Rio Mesa Promotes Weinerth

Pete Weinerth, an assistant track and field coach at Rio Mesa High for the past five years, has replaced Brian FitzGerald as co-coach and will oversee the boys’ and girls’ programs along with Rick Torres.

Weinerth, 29, is a 1984 graduate of Buena High who coached at Santa Barbara Dos Pueblos High in 1990 before coming to Rio Mesa in ’91.

Although FitzGerald stepped down from his position in June to devote more time to his family, Weinerth did not apply for the job.

But when FitzGerald, the school’s athletic director, approached him about filling the vacancy, he accepted.

“It definitely wasn’t something that I pursued,” Weinerth said. “But now that I have it, I’m excited about it.”

Weinerth takes over a job steeped in a winning tradition.

Under FitzGerald and Torres, the Rio Mesa girls’ team tied Bakersfield for the 1988 state title, finished second in ’89 and ’91 and tied for third in ’90.

Angela Burnham won five state sprint titles between 1986-89 under FitzGerald, and Marion Jones won another four in ’90 and ’91 before transferring to Thousand Oaks.

The Spartan girls also won the Southern Section 3-A Division title in ’90 and ’91 and placed second in the 4-A and 3-A meets in ’88 and ’89.

The Rio Mesa boys placed second in the Southern Section 3-A Division finals in ’89.

Baseball

Thousand Oaks High graduates Mark and David Skeels signed minor-league contracts this week with the Seattle Mariners and will report to the team’s spring training facility in Peoria, Ariz., on Tuesday.

The Skeels brothers, both catchers, played last season in the independent Class-A Texas-Louisiana League. Mark, 26, a Stanford graduate, played for Mobile, Ala., and Rio Grande Valley, Tex. David, 22, an Arkansas graduate, played for Corpus Cristi, Tex.

Basketball

Nicole Albert of Cal Lutheran has been honored as the Division III West Region women’s player of the week by Columbus Multimedia.

Albert, a 5-foot-5 senior point guard, had 40 points, 28 rebounds, 22 assists and 20 steals in the final three games of her collegiate career as Cal Lutheran (13-13) earned a share of its second consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

The Master’s men’s team (25-6) will play host to Holy Names in the first round of the NAIA Far West Region Independents tournament Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

If the Mustangs, winners of the past two regionals, beat Holy Names, they will play host to the winner of the Dominican-Christian Heritage game for the tournament title Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The tournament champion automatically qualifies for the NAIA Division I tournament in Tulsa, Okla., March 12-18.

The Master’s women’s team (11-19) will play host to Holy Names on Friday at 7:30 p.m. to determine the NAIA Far West Region Independents champion.

The winner will play at the Pacific Northwest Region champion at 7 p.m. next Wednesday.

Monroe High’s Marrean Robottom and North Hollywood’s Shannon Johnson have been named co-players of the year in the East Valley League.

Robottom, a 6-7 senior center, averaged 15.5 points and 11.7 rebounds, and Johnson, a 6-6 junior center, averaged 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots.

Senior Cameron Henderson of El Camino Real High was named the player of the year in the North Valley League. Henderson, a 6-4 forward, led the Conquistadores to a share of the league title and the second round of the City Section 3-A Division playoffs, averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Samantha Fargeon, a 5-9 senior center who led North Hollywood to its 11th league title in 13 seasons, was named the Mid-Valley League girls’ player of the year.

Fargeon averaged 14.7 points and 13 rebounds.

Grant High’s Bahaneh Maani was named the East Valley League girls’ player of the year.

Maani, a senior guard who made 51 three-point baskets in 20 games this season, averaged 18.6 points and 4.3 steals.

Senior guards Lukman Dotson and Adam Lopez of Santa Clara High have been selected co-most valuable players in the Frontier League after leading the Saints (22-5) to the league title and the Southern Section Division IV-A semifinals.

Football

Running back Andrew Campbell has transferred back to Antelope Valley High from Reseda.

As a sophomore at Reseda, he rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries despite being limited by an ankle injury.

Campbell played at Antelope Valley as a freshman but transferred to Reseda for his sophomore season.

“We’re happy to have him back,” Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb said. “He was outstanding as a freshman and we’re expecting great things from him.”

Jurisprudence

A San Bernardino Superior Court jury began deliberating Tuesday in the retrial of former Cal State Northridge football player Jonathan Beauregard, who is charged with two counts of attempted murder.

A jury could not reach a verdict in the first trial in October and Beauregard has been free on $100,000 bail.

Contributing: Mike Bresnahan, Irene Garcia, Steve Henson, Michael Lazarus, Paige A. Leech, John Ortega, Tris Wykes.