Sampson Effect in Reverse

A smorgasbord of notes, quotes and opinions from across the San Fernando Valley and its surrounding communities:

What does it take to improve speed? In the case of Notre Dame High wide receiver Todd Fenton, perhaps a trip to the barber made all the difference.

“I think he gained a step after he cut his hair,” Notre Dame assistant coach Joe McNab said.

Last year, Fenton’s nickname on the sophomore team was “Fabio” because his long blond hair almost stretched to his shirt collar.

He’d spend 45 minutes every morning blow-drying his hair. Then, last spring, off came his locks.

“I decided it was hot, nobody liked it, so I cut it,” Fenton said.

This season, in his varsity debut, the 15-year-old Fenton has scored on touchdown receptions of 75 and 71 yards and returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. He might be the Knights’ fastest player next to Justin Fargas.

He has no second thoughts about cutting his hair.

“It’s nice to sleep instead of having to do my hair,” he said. . . .

By next summer, Westlake junior tight end Mike Seidman is going to need a top-of-the-line answering machine to deal with the large number of calls from college recruiters.

At 6 feet 5 and 225 pounds, with massive hands and great coordination, Seidman is easy to spot on the field. He also has a 3.7 grade-point average.

“Seidman is a can’t-miss Division I guy,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “He’s the best tight end I’ve seen since [Crespi’s Christian] Fauria.”

Even more impressive about Seidman is he has recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that forced him to miss his sophomore season. He had 10 catches for 141 yards against Camarillo Friday night.

If Seidman receives a college scholarship, he hopes his parents give him the money they’ve been saving for his college education.

“That’s in my dream,” he said.

Hold off ordering that Ferrari, Mike. Most parents don’t give kids their college money, scholarship or not. . . .

Former Chaminade tight end Peter Foy has caught 11 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore starter for NCAA Division I-AA Liberty University (6-1) in Lynchburg, Va. . . .

Sylmar and Hart will play nonleague football games in 1998 and 1999 at College of the Canyons. It will be a terrific City vs. Southern Section matchup. But does Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman realize Hart will be the region’s No. 1 team next season? . . .

Cal State Northridge opens its men’s basketball season Monday night in a 7:05 exhibition game against the California All-Stars at Matador Gymnasium.

Keep your eye on former Canyon guard Greg Minor, who will make his Matador debut. No one has worked harder for his first NCAA Division I season. Coach Bobby Braswell sometimes found Minor practicing his shooting in the gym at 6:30 a.m. last season when he was redshirting. Minor can hit from long, long range. . . .

Former Kennedy pitcher Jon Garland, back in town after a productive four months of pitching in the Chicago Cubs’ organization, couldn’t be happier about his decision to turn pro at the age of 18.

He watched the World Series from his home in Granada Hills and wondered if he’d one day get the chance to play in the World Series.

“I sure can imagine it,” he said.

He’s going to need lots of imagination. The Cubs haven’t played in a World Series since 1945. . . .

Former Crespi basketball player Matt Carpenter is a financial advisor on Wall Street. Asked if his basketball days prepared him for the stock market dive of earlier this week, Carpenter said, “You don’t let it get to your head. You relax.” . . .

Cleveland basketball players are learning to please their coach, Andre Chevalier or face his wrath. Asked how much running around the Cleveland track his players are doing, Chevalier said, “It depends on how I’m feeling and how they did in the gym.” . . .

The local team most likely to win a Southern Section basketball title in March is Montclair Prep in Division V-AA. The Mounties deserve to be rated among the top 10 teams in the region.

They return four starters, including senior Rocky Steryo, who made 116 shots from three-point range last season. Add to that, Montclair picked up 6-foot-7 transfer Jedidiah Hall from Virginia. Mountie fans should start booking their tickets for the state final in Sacramento. . . .

Two freshmen ready to make an immediate impact in girls’ basketball are Alemany’s 5-10 Karina Siam and 5-8 Nyasha Bralock. . . .

Portia Collins, mother of former Harvard-Westlake basketball stars Jason and Jarron Collins, has been hired as assistant admissions director at the North Hollywood campus. . . .

The Good Samaritan Award goes to Birmingham sophomore football player Danny Delfino. One of his frosh-sophomore teammates complained of dizziness after a game. Delfino convinced him to see the team doctor. The player turned out to be OK, but Delfino made the right decision in guiding him to medical help. . . .

Finally, it’s time for one last salute at the extraordinary dedication of former Crespi basketball coach Bill Hedlund. He died last week at the age of 54 of a heart attack while jogging at the Encino campus as he did virtually every day during his 25 years as a teacher and coach.

Hedlund, a math teacher, had no absences in more than 4,700 consecutive teaching days. Every morning at 4:30, he’d walk or take his car from his Encino condo to Crespi, jog, exercise and then teach.

“On the day of the Northridge Earthquake, the only concession he made to the earthquake was he ran a half-hour later,” Athletic Director Richard Fong said. “He was just a great guy.”

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