Hart Needs Fast Cash to Carry Off Football Trip to Hawaii

Dave Hourigan knows a good thing when he sees it.

After Hart High’s football team raised $1,800 by holding a car wash in March, it didn’t take much arm-twisting for Hourigan, president of the Hart Quarterback Club, to schedule another. Hart players, parents and boosters will be at school Saturday for Car Wash II.

“We were blown away that we got that much (money) the last time,” Hourigan said. “We’d be happy to get that every time. That’s three kids to Hawaii.”

Hourigan said the team needs to raise $40,000 to send 65 players to Hawaii for a season opener Aug. 31 against St. Louis of Honolulu at Aloha Stadium. That breaks down to $600 per player. The team has raised about $12,000 so far.

“There’s quite a task ahead of us,” said Hourigan, whose son, Todd, started at linebacker for the Indians (13-1) last season.

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Add Hart: The Indians will be the first area team to play St. Louis since 1990, when Canyon broke the Crusaders’ 55-game winning streak with a 40-0 victory.

St. Louis won the Hawaii Division I championship last season, finishing with a 14-0 record, and brings a 19-game winning streak into the Hart game, Crusader Coach Cal Lee said.

“We’re down a little bit,” Lee said. “We had six guys go (to) Division I (colleges).”

Hart returns most of its players, including All-Southern Section running back Ted Iacenda.

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Out of the doghouse: Most college clubhouses have a sign on the door warning that the premises are for players only.

At Cal State Northridge, it’s been just the opposite.

In the off-season, the bunker-like baseball locker room was repainted, recarpeted and generally retooled. Players’ names were placed on each locker.

Nice place to visit. Players, however, hadn’t set foot inside until this week, when Coach Bill Kernen finally gave a thumbs-up to his 25 players. The Matadors won seven of 10 games to rekindle their chances at earning an NCAA postseason berth.

“The locker room is for a team,” Kernen said. “Over the past couple of weeks, these guys have shown me the kind of teamwork and commitment I expect. We are a team.”

Northridge players were barred from the clubhouse in mid-1994, before a home game against Cal Lutheran. Kernen also took away player uniforms, forcing them to play in undershirts. Players responded by flying the stadium flag at half-staff.

Kernen decided to let the 1995 squad prove its mettle before opening the clubhouse doors.

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Can’t win ‘em all: Lindsay Parker of La Canada High is not unbeatable. Just unhittable--or close to it.

Parker, who has 28 no-hitters in her softball career, pitched her sixth of the season Monday against Temple City . . . and lost, 1-0. Parker yielded a leadoff walk in the seventh inning. The runner came around to score on a stolen base and two passed balls.

Parker (16-2), signed by Fresno State, rebounded Wednesday by pitching a one-hitter to beat Monrovia, 21-0.

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The big one: The Master’s College beat Cal Baptist on Tuesday to finish its baseball season at 19-18, which to Coach Jack Mutz is far better than 18-19.

“It meant everything for us,” Mutz said. “We just wanted to get a game over .500.”

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Out in the cold: Add Marshall Evans of Cal State Northridge to the list of sprinters who detest running in cold, windy and rainy conditions.

Evans placed second in his qualifying heat of the men’s 200 meters that was conducted in rainy conditions in the California-Nevada championships at Fresno City College’s Radcliffe Stadium on Saturday, but withdrew from Sunday’s final because of a tight hamstring.

His withdrawal forced the Matadors to scratch from the final of the 1,600-meter relay because Evans was scheduled to run the first leg.

Quotebook

“I don’t think they’re afraid of us, but I think it indicates that they know who we are. We’re no longer a no-name team to them.”

--Steve Wilson, girls’ track coach at Palmdale High, on the increased trash-talking that the Falcons’ relay teams have heard from traditional powers Long Beach Poly and Pasadena Muir.

Honors

Honors: Senior Shane O’Doherty (3.65 grade-point average), sophomore Tom Samson (3.51) and senior Shawn Stone (3.35) of Cal State Northridge made the Academic All-American West Conference basketball team. Seniors J.J. O’Laughlin (3.40) and Trevor Waters (3.24) made the academic football team.

Things to Do

Cal State Northridge plays host to Fresno State in a three-game baseball series at Matador Field beginning today at 2 p.m. Fresno leads second-place Northridge by 4 1/2 games in the Western Athletic Conference’s Western Division with six games remaining.

Polo’s Legends Cup will be played at the L.A. Equestrian Center in Burbank at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

* Compiled by Rob Fernas. Contributing: Steve Elling, Jeff Fletcher, Vince Kowalick, John Ortega, Bryan Rodgers.