Abarca Had to Play Beat the Clock Before Pinning Down Title

Will Adrian Abarca of Canoga Park High please report to the warm-up area?

For Abarca, a 145-pound wrestler who was defeated in the City Section final in each of the previous two seasons, tardiness almost cost him a third consecutive defeat in a final--this time by forfeit.

The final round of Saturday’s City championships at Granada Hills High was only minutes away, and Abarca was nowhere to be found. At the request of the public-address announcer, friends were dispatched to locate the wayward wrestler.

Fortunately, Abarca dashed into the gym just as the national anthem was beginning.

“I’m usually pretty punctual,” Abarca said. “I didn’t expect them to hold it up for me. I was at home taking a bath, trying to loosen up my muscles, and someone said, ‘We gotta get back.’ ”

Abarca defeated Jesus Arana of San Fernando in the nick of time. Trailing, 4-1, in the final minute, Abarca rallied to record a pin with nine seconds remaining.

“I looked up at the clock and said, ‘You better do it now, Adrian,’ ” Abarca said. “So, I did.”

As champion, Abarca advances with 22 other area wrestlers to this weekend’s state finals in Stockton. Competition will begin Friday at 9 a.m.

Yo, Adrian. Don’t be late.

Youth movement: North Hollywood High girls’ basketball Coach Rich Allen must replace senior Anna Celaya, the City scoring leader with a 25-point average. He thinks Tasheen Thomas, an impact guard at Walter Reed Junior High in the answer.

As a ninth-grader next season, Thomas will attend Walter Reed and be eligible to commute to North Hollywood to play for the Huskies.

“I’m going to send a chauffeur to the school to make sure she gets here,” Allen said.

Trivia question: Who is the only player in Cal State Northridge history to lead the nation in home runs? Hint, he wore a Matador uniform as recently as 1988.

Frustrating farewell: Monroe High boys’ basketball Coach Paul Graber didn’t go off into the sunset quietly when he announced his resignation last week.

Graber quit after a season in which Monroe was 16-6, playing all 22 games on the road because of a damaged gym, then was excluded from the playoffs in a controversial decision by the City selection committee.

“It really makes it difficult for me to step down at this time, following our experience at the end of the season,” Graber said. “By that I mean being snubbed. I don’t know if there’s a lack of vision by the playoff committee, but I believe the system needs to be revised.”

The Vikings were excluded, in part, to allow a fifth team from the Southeast Conference to take what would have been Monroe’s berth in the 4-A Division playoffs. The Southeast was the only City conference not designated 3-A or 4-A during the season, which caused confusion when the playoff pairings were made.

Graber, who guided the Vikings to the 3-A championship game in 1993, said his resignation had nothing to do with being excluded from the playoffs. He’s getting married.

Trivia answer: In 1965, Terry Craven, who coached Northridge from 1985-88, hit 12 home runs for the Matadors to lead all NCAA players.

Honor roll

Setter Kathleen Shannon and outside hitters Heather Anderson and Missy Clements took home the three major awards at the Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball banquet Sunday.

Shannon, a senior who transferred from Illinois after her junior year, was named the team’s most valuable player after compiling 1,439 assists, 298 digs--with only one receiving error--59 blocks and 35 service aces during the 1994 season.

Anderson, a senior, was the recipient of the Triple Crown award after leading the Matadors in digs (396) and total blocks (155) and finishing third in kills (387).

Clements, a senior, won the Natural Born Killer award after registering a school-record 551 kills. She is the school’s all-time leader with 1,464 kills.

Northridge had a 23-8 record in 1994 and won the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

Stats

The Master’s College men’s basketball team, which will play Patten College of Oakland in the first round of the NAIA Far West region independents tournament at 8 p.m. Friday at Chapman University in Orange, made 52.3% of its shots while compiling a 27-4 record during the regular season.

Of the eight Mustangs who play on a regular basis, six are shooting better than 50%, led by center Leo Gorauskas (69.7) and forwards Colin Lubsey (64.6) and Rogerio Soares (57.3).

Things to Do

The Alemany High girls’ basketball team will meet J.W. North of Riverside in the Southern Section Division II-AA semifinals tonight at 7:30 at Cal Baptist High. A victory would clinch a return trip to next week’s state playoffs for the Indians.

Compiled by Rob Fernas. Contributing: Vince Kowalick, Dave Desmond, Dana Haddad, John Ortega.