BURNLEY'S OREGON STATE PLANS DERAILED.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

Valencia High football player Charles Burnley's sad and disappointing story has taken a turn for the worse. The troubled but talented running back has not met NCAA academic qualifications and won't be able to accept a football scholarship to Oregon State, which begins practice today.

``He is not academically qualified,'' school spokesman Hal Kowan said. ``I can't get into it much more than that because we're dealing with grade issues.''

Burnley might play at College of the Canyons this fall according to COC coach Chuck Lyon. Burnley was not available for comment.

Burnley rushed for more than 3,500 yards over the past two seasons and was considered the region's top high school running back last fall. He was arrested for battery and suspended from school for a week midway through the season because of the on-campus incident. He eventually agreed to a plea bargain of six months probation in juvenile court.

Last spring, Burnley was placed on academic probation and could not participate in track and field.

--Tanner Lusk, a 5-year-old cancer patient from Santa Clarita and a big- time baseball fan, visited with David Eckstein of the Angels at Edison Field before Saturday's game.

The two played catch along the third-base line, then traded autographed balls. Eckstein signed a baseball for Lusk, and Lusk signed a softball for Eckstein.

``That was Tanner's way of saying thank you. A softball was easier to sign because she writes so big,'' said Lusk's mother, Marjorie Lusk. ``David Eckstein is her favorite player because he looks like her dad. She loves sports and is a big Angels fan. It was a lot of fun. She was unbelievably excited to be out there on the field.''

--Saugus High's Jennifer Zev never played an inning of varsity softball because of injuries and academic problems. But she has managed to land a softball scholarship with Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, an NAIA school with about 500 students.

Zev, a pitcher, gained notice based on her travel-ball experience and a video she sent to coaches.

``The video is what got me signed,'' she said.

Indiana Tech finished 13-36 last season, so Zev figures to have a chance to make an immediate impact.

--James Bonds, a 10-year-old who's among the key players for Hart's high-powered Mustang baseball team, is what you'd call ``a natural.'' The son of former Hart High/UCLA football standout Jim Bonds (now the football coach at St. Francis High in La Canada), Bonds first was spotted four years ago on the sidelines of football games - throwing 30-yard spirals before games.

But the youngster showed his first hints of athletic talent much earlier - when he was less than 2 years old, according to his grandfather, Billy Grimes.

``I bought him one of those big plastic bats, and he was hitting the ball when he was 1 1/2,'' Grimes said. ``Actually, James wasn't just making contact, he was pulling flyballs.''

--As one of the nation's top high school football recruits, Canyon quarterback Nate Longshore is getting lots of publicity and exposure - most recently at the national Student Sports Elite 11 camp in San Juan Capistrano last month.

But his brother, 22-year-old Nick Longshore, is quite a football story himself.

Four years after graduating from Canyon, the elder Longshore, an offensive lineman, has decided to make a comeback. He's joined the team at College of the Canyons and rapidly is proving himself impressive enough to earn a starting spot.

``It's been pretty hard because I was away from football so long. But I just didn't want to let go of the dream,'' said Longshore, a 6-foot-5, 285- pounder who spent two years in the Philippines on a Mormon mission.

``I'm older than most of my teammates. They call me dad.''

--Multisport standout Caleb Sulham, a recent Santa Clarita Christian graduate, has enrolled at Biola University in La Mirada, where he plans to play basketball as a recruited walk-on.

--Santa Clarita Christian's eight-man football team has 34 players - a significant increase from last year's 21 - and the team is expected to finish better than .500 this fall for the first time since 1999.

Stephen Mercier switches from receiver to quarterback and he's expected to be among the best players on the team, along with linebacker Orlandi Pena.

``I'm more excited about this group than any team we've had,'' coach Garrick Moss said.

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Tanner Lusk, a 5-year-old cancer patient from Santa Clarita, visited with the Angels' David Eckstein at Edison Field on Saturday.