THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Canyon, Moore Prove to Be Less Than Intimidated in Ridgecrest

How difficult is it to win at Ridgecrest Burroughs? Very, considering that the Burros entered the season having lost just one home game since 1978. And that was a triple-overtime loss to Saugus in 1987.

Canyon’s 80-57 road win against Burroughs last Friday was impressive for several reasons.

For openers, the crowd created enough noise to drown out the introduction of Canyon players.

Second, Canyon’s Lance Moore, who transferred from Burroughs this season, was greeted with boos, hisses and crude chants every time he touched the ball.

Moore had been instrumental in a victory over the Cowboys last season.

“Every time he touched the ball,” Canyon Coach Greg Hayes said, “they’d either boo or cheer ‘Moore-ON!’ ” They called him some other things that I wouldn’t even repeat.”

Moore was unfazed, scoring six points and adding 11 assists. The loss was only Burroughs’ second in 59 games at home.

Said Hayes: “We love going up there. We’d play before their crowd every game if we could.”

No room at Verdugo Hills: Kurt Yarrington, the former Verdugo Hills baseball coach, says that extenuating circumstances accompanied his resignation as the Dons’ coach after three years with the program.

Yarrington inherited a team that had won just three games and in three years he took the Dons to the City Section 3-A Division playoffs, their first postseason appearance since 1976. Verdugo Hills was 12-12 last year, finished third in the Northeast League with a 9-7 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Washington.

Yarrington, a 1977 Verdugo Hills graduate, intended to return as coach this year but he was displaced from the school as a teacher as part of schoolwide cutbacks because of declining enrollment. He now teaches physical education and health at Portola Junior High in Tarzana and is unable to coach at Verdugo Hills as a walk-on because of time constraints.

“I don’t get out of school in time to get over to coach,” he said. “I’d still be coaching there if not for the move. I feel bad about the whole thing.”

Yarrington has been replaced by David Richard, a 20-year-old walk-on.

Shortchanged: Want to impress Coach Kirt Kohlmeier? Make a layup.

Oh, the Hoover roster has its share of players who can shell opponents with three-point bombs. What Kohlmeier would truly relish is someone who could consistently make an unceremonious finger roll.

The Tornadoes hit five three-point baskets Friday in the fourth quarter of a 77-69 loss to Muir but missed several easy shots throughout the game.

“We have trouble making one-footers,” Kohlmeier said. “I’m baffled. I’ve never had a team that misses so many shots right next to the basket and is so prolific from outside. What we’re working for is to get a layup. I think I better change my offensive philosophy.”

Because it’s the little things that count. Or don’t count.

The ebb and flow: Credit Agoura Coach Kevin Pasky with knowing his team’s character, but that knowledge doesn’t necessarily earn victories in the Frontier League.

Agoura (10-6 overall, 2-2 in league play) gave Santa Clara, the top-ranked Division IV team in the state, a scare last week and lost, 68-65. Pasky was concerned about the Chargers’ ability to regroup from the emotional game in time for a game with Calabasas three days later.

“I just hope we have enough character to come back Friday,” Pasky said.

As it turned out, Pasky had good reason for concern. Calabasas beat Agoura, 61-45, on the Chargers’ home court.

“Unfortunately, I know my kids,” Pasky said.

The loss might have awakened the Chargers, whom Pasky said are physically talented but lack the proper mental approach.

“We got slapped in the face on Friday, which is kind of good,” Pasky said after the loss. “If they didn’t, they will tomorrow in practice.”

It must have worked. The Chargers thrashed Santa Ynez on Tuesday, 82-57.

Play ball, almost: The weather forecast might call for winter storms, but guess what’s lurking around the corner less than a month away? The baseball season.

City Section teams can begin practicing Feb. 13 and the first Valley-area tournament starts Feb. 21.

San Fernando will play host to a six-team round-robin tournament that runs Feb. 21-22 and Feb. 27-March 1. No championship game is scheduled but a first-place trophy will go to the team with the best record, San Fernando Coach Steve Marden said.

Participating in the tournament with San Fernando will be Birmingham, Granada Hills, Grant, Poly and Franklin.

League play among City teams begins March 8. Southern Section teams can begin practicing Feb. 19 and the season opens March 2.

Fit to be tied: San Fernando basketball Coach Dick Crowell turned up at last Friday’s game with Cleveland wearing a necktie that could have made Peter Max blanch. It featured a multicolored floral print and was roughly as wide as Crowell’s chest.

“It was a gift from some of my students in 1969, when I was at Van Nuys High,” Crowell explained. “I just sort of kept it and took it out a couple of years ago. The guys ragged on me a little bit, but we won that game. Now it’s my good-luck tie.”

But is this tie really special, or is Crowell just a wee bit out of date? Evidence might support the latter theory. When San Fernando statistician Jeff Drumm was asked Friday night about the tie, he rolled his eyes and replied: “Oh, no, which one’s he wearing this time?”

Staff writers Steve Elling, Sam Farmer, John Lynch and Vince Kowalick contributed to this notebook.