Lowe’s Worries Finally End

Chad Lowe, an All-City linebacker, set a school record with 163 tackles last season for Los Angeles Dorsey.

On Feb. 2, letter of intent day, Lowe was in a near panic because he had not received scholarship offers.

The problem was Lowe didn’t take the SAT until Jan. 22, and no school was willing to offer a scholarship without a passing test score.

“He was a nervous wreck,” assistant coach Ralph Caldwell said.

On Feb. 4, Lowe learned his SAT score. It made him NCAA qualified, but his phone didn’t start ringing off the hook.

Most colleges already had given out their yearly allotment of football scholarships.

“I was worried,” Lowe said. “I feel I have a lot of talent and didn’t want to end up at a junior college.”

Lowe, 5 feet 11 and 235 pounds, could have saved himself lots of trouble had he taken the SAT during his junior year or last fall.

“I learned you have to take care of business ahead of time to avoid this mess and avoid stress,” he said.

Kansas State still had a scholarship to offer and learned about Lowe’s test score. Lowe visited Manhattan, Kan., on a recruiting trip with his mother two weekends ago and signed Feb. 28.

“I feel like the luckiest man in the world,” he said.

Lowe won’t forget the moment when he sat in Wildcat Coach Bill Snyder’s office and was offered a scholarship.

“I just smiled,” he said.

It was a positive ending to what could have been a recruiting nightmare.

Said Lowe: “Take care of business before the senior season.”

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All those waiting for Westchester to finally lose a City Section playoff game in boys’ basketball might have gray hair -- or none -- before it happens.

The Comets, who haven’t lost a playoff game since 1999, unveiled another future standout Saturday in the Forum. Freshman guard Jared Dubois, who played on the junior varsity team this season, scored eight points in Westchester’s 69-58 City final triumph over Fairfax.

“He’s going to be a great player,” Coach Ed Azzam said.

There are so many promising freshman guards playing at the varsity level this season that it’s going to be fun to see who ends up as the best.

Let’s see how the college recruiters try to separate Dubois, Chris Solomon of L.A. Fairfax, Brandon Jennings of Compton Dominguez, Jrue Holiday of North Hollywood Campbell Hall, Malik Story of Artesia, Dallas Rutherford of Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian and Larry Drew and Oscar Bellfield of Woodland Hills Taft.

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Former UCLA coach Jim Harrick is returning to high school basketball for the first time since his days at Inglewood Morningside. He’s scheduled to coach a travel team for the Pump brothers, Dana and David, and have former NBA players Adam Keefe and Ed O’Bannon as his assistant coaches.

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It’s time for Southern Section soccer coaches to get rid of their championship-game format that allows games to end in a tie. Sudden-death penalty kicks is the way to go. It’s dramatic, exciting and produces a champion. Ties are for little kids and parents who can’t accept defeat.

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Notable performances from the opening week of prep baseball:

Junior right-hander Kyle Thompson of West Hills Chaminade struck out 15 and pitched a perfect game in a 10-0 victory over Quartz Hill.

“It was an amazing performance,” said Mark Gubicza, Chaminade’s co-coach.

Riverside Poly pitchers Kyle Ocampo and Hector Rabago combined on a one-hitter to out-duel Trevor Bell and Crescenta Valley, 2-0. Bell was clocked throwing between 91 and 93 mph. He struck out eight and walked none.

Casey Greene of Woodland Hills El Camino Real hit a grand slam and a three-run home run in a 13-1 win over Camarillo.

Pepperdine-bound Bryce Stowell of La Habra, the reigning Freeway League player of the year, gave up three hits in a 1-0 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 by The Times.

Sophomore Matt Dominguez of Chatsworth, who had 65 runs batted in last season, is seven for eight with five RBIs in two games.

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For those who want to see more than a dozen baseball scouts pointing radar guns at a pitcher, show up for the season debut of Temple City right-hander Ryan Tucker. He’ll pitch today at home against La Canada St. Francis.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.