Southern Section Out of Focus

Television exposure for high school sports in the Southland was dealt a setback last week when SportsChannel Los Angeles announced it is discontinuing service at the end of the year.

The cable network televised several championship events on both the state and section levels and recently concluded a three-year contract with the Southern Section worth $39,000.

“I realized at the end of last year that things were shaky over there,” said Chris Thomas, Southern Section marketing director. “Their demise is really unfortunate, because they were great to work with and we enjoyed the exposure and money.”

Aware of their monetary problems, SportsChannel L.A. officials did not commit to a contract extension. Thomas said finding a replacement has been difficult. He said that Prime Ticket has not returned calls.

Prime Ticket has committed to coverage of the state basketball tournament, which will be played in March in Oakland. It will show the boys’ Division I title game on a delayed basis.

The Southern Section was able to recoup some of its losses by signing a deal with the City Section and KCOP-TV, Channel 13, that will provide live coverage of a game matching the section’s large-division football champions next month. The five-year contract, worth $50,000 the first year, is contingent on decent ratings and the station’s ability to sell advertising.

In a market like Southern California, where the level of talent and competition is so high, it is a shame that there is so little television coverage.

The Alta Loma football team has not won a league title or been to the playoffs since 1969. So, when it started the season by winning five of its first six games, there was cause for celebration.

But things turned sour after a 21-0 victory over Etiwanda in the Mt. Baldy League opener on Oct. 16. The Monday after that game, it was reported to the Southern Section office that Alta Loma had been using an ineligible player. The report proved true, and the Braves had to forfeit their five victories.

“We went from being 5-1 to 0-6 in about five minutes,” said Tim Nelson, Alta Loma’s coach. “It was very tough on all of us because we haven’t won in so long.”

The player in question, a senior starter in the defensive line, played at Alta Loma his freshman and sophomore years. He played his junior season in Utah while living with an uncle and aunt. Because his entire family had not moved to Utah, the player needed to file a hardship eligibility waiver when he returned to Alta Loma. That was never done.

The player has since filed the waiver and been granted eligibility. He did not miss a game.

Although Alta Loma has won all three of its games since the incident and is guaranteed a berth in the Division V playoffs, hard feelings remain. Etiwanda Coach Larry Tisdale is the one who brought the matter out in the open.

“In my own defense, I just did it because there’s a good chance this would have come to light sooner or later,” Tisdale said. “I would have hated to have it happen at the end of the season, when it was too late to do anything about it.”

The Southland is known for producing talented running backs, and Saladin McCullough of Pasadena Muir is emerging as this season’s best. The senior player rushed for a personal-best 309 yards in 22 carries and five touchdowns Friday in a 49-0 victory over Arcadia.

McCullough’s five touchdowns gave him 27, which broke the school single-season record of 25 held by Ron Brown and Ricky Ervins. In nine games, McCullough has rushed for 1,585 yards in 172 carries, building a 9.2-yard average.

“We’ve had some great backs over the years, but none of them have been better five yards down the field than Saladin,” Coach Jim Brownfield said. “His breakaway speed is incredible.”

The Muir senior, who said his grade-point average and Scholastic Aptitude Test score have already met NCAA entrance requirements, is among the area’s most recruited players. All of the Pacific 10 schools have shown interest, and he said he will probably stay on the West Coast.

Prep Notes

The regular season for football ends Saturday and the playoffs begin Nov. 20. Southern Section pairings will be released Sunday. The City will seed its teams at a meeting tonight. . . . La Puente Bishop Amat wide receiver Daylon McCutcheon, who had a 21-yard touchdown pass reception against Loyola Saturday, is the son of former Ram Lawrence McCutcheon. Daylon is a sophomore starter. . . .

Ramon Rivera of Alhambra Keppel kicked a 58-yard field goal Friday in a 26-6 loss to Montebello Schurr. The field goal ties for the fourth-longest in Southern Section history.

Times’ Top 20 Football Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school football poll, with teams from the City and Southern Sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS I 9-0 1 2. Los Alamitos SS II 9-0 2 3. Muir SS II 8-1 4 4. Fontana SS I 8-1 5 5. Hart SS II 9-0 6 6. Loyola SS I 8-1 3 7. Esperanza SS II 8-1 7 8. Eisenhower SS I 7-1-1 8 9. Ran. Alamitos SS VII 8-1 10 10. Hawthorne SS III 8-1 11 11. Servite SS II 7-1-1 9 12. Baldwin Park SS III 8-0-1 12 13. Nogales SS III 8-1 13 14. Irvine SS IV 8-1 14 15. Sylmar City 4-A 8-0 17 16. Mater Dei SS I 7-1-1 19 17. North Torrance SS IX 9-0 16 18. Redlands SS I 7-2 18 19. Saugus SS II 7-1-1 20 20. Rubidoux SS IV 9-0 NR