AFTER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS, LIFE GOES ON.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON

GITTELSON BITS

As another school year begins to wind down, it's important to remember there is life after high school sports. Proof? Here are some examples:

Cara Blumfield (El Camino Real softball, 1999), considered one of the City Section's all-time greatest players, is an ABC sports television producer in Los Angeles.

Todd Bowser (Montclair Prep basketball, 1986), a key figure in Montclair Prep's multisports dynasty of the 1980s, is a corporate executive at Hertz. A man-child at 6feet8 and 285pounds in high school, Bowser's best sport was basketball, but he also was a top football player. He played basketball at CalState Northridge.

Rob Cavallo (Montclair Prep basketball, 1981) is a vice president at Reprise, a top record company. He's also a Grammy-winning producer for Green Day, and he has produced acts such as Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and My Chemical Romance.

Mike Conover (Canoga Park football, 1988), an All-City multipurpose standout who was a top kicker, is a Mercedes automotive service manager in the San Fernando Valley.

Gary Cox (Antelope Valley football and track, 1972), a 2,000-yard rusher and the second-fastest Californian in the 100-yard dash as a senior, is a co-partner in an accounting firm.

David Enzer (Taft basketball and track, 1978), considered one of the San Fernando Valley's best all-around athletes in the 1970s, is the managing director of Roth Capital Partner, one of the Southland's top investment corporations.

Ernie Figueroa (Canyon football, 1987) always will be remembered for catching a last-second touchdown pass against rival Antelope Valley in 1986, only to see the Cowboys fail on the ensuing two-point conversion to lose by a point and end a 46-game winning streak. Today, he is a grocery store manager in Santa Clarita.

Nicole Giordano (Saugus softball, 1997), whom many consider the area's fastest softball player ever, is a real-estate agent. She was an All- American at Arizona before playing for the U.S. national team.

Alan Grant (St. Francis football and track, 1985), who played at Stanford and in the NFL, is a journalist who contributes to espn.com and ESPN The Magazine.

Dyson Hamner (Burbank football, basketball and track, 1981), a gifted athlete who high-jumped 6-10 in high school, is an orthopedic surgeon in San Diego.

Jennifer Jenkins (Boron softball, 2000), one in a long line of star pitchers for the Bobcats, played at Antelope Valley College before returning to Boron, where she owns a hair salon.

Dennis Keyes (Grant football, 1981), a legendary Pop Warner tailback for the Mid-Valley Rams whose prep career was slowed by injuries, is a successful technician. He has five children, including Dennis Jr., a top defensive back at UCLA who starred at Birmingham High.

Monte Marcaccini (Notre Dame basketball, 1994) co-owns a local Italian ice cream company with his brothers Giancarlo (Notre Dame) and Gian-Andre (Crespi). Monte led Notre Dame to a 1993 section title.

Harvey Mason (Crescenta Valley basketball, 1985), who averaged 25.7 points per game as a senior before playing for Arizona, is a record producer and label owner who recently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone. His L.A. company, Underdog Entertainment (a division of Clive Davis' JRecords), specializes in pop and R&B.

Dan Massari (Antelope Valley football and baseball, 1971), one of the High Desert's top multisport athletes in his day, owns a local chiropractic practice.

Tony Moskal (Crespi track, 1982) is a teacher and girls' golf coach at Golden Valley High. He's also a community sports personality on radio and television.

Chuck Osborne (Canyon football, 1992), one of the toughest offensive linemen in area history who made it to the NFL, manages a successful mortgage company in Boston.

Mike Phillips (Kennedy football, 1982), one of the Valley's fastest players in his day, is a top-level personal trainer who has appeared in television commercials.

Billy Ray (Birmingham tennis, 1981) is a screenwriter/director whose recent cinema credits include "Breach," "Flightplan" and "Shattered Glass." He studied film at UCLA.

[e-mail]

[phone]