Calabasas Teammates Remember Most Valuable Player

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

Chad Darvey of Calabasas High never caught a pass, never made an interception, never even contributed a tackle this past season for the Coyotes’ football team.

It didn’t matter.

“He’s Justin Fargas to us,” said Howard Liebeskind, the Calabasas sports medical coordinator.

On Wednesday, the entire Calabasas football team came to the funeral of Darvey, a 17-year-old junior who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was 4. He died last Sunday of complications from his illness.

For three years, he was on the Calabasas sideline in his wheelchair providing inspiration to players and coaches. He’d watch game film with Calabasas Coach Larry Edwards. He’d offer encouragement to star kicker David Rosenberg.

“He showed a lot more courage than some kids who could walk,” Edwards said. “He was a happy guy who loved to be around the football team.”

The funeral was emotional. Teammates spoke, classmates cried.

Rosenberg, who kicked a school-record 59-yard field goal, had tears in his eyes on Wednesday afternoon when he went to play in a soccer match.

He won’t soon forget his practice companion. . . .

UCLA, USC, Stanford, Arizona, Duke--they’re all going to be lining up to recruit 6-foot-7 freshman Scott Borchart of Chaminade in 2000. Little kids are already hanging around the 14-year-old as if he’s a star in the making. And he is. There are few young basketball players with his toughness, composure and intelligence. . . .

No one should doubt the teaching skills of Simi Valley basketball Coach Dean Bradshaw. Just look at what his former assistant, Steve Johnson, has done. Johnson’s Newbury Park team has beaten Bradshaw’s powerful Pioneers four of the last five times in Marmonte League games.

Johnson spent 11 years as a Simi Valley assistant, including five years under Bradshaw. Now he’s using his knowledge picked up from Bradshaw to leave the Pioneers in shock.

“I wish I could figure it out and bottle it up,” Johnson said of his success against Simi Valley.

It also helps to have the Bobik brothers on his side. Guards Daniel and Brian Bobik would climb the Great Wall of China if it meant guaranteeing a victory for the Panthers. Is there a Bobik alive who doesn’t want to win worse than anything?

“There’s no quit in them,” Johnson said.

Daniel’s a senior, but Brian is only a junior and another Bobik brother, Aaron, is a freshman. “He [Aaron] might be even more feisty and ornery than his older brothers,” Johnson warned. . . .

Dick Dornan, a former public relations assistant with the Lakers, is doing the best coaching job by a first-year basketball coach. His undersized Crespi team is 9-9 overall and 2-3 in the Mission League. He’s building a program to reckon with. The Celts’ junior varsity team is 16-0. . . .

Chatsworth has four applicants for its vacant football coaching position. “I think it’s indicative of [coaching] today,” assistant principal Donna Wyatt said. “It’s like trying to pull teeth to get people to coach.”

Freshman-sophomore assistant coach Bill Coan and former Crespi defensive coordinator Troy Thomas are among the people to apply. . . .

Here’s the latest coaching fiasco involving the Burbank Unified School District: Not once, but twice a special committee made up of Burroughs High teachers, coaches, parents and administrators recommended Jennifer Gomez become softball coach. Both times, however, the school board rejected the recommendation because of an apparent complaint by a parent.

Gomez, a Burbank High graduate who teaches science at Burroughs and serves as junior varsity coach, said, “I was born and raised here and this was a dream of mine to come back and coach in the community.”

At a time when it’s difficult to find talented women coaches, the Burbank district is foolish in letting Gomez slip away. She has been told she can be an assistant coach on the varsity but not head coach.

The district is once again accepting applications for softball coach. Is there anyone stupid enough to seek the position?. . . .

The Chicago Cubs are becoming the Valley Cubs. Two local graduates from the 1960s--Tom Gamboa (Notre Dame) and Jeff Pentland (Grant)--serve as the third base coach and hitting coach, respectively. Pitcher Rod Beck (Grant) just signed and wait until first-round draft pick Jon Garland (Kennedy) reaches the majors. . . .

It’s not too early to get excited about the 1998 prep baseball opener featuring defending City 4-A champion El Camino Real and visiting Monroe on March 3.

The game matches the City Section’s No. 1 pitcher, UCLA-bound John Ennis of Monroe, against an El Camino Real team loaded with top hitters, including All-City first baseman Woody Cliffords, headed to Pepperdine. . . .

Burroughs has put up an 18-foot net that stretches from the right-field foul pole to left-center. It’s supposed to make it more difficult to hit home runs, but junior Nick Jastrow, a transfer from Burbank, hit a home run over the center-field net on Saturday against St. Bernard. . . .

Former Kennedy basketball star Darren Daye has retired after playing professionally in France. He’s working as a financial consultant with former Notre Dame baseball Coach Bob Mandeville at Merrill Lynch in San Juan Capistrano. . . .

Who says baseball players can’t grow up to become rock stars? Dodger reliever Scott Radinsky, a Simi Valley graduate, is the lead singer for the punk band Pulley. They’re playing Tuesday at the Living Room in Goleta.

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