The Preps / Scott Howard-Cooper : Southland Schools Continue to Dominate State Basketball Polls

Area schools continue to hold the top spots in all three levels of the statewide boys’ basketball rankings by Cal-Hi Sports, with Southern California holding six of the first nine spots in Division I.

Undefeated Fairfax is No. 1, followed by No. 2 Santa Ana Mater Dei, No. 4 Simi Valley, No. 6 Huntington Beach Marina, No. 8 Cleveland Reseda and No. 9 Long Beach Millikan. Glendale is No. 13 and Pasadena Muir is No. 14. Fairfax, by the way, has lost guard Dave Henderson, who had started every game, for the rest of the season because of academic problems.

The order does figure to change this week, however, considering Muir’s double-overtime win over Glendale last Wednesday and Marina’s loss to unpredictable Huntington Beach Ocean View.

That’s the same Ocean View that opened Sunset League play by losing three of its first four games before winning two straight. Then, in a nonleague game at home, the Sea Hawks pushed Mater Dei to double-overtime before losing, 53-48. Ocean View followed that up with the win over Marina to move into second place in league play as Ricky Butler had 25 points and 19 rebounds.

In Division II, Rolling Hills is still No. 1, with Anaheim Katella No. 3, Oxnard Santa Clara No. 7, Palos Verdes No. 13 and Los Alamitos No. 15.

Whittier Christian of La Habra is the top-ranked team in Division III, followed by No. 7 Santa Ynez, No. 8 Palos Verdes Chadwick, and No. 9 Santa Monica Crossroads.

Point Loma of the San Diego Section leads the Division I girls’ rankings, but the L.A. area takes control after that. Lynwood is No. 2, Ventura Buena No. 3, Huntington Beach Edison No. 4, Brea-Olinda No. 5, Inglewood Morningside No. 6, Compton No. 7, Woodland Hills Louisville No. 9, Mission Viejo No. 11, Katella No. 14 and Granada Hills Kennedy No. 15. Kennedy is the only City girls’ team ranked.

Lompoc is the second-ranked team in Division II, with fourth-ranked Cerritos Valley Christian, eighth-ranked Chino, 11th-ranked Santa Clara and 13th-ranked Atascadero also in the top 15. In Division III, No. 4 Rosamond is the only local school in the top 10.

The California Interscholastic Federation has approved a proposal to put state tournaments in basketball, track, volleyball and wrestling at permanent sites.

Basketball will remain at the Oakland Coliseum, an obvious choice since it has been well supported in the Bay Area and was pretty much ignored by L.A. fans at the Sports Arena in 1983, the one time it came to Los Angeles. Track will be at a Southern California venue, most likely Cerritos College. Wrestling will be at University of the Pacific in Stockton. And volleyball will be contested somewhere in Orange County, depending on the availability of sites.

Meanwhile, the Southern Section general council recently tabled a decision on recommending state cross-country meets. Members agreed not to support the idea because they want more time to review the proposal by the Central Section, but a meet has already been tentatively scheduled for next Nov. 28 in Fresno. The Southern Section advisory committee on the sport has given its endorsement for a state-wide meet.

So you want to be a high school football star? Better talk to Junior Seau of Oceanside first.

Seau, a linebacker-wide receiver, is one of the hottest college prospects in California, and not exactly loving it right now. Too many calls to his home by recruiters and reporters have driven him out and convinced him to take refuge at his girlfriend’s house or with aunts and uncles, and he claims that coaches have been calling him on a pay phone in the lunch area at school.

“I get calls on it all the time,” he told The Times’ Chris Ello recently. “You think it would stop, but it never does. They still think you might want to change your mind.”

Seau--pronounced say-ow--decided it was safe to be home Jan. 1, when most coaches had other things to do, and was watching the pregame show for the Rose Bowl, in which Michigan and Arizona State were the opponents. Even then, the phone rang.

It was Sun Devil Coach John Cooper, calling to say hello.

After the call, Seau returned to his TV set and moments later saw Cooper leading Arizona State on the field.

He talked to Cooper again this weekend, in person, during his visit to Tempe, Ariz. He has also been to UCLA, Stanford and Colorado and has a USC visit scheduled, although that is up in the air, and a decision by Wednesday is uncertain.

Prep Notes

The seventh annual El Segundo alumni baseball game, which also includes a photo and autograph session and a home run contest, will be played Feb. 14 at Recreation Park in El Segundo. George Brett of the Kansas City Royals, class of ‘71, and Scott McGregor of the Baltimore Orioles, ‘72, are expected to be in attendance, as are former major league pitcher Ken Brett, ‘66, and umpire Darryl Cousins, ’64. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for those 18 and under, with proceeds going to the El Segundo program. . . . Dave Gross has resigned as football coach at Saugus after going 0-10 in his first season. He will become an assistant at Quartz Hill. No replacement has been named at Saugus.

Athletic Director Dean Ackland of Downey, who in 1979 coached the boys’ basketball team to its only Southern Section championship, said he will resign as girls’ coach at the end of this season and become an assistant with the men’s program at Cerritos College.