MIDWEEK REPORT / HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS UPDATE : Hart Outfielder Learning the Game on the Fly

Cody Joyce of Hart High has a reputation as a slow starter and a guy who has much to learn.

If this is true . . . wow.

A 6-2 junior transfer from Florida entered the week batting .500 with nine runs batted in for 22 at bats. He’s not afraid to hold his ground at the plate, having been hit by pitches five times. But Coach Bud Murray said Joyce has yet to learn basic baseball strategy.

Not wanting to put any pressure on this raw talent, Murray bats Joyce ninth.

“I just feel comfortable there,” Joyce said. “There’s not a whole lot expected. Batting higher in the lineup, I tend to put too much pressure on myself.

“I guess I should get used to that, but right now it’s good to work into it.”

Hart football coaches didn’t want to put pressure on Joyce, either. But the more the young receiver with blazing speed learned about catching passes, the better he became. By season’s end, Joyce had 51 receptions, leading the region with 1,157 yards and 22.7 yards per catch and was second with 11 touchdowns.

Coaches certainly aren’t trying to harness him. After Joyce doubled home the tying runs in a 5-4 victory over Burroughs last week, Murray waved him home with the go-ahead run on a grounder to first base.

Said Murray, “If he ever learns how to play this game . . . he’s a major league prospect.”

Young Guns

Sophomores have stepped to the fore in the always-competitive Marmonte League baseball race.

Jake Farrel, one of only two sophomores for Newbury Park High, leads the Panthers with a .458 batting average, two doubles, two home runs and 10 runs batted in. Farrel (6 feet 4, 185 pounds) bats third and also is used as a reliever.

Jared Krehbiel of Channel Islands is batting .400, as is Chris Poling of Agoura, who has nine stolen bases. Agoura’s Ryan McCann is batting .304 with three home runs and third baseman Jeff Gershon is batting .333. All are sophomores, as are second basemen Scott Dragicevich of Westlake, who is batting .340, Dan Greene of Newbury Park and Brent Hebert of Agoura.

“The sophomores are carrying us right now,” Agoura Coach Bryan Maloney said.

Sophomore left-hander David Perry of Thousand Oaks, who made his first varsity start Friday against Royal, was chased in the second inning but displayed poise during a bases-loaded jam with none out in the first. Perry surrendered a run on a double play and caught a line drive to retire the side.

On Tuesday, Perry (1-1) went four innings in a 10-2 nonleague victory over Quartz Hill. Said Coach Bill Sizemore: “You fall off a horse, you get right back on.”

Fun and Games

Notre Dame defeated Harvard-Westlake last week by scores of 24-0 and 20-0. Said Harvard-Westlake Coach Norm Greenbaum: “We improved dramatically. The first game we got one hit. The second game we got two.” The sense of humor hasn’t faded for Greenbaum, whose teem is 1-10 in his first season. “We’re like a bantamweight going up against Mike Tyson,” Greenbaum said.

Hard-Fought

Chaminade and St. Francis played to a 1-1 tie Friday in a 10-inning game called because of darkness. The game was marred by a sixth-inning, bench-clearing brawl after baserunner Jim Hemming of St. Francis collided with Chaminade catcher Ryan Hamill.

Hemming and Chaminade’s Gabe Crecion were ejected.

“It’s not a nice thing to have happen between two Catholic schools,” Chaminade Coach Denny Barrett said. “We’re sending a letter of apology.”

St. Francis figures to remain in contention as long as senior right-hander Paul Diaz remains healthy. Diaz (6-0, 190) threw 120 pitches in 10 innings against Chaminade. Diaz has 31 strikeouts and a 1.75 earned-run average in 28 innings.

Fast Out of Gate

An area of concern has turned into a pillar of strength for the Birmingham boys’ track team, thanks to the performances of three first-year competitors.

Seniors Maurice Threewitts and David Belk and sophomore Demetrius Patterson had never run track for the Braves, but the trio has turned in quality sprint times in the first month of the season.

Threewitts has bests of 11 seconds in the 100 meters, 22 seconds in the 200 and 50.4 in the 400. Belk has clocked 10.9 in the 100 and 22.1 in the 200 and Patterson has timed 10.8 and 22.5.

Birmingham Coach Scott King figured Threewitts and Belk, who were academically ineligible last season, had talent, but their times have surprised him.

“We started working with [our sprinters] a little earlier this year than we have in the past and I think that’s helped,” he said. “But Maurice and David never showed any kind of speed until recently.”

Baseball Notes

City Section

VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE

East Valley League--Sylmar is leaving little doubt as to which team rules the conference. The Spartans have outscored their last four opponents, 56-7, and have six starters batting better than .300. First baseman Chris Ruley is batting .533 with six doubles and 16 runs batted in. . . . With three returning starters, Grant trails Sylmar by four games after playing only five. But Coach Jeremy Lawrence hasn’t lost hope: “The only light I can see is the kids are young and we’ll have them around a while,” Lawrence said. “We’ll just have to take our lumps this year.”

Mid-Valley League--After two one-run losses, the Canoga Park Hunters finally got what was coming to them: An upset victory over Poly, 4-2. Despite a pair of three-hitters by Kevin Carlsen, the Hunters lost to Sylmar and Poly by 3-2 scores in the two previous weeks. But the Hunters didn’t let the Parrots get away a second time. Carlsen came on in relief for the final two innings and struck out five batters to earn Canoga Park its first victory of the season. Now the Hunters (2-7) are on a two-game winning streak. . . . Monroe’s bullpen could get a boost as soon as today perhaps. Drew Devine, who has missed the last two weeks with tendinitis, should return to the lineup soon. “We need him,” Monroe Coach Jeff Brand said. . . . Reseda features the top two hitters in the conference, Brian Menkin and Bobby Carrara. Menkin, the Regents’ pitching ace, is 11 for 14 (.786) and Carrara is nine for 13 (.692).

NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE

West Valley League--Chatsworth shortstop Joe Tillmon was five for six, driving in six runs in two games last week, raising his average to .412. . . . After winning three consecutive games, Taft crash-landed in a 20-0 loss to Kennedy on Monday. . . . Junior Ronny Reynoso of Birmingham played for the first time last Friday after missing the first eight games of the season with an injury. Reynoso started at second base for the Braves last season. . . . El Camino Real, frustrated after two one-run losses to Kennedy, erupted for 18 runs against Granada Hills on Monday. Mike Conn had four hits, including a home run, and Craig Hennes drove in five runs with two triples.

North Valley League--Kennedy pitcher Derek Morse found an appropriate way to celebrate his first no-hitter, against Taft, on Monday. Morse, batting for the first time this season, hit a fourth-inning home run in the 20-0 victory over the Toreadors. Morse allowed only one baserunner, finishing with 12 strikeouts and no walks. In the same game, Jon Garland hit two home runs in the fifth inning. He leads area City Section batters with four home runs. . . . San Fernando pitcher Marcelino Rodriguez has been dismissed from the team. He had two early-season saves for the Tigers.

NORTHERN CONFERENCE

Verdugo Hills opened its season with three victories in four conference games. First-year coach Don Scott Jr. hopes to instill the same confidence that he did in inspiring the football team to its best season in over a decade. The Dons reached the second round of the City Section 3-A playoffs in Scott’s first year as coach. “I talked to a lot of different people to get ideas for baseball,” he said. “But I’m concentrating on making them disciplined and believing they can win.” Jo Guereque had seven hits in his first eight at-bats.

Southern Section

ALPHA

Village Christian defeated Kilpatrick, 22-2, on Tuesday, but despite season highs in runs and hits (16), the Crusaders still have a team average under .230. Crusader Coach Brian Gibson attributes the team’s struggles to inexperience. The Crusaders (2-7) start two sophomores and a freshman. Kiko Banos, one of two seniors on the team, hadn’t played high school baseball before this season. “I have kids telling me they haven’t ever seen a curveball,” Gibson said. Village Christian will play in the Santa Ynez and Birmingham tournaments the next two weeks.

FOOTHILL

Coach Dennis Mifflin called it “just another game,” but it wasn’t. Last week’s 7-3 victory over Canyon was the first varsity win for Valencia, a second-year school. “Yeah, it’s the first win, and a lot of people make a big deal out of it,” Mifflin said. “Our kids felt we should have beat Burbank [an 8-7 loss two days earlier]. Our goal is to get five wins and be in the middle in the standings. If we finish fourth, then we’ve had a good season.” After allowing three unearned runs in the first inning, sophomore Jarred Myren threw six shutout innings against Canyon. Against Burbank, sophomore Chris Honaker threw four innings of no-hit relief. . . . Burroughs (6-2-1) has been surprising opponents with a bottom-heavy batting order. No. 8 hitter Anthony Fabrizio is batting .333 with three doubles. No. 9 hitter Tom Crowther leads the team with a .429 average and seven RBIs. Said Coach Jose Valle of Crowther, “I thought he’d hit over .300 for us, but he’s probably the hardest worker out there. From Game One, he’s been banging out hits and coming up with some big hits.”

FRONTIER

Hard-throwing Calabasas pitcher Matt Jackson pitched only one inning before relieving ace Tanner Trosper last Friday in a 3-3 tie with Santa Paula. Jackson, a 6-foot, 200-pound transfer from Canyon, pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings and Coyote co-Coach Rick Nathanson said the sophomore could earn a spot in the rotation.

GOLDEN

Palmdale Coach Randy Lintemoot has been hesitant to pitch senior Ben Mia, because he wants Mia to concentrate on hitting. Mia is batting .300 with four doubles and eight RBIs. Against Bishop last week, Mia hit a three-run home run and a double, driving in four runs. He also pitched three innings of scoreless relief, striking out three. “He threw hard,” said Lintemoot, who is now considering Mia for relief duty. Any contribution by Mia would be crucial, because promising right-hander Grant Livermont has been sidelined by shoulder problems. . . . Larry Phillips of Quartz Hill has seven hits and 11 RBIs. Charlie Cooke of Antelope Valley has three homers, four doubles and 17 RBIs in 36 at-bats. His league-leading average is .472. Teammate Kevin Barlow has a .457 average, three homers, four doubles and 11 RBIs.

MARMONTE

Westlake pitcher Tim Carr (6-4, 195), who has signed with Arizona State, appears to be in top form. Carr (1-1) has 30 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA in 19 innings. Carr had 11 strikeouts last week against Channel Islands. . . . Relievers Cody Biggerstaff (1.27 ERA) and Justin Flame (2.55) have been effective for Newbury Park but Mike Amundson (2-1), who has 30 strikeouts in 14 innings, remains the Panthers’ ace. . . . Royal, ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll, plays at third-ranked Camarillo on Friday. Royal is off to its best start since 1991, when the Highlanders won their first nine games. Five members of Camarillo’s starting lineup are batting above .400: Andy Kroneberger (.406), Nathan Kaup (.462), Joe Borchard (.455), Pat Colborn (.444) and Tom Trejo (.429). . . . Junior Mike Fava of Westlake is “the best defensive first baseman I’ve ever seen,” Coach David Wilder said. However, Fava is struggling with a .250 batting average.

MISSION

Crespi’s 2-1 nonleague victory over Antelope Valley on Tuesday was the fifth in a row for the Celts (8-4), who appear to have responded to a lineup shakeup. Senior Brian Luderer has moved from shortstop to catcher. Catcher Tomy Salazar likely will move to outfield. Luderer has nine errors at shortstop and had been throwing wildly, Coach Scott Muckey said. John and Andy Campanella, sons of actor Joseph Campanella, have been consistent. They have a combined nine extra-base hits. Andy is batting .500 with 12 RBIs. John suffered a groin pull last week but remains in the lineup. Crespi’s Jon Cuccias has only one at-bat--a home run against Alemany. . . . Chaminade, Crespi and Notre Dame recorded lopsided nonleague victories over visiting The Dalles (Ore.) last week. The scores were 10-1, 12-3 and 9-1. . . . Chaminade plays a nonleague game today at Taft--not Woodland Hills Taft but the school in Taft, near Bakersfield. “My wife is from that town,” Chaminade Coach Danny Barrett said. “I know one of the coaches.”

PACIFIC

Crescenta Valley, 19-4 last season and league champion at 13-2, entered the week at 3-5, 1-2. An indicator is the Falcons’ .245 team batting average, down more than 75 points from last season. Gary Godbold (.345) is among only three players batting better than .300. . . . Glendale, third at 7-8 last season, suddenly looks like the team to beat. The Dynamiters pounded out 18 hits last Friday in an 11-9 victory over Crescenta Valley. “I heard somebody say Glendale might be the sleeper this year,” Crescenta Valley Coach Tony Zarrillo said. “They look wide awake to me.” . . . Freshman Brandon Bell is making an impact for Hoover. Bell has played third base, shortstop and second base while batting .363, including three doubles. “He’s mature beyond his years,” Coach Jim Delzell said. Bell also can pitch but has yet to take the mound.

TRI-VALLEY

Oak Park’s young team served notice that it will be a factor in the league race by knocking off St. Bonaventure last Friday. Coach Bill Springman said his team has overcome its inexperience and is no longer tentative and anxious. “We swing at more good pitches and defensively we’re charging the ball hard and our throws have a bit more zip,” Springman said. Top pitcher Scott Christensen has been hampered by arm pain of late, but sophomore right-handers Jeff Smith and Jeff Roberts have been solid.

Softball Notes

City Section

VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE

Mid-Valley League--Despite losing five starters from a team that finished 19-1 last year, Reseda still appears to be the team to beat in the conference. The Regents have already surpassed last year’s home run total by one. Reseda has hit six in just 10 games. Returning starters Rosie Yeatts (.613) and Kristy Rebbeck (.548) lead the team in every offensive category except doubles.

East Valley League--Grant pitcher Jenny Mallon suffered a deep knee bruise on a comebacker against Reseda last week and will be out for at least a week. . . . Cassie Allison of Van Nuys sprained an ankle while playing volleyball Monday night and will miss two to six weeks. Allison, a sophomore first baseman, is batting .500. . . . Van Nuys’ 1-0 upset victory over Sylmar last week sent Wolves Coach Kenneth Cordero into a frenzy. “I had to adjust my pacemaker,” Cordero cracked.

NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE

West Valley League--After a two-game stint at designated hitter, Kristin Gutekunst returned behind the plate Tuesday for El Camino Real. An All-City catcher, Gutekunst has been hampered by a sore arm.

North Valley League--According to research done by Kennedy Coach Lee Holden, the Golden Cougars’ 2-1 victory over El Camino Real was the first time Kennedy beat El Camino Real in 13 years. Shortstop Kelli Moorman, who had the game-winning single, committed her first two errors of the season earlier in the game.

NORTHERN CONFERENCE

Verdugo Hills junior catcher Jodi Kent had 10 hits in four victories last week. Included in the outburst were two home runs, including one in the Garfield tournament against Venice that cleared the right-field fence. Garfield coaches couldn’t recall anyone ever doing that before. Kent added another home run in a victory over Hollywood on Tuesday. Melanie Wood threw a perfect game against the Sheiks, striking out 19 of 21 batters.

Southern Section

CHANNEL

Buena Coach Peter Shedlosky wanted to keep freshman Amber Carr in the background this season as a utility player. But when standout pitcher Nicole Greathouse announced she would not play this season, the coach reworked those plans. Shedlosky said Carr will compete with sophomore Erin Kelly for the No. 2 pitching slot behind Kelly Carr, a senior and Amber’s sister.

GOLDEN

Local fans will get a league preview this weekend with the High Desert Classic, which starts at noon Saturday at City Park. The 24-team field includes every team from the Golden League. The championship game will be played at 5 p.m. Tuesday. . . . Highland managed only a split of a doubleheader with Paraclete last week, but it was no fault of Andrea Wintermute. The junior first baseman had four hits and four RBIs in the two games and is batting .469.

MARMONTE

A game scheduled for today between Camarillo and Newbury Park, the top two teams in the region, has been postponed because of funeral services for Newbury Park student Michael Halsell, who died Monday. The game has been rescheduled for Friday at Camarillo. . . . Thousand Oaks leaves Sunday for a tournament that begins April 4 in Kissimmee, Fla. The Lancers will be the only team from California competing in the 16-team tournament, which includes three Florida state champions. . . . A few hours before Camarillo took the field against Thousand Oaks last week, Scorpion Coach Nichole Victoria thought an undefeated season was a distinct possibility. But after an 11-inning nailbiter against the Lancers, Victoria had a change of heart. “I don’t know now [if that will be possible],” she said. “If we play our game the way we know how, we should be able to go undefeated. [But] we’ve got great teams in our league. [The Thousand Oaks game] could have gone either way.” . . . Two days later, it went the wrong way again for the Lancers, who went 21 innings only to lose to Newbury Park, 1-0. But the tough losses are building confidence at Thousand Oaks. “The kids realize they’re awfully close,” Coach Gary Walin said. . . . Thousand Oaks wasn’t the only team to be aced out twice in extra innings last week. Agoura lost to Royal in nine innings and Westlake in 12. “We could have just as easily been 2-0,” said Coach Pat Grennan, who is taking the blame for the losses. “I’m a firm believer if you lose, it’s the coach’s fault.”

MISSION

Sophomore Kim Diener has thrown every pitch this season for defending league champion Alemany (7-2). No surprise, considering Sophie Contreraz pitched 26 of the Indians’ 29 games last season. Who pitched the remaining three? Diener. This season, Diener (6-2) has 24 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA. . . . Sophomore Stephanie Urman, an all-league selection last season, has returned as Louisville’s pitcher. Urman (1-4) has pitched all five of the Royals’ games, striking out 26 in 34 innings.

PACIFIC

Kellie Labor and Amy Chapman, both members of Crescenta Valley’s 28-2 basketball team, have joined the Falcons on the diamond. Chapman is batting .480, including two doubles and eight RBIs. Labor is batting .444. . . . Tina Kinney of Hoover, among the region’s most-versatile players, has not allowed an earned run in 51 innings. Kinney is 5-3 with 60 strikeouts. Kinney also is batting a team-high .451 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. . . . Sophomore pitcher Amber Bollinger of Glendale has been slowed by a sprained back. The Dynamiters are 2-6.

RIO HONDO

La Canada coach Tom Parker says his team has hit an offensive slump, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. He lost starting third baseman Siarra Geer to a knee injury after she had nine RBIs in two games. She is not expected to return for three to four more weeks. Sunny Park replaced Geer at third and was hitting .340 with 11 RBIs through nine games before leaving the team at her father’s request. “If it’s not one thing it’s another,” Parker said.

TRI-VALLEY

Fillmore ace Nicole Ortiz has pitched three no-hitters, among them a 2-1 loss to L.A. Baptist in which the Flashes committed four errors. Fillmore graduated a trio of starters from a team that last year reached the Southern Section Division V semifinals. The squad was further weakened when standout senior shortstop Christie Rosenblad chose not to play. Senior Nicole Uribe, a converted center fielder, has taken her place. . . . Oak Park entered play this week with a record of 4-6--including four one-run losses. The Eagles have five senior starters but freshman catcher Morgan Murphy is the one opening eyes. Oak Park had four catchers on last year’s team--one who graduated, two who moved and one who quit. Murphy, a converted outfielder who had caught one game before this season, has had few problems with the multiple pitches thrown by seniors Tabitha Tata and Kaylene Boldroff. Her defensive prowess notwithstanding, Coach Roger Newell said Murphy is still adapting. “I had to call a timeout in a game to explain to her about intentional walks,” he said.

Golf Notes

Southern Section

Hart, the top team in the Foothill League, is suffering from an overload of young talent. Sophomores Charlie Smith and Brandon Wallace and freshman Ryan Wyman are already playing well on the varsity. Meanwhile, the junior varsity averaged 33.2 over nine holes at par-31 Vista Valencia. . . . Westlake Coach Dave Costley decided to give his starting team a rest Tuesday against Agoura, opting to play all freshmen and risking the team’s unblemished 12-0 record. “I’m not concerned about a perfect season,” Costley said. “I just want to see how the freshmen play.” Apparently they play well. Westlake won, 367-388.

Swimming Notes

Southern Section

The Southern Section girls’ relay preliminaries were held Tuesday at Belmont Plaza. The finals are on Saturday.. . . . The Westlake boys’ team is two-thirds of the way to claiming its second consecutive Marmonte League title. The Warriors have defeated Royal and Agoura. The only remaining difficult meet should be the final week of the season against Thousand Oaks. Westlake senior Nick LeClerc, who will attend Navy next year, has qualified for the Division I championships in the 500 freestyle along with sophomore Jason Weber in the 100 backstroke. . . . Calabasas football coach Larry Edwards is assisting longtime Coyote swimming Coach David Hershman, who is in his 28th season coaching the reigning Frontier League champion.

Track and Field Notes

CitySection

Boys: It appears that Juston Essary and Ben Villa will not be eligible to compete for the Ventura track team until next year.

Essary, runner-up in the 110-meter high hurdles in last year’s Channel League championships, and Villa, third in the 300 intermediates, transferred from Buena because of differences with Bulldog football Coach Rick Scott.

Southern Section rules stipulate that student athletes are ineligible to represent a school in athletic competition for one year after transferring unless they have moved into the school’s attendance area or are granted a waiver by the section.

Essary petitioned the section for a hardship waiver, but was turned down, according to Ventura Coach Hudson Scoggin.

With victories over Hueneme and Dos Pueblos last week, Ventura is 30-0 in Channel League competiton since 1992.

Newbury Park Coach Mike Stewart figured that the Panthers would need some surprises to win their first Marmonte League title this season and junior Patrick Reddick might be one of them.

Reddick, who had 61 receptions for 1,121 yards during the football season, is competing in track for the first time, but he won the 100 in 11.1 seconds, the 200 in 22.8 and the long jump with a leap of 20 feet 9 3/4 inches in last week’s triangular meet victory over Camarillo and defending league champion Thousand Oaks.

Girls: After averaging 20.5 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Thousand Oaks basketball team, Jenn Detmer has made quite a impression in her first season of track.

The 6-foot-3 junior cleared a personal best of 5-5 to win the high jump in last week’s meet against Newbury Park and Camarillo and Lancer Coach Dan Murphy figures she could go much higher before the end of the season.

“I hate to make any predictions, but I don’t think a height of 5-8 or 5-9 is out of the question this year,” he said. “She is still very raw.” . . .

Detmer is one of several basketball players who are members of the track team.

High jumpers Nicole Woodruff and Michelle Stevenson, pole-vaulter Jenna Baum and shotputter Crystal Crawford are some of the others.

Crawford, runner-up in the shotput in last year’s Marmonte League finals, was reportedly going to bypass her senior season to concentrate on club vollyball, but Murphy said she just took some time off after basketball before she began competing in track.

Nagging injuries to freshman Tiffany Smith and sophomore Tynisha Howze have slowed Taft this season.

Smith, who ran 12.2 in the 100, 25.2 in the 200 and 58.0 in the 400 as an eighth-grader, has raced sparingly due to a tight hamstring.

Howze, a 58.79 performer in the 400, has limited her racing because of a sore groin.

“We could definitely use them,” Taft Coach Mel Hein said. “But we don’t want to bring them back too quickly. We realize that we need them healthy for the big meets at the end of the season.”

Junior Monia Calhoun has been a big addition to Taft’s team.

After averaging 15.2 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Toreadors in basketball, she’s put the shot, 35-8 1/2. Hein said that she reportedly has a personal best in the 38-foot range, which she set as a sophomore in Texas last year.

Although he describes Calhoun’s technique as far from perfect, he’s hesistant to tinker with it.

“We had a girl here named Tracy Wilson who hit 45-7 during the [1988] season,” Hein said, laughing. “And the more I told her after that, the worse she got.”

Volleyball Notes

City Section

Sylmar plays host to Van Nuys Friday in a match of Valley Pac-8 Conference powers. Van Nuys defeated the Spartans last season, but Sylmar has been sharper this year. Both teams made the 3-A Division semifinals last season. The winner will likely earn a higher playoff seeding. “It’s going to be a tough match,” Van Nuys Coach Dave Bessler said. “They’ve got a super team.”

Southern Section

Notre Dame has not played at home in more than a month, a streak that includes five Mission League matches. In addition, the Knights have been practicing at Valley College. The reason: The drama department has been using the gymnasium. After a match Friday at St. Francis, Notre Dame plays six consecutive league matches at home. “I’m looking forward to it,” Notre Dame Coach Shaney Fink said. Whether at home or on the road, Bro Richmond has been steady for the Knights, averaging eight kills a game. “He’s in every team’s game plan,” Fink said. “They have to prepare for him.”

Bell-Jeff had a tough time on Tuesday, but is still very much alive in the Santa Fe League. The Guards fell to undefeated Salesian, but remained in second place. “We’ve still got a shot at [the league championship],” said Coach Russ Johnson, whose Guards finished fourth last season. “We think we’ll make the playoffs unless we fall apart.” Miguel Segura and Marcos Flores have been a solid duo for Bell-Jeff.

Controversy is making a cameo at Harvard-Westlake. The Wolverines were ranked third in Division I. But after they dropped a game to Capistrano Valley in the semifinals of the Dos Pueblos tournament, the Wolverines tumbled to fifth in the poll. “I think it’s different if you lose two of three [games against a team] in a tournament,” Harvard-Westlake Coach Jess Quiroz said. “Now, we only have one chance to move up. We’ve got to beat [top-ranked] Mira Costa.”

Highland wasn’t especially kind to the city of San Diego. At the 19-team Poway tournament last week, the Bulldogs defeated the top two teams in San Diego. They took out Mt. Carmel in the tournament semifinals and Rancho Bernardo in the final. Tom Haight was chosen most valuable player in the tournament. Quartz Hill finished fifth.

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Contributing: Mike Bresnahan, Dana Haddad, Vince Kowalick, Michael Lazarus, Paige A. Leech, John Ortega, Tris Wykes, Peter Yoon.