CHATTER: NEWS AND NOTES FROM LOCAL SPORTS ESPN RECRUITING OAKS CHRISTIAN FOR 2006 SEASON OPENER.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Knowing that a superb sophomore group including quarterback Jimmy Clausen and running back Marc Tyler will be seniors in 2006, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village is looking to beef up its football schedule for that year.

The school has been contacted by ESPN to open the 2006 season live on the cable sports station against whatever team wins this year's Ohio state title. The game would be in Columbus, Ohio - at Ohio State - with all expenses paid by the station.

Nothing has been finalized, but Oaks Christian expressed interest, and athletic director Jan Hethcock is waiting to receive the proposal in writing.

Hethcock also is in talks for the Lions to play St. Bonaventure of Ventura in 2006. St. Bonaventure is the team Oaks Christian most often is compared to. Also a private school, St. Bonaventure dominated Div. XI for years before moving up to Div. IV just before Oaks Christian began its reign atop the small-school division.

``I think it would be a great game for (Ventura) county,'' Hethcock said. ``Two great coaches and two great programs. It would draw a lot of attention. Both of us want to play, it's just a matter of working out a date and seeing if we can schedule a two-year deal.''

Oaks Christian is located in Los Angeles County, just a few yards east of the Ventura County line.

--With a fifth-place finish in the high jump at the Southern Section Div. III track and field finals Saturday at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Harvard-Westlake of Studio City junior Bridget Ballard added to one of the most impressive athletic resumes of any individual in the region during the 2004-05 school year.

Ballard competed in four sports - cross country, soccer, swimming and track and field - for the Wolverines and advanced to the postseason in every one of them. In addition, all four teams won Mission League titles, and Ballard won the league high jump title and contributed to Harvard-Westlake's league-title winning 200-yard medley relay swim team.

Ballard also was part of Harvard-Westlake's victory in the 200 freestyle relay and third-place effort in the 200 medley relay May 13 at the Div. I swim finals, then qualified for the high jump finals the next day at the division track and field prelims.

Ballard finished 38th at the Div. III cross country finals in November, then received all-league and all-Div. I honors for the Wolverines' girls' soccer team earlier this year.

--Paraclete of Lancaster lineman Zach Anderson signed a letter of intent with Div. III Augustana College in Illinois. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Anderson could fit in nicely for Augustana, which runs the Wing-T offense - as does Paraclete.

--UCLA women's soccer coach Jillian Ellis included Bruins defender Mary Castelanelli, midfielder Jill Oakes (Harvard-Westlake of Studio City) and forward Danesha Adams on her roster for the U.S. under-21 national team's camp this week at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Ellis, debuting as U-21 coach, also called in Olympians Heather O'Reilly and Lindsay Tarpley.

Running concurrently is the first U-20 women's camp. Coach Tim Schultz's roster includes UCLA signings Kelsey Davis (Thousand Oaks High) and Christina DiMartino and USC signings Amy Rodriguez, Ashley Nick and Meagan Holmes. Rodriguez and Holmes starred for the team, then a U-19 group, at the FIFA World Championship last fall.

--Former Glendale football coach Loi Phan has joined the Burbank football staff as an assistant.

--Former Simi Valley football coach Karl Zierhut will coach next season at Capital Christian, a small school in Sacramento that finished 0-10 last season. Simi Valley had lost 22 straight games when he took over in 2003. In his final two seasons with the team, Simi Valley went 10-10.

--Former El Camino Real of Woodland Hills and College of the Canyons pitcher Will Savage did well in his first season at Oklahoma. He led the team in victories, going 8-3 with a 3.73 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 84 innings.

--Sweden's Djurgarden/Alvsjo, featuring former UCLA women's soccer standout Venus James, lost in the second leg of the UEFA Women's Cup final to Germany's FFC Turbine Potsdam 3-1, losing the two-match European club championship on aggregate 5-1.

--Taft of Woodland Hills baseball coach Greg Venger has resigned after his second season. Applications for the position can be faxed to Taft at [phone].

--Hoover of Glendale has openings for boys' and girls' water polo head coaches and football assistant coaches. Those interested can contact athletic director Jack Van Patten at [phone] or jvanpatten(at)gusd.net.

Erik Boal, Scott French, Gerry Gittelson and Heather Gripp contributed.

Matthew Kredell, [phone]

matthew.kredell(at)dailynews.com

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

SHANNON MURAKAMI

Sophomore, Saugus

Murakami joined Louisville of Woodland Hills senior Elizabeth Olear as the only area females to win two individual titles at Saturday's Southern Section track and field finals at Cerritos College. Murakami not only captured Div. I crowns in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, she also recorded the fastest qualifying marks of 4 minutes, 50.71 seconds and 10:46.95 entering Friday's Masters Meet.

JAMERE HOLLAND

Junior, Taft of Woodland Hills

Holland continued to build momentum entering the City Section track and field finals by clocking the nation's fastest high school time of 10.38 seconds in the 100 meters and the state's fastest mark of 21.11 in the 200 at Thursday's prelims. Holland bettered his national-leading mark of 10.4 in the 100. He regained the state lead in the 200 from Lincoln of Stockton's Devin Mays, who ran 21.13 in late April.

UP & COMER

JAMEY KER

Valencia

The freshman outside hitter has followed the path of older brothers Tony - a freshman at UCLA - and Kevin, a junior setter for the Vikings, to help Valencia reach the semifinals for the fifth consecutive year with Friday's sweep of Laguna Beach in the Southern Section Div. II quarterfinals. In his first two playoff matches, Ker has produced 22 kills.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 7 boxes

Photo:

(1) SHANNON MURAKAMI

(2) JAMERE HOLLAND

(3) JAMEY KER

Box:

(1) ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (see text)

(2) UP & COMER (see text)

(3) THINK YOU KNOW?

(4) RANDOM NUMBER

(5) THEY SAID IT

(6) DAY PLANNER

(7) TRIVIA ANSWER