Leo Kosi to Attend West Point

Rancho Alamitos running back Leo Kosi, The Times Orange County back of the year, has received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, according to Vaquero Coach Doug Case. Kosi, who visited the academy last weekend, will attend prep school for a year and will begin playing football in fall 1998.

Kosi ended his high school career as Rancho Alamitos’ all-time leading rusher with 4,873 yards and the fourth all-time leading rusher in Orange County history.

Last season, Kosi led Orange County in rushing with 2,444 yards and in touchdowns with 36. After the season, he was named the Southern Section Division VIII co-player of the year and the Garden Grove League player of the year.

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Ryan Sim of Santa Margarita has won the Zug Cup, an award given annually by the First Friday Friars to the top scholar-football player at an Orange County Catholic high school.

Sim, an offensive and defensive lineman for Santa Margarita, was selected over two other finalists, Servite’s Chris Bystedt and Mater Dei’s Rob Kelleher. The award was presented Friday.

Sim has a 4.40 grade-point average and plans to attend UC Berkeley or Northwestern.

The Zug Cup is named for Robert Zastrow, a longtime member of the First Friday Friars, a Catholic men’s organization. He died in 1989.

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As the prep basketball season enters its final week, there are plenty of league championships hanging in the balance. But few will be settled in head-to-head matches between first-and second-place teams.

Tonight in girls’ basketball, Troy (19-3, 8-0) can claim the Freeway League title by defeating La Habra (14-10, 6-2), which is tied with Sonora for second; Ocean View (21-4, 8-0) can win the Golden West title outright by defeating Westminster (18-6, 7-1); Brea Olinda (20-3, 8-0) can win its 15th consecutive league title with a victory over Savanna (9-13, 6-2); and Woodbridge (19-4, 8-0) will win the Sea View if it beats Santa Margarita (18-6, 6-2).

In boys’ basketball Wednesday, Woodbridge (20-3, 8-0) will clinch the Sea View League if it defeats Santa Margarita (17-6, 7-1); Brea Olinda (21-3, 8-0) can win the Orange League at home against Valencia (17-7, 7-1).

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Los Alamitos forward Christa Ellis was about to shoot two crucial second-half free throws last Thursday against Marina when referees noticed blood on her jersey. They ordered her off the floor.

Ellis, No. 20, didn’t hesitate. She grabbed No. 45 Diane Smith, went behind the Los Alamitos bench and the pair exchanged tops.

Ellis returned and made both attempts. Los Alamitos won, 51-50.

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Santiago’s 77-71 Garden Grove League boys’ basketball victory over Bolsa Grande last Wednesday ended the county’s longest losing streak of the season. The Cavaliers (1-23) lost their first 22 games. Los Amigos’ girls’ basketball team now has the longest losing streak--19 games.

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Brea Olinda is back on top of the Orange County girls’ basketball rankings, displacing Laguna Hills--which was there the last four weeks.

One person who won’t put up much argument for the switch is Laguna Hills Coach Lynn Taylor.

“I can see anyone in the county getting beat by [Ventura] Buena on their floor,” Taylor said of Brea’s 59-56 loss two weekends ago. “We had the good win over Woodbridge, but when you go by overall record and the competition they played this year, I still think [Brea’s] the No. 1 team in the county. To be honest, being dropped to No. 2 isn’t a real big shock; I think the shock was us being No. 1, more than anything else.”

Taylor said he didn’t think his players, who could meet Brea in the Southern California Regionals, would be too upset about the revised ranking: “If you’re going to be No. 1, you have to beat No. 1. But if they are [upset], we’ll use it.”

Times staff writers Martin Henderson and Paul McLeod contributed to this report.