FOOTHILL WITHOUT A BASKETBALL TITLE.Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports High school basketball playoffs begin this week, and the burning question is will a Foothill League team win a boys' championship? It hasn't happened since the current alignment, of four local teams and two from Burbank, started evolving in the late 1980s - despite success through the years in football, baseball, volleyball and other boys' sports. Of the six schools competing in the Foothill League, Saugus is the only one to win a title - defeating now-defunct Rolling Hills Rolling hills are like a mountain chain, only a "hill chain" of hills that roll on and on continually. You will often find them in between plains and mountains, near major rivers, or randomly anywhere. The only places without rolling hills are deserts and flood plains. of Rolling Hills Estates 66-53 in the 1987 3-A championship - but competed in the Golden League that season. Hart, so strong in so many sports, has appeared in one boys' basketball title game, and that was 46 years ago. The Indians lost to San Marino San Marino, city, United States San Marino (săn mərē`nō), residential city (1990 pop. 12,959), Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1913. Of interest is the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. 64-59 in the 1959 2-A championship. Valencia, Canyon and Burbank have never reached a boys' basketball final, and Burroughs of Burbank lost 46-35 to Alhambra in the 1955 major-division final. A lot of years, a lot of botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. opportunities. No one cuts the nets around here, that's for sure. So what's the problem? Hart's longtime athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic , Mike Herrington, a Foothill League historian, isn't sure. ``I really wouldn't consider it a dry spell,'' Herrington said. ``It's just been hard to win a CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). title.'' Of course, that doesn't explain Hart's eight football titles, seven in Herrington's 15-year tenure as head coach. ``It's a little bit easier to win a football title,'' he said with a shrug. ``I suppose in basketball you need a lot of height and a lot of athletic ability.'' Realistically, this year's batch of boys' teams - Valencia and Hart are competing in the Div. I-AA playoffs, and Saugus, Canyon and Burbank are in the Div. I-A bracket - don't stand much of a chance. Saugus is seeded highest at No. 8 but is coming off a bewildering be·wil·der tr.v. be·wil·dered, be·wil·der·ing, be·wil·ders 1. To confuse or befuddle, especially with numerous conflicting situations, objects, or statements. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. 54-38 loss to third-place Hart in Thursday's finale, ruining an opportunity for Saugus to claim its first league title since 1983. Valencia is No. 11 in a division loaded with powerful teams, and it's difficult to imagine the Vikings advancing too far without a dominant point guard nor a capable center. The good news is baseball season is right around the corner - and spring football drills begin in May. --Hart football standout Eric Herskovitz, a two-year defensive-line starter who totaled 87 tackles and nine sacks last season, has committed to Valparaiso in Indiana, a Division I-AA university that doesn't grant athletic scholarships. Herskovitz is slated to play linebacker in college. Valparaiso competes in the Pioneer Football Conference, which includes San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , so Herskovitz figures to play on the West Coast during his career. In other Hart football news, receiver Evan Surratt declined a scholarship offer from Division I-AA New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). after an official visit. His plan is to spend next fall at a prep school. --College of the Canyons' baseball team needs to eat its Wheaties. The Cougars went the first two weeks of the season without a home run until Nick Petrucci finally unloaded in the fifth game, a 4-2 loss Thursday at Rio Hondo Rio Hondo may refer to:
--Briana Bernardi, a former Hart softball standout who is a senior at Flagstaff Flagstaff, city (1990 pop. 45,857), seat of Coconino co., N Ariz., near the San Francisco Peaks; inc. 1894. Lumbering, ranching, and a lively tourist trade thrive in the region, where many ruined pueblos, numerous state parks, several lakes, and large pine forests (Ariz.) High, probably will accept a scholarship to Kentucky or UNLV UNLV University of Nevada, Las Vegas . She visited Kentucky last weekend, and her father, Gary, is an assistant football coach at UNLV. Another option is Fresno State, to which Bernardi's twin brother, Joe, has accepted a football scholarship. She no longer is considering Loyola Marymount, the first school to offer her a scholarship. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Saugus, with Sam Hein, right, is seeking its first Southern Section basketball title since 1987. The Centurions are competing in Div. I-A, and Valencia, with Chad Allen and Teddy Goetz, from left, are in the I-AA playoffs. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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