Cantu Bows Out; Browne to Coach Baseball at Alemany

Frank Cantu, who was hired earlier this month to succeed Jim Ozella as Alemany High baseball coach, has withdrawn from the position and been replaced by assistant coach Tim Browne.

Alemany Athletic Director Dudley Rooney said Cantu realized that coaching would conflict with his duties as principal at St. Didacus, an elementary school in Sylmar.

Browne, a 10-year assistant under Ozella and a math teacher at Alemany, will take over the program next season.

“It should be an easy transition,” Rooney said. “All the kids know him and he obviously knows the program because he’s been around a long time.”

Catcher Eric Gillespie of Cal State Northridge has been named to the NCAA Division I freshman All-American baseball team, sponsored by Mizuno and Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Gillespie led the team with 80 hits and a .342 average.

Jacob Cruz of Arizona State was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Cruz, a junior from Channel Islands High, batted .412 with 12 home runs and 61 runs batted in.

Saugus High shortstop Danny Cato and pitchers Steve Rogers and John Maggiora have committed to attend The Master’s College. The school also received a commitment Doug Maggiora, John’s brother, a former Saugus and College of the Canyons pitcher who will transfer from Nichols State in Louisiana.

Basketball

Steve Johnson, an 11-year sophomore and junior varsity basketball coach at Simi Valley High, has been named varsity coach at Newbury Park, replacing Paul Coffman, who resigned after one season.

Johnson, 34, a 1978 graduate of Newbury Park, led the Simi Valley sophomore and junior varsity teams to a total of eight Marmonte League titles.

Track and Field

Corri Moore of Spring Valley Monte Vista High and Jere Miller of San Diego Patrick Henry have signed letters of intent with Cal State Northridge.

Moore has a personal best of 23 feet 8 inches in the long jump and Miller has run 21.46 seconds in the 200 meters and 48.11 in the 400.

Golf

Jennifer Francoeur, a three-year starter on the Kennedy High golf team, has signed with Montevallo, an NAIA school in Alabama. Francoeur, who will receive a partial scholarship, carries a seven handicap and is the first Kennedy girl to receive a golf scholarship.

Volleyball

Gene Urcan, a part-time starter for the Cal State Northridge volleyball team at the start of last season, said he is transferring to San Diego State.

Urcan, a 6-foot-5 former Chatsworth High star, left Northridge at mid-season.

He cited philosophical differences with Coach John Price.

Field Hockey

The California Cup, an annual international field hockey tournament that attracts more than 1,000 players, is scheduled for this weekend at Moorpark College.

The three-day event is the 23rd since the tournament’s inception in 1971.

Play will begin Saturday and culminate with championship matches all day Monday.

The U.S. Junior National Team, which includes several players from Ventura County, also will compete in the tournament.