Keeper Is Out of Hospital

Alberto Rodriguez, a goalkeeper for the Santa Ana Foothill boys’ soccer team, was released from Western Medical Center in Santa Ana on Thursday afternoon after being hit in the head Wednesday during a nonleague game against Placentia El Dorado.

Rodriguez, a senior, suffered the injury minutes into the game when the knee of an onrushing El Dorado player struck him in the head as he dove to field a ball.

Rodriguez was semi-conscious after the collision and began to experience seizures shortly thereafter, according to Foothill Coach Barry Turner.

The game was called after Rodriguez left the field in an ambulance.

He was kept in the hospital’s intensive care unit for observation Wednesday night, but improved markedly during the day Thursday.

He is not expected to play for at least three weeks and could miss the rest of the high school season, according to Turner.

“I just glad everything turned out all right,” Turner said. “It was very scary there for a while.”

Lightning forced postponement of Wednesday’s South Coast League boys’ soccer opener between Dana Point Dana Hills and Lake Forest El Toro.

The game will be played at El Toro on Monday at 3:15 p.m.

Dana Hills (9-4-1) is the two-time defending league champion, but El Toro (10-1-4) is expected to contend for the title this season after giving up only five goals during its nonleague schedule.

-- John Ortega

The Santa Margarita girls’ water polo team will try to avoid matching its loss total from last season when it plays today at Newport Harbor in a nonleague game at 3 p.m.

Santa Margarita finished 25-4 last season en route to its second consecutive appearance in the Southern Section Division I final, but is 7-3 under first-year Coach Kevin Ricks, despite returning five of seven starters.

The No. 4 Eagles lost three times between Dec. 20 and 28 against teams ranked ahead them -- No. 1 Santa Ana Foothill (8-4), No. 2 Corona del Mar (8-6) and Newport Harbor (10-8).

Theories on the slow start vary. Some believe it has taken the players time to learn the system taught by Ricks, who arrived from UC Santa Barbara, where he was an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs. Others say the Eagles’ inexperience at goalkeeper leaves them vulnerable against the top teams.

Santa Margarita is coming off a 4-2 victory Saturday against ninth-ranked Los Alamitos.

-- Dan Arritt

More than 100 girls are expected to compete in the fourth annual Thousand Oaks girls’ wrestling tournament Saturday at Thousand Oaks High.

The tournament will feature 14 weight classes and is among the biggest all-girl tournaments in the state. Thousand Oaks Coach Shannon Williams-Yancey, a four-time national champion and 1998-2000 women’s national team coach, and four-time world champion Trisha Saunders will conduct a clinic.

Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. with the finals scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Bryan Osuna (112 pounds), Yuri Kalika (171) and Joe Williams (189) of Santa Ana Calvary Chapel are the top-seeded wrestlers in their weight classes for the Doc Buchanan Invitational wrestling tournament, which begins today at Clovis High.

The 45-team, two-day tournament features seven of the top 12 teams in the state rankings, including No. 2 Bakersfield, No. 3 Clovis and No. 4 Calvary Chapel.

-- Peter Yoon

The Small Schools Showcase on Saturday at Brethren Christian’s Warrior Center in Cypress features a game between Los Angeles Price, No. 17 in The Times’ boys’ basketball rankings, and Orange Lutheran.

The game between Price and Orange Lutheran starts at 8:30 p.m.

Other games include: Apple Valley Christian vs. San Diego Marian Catholic at 1 p.m.; Westlake Village Oaks Christian vs. La Jolla Country Day at 2:30; Covina Western Christian vs. Vista Tri-City Christian at 5:30 and Huntington Beach Brethren Christian vs. Santa Fe Christian at 7.

A girls’ game between Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Huntington Beach Brethren Christian will be played at 4 p.m.

Information: (714) 962-6617.

-- Ben Bolch

Running back Shannon Dorsey of San Bernardino San Gorgonio has committed to Fresno State. Teammate Royce Edgington, an offensive lineman, has committed to San Diego State.

Also committing to the Aztecs was linebacker Brett Martin of Corona Centennial.