THE HIGH SCHOOLS / VINCE KOWALICK : Oxnard Wrestling Team Draws Strength From Roman Empire

Years ago, Richard Roman would come home from wrestling practice looking to try out a new move on anyone unfortunate enough to be sitting in front of the television.

There, watching cartoons, he found younger brothers Bobby, Mike and Gabe--who soon began to feel like Wile E. Coyote.

“He’d grab us and throw us into banana splits,” Bobby Roman recalled. “Throws, takedowns, pick ‘em up and slam ‘em . . . leg rides, one leg going one way and one going the other way like you were making a wish.

“He used to beat up on us all the time.”

All of which might explain why Bobby, Mike and Gabe have themselves become such skilled wrestlers at Oxnard High.

Few opponents this season have been able to do as the Romans do.

Bobby (130 pounds), 17, who finished second in the Channel League last season as a junior, is 12-1 after placing first in the Newbury Park tournament and second in the El Monte tournament. He was seeded first for the Rosemead tournament but did not compete because of illness.

Mike (103), 16, is 17-2 after finishing first at Newbury Park and El Monte. He was 28-10 as a sophomore and finished third in the league.

Gabe (125), a sophomore in his first season on the varsity, is 11-5 after placing fourth at Newbury Park and third at El Monte.

“All three of them are good,” Oxnard Coach Chuck Cordes said. “Bobby might be the best, but Gabe has the most potential right now.”

As anyone who grew up with brothers can attest, doing so can be, well, a test.

“I had five brothers,” said Tony Roman, the boys’ father, “so I know what it’s like. I guess they grew up kind of rough and ready. They were always after each other, fighting over simple things. They’re brothers.”

Said Bobby: “My dad has always called us the Three Stooges.”

As one might imagine, family flare-ups often have turned to takedowns and headlocks, just as sure as Moe used to poke Larry in the eyes and clobber Curly with a crowbar.

“It starts out fighting and it ends up wrestling,” Mike said. “It’s always over stupid stuff. Like Nintendo or something.”

Despite their differences, the three younger brothers, as well as Richard, 22, share a strong bond of brotherly love.

“They shove each other around, but I’ve never seen them throw punches,” Tony Roman said. “I’m extremely proud of them, especially when you hear how so many kids are growing up in gangs these days. They still like to sit around and watch cartoons.”

A more passionate endeavor among the boys--and a close second to wrestling--is camping.

Bobby, Mike and Gabe spent the holiday weekend in Van Nuys with their father, who was divorced from the boys’ mother five years ago. This weekend, the foursome made plans to head for the mountains.

“We have to start practicing again next week, so this is our only chance,” Bobby said. “We’ll do some camping and probably be able to do a little fishing.”

And maybe a little wrestling.

Long time coming: It took four years, as many games and a buzzer-beating, 15-foot jump shot by Demond Callahan, but Canoga Park Coach Jeff Davis finally knocked off his alma mater, El Camino Real.

Canoga Park (6-4) upset El Camino Real in its own gym Tuesday with a 67-66 quarterfinal-round victory in the L. A. Invitational tournament.

And don’t think Davis didn’t enjoy it. In fact, Davis, a 1978 El Camino Real graduate and longtime assistant to former Conquistadore Coach Mike McNulty, actually giggled with delight moments after the game.

“It’s very exciting because they’re such a talented team,” said Davis, whose assistant, Paul McKirahan, is a 1977 El Camino Real graduate. “Finally. And it was a close game, on top of everything else.”

One might have expected Davis to follow Callahan’s shot with a parting shot of his own.

Davis, who became coach at Canoga Park in 1989, made no secret that he longed to become head coach at El Camino Real. Yet, when McNulty abruptly resigned last spring, the job went to Neils Ludlow, the Conquistadore girls’ basketball coach, without Davis ever being granted an interview.

Add buzzer-beaters: Thanks to a last-second basket by Jeff Nadeau, Monroe (9-2) continued its impressive early showing by winning the championship of the L.A. Invitational with a 49-47 victory over Leuzinger on Thursday.

Nadeau scored nine of the Vikings’ 14 fourth-quarter points.

Miscellany: Senior guard David Fennell is now Village Christian’s all-time scoring leader. Fennell’s first field goal in Tuesday’s 60-53 win over Baldwin Park in a Bell-Jeff tournament semifinal tied him with John Brown, a 1991 graduate, with 837 points. Fennell, a three-year varsity member, finished with 22 points, then added 12 points in a losing effort against Capistrano Valley Christian in the final to raise his total to 869. . . .

Royal forward Andre DeSaussure quit the basketball team this week because he wanted to concentrate on football and schoolwork, Coach Ira Sollod said. . . .

The Agoura boys’ basketball team went 4-0 last week in the San Diego Sweetwater tournament. The Chargers (7-3) defeated San Diego-area schools Sweetwater (65-60), St. Augustine (53-47), Castle Park (68-66) and Montgomery (65-36). Guard Jeff Niemann led Agoura with 46 points and was an all-tournament selection.