VALENCIA FANS GO OVER THE LINE.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

Supporters of the Valencia High boys' basketball team went overboard during a much-anticipated match at archrival Hart last Friday.

Instead of concentrating on cheering for their team, significant energy was spent razzing Hart in an overly negative display.

The familiar ``Beat Newhall High'' T-shirts are fine, as are the Hart's ``Real Men Don't Wear Purple'' slogans. But Valencia's fans decided to capitalize on the recent feud between Hart football coach/athletic director Mike Herrington and UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell. Spectators held up signs showing Dorrell with a ``Dorrell For President'' slogan.

Others held signs that simply read ``Drew Olson'' - a not-so-subtle dig at former Hart football quarterback Matt Moore, who recently quit UCLA's football team before the team's bowl game after losing his starting job to Olson. In fact, Moore was in the Hart gym Friday, and a group of Valencia supporters - seated directly behind Hart's bench - serenaded him with chants of ``Olson's better! Olson's better!''

That kind of behavior is hardly necessary and not appropriate for what should be a healthy rivalry.

The Southern Section does not approve of such actions - and often a pregame announcement is made encouraging fans to root for their own team but not disparage the opponent. In the official operating principles of the California Interscholastic Federation, item No. 11 states: ``Everyone involved in competition, including parents, spectators, associated student body leaders, and all auxiliary groups have a duty to honor the traditions of the sports and to treat other participants with respect.'' ...

Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons was disappointed when informed about some of the Valencia fans' behavior.

``Obviously, stuff like that is not in accord with our motto of Victory With Honor, and somebody from Valencia's administration probably needs to address that,'' Simmons said. ``We might not get it on a daily basis, but we expect people to honor our operation principles.''

Valencia head coach Rocket Collins said he was concentrating on the game - Hart won 80-52 - and didn't pay attention to the crowd.

``I didn't hear it because I was focusing,'' Collins said.

But Collins said he doesn't support trash talk, especially from his players. In fact, he wears a T-shirt that reads: ``Trash stinks. Shut up and play basketball.''

Maybe Collins should make a batch of those shirts for his team to wear over their jerseys. Perhaps then Valencia fans would get the message.

--Former Saugus High baseball standout Don Pederson, who graduated in 1987, might have hit the two most memorable home runs in program history. In 1986, he hit a home run over the center-field wall at Dodger Stadium in a Southern Section championship loss to Artesia. In the following season, he hit what is believed to be the only home run to land in the wash beyond the left-field fence at Saugus, a 430-foot shot that people still talk about to this day.

--Some interesting prospects have joined the football program at College of the Canyons, including quarterback hopefuls Cory Miles and Marcel Marquez. Miles, formerly of Westlake High, is a transfer from Ventura College. Marquez, an excellent all-around athlete if not a pure passer like Miles, played at Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks before injuring his knee in a postseason all-star game.

Erik Vose, another former Westlake quarterback who gray-shirted last season, has quit the team, according to head coach Chuck Lyon.

Two other transfers who were big-time prospects in high school - offensive lineman Steve Hall and defensive lineman Tim Volk - also have joined the team. The 300-pound Hall (Westlake) played at Nevada Las Vegas, and Volk (Notre Dame) comes by way of Arizona and Moorpark College.