CANYON'S BIG 3.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON

Has there been a time when Canyon High's football program has had three Division I college prospects the quality of quarterback Nate Longshore, linebacker Andrew Shantz and running back Louis Montano?

Not recently.

This threesome, all seniors-to-be, are raising their stock by the minute, even during the offseason.

Longshore, who is 6-foot-5 and passed for more than 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns to carry Canyon to a 10-2 record last year, is a Student Sports ``Elite 11'' candidate. That means he could be named one of the nation's top 11 quarterback prospects. With two of Canyon's top three pass receivers returning, Longshore should be more productive than ever this season.

``He's receiving college letters on a daily basis,'' Canyon coach Harry Welch said.

Shantz and Montano are coming on strong after relatively anonymous junior seasons.

Shantz, who missed the first half of last year recovering from a foot injury, has gained nearly 20 pounds of muscle. He came through with a huge performance at the Nike training camp at USC this past Sunday - weighing in at 221 pounds, running a blazing-fast 4.52 40-yard dash and bench-pressing 185 pounds 21 times - and soon everyone will know who he is.

``We had 380 prospects at the Nike camp, and Shantz was probably the top linebacker,'' organizer Greg Biggins said. ``He's a man. He looks like an ultimate fighter with his shaved head.''

One day earlier, Montano, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards, caught 24 passes and scored 21 touchdowns last year, was named the top lifter at a weight-lifting contest for football players in Ridgecrest.

``One of the coaches in Ridgecrest said Louis was the only player who completely dominated,'' Welch said.

--What has happened to Canyon High's baseball team? After advancing to the Southern Section Div. II final a year ago, then winning seven of its first nine this season (including a surprisingly easy victory over favored Valencia), Canyon lost to Burroughs of Burbank and Saugus last week - a major ouch considering the latter two had entered the week as the last-place teams in the Foothill League.

Such a development wasn't exactly the momentum Canyon (7-4, 3-3) was hoping for because the Cowboys play first-place Valencia twice this week, once late Tuesday and again Friday.

For what it's worth, coach Adam Schulhofer refuses to go into panic mode.

``It happens,'' Schulhofer said. ``We're not going to change anything. It's still pretty early in the year.''

--Although Saugus baseball player Mike Scripture has his life back on track for his senior season, he showed that doing so is a daily battle.

Scripture was suspended for one game last week for disciplinary reasons.

``We were disappointed in his actions,'' said coach Casey Burrill, who didn't go into detail. ``But I'm sure all of us have made some poor choices when we were in high school.''

Scripture did not return a phone call seeking comment.

--Valencia Nissan has signed on as an official sponsor to the Ice Station High School Hockey League, and the dealership is offering a $1,000 ``College Head Start'' scholarship award.

The league's high school seniors can apply for the award by writing a 1,000-word essay based on the topic: ``Why do you want to go to college and what value do you place on education?''

To be eligible for the scholarship, the candidate must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average. A five-member committee will determine the winning student athlete. Essays must be submitted by May 19. The award will be presented at Ice Station on June 9.

--And finally, one of my favorite reference books, ``The Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball,'' has made liars out of so many people who have claimed to have made it to the majors.

As a kid, I once spent a whole summer going through every page. One of my favorite players was Jim Garry. He appeared in one game for the Boston Beaneaters in 1893 - one inning actually - and finished his career with a 63.00 ERA. I think that's the highest ever.

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Canyon running back Louis Montano was named the top lifter at a weight-lifting contest for football players in Ridgecrest.