. . .WHAT IS THE VALUE OF X? : IF X IS THE SCHOLASTIC ASSESSMENT TEST, AND YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THAT TEST IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DIVISION I SCHOLARSHIP AND TWO YEARS AT THE LOCAL JC.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

Karalus Doyle wants to play football. But he nearly didn't get that chance. He failed to achieve the NCAA-mandated minimum score of 820 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test on his first attempt, becoming one of many high school athletess who struggle with the test.

Doyle, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back, started three years for Kennedy. At first, Doyle was courted by several Division I schools, including UCLA. But schools began to lose interest, when he couldn't make the grade.

Doyle eventally passed, learning of the result just this week. But, by that time, Washington State was his only choice.

The result meant everything to Doyle, who sees college as a necessity if he's going to succeed - and support himself and his 3-month-old son Izayah.

``My future,'' Doyle said before he learned of the result, ``is on the line.''

After learning he passed the test, Doyle expressed a mixture of happiness and relief.

``It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder. I've got some plans to make and I'll let people know that I worked hard to get here.''

The NCAA wants to ensure that only athletes who are capable of obtaining a college degree are admitted. Ten years after the NCAA began using the SAT as a primary criterion for student-athlete entry, many potential Division I athletes continue to struggle with the test.

There are many reasons: Intimidation, lack of preparation and improper guidance are significant factors; some coaches and educators have claimed the test is culturally biased.

And some question how a four-hour standardized test could be allowed to have such a profound effect on a young person's life.

``I admit that it is very important,'' USC associate athletic director Fred Strook said. ``But a standardized test is all we have to go on as far as a student's academic performance.''

Bob Francola, Doyle's Kennedy coach, who has had several players graduate from his program to Division I college football. He's also had players who didn't make it because they failed to meet the SAT requirement.

He said he drills into his ballplayers by their sophomore season the need to begin preparing for the test.

But when the NCAA began using the SAT as a prerequisite in 1985, Francola believes, it blindsided many players who were unprepared.

For example, Francola recalled that defensive back Stacy Ramsey was told by one scout that he was the best college prospect in America in 1986. But a troublesome sophomore year in the classroom, coupled with a low SAT score, prevented him from getting a scholarship.

``He wasn't prepared for it,'' Francola said. ``I'm sure it haunts Stacy to this day.''

To be eligible for a college scholarship, athletes must achieve a minimum score on either the SAT (820) or the American College Test (17) and a minimum grade-point average (2.5) in core high school classes. Athletes are disqualified from scholarship consideration for failing to meet either requirement. The average score for California high school students who took the test in 1995 was 902.

Former North Hollywood basketball player Fantasia Johnson, for example, had the required GPA but scored just 800 on the SAT.Instead of playing at an NCAA school, he is attending Trinity Valley Junior College in Texas.

For plenty of athletes, the SAT ``can be intimidating,'' said former USC fullback Terry Barnum.

``If you make it difficult, it can be difficult. You're asked to concentrate for long periods of time on a Saturday morning and it could mean your future. That's tough,'' Barnum said.

The test is given on Saturdays about every six weeks during the academic year and is open to students of any grade. Former San Fernando quarterback Leon Blunt - now at Arizona - took the SAT and ACT as a 10th-grader. But some athletes choose to wait until their senior year.

``Coach kept telling me about it, but I waited too long,'' Doyle said. ``I would suggest that everybody take it in 10th grade. I waited too long and I paid the price for it.''

Doyle said he put off taking the test because he was intimidated. And while it doesn't matter when one takes the test for eligibility, the earlier a player takes the test and passes, the better he can be recruited by colleges. And the less a player has to worry about.

``You have to be on these kids because some of them don't know how important this stuff is,'' Taft football coach Troy Starr said. ``When they're in the ninth or 10th grade, they're watching Nickelodeon; they don't know about it.''

Two Taft players went on to Division I schools last season: Jerry Brown (Oregon) and Dashon Polk (Arizona). Realizing by their sophomore seasons that they were potential Division I athletes, Starr had advisers plan their academic schedules and help them prepare for the SAT.

Starr said that while it was difficult for one coach to monitor the academic progress of several football players, some athletes do not succeed on the SAT because their coaches abandon them when their high school eligibility ends.

``Most coaches just don't want to put the time in because it's hard work,'' Starr said. ``I would not put my kids in that situation to fend for themselves.''

When the rules are changing yearly, passing the SAT or ACT remains a requirement for college athletics. Many universities no longer accept Proposition 48 cases, which allowed nonqualifying students to attend college but sit out their first year.

In the fall, Proposition 16, which allows partial qualifiers to attend school with need-based eligibility, will take effect.

Athletes who don't score the minimum could qualify under that rule, but many schools do not pursue nonqualifyers because they present academic problems before they even enter school.

``We generally do not look seriously at students that are partial qualifiers because we are such a high academic institution,'' USC's Strook said. ``We wouldn't be looking at students that don't meet the basic requirements.''

Francola saw former Kennedy defensive back Mark McMillan play for the Eagles last season. Then he thinks of Ramsey and wonders, what if he had made that score? Would he be in the NFL?

Doyle breathes a sigh of relief because he did make it. However, he did lose a shot at several Division I scholarship offers because he initially didn't qualify.

``I'm going to make sure Washington State doesn't regret this,'' Doyle said. ``But I'm also going to tell all the guys behind me to take the test before I did and prepare. This has a big effect on your life.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (color) ``It's like a weight has been lifted of f my shoulder.'' Karalus Doyle, the 6-foot-1 185-pound star defensive back at Kennedy High, after learning this week that he passed the SAT on his second attempt.

Tom Mendoza / Daily News

Box: How Would You Do?