CIF Close to Signing With New Sponsors

The financially strapped California Interscholastic Federation, without any statewide corporate sponsors since July, is expected to sign several new companies to multiyear contracts in the next month or two.

Specifics are still pending in all cases, but the Vons grocery chain will reportedly be the first to sign. It has been in negotiations with the CIF for several months and will probably come up with several hundred thousand dollars over three to five years.

“I do not want to get into exact details, but an announcement of a new deal with the CIF is imminent,” said Julie Reynolds, of Vons Cos. “Such a deal will be a step forward for our youth-in-education program.”

Vons is the largest grocery chain in Southern California with more than 300 stores.

The CIF, which governs all high school sports in California, is represented by Marketing and Financial Management Enterprises of Woodland Hills in marketing endeavors. M&FM; was hired last year to help the CIF get more corporate dollars.

“Vons is going to be a big sponsor, but I don’t see them being the biggest,” said Bob Seagren of M&FM.; “It may be a case where instead of them giving a lot of money to the CIF, that they do a lot of promotional programs for the organization.”

Seagren said he is still hoping to sign a title sponsor for the CIF, but that the top billing may end up being shared by several corporations.

Reebok was the CIF’s title sponsor from 1986 until July, when it terminated its contract. Pepsi-Cola also ended a three-year contract in July. The two companies provided the CIF with $700,000 annually, or about 10% of its budget.

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The Fontana boys’ basketball team is coming off its biggest victory in several years, a 56-54 upset of Inglewood Friday night.

Inglewood was considered among the elite in Southern California with a 13-2 record. But it struggled with the Steelers, trailing by as many as 14 points in the third quarter before mounting a comeback in the final minutes.

Fontana, 20-5 last season, improved to 14-1, its only loss against Dallas Lincoln in the semifinals of the La Verne Damien tournament last month.

“We’re happy with our start to the season,” said Fontana Coach Mike Southworth. “But like most other teams at this point, we’ve still got a ways to go.”

Southworth said the program has improved the last few seasons primarily because of three-year starter Travon Carmichael. The 6-foot-5 senior forward is considered the top player in the Inland Empire, averaging 16 points.

Prep Notes

The Compton Dominguez girls’ basketball team played too many games during a holiday tournament in Las Vegas last month and will have to forfeit its final three San Gabriel Valley League games as a result. Dominguez played seven games in the eight-team Las Vegas Holiday Classic, three more than allowed by section rules. . . . The Cerritos Gahr girls’ basketball team is 1-14 after forfeiting 10 games last week for using an ineligible player. Starter Nicki Oliver, a transfer, was not properly processed by Gahr administrators. The school corrected the matter and Oliver scored 12 points in a 48-43 loss to Lynwood on Thursday. . . . Armando Gonzalez, whose teams won three City Section football titles at Franklin in the 1980s, is returning as coach after a four-year absence. Gonzalez guided the Panthers to Division 3-A titles in 1986, ’87 and ’89. Franklin has not been a power since Gonzalez left.

Times’ Top 20 Basketball Polls

The Times’ top 20 high school basketball polls, with teams from the City and Southern Sections. BOYS

School Sec. Div. Rec. LW 1. Mater Dei SS I-A 16-0 1 2. Crenshaw City 4-A 12-2 2 3. Westchester City 4-A 14-3 3 4. Dominguez SS II-A 13-2 5 5. Fontana SS I-AA 14-1 13 6. Inglewood SS II-AA 13-3 4 7. JW North SS II-AA 13-0 7 8. Los Alamitos SS I-AA 13-3 8 9. St. John Bosco SS II-A 13-2 6 10. Hart SS I-A 17-1 9 11. S. Ana Valley SS I-AA 15-2 10 12. Manual Arts City 4-A 12-3 11 13. Warren SS I-A 12-3 12 14. Santa Barbara SS II-AA 13-2 NR 15. Verbum Dei SS IV-A 11-2 16 16. Reseda City 3-A 13-0 17 17. Fairfax City 4-A 12-3 15 18. LB Wilson SS I-AA 13-4 NR 19. Trabuco Hills SS II-AA 13-4 NR 20. Glendora SS II-AA 15-2 20

GIRLS

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Brea-Olinda SS III-AA 13-0 1 2. Lynwood SS I-AA 15-1 2 3. St. Bernard SS IV-AA 15-2 3 4. Buena SS I-A 8-1 4 5. Gahr SS II-AA 1-14* 5 6. Alemany SS II-A 14-0 8 7. Woodbridge SS II-AA 13-0 7 8. Peninsula SS I-AA 10-2 8 9. Carson City 4-A 13-2 11 10. Dominguez SS II-A 17-2 9 11. Ch. Islands SS I-A 12-2 13 12. LB Poly SS I-A 10-2 12 13. Cypress SS II-A 15-2 14 14. Bishop Amat SS II-A 13-1 16 15. B. Montgomery SS III-AA 12-5 16 16. Valley Chr. SS IV-A 12-2 17 17. Mater Dei SS II-AA 11-2 18 18. Apple Valley SS I-AA 12-2 NR 19. Thousand Oaks SS I-A 11-4 NR 20. Santa Ynez SS IV-AA 12-3 20

* Indicates 10 losses by forfeit.