Another Temblor Hits Valley

Ka-Boom!

Like the 1994 earthquake that devastated far beyond its epicenter, the recent announcement that Cal State Northridge canceled four men’s athletic programs undoubtedly will have a ripple effect on more than 70 high schools in surrounding cities.

The jolt that hit the Northridge campus on Wednesday--cancellation of baseball, volleyball, soccer and swimming in order to help meet gender-equity regulations--will be felt by local high schools for years to come.

Yet unlike the several campuses that were damaged in the 6.7 earthquake, our local schools will never be able to recover from this catastrophe.

Since Northridge began athletic competition in the late 1950s, local schools have been sending student-athletes to the local university to compete--on scholarship or as walk-ons--and to further their education.

In the last school year alone, 31 of the 74 athletes listed on the four rosters of the canceled programs attended a local high school. That is a whopping 42% representation of local talent.

“I think it’s a travesty that is so far reaching that people don’t understand,” said Royal volleyball Coach Bob Ferguson, who in the fall would have sent his third player to compete for Northridge. “There are so few available programs for our kids.”

Among other things, Northridge provided local players an option their parents could more readily afford. By living at home and commuting to Northridge, students can save their parents quite a bit of money on room and board.

That was the main reason soccer player Mike Preis chose Northridge a year ago. Preis, who as a freshman was the Matadors’ leading scorer, was offered partial scholarships out of Chatsworth to several Division I universities. For him, money was an issue. And Northridge provided the answer.

“[Northridge] helped Mike out tremendously because he didn’t have the money to play at a Santa Clara. . . ,” Chatsworth Coach Desmond Willows said. “If there wasn’t a CSUN, I’m not sure where Mikey would have gone.”

No other sport at Northridge was as rich in local talent as the soccer team. Last season, 13 of the 20 players (65%) on the roster were from the region.

Willows, who in four years sent three players to Northridge and had hopes for No. 4 in the fall, said cancellation of the soccer program is a major setback for local players. For so many, playing for Northridge was an attainable dream.

“It’s just a shame that this had to happen,” Willows said. “The [San Fernando] Valley is a hotbed for soccer. . . . These kids have no where to go now.”

The same might be said for baseball players, who were getting recruited by Northridge with more regularity in recent years.

Eleven of the 29 on the last Matador roster have local ties.

“In the last five or six years, the Northridge coaches have started to recruit this area pretty strong,” Hart baseball Coach Bud Murray said. “That’s been a big deal. A lot of our kids would like to play baseball there.”

Hart third baseman Eric Horvat is one of those players. Horvat, who batted .470 with 37 runs batted in for the Indians this year, signed to play at Northridge.

Now he’s a player without a team.

“I’m really disappointed in these people who take these jobs as administrators and don’t know a thing about athletics,” Murray said. “[Northridge] is located in a section of the U.S. that has some of the best high school baseball in the world.”

Several top-notch volleyball players also have ties to the region, including former Northridge and Pierce College player Bob Samuelson, who played on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

In 1993, when Northridge finished NCAA Division I runner-up to UCLA, nine of 14 were local players. The two best players that year were Coley Kyman of Reseda and Ken Lynch of Crespi. Craig Hewitt of Chatsworth and Gary Reznick of Taft also were starters.

This year, five of 15 were home grown.

Next year, no local talent. No team. No shot at national recognition. No joke.

“It’s more than unfortunate,” said Ferguson, who helped start the boys’ volleyball program at Royal 10 years ago. “It’s criminal.”

Staff writer David Wharton contributed to this column.