Holmes Makes a Commitment to the Trojans

Alex Holmes, a heavily recruited tight end who sat out this season at Harvard-Westlake High, has committed to USC.

Holmes was The Times’ offensive player of the year in the Valley during the 1998 season but missed last fall because it was his fifth year of high school.

Holmes chose USC over UCLA, Michigan, Stanford and Notre Dame.

“I’ve always felt extremely comfortable at USC,” said Holmes, who is a friend of Trojan quarterback Carson Palmer.

“I get to be around my family. They can come see me play all the time.”

* Receiver-defensive back Michael Brignac of Westlake High has committed to Utah State.

Brignac, who had 60 receptions for 1,023 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, chose Utah State over Colorado, New Mexico, Fresno State and Boise State.

* Mark Bates, football coach at L.A. Baptist for the last 11 years, has resigned to become offensive coordinator at Oaks Christian under Bill Redell.

Bates guided the Knights to four Alpha League championships and a Southern Section title in 1993. His teams have been known for their excellent passing attacks.

Bates will teach math at Oaks Christian, which opens in September with ninth and 10th graders.

BASEBALL

* Matt Cassel, the USC-bound quarterback who has been a key baseball player for Chatsworth the last three seasons, has given up the sport to focus on football.

“I wasn’t having the fun I usually had,” Cassel said. “My head wasn’t in it.”

Cassel batted .407 last season with 30 runs batted to help the Chancellors win the City Championship.

* Chris Giordano, a sophomore who was expected to start at third base for Hart, has been suspended for the season because of disciplinary reasons, Coach Jim Ozella said.

Giordano is appealing the punishment.

Matt Friedrichsen, Hart’s starting right fielder, has been lost for eight weeks because of a broken hand.

ATHLETICS

* In the aftermath of the controversy that marred the selection process for the football playoffs, the City Section has modified its seeding procedure for all sports, Commissioner Barbara Fiege said Tuesday.

Fiege said the Interscholastic Athletic Committee voted Monday to modify the first-year format, which stipulated that league champions, regardless of ties, be placed in the 16-team City Championship playoffs.

Effective immediately, only one team from each league is guaranteed a City Championship playoff berth. If teams tie, leagues must follow tie-breaking procedures to determine a No. 1 qualifier.

Other teams are eligible for at-large berths in the City Championship playoffs or inclusion in the lower-level Invitational playoffs.

Problems with the football playoffs arose when four league races ended in ties, including three-way ties in the Valley Mission League and West Valley League.

Marine League runner-up San Pedro and Coliseum League runner-up Dorsey received the only at-large berths in the City Championship playoffs that included undermanned Sunset Six co-champions North Hollywood and Canoga Park.