Flores Will Bear Arm for Parrots

Manny Flores was 10 years old when he watched his brother, Francisco, play for Poly High in the 1992 City Championship game at Dodger Stadium.

“I just remember seeing the game and wishing I was out there,” Flores said.

Flores will finally get his chance. He’ll be starting on the mound Thursday night against Chatsworth for the City title. Nobody expected Flores, a junior right fielder, to be pitching. But when two pitchers left the team, Flores was recruited.

“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think he could do the job,” said third baseman Juan Flores of Poly, who is no relation. “He was an outfielder, but he’s proved me wrong.”

Flores is 6-0 and all he has to do is defeat left-hander Mike Kunes, the 1998 City player of the year who is 24-3 over the last two seasons.

Chatsworth coaches had the audacity to throw their No. 3 pitcher, Ryan Robbins, Tuesday in the semifinals against South Gate. Robbins (8-0) is a capable pitcher, but it showed the Chancellors had little respect for South Gate and desperately want to win at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m sure it will surprise a lot of people,” assistant Matt LaCour said of the Chancellors’ pitching decision.

Chatsworth (26-3) figures to be an overwhelming favorite to defeat Poly (25-7). But here’s a warning: Poly has been toughened after knocking off El Camino Real and Kennedy, teams that have won the last six City Championships. The Parrots have two victories over All-City pitcher Ivan Hernandez of Sylmar, so they fear no one.

Their attitude is, “Bring on Kunes.” It should make for an entertaining City final. . . .

“Ivy” has been the nickname of wide receiver Kyle Cremarosa of Burroughs High ever since he decided to play football for Harvard.

He wants to become a doctor, but not before he takes football as far as he can. After a week of practice for the Valley Youth All-Star game Saturday Cal State Northridge, Cremarosa is creating lots of excitement.

“He should be at a Pacific 10 school,” said offensive coordinator Dean Herrington of Hart, who is helping coach the East team.

Cremarosa is having fun catching passes from All-American quarterback Kyle Boller of Hart. The two should be clicking often in the 7 p.m. game.

“It’s real easy to catch his balls,” Cremarosa said. “They stick to your hands.”

The two were rivals in Foothill League play, but Cremarosa is enjoying his time hanging out with a player who one day might be in the NFL.

“I’ll be able to say, ‘Yeah, I caught passes from a pro when he’s on TV,’ ” Cremarosa said.

Meanwhile, Cremarosa is preparing to become a doctor. At Burroughs, one of his favorite classes is anatomy, which allows him to dissect frogs and other animals in preparation for his surgeon days.

Soon, he’ll be be known as Dr. C, or Dr. T for touchdowns. . . .

Isn’t it remarkable that Hart is home for two of the most extraordinary arms in the region--quarterback Boller and right-handed pitcher Jamie Shields, who would be a first-round pick in the draft today if he weren’t a junior. . . .

Moments after El Camino Real defeated Carson, 3-0, last week in the City Championship softball final, Coach Neils Ludlow gathered his players and introduced them to Karen Walker, shortstop on the Conquistadores’ 1985 championship team.

“She was on my first team,” said Ludlow, who has won 10 titles in 15 seasons. “She was the City player of the year, an All-American at UCLA, she was on two World Series champions. There’s a little Karen Walker in each and every one of you.” . . .

Outfielder Woody Cliffords, a freshman at Pepperdine from El Camino Real, went 10 for 20 in an NCAA Regional at USC and was chosen to the all-tournament team. Cliffords finished with a .330 average. Cliffords’ brother, Josh, will be a freshman baseball player at El Camino Real this fall. . . .

Catcher John Wilson, a sophomore at Kentucky from L.A. Baptist, led the Southeastern Conference with 23 home runs. He’s a reason not to underestimate top players at small high schools, so beware of sophomore shortstop Andrew Petersen, the best player at L.A. Baptist since Wilson. . . .

Pitcher Jeff Suppan from Crespi, a member of the Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation, lowered his earned-run average to 3.22 on Sunday by shutting out the Texas Rangers for 7 2/3 innings until he had to leave the game when Tom Goodwin’s single went off his knee. Suppan suffered only a bruise.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com