RIGHT PLACE FOR RECEIVER.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

Football standout Sean Coen, a record-setting receiver from Canyon High, has committed to Cal Lutheran, a Division III college in Thousand Oaks.

``I checked it out and liked it a lot there. It's the perfect place for me,'' Coen said. ``Plus, I think I'll get a chance to play a lot as soon as possible.''

Coen, Canyon's all-time leading receiver, caught a Foothill League-record 108 passes last season, one of the highest single-season totals in state history. He averaged 13.8 yards per reception, scored 17 touchdowns and also started as a defensive back and return specialist.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, Coen was passed over by Division I universities because he was deemed too small, and for a time he considered playing at College of the Canyons.

Coen is the third Canyon football player to commit to a four-year university. Quarterback Nathan Longshore is going to Cal, and linebacker Andrew Schantz is headed to San Diego State.

Running back Louis Montano, like Coen an undersized but extremely productive player, might join Coen at Cal Lutheran. Montano is also considering Montana State.

--Perhaps Jared Clark of Valencia High has the best chance of any high school baseball player from the region to earn first-team USA Today All-America honors this year.

Through 15 games against elite competition, the 6-foot-4 pitcher/first baseman is 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA, one save and 50 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. He's also batting .464 with seven home runs - including a 480- foot blast against Huntington Beach that is considered the longest in Foothill League history - and 21 RBI in 56 at-bats. His slugging percentage is .9643.

Teammate Matt Aidem also is having a fine season. He's batting .451 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 51 at-bats, and he's 3-1 with a 0.51 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.

--Nobody can touch Valencia's boys' volleyball program. The varsity, coming off the school's first-ever Southern Section championship in any sport, is 7-1, 3-0 in league after sweeping Saugus in three games Thursday.

Returning Div. I Player of the Year Tony Ker, who has committed to UCLA, continues to dominate. He had five kills against Saugus in a match that saw Valencia spread the ball around a lot.

Valencia's junior varsity and freshman teams also are doing terrific. The JV is 8-0, and the freshmen are 7-1.

--Valencia basketball/volleyball player Aaron Smith is an amazing kid. Not only does he balance two varsity sports, but he also has achieved a 4.67 grade-point average.

--Here is some more news about local athletes with superb GPAs: Girls' basketball player Rachel Bates of Canyon High, a participant in the eighth annual Battle of the Valley All-Star Game on Saturday at Cal State Northridge, has been awarded a $100 scholarship from Staples for having the highest GPA (4.38) of any girls' player in the event.