Ruelas Out for 8 Weeks

Lightweight Gabriel Ruelas of Sylmar will be inactive for eight weeks because of a broken left thumb suffered Friday night while winning a 10-round unanimous decision over James Crayton at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio.

Ruelas (44-3), former World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion, injured the thumb during the first round against Crayton. Ruelas, whose hand was placed in a cast, is scheduled to be reexamined Thursday and might be required to undergo “minor surgery,” according to Dr. Anthony Daly, a Santa Monica orthopedic surgeon.

College Football

Cal State Northridge football Coach Jim Fenwick landed his first two Valley-area high school recruits when linebacker Kevin Giberson and quarterback Chris Kobe, both of Saugus High, committed to the Matadors this week.

Will Ford, an offensive tackle from Rancho Santiago College, signed with Northridge and Jason Sharp, a receiver who last played at California, said he will sign with the Matadors. Ford and Sharp, each with two seasons of eligibility, will join the team in the fall.

Giberson (6 feet 3, 215 pounds), an All-Southern Section selection, said he chose Northridge over Northern Arizona.

Kobe (6-1, 190), who passed for 1,462 yards last season, did not receive other scholarship offers, according to his father, Nick.

Ford (6-5, 320) saw limited action last season because he broke his left ankle last spring. Sharp (5-10, 170) spent two seasons at Cal before asking for his release after the 1995 season.

Swimming

Jennifer Parmenter of L.A. Baptist High has qualified for the U.S. team for the Short Course World Championships which will be held in Sweden in April.

Women’s basketball

Northridge Coach Michael Abraham will fly to Portland, Ore., today to be with his father, Philip, 68, who is scheduled for open-heart surgery Thursday.

Barring complications, Abraham will be able to catch a plane after the surgery and be at Northridge for the Matadors’ game that night against Weber State.

Women’s soccer

Beth Hoiby, a central defender from Kamaik High in Mukilteo, Wash., has signed a letter of intent with Northridge, Matador Coach Brian Wiesner said.

Boys’ soccer

Sevadah Shahoumian, a starting midfielder on the Hoover High boys’ team, is academically ineligible, Coach Mark Rubio said. The Tornadoes play today at Palmdale in a Southern Section Division I wild-card match, their first playoff appearance in six seasons.