Fredlow Up for Challenge at Marina

Butch Fredlow minces no words when he talks about the job ahead of him.

Fredlow, 33, was appointed girls’ basketball coach at Marina High Friday.

He has the difficult job of replacing Pete Bonny, who was fired by Principal Carol Osbrink after he wrote a letter critical of a referee.

Osbrink has refused comment on her decision to remove Bonny, who had a record of 223-58 and won six league titles and one Southern Section title in nine seasons at Marina.

Fredlow, a 1984 graduate of Ocean View, was chosen from a pool of applicants that included veterans such as former Los Alamitos girls’ Coach Mike Ford and Santa Barbara San Marcos’ Ken Nedler, who has 23 years of coaching experience.

“I’m stepping into a difficult situation at best,” Fredlow said. “Pete had a winning percentage of 80% and then here he gets relieved two months before the season really gets going. It’s a little hectic, to say the least.”

But Fredlow, who was a boys’ varsity assistant basketball coach at Marina the past five seasons, is looking forward to the challenge.

“It might seem like coaching suicide, but it’s also a great opportunity,” he said. “It came time in my life where I really wanted to take that big leap forward, that one final step. Do I have it or don’t I have it for the next level?”

Roger Holmes, coach of the Marina boys’ basketball team, said it will take time for Fredlow to adjust.

“He’ll be a different style of coach than what they have been used to in the past,” Holmes said. “He does a great job with fundamentals and he did a lot of our defensive stuff. But I’m sure they’ll press. He realizes how successful pressing has been for them in the past and I wouldn’t think he would have any reason to change that point of it.”

INJURY REPORT

Santiago football Coach Ben Haley breathed a little easier Friday after learning his starting left guard, Johnny Leuta, has only a dislocated left kneecap.

Leuta, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound junior, had to be helped off the field Thursday during Santiago’s 28-14 loss to Pacifica.

“Johnny said he heard it pop twice,” Haley said. “It popped right back in and he should be fine.”

Haley said he will probably keep Leuta out of next week’s game against La Quinta as a precaution.

PASS THE SHUTOUTS

Los Alamitos Coach John Barnes likes to describe his team’s starting defensive unit as “11 lean and hungry young men.”

Middle linebacker Paul Publico wants the defense to be starving.

“If we’re able to get a shutout, we get to go eat free at this neighborhood buffet,” Publico said.

So far, the Griffins have two shutouts, including Thursday’s 28-0 victory over Bellflower St. John Bosco. In four games, Los Alamitos has given up 20 points.

HELP FROM FRIENDS

The Westminster field hockey team got a little help from some friends last week.

After hearing about the Lions’ problems with funding, several people stepped up to help, including the Newport Harbor field hockey team.

Sailor Coach Sharon Wolfe approached Westminster Coach Diann Pendergrass at the Orange County Championships and handed her an envelope. When Pendergrass opened it later, she was stunned to find a letter and a donation of $300 for the program.

“I had no idea what it was,” Pendergrass said. “It was something that was so unexpected. It just shows how much of a family all the field hockey teams are.”

The letter, which told Pendergrass that the Sailors were “pleased to help your program, which has shown so much pride,” touched Pendergrass so much she couldn’t read it to her team in fear of breaking down.

“[Pendergrass] is doing a mighty fine job trying to get that program going again,” Wolfe said. “When I came into our program we were in the red and now we are doing really well, so I asked my girls if they would like to help Westminster out. They all agreed.”

A few Westminster alumni also helped out the Lions’ cause, donating another $80 to the program.

“Maybe now we will finally be able to get some new sticks,” Pendergrass said.

Staff writers Dave McKibben, Paul McLeod and Melanie Neff contributed to this report.