Moorpark Quarterback Preston Opts for Cincinnati

Moorpark College quarterback Todd Preston said Saturday he has orally committed to play football at the University of Cincinnati.

Preston, a 1991 graduate of Westlake High, said he chose the Bearcats over Memphis State and Eastern Illinois.

“They are looking for a quarterback and I felt that was going to be the best place for me,” Preston said.

Preston accepted a scholarship to California after high school. He redshirted there for a season before returning to play at Moorpark. As the starter for the Raiders last season, he completed 102 of 219 passes for 1,651 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Former El Camino Real High running back Jamal Anderson scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns Saturday, helping the West rally from a 21-point deficit to a 29-28 victory in the East-West Shrine game in Palo Alto.

Anderson, who played at Moorpark College on his way to the University of Utah, caught an eight-yard touchdown pass with 47 seconds left, pulling the West to within 28-27. Quarterback Jeff Garcia then ran up the middle for a two-point conversion that gave the West its winning margin.

Anderson also caught a one-yard scoring pass from Garcia.

Those were the only passes Anderson caught and he also carried the ball eight times for 48 yards.

Basketball

Hart High’s boys’ basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the area by The Times with an 18-1 record and 15-game winning streak, might be limping down the stretch with injuries to two key players.

Ronnie Valenzuela, a 6-foot-4 senior starting forward, has strained ligaments in the thumb of his shooting hand and is questionable for Tuesday’s game against Burroughs.

More devastating, however, is the off-court hand injury suffered by sixth man Adam Dover. Dover, a 6-5, 205-pound senior who sat out last season, recently severed three tendons and a nerve in his left hand with a vegetable knife. The injury required three hours of surgery. Dover is lost for the season.

“Here’s a guy who’s come a long way in three months,” said Hart Coach Mike May of Dover, the team’s most physical player, “and it’s really going to hurt us.”

Dover was averaging five rebounds a game.