SIGNINGS ROUNDUP : Kennedy’s Harris Selects Arizona Over California Schools

Shaneya Harris of Kennedy High, The Times’ Valley girls’ basketball player of the year, signed a letter of intent with Arizona on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period.

The 5-foot-10 guard was the City Section 4-A Division co-player of the year, averaged 27.8 points and 13.3 rebounds and led the Golden Cougars to the City semifinals. She also was considering Cal State Long Beach and San Diego State.

Lori Talley of Bell-Jeff, a Times All-Valley selection, signed with Cal Poly Pomona, traditionally one of the top Division II teams in the country. Talley averaged 19.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.0 assists.

Football

Lamart Cooper, a wide receiver at Antelope Valley College who was named California’s most valuable offensive player in 1992, has committed to play at Washington.

Cooper (5-foot-6, 145 pounds) set a Marauder record for career receptions with 50. He was a first-team All-American and was named most valuable player in Antelope Valley’s 24-23 victory over Glendale in the 1992 K-Swiss Classic II Bowl.

Three other Marauder players made commitments to four-year schools: running back Tony Simmons (Hofstra), running back Greg Graham (Morningside College) and defensive back and punter Richard Pesti (Moorhead State).

Five others accepted partial scholarship offers: defensive backs Chris Goring and Robert Haywood, and linebacker Charley Wright (Northwestern Oklahoma State); defensive back Jason Arebalo (Azusa Pacific), and wide receiver Courtney Miller (Upper Iowa).

Pesti and Arebalo played at Quartz Hill High, and Haywood at Granada Hills.

Volleyball

Three Royal High volleyball players signed with Division I colleges, led by Jason Hughes, who has announced he will attend Cal State Northridge.

Joe and Josh Penrod signed with Brigham Young. The 6-foot-7 twins, who also were recruited by Pepperdine, will use their freshman season as a redshirt year before going on a two-year mission. They will join former Highlander Kevin Hambly, a 6-7 sophomore, on the Cougar team.

Hughes, a 6-6 1/2 opposite hitter, transferred to Royal from Westchester last summer. He earned All-City Section honors at Westchester and was recruited by UCLA, Pepperdine, Cal State Long Beach, and BYU, among others.

“Basically, Northridge showed the most interest,” Hughes said. “I had a couple of visits and got to know the campus. I really like (Coach John) Price.”

Hughes is the fifth high school senior to sign with Northridge, joining Mike Lees (Crespi), Will Welser (Buena), Chad Stricklin (Hart) and Brian Rivera (Venice).

Having three players sign with Division I schools is unprecedented in the six-year history of the Highlander volleyball program.

Royal, 9-0 this season and ranked second in Southern Section Division II, has won three section championships in the last four years.

Baseball

Pierce College catcher/outfielder Josh Smaler signed with Northridge. He is batting .337 with 26 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases.

“It’s close to home, a Top 20 Division I school, and their aggressive style of play--doing anything you can to win--suits the way I play baseball,” said Smaler, from Agoura High.

His teammate, shortstop Bryan Corey, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks who is batting .422, signed with Grand Canyon.

Crespi High right-hander Keith Evans said he will sign today with California, whose coaching staff offered him a partial scholarship. Evans, 6-foot-5, 175 pounds, is 4-0 with a 1.52 earned-run average.

As expected, Canyons first baseman Andy Shaw signed with Northridge. Shaw, a .480 hitter, is the brother of Matador assistant P.C. Shaw.

Swimming

Granada Hills High senior Kristine Quance, ranked No. 1 in the world in the 400-meter individual medley, signed with USC.