Clinton Has a Winning Disposition

Newbury Park High right-hander Ray Clinton swears he’s not doing it on purpose. His teammate, Keith Smith, doesn’t particularly care why he’s doing it, as long as it keeps working.

Clinton, who is 7-3, is three victories away from tying the school single-season record, but three of his victories have been in games Smith has started. Twice, Smith has left the mound, handing a lead to Clinton, only to watch Clinton blow it and earn the victory for himself when Newbury Park came back to win.

“I’m trying not to do that,” Clinton said. “I’m really trying to get the hitters out.”

Against Simi Valley on April 6, Smith handed Clinton a 6-3 lead in the seventh. The Pioneers tied the score off Clinton, but the Panthers won, 8-6, in extra innings. Against Thousand Oaks on Wednesday, Smith left with a 5-3 lead in the sixth. Again, Clinton allowed the tying run to score, but the Panthers won the game, 6-5.

Clinton also relieved Smith with the score tied, 3-3, on March 23 against Channel Islands. Newbury Park won that game, 5-3.

“I don’t care,” Smith said. “He’s doing a great job. If I can’t get the win, let him get it. We’re 5-0 in league and that’s all that matters.”

All five league victories, by the way, belong to Clinton.

*

Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks players shook hands before their game Wednesday, abiding by the intent of the new rule that prohibits postgame handshakes.

Not coincidentally, several television stations had cameras at the game to do stories on the much-publicized rule.

CHANNEL LEAGUE

Digging in the Dirt

When Oxnard traveled south of the border to play a doubleheader against Plantel Mexicali II, the Yellowjackets were surprised when they saw the field. It was all dirt. No grass anywhere.

“Rocks, glass, the whole deal,” Oxnard Coach Jack Dalton said. “I told the guys that if we didn’t do well, they’d let the bulls out.”

Oxnard must have learned how to play the field as the day went on. After losing the first game, 13-4, the Yellowjackets won the second, 7-6.

NORTHWEST VALLEY

Greentree Plays Defense

Sandy Greentree is holding his ground. Those who believe his Chatsworth boys’ basketball team had a disappointing season simply don’t know the details, he said.

A rival coach went so far as to say that the Chancellors were as talented as any team in the City Section 4-A Division, with the possible exception of eventual champion Crenshaw.

Greentree, who resigned as coach last week to spend more time with his family and pursue his various real estate ventures, cites the teams the Chancellors played en route to a 13-8 record. Dorsey, San Diego Lincoln and nationally ranked Oak Hill (Va.) are but a few. Dorsey and Lincoln advanced to a section final or beyond.

“Those preseason (tournament) games were for the development of the team,” he said.

The Chancellors, who picked up a slew of young transfers last fall, didn’t play together in the spring or summer seasons. Most of the team’s top players, including sophomores Eddie Miller and Jerome Joseph and junior Tariq Hill, have plenty of basketball ahead of them. Point guard Isaiah Thomas played on the varsity as a freshman.

The trio already helped Chatsworth win the West Valley League title.

“We played lots of good teams in those tournaments,” Greentree said. “I still think we had a good season. This was a young team.”

*

Just about the last thing on Darren Angel’s mind after he hit his first shot Monday afternoon was a course record at Knollwood Country Club.

The Granada Hills junior recovered from a bogey on the first hole in a match against Simi Valley to shoot a course-record 63 on the par-72 course. Angel was 10 strokes under par over the final 15 holes.

But the first shot was not a thing of beauty.

“It was absolutely horrible,” Angel said. “It went about 150 yards and wound up near somebody’s backyard. I just hit it so bad.”

Angel may have been helped by a home-court advantage. Knollwood is the home course for the Highlanders and Angel tied the previous course record with a 64 two weeks ago.

*

Trivia question: Who holds the regional record in the 300 intermediate hurdles? Hint: He won a Heisman Trophy.

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

Overlooked Effort

He did not win any events like Jeremy Fischer of Camarillo (high jump), Jamaal Chase of Quartz Hill (long jump) or Esa Sallinen of Burroughs (pole vault), but Jason Medearis of Hart might have had the most impressive performance by any area athlete during the Arcadia Invitational.

Medearis finished third in the 110-meter high hurdles and second in the 300 intermediates with school-record times of 14.12 and 37.42 seconds. He also ran a strong 400 leg on the Indians’ distance medley relay team that placed fifth in 10 minutes 28.82 seconds.

Medearis’ times in the hurdles moved him into fifth on the all-time regional list in the intermediates and seventh in the highs.

*

Trivia answer: Charles White. He ran 36.4 in the 330-yard intermediates as a San Fernando High senior in 1976. The time is equivalent to a 36.2 clocking for the 300-meter intermediates.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Michael Lazarus and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.

Joining the Chase

Jamaal Chase of Quartz Hill moved to sixth on the all-time regional list in the boys’ long jump when he leaped 24 feet 2 1/4 inches to win Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High. The top 10 jumpers are:

Mark Individual School Yr 25-5 1/2 Percy Knox Antelope Valley ’87 24-10 Anthony Bailous Canoga Park ’83 24-6 1/2 Paul Jones Kennedy ’81 24-4 1/4 Cornell Hill Taft ’91 24-3 1/2 Lawrence Nelson Simi Valley ’85 24-2 1/4 Jamaal Chase Quartz Hill ’94 24-1 Gordon Kurz Santa Clara ’74 23-11 Greg Coauette Burbank ’82 23-10 3/4 Gerald Howard Palmdale ’77 23-10 1/4 Chip Benson L.A. Lutheran ’77