VALENCIA SOFTBALL STANDOUT NARROWS COLLEGE CHOICES.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

Jordan Taylor, a Valencia High junior softball player who is among the nation's top college prospects, isn't expected to sign early but has narrowed her college choices to seven: Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA and Washington.

``She says she wants to go somewhere where it snows, but I told her she should visit one of these colleges while it's snowing to see what cold weather really feels like,'' said her mother, Marjorie. ``I know because I grew in New Jersey.''

A 6-foot-1 right-hander who throws 68 mph, Taylor was 18-3 as a sophomore with an 0.57 ERA and a school-record 233 strikeouts in 148 innings. She carried Valencia to the Southern Section Div. I final - the school's most successful year ever - and enters this season with a streak of 58 consecutive scoreless innings.

Taylor has taken unofficial visits to Michigan and Washington, and she's planning to visit the remaining five as soon as possible.

UCLA has targeted Taylor as a priority recruit, and she spent the day with the Bruins as an invited guest during a recent football game against Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl.

Last weekend, Taylor was in Las Vegas to participate in the Adidas-sponsored West Coast Softball National Elite Futures Camp. More than 40 NCAA coaches (including UCLA's Sue Enquist) watched as 44 girls participated in scrimmages. Taylor faced 20 batters during two sessions, allowing one hit and no runs with nine strikeouts.

Taylor took the LSAT exam on Saturday and wasn't available for comment.

--Valencia's Michael Herrick passed for 248 yards Friday in a 36-21 football victory over Burroughs of Burbank, pushing his career total to 9,060 - 911 yards shy of Keith Smith's state record of 9,971 (Newbury Park, 1991-93).

This season, Herrick has passed for 1,828 yards - an average of 304.7 per game - with four regular season games remaining, plus a possible total of four playoff games.

--Here's a great fundraising idea: Someone should produce and sell official Foothill League football throwback jerseys. Wouldn't it be a blast to wear an authentic Manuel White No. 9 Valencia jersey from 2000 or a vintage Ted Iacenda No. 46 Hart jersey from 1995?

--During the past month, no area football team has done a better job of smothering opposing running backs than Canyon.

Most recently, Burbank's Marcus Hood, coming off consecutive 200-yard performances, was held to 69 yards and no touchdowns on 23 carries as Canyon defeated the Bulldogs 45-10 on Friday.

The previous week, Crespi's Josh Morgan was held to 53 yards in a 20-0 Canyon victory after coming in with an average of 153 per game. In Week 3, South Torrance's John Hokama and Davon Brown managed a combined 62 yards on 26 carries in Canyon's 42-6 victory after the duo totaled 351 yards and five TDs the week before. And in Week 2, Simi Valley's Devin Kelley, the Marmonte League's second-leading rusher, ran for just 46 yards in 19 carries against Canyon.

--After a failed NFL tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs this past spring, former Southern Section Div. III co-Player of the Year Pat Norton (Hart/UCLA) refuses to let go of his football dreams.

Norton, a running back/linebacker, will try out for the L.A. Avengers of the Arena Football on Oct. 26 at West L.A. College, and he's hoping a year of Arena Football can open the door for another shot at the NFL.

``I just want to get a year under my belt because the Arena season goes right into the NFL season,'' Norton said.

Norton is working with two private coaches - one for the speed, the other for strength and conditioning - to keep himself in top shape.

--Another former Hart running back, Billy Brechtis working as Kyle Boller's live-in assistant in Baltimore. They have been close friends since early childhood.