La Quinta’s Kennedy Is Sidelined

Westminster La Quinta pitcher Ian Kennedy will miss at least three weeks because of a fracture in his left kneecap.

Kennedy, who has signed with USC and is expected to be a high draft choice, initially injured the knee in an outfield collision with a teammate in a preseason scrimmage.

The injury was believed to be a deep bruise and Kennedy continued to play, but the fracture was discovered during a medical exam Monday. If the injury has not healed when Kennedy returns to the doctor on April 7, he likely will undergo season-ending surgery that would sideline him three to six months.

Kennedy is 2-0 and has a save for La Quinta, which defeated Santa Ana Mater Dei, 7-2, on Thursday. He has 23 strikeouts and one walk in 13 innings. He is hitting .400 with five runs batted in.

“With his presence on the mound, his hitting and his leadership, losing him is like losing three players,” Coach Dave Demarest said.

-- Mike Bresnahan

Several of the state’s top distance runners will compete Saturday in the Meet of Champions Distance Classic at Azusa Pacific.

Michael Poe of Etiwanda, Phillip Reid of Oxnard Rio Mesa and Manuel Ruiz of North Hills Monroe head the list of entries in the boys’ meet, while Liza Pasciuto of Murrieta Valley and Kelsey Delagardelle and Danielle Varela of Hesperia Sultana top the girls’ entries.

Poe will run in the 800 and 3,200 meters. Reid will attempt to defend his title in the 1,600. Ruizwill run in the 3,200.

Pasciuto will try to win the 800 and 3,200 for the second consecutive year. Delagardelle and Varela are entered in the 1,600 and 3,200.

The meet, which consists of numerous races in the 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200 and 2,000 steeplechase, starts at 10 a.m. The girls’ invitational 3,200 is scheduled to start at 8:45 p.m. with the boys’ 3,200 at 9.

-- John Ortega

Corona del Mar and Fullerton Troy are two of 16 boys’ tennis teams competing in the fourth National High School All-American tournament today and Saturday at six sites in Orange County.

The competition features top teams from Northern California and Hawaii as well as the local area playing in an eight-game, pro-set format similar to collegiate matches. Teams will play each other straight up in six singles and three doubles matches, with top players allowed to compete in both lineups.

Orinda (Calif.) Miramonte is the top-seeded team in the tournament, followed by No. 2 Punahou School of Honolulu. The Times’ top-ranked team, Corona del Mar, which won the tournament for the first time last year, is seeded third, and second-ranked Troy is seeded No. 4.

Other area teams scheduled to participate are Brentwood, ranked No. 6 by The Times, and North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, which is ranked eighth and finished fifth in last year’s tournament.

Top individual players include Garrett Snyder and Carsten Ball of Corona del Mar; Jeffrey Das of Troy; Eric McKean of Brentwood; Chris Rasmussen, Michael Ricks and Drew Diefenbach of Miramonte; Robert Lim, Ryan Laws, Chris Iwamura and Jonathan Farm of Punahou.

-- Lauren Peterson