`DREAM COME TRUE' FOR EL CAMINO VICTORY OVER RIVALS A FITTING END TO SEASON.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

Chatsworth may own America when it comes to high school baseball, but when it comes to the San Fernando Valley even the Chancellors bow down to El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

El Camino Real emphatically drove that fact home on a sun-splashed afternoon at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, crushing the two-time defending national champion Chancellors 5-1 to capture the 2005 City Section championship.

It was El Camino Real's fourth citywide baseball championship overall, and every one of them has come against the Chancellors, the Conquistadores' West Valley League rivals.

In fact, since dropping the 1990 title game to Chatsworth at Chavez Ravine, the Conquistadores have not lost at Dodger Stadium.

``It's a dream come true - something you can't really even explain,'' said El Camino Real (28-6) catcher Sammy Donabedian, who was 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

``To come to Dodger Stadium, a place you grow up admiring, and win a championship against a great team like Chatsworth - it doesn't get any better than that.''

For El Camino Real, it was a fitting end to a stormy season that yielded more than its share of troubling moments and hardship.

Twice this season the Conquistadores have been embroiled in controversy - the first after an ugly, racially motivated fight against Poly of Sun Valley in which the parent of an ECR player charged into the Poly dugout to confront a Poly coach.

The fight cost ECR two forfeit losses - the Poly game and a West Valley League game against Cleveland of Reseda - and threatened to derail the Conqistadores season.

``Our guys were teetering on the edge of throwing the towel in right there,'' El Camino Real coach Matt LaCour said. ``But for some reason they showed resiliency you don't always see in 16- and 17-year-old kids.''

The second was when fingers pointed ECR's way after the Chatsworth baseball field was twice vandalized during a series against the Conquistadores. No one from ECR was ever implicated in the incident, but it was guilt by assumption as far as the Conquistadores were concerned.

``It was like we were getting (blamed) for all this stuff, and it was a big distraction,'' Donabedian said. ``But we handled it like men, and that's why I'm so proud to be a part of this team.''

That was never more true than on Saturday, when gutsy junior pitcher Eric Pettis delivered the performance of a lifetime, handcuffing the powerful Chancellors on two hits while striking out six.

Pettis punched out 20 of the last 22 batters he faced, thoroughly dominating Chatsworth after giving up a solo home run to Matt Dominguez in the top of the first inning.

``It was pure adrenaline; I honestly didn't even think I had it in me,'' Pettis said. ``But after that first home run, I just sort of settled down and started focusing on every pitch. Fortunately, I was able to get the job done.''

Donabedian, a senior catcher, answered back in the bottom of the first inning when he launched a long double to left field, than scored on a ground out by J.P. Hollywood.

The Conquistadores took a 2-1 lead in the third when Donabedian scored on a base hit by Dominic D'Anna, then blew it open in the bottom of the sixth inning on a two-run triple by Shaun Kort.

``I was just glad I could get some run support for (Pettis),'' said Kort. ``He was pitching a great game.''

That the victory came against ECR's league archrivals made it more sweet, if not predictable. It's becoming more and more obvious every time the Conquistadores and Chancellors step onto Dodger Stadium's well-manicured together to play the biggest game of the year: ECR just seems to know how to prevail.

``It's something you really can't explain,'' said LaCour, who played and coached at Chatsworth. ``For some reason, we know how to play in big games.''

Chatsworth came into this season on a 50-game win streak, an accomplishment that earned the Chancellors (29-4) two straight national championships.

But that didn't seem to faze ECR, which beat Chatsworth three times this year. The Chancellors' only other loss was to Hart of Newhall.

``I thought we had the ability to beat them last year but we just didn't get the job done,'' Pettis said. ``We got over that mental hump and now it seems like we got their number.''

Of course, it helped that Pettis pitched the game of his young life. From the second inning on, he was in command. Behind him, his teammates watched in awe.

``He was amazing,'' Kort said.

They all were.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) El Camino Real High School players celebrate their 5-1 win Saturday over longtime rival and defending national champions Chatsworth High in the 2005 City Section championship game, played at Dodger Stadium.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer