Bonanza of Feats Will Come in 2003

It’s time to dust off my crystal ball and take a look at what the new year has in store for high school sports. The images are becoming clear:

Running back Terrell Jackson of Corona Centennial, who scored 50 touchdowns as a junior, will help reduce the federal budget deficit by forcing college coaches to spend thousands of dollars on stamps for recruiting letters.

Future NBA top lottery pick LeBron James will need four bodyguards and a stretch limousine to make it past the autograph seekers at Pauley Pavilion, where he plays against Santa Ana Mater Dei on Saturday night.

Los Alamitos will win a second consecutive Division I football championship.

Westminster La Quinta will be the only school in the nation to produce two first-round draft choices in third baseman Ian Stewart and pitcher Ian Kennedy.

Pitcher Chuck Tiffany of Covina Charter Oak will strike out 18 in one game.

Shortstop Trevor Plouffe of Encino Crespi will hit for the cycle.

Coach Bruce Rollinson of Mater Dei will promise to cut off his mustache if the Monarchs win the Division I football championship.

Ekene Ibekwe of Carson will shatter a glass backboard after one of his thunderous dunks.

Fairfax will defeat Westchester to win the City Section basketball championship.

Garrett Green of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will become the best sophomore quarterback in Southern California.

Defensive end Brigham Harwell of Hacienda Heights Los Altos, who had 24 sacks as a junior, will star in a Chunky Soup commercial.

Jimmy Clausen of Westlake Village Oaks Christian will perform at a higher level than any freshman quarterback seen in the last 10 years at the varsity level.

Los Alamitos quarterback Jimmy Barnes will ask his father, Coach John Barnes, if he can have a raise in his allowance after the Griffins defeat Newhall Hart in their season opener.

Mark Gubicza will rent “The Rookie” on video, then make an agreement with his West Hills Chaminade baseball team that if the Eagles win the Mission League championship, he’ll launch a comeback with the Kansas City Royals.

Golfer Scott Hoch of Granada Hills will play like his namesake on the PGA Tour.

Receiver Steve Smith of Woodland Hills Taft will sign with USC, then switch to cornerback at the request of Coach Pete Carroll and be the only freshman starter for the Trojans.

Sophomore guard Dwain Williams of Temecula Chaparral will average 30 points per game and become a familiar name to the likes of Lute Olson, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski.

Chatsworth, led by All-City pitchers Justin Cassel and Jason Dominguez, will win the City baseball championship.

The only way to prevent Mater Dei from winning the Division II state championship in boys’ basketball will be to have its plane land in San Jose instead of Sacramento.

Junior right-hander Jason Corder of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley will be as unhittable as Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels.

The sons of former UCLA standouts Wendell Tyler, Darren Daye and Mark Harmon will distinguish themselves as high school freshmen in the fall.

The quarterback who rises up and surprises college recruiters the most will be Daniel Morales of La Habra, who passed for 2,764 yards as a junior and led his team to a 13-1 record.

Bryan Payton of West Covina South Hills, who had 11 interceptions as a junior, will start wearing jewelry to prove he’s the next Deion Sanders.

Allyson Felix of North Hills L.A. Baptist will earn standing ovations at the state track and field championships with record-setting performances in the 100 and 200 meters.

The Lynwood Unified School District will pass a rule allowing only transfer students to play for the Lynwood girls’ basketball team.

Junior Peter Lowry of Irvine Woodbridge will show he’s the No. 1 college soccer prospect in Southern California.

Any catcher who’s able to throw out Arizona-bound Caitlin Lowe of Santa Ana Foothill on an attempted steal will earn a college softball scholarship.

The most underrated small-schools basketball player will be 6-foot-3 junior Brandon Turner of Brentwood.

Two of the first three quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft will be from Southern California: USC’s Carson Palmer (Santa Margarita) and California’s Kyle Boller (Newhall Hart).

The son of a lawyer will be the first to challenge the Southern Section transfer policy in court.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].