VALLEY/VENTURA ROUNDUP : City Section Overhauls Football Playoff System

The City Section on Monday overhauled the high school football playoff system for next season in an attempt to ensure that the best 32 teams advance to postseason play.

Next fall, the two-division format will continue, but teams will not be placed into 4-A and 3-A brackets until after the regular season.

In each of the six conferences, the team with the best record will be placed in the 16-team 4-A bracket. A committee composed of two administrators and members of the L.A. Football Coaches Assn. will select the remaining 10 teams in the 4-A bracket based on perceived strength and won-loss record.

The remaining teams are eligible to play in the 3-A Division. The 16 playoff teams in that bracket will also be selected by the committee.

“The only difficulty I can see is who’s No. 16 in the 4-A and who’s No. 1 in the 3-A,” said City Commissioner Barbara Fiege, who supported the revision. “You’re either thrown to the wolves or you’re the big cheese.”

Previously, teams had been predesignated by division before the season and placed in a four-team league with members of the same division. Leagues and divisions were juggled annually based on performance.

Football

Richard Fong, The Times’ 1993 Valley Coach of the Year after leading the St. Genevieve High football team to the Santa Fe League championship, resigned as football coach and athletic director to become offensive line coach at Crespi.

“I got the feeling like I’ve done everything I can do in my capacity at St. Genevieve,” Fong said. “It’s nothing personal. I love the kids. I’ve just done everything I can do.”

Fong, 36, led the Valiants to a 9-3 record and the Santa Fe League championship last season after posting a combined record of 1-18 in his first two seasons at the school. Fong spent seven seasons at Crespi in the late 1980s as a varsity assistant and sophomore coach.

Softball

Dan Berry, who started the Crescenta Valley High softball program 12 years ago, was named to replace Julie Astrachan as coach at Pierce College, Pierce Athletic Director Marian McWilliams announced Monday.

Berry, 48, has a career record of 242-50. In 12 seasons, he led Crescenta Valley to eight Pacific League titles and a Southern Section 3-A Division championship in 1986. Berry will have seven assistant coaches, five of whom coached at Crescenta Valley this season. Astrachan will remain with the Pierce program as an assistant. Fred Frank was also hired as an assistant.

Baseball

Because of a scheduling conflict over the availability of Dodger Stadium, the City Section baseball championships have been moved from June 9 to June 6.

The first round of the playoffs begins May 27, with the quarterfinals June 1 and the semifinals June 3.

The 3-A final will be played at 4 p.m. and the 4-A at 7:30.

Miscellany

The City Section has reversed a ruling of a year ago and again will allow out-of-season contact between coaches and players.

Last year, the City barred off-season contact except during the summer. Under the revised rule, players and coaches will be allowed to compete in the off-season during a three-week period. The time frame will vary by sport.

The change will allow teams to again compete in spring football passing leagues. A summer dead period for fall sports also was eliminated.

Contact between coaches and players in all sports will be allowed between June 1 to Aug. 31, though participation in events such as summer-league basketball or seven-on-seven passing leagues is not sanctioned by schools.

Roundup

Sylmar 15, North Hollywood 2--The Spartans (24-3, 15-0 in league play) pounded 16 hits, scored in all but one inning and clinched their second consecutive East Valley League baseball title with two games remaining.

Hiram Damwijk went four for five for Sylmar.

Poly 9, Grant 0--The Parrots (20-4, 12-3) scored eight runs on seven hits in the first inning and coasted past Grant (10-11, 7-8) in an East Valley League game.

Poly’s big inning was capped by Jaime Cerna’s three-run homer.

Birmingham 6, Canoga Park 4--Pedro Rodriguez went three for four and David Cohen had two hits and three RBIs to lead the first-place Braves (12-13, 8-7) in a Mid-Valley League game. Canoga Park dropped to 8-11-1, 6-9.

Monroe 3, Van Nuys 2--The Vikings (8-12, 7-8) ended a four-game losing streak by beating Van Nuys (8-18, 5-10) and stayed in contention for the Mid-Valley League title.