 374 17.8 Cotton, Southwest 5 20 391 19.6 Cecil, Fallbrook 5 20 318 15.9