City Section Votes in Favor of Implementing Shot Clock

The City Section governing board, which will represent 9% of a February state-wide vote regarding the implementation of a shot clock in boys’ basketball, agreed Monday to vote in favor of a clock.

The board then voted that the setting of the proposed clock should be 35 seconds instead of 30, as used in girls’ basketball.

On Feb. 7, the State Federated Council puts the issue to a vote, with input from all 10 of the state’s sections. If a shot clock is approved for the 1997-98 season, another vote will take place regarding length of time setting.

Pac-10 bound: Two Palmdale High players have committed to play football at Pacific 10 Conference schools.

Wide receiver Malosi Leonard chose Arizona and tackle Vincent Sandoval picked Oregon State.

Leonard, 6 feet 2 and 210 pounds, also considered UCLA and California. He had only 14 receptions for 246 yards last season for the Falcons, but seven catches were for touchdowns.

Leonard, who returned two interceptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, could play wide receiver, tight end or linebacker for the Wildcats.

Sandoval, a 6-5, 285-pound Times’ All-Valley selection, led the Falcons to a 9-3 record and a share of the Golden League championship. He chose the Beavers over Boise State, Colorado State and Nevada Las Vegas.

More commitments: Taft High defensive back Keith Johnson has committed to Oregon State.

He intercepted two passes and, as a wide receiver, caught 36 passes for 716 yards and seven touchdowns, helping the Toreadors advance to the 4-A final.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I could get away and concentrate on school,” Johnson said.

Other college commitments in the region include:

North Hollywood High outside linebacker Devon Rose has committed to UNLV.

The 6-foot, 200-pounder, who also saw time at fullback, was named All-Valley Pac-8 Conference last season. He chose UNLV over Nevada and Oregon State.

All-state wide receiver Jermaine Brooks of Pierce College has committed to Pittsburgh.

Brooks, from Highland High, last season had 63 receptions for 769 yards and eight touchdowns.

New Matadors: Former Crespi High and Valley College defensive lineman Brett Nordyke is among three more football players who transferred this week to Cal State Northridge.

Nordyke, who redshirted last season at Fresno State, is joined by Ryan Schatz, a tight end from Fullerton College, and Chris Chandler, a defensive back from Mesa College in San Diego. All three will be juniors in the fall.

Thomas transfers: Jeramie Thomas, who played receiver, running back and defensive back at Northridge last season, has transferred to Garden City Community College in Kansas in an effort to return to Colorado State for the 1998 season.

Thomas redshirted during the 1995 season at Colorado State before transferring to Northridge.

Throwing in towel: The Antelope Valley College Throws Festival, which had been revived by Marauder track and field Coach Mark Covert last year, has been put on hold for at least a year because of a new ruling by the NCAA.

The festival, scheduled to be held at Antelope Valley College on Apr. 16-17, was expected to attract world- and national-class competitors in the men’s and women’s shotput, discus, javelin and hammer throw because anyone setting a world record would have been awarded $200,000, with a American-record performance earning $100,000.

Problems arose when Covert discovered a new NCAA rule stipulating that qualifying marks for the NCAA championships must come in meets that consist of at least 10 men’s and 10 women’s events.

With the throws festival consisting of only four men’s and women’s events and scheduled to be held only two days before the Mt. San Antonio College Relays, Covert figured he wouldn’t be able to attract any elite college athletes.

“I don’t think it’d be worth putting on the meet if we’re only going to do it halfway,” Covert said.

Mission’s loss: Carlos Cabrera, a midfielder on the Mission College men’s soccer team and a 1996 All-Western State Conference selection, is academically ineligible and has dropped out of school, Coach Adolpho Perez said.

Cabrera, a former Sylmar High standout and a member of The Times’ 1995-96 all-area team, had 13 goals and 12 assists for Mission last season.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Girls Basketball Top 10

Rankings of regional high schools by sportswriters of The Times:

*--*

RK LW TEAM (League) REC. 1 1 Buena (Channel) 15-2 2 2 Crescenta Valley (Pacific) 18-2 3 3 Palmdale (Golden) 19-3 4 5 Bell-Jeff (Camino Real) 20-1 5 4 Quartz Hill (Golden) 12-2 6 6 Alemany (Mission) 16-2 7 7 No. Hollywood (Valley Pac-8) 15-3 8 8 Kennedy (Northwest Valley) 16-3 9 9 Harvard-Westlake (Mission) 15-6 10 10 Nordhoff (Frontier) 16-3

*--*

Boys Basketball Top 10

Rankings of regional high schools by sportswriters of The Times:

*--*

RK LW TEAM (League) REC. 1 1 Harvard-Westlake (Mission) 22-1 2 3 Antelope Valley (Golden) 16-6 3 2 Simi Valley (Marmonte) 16-2 4 5 Rio Mesa (Channel) 14-3 5 4 Cleveland (Northwest Valley) 15-4 6 8 Hart (Foothill) 16-5 7 8 Channel Islands (Marmonte) 14-4 8 10 Chaminade (Mission) 14-5 9 9 L.A. Baptist (Alpha) 18-1 10 NR Newbury Park (Marmonte) 12-7

*--*