POTTER'S SWITCH A CATCH-22.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON

GITTELSON BITS

As the son of one of the San Fernando Valley's greatest all-time prep passers, Chris Potter has always been a quarterback at heart -- and a good one on the football field, too, asserting himself as the area's top young passers through his youth football years.

Then he enrolled at Oaks Christian of Westlake Village -- the same school where Jimmy Clausen, the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the country, was -- a few years ago.

Not surprisingly, Potter immediately moved to wide receiver, a position he's played the past three seasons.

That may change this year. Clausen has moved on to Notre Dame, and Potter is in line to take over at quarterback.

Or is he?

Potter proved to be such a good receiver -- he caught 49 passes and scored 11touchdowns last season -- that he has already been offered four Division I college scholarships as a receiver, not a quarterback, and thus Potter's dilemma.

Does he remain at wide receiver, his likely position in college? Or does he move back to quarterback, his first love? Does he continue his development as a sure-handed pass-catcher, or jump at the chance to quarterback an Oaks Christian team that's won a Southern Section record-tying 46 games in a row, including four straight division titles?

"I've grown up playing quarterback and have always wanted to play the position," Potter said.

Oaks Christian wants Potter as its quarterback, and he wouldn't mind making the switch. But Colorado State, Mississippi, Kentucky and Troy State want Potter catching the football, not throwing it.

A minor growth spurt has seen Potter sprout to 5-foot-11, not the perfect height for a college quarterback, according to some standards. If he was 6-foot-3, Potter might be nearly as coveted at quarterback as Clausen.

His father, Dana, was the same height in 1970 when he passed for more than 3,100yards -- unheard of in those days -- to lead Granada Hills to the City Section 4-A title before playing college football at Nebraska.

But these days, measurements mean a lot more.

The elder Potter certainly is close to the situation as a veteran Oaks Christian assistant in charge of -- you guessed it -- quarterbacks.

"All those years when I coached my son at quarterback, we never realized how much quickness and speed he had to play receiver," Dana Potter said. "I do think Chris' future is at receiver.

"Hmm, maybe I should have married a 6-foot-4 woman."

Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell, calls Potter one of the two best receivers he's seen in the past 20 years. But Redell wants Potter to play quarterback for the upcoming season as much as anyone, so Potter will be under center, save for the unlikely scenario that's he's outperformed by fellow prospects Anthony Vitto or Isiah Kempf.

"The only way Chris Potter won't play quarterback is if someone beats him out," Redell said. "He's not your typical 6-4 quarterback, but he can run, and he throws very well, too. He's a good passer. I'm very pleased with Chris at quarterback."

As Clausen's backup, Potter completed 16 of 25 passes for 261 yards and twotouchdowns. He also averaged 26.3 yards on kick returns and 15.1 yards on punt returns.

"When I came to Oaks and Jimmy was here, I was OK with it as long as there was a place to play," Potter said. "They said, 'Hey, move to receiver and be the second-string quarterback.' But I did always want to play quarterback, so I've been looking forward to this year for a long time. I just love to play the game, and I'm excited to lead this team -- but, hey, if a college wants me as a quarterback, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

In South Bend, Ind., Clausen is competing with three others to be Notre Dame's new starting quarterback in place of Brady Quinn. Irish coach Charlie Weis has said the plan during spring practice is to pare down the hopefuls from fourto two.

Chuck Crim, a former Thousand Oaks High pitcher who played nine major league seasons (including two with the Angels in 1992 and 1993), has landed what he calls a dream job: a full-time scout for the Dodgers.

"You better believe the Dodgers are the greatest organization in baseball," said Crim, 45. "I like scouting. It's a different aspect of the game. A lot of driving and traffic, but that's the only downfall. Once you get to the yard, it's beautiful."

Tim Bednar, who coached Moorpark High's basketball team for 18seasons, including 13playoff appearances, has resigned. He'll remain at the school as a teacher with plans to eventually become an administrator.

Tyler Fick, a former Hart High of Newhall pitcher who spurned a Cal State Northridge scholarship offer two years ago to play JC baseball at Cuesta College, continues to recover from elbow surgery last summer.

"It was like a Tommy John surgery, and I'm just now getting back in shape," Fick said. "The worst part is over."

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