At Highland, Losses Accrue Off Field Too

Highland High’s tale of football woe might be unmatched. First and foremost, the team is 0-5-1, but on the relative scale of disaster, that might be the least of Coach Lin Parker’s worries.

Since last summer, bad luck has followed Parker around like a lost dog:

* Parker’s wallet recently was stolen from the coaches’ office at school. Before the day was done, the thieves had gone on a spending spree, including a $280 tab at Frederick’s of Hollywood, $180 at a Chevron service station, $280 at Toys R Us and $120 at Foot Locker.

The thieves must have worked up an appetite.

“Then they went to Red Robin and had lunch,” Parker said.

* Burglars twice have broken into the school equipment room and robbed the football program blind. Stolen were three camcorders and several sets of coaching headphones. In fact, the set of headphones Parker bought to replace the first stolen set was pilfered.

“We’ve been borrowing camcorders from parents,” Parker said.

Not that it matters. The team’s VCR and television also were stolen. So when Parker wants to view game film, he watches it at home, then comes to school and tries to explain to his players any mistakes they might have made.

Highland administrators estimate it will take a year for the school’s insurance company to replace the stolen equipment.

* Parker’s Toyota 4x4 truck, loaded with every accessory imaginable was stolen.

“Had an Alpine stereo and everything,” he said.

* Last, and certainly not least, Highland quarterback Jeff Tyler and running back Dyntaie Lee have been suspended for Friday’s game for violating a school rule unrelated to football, Parker said.

Friday, Highland will play Golden League power Antelope Valley, ranked No. 9 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

“Can it get worse? I don’t know,” said Parker, who also is suffering from a head cold.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

Glow in the Dark

One spectator said it looked as though a penalty flag was being thrown on every passing play.

In terms of color, that was an accurate statement. But it was a football, not a flag.

Highland used a neon yellow ball in its Golden League game against Quartz Hill on Friday night. The ball featured neon stripes that run from end to end. Most balls, of course, have one white stripe encircling the ball at each end.

Parker said the balls were the creation of former Oakland A’s owner Charlie O. Finley several years back, but they never caught on. Parker bought a half-dozen and used them in 1989, when Highland first opened and fielded only a freshman team.

“So nobody noticed,” Parker said.

Parker said he couldn’t find any neon balls over the following seasons until he located a manufacturer in Seattle this year. He ordered a dozen and will break out a new one for each game.

“Basically, I use them because I’m stubborn and because nobody else does,” he said.

It’s a safe bet his own players aren’t crazy about them, particularly those at the ballhandling positions.

“Quarterbacks hate them because you can see every mistake they make with handoffs, bad pitches or passes or whatever,” Parker said.

Quartz Hill exercised its option to use the traditional model when on offense. It proved more effective: Quartz Hill won, 48-13.

NORTHWEST VALLEY

Big Wheels in Motion

El Camino Real assistant John Wordin saw firsthand Saturday morning how the wheels of politics work in Los Angeles. In fact, he hung out with the biggest wheel of all.

Wordin, a Calabasas graduate who rides for the Miller Lite Cycling Team in the off-season, was one of a handful of riders recruited to take a 15-mile trip through the San Fernando Valley with Mayor Richard Riordan.

Wordin said that Riordan, an avid cyclist, wanted to work out with national-caliber riders and had an assistant set up the trek.

Even though Riordan showed wearing all the appropriate multicolored cyclings togs, Wordin said he didn’t expect much. He soon changed his mind.

“The mayor’s a tough guy,” Wordin said. “He’s pretty good.”

Accompanying the group was a policeman disguised as a cyclist, who served as the mayor’s bodyguard. As it turned out, the whole group needed protection--and soon received it.

Midway through the ride, a rubber-necking motorist nearly caused an accident on a rain-slicked road. A police escort instantly materialized out of thin air.

“It was almost a four-car collision,” Wordin said.

Wordin said the mayor must have enjoyed the outing: Riordan asked for Wordin’s home phone number.

“He wants me to take him mountain-biking,” Wordin said.

*

Sophomore forward Eddie Miller, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Notre Dame, is expected to move into the Chatsworth attendance area Nov. 1, Chatsworth basketball Coach Sandy Greentree said.

Miller, who needs to change residences to establish athletic eligibility, is considered by many to be a major-college prospect. He played for the Notre Dame varsity as a freshman last year, helping the Knights win the Southern Section Division III-A title.

“There isn’t a guy I’d rather have in the whole city,” Greentree said. “There are some great players out there, but I’ve got him for the next three years.”

EAST VALLEY LEAGUE

Brave Boys

Birmingham ran 61 offensive plays in its 26-21 loss to North Hollywood last week and only three Birmingham players--with the exception of the center and punter--touched the ball.

Courtney Blunt, Marvin Powell and Paul Prince were the only players to catch or throw a pass or run the ball last week.

Around the Leagues . . .

* Receivers Steve Sau (31 catches for 351 yards) and Carlos Valadez (24 for 413) and quarterback Alan Lau (87 for 173, 1,131 yards) are quietly having outstanding seasons for winless Hoover.

* Crescenta Valley beat Hoover, 48-28, despite being outgained, 359-180.

* Reseda is 5-1, despite failing to complete a pass in one victory and passing for minus-eight yards in last week’s 30-14 win over Cleveland.

Kennedy Cosgrove and staff writers Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher and Paige A. Leech contributed to this notebook.

The Times Top 10

Rankings of Valley-area high schools by sportswriters of The Times:

Rank Prev. Team League W-L 1 1 Newbury Park Marmonte 6-0 2 2 Taft North Valley 6-0 3 3 Antelope Valley Golden 5-1 4 4 Hart Foothill 5-1 5 5 Quartz Hill Golden 6-0 6 7 El Camino Real North Valley 5-1 7 8 Crescenta Valley Pacific 5-1 8 6 Saugus Foothill 4-2 9 NR Ventura Channel 5-1 10 NR San Fernando North Valley 5-1

Team Last week This week Newbury Park Def. Simi Valley, 41-0 Fri. at Thousand Oaks Taft Def. Chatsworth, 49-7 Fri. vs. El Camino Real Antelope Valley Def. Littlerock, 40-14 Fri. vs. Highland Hart Def. Saugus, 41-21 Sat. at Lompoc Quartz Hill Def. Highland, 48-13 Fri. vs. Palmdale El Camino Real Def. Granada Hills, 35-27 Fri. at Taft Crescenta Valley Def. Hoover 48-28 Fri. at Pasadena Saugus Lost to Hart, 41-21 Fri. vs. Burbank Ventura Def. Rio Mesa, 49-21 Fri. vs. Dos Pueblos San Fernando Def. Kennedy, 28-14 Fri. at Cleveland