CHATTER: FRONTIER LEAGUE'S FOOTBALL DAYS MIGHT BE NUMBERED.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

The St. Bonaventure of Ventura football team is being told it's too good, and the Malibu and Santa Clara of Oxnard teams are basically saying they aren't good enough.

As a result, you might want to take a good look at the current makeup of the Frontier and Tri-Valley leagues because next year could mark a complete overhaul - at least in football.

In fact, under a proposal being discussed by the athletic directors from both leagues, the Frontier might cease operations as a football league altogether and give way to a bigger Tri-Valley League.

``We're trying to come up with the best possible plan for everyone involved,'' St. Bonaventura athletic director Mark Groff said.

Here is the lowdown: St. Bonaventure, which has dominated Division XI football the last few years, will move to Division IV Channel League next season, although the Seraphs will remain a member of the Tri-Valley League in all other sports.

St. Bonaventure didn't ask for the move, it was made for them by athletic directors from Northern Region schools, an area that stretches from Agoura Hills to Paso Robles. It was made in response to the Seraphs' recent success and the fact the Channel League needed one more team to form a six-team conference.

``It wasn't something we were looking to do,'' Groff said. ``But ultimately, we didn't have any say in the matter.

Meanwhile, Malibu and Santa Clara - both members of the Frontier League - are expected become freelance football teams after years of struggling.

The two moves - along with Calabasas shifting to the Marmonte League next season from the Frontier - created a four-team Tri-Valley League in football (Oak Park, Carpenteria, Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara and Fillmore) and a three-team Frontier (Santa Paula, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Nordhoff of Ojai), numbers that weren't acceptable to either league.

So the two leagues decided to join forces to create a bigger Tri-Valley League for football only. The proposal is to be voted on next month by the Southern Section, but if things go as plan, the new Tri-Valley football league will consist of Nordhoff, Oak Park, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Oaks Christian, Carpinteria and Bishop Diego.

``After considering a number of different plans, this was the most appealing scenario for everyone,'' Groff said. ...

With so many other talented players on both sides of the ball, today's Thousand Oaks-Royal showdown for first place in the Marmonte League isn't just ``(Ben) Olson vs. (James) Cox. The other 21 guys on the field won't want to hear that,'' Royal coach Gene Uebelhardt said.

But Uebelhardt does understand there won't be many games in the region featuring two more highly recruited quarterbacks than Thousand Oaks' Olson and Royal's Cox.

Olson, who has narrowed his choices to Brigham Young, Stanford and UCLA, has benefited from a solid running game, an improving offensive line and several dependable receivers.

``It makes my job easy,'' Olson said of sure-handed Dave Anderson, Kevin Rex and Corey Mazza. ``I just throw the ball to them and they make me happy.''

Cox, already committed to Colorado, was cherished by the Buffaloes because of his ability to run and throw. And what about his toughness?

``I think a lot of people forget that all the Pac-10 schools recruited James to play free safety,'' Uebelhardt said. ...

Jesse Perez, a L.A. City College baseball player from Burroughs High in Burbank, has orally committed to Cal State Northridge.