Jason Collins Tops List of Players Honored

Jason Collins of Harvard-Westlake High was chosen the Southern Section Division III player of the year by the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Assn.

Michelle Greco of Crescenta Valley and Nicole Greathouse of Buena were selected co-players of the year in Division I and Jaclyn Johnson of Bell-Jeff earned the top honor in Division IV.

All-Southern Section honors also went to Hart’s Cory Johnson, Simi Valley’s Rafael Berumen and Antelope Valley’s Le’Tre Kelly in Division I.

In Division II: Newbury Park’s Daniel Bobik.

Division III: Jarron Collins and Rico Cabrera of Harvard-Westlake and Scott Long of Chaminade.

Division IV: Oak Park’s Randy Gastwirt, L.A. Baptist’s Jermaine Sweet and Bell-Jeff’s Ruben Douglas.

Division V: Montclair Prep’s Rocky Steryo and Darin Brock, and Santa Clara’s Nicholas Jones.

Joining Greco and Greathouse on the All-Southern Section Division I team are Jaline Bradley of Oxnard, Stephanie Kinnear of Buena, Jenn Detmer of Thousand Oaks, Tara Gregory of Crescenta Valley and Edniesha Curry of Palmdale.

In Division II: Tracey Milburn and Damaris Hinojosa of Moorpark.

Division III: Kelli Kobayashi of Alemany and Erin Barker and Nell Becker of Nordhoff.

Division IV: L.A. Baptist’s Deanna Bergeson, Bell-Jeff’s Cheryl Flores, Fillmore’s April Kozar, Paraclete’s Kim Whisler and Louisville’s Becky Witt.

Cornerstone Christian’s Julie Siefert was selected to the Division V team.

Silver (and black) lining: Quarterback Ryan Fien, who left UCLA for Idaho to gain a starting job, has signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders and will report to minicamp next week in Oakland.

“This is nothing really to celebrate,” Fien said. “This is just the first step. Now I’ve got to make the team.”

Fien said terms of his contract will not be determined until after minicamp.

Fien, a graduate of Royal High, spent three seasons at UCLA. Last fall he passed for 3,662 yards and 27 touchdowns for Idaho.

Cream rises: The stock of Kennedy High right-hander Jon Garland has risen rapidly. He has gone from being the No. 18 ranked high school prospect in the nation in the preseason to the No. 4 ranked player in the latest issue of Baseball America magazine.

This week, two area scouts whose teams pick in the middle of the first round in June conceded they have no chance of landing Garland.

Sean Douglass of Antelope Valley, also a right-handed pitcher, is ranked No. 23.

Three aces: Three pitchers with area ties made the five-man staff of Baseball America’s “Dream Team” of the nation’s best college players, based on performance and pro potential.

UCLA left-hander Jim Parque (Crescenta Valley High) is the No. 1 starter, Pepperdine left-hander Randy Wolf (El Camino Real) is the No. 3 starter and Fresno State right-hander Jeff Weaver (Simi Valley) is the No. 4 starter.

Suspensions: Nine Ventura High softball players, including seven starters, are suspended for two games this week for disciplinary reasons, Coach Felix Cortez confirmed Wednesday.

The top spot: Royal High moved to No. 1 in this week’s Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball poll. Previously ranked No. 2, the Highlanders took the place of Huntington Beach, which fell to No. 4. Canyon entered the poll for the first time at No. 8 and Thousand Oaks dropped to No. 9.

In Division II, Westlake remained at No. 5 and Newbury Park dropped to No. 9.

In Division III, there were no changes among teams in the region, with Harvard-Westlake at No. 4, Campbell Hall at No. 7 and Providence at No. 9.

Sooner to be: Sophie Contreraz, a former Alemany High pitcher, signed a letter of intent to play softball for Oklahoma.

Contreraz, a sophomore right-hander at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, Fla., led the Panthers to a national title last season, posting a 36-4 record and a 0.52 earned-run average.

Ventura College basketball player Kara Newman, the state co-player of the year, has signed to play at Northern Arizona. Teammate Adria Sneed signed to play at USC.

Saugus High setter Erika Lilley has committed to Macalester (Minn.). A two-time All-Foothill League selection, the 5-foot-8 Lilley will also play basketball.