This Jerry Will Show His Stuff in 1998

It’s time to dust off my crystal ball and take a peek at what 1998 has in store for area athletes, coaches and teams.

The images are becoming clear:

Jerry Owens of Hart High will catch five touchdown passes in one game, then appear on his favorite TV program, the “Jerry Springer Show,” for a segment on prep football players who dream of being talk-show hosts. . . .

Alemany will earn its first football playoff berth in the 1990s. . . .

Westlake tight end Mike Seidman will face a spirited recruiting duel between UCLA and USC. . . .

Notre Dame’s Justin Fargas will win a second consecutive state 100-meter track championship, then think about trying for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. . . .

Canyon sophomore tackle Scott Arnold, 6 feet 4 and 255 pounds, will eat Wheaties every morning, run at dusk and lift weights at night on his way to making the All-Foothill League team. . . .

Chatsworth will defeat El Camino Real in the City 4-A baseball championship game at Dodger Stadium, with pitcher Mike Kunes recording the final out. . . .

Monroe pitcher John Ennis will strike out 18 batters in a game and pitch two no-hitters. . . .

Cleveland outfielder Justin Savitt will hit for the cycle. . . .

Birmingham outfielder Aaron Minor will steal 35 bases. . . .

Highland pitcher-outfielder Traviss Hodge will become a hot professional prospect. . . .

Westlake infielder Kevin Howard will establish himself as a potential first-round draft pick for 1999. . . .

The Marmonte League baseball race will finish this way: 1. Westlake, 2. Royal, 3. Camarillo, 4. Thousand Oaks. . . .

The Mission League baseball race will end up like this: 1. Notre Dame, 2. Crespi, 3. Chaminade, 4. Loyola. . . .

Thousand Oaks will draw attention because of sophomore infielders Adam Leavitt and Billy Lockin. . . .

In September, El Camino Real will land its best pitching prospect since Randy Wolf when 14-year-old freshman Greg Acheatel enrolls at the Woodland Hills school. . . .

Former Montclair Prep pitcher Russell Ortiz, 23, will earn a roster spot with the San Francisco Giants. . . .

Former Taft High and Moorpark College outfielder Gabe Kapler, a 57th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers, will fulfill his long-shot dream and reach the majors in September. . . .

Former Chaminade High catcher Ryan Hamill will be a freshman All-American at Nevada Las Vegas. . . .

Former Montclair Prep first baseman Brad Fullmer of the Montreal Expos will be rookie of the year in the National League. . . .

Valley College outfielder Steve Guerrero will earn a scholarship to USC. . . .

Former Grant pitcher Rod Beck will make the Dodgers sorry they didn’t sign him to a free-agent contract.

“I’ve got about 10 good years left,” said the former San Francisco Giant stopper when visiting his parents in Van Nuys during the holidays. “I guess I’m one of those guys who has to prove himself every year. It’s been the same way since high school.” . . .

North Hollywood girls’ basketball Coach Rich Allen will do a cartwheel after his team reaches the City 4-A championship game at the Sports Arena. . . .

Grant basketball Coach Howard Levine will be invited to the “Late Show With David Letterman” because of his wardrobe: Sport coat, dress shirt, tie, jeans, Nike high tops. . . .

Harvard-Westlake’s Greg Hilliard will finally receive recognition as the region’s best basketball coach. . . .

Former College of the Canyons assistant Chuck Lyons will be the choice to resurrect the Cougars’ football program. . . .

Hart quarterback Kyle Boller will pass for more than 400 yards in a Foothill League game. . . .

Chaminade, behind pitcher Maureen LeCocq, will end Alemany’s domination in Mission League softball. . . .

The hitting of Newbury Park’s Oli Keohohou will be the talk of Marmonte League softball, but Simi Valley will win the league championship because of pitcher Brittney Green. . . .

John Elway will lead the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl victory over the Green Bay Packers, then make a triumphant return to his alma mater, Granada Hills High, to offer a pep talk. . . .

Westlake golfer J.T. Kohut will make a hole in one. . . .

El Camino Real first baseman Woody Cliffords will hit three home runs in one game. . . .

Taft’s Eboni Grayson and Birmingham’s Demetrus Patterson will show they are the fastest sprinters in the City Section when each sweeps the 100 and 200 meters at the City track and field championships. . . .

The Notre Dame 400-meter relay team of Fargas, Todd Fenton, Rod Arzu and Chris Leon will put glue on their hands so they don’t drop the baton and thus win a Southern Section title. . . .

Joe Pawlick, Westlake’s athletic director, will receive the Profile in Courage award for shutting down the wrestling program because of a hazing incident. . . .

Cal State Northridge freshman Eric Horvat will hit .400.

Taft pitcher Justin Wade will be the City Section comeback player of the year. . . .

Reseda will win the City boys’ soccer title and Chatsworth will take the 4-A girls’ title. . . .

San Fernando will win the City 3-A boys’ basketball championship, with 6-8 Tyrone Purnell becoming a sleeper college prospect. . . .

Simi Valley’s 6-9 Rafael Berumen will shatter a glass backboard with a dunk. . . .

El Camino Real catcher Christina Enea will emerge as the region’s best freshman softball player. . . .

Loyola Marymount freshmen pitchers Mike Schultz (Cleveland) and Brian Felten (Crespi) will surprise everyone by becoming impact players in their rookie seasons of college ball. . . .

Sylmar football Coach Jeff Engilman will promise to stay cool and calm before his team’s season opener, then start screaming soon after the opening kickoff.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.

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CRYSTAL BALL FORECAST

Columnist Eric Sondheimer sees good things happening for these four athletes from the region: