VALLEY / VENTURA COUNTY SPORTS : Starr Makes His Point; Clausen Delivers

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

Coach Troy Starr of Taft High knows how to gain the attention of his football players after they make a mistake.

When quarterback Brandon Hance failed to call a shotgun formation against Locke last week, he was greeted on the sideline by an enraged Starr, who made the following point of emphasis:

“I called gun! I called gun! I called gun! I called gun! I called gun! I called gun, gun, gun, gun, gun! I called gun! I called gun! I called gun!”

It’s safe to assume Hance will listen more closely in the future. . . .

Two games into the football season, Casey Clausen of Alemany has reinforced his reputation as the region’s best quarterback.

While his three major competitors--Hance, Matt Cassel of Chatsworth and Zac Wasserman of Westlake--combined for 10 interceptions last week, Clausen was nearly flawless.

“He’s the best I’ve seen at escaping the rush,” said assistant coach Jeff Kraemer of Notre Dame.

Clausen hasn’t been sacked yet, which is a tribute to his offensive line and his improved strength. When he stiff-arms a defender, it’s no gentle push.

He is much quicker at releasing the ball, knows when to scramble and keeps his poise when a play doesn’t work. Three times he has thrown touchdown passes on audibles.

Victories over Hueneme and Chatsworth don’t gauge how Alemany will fare against Notre Dame, Servite, Loyola, Bishop Amat, Santa Margarita and St. Paul, but with Clausen, the Indians have a chance. . . .

There are plenty of people at Alemany who disagree with the decision of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to fire athletic director Dudley Rooney.

Most troubling is the secretive way the Archdiocese makes decisions and then expects everyone to blindly accept them. Thankfully, students, teachers and parents are fighting back, although many seem fearful of backlash from the Archdiocese.

An Alemany student who was reluctant to be identified wrote: “I’ve heard of teachers wanting to protest for the outrageous punishment [the Archdiocese] gave Mr. Rooney, and I wish I could just do something to stop all the trouble that’s been going on. . .. But what outrages me the most is that the teachers are not even allowed to mention anything to us, their feelings, thoughts or words, like they are supposed to forget about someone that can never be forgotten, someone who has given almost two decades of his life to a school where he will always be remembered.”

Rooney was fired after teaching for 22 years at Alemany because of his role in the hiring of former boys’ basketball coach Darryl McDonald, a registered sex offender. Rooney is contesting his firing with the Archdiocese.

There is a rally in support of Rooney at 5:30 p.m Thursday at the Mission Hills campus. . . .

For the third consecutive year, the Marmonte League has changed its basketball schedule, angering parents who have boys and girls playing simultaneously.

Last season, girls’ varsity games were played before boys’ varsity games at the same site. This season, the girls will play on the same night as the boys at opposite sites.

“It’s really hard to work things out equitably for everybody,” said Jim Wilber, girls’ athletic director at Royal. “It’s a tough call. We need to get the girls to where they are playing in front of a lot of fans and not on Tuesday and Thursday. We’re always open to changing again next year if this doesn’t work out.”

Coaches sought the change so they can watch their junior varsity and freshman-sophomore teams play. The schedule will split families that have boys and girls playing.

“Nobody particularly likes the schedule when your boys and girls are playing at the same time,” said Terry Dobbins, boys’ athletic director at Royal. “This is what the coaches voted for.” . . .

After being stored in a shed for more than two years, a new scoreboard has finally gone up on the Poly baseball field. Now, if only electricity can be connected. . . .

Look for All-City shortstop Conor Jackson of El Camino Real to select Miami as his college choice. Jackson returned from a recruiting trip last weekend gushing about the Hurricanes.

He visited with former Westlake infielder Kevin Howard, a freshman at Miami. Jackson is scheduled to visit California this weekend. . . .

Former Chaminade football assistant Lance Fauria is 2-0 as a rookie head coach at St. Joseph in Santa Maria. . . .

Former Harvard-Westlake basketball player Jason Segel has a starring role in the new NBC television series, “Freaks and Geeks” that premieres Saturday night. Segel, a 1997 Harvard-Westlake graduate, will fit in well, considering his dunking ability in high school was freakish compared to most of his teammates. . . .

Chad Lundahl, a freshman shortstop at Thousand Oaks, has grown eight inches in a year and is now 5-8. “If I grow another eight inches, then I’ll be a first baseman,” he said. . . .

The Chicago Cubs made a huge mistake trading former first-round draft pick Jon Garland, a Kennedy graduate, last year to the Chicago White Sox. Garland, who turns 20 next week, started this year in Class A but will end his season on Thursday pitching in the Triple-A World Series in Las Vegas.

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