Orange County Section Gains

Orange County officials hoping to form their own section within the California Interscholastic Federation won a battle Monday, a rarity in this case, moving their dream closer to reality.

The CIF’s Special Relations Committee voted, 6-0, to recommend approval of an Orange County Section. The proposal goes to the state federated council as a non-action item at its May meeting. The council could vote on the issue as early as next October.

Ed Seal, superintendent of the Brea-Olinda Unified School District, said the new section could begin operating by the fall of 1995.

Orange County superintendents began exploring the possibility of forming their own section two years ago, but have routinely met with opposition.

Not all of the school districts in Orange County are in favor of the new section, and some parochial and small public schools have said they might not join.

Adding to the confusion, the CIF is in the midst of strategic planning. The state council might be presented with new governing ideas and geographic boundaries as early as October.

The strategic planning committee is trying to reshape the CIF, which has 10 sections that vary greatly in size.

“We knew all along that our time line would face issues that would overlap or crisscross what we’re doing,” said Elisa Maas of the state strategic planning committee. “We have to concentrate on the future, however, and not worry about dealing with current matters.”

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An estimated 3,000 athletes participated in the 36th Mt. San Antonio College Relays last Saturday, making it the biggest meet of the year.

But bigger does not necessarily mean better.

Considered one of the season’s most prestigious meets, the Mt. SAC meet could use a new format. With no preliminaries, heats are run against times and marks. Competition lasted nearly 12 hours.

The long day could be shortened if organizers followed the format used by the Arcadia Invitational. At Arcadia, the open session is run during the day and the invitational portion at night. This increases fan interest and cuts down on the time athletes have to wait between events.

Jim Brownfield, girls’ track coach at Pasadena Muir, said he is in favor of a format change and plans to talk to meet organizers about it.

“I had a girl who started the long jump at 8 in the morning, and then had to wait until 6 at night for the mile relay,” Brownfield said. “That makes for a very long day.”

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Noticeably absent from the Mt. SAC Relays was the Muir boys’ team, favored to win the State title this season.

Although scheduled to compete, the Mustangs’ top athletes were given the day off by Coach Clyde Turner.

“We’ve had over 10 track meets in the last month and a half, and we’ve been all over the country,” Turner said. “I decided after Arcadia that our kids needed a day off. It is not so much the wear and tear from competition, but mentally they’re drained.”

Many in attendance were hoping to see Ken Haslip, who has the nation’s fastest prep times in the 110-high hurdles and 300 hurdles. Haslip has a bruised right ankle and foot that he first injured during football season.

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Are high school athletes so important that they should hold news conferences when announcing their college choices?

About 500 students and a dozen newspaper and television reporters showed up at Bellflower St. John Bosco High last Friday when Jelani Gardner made public his decision to play basketball at California next season.

Ricky Price of Gardena Serra, another top basketball prospect, also held a news conference when he announced he was going to Duke last November.

When Charles O’Bannon of Lakewood Artesia ended months of speculation by choosing UCLA last April, he told of his decision before a live cable television audience.

As coverage of high school sports has increased, top athletes have become household names in many instances. But news conferences? That’s taking things a bit too far.

Choosing a college is a personal decision that should matter significantly to the athlete, his family, and, perhaps, his teammates and coach. Those who wish to share their decision with the media need only to pick up the telephone.

Prep Notes

City sprint champion Andre DeSaussure of Woodland Hills Taft might have violated an NCAA recruiting rule by running in a relay at the Quincy Watts Invitational at USC last month. DeSaussure ran a leg on a 400 relay team that included Watts. The unattached relay team competed against several college teams, which is against the rules for prospective college athletes. As a result, USC has stopped recruiting DeSaussure and declared him ineligible to compete there. The school has petitioned the NCAA to restore his eligibility, however. . . . Tim Salter, football coach at Montebello Schurr the last six years, is leaving to take over the program at Upland. Salter’s younger brother, Tom, recently became football coach at La Puente Bishop Amat.

Arraignment of football player Leodes Van Buren of Newbury Park, arrested April 8 for allegedly firing a single gunshot into the back door of his girlfriend’s home, was postponed last Friday. Prosecutors said they needed more time to decide whether to press charges. Van Buren, an all-state player headed for Colorado, is due back in Ventura County Municipal Court on May 10.

Loyola (11-0) and North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (10-1), rated No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball poll, will play a Mission League match tonight at 6 at Harvard-Westlake.

Times’ Top 20 Baseball Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school baseball poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS III 18-0 1 2. Nogales SS I 14-2 6 3. Chatsworth City 4-A 15-3 3 4. Brea-Olinda SS II 15-2 NR 5. Gahr SS II 14-3 4 6. Fountain Valley SS I 16-2 5 7. Sylmar City 4-A 15-3 NR 8. Simi Valley SS I 13-3 2 9. Hunt. Beach SS I 13-4 13 10. Hesperia SS I 14-2 7 11. Cres. Valley SS I 10-3 NR 12. L.B. Wilson SS I 10-4 NR 13. Mater Dei SS I 11-5 19 14. El Dorado SS I 13-5 9 15. West Torrance SS III 12-3 NR 16. San Marino SS IV 12-0 16 17. El Camino Real City 4-A 11-4 8 18. Lakewood SS I 12-6 18 19. Fontana SS I 11-3 NR 20. El Segundo SS III 13-5 11