Sylmar-Monroe Clean Up Handwriting on the Wall

Officials from Monroe and Sylmar highs have accepted responsibility for their students’ alleged transgressions involving defacement of school property.

On Friday, hours before Sylmar played at Monroe in a Valley Pac-8 Conference football game, Sylmar officials found graffiti in the Spartans’ football stadium. The graffiti was spray-painted in maroon, one of Monroe’s school colors.

Hours later, Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman found Monroe lockers defaced by graffiti when his team went into the locker room at halftime. Engilman immediately alerted Principal Linda Calvo.

Sylmar officials cleaned the lockers after halftime.

Calvo said school officials believe someone from the Sylmar frosh-soph team marked up the lockers during the first half.

“Even if we don’t find out who did it, we have the frosh-soph team scheduled for a Saturday cleanup at [Sylmar],” Calvo said.

Joan Elam, principal at Monroe, said her school has offered to pay for any cleanup or replacement of Sylmar property.

BASKETBALL

Pepperdine will play Silute of Lithuania in an exhibition game at 3 p.m. today at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

The Waves will start three players who sat out last season--6-foot-10 junior center omm’A Givens, 6-6 junior guard Jelani Gardner and 6-3 senior guard Gerald Brown. Returning starters Bryan Hill, a 6-8 senior forward, and Marc McDowell, a 6-7 junior forward, round out the lineup.

Brandon Armstrong, a 6-5 point guard from Vallejo High in Northern California, has committed to Pepperdine following a visit to the Malibu campus last weekend.

Jeremy Vague, a 6-10 forward from San Marcos High in San Diego County who was unable to enroll at Pepperdine this fall because he failed to achieve a qualifying score on his college entrance exam, has qualified and plans to enroll in January. Vague, will redshirt this season, as will 6-11 center Cedric Suitt, a freshman from Atlanta.

Phil Mathews, who coached the Ventura College men to two state titles, received a five-year contract extension at University of San Francisco after two winning seasons with the Dons.

SOCCER

Cal State Northridge senior forward Marilyn Huschka was named to the All-Big Sky Conference women’s soccer team.

Huschka had four goals and an assist for the Matadors (2-16).

Northridge freshman midfielder Riya Gough was an honorable mention selection, as was Cal State Sacramento sophomore forward Monica Almaraz, who played at Buena High.

Soccer player Nikki Zar, who transferred from Chaminade High to Thousand Oaks last week, is ineligible for varsity competition during the 1997-98 academic year, Thousand Oaks Athletic Director Jim O’Brien said Tuesday.

O’Brien said Zar, a junior who attended Thousand Oaks as a freshman, is eligible for junior varsity competition.

Crespi High opposite hitter James Spratt had surgery on his left knee last week but is expected to be ready for the start of boys’ volleyball practice in February.

FOOTBALL

Three Glendale College football players who were attacked on campus by two men wielding baseball bats last week suffered minor injuries and are expected to play this week, Coach John Cicuto said.

Linebacker Marlon Calloway, defensive end John Irace and defensive back David Henry were involved in the attack. Glendale police arrested two men, including Lance Williams, who played for Burbank High and briefly at Glendale last season.