Bowman Made Right Pitch in Getting Klesko to Pass on Football

Saugus High football Coach Jack Bowman might deserve some credit for Ryan Klesko’s heroics in the World Series.

Bowman once talked the Atlanta Brave left fielder, who hit three home runs and batted .313 in the fall classic, out of playing football. It was Klesko’s senior year at Westminster High, where Bowman coached before coming to Saugus.

Bowman said he was concerned Klesko might suffer an injury that would jeopardize his future in baseball.

“We talked him out of it because he’d never played football before and, obviously, he had a future,” Bowman said. “He hit the ball a mile. I think we did the right thing.”

Long and short of it: With 17 letters, Taft High tennis player Pat Runratanasunthorn holds the distinction of having the longest last name among high school tennis players in the region.

Her doubles partner, Helen Le, has the shortest.

Altar shy: Before the racing season started, driver Cory Kruseman of Ventura made a promise to his girlfriend of 6 1/2 years, Carri Johnson.

If he won seven Sprint Car Racing Assn. races in 1995, Kruseman said, he would marry her.

Three weeks ago, Kruseman crashed during a race, his car flipping 14 times. He suffered fractures to his skull and arms. He still has blurry vision.

And his racing season is over.

Kruseman entered that race with six victories this year.

“At the beginning of the year, we made a joke out of it,” Johnson said of the marriage proposal. “We didn’t think it would happen, and it didn’t.”

New digs: Nearly two seasons of waiting will end Nov. 28 when the Simi Valley High boys’ basketball team plays its first home game in the school’s gym since the Northridge earthquake.

New roof, new floor, and new nearly everything in between. The repair work cost $1.7 million, according to Simi Valley Unified School District officials, who expect the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse them for most of it.

“We are tickled to death,” Coach Dean Bradshaw said. “I’m not afraid to say, it will be like driving a Mercedes-Benz. This thing is gorgeous.”

Quotebook

“Paul Bubb [athletic director] came up to me at halftime and asked me to keep it close for the beer sales and concessions.”

-- Cal State Northridge football Coach Dave Baldwin, on last week’s game in which the Matadors led, 27-3, at halftime but needed a last-minute defensive stand to hold on to a six-point victory.

By the Numbers

The Northridge football team did a lot of things right when it snapped a five-game losing streak with a 34-28 victory against Southern Utah last Saturday. But most important was what the Matadors didn’t do: turn the ball over.

Northridge had not played a game without a turnover since Nov. 6, 1993, a 22-14 upset of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In the 17 games in between--Northridge was 4-13--the Matadors committed 49 turnovers.

What’s more, this season Northridge had gone without a turnover for only one half--the second two quarters at Southwest Texas State--before Saturday.

Recent figures released by the NCAA show that Northridge is still second in Division II national championships in four categories.

Northridge men’s teams won 18 titles (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo leads with 20) and individuals won 101 championships (Cal State Bakersfield, 113).

Matador women’s teams won 12 titles (Cal Poly, 16) and individuals won 62 (Abilene Christian, 64).

Northridge moved to Division I in 1991-92.

The Louisville High girls’ cross-country team stamped itself as one of the region’s top squads when the Royals won the Division III sweepstakes race in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational last Friday.

Louisville’s team time of 97 minutes 12 seconds ranked behind only Thousand Oaks (96:00) and Canyon (96:22) among area schools. In addition, the Royals’ fifth runner posted a faster time (20:00) over the three-mile course than either Canyon’s (20:08) or Thousand Oaks’ (20:09).

Honors

Valley College quarterback Aaron Flowers was named offensive co-player of the week in the Western State Conference after passing for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-12 victory over L.A. Southwest.

The entire Moorpark defensive unit was named defensive co-player of the week after shutting out Harbor, 51-0.

Things to Do

The Hart High boys’ cross-country team, led by John Duarte, is favored to win its 13th consecutive title Thursday in the Foothill League finals at Griffith Park.

In the girls’ meet, Canyon, the state’s top-ranked Division I team, will be shooting for its third title in the past four years. Competition starts at 1 p.m.

Contributing: Fernando Dominguez, Darin Esper, Jeff Fletcher, Steve Henson, John Ortega, Peter Yoon.