Jones Quits Post at San Gabriel

Keith Jones, The Times’ 2003 football coach of the year, resigned his position at San Gabriel High on Tuesday, citing issues with the school administration.

“I would like to be in a situation where I have support,” Jones said. “I’ve been here six years, and promises were made, but I haven’t seen the change.”

Jones led San Gabriel to an 11-3 record this season. The Matadors won a playoff game for the first time in school history and advanced to the Southern Section Division VII championship game.

The biggest issue, he said, was the failure of the school to hire a full-time assistant coach. All nine San Gabriel assistants were walk-on coaches.

Jones will remain as a math teacher at San Gabriel but said he is actively seeking another football coaching position.

“I don’t want to step away from football,” he said.

Peter Yoon

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Two quarterbacks from the Foothill League, Sean Norton of Newhall Hart and Nate Longshore of Canyon Country Canyon, are among five Southern California players selected to the Parade magazine All-American football team.

Norton is scheduled to sign today with Fresno State and Longshore with California. The other players honored are receiver Anthony Celestine from Ridgecrest Burroughs, defensive lineman Brigham Harwell from Hacienda Heights Los Altos and lineman Thomas Herring from L.A. Fremont.

The complete team will appear in Sunday’s Parade magazine in The Times.

Eric Sondheimer

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Girls’ Basketball

San Diego High center Charde Houston became the leading scorer in California girls’ basketball history Tuesday afternoon, scoring 35 points in the Cavers’ 90-33 victory over San Diego Henry to run her career total to 3,472 points.

The 6-foot-2 Houston broke the record set 22 years ago by Cheryl Miller of Riverside Poly. Miller, who went on to lead USC to two NCAA championships and the United States to the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics, scored 3,446 points for the Bears from 1978 to 1982.

Houston, who averages 34.6 points for San Diego (20-3), has signed with Connecticut.

Eric Maddy

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Major Dennis, in his 22nd season of coaching girls’ basketball at Crenshaw, said this will be his last. Dennis, who coached the Cougars to five City Section championships and twice reached the state final, will continue as coach of the varsity baseball and freshman-sophomore boys’ basketball teams.

“It’s time for me to get a little rest,” said Dennis, adding that he expects assistant Erin Simon will take over the program.

Martin Henderson

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Boys’ Basketball

Corona Santiago can take a big step toward its first Mountain View League title with a victory tonight against five-time defending champion Corona Centennial.

The visiting Sharks (12-10, 5-1 in league) enter the game with a one-game lead over Centennial (15-7, 4-2) and Norco (11-12, 4-2).

Santiago has won five in a row, including a 51-40 victory over Centennial, after opening league play with a loss to last-place Jurupa Valley.

The Sharks are led by senior point guard Tim Denson, who averages 20 points and has made 39 three-point baskets in 21 games.

Dan Arritt

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Boys’ Soccer

Los Angeles Loyola and La Canada St. Francis, two programs that have combined to win the last nine Mission League titles, will meet in a crucial league game at St. Francis at 5 p.m. today.

Loyola (20-3-3, 7-1-1 in league) is the No. 2-ranked team in Southern Section Division II and the defending league champion, while No. 5 St. Francis (19-4-1, 7-0-1) is the defending Division II co-champion.

Loyola defeated St. Francis, 4-2, in the championship game of the South Torrance tournament in December, but the teams tied, 1-1, in overtime in league play last month.

John Ortega

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Miscellany

Some members of the Southern Section Executive Committee want to raise dues for its member schools next year, despite a state budget that calls for as much as $2 billion in spending cuts for public education.

The issue is expected to come up today when the Executive Committee discusses the 2004-05 budget at its regularly scheduled meeting.

Section Commissioner Jim Staunton opposes a dues increase, but proponents say it would be small -- a penny or two per student. The section has charged 23 cents per student since 1986.

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, the section had a budget of nearly $3 million. A 2-cent increase would generate about $14,600 in additional revenue, about what it costs for maintenance and upkeep on the section’s new headquarters in Los Alamitos.

Superintendent Gary Smidderks of Los Angeles Baptist said the Executive Committee has demonstrated fiscal restraint by holding the line on increases, and he questioned whether now is the right time for an increase.

“We don’t like to raise dues as a matter of pride,” he said.

Staunton said he thinks a raise won’t be necessary until 2005-2006.

The section has benefited in the last 15 years from the addition of new schools, particularly in the Inland Empire, and marketing, which, at the time of the last increase, made up only 5% of the budget but now makes up almost a quarter of the annual revenue.

Nevertheless, the section ran a $60,000 deficit last year, in large part because of increased insurance and employee-related costs and its move from a leased building in Cerritos to the one it purchased in Los Alamitos.

-- Paul McLeod